domestic dissensions of Charles, and gave great offence to his subjects. To Charles, the number of Roman Catholic priests who accompanied Henrietta to England, and their interference in his private concerns, were especially disagreeable. When, on one occasion, they sent to complain to him that the chapel at St. James's was progressing but slowly toward completion, "Tell them," he said, petulantly, "that if the queen's closet (where they then said mass) is not large enough, they may use the great chamber; and if the great chamber is not wide enough, they may make use of the garden; and if the garden will not suit their purpose, they may go to the park, which is the fittest place of all." This last remark, it would seem, did not so much apply to the number of French Catholics in general, as to the number of English priests, who seized every opportunity of attending the celebration of mass. This assemblage eventually became so numerous that even the queen herself, on one occasion, rose from her seat, and, rebuking the latter for their improper zeal, peremptorily commanded them to retire. Their numbers, however, continuing to increase, the officers of the court were stationed at the entrance of the chapel in order forcibly to prevent their ingress. Some indecent scenes were the consequence, the French Catholics drawing their swords in defence of their English brethren, and resisting the interference of the guard.

It was in the chapel at St. James's, then styled the queen's chapel, that James the Second, two days after the death of his brother Charles, openly insulted the prejudices of his people, and infringed the sanctity of the laws by publicly attending mass, surrounded by all the insignia of royalty and the splendid paraphernalia of the Romish Church. He was attended, both to and from the chapel, by the band of gentlemen pensioners, his life-guards, several of the nobility, as well as by the Knights of the Garter, in the collars of their order. It was on this occasion that the Duke of Norfolk, whose office it was to carry the sword of state, stopped short when he came to the door of the chapel, with the evident intention of proceeding no farther. James was much disconcerted. "My lord," he said, "your father would have gone farther." "Your Majesty's father," replied the duke, "would not have gone so far."

We must not forget to mention that the last London residence of Charles James Fox was in Stable Yard, St. James's, and that here his remains were brought from the Duke of Devonshire's villa at Chiswick, where he died, previous to the ceremony of their interment in Westminster Abbey.

When Peter the Great was in this country, he once observed to William the Third that, were he King of England, he would convert Greenwich Hospital into a palace, and St. James's into a

hospital. Notwithstanding, however, its discreditable appearance, St. James's Palace is said to be the most commodious for the purposes of a court, and regal parade, of any palace in Europe. It may be mentioned that, on the 21st of June, 1809, a great fire broke out in the palace, which destroyed the whole of the east wing of the inner courtyard.

CHAPTER IX.

ST. JAMES'S PARK.

Original Enclosure-Charles Going to Execution - Cromwell Skating - Game of Pall-mall - Charles the Second

ST. JAMES'S PARK was originally enclosed by Henry the Eighth, shortly after he purchased the hospital of St. James's, and the fields attached to it. The wall, or rather paling, of the park formerly ran where the houses on the south side of Pall Mall now stand. Charles the Second removed it to its present boundary, and, under the direction of the celebrated French gardener, Le Notre, planted the avenues and disposed the trees as we now see them. The Bird-cage Walk was the favourite aviary of that monarch, and derives its name from the cages which were hung in the trees. Charles also formed the canal, and in his reign Duck Island took its name from being the breeding-place of the numerous water-fowl with which the park was stocked. The government of Duck Island was once enjoyed, with a small salary, by the celebrated St. Evremond. Pennant

speaks of it as "the first and last government,' but he is mistaken in the fact, it having previously been conferred by Charles the Second on Sir John Flock, a person of good family, and a companion of the king during his exile. Horace Walpole writes to Sir Horace Mann, on the 9th of February, 1751: "My Lord Pomfret is made ranger of the parks, and, by consequence, my lady is queen of the Duck Island." This little island, which stood at the west end of the canal, was destroyed when some alterations were made in the park in 1770.

Another interesting feature of St. James's Park, which disappeared at the same time, was Rosamond's Pond, situated opposite to James Street, Westminster, at the southwest corner of the park. Its romantic appearance, the irregularity of the ground, the trees which overshadowed it, and the view of the venerable abbey, rendered it, we are told, a favourite resort of the contemplative; while its secluded and melancholy situation is said to have tempted a greater number of persons to commit suicide, especially unfortunate females, than any other place in London.

St. James's Park is replete with historical associations, and not the least interesting is its having been the scene where Charles the First passed on foot, on the morning of his execution, from his bedchamber in St. James's Palace to the scaffold at Whitehall. Colonel Hacker having