At Primrose Hill the working classes made a procession to
see Mr. Phelps plant an oak, which had been presented for the purpose by the Queen, and which was christened with water from the Avon, and called Shakespeare's Oak. Miss Eliza Cook was to have done the christening and recited a poem of her own on the occasion, but she was ill, and had notified her inability to attend to a lady of the name of Banks, who appears to have construed that notification into an appointment of herself as Miss Eliza Cook's substitute. At all events Miss Cook wrote a rather curt letter to the Times denying that she had named Mrs. Banks or any one else as her substitute, though she had written to her to
• say she could not attend. However, Mrs. Banks did in a few very well worded sentences state that it was not for her "to paint the lily or gild gold" by dwelling on the genius of Shakespeare, but only to spill the Avon water upon the tree, and call it "Shakespeare's Oak." Mr. Henry Marston then recited Miss Cook's lines, ending with— "And while truth dwells in man's responsive breast Shakespeare shall live the matchless and the blest;" and then Mr. Banks pronounced a " fervid " oration on "the matchless and the blest," censuring the upper classes for their apathy,—and then the working men thought they had had enough sentiment, and ceasing to look sheepish, got to the more congenial work of abusing the Government for the departure of Gari- baldi, and vexing the police into the silly act of tyrannic inter- ference of which we have spoken elsewhere.
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