Show oft W kv Z 4 W 34 3 4 lz v member of royal horse guards in full prepared by the national geographic society washington D C service HE english engish like pa pageantry gantry T THE no one is long in london before that becomes ev evident ident and when spring comes to the british capital itry is riot not far behind A month before the south coast has retained the winters health seekers and a generous sprinkling of visitors from the colonies to watch the opening of the m mail ail in a drawing room of penzance Pen zance or tor quay is like leafing the pages of an imperial atlas or a stamp album the seasons northward passage from kent and sussex changes the count rys outlook then the visiting expatriates move north and the cornish riviera emerges from its plate glass windbreaks how many hundreds of springs have worked their magic around ludgate hill yet the story is never old in st jamess park the pelicans plume themselves for another round of admirers testy old colonials amid youngsters with the same straight backs ride splendid horses along that mid city strip of if tanbark known as rotten row before st pauls and under the haughty noses of the landseer lions in trafalgar square children minister to the vernal voracity of the london pigeons in whitehall where the horse guards sit their coal black mounts warm red winter capes are rem removed oved to display white buckskin breeches in front of the old admiralty whence nelson hurried off toward toward the strait of gibraltar and the battle commemorated by the name of trafalgar square a flower seller thrusts out a sixpenny bunch of daffodils r nerve center of empire another spot gilded by daffodils is the garden outside the houses of parliament a site where mona monarchs achs ruled from edward the confessor to henry VIII since the days of bluff king hal the house of commons has turned this thames side meeting place into the democratic heart of a far flung empire the world war tommy sang to piccadilly and leicester square but the nerve center of the british commonwealth is this fortress of constitutional govern government meni beside britaina Brit ains historic river on hampstead heath coveys coneys of kites their strings oiled coiled on reels strong enough for tunny fishing shake their tails across the heavens while punchinello wags has long beaked face before those still too young to read punch on a hundred lakes and streams the swans st stretch retch their long necks in begging down the hidden lanes of devon kent and sussex cyclists and motorists push their explorations the wide expanse of dartmoor the coves of cornwall the gossamer haze of english lakes the pilgrim places of art and architecture of religion and literature litera aure all have their devotees yet even these alluring places so fondly dreamed of around tea tables in paneled rooms are hard put to keep admirers from rushing off to some display of uniforms banners horseflesh or costumes perhaps a lady of quality wearing the same gown and the same title as did a famous ancestor in the age of queen anne or nell gwyn at a pageant the king may sit his horse while colors that have faced enemy fire are dipped in in salute or the tale of runnymede built up by roman and dane and tudor may be retold in one stirring afternoon beside the thames in the midlands smoke an and d haze often thwart the sun but spring arrives with the rr pounding of hoo hoofs as and the cries of the crowd at the grand national steeplechase determines the winners of the irish sweepstakes now duplicated orl on derby day the course is four and one fourth miles with 30 jumps beyond any of them all but the I 1 lead ead horse may land on his rivals sky turned tu rnell hoofs instead of on billiard cloth turf or trample a bright clad jockey an aintree cintree stee steeplechaser p le chaser will swerve in the middle of a leap to avoid a fallen rider but when a dozen leap ers cross bachers Be chers brool together like a pony ballet pawing the th a footlights f oot there is danger aplenty and drama for all A few days after the race halt half the men who slap reins on workaday horseflesh will be clucking to their steeds in the name of the years grand national winner after this dramatic attack spring consolidates its hold small parties hie away to rustic spots beloved because they are known to few how one island can contain so many favorite picnic sites is a mystery gated roads private signs and turnstiles turn stiles are designed not so much to keep out beauty seekers as to keep in an air of seclusion and quiet everywhere citizens move out to greet the bursting bud tha th s newborn new born lamb the soft spring breeze along whited white cliffs or welcome warmth at the foot of redrock red rock sun traps near the sea england can be grim there is the cruel tower where anne anna Ro leyns slender threat was severed by a sword and those of catherine howard lady jane grey and the earl of essex by an ax but london river calls us london tower is a scene of the nations tragic deaths the thames of its birth and growth and power who has not heard the aphorism the st lawrence is water the missouri is muddy water the thames is liquid history cruises on the thames I 1 today a well managed excursion cruises down london under the auspices of the port 0 london authority shiploads Ship loads of school children and adults ara carried carri ec amid the busiest portions of londona Lon dons 70 mile port they are shown through the docks that feed and furnish a nation and link this tiny island to the empire its restless mariners marinero ma won and to the world leaflets are distributed which map the course epitomize the rivers history and list the days portion of a thousand ships a week converging I 1 ng from the far corners of the earth through loudspeakers intelligent guides point out where raleigh spread his cloak for queen elizabeth where the time ball of a modest observatory marks the stride of our sphere where francis drake expecting punishment was knighted on the golden hind once there were more boats upon the thames than there were hackney coaches in the streets and magistrates from the city were rowed to westminster today many travelers agnor agnora the most significant waterway in the world extended by the grand union canal which makes the industrial midlands shipping suburbs of the london docks near the upper reaches of tidewater is kew a vast open ait ail nursery for plants and acda a convalescent home for all ore bore souls through the ane royal botanic gardens at kew the rubber plantations of malaya passed on their way from the native forests in brazil indias andias post offices could not sell asiatic quinine to relieve the tropical fevers of countless millions until south americas cinchona tree was bequeathed to ceylon and the himalayas through the propagating gardens of kew kew is one of london Lon dons s best loved playgrounds especially ahei young spring has ringed its little lake with fuzzy foliage and touched the widespread green with masses of gay blossoms bluebell lilac magnolia and azalea all have their devotees |