One of the beneficent acts of Count Rumford was that of establishing a public park, called the English Garden. A neglected tract of forest in the environs of Munich that had been a part of the hunting grounds of the elector was by him converted into a beautiful park surrounded by a drive six miles in circuit. Its lovely lakes, walks, grottos, waterfalls and other charming features, are still alluring to a population fond of living in the open air. Within the park is a monument to the memory of its founder, a massive quadrangular structure of freestone. On one side is a bas-relief of Count Rumford in alabaster, below this is the inscription:
To him who rooted out the greatest of public evils,
Idleness and Mendicity, relieved and instructed
the poor, and founded many institutions for
the education of youth.
—Go, Wanderer, and strive to equal him in genius
and activity, and us in gratitude.
