Dr. Arnold of Rugby was born at West Cowes, and a tablet marks the house; but his early education was carried on by an aunt in East Cowes, with which he is more closely associated; for even after he became a schoolboy at Winchester his holidays were passed in the island. He speaks of his father's house at Slatwoods, East Cowes, as the "only home of his childhood."
[Illustration: FRESHWATER BAY. _Page 51._
Is at the western end of the island where the chalk forms the cliffs, which are eaten into picturesque arches.]
Among the associations rather historical than literary must always come first that of Queen Victoria at Osborne. The name is said to be a corruption of Austerbourne, or oyster-bed. The Queen had been in the island a good deal as a girl, her mother having taken Norris Castle, near Cowes, for the sake of her daughter's health, in 1833. When Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort accompanied the King of the French to Portsmouth in 1844, they saw the Isle of Wight, and early in 1845, the following year, they bought the estate of Osborne, afterwards adding to it considerably. It was to Sir Robert Peel that the first idea of buying the estate was due. The Queen, writing to her uncle, Leopold, King of the Belgians, shortly after, says:
"You will, I am sure, be pleased to hear that we have succeeded in purchasing Osborne, in the Isle of Wight, and, if we can manage it, we shall probably run down there before we return to town for three nights. It sounds so snug and nice to have a place of one's own, quiet and retired, and free from all woods and forests and other charming departments, who really are the plague of one's life."
The old house was pulled down, and the new one built, under the personal superintendence of Prince Albert, from designs by Cubitt. The chief features of the house are the two campanile towers, which stand up high above the trees, otherwise the building is not especially picturesque. The grounds were laid out by the Prince, and he also had a farm for scientific agriculture. When the Royal couple were finally settled in the house, the Queen wrote to her uncle, saying: "I wish you could be here, and hope you will come for a few days during your stay, to see the innumerable alterations and improvements which have taken place. My dearest Albert is so happy here, out all day planting, directing, etc., and it is so good for him. It is a relief to get away from all the bitterness people create for themselves in London."