The University-Students-Public Buildings-Libraries-Arundelian Marbles-Monument to Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer-Boat-racing-Blenheim, etc.

We are now in Oxford, the seat of one of the most celebrated universities of Europe-distinguished alike for its antiquity and influence upon the institutions and government of England. For here it is that the nobility for generations have resorted to acquire that early training and mental discipline necessary to render them capable to discharge the duties of office and manage the affairs of state. Here also have been educated many of those master spirits renowned in the arts and sciences, whose writings have shed light upon the world, and given to England a character for belles-lettres scholarship more enduring than the rock of ages. It is a place of very remote antiquity, as the period of its origin is involved in obscurity. The first fact connected with it that is known with certainty is, that in the reign of Alfred, who once resided here with his three sons, the place was noted for a monastery which was founded in the year 727. The origin of the university, like that of the town, is involved in obscurity. The first places of education here appear to have been schools for the instruction of youth. The earliest charter of privileges to the university as a corporate body is of the 28th Henry III., and it was in 1603 that the university obtained from James the First the privilege of sending two members to Parliament.

The university now contains twenty colleges and five halls, and numbers upon the books of the different colleges and halls 5,400 members. We may therefore say that Oxford is the city of colleges, for without them it would have nothing to recommend it to particular notice.

The buildings of the different institutions present a very antiquated appearance. Many of the walls are fast crumbling to decay, being built of a soft friable sandstone, which is easily affected by the influence of the atmosphere, and gives to the buildings a sombre and gloomy aspect. The students, however, as they walk through these dark halls with their loose, flowing robes, gaze upon the old struc

tures with pride and admiration, saying to themselves, “We come here to gather knowledge from the experience of those who have gone before us—and what place more fitting to burn the midnight taper than those venerable halls erected by the munificence of our ancestors?" The students of Oxford conduct themselves with gentlemanly propriety and decorum, and every thing seems to move on like clock-work. A rebellion is out of the question, as no one dares presume to do aught against the rules of the institution, knowing that he would be instantly detected and brought to condign punishment. No one until recently could enter this university unless he had been received or baptized in the established Church of England, and consequently a religious influence pervades the entire establishment, and gives it a tone which in all probability it would not otherwise possess.

In Oxford there are many very superior libraries, among which the Bodleian Library is particularly worthy of notice. It was founded by Sir Thomas Bodley, at the close of the sixteenth century, on the remains of one established by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. This library is said to contain, perhaps, the most valuable collection of books and manuscripts in Europe. A description of its wonders and treasures would require far more time and space to do them the least measure of justice than I can here bestow. We passed around the quadrangle with its galleries one above another, and their alcoves on each side, with their thousands upon thousands of volumes of all languages and tongues neatly arranged on shelves, with convenient steps to them, and desks furnished with pen and ink for the use of those who seek this vast repository of the learning of the world. Some of the manuscripts which the polite official showed us were represented to be twelve, fourteen, and fifteen centuries old. A copy of the first authorized edition of the Bible, and the first ever printed, was also exhibited, besides many other things equally rare and curious. The collection of writings in Sanscrit is large enough alone to form a respectable library. Then there is a room appropriated for the reception of all the best periodicals from every country on earth-an assemblage of works which in ages to come must be exceedingly valuable. After visiting the library, we went to a room containing Arundelian Marbles, so called from Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, by whom they were procured in Greece, and brought to Eng

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land. They are curious specimens of antiquity. I did not examine the various objects with their inscriptions with any degree of minuteness, as they were all hieroglyphical to me, and besides there has been published a full and accurate account of every article in the collection, with drawings of the same.

In the middle of the street, fronting Baliol College, is a stone cross, marking the spot where Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer were burned at the stake as martyrs during Mary's reign. And near this memorable place is a beautiful monument erected by public subscription to the memory of those pious men, who laid down their lives for refusing to subscribe to the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation. The Church of England regard this spot with peculiar interest and veneration.

After seeing every thing in the city worthy of the stranger's attention, we walked through one of the beautiful meadows near by, to the banks of the great river Thames, to witness the annual boatrace, in which the students take great pride. This race comes off every May, between the students of the different colleges. Each college has a beautiful boat constructed of light materials, and built with an eye to speed. Each boat has eight oars, manned by those selected by their comrades for skill and strength. The oarsmen are beautifully equipped in all the colors of the rainbow, and evince great pride in keeping all things in ship-shape. Several thousand persons assembled on the banks of the river to witness the sight, which was really exciting. To see twenty boats of different colors, all running after another with great speed, is a scene well worthy of the emulation of the young aspirants, and the attention of those who come many miles to witness it.

Near the city of Oxford is Blenheim, the magnificent seat erected in the reign of Queen Anne, for the celebrated Duke of Marlborough. This elegant structure was designed by Sir J. Vanburgh, and one million pounds was granted by Parliament for its erection. The interior is splendidly adorned, and contains a valuable collection of pictures, and a library of more than 17,000 volumes, and an elegant chapel. The gardens are extensive, and the park, consisting of 2,700 acres, is richly wooded, and the grounds are laid out with great taste. It is now the residence of one of the descendants of

the original Duke, none of whom have done any thing to reflect honor upon their distinguished ancestor.

LETTER SEVEN.

LONDON, England.

The Great Industrial Exhibition-The National Representation-Our own Country-Americans in London-Her Majesty and the Royal Family.

WELL, here we are at last in the very midst of modern Babylonthe city of busses, cabs, clamor, crowds, industry, poverty, and imperial splendor-the great metroplis of England, and of the civilized world. After procuring comfortable apartments in a convenient part of the city, and making due preparations for several weeks' sojourn, we commenced our labors of sight-seeing. The first object of attraction was of course the Crystal Palace, which has been the topic of conversation and newspaper speculation in all parts of the world ever since it was projected. I regretted exceedingly that we were not here to witness the opening of the exhibition, in the presence of Her Majesty, Prince Albert, and the royal family, which is said to have been the grandest display of regal splendor ever witnessed in London. The opening was successful beyond the most sanguine expectations of those particularly interested. Every thing was conducted with perfect order and system, and the day passed off in peace and quietude, much to the gratification of the Queen and all her subjects. When I first beheld this truly magnificent structure, with all its contents, I was utterly bewildered, and experienced pretty much the same feeling that a greenhorn would upon his first entance into a fancy store. I saw so many beauties, that I was completely at a loss which to look at first, or to tell which I liked most. To give you any thing like a correct idea of the Exhibition would require volumes, and then I would fail, for no pen is adequate to delineate perfectly all that is here to be seen. I have read many accounts, and listened to the descriptions of many, but they all fail to come up to my ideas of the magnificence of the undertaking. As you have long since read descriptions of the building in the prints,

and are perfectly familiar with its structure and dimensions, it is unnecessary for me to notice it, further than to say that it is a wonderful work, furnishing a remarkable example of the triumph of human genius and skill. Mr. Paxton, the superintendent of the gardens at Chatsworth, who designed the Crystal Palace after the Duke of Devonshire's conservatory, so arranged it as to furnish ample room for the display of all the various specimens of human industry, whether directed to the productions of art or the creations of nature, in the smallest allowable space, and in a light to afford opportunities for a fair examination. In a word, order and system were to be secured in an assemblage, where, from the multitude of objects and visitors, confusion and disorder were naturally to be feared. The entire palace is so arranged and divided into compartments as to furnish every convenience for the reception of the various offerings of industry; and each division is marked with the names of the different countries represented, so as to prevent any confusion or mistake. This arrangement also furnishes a great facility to visitors in enabling them to compare the articles of the different countries with the aid of the catalogue, without the perplexity of asking and being asked questions.

The first object that attracted my attention upon entering was a glass fountain, occupying the central place in the building. It is a very curious piece of work, showing the extent to which glass can be employed for decorative purposes, and exhibits the beauty of the material in large works. Near four tons of crystal or flint glass are employed in the construction of this fountain, which may be, without much difficulty, converted into a superb candelabrum. It is kept constantly in play-scattering the pure clear water in a hundred fantastic shapes, which falls into a marble basin in which are to be seen fish of every hue and shape. Around this cooling fount were assembled the representatives of nearly every nation and clime in the world, who furnish subjects of study quite as interesting to me as their industrial products. The lively Frenchman, neatly dressed and restless, as if he wished to see all at one sight, as he passed quickly from object to object, could not fail to be distinguished from the heavy Dutchman, who, with hands crossed behind his back à la Napoleon, surveyed each specimen in the great collection with the keen scrutiny of a Jew, intent upon receiving his due, even to