Benjamin Moran

The Footpath and Highway; Or, Wanderings of an American In Great Britain in 1851 and '52

Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1853.

The parks of London deserve the attention of the stranger as much as any other objects of interest in the metropolis...the trees are large, and as they are principally oaks and elms, their branches extend so far as to form leafy arcades for a great distance. People are permitted to ramble over the grass, and it is not unusual to see them lying down under the trees, reading, or asleep

The author had worked as a printer in Philadelphia before setting off at the age of 30 on a visit to Europe. Disembarking at Liverpool, he had travelled around the country mainly on foot. In London he seems to have been greatly taken with the Zoo - both its inmates and its visitors.

There are specimens of natural history from every section of the world, and it is a matter of surprise that animals from warm climates live and thrive so well in English air as those do in Regent's Park...Saturday afternoon is a favourite time, among the wealthy and titled, for visiting the Zoological Gardens, and then and there the stranger has an opportunity of seeing the refined society of London. Good conduct, gentle behavior, and suavity of manner characterize the gentlemen, and all that contributes to the elevation of female character is discoverable in the ladies

The Journal of Benjamin Moran, 1857-1865

University of Chicago Press, 1948. 2 vols.

Friday, Jan 30 [1857]...Crowds of carriages were dashing up and down Portland Place in the afternoon as I walked towards Regent's Park, most of them filled with ladies muffled in furs and finery. I saw a number of good looking English girls taking their walk in the park, each seemingly enjoying herself. These Eng. females are wonderful for exercise. They'll walk Lord knows how many miles daily, go alone for miles, take care of themselves wherever they go, and come home delighted and not the least tired

Persuaded perhaps by the suave manners and elevated characters he had observed on his previous visit, Moran had entered the diplomatic service and in 1855 was appointed secretary of the United States legation in London. On 10th May 1857 he records a walk to Hampstead, 'visiting Primrose Hill on our way'. There are probably other references to the Hill and the Park, but 1,437 pages without an index or chapter summaries deterred me from a thorough examination.