I had heard much of the aristocracy of England, and must confess that I was not a little prejudiced against them.  On a bright sunshine day, between the hours of twelve and two, I found myself seated in a carriage, my back turned upon Aylesbury, the vehicle whirling rapidly over the smooth macadamised road, and I on my first visit to an English gentleman.  Twenty minutes’ ride, and a turn to the right, and we were amid the fine old trees of Hartwell Park; one having suspended from its branches, the national banners of several different countries; among them, the “Stars and Stripes.  I felt glad that my own country’s flag had a place there, although Campbell’s lines”—­

     “United States, your banner wears,
      Two emblems,—­one of fame;
      Alas, the other that it bears,
      Reminds us of your shame. 
      The white man’s liberty in types,
      Stands blazoned by your stars;
      But what’s the meaning of your stripes,
      They mean your Negro-scars”—­

were at the time continually running through my mind.  Arrived at the door, and we received what every one does who visits Dr. Lee—­a hearty welcome.  I was immediately shown into a room with a lofty ceiling, hung round with fine specimens of the Italian masters, and told that this was my apartment.  Hartwell House stands in an extensive park, shaded with trees, that made me think of the oaks and elms in an American forest, and many of whose limbs had been trimmed and nursed with the best of care.  This was for seven years the residence of John Hampden the patriot, and more recently that of Louis XVIII., during his exile in this country.  The house is built on a very extensive scale, and is ornamented in the interior with carvings in wood of many of the kings and princes of bygone centuries.  A room some 60 feet by 25 contains a variety of articles that the Dr. has collected together—­the whole forming a museum that would be considered a sight in the Western States of America.

The morning after my arrival at Hartwell I was up at an early hour—­in fact, before any of the servants—­wandering about through the vast halls, and trying to find my way out, in which I eventually succeeded, but not, however, without aid.  It had rained the previous night, and the sun was peeping through a misty cloud as I strolled through the park, listening to the sweet voices of the birds that were fluttering in the tops of the trees, and trimming their wings for a morning flight.  The silence of the night had not yet been broken by the voice of man; and I wandered about the vast park unannoyed, except by the dew from the grass that wet my slippers.  Not far from the house I came abruptly upon a beautiful little pond of water, where the gold fish were flouncing about, and the gentle ripples glittering in the sunshine looked like so many silver minnows playing on the surface.