At Matlock Bath the principal hotels are the “New Bath,” “Walker’s Terrace Hotel,” “The Temple,” and “Hodgkinson’s,” and the place swarms with lodging-houses and all things to attract and to keep the tourist. From Matlock, delightful day-trips may be made to Haddon Hall, to Hardwick Hall, to Chatsworth, the “Palace of the Peak”—the princely seat of the Duke of Devonshire; to Dovedale, with its glorious scenery, and its pleasant associations with old Izaac Walton and Charles Cotton; to the Via Gellia and its surroundings; to Lea Hurst, the early home of Florence Nightingale; and to numberless other places of interest—all easily attainable by railroad or carriage. And now, may not a visit to this grand old Hall be productive of thought? First, let us give thanks to the noble owner—the Duke of Rutland—that he freely opens its gates to all comers, keeps it in a state of neatness and order, and takes special care that Time shall make no farther inroads on the mansion of his ancestors, preserving it for the enjoyment of all who seek instruction and pleasure there; permitting them, indeed, to make of one of its rooms a dinner-room for the day; rendering it, in fact, the common property of the public, and by his occasional presence ascertaining that all is done that can be done for their happiness while in its gardens or within its walls: thus practically commenting on the exhortation and protest of the Poet-laureate— “Why don’t those acred sirs Throw up their parks some dozen times a year, And let the people breathe?” HATFIELD HOUSE. HATFIELD is entitled to high rank among the Stately Homes of England, whether we consider its architectural merits, its historical associations, or the picturesque attractions by which it is surrounded. Seven centuries have passed since Hatfield became a place of note; and the crown, the mitre, and the coronet have successively held sway over its destinies. Of its architectural glories, little now remains of a date anterior to that of James I., in whose reign the present noble house was built. A part, however, of the previous _palace_ of Hatfield still exists, interesting as the home of the Princess Elizabeth, during the reign of her sister, Queen Mary. Nor was her residence here, though compulsory, a state of imprisonment and oppression, as some have said; for it is proved, from various records, that she met with considerate treatment, and lived in a state befitting her lofty rank and queenly prospects, till, on the death of Mary, she proceeded hence to take possession of the throne of England.