The little church at Petersham is interesting on account of the memorial it contains to the memory of Vancouver, the discoverer, in 1792, of the island bearing his name, on the west coast of the North American continent. It is said that "the unceasing exertions which Vancouver himself made to complete the gigantic task of surveying 9000 miles of unknown and intricate coasts--a labour chiefly performed in open boats--made an inroad on his constitution from which he never recovered, and, declining gradually, he died in May 1798." The church is also the burying-place of the Duchess of Lauderdale, whose residence was Ham House. This fine old Jacobean mansion stands at no great distance from Petersham Church. It was built as a residence for Prince Henry, the eldest son of James I., who, however, died early, the gossips of the time hinting at poison. The house is still said to be haunted by the spirit of the old Duchess of Lauderdale, who lived in the time of Charles II. WALTON-ON-THAMES (SCOLD'S BRIDLE) =How to get there.=--Train from Waterloo. L. and S.W. Railway. =Nearest Station.=--Walton. =Distance from London.=--17 miles. =Average Time.=--3/4 hour. 1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 2s. 10d. 1s. 10d. 1s. 5d. Return 4s. 0d. 3s. 0d. 2s. 6d. =Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Ashley" at station; "Swan," on the river; "Duke's Head," in the town, etc. Walton-on-Thames is a little riverside town, very much surrounded by modern villas. The church contains in a glass case in the vestry a "scold's bridle." This rusty iron contrivance is one of the few specimens of this mediaeval instrument of torture to be seen in this country, and it is certainly the nearest to London. In Elizabethan times a "scold" was looked upon in much the same light as a witch, and this bridle was applied to those women who obtained for themselves the undesirable reputation. [Illustration: THE GARDEN FRONT OF HAM HOUSE.] [Illustration: THE SCOLD'S BRIDLE IN WALTON-ON-THAMES CHURCH. "Chester presents Walton with a bridle To curb women's tongues when they are idle."] HARROW =How to get there.=--Train from Euston. L. and N.W. Railway. =Nearest Station.=--Harrow. =Distance from London.=--11-1/2 miles. =Average Time.=--1/2 hour. 1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 1s. 6d. 1s. 0d. 0s. 9d. Return 2s. 3d. 1s. 6d. 1s. 0d. =Accommodation Obtainable.=--"King's Head," etc. =Alternative Routes.=--Train from Baker Street, Metropolitan Railway. Train from Broad Street, L. and N.W. Railway. Train from Marylebone, Great Central Railway.