PART III.

THE EXTERIOR. NOTE.--The arrangement of the following Division assumes the visitor to enter the Garden from the Central Transept, whence he proceeds to inspect the _Terraces_ and the _Italian Garden_. Passing down the central steps from the second Terrace, and round the _Great Circular Fountain_, he proceeds to the left, and continuing the path, explores the _English Landscape Garden_, and the _Archery Ground_, beyond which is the _Park_, the _Cricketing Ground_, from which, proceeding half round the basin of one of the _Great Fountains_, he reaches the _Grand Plateau_, and examines the _Geological Restorations and the Extinct Animals on the Islands in the Lake_. Leaving the _Plateau_, he skirts the basin of the second _Great Fountain_, and proceeding by the _Rosary_, completes the circuit of the grounds. An account of the _Great Water Towers_, in connection with the system of _Fountains_, and of the _Artesian Well_ and the _Water Supply_ is then added. [Illustration: PLAN OF THE GARDENS AND PARK PRINTED BY R.K. BURT, HOLBORN HILL, CITY. A. GREAT CIRCULAR FOUNTAIN B. B. WATER TEMPLES AND CASCADES C. THE ENGLISH LANDSCAPE GARDEN] [Illustration: The Park and Gardens.] THE SITE. The Crystal Palace stands in the county of Surrey, immediately on the confines of Kent, bordered on one side by Sydenham, and on the other by Norwood and Anerley, whilst Penge lies at the foot of the hill, and Dulwich Wood at the top. No particular topographical or historical facts are associated with these places. Sydenham, however, is invested with some literary interest as having been the residence of the poet Campbell, the author of the “Pleasures of Hope,” who passed, as he says in one of his letters, the happiest years of his life in this suburban village, and who wrote here the whole of “Gertrude of Wyoming.” THE PARK AND GARDENS. The Crystal Palace and its grounds occupy two hundred acres, and it is of importance to note that, in the formation of the gardens, the same uniformity of parts is adhered to as in the building itself; that is to say, the width of the walks, the width and length of the basins of the fountains, the length of the terraces, the breadth of the steps, are all multiples and sub-multiples of the one primary number of eight. By this symmetrical arrangement perfect harmony prevails, unconsciously to the looker-on, in the structure and in the grounds. As the visitor quits the building from the Central Transept, let him pause at the top of the broad flight of steps leading to the first terrace, and notice the prospect before him. At his feet are the upper and lower terraces, bordered by stone balustrades, the long lines of which are broken by steps and projecting bastions. Along these balustrades, at intervals, the eye is attracted by the statues that surmount them. Straight before him runs the broad central walk, and, on either side of it, on the second terrace, the ground is covered with green turf, now relieved by beds filled with gay-coloured flowers, and further heightened in effect by fountains which throw water high up into the air. As a side boundary to the foreground of this picture, the wings of the building stretch out in their blue colouring, their cheerful, light aspect, harmonising with the rest of the scene. Looking straight forward, below the level of the second terrace, we see the large circular fountain, surrounded by white marble statues, which stand out sharp and clear against the dark landscape beyond. On either side, on a yet lower level, a glimpse is caught of the glistening waters in the two largest fountains, backed by embankments of turf; and beyond these again, if we could only lift our vision over the plateau, we should see the waters of the large lake, whose islands are peopled by monsters that inhabited the earth when the world was young. To the right, and to the left, in the grounds, are pleasant sloping lawns, dotted here and there with trees, and thickly planted shrubs; and then, beyond the Palace precincts, stretching away into the far distance, is visible the great garden of Nature herself, a picture of rural loveliness, almost unmatched by any scene so close as this to the great London city. Undulating scenery prevails: here it is rich with bright verdure, there dark with thick wood: here, the grass field; there, the grey soil, which, in the spring time, is covered with the delicate green of young wheat; and, in the autumn, waves thick with golden corn. Across the fields run long lines of hedgerows, telling plainly of the country in which they are found; and in the very heart of all, the village church spire shoots through the trees, surrounded by clusters of cottages, whose modest forms are almost hidden by the dark foliage in which they are nestled. The exquisite scene is completed by a long line of blue hills that ranges at the back of all. [Illustration: VIEW OF GREAT TRANSEPT.] Gardening, as an art, has flourished in all countries; and has possessed in each such distinctive features as the climate, the nature of the soil, and its physical formation, as well as the character of the people, have created. In the Gardens before us two styles are seen, THE ITALIAN and THE ENGLISH LANDSCAPE. A few words may be sufficient to describe the leading characteristics of both. In Italy, during the middle ages, internal warfare confined men to their fortresses, and no gardens existed save those “pleasaunces” cultivated within the castle’s quadrangle. When times grew more peaceful, men became more trustful, ventured forth, enjoyed the pleasures of a country life, and gardening prospered. In monasteries especially, the art received attention; but it was not until the beginning of the 16th century that a decided advance was manifest, and then we have to note a return to the style of gardening that flourished in ancient Rome itself. Lorenzo de’ Medici possessed a garden laid out in the revived classical manner, and this style, which is recognised as the Italian, has existed in Italy with certain modifications ever since. Its chief features are the profuse use of architectural ornaments--the grounds being subdivided into terraces, and adorned with temples, statuary, urns, and vases, beds cut with mathematical precision, formal alleys of trees, straight walks, hedges cut into fantastic devices, jets of water, elaborate rock-work, and fish-ponds dug into squares or other geometrical forms. Everything in these gardens is artificial in the extreme, and in set opposition to the wild luxuriance of nature; and although the trees and shrubs are planted with a great regard to precision, they are too frequently devoid of all artistic effect. During the last century, the Italian style became blended with English landscape-gardening, but without much success; for the formality of the original style clings to all Italian gardening at the present day. [Illustration: View from the Terrace.] English gardening does not seem to have been regularly cultivated until the reign of Henry VIII.; although previously to his time, parks and gardens had been laid out. Bluff King Hal formed the gardens of Nonsuch Palace in Surrey on a most magnificent scale, decking them out with many wonderful and curious contrivances, including a pyramid of marble with concealed holes, which spirted water upon all who came within reach,--a practical joke which our forefathers seem to have relished highly, for the ingenious engine was imitated in other gardens after that period. In this reign also were first laid out by Cardinal Wolsey the Hampton Court Gardens, containing the labyrinth, at that period an indispensable device of a large garden. The artificial style in James I.’s time called forth the indignation of the great Lord Bacon, who, although content to retain well-trimmed hedges and trees, pleaded strongly in the interest of nature. He insisted that beyond the highly dressed and embellished parts of the garden, should ever lie a portion sacred from the hand of man--a fragment of wild nature! He calls it “the heath, or desert.” During Charles II.’s reign, landscape-gardening received an impulse. It was in his time that Chatsworth was laid out, and that buildings were introduced into gardens. During his reign, too, lived Evelyn--a spirit devoted to the service of the rural genius. In his Diary, Evelyn makes mention of several noblemen’s and gentlemen’s gardens which he visited, and some of which indeed he himself devised. His remarks convey an idea of the state of gardening during the reign of the merry monarch. “Hampton Park, Middlesex,” he says, “was formerly a flat, naked piece of ground, now planted with sweet rows of lime trees, and the canal for water now near perfected; also the hare park. In the garden is a rich and noble fountain, with syrens, statues, &c., cast in copper by Fanelli, but no plenty of water. There is a parterre which they call Paradise, in which is a pretty banqueting-house set over a cave or cellar.” It was under Charles too that St. James’s Park was formed, a labour upon which the king employed Le Nôtre, the celebrated gardener of Versailles,--an artist of singular good taste, and with an admirable eye for the picturesque. During the reign of William and Mary, Hampton Court was considerably improved. Some Dutch features were introduced into gardening, and vegetable sculpture, and parterres in lace, came into vogue. To the Dutch must be conceded the earliest manifestation of a love for gardening, in Northern Europe--a feeling possessed by them even before the thirteenth century. The taste owed its origin, no doubt, partly to the general monotony of their country, partly to the wealth of their merchants, and partly to an extended commerce, which enabled the Dutch to import from the East those bulbous roots which have long been cultivated in Holland, and were once valued at fabulous prices. Dutch gardening soon acquired a peculiar character of its own. The gardens of Loo, laid out in the time of William III., were excellent examples of the symmetrical Dutch style; a canal divided the upper from the lower garden; the beds were cut in squares, and filled at various seasons of the year with tulips, hyacinths, poppies, sun-flowers, &c.; straight walks intersected the grounds, which were adorned with numerous statues, grotto-work, and fountains, some exceedingly whimsical and curious; the trees and shrubs were cut into devices, principally in pyramidal forms, whilst hedges separated the different parts of the garden, and were not allowed to grow above a certain height. Straight rows and double rows of trees constitute another characteristic of the Dutch style, and elaborate lace-like patterns for parterres were much in vogue during the latter part of the seventeenth century. The influence of this style upon English gardens may still be perceived in the clipped hedgerows and trees, green terraces, and now only prim, now magnificent avenues, so frequent in our country. It would appear that from William down to George II., gardening in England suffered sad deterioration as an art. Formality prevailed to the most deadening and oppressive extent. The shapes of men and animals were cut in trees, and the land was threatened with a vast and hideous collection of verdant sculpture. Pope and Addison came to the rescue of nature, and ridiculed the monstrous fashion. Pope, in one of his papers in “The Guardian,” details an imaginary set of plants for sale, including a “St. George, in box, his arm scarce long enough, but will be in condition to stick the dragon next April;” and a “quickset hog shot up into a porcupine by being forgot a week in rainy weather.” Addison, in “The Spectator,” says, “Our British gardeners, instead of humouring nature, love to deviate from it as much as possible. Our trees rise in cones, globes, and pyramids. We see the marks of the scissors upon every plant and bush.” Pope himself laid out his grounds in his villa at Twickenham; and his gardens there, which still bear the impress of his taste, attest to his practical skill as a gardener. The satire of these great writers contributed not a little to a revolution in English gardening. Bridgeman seems to have been the first to commence the wholesome work of destruction, and to introduce landscape gardening; and it is said that he was instigated to his labour by the very paper of Pope’s, in “The Guardian,” to which we have alluded. But Kent, at a later period, banished the old grotesque and ridiculous style, and established the new picturesque treatment. He laid out Kensington Gardens, and probably Claremont. Wright and Brown were also early artists in the new style, and deserve honourable mention for their exertions in the right direction. The former displayed his skill at Fonthill Abbey, the seat of Mr. Beckford; Brown was consulted at Blenheim, where he constructed the earliest artificial lake in the kingdom,--the work of a week. Nor must Shenstone, the poet, be forgotten. His attempt, towards 1750, to establish the rights of nature in his own ornamental farm at the Leasowes, places him fairly in the front rank of our rural reformers. Mathematical precision and the yoke of excessive art were thus cast off, and nature was allowed a larger extent of liberty and life. She was no longer tasked to imitate forms that detracted from her own beauty without giving grace to the imitation; but she was questioned as to the garb which it chiefly delighted her to wear, and answer being given, active steps were taken to comply with her will. Then came Knight and Price to carry out the goodly work of recovery and restoration. To them followed Mr. Humphrey Repton, the accomplished scholar under whose eye the gardens of Cobham Hall were planned, and under whose influence all the celebrated landscape-gardens of his time were fashioned. And as the result of the united labours of one and all, we have the irregularly-bounded pieces of water which delight the English eye, the shrubberies, the noble groups of trees, the winding walks, the gentle undulations, and pleasant slopes,--all which combined give a peculiar charm to our island landscapes, that is looked for in vain in fairer climates and on a more extended soil. In the Crystal Palace Gardens, the Italian style has not been servilely copied, but rather adapted and appropriated. It has been taken, in fact, as the basis of a portion of our garden, and modified so as to suit English climate and English taste. Thus, we have the terraces and the architectural display, the long walks, the carefully cut beds, and the ornamental fountains: but the undulations of greensward, that bespeak the English soil, give a character to the borrowed elements which they do not find elsewhere. The violent juxtaposition of the two styles of gardening--the Italian and the English--it may readily be conceived, would produce a harsh and disagreeable effect. To avoid the collision, Sir Joseph Paxton has introduced, in the immediate vicinity of the terraces and the broad central walk, a mixed or transitional style, combining the formality of the one school with the freedom and natural grace of the other; and the former character is gradually diminished until, at the north side of the ground, it entirely disappears, and English landscape-gardening is looked upon in all its beauty. THE TERRACES. Descending the steps we reach the first terrace, on the parapet of which are placed twenty-six allegorical statues of the most important commercial and manufacturing countries in the world, and of the chief industrial cities of England and France. The length of the upper terrace is 1576 feet, and its width 48 feet; the terrace wall is of Bath-stone. The granite pedestals on each side of the steps, leading from the Great Transept, are 16 feet by 24 feet. The width of the central flight of steps is 96 feet; and this is also the width of the grand central walk. The lower terrace, along which are ranged the first six fountains of the upper series, is 1664 feet long between the wings of the building, or nearly one-third of a mile, and 512 feet wide, the basins for the fountains on this terrace being, in their measurements, as before stated, all multiples of eight. The total length of the garden front of the wall of this terrace, which is formed into alcoves, is 1896 feet. The length of the broad central gravel walk from the building to the end of the garden in a direct line is 2660 feet. Such are a few of the principal measurements connected with the Palace Gardens, as these are seen on the surface. But although the work that is above ground may be recognised and calculated with little trouble by the visitor, there is beneath the surface an amount of labour and capital expended, of which he can with difficulty form an accurate idea. Drain pipes spread under his feet like a net-work, and amount in length to several miles; he treads on thousands of bundles of faggots which have formed his path; he walks over ten miles of iron piping which supply the fountains for his amusement. On each side of the great central staircase are statues representing Mulhouse, Glasgow, and Liverpool (to the right as we face the gardens), the two first by Calder Marshall, the third by Spence. On the left side are personifications of Paris, Lyons, and an allegorical statue of French art, the first by Etex. The next bastion, on the Sydenham side, is surmounted by statues of Spain and Italy, admirably executed by Monti; the succeeding bastion forms a pedestal for the very characteristic figures of California and Australia, by Bell. The staircase at this end of the terrace is ornamented at the first angle with representations of South America, by Monti, and of Turkey and Greece by Baron Marochetti; the second group consists of India and Egypt, also by Marochetti, and of China, by Monti. The first bastion, on the Norwood side of the central staircase, supports allegorical statues of Manchester, by Theed, and Belfast, by Legrew. On the succeeding one are placed those of Sheffield and Birmingham, by Bell. On each side of the staircase, at this point, are very excellent representations of the Zollverein and Holland, by Monti, and of Belgium, by Geefs. The last group consists of a fine allegorical statue of the United States, by Powers, and of Canada and Russia, by Launitz. All these figurative subjects are more or less composed in the style of the modern Romantic school of sculpture, and afford excellent illustrations of the character, nature, and chief occupations of the countries and cities they represent. [Illustration: The Arcade and Rosary.] Proceeding in a northerly direction, we pass on until we reach a flight of steps, by which we gain the lower terrace, or Italian flower-garden. At the bottom of these steps are stone recesses, built under the terrace above, in which streams of water fall from dolphins’ mouths into bronze basins. Crossing the terrace by the path facing the steps, the visitor turns to the right, examining the flowers and the fountains, until he arrives at the central steps leading to the circular basin, from which point a most admirable view of the whole crystal structure is obtained. The deep recesses in the transepts, the open galleries, the circular roof to the nave, the height of the Central Transept, the great length of the building, and the general aërial appearance of the whole crystal fabric, produce an effect which, for novelty and lightness, surpasses every other architectural elevation in the world. Turning his back upon the building, the visitor beholds on either side of him green undulating lawns, beds planted with rhododendrons and other flowers, and winding gravel walks. He now surveys the mixed garden, before mentioned, which extends throughout the south side. To the right is a mound, surrounded by an arcade of arabesque iron-work, around which innumerable roses are twined; and, to the left, two spreading cedar trees--of a kind familiar to this neighbourhood--attract attention by their thick, spreading, sombre foliage. Descending the steps, and walking down the broad gravel path, the visitor reaches the large Circular Fountain. Round the basin of the fountain are white marble statues, copies from the antique, and of works by Thorwaldsen and Canova. Amongst them will be found the celebrated Farnese Hercules, the free and graceful Mercury by Thorwaldsen, the Venus of Milo, and the Paris by Canova. On either hand, and a little below the Central Fountain, will be remarked two temples of beautiful iron-work, called the Temples of the Cascades, which, with the fountains, will be more fully described hereafter. Having made one half of the circle, the visitor, instead of proceeding down the central avenue, turns to the left, round the other side of the Central Fountain, and passing the first outlet, finds his way through the second, and descends the steps into a gently rising walk, which leads him to a smaller fountain. [Illustration: The Cedar Trees.] Keeping to the left-hand side, we make half the circle of this smaller fountain, and then enter upon a pleasant path, on the right side of which stands one of the noble cedar-trees before mentioned. We are now quitting the mixed Italian and English gardens for the pure English landscape. Trees wave their long branches over our heads, the paths wind, and art recedes before nature. Travelling for a short distance, we come to a junction of two roads. Selecting the left, we journey on through a path, still gently rising, bordered on one side by trees, and on the other by a lawn, until we approach a valley at the bottom of which is a small piece of water, lying close to a thicket forming a pleasant summer shade. Leading out of this small piece of water is seen a large lake, which forms the second or intermediate reservoir for the supply of the fountains. Under the hand of Sir Joseph Paxton the lake is made to serve for ornament as well as use. [Illustration: View in Grounds.] THE ARCHERY GROUND. On the slope, which is here picturesquely bordered with trees, is the Archery Ground. The targets are fixed at various distances on the lawn, and in a marquee, pitched in a proper position, are kept bows and arrows and all needful appliances of the noble pastime of archery--once the military stay and boast of the English nation, now, in these days of gunpowder, the pleasing and vigorous recreation of ladies and civilians. Pursuing our way along the path, and which is now open on both sides, we descend towards the east, and on either side of us are beds filled with American rhododendrons. Our road takes us along the edge of the lake. Bearing to the right, we presently reach the junction of two paths. If the visitor turns to the left, he enters the Park, which occupies this side of the ground, and forms not one of the least agreeable features of the place. [Illustration: THE STONE ARCADE.] THE CRICKET GROUND. In the Park, a little to the right of the Sydenham entrance, and between that and the Great Central Walk, is a spacious level of green turf, which is specially laid out as a cricketing ground, and which is one of the best and largest in England. Every necessary arrangement is made, during the season, for the interesting matches and practice of this essentially English game. Close by is a ground for Rifle practice. Quitting the Cricket Ground, the visitor returns on the same path by which he has approached, to the Great Fountain Basin, proceeding round the left-hand margin of which he will arrive where the broad Central Walk divides the two basins, from which point he obtains an excellent view of the stone Arcades, over which the water from the Temples and Cascades rushes in a glittering span of many feet, and forms splendid falls into the basins below. The pathway passes under the stone Arcades, and, when the water is pouring over, a curious and beautiful effect is noticeable from the open balustrade, in front of which the water passes. Having inspected the Arcades, the visitor continues his walk, partly round the next fountain basin, till he reaches a flight of steps on the left hand, passing up which he gains the Grand Plateau, which is 47 feet above the level of the Lake, which lies below. THE GEOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND THE EXTINCT ANIMALS.[27] From our stand on the Grand Plateau, which is fifty feet in width, we obtain a general view of a tract of several acres of ground occupied by Geological illustrations, and including a number of islands partly covered by strange figures, the restored forms of various animals which for many ages have ceased to exist as living tribes. [27] See “Handbook to the Extinct Animals and Geological Illustrations described,” by Professor Owen. The wonders of geology are not confined to grand mountain chains piercing the clouds, burning mountains vomiting steam and hot ashes, and vast accumulations of animal and vegetable remains found imbedded everywhere around us. They extend to facts connected with the structure of the earth’s crust, the existence of stores of mineral wealth, and strange results derived from the comparison of existing races with the fragments of other races formerly occupying the surface. The form of the surface depends on the internal structure; the scenery is due to the circumstances of the prevailing rock and soil; and the sea-cliff and naked mountain side are the places where nature teaches her first great lesson of the natural history of the Mineral Kingdom. To illustrate geology, it was necessary to perform the same kind of task as that which has been so successfully performed in the Architectural Courts, and the result is now before the visitor, as he looks down from this plateau and prepares to enter on the new course of investigation open to him. The ground forming the cliffs, shores, banks, and islands in this part of the Park are so constructed as to give, in a series of views, a number of practical lessons in geology, tending to make the essential facts of the science easily understood, while, at the same time, they add to the picturesque beauty of the scenery. The plan may be recognised in the fine expanse of cliff now at our feet; to do justice to which we must descend and place ourselves on the tongue of land below, or on the rustic bridge a little to the left. From hence may be seen the full length of the present cliff, and a few words of explanation will be sufficient to indicate the succession of rocks and the geological phenomena. On this cliff, the part immediately facing the bridge represents a section nearly vertical of part of a coal-field, all the beds _dipping_ (or inclining) at a moderate angle to the right-hand, so that those to the left are lower in geological position, though they gradually become higher in point of actual elevation, and at a little distance further to the left overtop the coal itself. Besides this illustration, we also see in the same equal part of the cliff instances of _faults_ or _troubles_, throwing a part of the coal-measures into a different position from the rest, and lifting up portions of a series of deposits. In the case before us, the older rocks are also thrown up on the left side of the fault. The coal-cliff consists of two beds or seams of coal, two of ironstone, and some sandstone. The part not consisting of projecting stone is supposed to represent softer rocks, clays, or shales. There are placed here about twenty-five tons of coal, twenty tons of grit or sandstone, and five tons of ironstone, all from the neighbourhood of Clay Cross. In order to produce a marked contrast, the carboniferous limestone is placed next in order, and as if brought up to its position by a considerable fault. The millstone grit, appearing on the top of the plateau above the limestone, would have occupied naturally and without disturbance, a position below the lowest part of the coal measures. The fault is therefore called, technically, an upthrow or upcast to the south. The millstone grit consists of about 30 tons of rock from Crick, near Matlock, and from Bramley Fall quarries, in Yorkshire. The carboniferous limestone (of which there is 100 tons) is from the neighbourhood of Matlock, and is placed nearly in its natural position. In this cliff of carboniferous limestone the bedding may be very distinctly traced, and systems of fissures, or _joints_, may also be observed. One of these fissures, wider than the rest and communicating with several smaller ones, is partly filled with spar, and has an opening into a cavern constructed behind the cliff. The main fissure represents a _mineral vein_ or _lode_, and the smaller ones are _strings_ or _feeders_. Within the cavern the spectator sees some of the peculiar and interesting appearances of natural limestone grottoes. Coming out below the limestone, hard beds of the _old red sandstone_ are seen. These have the same dip as the limestones, and are seen at intervals further to the left towards the railway. It is intended to continue the series of older and altered rocks in this direction. The old red sandstone on the ground consists of about twenty tons from near Bristol. Overlying this whole series of old (or palæozoic) rocks, which are inclined to the north, is a horizontal, and therefore unconformable capping of _new red sandstone_. This also is from near Bristol, and the quantity provided was fifty tons. The new red sandstone, thus capping the old rock on the high ground of the plateau, re-appears at the extremity of the nearest of the adjacent islands at a much lower level, and having a different mechanical position. It is right to mention that these geological sketches are the result of careful consideration, and have not been effected without much constructive ingenuity. The original plan of the whole was suggested by Professor Ansted, and arranged with Sir Joseph Paxton at an early period of the laying out of the grounds; and as soon as the state of affairs permitted and the actual earthworks of the Plateau were in progress, a model of the intended structure was completed and coloured geologically by Professor Ansted. The works have been ably constructed from this model by Mr. James Campbell, who also procured the stone and other minerals from different parts of the country. [Illustration: The Labyrinthodons.] Let us now return to the Plateau, from whence we can obtain the best view of the islands and their singular tenants. Before describing them, however, we will remind the visitor that the lowest or oldest rocks, which we have shown him, were the old red sandstone; next above them were the carboniferous limestone, the millstone grit, the coal-measures, and then the new red sandstone. It is with this last formation that the restorations of the extinct animals commence. Before that period fossil remains indicate that fish inhabited the waters of the earth, but there are no traces of the existence of any reptiles or higher animals. Reptiles first appear in the new red sandstone, and as the extreme right of the islands is arranged to represent this formation, it is there that we shall find the Labyrinthodon and the Dicynodon, of each of which there are two species. The strata which overlie the new red sandstone will be now mentioned in the order of their super-position, each successive formation bringing us nearer to the forms of animal life which are at present living upon the earth. Next above the new red sandstone comes the lias, the general direction of the inclination of the beds being the same as in the coal-cliff, and the newer beds covering up the old ones as we advance in the direction of the larger islands. The lias animals are here represented by three very dissimilar forms; there are three species of _Ichthyosaurus_, or Fish Lizard; three species of _Plesiosaurus_, or Serpent Lizard, and a crocodilian beast called _Teleosaurus_, which much resembles the fish-eating Gavial of the river Ganges. This crocodile and the fish lizards formerly inhabited the neighbourhood of Whitby in Yorkshire, where their remains are found in good condition. Dr. Buckland describes the _Plesiosaurus_ as the most singular and monstrous of the relics of the former world, having the head of a lizard, the teeth of a crocodile, a neck like the body of a serpent, the trunk and tail of an ordinary quadruped, the ribs of a chameleon, and the paddles of a whale. The next formation in ascending order is the oolite. To this stratum, as well as to the succeeding one, belongs the _Megalosaurus_, or Gigantic Lizard, which measures 39 feet from snout to top of tail, and 22 feet 6 inches round the body, and the smaller Pterodactyles. Still proceeding to the left, we pass next to the Wealden formation so well known in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Here we see the gigantic _Iguanodons_, and the _Hylæosaurus_, or Great Spiny Lizard of the Wealden. It is with these creatures that the name of the late distinguished palæontologist, Dr. Mantell, will ever be connected, since to his labours in Tilgate Forest and other parts we are indebted for our knowledge of these animals. Above the Wealden formation come those of the lower greensand and the chalk. Both of these also contain fragments of singular reptiles of large size, the _Mosasaurus_ and great Pterodactyles (most probably the fabled dragon of old) restored from Mr. Bowerbank’s specimens. With these we quit the Secondary Island, and may next turn our attention to the island beyond, which contains the principal forms characterising the strata belonging to the tertiary period. Hitherto we have shown the visitor nothing but reptiles--now, upon the Tertiary Island, he will find a higher order of animal life, and meet with forms more nearly resembling our living animals. Next in procession are the animals restored by Baron Cuvier from fragments found in the Gypsum beds of the Paris basin: the _Palæotherium_, or Ancient Beast, might be justly called the first triumph of comparative anatomy, as from a few detached pieces of bone Cuvier was enabled to construct the entire animal, which, by his drawings, appears to have resembled the Tapir of the present day. After these come the more elegant pachydermatous animal called the _Anoplotherium commune_ and the _Anoplotherium gracilis_, and not far off we see the _Megatherium_, or Gigantic Sloth, in the act of pulling down a tree to obtain the leaves, upon which it was accustomed to feed, as its smaller analogies do at the present day. These, with the Irish Elks, first found in the Isle of Man, are grouped upon this island, and present a scene equally remarkable and instructive to all those who are interested in the natural history of the earlier periods of the earth. [Illustration: Great Pterodactyles.] No one can look upon all these singular and bulky productions, so unlike the comparatively familiar forms of even the rarer living animals, and yet with so much appearance of reality, without at once becoming sensible that a series of illustrations is before him, of a nature altogether different from any he has been accustomed to. The footmarks, the bones, the very skin in some cases, of animals long since extinct, have been preserved by being buried in mud which has afterwards been converted into solid rock. From these obscure guides, the comparative anatomist has ventured to describe the general form, the habits, and the peculiarities of the race. From such descriptions, penned chiefly by Cuvier, Mantell, and Owen, has Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins restored and by degrees built up the animals. Possessing a great knowledge of the peculiarities of many living species; and being strong in his own feeling of what was probable and natural in the numerous details that required consideration, he has skilfully and cautiously constructed these restorations, and his embodiments of the opinions of the greatest palæontologists are indeed equally bold and conscientious. Professor Owen, the most eminent living authority upon these subjects, has kindly rendered Mr. Hawkins every assistance in his undertaking. Re-descending from the Plateau once more to the large fountain, the visitor turns to the left, and proceeds round its margin until he arrives at the further end of the basin, where he will notice an ornamental cataract is contrived. On the left-hand of the path which winds from this point, is a high bank constructed of roots of the trees which grew in the woods once covering a great part of the Crystal Palace gardens. The effect is very striking and picturesque, being greatly aided by the wild flowers which grow so luxuriantly on all parts. It will have been noticed that round the confines of the lake we have just quitted, where the geological restorations are, the flowers are purposely nearly all wild ones, and they give a singularly natural and fit appearance to this interesting district. It must be mentioned that the whole of the Crystal Palace Exterior Gardens are under the personal superintendence of Mr. Edward Milner, and it will be confessed their beautiful condition answers to his assiduous care. A few steps further, and the visitor arrives at the junction of two roads. Selecting that to the left, he will speedily gain the foot of the Rosary, and the mound, at the top of which is an ornamental arabesque arcade designed by Mr. Owen Jones. He will here find roses of every variety, besides other plants which climb the sides and around the roof of the arcade. [Illustration: The Secondary Island.