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diff --git a/42857-8.txt b/42857-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dcbfc39..0000000 --- a/42857-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9456 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth, Vol. II (of -2), by Dorothy Wordsworth - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth, Vol. II (of 2) - -Author: Dorothy Wordsworth - -Editor: William Knight - -Release Date: June 2, 2013 [EBook #42857] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNALS OF DOROTHY WORDSWORTH, VOL II *** - - - - -Produced by sp1nd, Linda Hamilton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - JOURNALS - OF - DOROTHY WORDSWORTH - VOL. II - - - - -[Illustration: _William Wordsworth after Margaret Gillies_] - - - - - JOURNALS - OF - DOROTHY WORDSWORTH - - EDITED BY - WILLIAM KNIGHT - - VOL. II - - [Illustration: _Grasmere Church and Churchyard._] - - London - MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD. - NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO. - 1897 - - _All rights reserved_ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - VII. RECOLLECTIONS OF A TOUR MADE IN SCOTLAND - (A.D. 1803)--_Continued_ 1 - - VIII. JOURNAL OF A MOUNTAIN RAMBLE BY DOROTHY AND - WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, NOVEMBER 7TH TO 13TH, - 1805 151 - - IX. EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S JOURNAL - OF A TOUR ON THE CONTINENT, 1820 161 - - X. EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S TOUR IN - SCOTLAND, 1822 261 - - XI. EXTRACTS FROM MARY WORDSWORTH'S JOURNAL OF - A TOUR IN BELGIUM IN 1823 269 - - XII. EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S TOUR IN - THE ISLE OF MAN, 1828 281 - - - - - VII - - RECOLLECTIONS - OF - A TOUR MADE IN SCOTLAND - (A.D. 1803) - (_Continued_) - - -CONTENTS - - -=Third Week= - - DAY PAGE - - 14. Left Loch Ketterine 5 - Garrison House--Highland Girls 6 - Ferry-House at Inversneyde 7 - Poem to the Highland Girl 11 - Return to Tarbet 13 - - 15. Coleridge resolves to go home 14 - Arrochar--Loch Long 15 - Parted with Coleridge 17 - Glen Croe--The Cobbler 18 - Glen Kinglas--Cairndow 20 - - 16. Road to Inverary 21 - Inverary 22 - - 17. Vale of Arey 27 - Loch Awe 29 - Kilchurn Castle 33 - Dalmally 34 - - 18. Loch Awe 36 - Taynuilt 38 - Bunawe--Loch Etive 39 - Tinkers 43 - - 19. Road by Loch Etive downwards 45 - Dunstaffnage Castle 47 - Loch Creran 49 - Strath of Appin--Portnacroish 51 - Islands of Loch Linnhe 52 - Morven 52 - Lord Tweeddale 53 - Strath of Duror 55 - Ballachulish 56 - - 20. Road to Glen Coe up Loch Leven 57 - Blacksmith's house 58 - Glen Coe 62 - Whisky hovel 65 - King's House 65 - - -=Fourth Week= - - 21. Road to Inveroran 70 - Inveroran--Public-house 71 - Road to Tyndrum 72 - Tyndrum 73 - Loch Dochart 74 - - 22. Killin 75 - Loch Tay 76 - Kenmore 77 - - 23. Lord Breadalbane's grounds 80 - Vale of Tay--Aberfeldy--Falls of Moness 81 - River Tummel--Vale of Tummel 82 - Fascally--Blair 83 - - 24. Duke of Athol's gardens 84 - Falls of Bruar--Mountain-road to Loch Tummel 87 - Loch Tummel 88 - Rivers Tummel and Garry 90 - Fascally 91 - - 25. Pass of Killicrankie--Sonnet 92 - Fall of Tummel 93 - Dunkeld 94 - Fall of the Bran 95 - - 26. Duke of Athol's gardens 96 - Glen of the Bran--Rumbling Brig 96 - Narrow Glen--Poem 97 - Crieff 99 - - 27. Strath Erne 99 - Lord Melville's house--Loch Erne 100 - Strath Eyer--Loch Lubnaig 101 - Bruce the Traveller--Pass of Leny-- - Callander 102 - - -=Fifth Week= - - 28. Road to the Trossachs--Loch Vennachar 103 - Loch Achray--Trossachs--Road up Loch - Ketterine 104 - Poem: "Stepping Westward" 105 - Boatman's hut 106 - - 29. Road to Loch Lomond 106 - Ferry-House at Inversneyde 107 - Walk up Loch Lomond 108 - Glenfalloch 109 - Glengyle 111 - Rob Roy's Grave--Poem 112 - Boatman's hut 116 - - 30. Mountain-Road to Loch Voil 117 - Poem: "The Solitary Reaper" 118 - Strath Eyer 119 - - 31. Loch Lubnaig 121 - Callander--Stirling--Falkirk 122 - - 32. Linlithgow--Road to Edinburgh 123 - - 33. Edinburgh 123 - Roslin 125 - - 34. Roslin--Hawthornden 126 - Road to Peebles 127 - - -=Sixth Week= - - 35. Peebles--Neidpath Castle--Sonnet 127 - Tweed 129 - Clovenford 130 - Poem on Yarrow 131 - - 36. Melrose--Melrose Abbey 133 - - 37. Dryburgh 136 - Jedburgh--Old Woman 138 - Poem 140 - - 38. Vale of Jed--Ferniehurst 142 - - 39. Jedburgh--The Assizes 144 - Vale of Teviot 145 - Hawick 147 - - 40. Vale of Teviot--Branxholm 147 - Moss Paul 148 - Langholm 148 - - 41. Road to Longtown 149 - River Esk--Carlisle 150 - - 42. Arrival at home 150 - - -RECOLLECTIONS OF A TOUR MADE IN SCOTLAND. A.D. 1803 (_Continued_) - - -_THIRD WEEK_ - -_Sunday, August 28th._--We were desirous to have crossed the mountains -above Glengyle to Glenfalloch, at the head of Loch Lomond, but it rained -so heavily that it was impossible, so the ferryman engaged to row us to -the point where Coleridge and I had rested, while William was going on -our doubtful adventure. The hostess provided us with tea and sugar for -our breakfast; the water was boiled in an iron pan, and dealt out to us -in a jug, a proof that she does not often drink tea, though she said she -had always tea and sugar in the house. She and the rest of the family -breakfasted on curds and whey, as taken out of the pot in which she was -making cheese; she insisted upon my taking some also; and her husband -joined in with the old story, that it was "varra halesome." I thought it -exceedingly good, and said to myself that they lived nicely with their -cow: she was meat, drink, and company. Before breakfast the housewife -was milking behind the chimney, and I thought I had seldom heard a -sweeter fire-side sound; in an evening, sitting over a sleepy, low-burnt -fire, it would lull one like the purring of a cat. - -When we departed, the good woman shook me cordially by the hand, saying -she hoped that if ever we came into Scotland again, we would come and -see her. The lake was calm, but it rained so heavily that we could see -little. Landed at about ten o'clock, almost wet to the skin, and, with -no prospect but of streaming rains, faced the mountain-road to Loch -Lomond. We recognised the same objects passed before,--the tarn, the -potato-bed, and the cottages with their burnies, which were no longer, -as one might say, household streams, but made us only think of the -mountains and rocks they came from. Indeed, it is not easy to imagine -how different everything appeared; the mountains with mists and torrents -alive and always changing: but the low grounds where the inhabitants had -been at work the day before were melancholy, with here and there a few -haycocks and hay scattered about. - -Wet as we were, William and I turned out of our path to the Garrison -house. A few rooms of it seemed to be inhabited by some wretchedly poor -families, and it had all the desolation of a large decayed mansion in -the suburbs of a town, abandoned of its proper inhabitants, and become -the abode of paupers. In spite of its outside bravery, it was but a poor -protection against "the sword of winter, keen and cold." We looked at -the building through the arch of a broken gateway of the courtyard, in -the middle of which it stands. Upon that stormy day it appeared more -than desolate; there was something about it even frightful. - -When beginning to descend the hill towards Loch Lomond, we overtook two -girls, who told us we could not cross the ferry till evening, for the -boat was gone with a number of people to church. One of the girls was -exceedingly beautiful; and the figures of both of them, in grey plaids -falling to their feet, their faces only being uncovered, excited our -attention before we spoke to them; but they answered us so sweetly that -we were quite delighted, at the same time that they stared at us with an -innocent look of wonder. I think I never heard the English language -sound more sweetly than from the mouth of the elder of these girls, -while she stood at the gate answering our inquiries, her face flushed -with the rain; her pronunciation was clear and distinct: without -difficulty, yet slow, like that of a foreign speech. They told us we -might sit in the ferry-house till the return of the boat, went in with -us, and made a good fire as fast as possible to dry our wet clothes. We -learnt that the taller was the sister of the ferryman, and had been left -in charge with the house for the day, that the other was his wife's -sister, and was come with her mother on a visit,--an old woman, who sate -in a corner beside the cradle, nursing her little grand-child. We were -glad to be housed, with our feet upon a warm hearth-stone; and our -attendants were so active and good-humoured that it was pleasant to have -to desire them to do anything. The younger was a delicate and -unhealthy-looking girl; but there was an uncommon meekness in her -countenance, with an air of premature intelligence, which is often seen -in sickly young persons. The other made me think of Peter Bell's -"Highland Girl:" - - As light and beauteous as a squirrel, - As beauteous and as wild![1] - - [Footnote 1: See _Peter Bell_, part iii. stanza 31.--ED.] - -She moved with unusual activity, which was chastened very delicately by -a certain hesitation in her looks when she spoke, being able to -understand us but imperfectly. They were both exceedingly desirous to -get me what I wanted to make me comfortable. I was to have a gown and -petticoat of the mistress's; so they turned out her whole wardrobe upon -the parlour floor, talking Erse to one another, and laughing all the -time. It was long before they could decide which of the gowns I was to -have; they chose at last, no doubt thinking that it was the best, a -light-coloured sprigged cotton, with long sleeves, and they both laughed -while I was putting it on, with the blue linsey petticoat, and one or -the other, or both together, helped me to dress, repeating at least half -a dozen times, "You never had on the like of that before." They held a -consultation of several minutes over a pair of coarse woollen stockings, -gabbling Erse as fast as their tongues could move, and looked as if -uncertain what to do: at last, with great diffidence, they offered them -to me, adding, as before, that I had never worn "the like of them." When -we entered the house we had been not a little glad to see a fowl stewing -in barley-broth; and now when the wettest of our clothes were stripped -off, began again to recollect that we were hungry, and asked if we could -have dinner. "Oh yes, ye may get that," the elder replied, pointing to -the pan on the fire. - -Conceive what a busy house it was--all our wet clothes to be dried, -dinner prepared and set out for us four strangers, and a second cooking -for the family; add to this, two rough "callans," as they called them, -boys about eight years old, were playing beside us; the poor baby was -fretful all the while; the old woman sang doleful Erse songs, rocking it -in its cradle the more violently the more it cried; then there were a -dozen cookings of porridge, and it could never be fed without the -assistance of all three. The hut was after the Highland fashion, but -without anything beautiful except its situation; the floor was rough, -and wet with the rain that came in at the door, so that the lasses' bare -feet were as wet as if they had been walking through street puddles, in -passing from one room to another; the windows were open, as at the other -hut; but the kitchen had a bed in it, and was much smaller, and the -shape of the house was like that of a common English cottage, without -its comfort; yet there was no appearance of poverty--indeed, quite the -contrary. The peep out of the open door-place across the lake made some -amends for the want of the long roof and elegant rafters of our -boatman's cottage, and all the while the waterfall, which we could not -see, was roaring at the end of the hut, which seemed to serve as a -sounding-board for its noise, so that it was not unlike sitting in a -house where a mill is going. The dashing of the waves against the shore -could not be distinguished; yet in spite of my knowledge of this I -could not help fancying that the tumult and storm came from the lake, -and went out several times to see if it was possible to row over in -safety. - -After long waiting we grew impatient for our dinner; at last the pan was -taken off, and carried into the other room; but we had to wait at least -another half hour before the ceremony of dishing up was completed; yet -with all this bustle and difficulty, the manner in which they, and -particularly the elder of the girls, performed everything, was perfectly -graceful. We ate a hearty dinner, and had time to get our clothes quite -dry before the arrival of the boat. The girls could not say at what time -it would be at home; on our asking them if the church was far off they -replied, "Not very far"; and when we asked how far, they said, "Perhaps -about four or five miles." I believe a Church of England congregation -would hold themselves excused for non-attendance three parts of the -year, having but half as far to go; but in the lonely parts of Scotland -they make little of a journey of nine or ten miles to a preaching. They -have not perhaps an opportunity of going more than once in a quarter of -a year, and, setting piety aside, have other motives to attend: they -hear the news, public and private, and see their friends and neighbours; -for though the people who meet at these times may be gathered together -from a circle of twenty miles' diameter, a sort of neighbourly connexion -must be so brought about. There is something exceedingly pleasing to my -imagination in this gathering together of the inhabitants of these -secluded districts--for instance, the borderers of these two large lakes -meeting at the deserted garrison which I have described. The manner of -their travelling is on foot, on horseback, and in boats across the -waters,--young and old, rich and poor, all in their best dress. - -If it were not for these Sabbath-day meetings one summer month would be -like another summer month, one winter month like another--detached from -the goings-on of the world, and solitary throughout; from the time of -earliest childhood they will be like landing-places in the memory of a -person who has passed his life in these thinly peopled regions; they -must generally leave distinct impressions, differing from each other so -much as they do in circumstances, in time and place, etc.,--some in the -open fields, upon hills, in houses, under large rocks, in storms, and in -fine weather. - -But I have forgotten the fireside of our hut. After long waiting, the -girls, who had been on the look-out, informed us that the boat was -coming. I went to the water-side, and saw a cluster of people on the -opposite shore; but being yet at a distance, they looked more like -soldiers surrounding a carriage than a group of men and women; red and -green were the distinguishable colours. We hastened to get ourselves -ready as soon as we saw the party approach, but had longer to wait than -we expected, the lake being wider than it appears to be. As they drew -near we could distinguish men in tartan plaids, women in scarlet cloaks, -and green umbrellas by the half-dozen. The landing was as pretty a sight -as ever I saw. The bay, which had been so quiet two days before, was all -in motion with small waves, while the swoln waterfall roared in our -ears. The boat came steadily up, being pressed almost to the water's -edge by the weight of its cargo; perhaps twenty people landed, one after -another. It did not rain much, but the women held up their umbrellas; -they were dressed in all the colours of the rainbow, and, with their -scarlet cardinals, the tartan plaids of the men, and Scotch bonnets, -made a gay appearance. There was a joyous bustle surrounding the boat, -which even imparted something of the same character to the waterfall in -its tumult, and the restless grey waves; the young men laughed and -shouted, the lasses laughed, and the elder folks seemed to be in a -bustle to be away. I remember well with what haste the mistress of the -house where we were ran up to seek after her child, and seeing us, how -anxiously and kindly she inquired how we had fared, if we had had a -good fire, had been well waited upon, etc. etc. All this in three -minutes--for the boatman had another party to bring from the other side -and hurried us off. - -The hospitality we had met with at the two cottages and Mr. Macfarlane's -gave us very favourable impressions on this our first entrance into the -Highlands, and at this day the innocent merriment of the girls, with -their kindness to us, and the beautiful figure and face of the elder, -come to my mind whenever I think of the ferry-house and waterfall of -Loch Lomond, and I never think of the two girls but the whole image of -that romantic spot is before me, a living image, as it will be to my -dying day. The following poem[2] was written by William not long after -our return from Scotland:-- - - [Footnote 2: _To a Highland Girl_, in "Memorials of a Tour in - Scotland, 1803."--ED.] - - Sweet Highland Girl, a very shower - Of beauty is thy earthly dower! - Twice seven consenting years have shed - Their utmost bounty on thy head: - And these grey rocks; this household lawn; - These trees, a veil just half withdrawn; - This fall of water, that doth make - A murmur near the silent Lake; - This little Bay, a quiet road - That holds in shelter thy abode; - In truth together ye do seem - Like something fashion'd in a dream; - Such forms as from their covert peep - When earthly cares are laid asleep! - Yet, dream and vision as thou art, - I bless thee with a human heart: - God shield thee to thy latest years! - I neither know thee nor thy peers; - And yet my eyes are filled with tears. - - With earnest feeling I shall pray - For thee when I am far away: - For never saw I mien or face, - In which more plainly I could trace - Benignity and home-bred sense - Ripening in perfect innocence. - Here, scattered like a random seed, - Remote from men, thou dost not need - Th' embarrass'd look of shy distress - And maidenly shamefacedness; - Thou wear'st upon thy forehead clear - The freedom of a mountaineer: - A face with gladness overspread! - Sweet smiles, by human-kindness bred! - And seemliness complete, that sways - Thy courtesies, about thee plays; - With no restraint but such as springs - From quick and eager visitings - Of thoughts that lie beyond the reach - Of thy few words of English speech: - A bondage sweetly brook'd, a strife - That gives thy gestures grace and life! - So have I, not unmoved in mind, - Seen birds of tempest-loving kind, - Thus beating up against the wind. - - What hand but would a garland cull - For thee, who art so beautiful? - O happy pleasure! here to dwell - Beside thee in some heathy dell; - Adopt your homely ways and dress, - A Shepherd, thou a Shepherdess! - But I could frame a wish for thee - More like a grave reality: - Thou art to me but as a wave - Of the wild sea: and I would have - Some claim upon thee, if I could, - Though but of common neighbourhood. - What joy to hear thee and to see! - Thy elder brother I would be, - Thy father--anything to thee. - - Now thanks to Heaven! that of its grace - Hath led me to this lonely place! - Joy have I had; and going hence - I bear away my recompence. - In spots like these it is we prize - Our memory, feel that she hath eyes: - Then why should I be loth to stir? - I feel this place is made for her; - To give new pleasure like the past - Continued long as life shall last. - Nor am I loth, though pleased at heart, - Sweet Highland Girl, from thee to part; - For I, methinks, till I grow old, - As fair before me shall behold - As I do now, the Cabin small, - The Lake, the Bay, the Waterfall, - And thee, the Spirit of them all. - -We were rowed over speedily by the assistance of two youths, who went -backwards and forwards for their own amusement, helping at the oars, and -pulled as if they had strength and spirits to spare for a year to come. -We noticed that they had uncommonly fine teeth, and that they and the -boatman were very handsome people. Another merry crew took our place in -the boat. - -We had three miles to walk to Tarbet. It rained, but not heavily; the -mountains were not concealed from us by the mists, but appeared larger -and more grand; twilight was coming on, and the obscurity under which we -saw the objects, with the sounding of the torrents, kept our minds alive -and wakeful; all was solitary and huge--sky, water, and mountains -mingled together. While we were walking forward, the road leading us -over the top of a brow, we stopped suddenly at the sound of a -half-articulate Gaelic hooting from the field close to us. It came from -a little boy, whom we could see on the hill between us and the lake, -wrapped up in a grey plaid. He was probably calling home the cattle for -the night. His appearance was in the highest degree moving to the -imagination: mists were on the hillsides, darkness shutting in upon the -huge avenue of mountains, torrents roaring, no house in sight to which -the child might belong; his dress, cry, and appearance all different -from anything we had been accustomed to. It was a text, as William has -since observed to me, containing in itself the whole history of the -Highlander's life--his melancholy, his simplicity, his poverty, his -superstition, and above all, that visionariness which results from a -communion with the unworldliness of nature. - -When we reached Tarbet the people of the house were anxious to know how -we had fared, particularly the girl who had waited upon us. Our praises -of Loch Ketterine made her exceedingly happy, and she ventured to say, -of which we had heard not a word before, that it was "bonnier to _her_ -fancy than Loch Lomond." The landlord, who was not at home when we had -set off, told us that if he had known of our going he would have -recommended us to Mr. Macfarlane's or the other farm-house, adding that -they were hospitable people in that vale. Coleridge and I got tea, and -William and the drawing-master chose supper; they asked to have a -broiled fowl, a dish very common in Scotland, to which the mistress -replied, "Would not a 'boiled' one do as well?" They consented, -supposing that it would be more easily cooked; but when the fowl made -its appearance, to their great disappointment it proved a cold one that -had been stewed in the broth at dinner. - - -_Monday, August 29th._--It rained heavily this morning, and, having -heard so much of the long rains since we came into Scotland, as well as -before, we had no hope that it would be over in less than three weeks at -the least, so poor Coleridge, being very unwell, determined to send his -clothes to Edinburgh and make the best of his way thither, being afraid -to face much wet weather in an open carriage. William and I were -unwilling to be confined at Tarbet, so we resolved to go to Arrochar, a -mile and a half on the road to Inverary, where there is an inn -celebrated as a place of good accommodation for travellers. Coleridge -and I set off on foot, and William was to follow with the car, but a -heavy shower coming on, Coleridge left me to shelter in a hut and wait -for William, while he went on before. This hut was unplastered, and -without windows, crowded with beds, uncomfortable, and not in the -simplicity of the ferryman's house. A number of good clothes were -hanging against the walls, and a green silk umbrella was set up in a -corner. I should have been surprised to see an umbrella in such a place -before we came into the Highlands; but umbrellas are not so common -anywhere as there--a plain proof of the wetness of the climate; even -five minutes after this a girl passed us without shoes and stockings, -whose gown and petticoat were not worth half a crown, holding an -umbrella over her bare head. - -We turned at a guide-post, "To the New Inn," and, after descending a -little, and winding round the bottom of a hill, saw, at a small -distance, a white house half hidden by tall trees upon a lawn that -slopes down to the side of Loch Long, a sea-loch, which is here very -narrow. Right before us, across the lake, was the Cobbler, which -appeared to rise directly from the water; but, in fact, it overtopped -another hill, being a considerable way behind. The inn looked so much -like a gentleman's house that we could hardly believe it was an inn. We -drove down the broad gravel walk, and, making a sweep, stopped at the -front door, were shown into a large parlour with a fire, and my first -thought was, How comfortable we should be! but Coleridge, who had -arrived before us, checked my pleasure: the waiter had shown himself -disposed to look coolly upon us, and there had been a hint that we could -not have beds;--a party was expected, who had engaged all the beds. We -conjectured this might be but a pretence, and ordered dinner in the hope -that matters would clear up a little, and we thought they could not have -the heart to turn us out in so heavy a rain if it were possible to lodge -us. We had a nice dinner, yet would have gladly changed our roasted lamb -and pickles, and the gentleman-waiter with his napkin in his pocket, for -the more homely fare of the smoky hut at Loch Ketterine, and the good -woman's busy attentions, with the certainty of a hospitable shelter at -night. After dinner I spoke to the landlord himself, but he was not to -be moved: he could not even provide one bed for me, so nothing was to be -done but either to return to Tarbet with Coleridge, or that William and -I should push on the next stage, to Cairndow. We had an interesting -close view from the windows of the room where we sate, looking across -the lake, which did not differ in appearance, as we saw it here, from a -fresh-water lake. The sloping lawn on which the house stood was prettily -scattered over with trees; but we had seen the place to great advantage -at our first approach, owing to the mists upon the mountains, which had -made them seem exceedingly high, while the strange figures on the -Cobbler appeared and disappeared, like living things; but, as the day -cleared we were disappointed in what was more like the permanent effect -of the scene: the mountains were not so lofty as we had supposed, and -the low grounds not so fertile; yet still it is a very interesting, I -may say beautiful, place. - -The rain ceased entirely, so we resolved to go on to Cairndow, and had -the satisfaction of seeing that our landlord had not told us an untruth -concerning the expected company; for just before our departure we saw, -on the opposite side of the vale, a coach with four horses, another -carriage, and two or three men on horseback--a striking procession, as -it moved along between the bare mountain and the lake. Twenty years ago, -perhaps, such a sight had not been seen here except when the Duke of -Argyle, or some other Highland chieftain, might chance to be going with -his family to London or Edinburgh. They had to cross a bridge at the -head of the lake, which we could not see, so, after disappearing about -ten minutes, they drove up to the door--three old ladies, two -waiting-women, and store of men-servants. The old ladies were as gaily -dressed as bullfinches in spring-time. We heard the next day that they -were the renowned Miss Waughs of Carlisle, and that they enjoyed -themselves over a game of cards in the evening. - -Left Arrochar at about four o'clock in the afternoon. Coleridge -accompanied us a little way; we portioned out the contents of our purse -before our parting; and, after we had lost sight of him, drove heavily -along. Crossed the bridge, and looked to the right, up the vale, which -is soon terminated by mountains: it was of a yellow green, with but few -trees and few houses; sea-gulls were flying above it. Our road--the same -along which the carriages had come--was directly under the mountains on -our right hand, and the lake was close to us on our left, the waves -breaking among stones overgrown with yellow sea-weed; fishermen's boats, -and other larger vessels than are seen on fresh-water lakes were lying -at anchor near the opposite shore; sea-birds flying overhead; the noise -of torrents mingled with the beating of the waves, and misty mountains -enclosed the vale;--a melancholy but not a dreary scene. Often have I, -in looking over a map of Scotland, followed the intricate windings of -one of these sea-lochs, till, pleasing myself with my own imaginations, -I have felt a longing, almost painful, to travel among them by land or -by water. - -This was the first sea-loch we had seen. We came prepared for a new and -great delight, and the first impression which William and I received, as -we drove rapidly through the rain down the lawn of Arrochar, the objects -dancing before us, was even more delightful than we had expected. But, -as I have said, when we looked through the window, as the mists -disappeared and the objects were seen more distinctly, there was less of -sheltered valley-comfort than we had fancied to ourselves, and the -mountains were not so grand; and now that we were near to the shore of -the lake, and could see that it was not of fresh water, the wreck, the -broken sea-shells, and scattered sea-weed gave somewhat of a dull and -uncleanly look to the whole lake, and yet the water was clear, and might -have appeared as beautiful as that of Loch Lomond, if with the same pure -pebbly shore. Perhaps, had we been in a more cheerful mood of mind we -might have seen everything with a different eye. The stillness of the -mountains, the motion of the waves, the streaming torrents, the -sea-birds, the fishing-boats were all melancholy; yet still, occupied as -my mind was with other things, I thought of the long windings through -which the waters of the sea had come to this inland retreat, visiting -the inner solitudes of the mountains, and I could have wished to have -mused out a summer's day on the shores of the lake. From the foot of -these mountains whither might not a little barque carry one away? Though -so far inland, it is but a slip of the great ocean: seamen, fishermen, -and shepherds here find a natural home. We did not travel far down the -lake, but, turning to the right through an opening of the mountains, -entered a glen called Glen Croe. - -Our thoughts were full of Coleridge, and when we were enclosed in the -narrow dale, with a length of winding road before us, a road that seemed -to have insinuated itself into the very heart of the mountains--the -brook, the road, bare hills, floating mists, scattered stones, rocks, -and herds of black cattle being all that we could see,--I shivered at -the thought of his being sickly and alone, travelling from place to -place. - -The Cobbler, on our right, was pre-eminent above the other hills; the -singular rocks on its summit, seen so near, were like ruins--castles or -watch-towers. After we had passed one reach of the glen, another opened -out, long, narrow, deep, and houseless, with herds of cattle and large -stones; but the third reach was softer and more beautiful, as if the -mountains had there made a warmer shelter, and there were a more gentle -climate. The rocks by the river-side had dwindled away, the mountains -were smooth and green, and towards the end, where the glen sloped -upwards, it was a cradle-like hollow, and at that point where the slope -became a hill, at the very bottom of the curve of the cradle, stood one -cottage, with a few fields and beds of potatoes. There was also another -house near the roadside, which appeared to be a herdsman's hut. The -dwelling in the middle of the vale was a very pleasing object. I said -within myself, How quietly might a family live in this pensive solitude, -cultivating and loving their own fields! but the herdsman's hut, being -the only one in the vale, had a melancholy face; not being attached to -any particular plot of land, one could not help considering it as just -kept alive and above ground by some dreary connexion with the long -barren tract we had travelled through. - -The afternoon had been exceedingly pleasant after we had left the vale -of Arrochar; the sky was often threatening, but the rain blew off, and -the evening was uncommonly fine. The sun had set a short time before we -had dismounted from the car to walk up the steep hill at the end of the -glen. Clouds were moving all over the sky--some of a brilliant yellow -hue, which shed a light like bright moonlight upon the mountains. We -could not have seen the head of the valley under more favourable -circumstances. - -The passing away of a storm is always a time of life and cheerfulness, -especially in a mountainous country; but that afternoon and evening the -sky was in an extraordinary degree vivid and beautiful. We often stopped -in ascending the hill to look down the long reach of the glen. The road, -following the course of the river as far as we could see, the farm and -cottage hills, smooth towards the base and rocky higher up, were the -sole objects before us. This part of Glen Croe reminded us of some of -the dales of the north of England--Grisdale above Ulswater, for -instance; but the length of it, and the broad highway, which is always -to be seen at a great distance, a sort of centre of the vale, a point of -reference, gives to the whole of the glen, and each division of it, a -very different character. - -At the top of the hill we came to a seat with the well-known -inscription, "Rest and be thankful." On the same stone it was recorded -that the road had been made by Col. Wade's regiment. The seat is placed -so as to command a full view of the valley, and the long, long road, -which, with the fact recorded, and the exhortation, makes it an -affecting resting-place. We called to mind with pleasure a seat under -the braes of Loch Lomond on which I had rested, where the traveller is -informed by an inscription upon a stone that the road was made by Col. -Lascelles' regiment. There, the spot had not been chosen merely as a -resting-place, for there was no steep ascent in the highway, but it -might be for the sake of a spring of water and a beautiful rock, or, -more probably, because at that point the labour had been more than -usually toilsome in hewing through the rock. Soon after we had climbed -the hill we began to descend into another glen, called Glen Kinglas. We -now saw the western sky, which had hitherto been hidden from us by the -hill--a glorious mass of clouds uprising from a sea of distant -mountains, stretched out in length before us, towards the west--and -close by us was a small lake or tarn. From the reflection of the crimson -clouds the water appeared of a deep red, like melted rubies, yet with a -mixture of a grey or blackish hue: the gorgeous light of the sky, with -the singular colour of the lake, made the scene exceedingly romantic; -yet it was more melancholy than cheerful. With all the power of light -from the clouds, there was an overcasting of the gloom of evening, a -twilight upon the hills. - -We descended rapidly into the glen, which resembles the lower part of -Glen Croe, though it seemed to be inferior in beauty; but before we had -passed through one reach it was quite dark, and I only know that the -steeps were high, and that we had the company of a foaming stream; and -many a vagrant torrent crossed us, dashing down the hills. The road was -bad, and, uncertain how we should fare, we were eager and somewhat -uneasy to get forward; but when we were out of the close glen, and near -to Cairndow, as a traveller had told us, the moon showed her clear face -in the sky, revealing a spacious vale, with a broad loch and sloping -corn fields; the hills not very high. This cheerful sight put us into -spirits, and we thought it was at least no dismal place to sit up all -night in, if they had no beds, and they could not refuse us a shelter. -We were, however, well received, and sate down in a neat parlour with a -good fire. - - -_Tuesday, August 30th._--Breakfasted before our departure, and ate a -herring, fresh from the water, at our landlord's earnest -recommendation--much superior to the herrings we get in the north of -England.[3] Though we rose at seven, could not set off before nine -o'clock; the servants were in bed; the kettle did not boil--indeed, we -were completely out of patience; but it had always been so, and we -resolved to go off in future without breakfast. Cairndow is a single -house by the side of the loch, I believe resorted to by gentlemen in the -fishing season: it is a pleasant place for such a purpose; but the vale -did not look so beautiful as by moonlight--it had a sort of sea-coldness -without mountain grandeur. There is a ferry for foot-passengers from -Cairndow to the other side of the water, and the road along which all -carriages go is carried round the head of the lake, perhaps a distance -of three miles. - - [Footnote 3: I should rather think so!--J. C. S.] - -After we had passed the landing-place of the ferry opposite to Cairndow -we saw the lake spread out to a great width, more like an arm of the sea -or a great river than one of our lakes; it reminded us of the Severn at -the Chepstow passage; but the shores were less rich and the hills -higher. The sun shone, which made the morning cheerful, though there was -a cold wind. Our road never carried us far from the lake, and with the -beating of the waves, the sparkling sunshiny water, boats, the opposite -hills, and, on the side on which we travelled, the chance cottages, the -coppice woods, and common business of the fields, the ride could not but -be amusing. But what most excited our attention was, at one particular -place, a cluster of fishing-boats at anchor in a still corner of the -lake, a small bay or harbour by the wayside. They were overshadowed by -fishermen's nets hung out to dry, which formed a dark awning that -covered them like a tent, overhanging the water on each side, and -falling in the most exquisitely graceful folds. There was a monastic -pensiveness, a funereal gloom in the appearance of this little company -of vessels, which was the more interesting from the general liveliness -and glancing motions of the water, they being perfectly still and silent -in their sheltered nook. - -When we had travelled about seven miles from Cairndow, winding round the -bottom of a hill, we came in view of a great basin or elbow of the lake. -Completely out of sight of the long track of water we had coasted, we -seemed now to be on the edge of a very large, almost circular, lake, the -town of Inverary before us, a line of white buildings on a low -promontory right opposite, and close to the water's edge; the whole -landscape a showy scene, and bursting upon us at once. A traveller who -was riding by our side called out, "Can that be the Castle?" -Recollecting the prints which we had seen, we knew it could not; but the -mistake is a natural one at that distance: it is so little like an -ordinary town, from the mixture of regularity and irregularity in the -buildings. With the expanse of water and pleasant mountains, the -scattered boats and sloops, and those gathered together, it had a truly -festive appearance. A few steps more brought us in view of the Castle, a -stately turreted mansion, but with a modern air, standing on a lawn, -retired from the water, and screened behind by woods covering the sides -of high hills to the top, and still beyond, by bare mountains. Our road -wound round the semicircular shore, crossing two bridges of lordly -architecture. The town looked pretty when we drew near to it in -connexion with its situation, different from any place I had ever seen, -yet exceedingly like what I imaged to myself from representations in -raree-shows, or pictures of foreign places--Venice, for -example--painted on the scene of a play-house, which one is apt to fancy -are as cleanly and gay as they look through the magnifying-glass of the -raree-show or in the candle-light dazzle of a theatre. At the door of -the inn, though certainly the buildings had not that delightful outside -which they appeared to have at a distance, yet they looked very -pleasant. The range bordering on the water consisted of little else than -the inn, being a large house, with very large stables, the county gaol, -the opening into the main street into the town, and an arched gateway, -the entrance into the Duke of Argyle's private domain. - -We were decently well received at the inn, but it was over-rich in -waiters and large rooms to be exactly to our taste, though quite in -harmony with the neighbourhood. Before dinner we went into the Duke's -pleasure-grounds, which are extensive, and of course command a variety -of lively and interesting views. Walked through avenues of tall -beech-trees, and observed some that we thought even the tallest we had -ever seen; but they were all scantily covered with leaves, and the -leaves exceedingly small--indeed, some of them, in the most exposed -situations, were almost bare, as if it had been winter. Travellers who -wish to view the inside of the Castle send in their names, and the Duke -appoints the time of their going; but we did not think that what we -should see would repay us for the trouble, there being no pictures, and -the house, which I believe has not been built above half a century, is -fitted up in the modern style. If there had been any reliques of the -ancient costume of the castle of a Highland chieftain, we should have -been sorry to have passed it. - -Sate after dinner by the fireside till near sunset, for it was very -cold, though the sun shone all day. At the beginning of this our second -walk we passed through the town, which is but a doleful example of -Scotch filth. The houses are plastered or rough-cast, and washed -yellow--well built, well sized, and sash-windowed, bespeaking a -connexion with the Duke, such a dependence as may be expected in a small -town so near to his mansion; and indeed he seems to have done his utmost -to make them comfortable, according to our English notions of comfort: -they are fit for the houses of people living decently upon a decent -trade; but the windows and door-steads were as dirty as in a dirty -by-street of a large town, making a most unpleasant contrast with the -comely face of the buildings towards the water, and the ducal grandeur -and natural festivity of the scene. Smoke and blackness are the wild -growth of a Highland hut: the mud floors cannot be washed, the -door-steads are trampled by cattle, and if the inhabitants be not very -cleanly it gives one little pain; but dirty people living in two-storied -stone houses, with dirty sash windows, are a melancholy spectacle -anywhere, giving the notion either of vice or the extreme of -wretchedness. - -Returning through the town, we went towards the Castle, and entered the -Duke's grounds by a porter's lodge, following the carriage-road through -the park, which is prettily scattered over with trees, and slopes gently -towards the lake. A great number of lime-trees were growing singly, not -beautiful in their shape, but I mention them for the resemblance to one -of the same kind we had seen in the morning, which formed a shade as -impenetrable as the roof of any house. The branches did not spread far, -nor any one branch much further than another; on the outside it was like -a green bush shorn with shears, but when we sate upon a bench under it, -looking upwards, in the middle of the tree we could not perceive any -green at all; it was like a hundred thousand magpies' nests clustered -and matted together, the twigs and boughs being so intertwined that -neither the light of the mid-day sun nor showers of hail or rain could -pierce through them. The lime-trees on the lawn resembled this tree both -in shape and in the manner of intertwisting their twigs, but they were -much smaller, and not an impenetrable shade. - -The views from the Castle are delightful. Opposite is the lake, girt -with mountains, or rather smooth high hills; to the left appears a very -steep rocky hill, called Duniquoich Hill, on the top of which is a -building like a watch-tower; it rises boldly and almost perpendicular -from the plain, at a little distance from the river Arey, that runs -through the grounds. To the right is the town, overtopped by a sort of -spire or pinnacle of the church, a thing unusual in Scotland, except in -the large towns, and which would often give an elegant appearance to the -villages, which, from the uniformity of the huts, and the frequent want -of tall trees, they seldom exhibit. - -In looking at an extensive prospect, or travelling through a large vale, -the Trough of the Clyde for instance, I could not help thinking that in -England there would have been somewhere a tower or spire to warn us of a -village lurking under the covert of a wood or bank, or to point out some -particular spot on the distant hills which we might look at with kindly -feelings. I well remember how we used to love the little nest of trees -out of which Ganton spire rose on the distant Wolds opposite to the -windows at Gallow Hill. The spire of Inverary is not of so beautiful a -shape as those of the English churches, and, not being one of a class of -buildings which is understood at once, seen near or at a distance, is a -less interesting object; but it suits well with the outlandish trimness -of the buildings bordering on the water; indeed, there is no one thing -of the many gathered together in the extensive circuit of the basin or -vale of Inverary, that is not in harmony with the effect of the whole -place. The Castle is built of a beautiful hewn stone, in colour -resembling our blue slates. The author-tourists have quarrelled with the -architecture of it, but we did not find much that we were disposed to -blame. A castle in a deep glen, overlooking a roaring stream, and -defended by precipitous rocks, is, no doubt, an object far more -interesting; but, dropping all ideas of danger or insecurity, the -natural retinue in our minds of an ancient Highland chieftain,--take a -Duke of Argyle at the end of the eighteenth century, let him have his -house in Grosvenor Square, his London liveries, and daughters glittering -at St. James's, and I think you will be satisfied with his present -mansion in the Highlands, which seems to suit with the present times and -its situation, and that is indeed a noble one for a modern Duke of the -mountainous district of Argyleshire, with its bare valleys, its rocky -coasts, and sea lochs. - -There is in the natural endowments of Inverary something akin to every -feature of the general character of the county; yet even the very -mountains and the lake itself have a kind of princely festivity in their -appearance. I do not know how to communicate the feeling, but it seemed -as if it were no insult to the hills to look on them as the shield and -enclosure of the ducal domain, to which the water might delight in -bearing its tribute. The hills near the lake are smooth, so smooth that -they might have been shaven or swept; the shores, too, had somewhat of -the same effect, being bare, and having no roughness, no woody points; -yet the whole circuit being very large, and the hills so extensive, the -scene was not the less cheerful and festive, rejoicing in the light of -heaven. Behind the Castle the hills are planted to a great height, and -the pleasure-grounds extend far up the valley of Arey. We continued our -walk a short way along the river, and were sorry to see it stripped of -its natural ornaments, after the fashion of Mr. Brown,[4] and left to -tell its tale--for it would not be silent like the river at Blenheim--to -naked fields and the planted trees on the hills. We were disgusted with -the stables, out-houses, or farm-houses in different parts of the -grounds behind the Castle: they were broad, out-spreading, fantastic, -and unintelligible buildings. - - [Footnote 4: "Capability" Brown.--J. C. S.] - -Sate in the park till the moonlight was perceived more than the light -of day. We then walked near the town by the water-side. I observed that -the children who were playing did not speak Erse, but a much worse -English than is spoken by those Highlanders whose common language is the -Erse. I went into the town to purchase tea and sugar to carry with us on -our journey. We were tired when we returned to the inn, and went to bed -directly after tea. My room was at the very top of the house--one flight -of steps after another!--but when I drew back the curtains of my window -I was repaid for the trouble of panting up-stairs by one of the most -splendid moonlight prospects that can be conceived: the whole circuit of -the hills, the Castle, the two bridges, the tower on Duniquoich Hill, -and the lake with many boats--fit scene for summer midnight festivities! -I should have liked to have seen a bevy of Scottish ladies sailing, with -music, in a gay barge. William, to whom I have read this, tells me that -I have used the very words of Browne of Ottery, Coleridge's -fellow-townsman:-- - - As I have seen when on the breast of Thames - A heavenly bevy of sweet English dames, - In some calm evening of delightful May, - With music give a farewell to the day, - Or as they would (with an admired tone) - Greet night's ascension to her ebon throne. - - BROWNE'S _Britannia's Pastorals_. - - -_Wednesday, August 31st._--We had a long day's journey before us, -without a regular baiting-place on the road, so we breakfasted at -Inverary, and did not set off till nine o'clock, having, as usual, to -complain of the laziness of the servants. Our road was up the valley -behind the Castle, the same we had gone along the evening before. -Further up, though the plantations on the hills are noble, the valley -was cold and naked, wanting hedgerows and comfortable houses. We -travelled several miles under the plantations, the vale all along -seeming to belong almost exclusively to the Castle. It might have been -better distinguished and adorned, as we thought, by neater farm-houses -and cottages than are common in Scotland, and snugger fields with warm -hedgerows, at the same time testifying as boldly its adherence to the -chief. - -At that point of the valley where the pleasure-grounds appear to end, we -left our horse at a cottage door, and turned a few steps out of the road -to see a waterfall, which roared so loud that we could not have gone by -without looking about for it, even if we had not known that there was -one near Inverary. The waterfall is not remarkable for anything but the -good taste with which it has been left to itself, though there is a -pleasure-road from the Castle to it. As we went further up the valley -the roads died away, and it became an ordinary Scotch glen, the poor -pasturage of the hills creeping down into the valley, where it was -little better for the shelter, I mean little greener than on the -hill-sides; but a man must be of a churlish nature if, with a mind free -to look about, he should not find such a glen a pleasing place to travel -through, though seeing little but the busy brook, with here and there a -bush or tree, and cattle pasturing near the thinly-scattered dwellings. -But we came to one spot which I cannot forget, a single green field at -the junction of another brook with the Arey, a peninsula surrounded with -a close row of trees, which overhung the streams, and under their -branches we could just see a neat white house that stood in the middle -of the field enclosed by the trees. Before us was nothing but bare -hills, and the road through the bare glen. A person who has not -travelled in Scotland can scarcely imagine the pleasure we have had from -a stone house, though fresh from the workmen's hands, square and sharp; -there is generally such an appearance of equality in poverty through the -long glens of Scotland, giving the notion of savage ignorance--no house -better than another, and barns and houses all alike. This house had, -however, other recommendations of its own; even in the fertile parts of -Somersetshire it would have been a delicious spot; here, "'Mid mountain -wild set like a little nest," it was a resting-place for the fancy, and -to this day I often think of it, the cottage and its green covert, as an -image of romance, a place of which I have the same sort of knowledge as -of some of the retirements, the little valleys, described so livelily by -Spenser in his _Fairy Queen_. - -We travelled on, the glen now becoming entirely bare. Passed a miserable -hut on a naked hill-side, not far from the road, where we were told by a -man who came out of it that we might refresh ourselves with a dram of -whisky. Went over the hill, and saw nothing remarkable till we came in -view of Loch Awe, a large lake far below us, among high mountains--one -very large mountain right opposite, which we afterwards found was called -Cruachan. The day was pleasant--sunny gleams and a fresh breeze; the -lake--we looked across it--as bright as silver, which made the islands, -three or four in number, appear very green. We descended gladly, invited -by the prospect before us, travelling downwards, along the side of the -hill, above a deep glen, woody towards the lower part near the brook; -the hills on all sides were high and bare, and not very stony: it made -us think of the descent from Newlands into Buttermere, though on a wider -scale, and much inferior in simple majesty. - -After walking down the hill a long way we came to a bridge, under which -the water dashed through a dark channel of rocks among trees, the lake -being at a considerable distance below, with cultivated lands between. -Close upon the bridge was a small hamlet,[5] a few houses near together, -and huddled up in trees--a very sweet spot, the only retired village we -had yet seen which was characterized by "beautiful" wildness with -sheltering warmth. We had been told at Inverary that we should come to -a place where we might give our horse a feed of corn, and found on -inquiry that there was a little public-house here, or rather a hut -"where they kept a dram." It was a cottage, like all the rest, without a -sign-board. The woman of the house helped to take the horse out of -harness, and, being hungry, we asked her if she could make us some -porridge, to which she replied that "we should get that," and I followed -her into the house, and sate over her hearth while she was making it. As -to fire, there was little sign of it, save the smoke, for a long time, -she having no fuel but green wood, and no bellows but her breath. My -eyes smarted exceedingly, but the woman seemed so kind and cheerful that -I was willing to endure it for the sake of warming my feet in the ashes -and talking to her. The fire was in the middle of the room, a crook -being suspended from a cross-beam, and a hole left at the top for the -smoke to find its way out by: it was a rude Highland hut, unadulterated -by Lowland fashions, but it had not the elegant shape of the ferry-house -at Loch Ketterine, and the fire, being in the middle of the room, could -not be such a snug place to draw to on a winter's night. - - [Footnote 5: Cladich.--J. C. S.] - -We had a long afternoon before us, with only eight miles to travel to -Dalmally, and, having been told that a ferry-boat was kept at one of the -islands, we resolved to call for it, and row to the island, so we went -to the top of an eminence, and the man who was with us set some children -to work to gather sticks and withered leaves to make a smoky fire--a -signal for the boatman, whose hut is on a flat green island, like a -sheep pasture, without trees, and of a considerable size: the man told -us it was a rabbit-warren. There were other small islands, on one of -which was a ruined house, fortification, or small castle: we could not -learn anything of its history, only a girl told us that formerly -gentlemen lived in such places. Immediately from the water's edge rose -the mountain Cruachan on the opposite side of the lake; it is woody -near the water and craggy above, with deep hollows on the surface. We -thought it the grandest mountain we had seen, and on saying to the man -who was with us that it was a fine mountain, "Yes," he replied, "it is -an excellent mountain," adding that it was higher than Ben Lomond, and -then told us some wild stories of the enormous profits it brought to -Lord Breadalbane, its lawful owner. The shape of Loch Awe is very -remarkable, its outlet being at one side, and only about eight miles -from the head, and the whole lake twenty-four miles in length. We looked -with longing after that branch of it opposite to us out of which the -water issues: it seemed almost like a river gliding under steep -precipices. What we saw of the larger branch, or what might be called -the body of the lake, was less promising, the banks being merely gentle -slopes, with not very high mountains behind, and the ground moorish and -cold. - -The children, after having collected fuel for our fire, began to play on -the green hill where we stood, as heedless as if we had been trees or -stones, and amused us exceedingly with their activity: they wrestled, -rolled down the hill, pushing one another over and over again, laughing, -screaming, and chattering Erse: they were all without shoes and -stockings, which, making them fearless of hurting or being hurt, gave a -freedom to the action of their limbs which I never saw in English -children: they stood upon one another, body, breast, or face, or any -other part; sometimes one was uppermost, sometimes another, and -sometimes they rolled all together, so that we could not know to which -body this leg or that arm belonged. We waited, watching them, till we -were assured that the boatman had noticed our signal.--By the bye, if we -had received proper directions at Loch Lomond, on our journey to Loch -Ketterine, we should have made our way down the lake till we had come -opposite to the ferryman's house, where there is a hut, and the people -who live there are accustomed to call him by the same signal as here. -Luckily for us we were not so well instructed, for we should have missed -the pleasure of receiving the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Macfarlane and -their family. - -A young woman who wanted to go to the island accompanied us to the -water-side. The walk was pleasant, through fields with hedgerows, the -greenest fields we had seen in Scotland; but we were obliged to return -without going to the island. The poor man had taken his boat to another -place, and the waters were swollen so that we could not go close to the -shore, and show ourselves to him, nor could we make him hear by -shouting. On our return to the public-house we asked the woman what we -should pay her, and were not a little surprised when she answered, -"Three shillings." Our horse had had a sixpenny feed of miserable corn, -not worth threepence; the rest of the charge was for skimmed milk, -oat-bread, porridge, and blue milk cheese: we told her it was far too -much; and, giving her half-a-crown, departed. I was sorry she had made -this unreasonable demand, because we had liked the woman, and we had -before been so well treated in the Highland cottages; but, on thinking -more about it, I satisfied myself that it was no scheme to impose upon -us, for she was contented with the half-crown, and would, I daresay, -have been so with two shillings, if we had offered it her at first. Not -being accustomed to fix a price upon porridge and milk, to such as we, -at least, when we asked her she did not know what to say; but, seeing -that we were travelling for pleasure, no doubt she concluded we were -rich, and that what was a small gain to her could be no great loss to -us. - -When we had gone a little way we saw before us a young man with a bundle -over his shoulder, hung on a stick, bearing a great boy on his back: -seeing that they were travellers, we offered to take the boy on the car, -to which the man replied that he should be more than thankful, and set -him up beside me. They had walked from Glasgow, and that morning from -Inverary; the boy was only six years old, "But," said his father, "he -is a stout walker," and a fine fellow he was, smartly dressed in tight -clean clothes and a nice round hat: he was going to stay with his -grandmother at Dalmally. I found him good company; though I could not -draw a single word out of him, it was a pleasure to see his happiness -gleaming through the shy glances of his healthy countenance. Passed a -pretty chapel by the lake-side, and an island with a farm-house upon it, -and corn and pasture fields; but, as we went along, we had frequent -reason to regret the want of English hedgerows and English culture; for -the ground was often swampy or moorish near the lake where comfortable -dwellings among green fields might have been. When we came near to the -end of the lake we had a steep hill to climb, so William and I walked; -and we had such confidence in our horse that we were not afraid to leave -the car to his guidance with the child in it; we were soon, however, -alarmed at seeing him trot up the hill a long way before us; the child, -having raised himself up upon the seat, was beating him as hard as he -could with a little stick which he carried in his hand; and when he saw -our eyes were on him he sate down, I believe very sorry to resign his -office: the horse slackened his pace, and no accident happened. - -When we had ascended half-way up the hill, directed by the man, I took a -nearer footpath, and at the top came in view of a most impressive scene, -a ruined castle on an island almost in the middle of the last -compartment of the lake, backed by a mountain cove, down which came a -roaring stream. The castle occupied every foot of the island that was -visible to us, appearing to rise out of the water; mists rested upon the -mountain side, with spots of sunshine between; there was a mild -desolation in the low grounds, a solemn grandeur in the mountains, and -the castle was wild, yet stately, not dismantled of its turrets, nor the -walls broken down, though completely in ruin. After having stood some -minutes I joined William on the high road, and both wishing to stay -longer near this place, we requested the man to drive his little boy on -to Dalmally, about two miles further, and leave the car at the inn. He -told us that the ruin was called Kilchurn Castle, that it belonged to -Lord Breadalbane, and had been built by one of the ladies of that family -for her defence during her Lord's absence at the Crusades, for which -purpose she levied a tax of seven years' rent upon her tenants;[6] he -said that from that side of the lake it did not appear, in very dry -weather, to stand upon an island; but that it was possible to go over to -it without being wet-shod. We were very lucky in seeing it after a great -flood; for its enchanting effect was chiefly owing to its situation in -the lake, a decayed palace rising out of the plain of waters! I have -called it a palace, for such feeling it gave to me, though having been -built as a place of defence, a castle or fortress. We turned again and -reascended the hill, and sate a long time in the middle of it looking on -the castle and the huge mountain cove opposite, and William, addressing -himself to the ruin, poured out these verses:[7]-- - - [Footnote 6: Not very probable.--J. C. S.] - - [Footnote 7: _Address to Kilchurn Castle, upon Loch Awe._--ED.] - - Child of loud-throated War! the mountain stream - Roars in thy hearing; but thy hour of rest - Is come, and thou art silent in thy age. - -We walked up the hill again, and, looking down the vale, had a fine view -of the lake and islands, resembling the views down Windermere, though -much less rich. Our walk to Dalmally was pleasant: the vale makes a turn -to the right, beyond the head of the lake, and the village of Dalmally, -which is, in fact, only a few huts, the manse or minister's house, the -chapel, and the inn, stands near the river, which flows into the head of -the lake. The whole vale is very pleasing, the lower part of the -hill-sides being sprinkled with thatched cottages, cultivated ground in -small patches near them, which evidently belonged to the cottages. - -We were overtaken by a gentleman who rode on a beautiful white pony, -like Lilly, and was followed by his servant, a Highland boy, on another -pony, a little creature, not much bigger than a large mastiff, on which -were slung a pair of crutches and a tartan plaid. The gentleman entered -into conversation with us, and on our telling him that we were going to -Glen Coe, he advised us, instead of proceeding directly to Tyndrum, the -next stage, to go round by the outlet of Loch Awe to Loch Etive, and -thence to Glen Coe. We were glad to change our plan, for we wanted much -to see more of Loch Awe, and he told us that the whole of the way by -Loch Etive was pleasant, and the road to Tyndrum as dreary as possible; -indeed, we could see it at that time several miles before us upon the -side of a bleak mountain; and he said that there was nothing but moors -and mountains all the way. We reached the inn a little before sunset, -ordered supper, and I walked out. Crossed a bridge to look more nearly -at the parsonage-house and the chapel, which stands upon a bank close to -the river, a pretty stream overhung in some parts by trees. The vale is -very pleasing; but, like all the other Scotch vales we had yet seen, it -told of its kinship with the mountains and of poverty or some neglect on -the part of man. - - -_Thursday, September 1st._--We had been attended at supper by a civil -boy, whom we engaged to rouse us at six o'clock, and to provide us each -a basin of milk and bread, and have the car ready; all which he did -punctually, and we were off in good time. The morning was not -unpleasant, though rather cold, and we had some fear of rain. Crossed -the bridge, and passed by the manse and chapel, our road carrying us -back again in the direction we had come; but on the opposite side of the -river. Passed close to many of the houses we had seen on the hill-side, -which the lame gentleman had told us belonged to Lord Breadalbane, and -were attached to little farms, or "crofts," as he called them. Lord -Breadalbane had lately laid out a part of his estates in this way as an -experiment, in the hope of preventing discontent and emigration. We were -sorry we had not an opportunity of seeing into these cottages, and of -learning how far the people were happy or otherwise. The dwellings -certainly did not look so comfortable when we were near to them as from -a distance; but this might be chiefly owing to what the inhabitants did -not feel as an evil--the dirt about the doors. We saw, however--a sight -always painful to me--two or three women, each creeping after her single -cow, while it was feeding on the slips of grass between the -corn-grounds. Went round the head of the lake, and onwards close to the -lake-side. Kilchurn Castle was always interesting, though not so grand -as seen from the other side, with its own mountain cove and roaring -stream. It combined with the vale of Dalmally and the distant hills--a -beautiful scene, yet overspread with a gentle desolation. As we went -further down we lost sight of the vale of Dalmally. The castle, which we -often stopped to look back upon, was very beautiful seen in combination -with the opposite shore of the lake--perhaps a little bay, a tuft of -trees, or a slope of the hill. Travelled under the foot of the mountain -Cruachan, along an excellent road, having the lake close to us on our -left, woods overhead, and frequent torrents tumbling down the hills. The -distant views across the lake were not peculiarly interesting after we -were out of sight of Kilchurn Castle, the lake being wide, and the -opposite shore not rich, and those mountains which we could see were not -high. - -Came opposite to the village where we had dined the day before, and, -losing sight of the body of the lake, pursued the narrow channel or -pass,[8] which is, I believe, three miles long, out of which issues the -river that flows into Loch Etive. We were now enclosed between steep -hills, on the opposite side entirely bare, on our side bare or woody; -the branch of the lake generally filling the whole area of the vale. It -was a pleasing, solitary scene; the long reach of naked precipices on -the other side rose directly out of the water, exceedingly steep, not -rugged or rocky, but with scanty sheep pasturage and large beds of small -stones, purple, dove-coloured, or red, such as are called Screes in -Cumberland and Westmoreland. These beds, or rather streams of stones, -appeared as smooth as the turf itself, nay, I might say, as soft as the -feathers of birds, which they resembled in colour. There was no building -on either side of the water; in many parts only just room for the road, -and on the other shore no footing, as it might seem, for any creature -larger than the mountain sheep, and they, in treading amongst the -shelving stones, must often send them down into the lake below. - - [Footnote 8: The Pass of Awe.--J. C. S.] - -After we had wound for some time through the valley, having met neither -foot-traveller, horse, nor cart, we started at the sight of a single -vessel, just as it turned round the point of a hill, coming into the -reach of the valley where we were. She floated steadily through the -middle of the water, with one large sail spread out, full swollen by the -breeze, that blew her right towards us. I cannot express what romantic -images this vessel brought along with her--how much more beautiful the -mountains appeared, the lake how much more graceful. There was one man -on board, who sate at the helm, and he, having no companion, made the -boat look more silent than if we could not have seen him. I had almost -said the ship, for on that narrow water it appeared as large as the -ships which I have watched sailing out of a harbour of the sea. A little -further on we passed a stone hut by the lake-side, near which were many -charcoal sacks, and we conjectured that the vessel had been depositing -charcoal brought from other parts of Loch Awe to be carried to the -iron-works at Loch Etive. A little further on we came to the end of the -lake, but where exactly it ended was not easy to determine, for the -river was as broad as the lake, and we could only say when it became -positively a river by the rushing of the water. It is, indeed, a grand -stream, the quantity of water being very large, frequently forming -rapids, and always flowing very quickly; but its greatness is -short-lived, for, after a course of three miles, it is lost in the great -waters of Loch Etive, a sea loch. - -Crossed a bridge, and climbing a hill towards Taynuilt, our -baiting-place, we saw a hollow to the right below us, through which the -river continued its course between rocks and steep banks of wood. -William turned aside to look into the dell, but I was too much tired. We -had left it, two or three hundred yards behind, an open river, the -hills, enclosing the branch of the lake, having settled down into -irregular slopes. We were glad when we reached Taynuilt, a village of -huts, with a chapel and one stone house, which was the inn. It had begun -to rain, and I was almost benumbed with the cold, besides having a bad -headache; so it rejoiced me to see kind looks on the landlady's face, -and that she was willing to put herself in a bustle for our comfort; we -had a good fire presently, and breakfast was set out--eggs, preserved -gooseberries, excellent cream, cheese, and butter, but no wheat bread, -and the oaten cakes were so hard I could not chew them. We wished to go -upon Loch Etive; so, having desired the landlady to prepare a fowl for -supper, and engaged beds, which she promised us willingly--a proof that -we were not in the great road--we determined to find our way to the lake -and endeavour to procure a boat. It rained heavily, but we went on, -hoping the sky would clear up. - -Walked through unenclosed fields, a sort of half-desolate country; but -when we came to the mouth of the river which issues out of Loch Awe, and -which we had to cross by a ferry, looking up that river we saw that the -vale down which it flowed was richly wooded and beautiful. - -We were now among familiar fireside names. We could see the town of -Bunawe, a place of which the old woman with whom William lodged ten -years at Hawkshead used to tell tales half as long as an ancient -romance. It is a small village or port on the same side of Loch Etive on -which we stood, and at a little distance is a house built by a Mr. Knott -of Coniston Water-head, a partner in the iron-foundry at Bunawe, in the -service of whose family the old woman had spent her youth. It was an -ugly yellow-daubed building, staring this way and that, but William -looked at it with pleasure for poor Ann Tyson's sake.[9] We hailed the -ferry-boat, and a little boy came to fetch us; he rowed up against the -stream with all his might for a considerable way, and then yielding to -it, the boat was shot towards the shore almost like an arrow from a bow. -It was pleasing to observe the dexterity with which the lad managed his -oars, glorying in the appearance of danger--for he observed us watching -him, and afterwards, while he conveyed us over, his pride redoubled; for -my part, I was completely dizzy with the swiftness of the motion. - - [Footnote 9: The village dame with whom he lived when a school-boy at - Hawkshead.--ED.] - -We could not have a boat from the ferry, but were told that if we would -walk to a house half a mile up the river, we had a chance of getting -one. I went a part of the way with William, and then sate down under the -umbrella near some houses. A woman came out to talk with me, and pressed -me to take shelter in her house, which I refused, afraid of missing -William. She eyed me with extreme curiosity, asking fifty questions -respecting the object of our journey. She told me that it rained most -parts of the year there, and that there was no chance of fine weather -that day; and I believe when William came to tell me that we could have -a boat, she thought I was half crazed. We went down to the shore of the -lake, and, after having sate some time under a wall, the boatman came to -us, and we went upon the water. At first it did not rain heavily, and -the air was not cold, and before we had gone far we rejoiced that we had -not been faint-hearted. The loch is of a considerable width, but the -mountains are so very high that, whether we were close under them or -looked from one shore to the other, they maintained their dignity. I -speak of the higher part of the loch, above the town of Bunawe and the -large river, for downwards they are but hills, and the water spreads out -wide towards undetermined shores. On our right was the mountain -Cruachan, rising directly from the lake, and on the opposite side -another mountain, called Ben Durinish,[10] craggy, and exceedingly -steep, with wild wood growing among the rocks and stones. - - [Footnote 10: Duirinnis.--ED.] - -We crossed the water, which was very rough in the middle, but calmer -near the shores, and some of the rocky basins and little creeks among -the rocks were as still as a mirror, and they were so beautiful with the -reflection of the orange-coloured seaweed growing on the stones or -rocks, that a child, with a child's delight in gay colours, might have -danced with joy at the sight of them. It never ceased raining, and the -tops of the mountains were concealed by mists, but as long as we could -see across the water we were contented; for though little could be seen -of the true shapes and permanent appearances of the mountains, we saw -enough to give us the most exquisite delight: the powerful lake which -filled the large vale, roaring torrents, clouds floating on the mountain -sides, sheep that pastured there, sea-birds and land birds. We sailed a -considerable way without coming to any houses or cultivated fields. -There was no horse-road on either side of the loch, but a person on -foot, as the boatman told us, might make his way at the foot of Ben -Durinish, namely on that side of the loch on which we were; there was, -however, not the least track to be seen, and it must be very difficult -and laborious. - -We happened to say that we were going to Glen Coe, which would be the -journey of a long day and a half, when one of the men, pointing to the -head of the loch, replied that if we were there we should be but an -hour's walk from Glen Coe. Though it continued raining, and there was no -hope that the rain would cease, we could not help wishing to go by that -way: it was an adventure; we were not afraid of trusting ourselves to -the hospitality of the Highlanders, and we wanted to give our horse a -day's rest, his back having been galled by the saddle. The owner of the -boat, who understood English much better than the other man, his helper, -said he would make inquiries about the road at a farm-house a little -further on. He was very ready to talk with us, and was rather an -interesting companion; he spoke after a slow and solemn manner, in book -and sermon language and phrases: - - A stately speech, - Such as grave livers do in Scotland use.[11] - - [Footnote 11: See _Resolution and Independence_, stanza xiv.--ED.] - -When we came to the farm-house of which the man had spoken, William and -he landed to make the necessary inquiries. It was a thatched house at -the foot of the high mountain Ben Durinish--a few patches or little beds -of corn belonging to it; but the spot was pastoral, the green grass -growing to the walls of the house. The dwelling-house was distinguished -from the outer buildings, which were numerous, making it look like two -or three houses, as is common in Scotland, by a chimney and one small -window with sash-panes; on one side was a little woody glen, with a -precipitous stream that fell into the bay, which was perfectly still, -and bordered with the rich orange-colour reflected from the sea-weed. -Cruachan, on the other side of the lake, was exceedingly grand, and -appeared of an enormous height, spreading out two large arms that made a -cove down which fell many streams swoln by the rain, and in the hollow -of the cove were some huts which looked like a village. The top of the -mountain was concealed from us by clouds, and the mists floated high and -low upon the sides of it. - -William came back to the boat highly pleased with the cheerful -hospitality and kindness of the woman of the house, who would scarcely -permit him and his guide to go away without taking some refreshment. She -was the only person at home, so they could not obtain the desired -information; but William had been well repaid for the trouble of -landing; indeed, rainy as it was, I regretted that I had not landed -also, for I should have wished to bear away in my memory a perfect image -of this place,--the view from the doors, as well as the simple Highland -comforts and contrivances which were near it. I think I never saw a -retirement that would have so completely satisfied me, if I had wanted -to be altogether shut out from the world, and at the same time among the -grandest of the works of God; but it must be remembered that mountains -are often so much dignified by clouds, mists, and other accidents of -weather, that one could not know them again in the full sunshine of a -summer's noon. But, whatever the mountains may be in their own shapes, -the farm-house with its pastoral grounds and corn fields won from the -mountain, its warm out-houses in irregular stages one above another on -the side of the hill, the rocks, the stream, and sheltering bay, must at -all times be interesting objects. The household boat lay at anchor, -chained to a rock, which, like the whole border of the lake, was edged -with sea-weed, and some fishing-nets were hung upon poles,--affecting -images, which led our thoughts out to the wide ocean, yet made these -solitudes of the mountains bear the impression of greater safety and -more deep seclusion. - -The rain became so heavy that we should certainly have turned back if we -had not felt more than usual courage from the pleasure we had enjoyed, -which raised hope where none was. There were some houses a little higher -up, and we determined to go thither and make further inquiries. We -could now hardly see to the other side of the lake, yet continued to go -on, and presently heard some people pushing through a thicket close to -us, on which the boatman called out, "There's one that can tell us -something about the road to Glen Coe, for he was born there." We looked -up and saw a ragged, lame fellow, followed by some others, with a -fishing-rod over his shoulder; and he was making such good speed through -the boughs that one might have half believed he was the better for his -lame leg. He was the head of a company of tinkers, who, as the men told -us, travel with their fishing-rods as duly as their hammers. On being -hailed by us the whole company stopped; and their lame leader and our -boatmen shouted to each other in Erse--a savage cry to our ears, in that -lonely and romantic place. We could not learn from the tinker all we -wished to know, therefore when we came near to the houses William landed -again with the owner of the boat. The rain was now so heavy that we -could see nothing at all--not even the houses whither William was going. - -We had given up all thought of proceeding further at that time, but were -desirous to know how far that road to Glen Coe was practicable for us. -They met with an intelligent man, who was at work with others in a hay -field, though it rained so heavily; he gave them the information they -desired, and said that there was an acquaintance of his between that -place and Glen Coe, who, he had no doubt, would gladly accommodate us -with lodging and anything else we might need. When William returned to -the boat we shaped our course back again down the water, leaving the -head of Loch Etive not only unvisited, but unseen--to our great regret. -The rain was very heavy; the wind had risen, and both wind and tide were -against us, so that it was hard labour for the boatmen to push us on. -They kept as close to the shore as they could, to be under the wind; but -at the doubling of many of the rocky points the tide was so strong that -it was difficult to get on at all, and I was sometimes afraid that we -should be dashed against the rocks, though I believe, indeed, there was -not much danger. - -Came down the same side of the lake under Ben Durinish, and landed at a -ferry-house opposite to Bunawe, where we gave the men a glass of whisky; -but our chief motive for landing was to look about the place, which had -a most wild aspect at that time. It was a low promontory, pushed far -into the water, narrowing the lake exceedingly; in the obscurity -occasioned by the mist and rain it appeared to be an island; it was -stained and weatherbeaten, a rocky place, seeming to bear no produce but -such as might be cherished by cold and storms, lichens or the -incrustations of sea rocks. We rowed right across the water to the mouth -of the river of Loch Awe, our boat following the ferry-boat which was -conveying the tinker crew to the other side, whither they were going to -lodge, as the men told us, in some kiln, which they considered as their -right and privilege--a lodging always to be found where there was any -arable land--for every farm has its kiln to dry the corn in: another -proof of the wetness of the climate. The kilns are built of stone, -covered in, and probably as good a shelter as the huts in which these -Highland vagrants were born. They gather sticks or heather for their -fire, and, as they are obstinate beggars, for the men said they would -not be denied, they probably have plenty of food with little other -trouble than that of wandering in search of it, for their smutty faces -and tinker equipage serve chiefly for a passport to a free and careless -life. It rained very heavily, and the wind blew when we crossed the -lake, and their boat and ours went tilting over the high waves. They -made a romantic appearance; three women were of the party; two men rowed -them over; the lame fellow sate at one end of the boat, and his -companion at the other, each with an enormous fishing-rod, which looked -very graceful, something like masts to the boat. When we had landed at -the other side we saw them, after having begged at the ferry-house, -strike merrily through the fields, no doubt betaking themselves to their -shelter for the night. - -We were completely wet when we reached the inn; the landlady wanted to -make a fire for me upstairs, but I went into her own parlour to undress, -and her daughter, a pretty little girl, who could speak a few words of -English, waited on me; I rewarded her with one of the penny books bought -at Dumfries for Johnny, with which she was greatly delighted. We had an -excellent supper--fresh salmon, a fowl, gooseberries and cream, and -potatoes; good beds; and the next morning boiled milk and bread, and -were only charged seven shillings and sixpence for the whole--horse, -liquor, supper, and the two breakfasts. We thought they had made a -mistake, and told them so--for it was only just half as much as we had -paid the day before at Dalmally, the case being that Dalmally is in the -main road of the tourists. The landlady insisted on my bringing away a -little cup instead of our tin can, which she told me had been taken from -the car by some children: we set no little value on this cup as a -memorial of the good woman's honesty and kindness, and hoped to have -brought it home.... - - -_Friday, September 2nd._--Departed at about seven o'clock this morning, -having to travel eight miles down Loch Etive, and then to cross a ferry. -Our road was at first at a considerable distance from the lake, and out -of sight of it, among undulating hills covered with coppice woods, -resembling the country between Coniston and Windermere, but it -afterwards carried us close to the water's edge; and in this part of our -ride we were disappointed. We knew that the high mountains were all at -the head of the lake, therefore had not expected the same awful grandeur -which we beheld the day before, and perceived by glimpses; but the -gentleman whom we met with at Dalmally had told us that there were many -fine situations for gentlemen's seats on this part of the lake, which -had made us expect greater loveliness near the shores, and better -cultivation. It is true there are pleasant bays, with grounds prettily -sloping to the water, and coppice woods, where houses would stand in -shelter and sun, looking on the lake; but much is yet wanting--waste -lands to be ploughed, peat-mosses drained, hedgerows reared; and the -woods demand a grant of longer life than is now their privilege. - -But after we had journeyed about six miles a beautiful scene opened upon -us. The morning had been gloomy, and at this time the sun shone out, -scattering the clouds. We looked right down the lake, that was covered -with streams of dazzling sunshine, which revealed the indentings of the -dark shores. On a bold promontory, on the same side of the loch where we -were, stood an old castle, an irregular tall building, not without -majesty; and beyond, with leagues of water between, our eyes settled -upon the island of Mull, a high mountain, green in the sunshine, and -overcast with clouds,--an object as inviting to the fancy as the evening -sky in the west, and though of a terrestrial green, almost as visionary. -We saw that it was an island of the sea, but were unacquainted with its -name; it was of a gem-like colour, and as soft as the sky. The shores of -Loch Etive, in their moorish, rocky wildness, their earthly bareness, as -they lay in length before us, produced a contrast which, with the pure -sea, the brilliant sunshine, the long distance, contributed to the -aërial and romantic power with which the mountain island was invested. - -Soon after, we came to the ferry. The boat being on the other shore, we -had to wait a considerable time, though the water was not wide, and our -call was heard immediately. The boatmen moved with surly tardiness, as -if glad to make us know that they were our masters. At this point the -lake was narrowed to the breadth of not a very wide river by a round ear -or promontory on the side on which we were, and a low ridge of -peat-mossy ground on the other. It was a dreary place, shut out from -the beautiful prospect of the Isle of Mull, and Dunstaffnage Castle--so -the fortress was called. Four or five men came over with the boat; the -horse was unyoked, and being harshly driven over rough stones, which -were as slippery as ice, with slimy seaweed, he was in terror before he -reached the boat, and they completed the work by beating and pushing him -by main force over the ridge of the boat, for there was no open end, or -plank, or any other convenience for shipping either horse or carriage. I -was very uneasy when we were launched on the water. A blackguard-looking -fellow, blind of one eye, which I could not but think had been put out -in some strife or other, held him by force like a horse-breaker, while -the poor creature fretted, and stamped with his feet against the bare -boards, frightening himself more and more with every stroke; and when we -were in the middle of the water I would have given a thousand pounds to -have been sure that we should reach the other side in safety. The tide -was rushing violently in, making a strong eddy with the stream of the -loch, so that the motion of the boat and the noise and foam of the waves -terrified him still more, and we thought it would be impossible to keep -him in the boat, and when we were just far enough from the shore to have -been all drowned he became furious, and, plunging desperately, his -hind-legs were in the water, then, recovering himself, he beat with such -force against the boat-side that we were afraid he should send his feet -through. All the while the men were swearing terrible oaths, and cursing -the poor beast, redoubling their curses when we reached the -landing-place, and whipping him ashore in brutal triumph. - -We had only room for half a heartful of joy when we set foot on dry -land, for another ferry was to be crossed five miles further. We had -intended breakfasting at this house if it had been a decent place; but -after this affair we were glad to pay the men off and depart, though I -was not well and needed refreshment. The people made us more easy by -assuring us that we might easily swim the horse over the next ferry. The -first mile or two of our road was over a peat-moss; we then came near to -the sea-shore, and had beautiful views backwards towards the Island of -Mull and Dunstaffnage Castle, and forward where the sea ran up between -the hills. In this part, on the opposite side of the small bay or elbow -of the sea, was a gentleman's house on a hillside,[12] and a building on -the hill-top which we took for a lighthouse, but were told that it -belonged to the mansion, and was only lighted up on rejoicing days--the -laird's birthday, for instance. - - [Footnote 12: Lochnell House.--J. C. S.] - -Before we had left the peat-moss to travel close to the sea-shore we -delighted ourselves with looking on a range of green hills, in shape -like those bordering immediately upon the sea, abrupt but not high; they -were, in fact, a continuation of the same; but retiring backwards, and -rising from the black peat-moss. These hills were of a delicate green, -uncommon in Scotland; a foaming rivulet ran down one part, and near it -lay two herdsmen full in the sun, with their dogs, among a troop of -black cattle which were feeding near, and sprinkled over the whole range -of hills--a pastoral scene, to our eyes the more beautiful from knowing -what a delightful prospect it must overlook. We now came under the -steeps by the sea-side, which were bold rocks, mouldering scars, or -fresh with green grass. Under the brow of one of these rocks was a -burying-ground, with many upright grave-stones and hay-cocks between, -and fenced round by a wall neatly sodded. Near it were one or two -houses, with out-houses under a group of trees, but no chapel. The -neatness of the burying-ground would in itself have been noticeable in -any part of Scotland where we have been; but it was more interesting -from its situation than for its own sake--within the sound of the -gentlest waves of the sea, and near so many quiet and beautiful -objects. There was a range of hills opposite, which we were here first -told were the hills of Morven, so much sung of by Ossian. We consulted -with some men respecting the ferry, who advised us by all means to send -our horse round the loch, and go ourselves over in the boat: they were -very civil, and seemed to be intelligent men, yet all disagreed about -the length of the loch, though we were not two miles from it: one said -it was only six miles long, another ten or fifteen, and afterwards a man -whom we met told us it was twenty. - -We lost sight of the sea for some time, crossing a half-cultivated -space, then reached Loch Creran, a large irregular sea loch, with low -sloping banks, coppice woods, and uncultivated grounds, with a -scattering of corn fields; as it appeared to us, very thinly inhabited: -mountains at a distance. We found only women at home at the ferry-house. -I was faint and cold, and went to sit by the fire, but, though very much -needing refreshment, I had not heart to eat anything there--the house -was so dirty, and there were so many wretchedly dirty women and -children; yet perhaps I might have got over the dirt, though I believe -there are few ladies who would not have been turned sick by it, if there -had not been a most disgusting combination of laziness and coarseness in -the countenances and manners of the women, though two of them were very -handsome. It was a small hut, and four women were living in it: one, the -mother of the children and mistress of the house; the others I supposed -to be lodgers, or perhaps servants; but there was no work amongst them. -They had just taken from the fire a great pan full of potatoes, which -they mixed up with milk, all helping themselves out of the same vessel, -and the little children put in their dirty hands to dig out of the mess -at their pleasure. I thought to myself, How light the labour of such a -house as this! Little sweeping, no washing of floors, and as to scouring -the table, I believe it was a thing never thought of. - -After a long time the ferryman came home; but we had to wait yet another -hour for the tide. In the meanwhile our horse took fright in consequence -of his terror at the last ferry, ran away with the car, and dashed out -umbrellas, greatcoats, etc.; but luckily he was stopped before any -serious mischief was done. We had determined, whatever it cost, not to -trust ourselves with him again in the boat; but sending him round the -lake seemed almost out of the question, there being no road, and -probably much difficulty in going round with a horse; so after some -deliberation with the ferryman it was agreed that he should swim over. -The usual place of ferrying was very broad, but he was led to the point -of a peninsula at a little distance. It being an unusual -affair,--indeed, the people of the house said that he was the first -horse that had ever swum over,--we had several men on board, and the -mistress of the house offered herself as an assistant: we supposed for -the sake of a share in eighteen-pennyworth of whisky which her husband -called for without ceremony, and of which she and the young lasses, who -had helped to push the boat into the water, partook as freely as the -men. At first I feared for the horse: he was frightened, and strove to -push himself under the boat; but I was soon tolerably easy, for he went -on regularly and well, and after from six to ten minutes' swimming -landed in safety on the other side. Poor creature! he stretched out his -nostrils and stared wildly while the man was trotting him about to warm -him, and when he put him into the car he was afraid of the sound of the -wheels. For some time our road was up a glen, the banks chiefly covered -with coppice woods, an unpeopled, but, though without grandeur, not a -dreary tract. - -Came to a moor and descended into a broad vale, which opened to Loch -Linnhe, an arm of the sea, the prospect being shut in by high mountains, -on which the sun was shining among mists and resting clouds. A village -and chapel stood on the opposite hill; the hills sloped prettily down -to the bed of the vale, a large level area--the grounds in general -cultivated, but not rich. We went perhaps half a mile down the vale, -when our road struck right across it towards the village on the -hill-side. We overtook a tall, well-looking man, seemingly about thirty -years of age, driving a cart, of whom we inquired concerning the road, -and the distance to Portnacroish, our baiting-place. We made further -inquiries respecting our future journey, which he answered in an -intelligent manner, being perfectly acquainted with the geography of -Scotland. He told us that the village which we saw before us and the -whole tract of country was called Appin. William said that it was a -pretty, wild place, to which the man replied, "Sir, it is a very bonny -place if you did but see it on a fine day," mistaking William's praise -for a half-censure; I must say, however, that we hardly ever saw a -thoroughly pleasing place in Scotland, which had not something of -wildness in its aspect of one sort or other. It came from many causes -here: the sea, or sea-loch, of which we only saw as it were a glimpse -crossing the vale at the foot of it, the high mountains on the opposite -shore, the unenclosed hills on each side of the vale, with black cattle -feeding on them, the simplicity of the scattered huts, the -half-sheltered, half-exposed situation of the village, the imperfect -culture of the fields, the distance from any city or large town, and the -very names of Morven and Appin, particularly at such a time, when old -Ossian's old friends, sunbeams and mists, as like ghosts as any in the -mid-afternoon could be, were keeping company with them. William did all -he could to efface the unpleasant impression he had made on the -Highlander, and not without success, for he was kind and communicative -when we walked up the hill towards the village. He had been a great -traveller, in Ireland and elsewhere; but I believe that he had visited -no place so beautiful to his eyes as his native home, the strath of -Appin under the heathy hills. - -We arrived at Portnacroish soon after parting from this man. It is a -small village--a few huts and an indifferent inn by the side of the -loch. Ordered a fowl for dinner, had a fire lighted, and went a few -steps from the door up the road, and turning aside into a field stood at -the top of a low eminence, from which, looking down the loch to the sea -through a long vista of hills and mountains, we beheld one of the most -delightful prospects that, even when we dream of fairer worlds than -this, it is possible for us to conceive in our hearts. A covering of -clouds rested on the long range of the hills of Morven, mists floated -very near to the water on their sides, and were slowly shifting about: -yet the sky was clear, and the sea, from the reflection of the sky, of -an ethereal or sapphire blue, which was intermingled in many places, and -mostly by gentle gradations, with beds of bright dazzling sunshine; -green islands lay on the calm water, islands far greener, for so it -seemed, than the grass of other places; and from their excessive beauty, -their unearthly softness, and the great distance of many of them, they -made us think of the islands of the blessed in the _Vision of Mirza_--a -resemblance more striking from the long tract of mist which rested on -the top of the steeps of Morven. The view was endless, and though not so -wide, had something of the intricacy of the islands and water of Loch -Lomond as we saw them from Inch-ta-vannach; and yet how different! At -Loch Lomond we could never forget that it was an inland lake of fresh -water, nor here that it was the sea itself, though among multitudes of -hills. Immediately below us, on an island a few yards from the shore, -stood an old keep or fortress;[13] the vale of Appin opened to the -water-side, with cultivated fields and cottages. If there were trees -near the shore they contributed little to the delightful effect of the -scene: it was the immeasurable water, the lofty mist-covered steeps of -Morven to the right, the emerald islands without a bush or tree, the -celestial colour and brightness of the calm sea, and the innumerable -creeks and bays, the communion of land and water as far as the eye could -travel. My description must needs be languid; for the sight itself was -too fair to be remembered. We sate a long time upon the hill, and -pursued our journey at about four o'clock. Had an indifferent dinner, -but the cheese was so excellent that William wished to buy the -remainder; but the woman would not consent to sell it, and forced us to -accept a large portion of it. - - [Footnote 13: Castle Stalker.--J. C. S.] - -We had to travel up the loch, leaving behind us the beautiful scene -which we had viewed with such delight before dinner. Often, while we -were climbing the hill, did we stop to look back, and when we had gone -twenty or thirty yards beyond the point where we had the last view of -it, we left the car to the care of some children who were coming from -school, and went to take another farewell, always in the hope of bearing -away a more substantial remembrance. Travelled for some miles along a -road which was so smooth it was more like a gravel walk in a gentleman's -grounds than a public highway. Probably the country is indebted for this -excellent road to Lord Tweeddale,[14] now a prisoner in France. His -house stands upon an eminence within a mile of Portnacroish, commanding -the same prospect which I have spoken of, except that it must lose -something in not having the old fortress at the foot of it--indeed, it -is not to be seen at all from the house or grounds. - - [Footnote 14: George, seventh Marquis of Tweeddale, being in France in - 1803, was detained by Bonaparte, and died at Verdun, 9th August - 1804.--J. C. S.] - -We travelled under steep hills, stony or smooth, with coppice-woods and -patches of cultivated land, and houses here and there; and at every -hundred yards, I may almost venture to say, a streamlet, narrow as a -ribbon, came tumbling down, and, crossing our road, fell into the lake -below. On the opposite shore, the hills--namely, the continuation of the -hills of Morven--were stern and severe, rising like upright walls from -the water's edge, and in colour more resembling rocks than hills, as -they appeared to us. We did not see any house, or any place where it was -likely a house could stand, for many miles; but as the loch was broad we -could not perhaps distinguish the objects thoroughly. A little after -sunset our road led us from the vale of the loch. We came to a small -river, a bridge, a mill, and some cottages at the foot of a hill, and -close to the loch. - -Did not cross the bridge, but went up the brook, having it on our left, -and soon found ourselves in a retired valley, scattered over with many -grey huts, and surrounded on every side by green hills. The hay grounds -in the middle of the vale were unenclosed, which was enough to keep -alive the Scottish wildness, here blended with exceeding beauty; for -there were trees growing irregularly or in clumps all through the -valley, rocks or stones here and there, which, with the people at work, -hay-cocks sprinkled over the fields, made the vale look full and -populous. It was a sweet time of the evening: the moon was up; but there -was yet so much of day that her light was not perceived. Our road was -through open fields; the people suspended their work as we passed along, -and leaning on their pitchforks or rakes, with their arms at their -sides, or hanging down, some in one way, some in another, and no two -alike, they formed most beautiful groups, the outlines of their figures -being much more distinct than by day, and all that might have been harsh -or unlovely softened down. The dogs were, as usual, attendant on their -masters, and, watching after us, they barked aloud; yet even their -barking hardly disturbed the quiet of the place. - -I cannot say how long this vale was; it made the larger half of a -circle, or a curve deeper than that of half a circle, before it opened -again upon the loch. It was less thoroughly cultivated and woody after -the last turning--the hills steep and lofty. We met a very tall stout -man, a fine figure, in a Highland bonnet, with a little girl, driving -home their cow: he accosted us, saying that we were late travellers, and -that we had yet four miles to go before we should reach Ballachulish--a -long way, uncertain as we were respecting our accommodations. He told us -that the vale was called the Strath of Duror, and when we said it was a -pretty place, he answered, Indeed it was, and that they lived very -comfortably there, for they had a good master, Lord Tweeddale, whose -imprisonment he lamented, speaking earnestly of his excellent qualities. -At the end of the vale we came close upon a large bay of the loch, -formed by a rocky hill, a continuation of the ridge of high hills on the -left side of the strath, making a very grand promontory, under which was -a hamlet, a cluster of huts, at the water's edge, with their little -fleet of fishing-boats at anchor, and behind, among the rocks, a hundred -slips of corn, slips and patches, often no bigger than a garden such as -a child, eight years old, would make for sport: it might have been the -work of a small colony from China. There was something touching to the -heart in this appearance of scrupulous industry, and excessive labour of -the soil, in a country where hills and mountains, and even valleys, are -left to the care of nature and the pleasure of the cattle that feed -among them. It was, indeed, a very interesting place, the more so being -in perfect contrast with the few houses at the entrance of the strath--a -sea hamlet, without trees, under a naked stony mountain, yet perfectly -sheltered, standing in the middle of a large bay which half the winds -that travel over the lake can never visit. The other, a little bowery -spot, with its river, bridge, and mill, might have been a hundred miles -from the sea-side. - -The moon was now shining, and though it reminded us how far the evening -was advanced, we stopped for many minutes before we could resolve to go -on; we saw nothing stirring, neither men, women, nor cattle; but the -linen was still bleaching by the stony rivulet, which ran near the -houses in water-breaks and tiny cataracts. For the first half mile -after we had left this scene there was nothing remarkable; and -afterwards we could only see the hills, the sky, the moon, and moonlight -water. When we came within, it might be, half a mile of Ballachulish, -the place where we were to lodge, the loch narrowed very much, the hills -still continuing high. I speak inaccurately, for it split into two -divisions, the one along which we went being called Loch Leven. - -The road grew very bad, and we had an anxious journey till we saw a -light before us, which with great joy we assured ourselves was from the -inn; but what was our distress when, on going a few steps further, we -came to a bridge half broken down, with bushes laid across to prevent -travellers from going over. After some perplexity we determined that I -should walk on to the house before us--for we could see that the bridge -was safe for foot-passengers--and ask for assistance. By great good -luck, at this very moment four or five men came along the road towards -us and offered to help William in driving the car through the water, -which was not very deep at that time, though, only a few days before, -the damage had been done to the bridge by a flood. - -I walked on to the inn, ordered tea, and was conducted into a -lodging-room. I desired to have a fire, and was answered with the old -scruple about "giving fire,"--with, at the same time, an excuse "that it -was so late,"--the girl, however, would ask the landlady, who was -lying-in; the fire was brought immediately, and from that time the girl -was very civil. I was not, however, quite at ease, for William stayed -long, and I was going to leave my fire to seek after him, when I heard -him at the door with the horse and car. The horse had taken fright with -the roughness of the river-bed and the rattling of the wheels--the -second fright in consequence of the ferry--and the men had been obliged -to unyoke him and drag the car through, a troublesome affair for -William; but he talked less of the trouble and alarm than of the -pleasure he had felt in having met with such true goodwill and ready -kindness in the Highlanders. They drank their glass of whisky at the -door, wishing William twenty good wishes, and asking him twice as many -questions,--if he was married, if he had an estate, where he lived, etc. -etc. This inn is the ferry-house on the main road up into the Highlands -by Fort-William, and here Coleridge, though unknown to us, had slept -three nights before. - - -_Saturday, September 3rd._--When we have arrived at an unknown place by -moonlight, it is never a moment of indifference when I quit it again -with the morning light, especially if the objects have appeared -beautiful, or in any other way impressive or interesting. I have kept -back, unwilling to go to the window, that I might not lose the picture -taken to my pillow at night. So it was at Ballachulish: and instantly I -felt that the passing away of my own fancies was a loss. The place had -appeared exceedingly wild by moonlight; I had mistaken corn-fields for -naked rocks, and the lake had appeared narrower and the hills more steep -and lofty than they really were. - -We rose at six o'clock, and took a basin of milk before we set forward -on our journey to Glen Coe. It was a delightful morning, the road -excellent, and we were in good spirits, happy that we had no more -ferries to cross, and pleased with the thought that we were going among -the grand mountains which we saw before us at the head of the loch. We -travelled close to the water's edge, and were rolling along a smooth -road, when the horse suddenly backed, frightened by the upright shafts -of a roller rising from behind the wall of a field adjoining the road. -William pulled, whipped, and struggled in vain; we both leapt upon the -ground, and the horse dragged the car after him, he going backwards down -the bank of the loch, and it was turned over, half in the water, the -horse lying on his back, struggling in the harness, a frightful sight! -I gave up everything; thought that the horse would be lamed, and the car -broken to pieces. Luckily a man came up in the same moment, and assisted -William in extricating the horse, and, after an hour's delay, with the -help of strings and pocket-handkerchiefs, we mended the harness and set -forward again, William leading the poor animal all the way, for the -regular beating of the waves frightened him, and any little gushing -stream that crossed the road would have sent him off. The village where -the blacksmith lived was before us--a few huts under the mountains, and, -as it seemed, at the head of the loch; but it runs further up to the -left, being narrowed by a hill above the village, near which, at the -edge of the water, was a slate quarry, and many large boats with masts, -on the water below, high mountains shutting in the prospect, which stood -in single, distinguishable shapes, yet clustered together--simple and -bold in their forms, and their surfaces of all characters and all -colours--some that looked as if scarified by fire, others green; and -there was one that might have been blasted by an eternal frost, its -summit and sides for a considerable way down being as white as -hoar-frost at eight o'clock on a winter's morning. No clouds were on the -hills; the sun shone bright, but the wind blew fresh and cold. - -When we reached the blacksmith's shop, I left William to help to take -care of the horse, and went into the house. The mistress, with a child -in her arms and two or three running about, received me very kindly, -making many apologies for the dirty house, which she partly attributed -to its being Saturday; but I could plainly see that it was dirt of all -days. I sat in the midst of it with great delight, for the woman's -benevolent, happy countenance almost converted her slovenly and lazy way -of leaving all things to take care of themselves into a comfort and a -blessing. - -It was not a Highland hut, but a slated house built by the master of the -quarry for the accommodation of his blacksmith,--the shell of an -English cottage, as if left unfinished by the workmen, without plaster, -and with floor of mud. Two beds, with not over-clean bedclothes, were in -the room. Luckily for me, there was a good fire and a boiling kettle. -The woman was very sorry she had no butter; none was to be had in the -village: she gave me oaten and barley bread. We talked over the fire; I -answered her hundred questions, and in my turn put some to her. She -asked me, as usual, if I was married, how many brothers I had, etc. etc. -I told her that William was married, and had a fine boy; to which she -replied, "And the man's a decent man too." Her next-door neighbour came -in with a baby on her arm, to request that I would accept of some fish, -which I broiled in the ashes. She joined in our conversation, but with -more shyness than her neighbour, being a very young woman. She happened -to say that she was a stranger in that place, and had been bred and born -a long way off. On my asking her where, she replied, "At Leadhills"; and -when I told her that I had been there, a joy lighted up her countenance -which I shall never forget, and when she heard that it was only a -fortnight before, her eyes filled with tears. I was exceedingly affected -with the simplicity of her manners; her tongue was now let loose, and -she would have talked for ever of Leadhills, of her mother, of the -quietness of the people in general, and the goodness of Mrs. Otto, who, -she told me, was a "varra discreet woman." She was sure we should be -"well put up" at Mrs. Otto's, and praised her house and furniture; -indeed, it seemed she thought all earthly comforts were gathered -together under the bleak heights that surround the villages of -Wanlockhead and Leadhills: and afterwards, when I said it was a wild -country thereabouts, she even seemed surprised, and said it was not half -so wild as where she lived now. One circumstance which she mentioned of -Mrs. Otto I must record, both in proof of her "discretion," and the -sobriety of the people at Leadhills, namely, that no liquor was ever -drunk in her house after a certain hour of the night--I have forgotten -what hour; but it was an early one, I am sure not later than ten. - -The blacksmith, who had come in to his breakfast, was impatient to -finish our job, that he might go out into the hay-field, for, it being a -fine day, every plot of hay-ground was scattered over with hay-makers. -On my saying that I guessed much of their hay must be spoiled, he told -me no, for that they had high winds, which dried it quickly,--the people -understood the climate, "were clever at the work, and got it in with a -blink." He hastily swallowed his breakfast, dry bread and a basin of -weak tea without sugar, and held his baby on his knee till he had done. - -The women and I were again left to the fireside, and there were no -limits to their joy in me, for they discovered another bond of -connexion. I lived in the same part of England from which Mr. Rose, -the superintendent of the slate-quarries, and his wife, had come. -"Oh!" said Mrs. Stuart--so her neighbour called her, they not giving -each other their Christian names, as is common in Cumberland and -Westmoreland,--"Oh!" said she, "what would not I give to see anybody -that came from within four or five miles of Leadhills?" They both -exclaimed that I must see Mrs. Rose; she would make much of me--she -would have given me tea and bread and butter and a good breakfast. I -learned from the two women, Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Duncan--so the other -was called--that Stuart had come from Leadhills for the sake of better -wages, to take the place of Duncan, who had resigned his office of -blacksmith to the quarries, as far as I could learn, in a pet, intending -to go to America, that his wife was averse to go, and that the scheme, -for this cause and through other difficulties, had been given up. He -appeared to be a good-tempered man, and made us a most reasonable charge -for mending the car. His wife told me that they must give up the house -in a short time to the other blacksmith; she did not know whither they -should go, but her husband, being a good workman, could find employment -anywhere. She hurried me out to introduce me to Mrs. Rose, who was at -work in the hay-field; she was exceedingly glad to see one of her -country-women, and entreated that I would go up to her house. It was a -substantial plain house, that would have held half-a-dozen of the common -huts. She conducted me into a sitting-room up-stairs, and set before me -red and white wine, with the remnant of a loaf of wheaten bread, which -she took out of a cupboard in the sitting-room, and some delicious -butter. She was a healthy and cheerful-looking woman, dressed like one -of our country lasses, and had certainly had no better education than -Peggy Ashburner, but she was as a chief in this secluded place, a Madam -of the village, and seemed to be treated with the utmost respect. - -In our way to and from the house we met several people who interchanged -friendly greetings with her, but always as with one greatly superior. -She attended me back to the blacksmith's, and would not leave me till -she had seen us set forward again on our journey. Mrs. Duncan and Mrs. -Stuart shook me cordially, nay, affectionately, by the hand. I tried to -prevail upon the former, who had been my hostess, to accept of some -money, but in vain; she would not take a farthing, and though I told her -it was only to buy something for her little daughter, even seemed -grieved that I should think it possible. I forgot to mention that while -the blacksmith was repairing the car, we walked to the slate-quarry, -where we saw again some of the kind creatures who had helped us in our -difficulties the night before. The hovel under which they split their -slates stood upon an outjutting rock, a part of the quarry rising -immediately out of the water, and commanded a fine prospect down the -loch below Ballachulish, and upwards towards the grand mountains, and -the other horn of the vale where the lake was concealed. The blacksmith -drove our car about a mile of the road; we then hired a man and horse -to take me and the car to the top of Glen Coe, being afraid that if the -horse backed or took fright we might be thrown down some precipice. - -But before we departed we could not resist our inclination to climb up -the hill which I have mentioned as appearing to terminate the loch. The -mountains, though inferior to those of Glen Coe, on the other side are -very majestic; and the solitude in which we knew the unseen lake was -bedded at their feet was enough to excite our longings. We climbed steep -after steep, far higher than they appeared to us, and I was going to -give up the accomplishment of our aim, when a glorious sight on the -mountain before us made me forget my fatigue. A slight shower had come -on, its skirts falling upon us, and half the opposite side of the -mountain was wrapped up in rainbow light, covered as by a veil with one -dilated rainbow: so it continued for some minutes; and the shower and -rainy clouds passed away as suddenly as they had come, and the sun shone -again upon the tops of all the hills. In the meantime we reached the -wished-for point, and saw to the head of the loch. Perhaps it might not -be so beautiful as we had imaged it in our thoughts, but it was -beautiful enough not to disappoint us,--a narrow deep valley, a perfect -solitude, without house or hut. One of the hills was thinly sprinkled -with Scotch firs, which appeared to be the survivors of a large forest: -they were the first natural wild Scotch firs we had seen. Though thinned -of their numbers, and left, comparatively, to a helpless struggle with -the elements, we were much struck with the gloom, and even grandeur, of -the trees. - -Hastened back again to join the car, but were tempted to go a little out -of our way to look at a nice white house belonging to the laird of Glen -Coe, which stood sweetly in a green field under the hill near some tall -trees and coppice woods. At this house the horrible massacre of Glen Coe -began, which we did not know when we were there; but the house must -have been rebuilt since that time. We had a delightful walk through -fields, among copses, and by a river-side: we could have fancied -ourselves in some part of the north of England unseen before, it was so -much like it, and yet so different. I must not forget one place on the -opposite side of the water, where we longed to live--a snug white house -on the mountain-side, surrounded by its own green fields and woods, the -high mountain above, the loch below, and inaccessible but by means of -boats. A beautiful spot indeed it was; but in the retired parts of -Scotland a comfortable white house is itself such a pleasant sight, that -I believe, without our knowing how or why, it makes us look with a more -loving eye on the fields and trees than for their own sakes they -deserve. - -At about one o'clock we set off, William on our own horse, and I with my -Highland driver. He was perfectly acquainted with the country, being a -sort of carrier or carrier-merchant or shopkeeper, going frequently to -Glasgow with his horse and cart to fetch and carry goods and -merchandise. He knew the name of every hill, almost every rock; and I -made good use of his knowledge; but partly from laziness, and still more -because it was inconvenient, I took no notes, and now I am little better -for what he told me. He spoke English tolerably; but seldom understood -what was said to him without a "What's your wull?" We turned up to the -right, and were at the foot of the glen--the laird's house cannot be -said to be _in_ the glen. The afternoon was delightful,--the sun shone, -the mountain-tops were clear, the lake glittered in the great vale -behind us, and the stream of Glen Coe flowed down to it glittering among -alder-trees. The meadows of the glen were of the freshest green; one -new-built stone house in the first reach, some huts, hillocks covered -with wood, alder-trees scattered all over. Looking backward, we were -reminded of Patterdale and the head of Ulswater, but forward the -greatness of the mountains overcame every other idea. - -The impression was, as we advanced up to the head of this first reach, -as if the glen were nothing, its loneliness and retirement--as if it -made up no part of my feeling: the mountains were all in all. That which -fronted us--I have forgotten its name--was exceedingly lofty, the -surface stony, nay, the whole mountain was one mass of stone, wrinkled -and puckered up together. At the second and last reach--for it is not a -winding vale--it makes a quick turning almost at right angles to the -first; and now we are in the depths of the mountains; no trees in the -glen, only green pasturage for sheep, and here and there a plot of -hay-ground, and something that tells of former cultivation. I observed -this to the guide, who said that formerly the glen had had many -inhabitants, and that there, as elsewhere in the Highlands, there had -been a great deal of corn where now the lands were left waste, and -nothing fed upon them but cattle. I cannot attempt to describe the -mountains. I can only say that I thought those on our right--for the -other side was only a continued high ridge or craggy barrier, broken -along the top into petty spiral forms--were the grandest I had ever -seen. It seldom happens that mountains in a very clear air look -exceedingly high, but these, though we could see the whole of them to -their very summits, appeared to me more majestic in their own nakedness -than our imaginations could have conceived them to be, had they been -half hidden by clouds, yet showing some of their highest pinnacles. They -were such forms as Milton might be supposed to have had in his mind when -he applied to Satan that sublime expression-- - - His stature reached the sky. - -The first division of the glen, as I have said, was scattered over with -rocks, trees, and woody hillocks, and cottages were to be seen here and -there. The second division is bare and stony, huge mountains on all -sides, with a slender pasturage in the bottom of the valley; and towards -the head of it is a small lake or tarn, and near the tarn a single -inhabited dwelling, and some unfenced hay-ground--a simple impressive -scene! Our road frequently crossed large streams of stones, left by the -mountain-torrents, losing all appearance of a road. After we had passed -the tarn the glen became less interesting, or rather the mountains, from -the manner in which they are looked at; but again, a little higher up, -they resume their grandeur. The river is, for a short space, hidden -between steep rocks: we left the road, and, going to the top of one of -the rocks, saw it foaming over stones, or lodged in dark black dens; -birch-trees grew on the inaccessible banks, and a few old Scotch firs -towered above them. At the entrance of the glen the mountains had been -all without trees, but here the birches climb very far up the side of -one of them opposite to us, half concealing a rivulet, which came -tumbling down as white as snow from the very top of the mountain. -Leaving the rock, we ascended a hill which terminated the glen. We often -stopped to look behind at the majestic company of mountains we had left. -Before us was no single paramount eminence, but a mountain waste, -mountain beyond mountain, and a barren hollow or basin into which we -were descending. - -We parted from our companion at the door of a whisky hovel, a building -which, when it came out of the workmen's hands with its unglassed -windows, would, in that forlorn region, have been little better than a -howling place for the winds, and was now half unroofed. On seeing a -smoke, I exclaimed, "Is it possible any people can live there?" when at -least half a dozen, men, women, and children, came to the door. They -were about to rebuild the hut, and I suppose that they, or some other -poor creatures, would dwell there through the winter, dealing out whisky -to the starved travellers. The sun was now setting, the air very cold, -the sky clear; I could have fancied that it was winter-time, with hard -frost. Our guide pointed out King's House to us, our resting-place for -the night. We could just distinguish the house at the bottom of the -moorish hollow or basin--I call it so, for it was nearly as broad as -long--lying before us, with three miles of naked road winding through -it, every foot of which we could see. The road was perfectly white, -making a dreary contrast with the ground, which was of a dull earthy -brown. Long as the line of road appeared before us, we could scarcely -believe it to be three miles--I suppose owing to its being unbroken by -any one object, and the moor naked as the road itself, but we found it -the longest three miles we had yet travelled, for the surface was so -stony we had to walk most of the way. - -The house looked respectable at a distance--a large square building, -cased in blue slates to defend it from storms,--but when we came close -to it the outside forewarned us of the poverty and misery within. Scarce -a blade of grass could be seen growing upon the open ground; the -heath-plant itself found no nourishment there, appearing as if it had -but sprung up to be blighted. There was no enclosure for a cow, no -appropriated ground but a small plot like a church-yard, in which were a -few starveling dwarfish potatoes, which had, no doubt, been raised by -means of the dung left by travellers' horses: they had not come to -blossoming, and whether they would either yield fruit or blossom I know -not. The first thing we saw on entering the door was two sheep hung up, -as if just killed from the barren moor, their bones hardly sheathed in -flesh. After we had waited a few minutes, looking about for a guide to -lead us into some corner of the house, a woman, seemingly about forty -years old, came to us in a great bustle, screaming in Erse, with the -most horrible guinea-hen or peacock voice I ever heard, first to one -person, then another. She could hardly spare time to show us up-stairs, -for crowds of men were in the house--drovers, carriers, horsemen, -travellers, all of whom she had to provide with supper, and she was, as -she told us, the only woman there. - -Never did I see such a miserable, such a wretched place,--long rooms -with ranges of beds, no other furniture except benches, or perhaps one -or two crazy chairs, the floors far dirtier than an ordinary house could -be if it were never washed,--as dirty as a house after a sale on a rainy -day, and the rooms being large, and the walls naked, they looked as if -more than half the goods had been sold out. We sate shivering in one of -the large rooms for three-quarters of an hour before the woman could -find time to speak to us again; she then promised a fire in another -room, after two travellers, who were going a stage further, had finished -their whisky, and said we should have supper as soon as possible. She -had no eggs, no milk, no potatoes, no loaf-bread, or we should have -preferred tea. With length of time the fire was kindled, and, after -another hour's waiting, supper came,--a shoulder of mutton so hard that -it was impossible to chew the little flesh that might be scraped off the -bones, and some sorry soup made of barley and water, for it had no other -taste. - -After supper, the woman, having first asked if we slept on blankets, -brought in two pair of sheets, which she begged that I would air by the -fire, for they would be dirtied below-stairs. I was very willing, but -behold! the sheets were so wet, that it would have been at least a -two-hours' job before a far better fire than could be mustered at King's -House,--for, that nothing might be wanting to make it a place of -complete starvation, the peats were not dry, and if they had not been -helped out by decayed wood dug out of the earth along with them, we -should have had no fire at all. The woman was civil, in her fierce, wild -way. She and the house, upon that desolate and extensive Wild, and -everything we saw, made us think of one of those places of rendezvous -which we read of in novels--Ferdinand Count Fathom, or Gil Blas,--where -there is one woman to receive the booty, and prepare the supper at -night. She told us that she was only a servant, but that she had now -lived there five years, and that, when but a "young lassie," she had -lived there also. We asked her if she had always served the same master, -"Nay, nay, many masters, for they were always changing." I verily -believe that the woman was attached to the place like a cat to the empty -house when the family who brought her up are gone to live elsewhere. The -sheets were so long in drying that it was very late before we went to -bed. We talked over our day's adventures by the fireside, and often -looked out of the window towards a huge pyramidal mountain[15] at the -entrance of Glen Coe. All between, the dreary waste was clear, almost, -as sky, the moon shining full upon it. A rivulet ran amongst stones near -the house, and sparkled with light: I could have fancied that there was -nothing else, in that extensive circuit over which we looked, that had -the power of motion. - - [Footnote 15: Buchail, the Shepherd of Etive.--J. C. S.] - -In comparing the impressions we had received at Glen Coe, we found that -though the expectations of both had been far surpassed by the grandeur -of the mountains, we had upon the whole both been disappointed, and from -the same cause: we had been prepared for images of terror, had expected -a deep, den-like valley with overhanging rocks, such as William has -described in these lines, speaking of the Alps:-- - - Brook and road - Were fellow-travellers in this gloomy Pass, - And with them did we journey several hours - At a slow step. The immeasurable height - Of woods decaying, never to be decayed! - The stationary blasts of waterfalls; - And everywhere along the hollow rent - Winds thwarting winds, bewilder'd and forlorn; - The torrents shooting from the clear blue sky, - The rocks that mutter'd close upon our ears, - Black drizzling crags that spake by the way-side - As if a voice were in them; the sick sight - And giddy prospect of the raving stream; - The unfetter'd clouds, and region of the heavens, - Tumult and peace, the darkness and the light, - Were all like workings of one mind, the features - Of the same face, blossoms upon one tree, - Characters of the great Apocalypse, - The Types and Symbols of Eternity, - Of first, and last, and midst, and without end.[16] - - [Footnote 16: See _The Simplon Pass_, in "Poetical Works," - vol. ii. p. 69.--ED.] - -The place had nothing of this character, the glen being open to the eye -of day, the mountains retiring in independent majesty. Even in the upper -part of it, where the stream rushed through the rocky chasm, it was but -a deep trench in the vale, not the vale itself, and could only be seen -when we were close to it. - - -_FOURTH WEEK_ - -_Sunday, September 4th._--We had desired to be called at six o'clock, -and rose at the first summons. Our beds had proved better than we -expected, and we had not slept ill; but poor Coleridge had passed a -wretched night here four days before. This we did not know; but since, -when he told us of it, the notion of what he must have suffered, with -the noise of drunken people about his ears all night, himself sick and -tired, has made our discomfort cling to my memory, and given these -recollections a twofold interest. I asked if it was possible to have a -couple of eggs boiled before our departure: the woman hesitated; she -thought I might, and sent a boy into the out-houses to look about, who -brought in one egg after long searching. Early as we had risen it was -not very early when we set off, for everything at King's House was in -unison--equally uncomfortable. As the woman had told us the night -before, "They had no hay and that was a loss." There were neither stalls -nor bedding in the stable, so that William was obliged to watch the -horse while it was feeding, for there were several others in the stable, -all standing like wild beasts, ready to devour each other's portion of -corn: this, with the slowness of the servant and other hindrances, took -up much time, and we were completely starved, for the morning was very -cold, as I believe all the mornings in that desolate place are. - -When we had gone about a quarter of a mile I recollected that I had left -the little cup given me by the kind landlady at Taynuilt, which I had -intended that John should hereafter drink out of, in memory of our -wanderings. I would have turned back for it, but William pushed me on, -unwilling that we should lose so much time, though indeed he was as -sorry to part with it as myself. - -Our road was over a hill called the Black Mount. For the first mile, or -perhaps more, after we left King's House, we ascended on foot; then came -upon a new road, one of the finest that was ever trod; and, as we went -downwards almost all the way afterwards, we travelled very quickly. The -motion was pleasant, the different reaches and windings of the road were -amusing; the sun shone, the mountain-tops were clear and cheerful, and -we in good spirits, in a bustle of enjoyment, though there never was a -more desolate region: mountains behind, before, and on every side; I do -not remember to have seen either patch of grass, flower, or flowering -heather within three or four miles of King's House. The low ground was -not rocky, but black, and full of white frost-bleached stones, the -prospect only varied by pools, seen everywhere both near and at a -distance, as far as the ground stretched out below us: these were -interesting spots, round which the mind assembled living objects, and -they shone as bright as mirrors in the forlorn waste. We passed neither -tree nor shrub for miles--I include the whole space from Glen Coe--yet -we saw perpetually traces of a long decayed forest, pieces of black -mouldering wood. - -Through such a country as this we had travelled perhaps seven and a half -miles this morning, when, after descending a hill, we turned to the -right, and saw an unexpected sight in the moorland hollow into which we -were entering, a small lake bounded on the opposite side by a grove of -Scotch firs, two or three cottages at the head of it, and a lot of -cultivated ground with scattered hay-cocks. The road along which we were -going, after having made a curve considerably above the tarn, was seen -winding through the trees on the other side, a beautiful object, and, -luckily for us, a drove of cattle happened to be passing there at the -very time, a stream coursing the road, with off-stragglers to the -borders of the lake, and under the trees on the sloping ground. - -In conning over our many wanderings I shall never forget the gentle -pleasure with which we greeted the lake of Inveroran and its few grey -cottages: we suffered our horse to slacken his pace, having now no need -of the comfort of quick motion, though we were glad to think that one of -those cottages might be the public-house where we were to breakfast. A -forest--now, as it appeared, dwindled into the small grove bordering the -lake--had, not many years ago, spread to that side of the vale where we -were: large stumps of trees which had been cut down were yet remaining -undecayed, and there were some single trees left alive, as if by their -battered black boughs to tell us of the storms that visit the valley -which looked now so sober and peaceful. When we arrived at the huts, one -of them proved to be the inn, a thatched house without a sign-board. We -were kindly received, had a fire lighted in the parlour, and were in -such good humour that we seemed to have a thousand comforts about us; -but we had need of a little patience in addition to this good humour -before breakfast was brought, and at last it proved a disappointment: -the butter not eatable, the barley-cakes fusty, the oat-bread so hard I -could not chew it, and there were only four eggs in the house, which -they had boiled as hard as stones. - -Before we had finished breakfast two foot-travellers came in, and seated -themselves at our table; one of them was returning, after a long -absence, to Fort-William, his native home; he had come from Egypt, and, -many years ago, had been on a recruiting party at Penrith, and knew many -people there. He seemed to think his own country but a dismal land. - -There being no bell in the parlour, I had occasion to go several times -and ask for what we wanted in the kitchen, and I would willingly have -given twenty pounds to have been able to take a lively picture of it. -About seven or eight travellers, probably drovers, with as many dogs, -were sitting in a complete circle round a large peat-fire in the middle -of the floor, each with a mess of porridge, in a wooden vessel, upon his -knee; a pot, suspended from one of the black beams, was boiling on the -fire; two or three women pursuing their household business on the -outside of the circle, children playing on the floor. There was nothing -uncomfortable in this confusion: happy, busy, or vacant faces, all -looked pleasant; and even the smoky air, being a sort of natural indoor -atmosphere of Scotland, served only to give a softening, I may say -harmony, to the whole. - -We departed immediately after breakfast; our road leading us, as I have -said, near the lake-side and through the grove of firs, which extended -backward much further than we had imagined. After we had left it we came -again among bare moorish wastes, as before, under the mountains, so that -Inveroran still lives in our recollection as a favoured place, a flower -in the desert. - -Descended upon the whole, I believe very considerably, in our way to -Tyndrum; but it was a road of long ups and downs, over hills and through -hollows of uncultivated ground; a chance farm perhaps once in three -miles, a glittering rivulet bordered with greener grass than grew on the -broad waste, or a broken fringe of alders or birches, partly concealing -and partly pointing out its course. - -Arrived at Tyndrum at about two o'clock. It is a cold spot. Though, as I -should suppose, situated lower than Inveroran, and though we saw it in -the hottest time of the afternoon sun, it had a far colder aspect from -the want of trees. We were here informed that Coleridge, who, we -supposed, was gone to Edinburgh, had dined at this very house a few days -before, in his road to Fort-William. By the help of the cook, who was -called in, the landlady made out the very day: it was the day after we -parted from him; as she expressed it, the day after the "great speet," -namely, the great rain. We had a moorfowl and mutton-chops for dinner, -well cooked, and a reasonable charge. The house was clean for a Scotch -inn, and the people about the doors were well dressed. In one of the -parlours we saw a company of nine or ten, with the landlady, seated -round a plentiful table,--a sight which made us think of the fatted calf -in the alehouse pictures of the Prodigal Son. There seemed to be a whole -harvest of meats and drinks, and there was something of festivity and -picture-like gaiety even in the fresh-coloured dresses of the people and -their Sunday faces. The white table-cloth, glasses, English dishes, -etc., were all in contrast with what we had seen at Inveroran: the -places were but about nine miles asunder, both among hills; the rank of -the people little different, and each house appeared to be a house of -plenty. - -We were I think better pleased with our treatment at this inn than any -of the lonely houses on the road, except Taynuilt; but Coleridge had not -fared so well, and was dissatisfied, as he has since told us, and the -two travellers who breakfasted with us at Inveroran had given a bad -account of the house. - -Left Tyndrum at about five o'clock; a gladsome afternoon; the road -excellent, and we bowled downwards through a pleasant vale, though not -populous, or well cultivated, or woody, but enlivened by a river that -glittered as it flowed. On the side of a sunny hill a knot of men and -women were gathered together at a preaching. We passed by many droves of -cattle and Shetland ponies, which accident stamped a character upon -places, else unrememberable--not an individual character, but the soul, -the spirit, and solitary simplicity of many a Highland region. - -We had about eleven miles to travel before we came to our lodging, and -had gone five or six, almost always descending, and still in the same -vale, when we saw a small lake before us after the vale had made a -bending to the left; it was about sunset when we came up to the lake; -the afternoon breezes had died away, and the water was in perfect -stillness. One grove-like island, with a ruin that stood upon it -overshadowed by the trees, was reflected on the water. This building, -which, on that beautiful evening, seemed to be wrapped up in religious -quiet, we were informed had been raised for defence by some Highland -chieftain. All traces of strength, or war, or danger are passed away, -and in the mood in which we were we could only look upon it as a place -of retirement and peace. The lake is called Loch Dochart. We passed by -two others of inferior beauty, and continued to travel along the side of -the same river, the Dochart, through an irregular, undetermined -vale,--poor soil and much waste land. - -At that time of the evening when, by looking steadily, we could discover -a few pale stars in the sky, we saw upon an eminence, the bound of our -horizon, though very near to us, and facing the bright yellow clouds of -the west, a group of figures that made us feel how much we wanted in not -being painters. Two herdsmen, with a dog beside them, were sitting on -the hill, overlooking a herd of cattle scattered over a large meadow by -the river-side. Their forms, looked at through a fading light, and -backed by the bright west, were exceedingly distinct, a beautiful -picture in the quiet of a Sabbath evening, exciting thoughts and images -of almost patriarchal simplicity and grace. We were much pleased with -the situation of our inn, where we arrived between eight and nine -o'clock. The river was at the distance of a broad field from the door; -we could see it from the upper windows and hear its murmuring; the moon -shone, enlivening the large corn fields with cheerful light. We had a -bad supper, and the next morning they made us an unreasonable charge; -and the servant was uncivil, because, forsooth! we had no wine. - -_N.B._--The travellers in the morning had spoken highly of this inn.[17] - - [Footnote 17: Suie.--J. C. S. _Quære_, Luib.--ED.] - - -_Monday, September 5th._--After drinking a basin of milk we set off -again at a little after six o'clock--a fine morning--eight miles to -Killin--the river Dochart always on our left. The face of the country -not very interesting, though not unpleasing, reminding us of some of the -vales of the north of England, though meagre, nipped-up, or shrivelled -compared with them. There were rocks, and rocky knolls, as about -Grasmere and Wytheburn, and copses, but of a starveling growth; the -cultivated ground poor. Within a mile or two of Killin the land was -better cultivated, and, looking down the vale, we had a view of Loch -Tay, into which the Dochart falls. Close to the town, the river took up -a roaring voice, beating its way over a rocky descent among large black -stones: islands in the middle turning the stream this way and that; the -whole course of the river very wide. We crossed it by means of three -bridges, which make one continued bridge of a great length. On an island -below the bridge is a gateway with tall pillars, leading to an old -burying-ground belonging to some noble family.[18] It has a singular -appearance, and the place is altogether uncommon and romantic--a remnant -of ancient grandeur: extreme natural wildness--the sound of roaring -water, and withal, the ordinary half-village, half-town bustle of an -every-day place. - - [Footnote 18: The burial-place of Macnab of Macnab.--J. C. S.] - -The inn at Killin is one of the largest on the Scotch road: it stands -pleasantly, near the chapel, at some distance from the river Dochart, -and out of reach of its tumultuous noise; and another broad, stately, -and silent stream, which you cannot look at without remembering its -boisterous neighbour, flows close under the windows of the inn, and -beside the churchyard, in which are many graves. That river falls into -the lake at the distance of nearly a mile from the mouth of the Dochart. -It is bordered with tall trees and corn fields, bearing plentiful crops, -the richest we had seen in Scotland. - -After breakfast we walked onwards, expecting that the stream would lead -us into some considerable vale; but it soon became little better than a -common rivulet, and the glen appeared to be short; indeed, we wondered -how the river had grown so great all at once. Our horse had not been -able to eat his corn, and we waited a long time in the hope that he -would be better. At eleven o'clock, however, we determined to set off, -and give him all the ease possible by walking up the hills, and not -pushing beyond a slow walk. We had fourteen miles to travel to Kenmore, -by the side of Loch Tay. Crossed the same bridge again, and went down -the south side of the lake. We had a delightful view of the village of -Killin, among rich green fields, corn and wood, and up towards the two -horns of the vale of Tay, the valley of the Dochart, and the other -valley with its full-grown river, the prospect terminated by mountains. -We travelled through lanes, woods, or open fields, never close to the -lake, but always near it, for many miles, the road being carried along -the side of a hill, which rose in an almost regularly receding steep -from the lake. The opposite shore did not much differ from that down -which we went, but it seemed more thinly inhabited, and not so well -cultivated. The sun shone, the cottages were pleasant, and the -goings-on of the harvest--for all the inhabitants were at work in the -corn fields--made the way cheerful. But there is an uniformity in the -lake which, comparing it with other lakes, made it appear tiresome. It -has no windings: I should even imagine, although it is so many miles -long, that, from some points not very high on the hills, it may be seen -from one end to the other. There are few bays, no lurking-places where -the water hides itself in the land, no outjutting points or -promontories, no islands; and there are no commanding mountains or -precipices. I think that this lake would be the most pleasing in -spring-time, or in summer before the corn begins to change colour, the -long tracts of hills on each side of the vale having at this season a -kind of patchy appearance, for the corn fields in general were very -small, mere plots, and of every possible shade of bright yellow. When we -came in view of the foot of the lake we perceived that it ended, as it -had begun, in pride and loveliness. The village of Kenmore, with its -neat church and cleanly houses, stands on a gentle eminence at the end -of the water. The view, though not near so beautiful as that of Killin, -is exceedingly pleasing. Left our car, and turned out of the road at -about the distance of a mile from the town, and after having climbed -perhaps a quarter of a mile, we were conducted into a locked-up -plantation, and guessed by the sound that we were near the cascade, but -could not see it. Our guide opened a door, and we entered a dungeon-like -passage, and, after walking some yards in total darkness, found -ourselves in a quaint apartment stuck over with moss, hung about with -stuffed foxes and other wild animals, and ornamented with a library of -wooden books covered with old leather backs, the mock furniture of a -hermit's cell. At the end of the room, through a large bow-window, we -saw the waterfall, and at the same time, looking down to the left, the -village of Kenmore and a part of the lake--a very beautiful prospect. - - -MEMORANDUM BY THE AUTHOR - -The transcript of the First Part of this Journal, and the Second as far -as page 43, were written before the end of the year 1803. I do not know -exactly when I concluded the remainder of the Second Part, but it was -resumed on the 2nd of February 1804. The Third Part was begun at the end -of the month of April 1805, and finished on the 31st of May.[19] - - [Footnote 19: It is difficult to know what the Author meant by the - First, Second, and Third "Parts" of her Journal; as it is divided into - separate "Weeks" throughout. It is not of much consequence however, - and the above short "Memorandum"--inserted in the course of the - transcript--has a special interest, as showing that the work of - copying her Journal was carried on by Dorothy Wordsworth from 1803 to - 1805.--ED.] - - -On resuming her work of copying, the author wrote:-- - -_April 11th, 1805._--I am setting about a task which, however free and -happy the state of my mind, I could not have performed well at this -distance of time; but now, I do not know that I shall be able to go on -with it at all. I will strive, however, to do the best I can, setting -before myself a different object from that hitherto aimed at, which was, -to omit no incident, however trifling, and to describe the country so -minutely that you should, where the objects were the most interesting, -feel as if you had been with us. I shall now only attempt to give you an -idea of those scenes which pleased us most, dropping the incidents of -the ordinary days, of which many have slipped from my memory, and others -which remain it would be difficult, and often painful to me, to -endeavour to draw out and disentangle from other thoughts. I the less -regret my inability to do more, because, in describing a great part of -what we saw from the time we left Kenmore, my work would be little more -than a repetition of what I have said before, or, where it was not so, a -longer time was necessary to enable us to bear away what was most -interesting than we could afford to give. - - -_Monday, September 5th._--We arrived at Kenmore after sunset. - - -_Tuesday, September 6th._--Walked before breakfast in Lord Breadalbane's -grounds, which border upon the river Tay. The higher elevations command -fine views of the lake; and the walks are led along the river's banks, -and shaded with tall trees: but it seemed to us that a bad taste had -been at work, the banks being regularly shaven and cut as if by rule and -line. One or two of such walks I should well have liked to see; but they -are all equally trim, and I could not but regret that the fine trees had -not been left to grow out of a turf that cattle were permitted to feed -upon. There was one avenue which would well have graced the ruins of an -abbey or some stately castle. It was of a very great length, perfectly -straight, the trees meeting at the top in a cathedral arch, lessening in -perspective,--the boughs the roof, the stems the pillars. I never saw so -beautiful an avenue. We were told that some improver of pleasure-grounds -had advised Lord B. to cut down the trees, and lay the whole open to the -lawn, for the avenue is very near his house. His own better taste, or -that of some other person, I suppose, had saved them from the axe. Many -workmen were employed in building a large mansion something like that of -Inverary, close to the old house, which was yet standing; the situation, -as we thought, very bad, considering that Lord Breadalbane had the -command of all the ground at the foot of the lake, including hills both -high and low. It is in a hollow, without prospect either of the lake or -river, or anything else--seeing nothing, and adorning nothing. After -breakfast, left Kenmore, and travelled through the vale of Tay, I -believe fifteen or sixteen miles; but in the course of this we turned -out of our way to the Falls of Moness, a stream tributary to the Tay, -which passes through a narrow glen with very steep banks. A path like a -woodman's track has been carried through the glen, which, though the -private property of a gentleman, has not been taken out of the hands of -Nature, but merely rendered accessible by this path, which ends at the -waterfalls. They tumble from a great height, and are indeed very -beautiful falls, and we could have sate with pleasure the whole morning -beside the cool basin in which the waters rest, surrounded by high rocks -and overhanging trees. In one of the most retired parts of the dell, we -met a young man coming slowly along the path, intent upon a book which -he was reading: he did not seem to be of the rank of a gentleman, though -above that of a peasant. - -Passed through the village of Aberfeldy, at the foot of the glen of -Moness. The birks of Aberfeldy are spoken of in some of the Scotch -songs, which no doubt grew in the stream of Moness; but near the village -we did not see any trees that were remarkable, except a row of -laburnums, growing as a common field hedge; their leaves were of a -golden colour, and as lively as the yellow blossoms could have been in -the spring. Afterwards we saw many laburnums in the woods, which we were -told had been "planted"; though I remember that Withering speaks of the -laburnum as one of the British plants, and growing in Scotland. The -twigs and branches being stiff, were not so graceful as those of our -garden laburnums, but I do not think I ever before saw any that were of -so brilliant colours in their autumnal decay. In our way to and from -Moness we crossed the Tay by a bridge of ambitious and ugly -architecture. Many of the bridges in Scotland are so, having eye-holes -between the arches, not in the battlements but at the outspreading of -the pillar of the arch, which destroys its simplicity, and takes from -the appearance of strength and security, without adding anything of -lightness. We returned, by the same road, to the village of Weem, where -we had left our car. The vale of Tay was very wide, having been so from -within a short distance of Kenmore: the reaches of the river are long; -and the ground is more regularly cultivated than in any vale we had yet -seen--chiefly corn, and very large tracts. Afterwards the vale becomes -narrow and less cultivated, the reaches shorter--on the whole resembling -the vale of Nith, but we thought it inferior in beauty. - -One among the cottages in this narrow and wilder part of the vale fixed -our attention almost as much as a Chinese or a Turk would do passing -through the vale of Grasmere. It was a cottage, I believe, little -differing in size and shape from all the rest; but it was like a -visitor, a stranger come into the Highlands, or a model set up of what -may be seen in other countries. The walls were neatly plastered or -rough-cast, the windows of clean bright glass, and the door was -painted--before it a flower-garden, fenced with a curiously-clipped -hedge, and against the wall was placed the sign of a spinning-wheel. We -could not pass this humble dwelling, so distinguished by an appearance -of comfort and neatness, without some conjectures respecting the -character and manner of life of the person inhabiting it. Leisure he -must have had; and we pleased ourselves with thinking that some -self-taught mind might there have been nourished by knowledge gathered -from books, and the simple duties and pleasures of rural life. - -At Logierait, the village where we dined, the vale widens again, and the -Tummel joins the Tay and loses its name; but the Tay falls into the -channel of the Tummel, continuing its course in the same direction, -almost at right angles to the former course of the Tay. We were sorry to -find that we had to cross the Tummel by a ferry, and resolved not to -venture in the same boat with the horse. Dined at a little public-house, -kept by a young widow, very talkative and laboriously civil. She took me -out to the back-door, and said she would show me a place which had once -been very grand, and, opening a door in a high wall, I entered a ruinous -courtyard, in which was a large old mansion, the walls entire and very -strong, but the roof broken in. The woman said it had been a palace of -one of the kings of Scotland. It was a striking and even an affecting -object, coming upon it, as I did, unawares,--a royal residence shut up -and hidden, while yet in its strength, by mean cottages; there was no -appearance of violence, but decay from desertion, and I should think -that it may remain many years without undergoing further visible change. -The woman and her daughter accompanied us to the ferry and crossed the -water with us; the woman said, but with not much appearance of honest -heart-feeling, that she could not be easy to let us go without being -there to know how we sped, so I invited the little girl to accompany -her, that she might have a ride in the car. The men were cautious, and -the horse got over with less alarm than we could have expected. Our way -was now up the vale, along the banks of the Tummel, an impetuous river; -the mountains higher than near the Tay, and the vale more wild, and the -different reaches more interesting. - -When we approached near to Fascally, near the junction of the Garry with -the Tummel, the twilight was far advanced, and our horse not being -perfectly recovered, we were fearful of taking him on to -Blair-Athole--five miles further; besides, the Pass of Killicrankie was -within half a mile, and we were unwilling to go through a place so -celebrated in the dark; therefore, being joined by a traveller, we -inquired if there was any public-house near; he said there was; and that -though the accommodations were not good, we might do well enough for one -night, the host and his wife being very honest people. It proved to be -rather better than a common cottage of the country; we seated ourselves -by the fire, William called for a glass of whisky, and asked if they -could give us beds. The woman positively refused to lodge us, though we -had every reason to believe that she had at least one bed for me; we -entreated again and again in behalf of the poor horse, but all in vain; -she urged, though in an uncivil way, that she had been sitting up the -whole of one or two nights before on account of a fair, and that now she -wanted to go to bed and sleep; so we were obliged to remount our car in -the dark, and with a tired horse we moved on, and went through the Pass -of Killicrankie, hearing only the roaring of the river, and seeing a -black chasm with jagged-topped black hills towering above. Afterwards -the moon rose, and we should not have had an unpleasant ride if our -horse had been in better plight, and we had not been annoyed, as we were -almost at every twenty yards, by people coming from a fair held that day -near Blair--no pleasant prognostic of what might be our accommodation at -the inn, where we arrived between ten and eleven o'clock, and found the -house in an uproar; but we were civilly treated, and were glad, after -eating a morsel of cold beef, to retire to rest, and I fell asleep in -spite of the noisy drunkards below stairs, who had outstayed the fair. - - -_Wednesday, September 7th._--Rose early, and went before breakfast to -the Duke of Athol's gardens and pleasure-grounds, where we completely -tired ourselves with a three-hours' walk. Having been directed to see -all the waterfalls, we submitted ourselves to the gardener, who dragged -us from place to place, calling our attention to, it might be, -half-a-dozen--I cannot say how many--dripping streams, very pretty in -themselves, if we had had the pleasure of discovering them; but they -were generally robbed of their grace by the obtrusive ornaments which -were first seen. The whole neighbourhood, a great country, seems to -belong to the Duke of Athol. In his domain are hills and mountains, -glens and spacious plains, rivers and innumerable torrents; but near -Blair are no old woods, and the plantations, except those at a little -distance from the house, appear inconsiderable, being lost to the eye in -so extensive a circuit. - -The castle stands on low ground, and far from the Garry, commanding a -prospect all round of distant mountains, a bare and cold scene, and, -from the irregularity and width of it, not so grand as one should -expect, knowing the great height of some of the mountains. Within the -Duke's park are three glens, the glen of the river Tilt and two others, -which, if they had been planted more judiciously, would have been very -sweet retirements; but they are choked up, the whole hollow of the -glens--I do not speak of the Tilt, for that is rich in natural -wood--being closely planted with trees, and those chiefly firs; but many -of the old fir-trees are, as single trees, very fine. On each side of -the glen is an ell-wide gravel walk, which the gardener told us was -swept once a week. It is conducted at the top of the banks, on each -side, at nearly equal height, and equal distance from the stream; they -lead you up one of these paths, and down the other--very wearisome, as -you will believe--mile after mile! We went into the garden, where there -was plenty of fruit--gooseberries, hanging as thick as possible upon the -trees, ready to drop off; I thought the gardener might have invited us -to refresh ourselves with some of his fruit after our long fatigue. One -part of the garden was decorated with statues, "images," as poor Mr. -Gill used to call those at Racedown, dressed in gay painted clothes; and -in a retired corner of the grounds, under some tall trees, appeared the -figure of a favourite old gamekeeper of one of the former Dukes, in the -attitude of pointing his gun at the game--"reported to be a striking -likeness," said the gardener. Looking at some of the tall larches, with -long hairy twigs, very beautiful trees, he told us that they were among -the first which had ever been planted in Scotland, that a Duke of Athol -had brought a single larch from London in a pot, in his coach, from -which had sprung the whole family that had overspread Scotland. This, -probably, might not be accurate, for others might afterwards have come, -or seed from other trees. He told us many anecdotes of the present Duke, -which I wish I could perfectly remember. He is an indefatigable -sportsman, hunts the wild deer on foot, attended by twelve Highlanders -in the Highland dress, which he himself formerly used to wear; he will -go out at four o'clock in the morning, and not return till night. His -fine family, "Athol's honest men, and Athol's bonny lasses," to whom -Burns, in his bumpers, drank health and long life, are dwindled away: of -nine, I believe only four are left: the mother of them is dead in a -consumption, and the Duke married again. We rested upon the heather seat -which Burns was so loth to quit that moonlight evening when he first -went to Blair Castle, and had a pleasure in thinking that he had been -under the same shelter, and viewed the little waterfall opposite with -some of the happy and pure feelings of his better mind. The castle has -been modernized, which has spoiled its appearance. It is a large -irregular pile, not handsome, but I think may have been picturesque, and -even noble, before it was docked of its battlements and whitewashed. - -The most interesting object we saw at Blair was the chapel, shaded by -trees, in which the body of the impetuous Dundee lies buried. This quiet -spot is seen from the windows of the inn, whence you look, at the same -time, upon a high wall and a part of the town--a contrast which, I know -not why, made the chapel and its grove appear more peaceful, as if kept -so for some sacred purpose. We had a very nice breakfast, which we -sauntered over after our weary walk. - -Being come to the most northerly point of our destined course, we took -out the map, loth to turn our backs upon the Highlands, and, looking -about for something which we might yet see, we fixed our eyes upon two -or three spots not far distant, and sent for the landlord to consult -with him. One of them was Loch Rannoch, a fresh-water lake, which he -told us was bordered by a natural pine forest, that its banks were -populous, and that the place being very remote, we might there see much -of the simplicity of the Highlander's life. The landlord said that we -must take a guide for the first nine or ten miles; but afterwards the -road was plain before us, and very good, so at about ten o'clock we -departed, having engaged a man to go with us. The Falls of Bruar, which -we wished to visit for the sake of Burns, are about three miles from -Blair, and our road was in the same direction for two miles. - -After having gone for some time under a bare hill, we were told to leave -the car at some cottages, and pass through a little gate near a brook -which crossed the road. We walked upwards at least three quarters of a -mile in the hot sun, with the stream on our right, both sides of which -to a considerable height were planted with firs and larches -intermingled--children of poor Burns's song; for his sake we wished that -they had been the natural trees of Scotland, birches, ashes, -mountain-ashes, etc.; however, sixty or seventy years hence they will be -no unworthy monument to his memory. At present, nothing can be uglier -than the whole chasm of the hill-side with its formal walks. I do not -mean to condemn them, for, for aught I know, they are as well managed as -they could be; but it is not easy to see the use of a pleasure-path -leading to nothing, up a steep and naked hill in the midst of an -unlovely tract of country, though by the side of a tumbling stream of -clear water. It does not surely deserve the name of a pleasure-path. It -is three miles from the Duke of Athol's house, and I do not believe that -one person living within five miles of the place would wish to go twice -to it. The falls are high, the rocks and stones fretted and gnawed by -the water. I do not wonder at the pleasure which Burns received from -this stream; I believe we should have been much pleased if we had come -upon it as he did. At the bottom of the hill we took up our car, and, -turning back, joined the man who was to be our guide. - -Crossed the Garry, and went along a moor without any road but straggling -cart-tracks. Soon began to ascend a high hill, and the ground grew so -rough--road there was none--that we were obliged to walk most of the -way. Ascended to a considerable height, and commanded an extensive -prospect bounded by lofty mountains, and having crossed the top of the -fell we parted with our guide, being in sight of the vale into which we -were to descend, and to pursue upwards till we should come to Loch -Rannoch, a lake, as described to us, bedded in a forest of Scotch pines. - -When left to ourselves we sate down on the hillside, and looked with -delight into the deep vale below, which was exceedingly green, not -regularly fenced or cultivated, but the level area scattered over with -bushes and trees, and through that level ground glided a glassy river, -not in serpentine windings, but in direct turnings backwards and -forwards, and then flowed into the head of the Lake of Tummel; but I -will copy a rough sketch which I made while we sate upon the hill, -which, imperfect as it is, will give a better idea of the course of the -river--which I must add is more curious than beautiful--than my -description. The ground must be often overflowed in winter, for the -water seemed to touch the very edge of its banks. At this time the scene -was soft and cheerful, such as invited us downwards, and made us proud -of our adventure. Coming near to a cluster of huts, we turned thither, a -few steps out of our way, to inquire about the road; these huts were on -the hill, placed side by side, in a figure between a square and a -circle, as if for the sake of mutual shelter, like haystacks in a -farmyard--no trees near them. We called at one of the doors, and three -hale, stout men came out, who could speak very little English, and -stared at us with an almost savage look of wonder. One of them took much -pains to set us forward, and went a considerable way down the hill till -we came in sight of the cart road, which we were to follow; but we had -not gone far before we were disheartened. It was with the greatest -difficulty William could lead the horse and car over the rough stones, -and to sit in it was impossible; the road grew worse and worse, -therefore we resolved to turn back, having no reason to expect anything -better, for we had been told that after we should leave the untracked -ground all would be fair before us. We knew ourselves where we stood to -be about eight miles distant from the point where the river Tummel, -after having left the lake, joins the Garry at Fascally near the Pass of -Killicrankie, therefore we resolved to make our way thither, and -endeavour to procure a lodging at the same public-house where it had -been refused to us the night before. The road was likely to be very bad; -but, knowing the distance, we thought it more prudent than to venture -farther with nothing before us but uncertainty. We were forced to unyoke -the horse, and turn the car ourselves, owing to the steep banks on -either side of the road, and after much trouble we got him in again, and -set our faces down the vale towards Loch Tummel, William leading the car -and I walking by his side. - -For the first two or three miles we looked down upon the lake, our road -being along the side of the hill directly above it. On the opposite side -another range of hills rose up in the same manner,--farm-houses thinly -scattered among the copses near the water, and cultivated ground in -patches. The lake does not wind, nor are the shores much varied by -bays,--the mountains not commanding; but the whole a pleasing scene. Our -road took us out of sight of the water, and we were obliged to procure a -guide across a high moor, where it was impossible that the horse should -drag us at all, the ground being exceedingly rough and untracked: of -course fatiguing for foot-travellers, and on foot we must travel. After -some time, the river Tummel again served us for a guide, when it had -left the lake. It was no longer a gentle stream, a mirror to the sky, -but we could hear it roaring at a considerable distance between steep -banks of rock and wood. We had to cross the Garry by a bridge, a little -above the junction of the two rivers; and were now not far from the -public-house, to our great joy, for we were very weary with our -laborious walk. I do not think that I had walked less than sixteen -miles, and William much more, to which add the fatigue of leading the -horse, and the rough roads, and you will not wonder that we longed for -rest. We stopped at the door of the house, and William entered as -before, and again the woman refused to lodge us, in a most inhuman -manner, giving no other reason than that she would not do it. We pleaded -for the poor horse, entreated, soothed, and flattered, but all in vain, -though the night was cloudy and dark. We begged to sit by the fire till -morning, and to this she would not consent; indeed, if it had not been -for the sake of the horse, I would rather have lain in a barn than on -the best of feather-beds in the house of such a cruel woman. - -We were now, after our long day's journey, five miles from the inn at -Blair, whither we, at first, thought of returning; but finally resolved -to go to a public-house which we had seen in a village we passed -through, about a mile above the ferry over the Tummel, having come from -that point to Blair, for the sake of the Pass of Killicrankie and Blair -itself, and had now the same road to measure back again. We were obliged -to leave the Pass of Killicrankie unseen; but this disturbed us little -at a time when we had seven miles to travel in the dark, with a poor -beast almost sinking with fatigue, for he had not rested once all day. -We went on spiritless, and at a dreary pace. Passed by one house which -we were half inclined to go up to and ask for a night's lodging; and -soon after, being greeted by a gentle voice from a poor woman, whom, -till she spoke, though we were close to her, we had not seen, we -stopped, and asked if she could tell us where we might stay all night, -and put up our horse. She mentioned the public-house left behind, and we -told our tale, and asked her if she had no house to which she could take -us. "Yes, to be sure she had a house, but it was only a small cottage"; -and she had no place for the horse, and how we could lodge in her house -she could not tell; but we should be welcome to whatever she had, so we -turned the car, and she walked by the side of it, talking to us in a -tone of human kindness which made us friends at once. - -I remember thinking to myself, as I have often done in a stage-coach, -though never with half the reason to prejudge favourably, What sort of -countenance and figure shall we see in this woman when we come into the -light? And indeed it was an interesting moment when, after we had -entered her house, she blew the embers on the hearth, and lighted a -candle to assist us in taking the luggage out of the car. Her husband -presently arrived, and he and William took the horse to the -public-house. The poor woman hung the kettle over the fire. We had tea -and sugar of our own, and she set before us barley cakes, and milk which -she had just brought in; I recollect she said she "had been west to -fetch it." The Highlanders always direct you by east and west, north and -south--very confusing to strangers. She told us that it was her business -to "keep the gate" for Mr. ----, who lived at ----, just below,--that -is, to receive messages, take in letters, etc. Her cottage stood by the -side of the road leading to his house, within the gate, having, as we -saw in the morning, a dressed-up porter's lodge outside; but within was -nothing but the naked walls, unplastered, and floors of mud, as in the -common huts. She said that they lived rent-free in return for their -services; but spoke of her place and Mr. ---- with little respect, -hinting that he was very proud; and indeed her appearance, and subdued -manners, and that soft voice which had prepossessed us so much in her -favour, seemed to belong to an injured and oppressed being. We talked a -great deal with her, and gathered some interesting facts from her -conversation, which I wish I had written down while they were fresh in -my memory. They had only one child, yet seemed to be very poor, not -discontented but languid, and willing to suffer rather than rouse to any -effort. Though it was plain she despised and hated her master, and had -no wish to conceal it, she hardly appeared to think it worth while to -speak ill of him. We were obliged to sit up very late while our kind -hostess was preparing our beds. William lay upon the floor on some hay, -without sheets; my bed was of chaff; I had plenty of covering, and a -pair of very nice strong clean sheets,--she said with some pride that -she had good linen. I believe the sheets had been of her own spinning, -perhaps when she was first married, or before, and she probably will -keep them to the end of her life of poverty. - - -_Thursday, September 8th._--Before breakfast we walked to the Pass of -Killicrankie. A very fine scene; the river Garry forcing its way down a -deep chasm between rocks, at the foot of high rugged hills covered with -wood, to a great height. The Pass did not, however, impress us with awe, -or a sensation of difficulty or danger, according to our expectations; -but, the road being at a considerable height on the side of the hill, we -at first only looked into the dell or chasm. It is much grander seen -from below, near the river's bed. Everybody knows that this Pass is -famous in military history. When we were travelling in Scotland an -invasion was hourly looked for, and one could not but think with some -regret of the times when from the now depopulated Highlands forty or -fifty thousand men might have been poured down for the defence of the -country, under such leaders as the Marquis of Montrose or the brave man -who had so distinguished himself upon the ground where we were -standing. I will transcribe a sonnet suggested to William by this place, -and written in October 1803:-- - - Six thousand Veterans practised in War's game, - Tried men, at Killicrankie were array'd - Against an equal host that wore the Plaid, - Shepherds and herdsmen. Like a whirlwind came - The Highlanders; the slaughter spread like flame, - And Garry, thundering down his mountain road, - Was stopp'd, and could not breathe beneath the load - Of the dead bodies. 'Twas a day of shame - For them whom precept and the pedantry - Of cold mechanic battle do enslave. - Oh! for a single hour of that Dundee - Who on that day the word of onset gave: - Like conquest might the men of England see, - And her Foes find a like inglorious grave. - -We turned back again, and going down the hill below the Pass, crossed -the same bridge we had come over the night before, and walked through -Lady Perth's grounds by the side of the Garry till we came to the -Tummel, and then walked up to the cascade of the Tummel. The fall is -inconsiderable, scarcely more than an ordinary "wear"; but it makes a -loud roaring over large stones, and the whole scene is grand--hills, -mountains, woods, and rocks. ---- is a very pretty place, all but the -house. Stoddart's print gives no notion of it. The house stands upon a -small plain at the junction of the two rivers, a close deep spot, -surrounded by high hills and woods. After we had breakfasted William -fetched the car, and, while we were conveying the luggage to the outside -of the gate, where it stood, Mr. ----, _mal apropos_, came very near to -the door, called the woman out, and railed at her in the most abusive -manner for "harbouring" people in that way. She soon slipped from him, -and came back to us: I wished that William should go and speak to her -master, for I was afraid that he might turn the poor woman away; but she -would not suffer it, for she did not care whether they stayed or not. In -the meantime, Mr. ---- continued scolding her husband; indeed, he -appeared to be not only proud, but very ignorant, insolent, and -low-bred. The woman told us that she had sometimes lodged poor -travellers who were passing along the road, and permitted others to cook -their victuals in her house, for which Mr. ---- had reprimanded her -before; but, as she said, she did not value her place, and it was no -matter. In sounding forth the dispraise of Mr. ----, I ought not to omit -mentioning that the poor woman had great delight in talking of the -excellent qualities of his mother, with whom she had been a servant, and -lived many years. After having interchanged good wishes we parted with -our charitable hostess, who, telling us her name, entreated us, if ever -we came that way again, to inquire for her. - -We travelled down the Tummel till it is lost in the Tay, and then, in -the same direction, continued our course along the vale of Tay, which is -very wide for a considerable way, but gradually narrows, and the river, -always a fine stream, assumes more dignity and importance. Two or three -miles before we reached Dunkeld, we observed whole hill-sides, the -property of the Duke of Athol, planted with fir-trees till they are lost -among the rocks near the tops of the hills. In forty or fifty years -these plantations will be very fine, being carried from hill to hill, -and not bounded by a visible artificial fence. - -Reached Dunkeld at about three o'clock. It is a pretty, small town, with -a respectable and rather large ruined abbey, which is greatly injured by -being made the nest of a modern Scotch kirk, with sash windows,--very -incongruous with the noble antique tower,--a practice which we -afterwards found is not uncommon in Scotland. Sent for the Duke's -gardener after dinner, and walked with him into the pleasure-grounds, -intending to go to the Falls of the Bran, a mountain stream which here -joins the Tay. After walking some time on a shaven turf under the shade -of old trees, by the side of the Tay, we left the pleasure-grounds, and -crossing the river by a ferry, went up a lane on the hill opposite till -we came to a locked gate by the road-side, through which we entered into -another part of the Duke's pleasure-grounds bordering on the Bran, the -glen being for a considerable way--for aught I know, two miles--thridded -by gravel walks. The walks are quaintly enough intersected, here and -there by a baby garden of fine flowers among the rocks and stones. The -waterfall, which we came to see, warned us by a loud roaring that we -must expect it; we were first, however, conducted into a small -apartment, where the gardener desired us to look at a painting of the -figure of Ossian, which, while he was telling us the story of the young -artist who performed the work, disappeared, parting in the middle, -flying asunder as if by the touch of magic, and lo! we are at the -entrance of a splendid room, which was almost dizzy and alive with -waterfalls, that tumbled in all directions--the great cascade, which was -opposite to the window that faced us, being reflected in innumerable -mirrors upon the ceiling and against the walls. We both laughed -heartily, which, no doubt, the gardener considered as high commendation; -for he was very eloquent in pointing out the beauties of the place. - -We left the Bran, and pursued our walk through the plantations, where we -readily forgave the Duke his little devices for their sakes. They are -already no insignificant woods, where the trees happen to be oaks, -birches, and others natural to the soil; and under their shade the walks -are delightful. From one hill, through different openings under the -trees, we looked up the vale of Tay to a great distance, a magnificent -prospect at that time of the evening; woody and rich--corn, green -fields, and cattle, the winding Tay, and distant mountains. Looked down -the river to the town of Dunkeld, which lies low, under irregular hills, -covered with wood to their rocky summits, and bounded by higher -mountains, which are bare. The hill of Birnam, no longer Birnam "wood," -was pointed out to us. After a very long walk we parted from our guide -when it was almost dark, and he promised to call on us in the morning to -conduct us to the gardens. - - -_Friday, September 9th._--According to appointment, the gardener came -with his keys in his hand, and we attended him whithersoever he chose to -lead, in spite of past experience at Blair. We had, however, no reason -to repent, for we were repaid for the trouble of going through the large -gardens by the apples and pears of which he gave us liberally, and the -walks through the woods on that part of the grounds opposite to where we -had been the night before were very delightful. The Duke's house is -neither large nor grand, being just an ordinary gentleman's house, upon -a green lawn, and whitewashed, I believe. The old abbey faces the house -on the east side, and appears to stand upon the same green lawn, which, -though close to the town, is entirely excluded from it by high walls and -trees. - -We had been undetermined respecting our future course when we came to -Dunkeld, whether to go on directly to Perth and Edinburgh, or to make a -circuit and revisit the Trossachs. We decided upon the latter plan, and -accordingly after breakfast set forward towards Crieff, where we -intended to sleep, and the next night at Callander. The first part of -our road, after having crossed the ferry, was up the glen of the Bran. -Looking backwards, we saw Dunkeld very pretty under the hills, and -surrounded by rich cultivated ground, but we had not a good distant view -of the abbey. - -Left our car, and went about a hundred yards from the road to see the -Rumbling Brig, which, though well worth our going out of the way even -much further, disappointed us, as places in general do which we hear -much spoken of as savage, tremendous, etc.,--and no wonder, for they are -usually described by people to whom rocks are novelties. The gardener -had told us that we should pass through the most populous glen in -Scotland, the glen of Amulree. It is not populous in the usual way, with -scattered dwellings; but many clusters of houses, hamlets such as we had -passed near the Tummel, which had a singular appearance, being like -small encampments, were generally without trees, and in high -situations--every house the same as its neighbour, whether for men or -cattle. There was nothing else remarkable in the glen. We halted at a -lonely inn at the foot of a steep barren moor, which we had to cross; -then, after descending considerably, came to the narrow glen, which we -had approached with no little curiosity, not having been able to procure -any distinct description of it. - -At Dunkeld, when we were hesitating what road to take, we wished to know -whether that glen would be worth visiting, and accordingly put several -questions to the waiter, and, among other epithets used in the course of -interrogation, we stumbled upon the word "grand," to which he replied, -"No, I do not think there are any gentlemen's seats in it." However, we -drew enough from this describer and the gardener to determine us finally -to go to Callander, the Narrow Glen being in the way. - -Entered the glen at a small hamlet at some distance from the head, and -turning aside a few steps, ascended a hillock which commanded a view to -the top of it--a very sweet scene, a green valley, not very narrow, with -a few scattered trees and huts, almost invisible in a misty gleam of -afternoon light. At this hamlet we crossed a bridge, and the road led us -down the glen, which had become exceedingly narrow, and so continued to -the end: the hills on both sides heathy and rocky, very steep, but -continuous; the rocks not single or overhanging, not scooped into -caverns or sounding with torrents: there are no trees, no houses, no -traces of cultivation, not one outstanding object. It is truly a -solitude, the road even making it appear still more so: the bottom of -the valley is mostly smooth and level, the brook not noisy: everything -is simple and undisturbed, and while we passed through it the whole -place was shady, cool, clear, and solemn. At the end of the long valley -we ascended a hill to a great height, and reached the top, when the sun, -on the point of setting, shed a soft yellow light upon every eminence. -The prospect was very extensive; over hollows and plains, no towns, and -few houses visible--a prospect, extensive as it was, in harmony with the -secluded dell, and fixing its own peculiar character of removedness from -the world, and the secure possession of the quiet of nature more deeply -in our minds. The following poem was written by William on hearing of a -tradition relating to it, which we did not know when we were there:-- - - In this still place remote from men - Sleeps Ossian, in the Narrow Glen, - In this still place where murmurs on - But one meek streamlet, only one. - He sung of battles and the breath - Of stormy war, and violent death, - And should, methinks, when all was pass'd, - Have rightfully been laid at last - Where rocks were rudely heap'd, and rent - As by a spirit turbulent; - Where sights were rough, and sounds were wild, - And everything unreconciled, - In some complaining, dim retreat - Where fear and melancholy meet; - But this is calm; there cannot be - A more entire tranquillity. - - Does then the bard sleep here indeed? - Or is it but a groundless creed? - What matters it? I blame them not - Whose fancy in this lonely spot - Was moved, and in this way express'd - Their notion of its perfect rest. - A convent, even a hermit's cell - Would break the silence of this Dell; - It is not quiet, is not ease, - But something deeper far than these; - The separation that is here - Is of the grave; and of austere - And happy feelings of the dead: - And therefore was it rightly said - That Ossian, last of all his race, - Lies buried in this lonely place. - -Having descended into a broad cultivated vale, we saw nothing -remarkable. Observed a gentleman's house,[20] which stood pleasantly -among trees. It was dark some time before we reached Crieff, a small -town, though larger than Dunkeld. - - [Footnote 20: Monzie probably.--J. C. S.] - - -_Saturday, September 10th._--Rose early, and departed without breakfast. -We were to pass through one of the most celebrated vales of Scotland, -Strath Erne. We found it a wide, long, and irregular vale, with many -gentlemen's seats under the hills, woods, copses, frequent cottages, -plantations, and much cultivation, yet with an intermixture of barren -ground; indeed, except at Killin and Dunkeld, there was always something -which seemed to take from the composure and simplicity of the cultivated -scenes. There is a struggle to overcome the natural barrenness, and the -end not attained, an appearance of something doing or imperfectly done, -a passing with labour from one state of society into another. When you -look from an eminence on the fields of Grasmere Vale, the heart is -satisfied with a simple undisturbed pleasure, and no less, on one of the -green or heathy dells of Scotland, where there is no appearance of -change to be, or having been, but such as the seasons make. Strath Erne -is so extensive a vale that, had it been in England, there must have -been much inequality, as in Wensley Dale; but at Wensley there is a -unity, a softness, a melting together, which in the large vales of -Scotland I never perceived. The difference at Strath Erne may come -partly from the irregularity, the undefined outline, of the hills which -enclose it; but it is caused still more by the broken surface, I mean -broken as to colour and produce, the want of hedgerows, and also the -great number of new fir plantations. After some miles it becomes much -narrower as we approach nearer the mountains at the foot of the lake of -the same name, Loch Erne. - -Breakfasted at a small public-house, a wretchedly dirty cottage, but the -people were civil, and though we had nothing but barley cakes we made a -good breakfast, for there were plenty of eggs. Walked up a high hill to -view the seat of Mr. Dundas, now Lord Melville--a spot where, if he have -gathered much wisdom from his late disgrace or his long intercourse with -the world, he may spend his days as quietly as he need desire. It is a -secluded valley, not rich, but with plenty of wood: there are many -pretty paths through the woods, and moss huts in different parts. After -leaving the cottage where we breakfasted the country was very pleasing, -yet still with a want of richness; but this was less perceived, being -huddled up in charcoal woods, and the vale narrow. Loch Erne opens out -in a very pleasing manner, seen from a hill along which the road is -carried through a wood of low trees; but it does not improve afterwards, -lying directly from east to west without any perceivable bendings: and -the shores are not much broken or varied, not populous, and the -mountains not sufficiently commanding to make up for the deficiencies. -Dined at the head of the lake. I scarcely know its length, but should -think not less than four or five miles, and it is wide in proportion. -The inn is in a small village--a decent house. - -Walked about half a mile along the road to Tyndrum, which is through a -bare glen,[21] and over a mountain pass. It rained when we pursued our -journey again, and continued to rain for several hours. The road which -we were to take was up another glen, down which came a stream that fell -into the lake on the opposite side at the head of it, so, after having -crossed the main vale, a little above the lake, we entered into the -smaller glen. The road delightfully smooth and dry--one gentleman's -house very pleasant among large coppice woods. After going perhaps three -miles up this valley, we turned to the left into another, which seemed -to be much more beautiful. It was a level valley, not--like that which -we had passed--a wide sloping cleft between the hills, but having a -quiet, slow-paced stream, which flowed through level green grounds -tufted with trees intermingled with cottages. The tops of the hills were -hidden by mists, and the objects in the valley seen through misty rain, -which made them look exceedingly soft, and indeed partly concealed them, -and we always fill up what we are left to guess at with something as -beautiful as what we see. This valley seemed to have less of the -appearance of barrenness or imperfect cultivation than any of the same -character we had passed through; indeed, we could not discern any traces -of it. It is called Strath Eyer. "Strath" is generally applied to a -broad vale; but this, though open, is not broad. - - [Footnote 21: Glen Ogle.--J. C. S.] - -We next came to a lake, called Loch Lubnaig, a name which signifies -"winding." In shape it somewhat resembles Ulswater, but is much narrower -and shorter, being only four miles in length. The character of this lake -is simple and grand. On the side opposite to where we were is a range of -steep craggy mountains, one of which--like Place Fell--encroaching upon -the bed of the lake, forces it to make a considerable bending. I have -forgotten the name of this precipice: it is a very remarkable one, being -almost perpendicular, and very rugged. - -We, on the other side, travelled under steep and rocky hills which were -often covered with low woods to a considerable height; there were one or -two farm-houses, and a few cottages. A neat white dwelling[22] on the -side of the hill over against the bold steep of which I have spoken, had -been the residence of the famous traveller Bruce, who, all his travels -ended, had arranged the history of them in that solitude--as deep as any -Abyssinian one--among the mountains of his native country, where he -passed several years. Whether he died there or not we did not learn; but -the manner of his death was remarkable and affecting,--from a fall -down-stairs in his own house, after so many dangers through which -fortitude and courage had never failed to sustain him. The house stands -sweetly, surrounded by coppice-woods and green fields. On the other -side, I believe, were no houses till we came near to the outlet, where a -few low huts looked very beautiful, with their dark brown roofs, near a -stream which hurried down the mountain, and after its turbulent course -travelled a short way over a level green, and was lost in the lake. - - [Footnote 22: Ardhullary.--J. C. S.] - -Within a few miles of Callander we come into a grand region; the -mountains to a considerable height were covered with wood, enclosing us -in a narrow passage; the stream on our right, generally concealed by -wood, made a loud roaring; at one place, in particular, it fell down the -rocks in a succession of cascades. The scene is much celebrated in -Scotland, and is called the Pass of Leny. It was nearly dark when we -reached Callander. We were wet and cold, and glad of a good fire. The -inn was comfortable; we drank tea; and after tea the waiter presented us -with a pamphlet descriptive of the neighbourhood of Callander, which we -brought away with us, and I am very sorry I lost it. - - -_FIFTH WEEK_ - -_Sunday, September 11th._--Immediately after breakfast, the morning -being fine, we set off with cheerful spirits towards the Trossachs, -intending to take up our lodging at the house of our old friend the -ferryman. A boy accompanied us to convey the horse and car back to -Callander from the head of Loch Achray. The country near Callander is -very pleasing; but, as almost everywhere else, imperfectly cultivated. -We went up a broad vale, through which runs the stream from Loch -Ketterine, and came to Loch Vennachar, a larger lake than Loch Achray, -the small one which had given us such unexpected delight when we left -the Pass of the Trossachs. Loch Vennachar is much larger, but greatly -inferior in beauty to the image which we had conceived of its neighbour, -and so the reality proved to us when we came up to that little lake, and -saw it before us in its true shape in the cheerful sunshine. The -Trossachs, overtopped by Benledi and other high mountains, enclose the -lake at the head; and those houses which we had seen before, with their -corn fields sloping towards the water, stood very prettily under low -woods. The fields did not appear so rich as when we had seen them -through the veil of mist; but yet, as in framing our expectations we had -allowed for a much greater difference, so we were even a second time -surprised with pleasure at the same spot. - -Went as far as these houses of which I have spoken, in the car, and then -walked on, intending to pursue the road up the side of Loch Ketterine -along which Coleridge had come; but we had resolved to spend some hours -in the neighbourhood of the Trossachs, and accordingly coasted the head -of Loch Achray, and pursued the brook between the two lakes as far as -there was any track. Here we found, to our surprise--for we had expected -nothing but heath and rocks like the rest of the neighbourhood of the -Trossachs--a secluded farm, a plot of verdant ground with a single -cottage and its company of out-houses. We turned back, and went to the -very point from which we had first looked upon Loch Achray when we were -here with Coleridge. It was no longer a visionary scene: the sun shone -into every crevice of the hills, and the mountain-tops were clear. After -some time we went into the pass from the Trossachs, and were delighted -to behold the forms of objects fully revealed, and even surpassing in -loveliness and variety what we had conceived. The mountains, I think, -appeared not so high; but on the whole we had not the smallest -disappointment; the heather was fading, though still beautiful. - -Sate for half-an-hour in Lady Perth's shed, and scrambled over the rocks -and through the thickets at the head of the lake. I went till I could -make my way no further, and left William to go to the top of the hill, -whence he had a distinct view, as on a map, of the intricacies of the -lake and the course of the river. Returned to the huts, and, after -having taken a second dinner of the food we had brought from Callander, -set our faces towards the head of Loch Ketterine. I can add nothing to -my former description of the Trossachs, except that we departed with our -old delightful remembrances endeared, and many new ones. The path or -road--for it was neither the one nor the other, but something between -both--is the pleasantest I have ever travelled in my life for the same -length of way,--now with marks of sledges or wheels, or none at all, -bare or green, as it might happen; now a little descent, now a level; -sometimes a shady lane, at others an open track through green pastures; -then again it would lead us into thick coppice-woods, which often -entirely shut out the lake, and again admitted it by glimpses. We have -never had a more delightful walk than this evening. Ben Lomond and the -three pointed-topped mountains of Loch Lomond, which we had seen from -the Garrison, were very majestic under the clear sky, the lake -perfectly calm, the air sweet and mild. I felt that it was much more -interesting to visit a place where we have been before than it can -possibly be the first time, except under peculiar circumstances. The sun -had been set for some time, when, being within a quarter of a mile of -the ferryman's hut, our path having led us close to the shore of the -calm lake, we met two neatly dressed women, without hats, who had -probably been taking their Sunday evening's walk. One of them said to us -in a friendly, soft tone of voice, "What! you are stepping westward?" I -cannot describe how affecting this simple expression was in that remote -place, with the western sky in front, yet glowing with the departed sun. -William wrote the following poem long after, in remembrance of his -feelings and mine:-- - - "What! you are stepping westward?" Yea, - 'Twould be a wildish destiny - If we, who thus together roam - In a strange land, and far from home, - Were in this place the guests of chance: - Yet who would stop, or fear to advance, - Though home or shelter he had none, - With such a sky to lead him on? - - The dewy ground was dark and cold, - Behind all gloomy to behold, - And stepping westward seem'd to be - A kind of heavenly destiny; - I liked the greeting, 'twas a sound - Of something without place or bound; - And seem'd to give me spiritual right - To travel through that region bright. - - The voice was soft; and she who spake - Was walking by her native Lake; - The salutation was to me - The very sound of courtesy; - Its power was felt, and while my eye - Was fix'd upon the glowing sky, - The echo of the voice enwrought - A human sweetness with the thought - Of travelling through the world that lay - Before me in my endless way. - -We went up to the door of our boatman's hut as to a home, and scarcely -less confident of a cordial welcome than if we had been approaching our -own cottage at Grasmere. It had been a very pleasing thought, while we -were walking by the side of the beautiful lake, that, few hours as we -had been there, there was a home for us in one of its quiet dwellings. -Accordingly, so we found it; the good woman, who had been at a preaching -by the lake-side, was in her holiday dress at the door, and seemed to be -rejoiced at the sight of us. She led us into the hut in haste to supply -our wants; we took once more a refreshing meal by her fireside, and, -though not so merry as the last time, we were not less happy, bating our -regrets that Coleridge was not in his old place. I slept in the same bed -as before, and listened to the household stream, which now only made a -very low murmuring. - - -_Monday, September 12th._--Rejoiced in the morning to see the sun -shining upon the hills when I first looked out through the open -window-place at my bed's head. We rose early, and after breakfast, our -old companion, who was to be our guide for the day, rowed us over the -water to the same point where Coleridge and I had sate down and eaten -our dinner, while William had gone to survey the unknown coast. We -intended to cross Loch Lomond, follow the lake to Glenfalloch, above the -head of it, and then come over the mountains to Glengyle, and so down -the glen, and passing Mr. Macfarlane's house, back again to the -ferry-house, where we should sleep. So, a third time we went through the -mountain hollow, now familiar ground. The inhabitants had not yet got in -all their hay, and were at work in the fields; our guide often stopped -to talk with them, and no doubt was called upon to answer many -inquiries respecting us two strangers. - -At the ferry-house of Inversneyde we had not the happy sight of the -Highland girl and her companion, but the good woman received us -cordially, gave me milk, and talked of Coleridge, who, the morning after -we parted from him, had been at her house to fetch his watch, which he -had forgotten two days before. He has since told me that he questioned -her respecting the miserable condition of her hut, which, as you may -remember, admitted the rain at the door, and retained it in the hollows -of the mud floor: he told her how easy it would be to remove these -inconveniences, and to contrive something, at least, to prevent the wind -from entering at the window-places, if not a glass window for light and -warmth by day. She replied that this was very true, but if they made any -improvements the laird would conclude that they were growing rich, and -would raise their rent. - -The ferryman happened to be just ready at the moment to go over the lake -with a poor man, his wife and child. The little girl, about three years -old, cried all the way, terrified by the water. When we parted from this -family, they going down the lake, and we up it, I could not but think of -the difference in our condition to that poor woman, who, with her -husband, had been driven from her home by want of work, and was now -going a long journey to seek it elsewhere: every step was painful toil, -for she had either her child to bear or a heavy burthen. _I_ walked as -she did, but pleasure was my object, and if toil came along with it, -even _that_ was pleasure,--pleasure, at least, it would be in the -remembrance. - -We were, I believe, nine miles from Glenfalloch when we left the boat. -To us, with minds at ease, the walk was delightful; it could not be -otherwise, for we passed by a continual succession of rocks, woods, and -mountains; but the houses were few, and the ground cultivated only in -small portions near the water, consequently there was not that sort of -variety which leaves distinct separate remembrances, but one impression -of solitude and greatness. While the Highlander and I were plodding on -together side by side, interspersing long silences with now and then a -question or a remark, looking down to the lake he espied two small rocky -islands, and pointing to them, said to me, "It will be gay[23] and -dangerous sailing there in stormy weather when the water is high." In -giving my assent I could not help smiling, but I afterwards found that a -like combination of words is not uncommon in Scotland, for, at -Edinburgh, William being afraid of rain, asked the ostler what he -thought, who, looking up to the sky, pronounced it to be "gay and dull," -and therefore rain might be expected. The most remarkable object we saw -was a huge single stone, I believe three or four times the size of -Bowder Stone. The top of it, which on one side was sloping like the roof -of a house, was covered with heather. William climbed up the rock, which -would have been no easy task but to a mountaineer, and we constructed a -rope of pocket-handkerchiefs, garters, plaids, coats, etc., and measured -its height. It was _so_ many times the length of William's -walking-stick, but, unfortunately, having lost the stick, we have lost -the measure. The ferryman told us that a preaching was held there once -in three months by a certain minister--I think of Arrochar--who engages, -as a part of his office, to perform the service. The interesting -feelings we had connected with the Highland Sabbath and Highland worship -returned here with double force. The rock, though on one side a high -perpendicular wall, in no place overhung so as to form a shelter, in no -place could it be more than a screen from the elements. Why then had it -been selected for such a purpose? Was it merely from being a central -situation and a conspicuous object? Or did there belong to it some -inheritance of superstition from old times? It is impossible to look at -the stone without asking, How came it hither? Had then that obscurity -and unaccountableness, that mystery of power which is about it, any -influence over the first persons who resorted hither for worship? Or -have they now on those who continue to frequent it? The lake is in front -of the perpendicular wall, and behind, at some distance, and totally -detached from it, is the continuation of the ridge of mountains which -forms the vale of Loch Lomond--a magnificent temple, of which this spot -is a noble Sanctum Sanctorum. - - [Footnote 23: This is none other than the well-known Scottish word - "_gey_,"--indifferently, tolerable, considerable.--J. C. S.] - -We arrived at Glenfalloch at about one or two o'clock. It is no village; -there being only scattered huts in the glen, which may be four miles -long, according to my remembrance: the middle of it is very green, and -level, and tufted with trees. Higher up, where the glen parts into two -very narrow ones, is the house of the laird; I daresay a pretty place. -The view from the door of the public-house is exceedingly beautiful; the -river flows smoothly into the lake, and the fields were at that time as -green as possible. Looking backward, Ben Lomond very majestically shuts -in the view. The top of the mountain, as seen here, being of a pyramidal -form, it is much grander than with the broken outline, and stage above -stage, as seen from the neighbourhood of Luss. We found nobody at home -at the inn, but the ferryman shouted, wishing to have a glass of whisky, -and a young woman came from the hay-field, dressed in a white bed-gown, -without hat or cap. There was no whisky in the house, so he begged a -little whey to drink with the fragments of our cold meat brought from -Callander. After a short rest in a cool parlour we set forward again, -having to cross the river and climb up a steep mountain on the opposite -side of the valley. I observed that the people were busy bringing in the -hay before it was dry into a sort of "fauld" or yard, where they -intended to leave it, ready to be gathered into the house with the first -threatening of rain, and if not completely dry brought out again. Our -guide bore me in his arms over the stream, and we soon came to the foot -of the mountain. The most easy rising, for a short way at first, was -near a naked rivulet which made a fine cascade in one place. Afterwards, -the ascent was very laborious, being frequently almost perpendicular. - -It is one of those moments which I shall not easily forget, when at that -point from which a step or two would have carried us out of sight of the -green fields of Glenfalloch, being at a great height on the mountain, we -sate down, and heard, as if from the heart of the earth, the sound of -torrents ascending out of the long hollow glen. To the eye all was -motionless, a perfect stillness. The noise of waters did not appear to -come this way or that, from any particular quarter: it was everywhere, -almost, one might say, as if "exhaled" through the whole surface of the -green earth. Glenfalloch, Coleridge has since told me, signifies the -Hidden Vale; but William says, if we were to name it from our -recollections of that time, we should call it the Vale of Awful Sound. -We continued to climb higher and higher; but the hill was no longer -steep, and afterwards we pursued our way along the top of it with many -small ups and downs. The walk was very laborious after the climbing was -over, being often exceedingly stony, or through swampy moss, rushes, or -rough heather. As we proceeded, continuing our way at the top of the -mountain, encircled by higher mountains at a great distance, we were -passing, without notice, a heap of scattered stones round which was a -belt of green grass--green, and as it seemed rich, where all else was -either poor heather and coarse grass, or unprofitable rushes and spongy -moss. The Highlander made a pause, saying, "This place is much changed -since I was here twenty years ago." He told us that the heap of stones -had been a hut where a family was then living, who had their winter -habitation in the valley, and brought their goats thither in the summer -to feed on the mountains, and that they were used to gather them -together at night and morning to be milked close to the door, which was -the reason why the grass was yet so green near the stones. It was -affecting in that solitude to meet with this memorial of manners passed -away; we looked about for some other traces of humanity, but nothing -else could we find in that place. We ourselves afterwards espied another -of those ruins, much more extensive--the remains, as the man told us, of -several dwellings. We were astonished at the sagacity with which our -Highlander discovered the track, where often no track was visible to us, -and scarcely even when he pointed it out. It reminded us of what we read -of the Hottentots and other savages. He went on as confidently as if it -had been a turnpike road--the more surprising, as when he was there -before it must have been a plain track, for he told us that fishermen -from Arrochar carried herrings regularly over the mountains by that way -to Loch Ketterine when the glens were much more populous than now. - -Descended into Glengyle, above Loch Ketterine, and passed through Mr. -Macfarlane's grounds, that is, through the whole of the glen, where -there was now no house left but his. We stopped at his door to inquire -after the family, though with little hope of finding them at home, -having seen a large company at work in a hay field, whom we conjectured -to be his whole household--as it proved, except a servant-maid, who -answered our inquiries. We had sent the ferryman forward from the head -of the glen to bring the boat round from the place where he left it to -the other side of the lake. Passed the same farm-house we had such good -reason to remember, and went up to the burying-ground that stood so -sweetly near the water-side. The ferryman had told us that Rob Roy's -grave was there, so we could not pass on without going up to the spot. -There were several tomb-stones, but the inscriptions were either -worn-out or unintelligible to us, and the place choked up with nettles -and brambles. You will remember the description I have given of the -spot. I have nothing here to add, except the following poem[24] which it -suggested to William:-- - - [Footnote 24: See _Rob Roy's Grave_, in "Poetical Works," vol. ii. p. - 403.--ED.] - - A famous Man is Robin Hood, - The English Ballad-singer's joy, - And Scotland boasts of one as good, - She has her own Rob Roy! - - Then clear the weeds from off his grave, - And let us chaunt a passing stave - In honour of that Outlaw brave. - - Heaven gave Rob Roy a daring heart - And wondrous length and strength of arm, - Nor craved he more to quell his foes, - Or keep his friends from harm. - - Yet Robin was as wise as brave, - As wise in thought as bold in deed, - For in the principles of things - He sought his moral creed. - - Said generous Rob, "What need of books? - Burn all the statutes and their shelves: - They stir us up against our kind, - And worse, against ourselves. - - "We have a passion; make a law, - Too false to guide us or control: - And for the law itself we fight - In bitterness of soul. - - "And puzzled, blinded thus, we lose - Distinctions that are plain and few: - These find I graven on my heart: - That tells me what to do. - - "The Creatures see of flood and field, - And those that travel on the wind! - With them no strife can last; they live - In peace, and peace of mind. - - "For why? Because the good old rule - Suffices them, the simple plan - That they should take who have the power, - And they should keep who can. - - "A lesson which is quickly learn'd, - A signal this which all can see! - Thus nothing here provokes the strong - To tyrannous cruelty. - - "And freakishness of mind is check'd; - He tamed who foolishly aspires, - While to the measure of their might - All fashion their desires. - - "All kinds and creatures stand and fall - By strength of prowess or of wit, - 'Tis God's appointment who must sway, - And who is to submit. - - "Since then," said Robin, "right is plain, - And longest life is but a day; - To have my ends, maintain my rights, - I'll take the shortest way." - - And thus among these rocks he lived - Through summer's heat and winter's snow; - The Eagle, he was lord above, - And Rob was lord below. - - So was it--would at least have been - But through untowardness of fate; - For polity was then too strong: - He came an age too late. - - Or shall we say an age too soon? - For were the bold man living now, - How might he flourish in his pride - With buds on every bough? - - Then Rents and Land-marks, Rights of chase, - Sheriffs and Factors, Lairds and Thanes, - Would all have seem'd but paltry things - Not worth a moment's pains. - - Rob Roy had never linger'd here, - To these few meagre vales confined, - But thought how wide the world, the times - How fairly to his mind. - - And to his Sword he would have said, - "Do thou my sovereign will enact - From land to land through half the earth; - Judge thou of law and fact. - - "'Tis fit that we should do our part; - Becoming that mankind should learn - That we are not to be surpass'd - In fatherly concern. - - "Of old things all are over old, - Of good things none are good enough; - I'll shew that I can help to frame - A world of other stuff. - - "I, too, will have my Kings that take - From me the sign of life and death, - Kingdoms shall shift about like clouds - Obedient to my breath." - - And if the word had been fulfill'd - As might have been, then, thought of joy! - France would have had her present Boast, - And we our brave Rob Roy. - - Oh! say not so, compare them not; - I would not wrong thee, Champion brave! - Would wrong thee nowhere; least of all - Here, standing by thy Grave. - - For thou, although with some wild thoughts, - Wild Chieftain of a savage Clan, - Hadst this to boast of--thou didst love - The Liberty of Man. - - And had it been thy lot to live - With us who now behold the light, - Thou wouldst have nobly stirr'd thyself, - And battled for the right. - - For Robin was the poor man's stay; - The poor man's heart, the poor man's hand, - And all the oppress'd who wanted strength - Had Robin's to command. - - Bear witness many a pensive sigh - Of thoughtful Herdsman when he strays - Alone upon Loch Veol's heights, - And by Loch Lomond's Braes. - - And far and near, through vale and hill, - Are faces that attest the same; - Kindling with instantaneous joy - At sound of Rob Roy's name. - -Soon after we saw our boat coming over the calm water. It was late in -the evening, and I was stiff and weary, as well I might, after such a -long and toilsome walk, so it was no poor gratification to sit down and -be conscious of advancing in our journey without further labour. The -stars were beginning to appear, but the brightness of the west was not -yet gone;--the lake perfectly still, and when we first went into the -boat we rowed almost close to the shore under steep crags hung with -birches: it was like a new-discovered country of which we had not -dreamed, for in walking down the lake, owing to the road in that part -being carried at a considerable height on the hill-side, the rocks and -the indentings of the shore had been hidden from us. At this time, those -rocks and their images in the calm water composed one mass, the surfaces -of both equally distinct, except where the water trembled with the -motion of our boat. Having rowed a while under the bold steeps, we -launched out further when the shores were no longer abrupt. We hardly -spoke to each other as we moved along receding from the west, which -diffused a solemn animation over the lake. The sky was cloudless; and -everything seemed at rest except our solitary boat, and the -mountain-streams,--seldom heard, and but faintly. I think I have rarely -experienced a more elevated pleasure than during our short voyage of -this night. The good woman had long been looking out for us, and had -prepared everything for our refreshment; and as soon as we had finished -supper, or rather tea, we went to bed. William, I doubt not, rested -well, and, for my part, I slept as soundly on my chaff bed as ever I -have done in childhood after the long day's playing of a summer's -holiday. - - -_Tuesday, 13th September._--Again a fine morning. I strolled into the -green field in which the house stands while the woman was preparing -breakfast, and at my return found one of her neighbours sitting by the -fire, a feeble paralytic old woman. After having inquired concerning our -journey the day before, she said, "I have travelled far in my time," and -told me she had married an English soldier who had been stationed at the -Garrison; they had had many children, who were all dead or in foreign -countries; and she had returned to her native place, where now she had -lived several years, and was more comfortable than she could ever have -expected to be, being very kindly dealt with by all her neighbours. -Pointing to the ferryman and his wife, she said they were accustomed to -give her a day of their labour in digging peats, in common with others, -and in that manner she was provided with fuel, and, by like voluntary -contributions, with other necessaries. While this infirm old woman was -relating her story in a tremulous voice, I could not but think of the -changes of things, and the days of her youth, when the shrill fife, -sounding from the walls of the Garrison, made a merry noise through the -echoing hills. I asked myself, if she were to be carried again to the -deserted spot after her course of life, no doubt a troublesome one, -would the silence appear to her the silence of desolation or of peace? - -After breakfast we took a final leave of our hostess, and, attended by -her husband, again set forward on foot. My limbs were a little stiff, -but the morning being uncommonly fine I did not fear to aim at the -accomplishment of a plan we had laid of returning to Callander by a -considerable circuit. We were to go over the mountains from Loch -Ketterine, a little below the ferry-house on the same side of the water, -descending to Loch Voil, a lake from which issues the stream that flows -through Strath Eyer into Loch Lubnaig. Our road, as is generally the -case in passing from one vale into another, was through a settling -between the hills, not far from a small stream. We had to climb -considerably, the mountain being much higher than it appears to be, -owing to its retreating in what looks like a gradual slope from the -lake, though we found it steep enough in the climbing. Our guide had -been born near Loch Voil, and he told us that at the head of the lake, -if we would look about for it, we should see the burying-place of a part -of his family, the MacGregors, a clan who had long possessed that -district, a circumstance which he related with no unworthy pride of -ancestry. We shook hands with him at parting, not without a hope of -again entering his hut in company with others whom we loved. - -Continued to walk for some time along the top of the hill, having the -high mountains of Loch Voil before us, and Ben Lomond and the steeps of -Loch Ketterine behind. Came to several deserted mountain huts or shiels, -and rested for some time beside one of them, upon a hillock of its green -plot of monumental herbage. William here conceived the notion of writing -an ode upon the affecting subject of those relics of human society found -in that grand and solitary region. The spot of ground where we sate was -even beautiful, the grass being uncommonly verdant, and of a remarkably -soft and silky texture. - -After this we rested no more till we came to the foot of the mountain, -where there was a cottage, at the door of which a woman invited me to -drink some whey: this I did, while William went to inquire respecting -the road at a new stone house a few steps further. He was told to cross -the brook, and proceed to the other side of the vale, and that no -further directions were necessary, for we should find ourselves at the -head of the lake, and on a plain road which would lead us downward. We -waded the river and crossed the vale, perhaps half a mile or more. The -mountains all round are very high; the vale pastoral and unenclosed, not -many dwellings, and but few trees; the mountains in general smooth near -the bottom. They are in large unbroken masses, combining with the vale -to give an impression of bold simplicity. - -Near the head of the lake, at some distance from us, we discovered the -burial-place of the MacGregors, and did not view it without some -interest, with its ornamental balls on the four corners of the wall, -which, I daresay, have been often looked at with elevation of heart by -our honest friend of Loch Ketterine. The lake is divided right across by -a narrow slip of flat land, making a small lake at the head of the large -one. The whole may be about five miles long. - -As we descended, the scene became more fertile, our way being pleasantly -varied--through coppices or open fields, and passing farm-houses, -though always with an intermixture of uncultivated ground. It was -harvest-time, and the fields were quietly--might I be allowed to say -pensively?--enlivened by small companies of reapers. It is not uncommon -in the more lonely parts of the Highlands to see a single person so -employed. The following poem was suggested to William by a beautiful -sentence in Thomas Wilkinson's _Tour in Scotland_:[25] - - [Footnote 25: See _The Solitary Reaper_, in "Poetical Works," vol. ii. - p. 397, with note appended.--ED.] - - Behold her single in the field, - Yon solitary Highland Lass, - Reaping and singing by herself-- - Stop here, or gently pass. - Alone she cuts and binds the grain, - And sings a melancholy strain. - Oh! listen, for the Vale profound - Is overflowing with the sound. - - No nightingale did ever chaunt - So sweetly to reposing bands - Of travellers in some shady haunt - Among Arabian Sands; - No sweeter voice was ever heard - In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird - Breaking the silence of the seas - Among the farthest Hebrides. - - Will no one tell me what she sings? - Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow - For old unhappy far-off things, - And battles long ago;-- - Or is it some more humble lay-- - Familiar matter of to-day-- - Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain - That has been, and may be again? - - Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sung - As if her song could have no ending; - I saw her singing at her work, - And o'er the sickle bending; - I listen'd till I had my fill, - And as I mounted up the hill - The music in my heart I bore - Long after it was heard no more. - -Towards the foot of the lake, on the opposite side, which was more -barren than that on which we travelled, was a bare road up a steep hill, -which leads to Glen Finlas, formerly a royal forest. It is a wild and -rocky glen, as we had been told by a person who directed our notice to -its outlet at Loch Achray. The stream which passes through it falls into -that lake near the head. At the end of Loch Voil the vale is wide and -populous--large pastures with many cattle, large tracts of corn. We -walked downwards a little way, and then crossed over to the same road -along which we had travelled from Loch Erne to Callander, being once -again at the entrance of Strath Eyer. It might be about four or five -o'clock in the afternoon; we were ten miles from Callander, exceedingly -tired, and wished heartily for the poor horse and car. Walked up Strath -Eyer, and saw in clear air and sunshine what had been concealed from us -when we travelled before in the mist and rain. We found it less woody -and rich than it had appeared to be, but, with all deductions, a very -sweet valley. - -Not far from Loch Lubnaig, though not in view of it, is a long village, -with two or three public-houses, and being in despair of reaching -Callander that night without over-fatigue we resolved to stop at the -most respectable-looking house, and, should it not prove wretched -indeed, to lodge there if there were beds for us: at any rate it was -necessary to take some refreshment. The woman of the house spoke with -gentleness and civility, and had a good countenance, which reconciled me -to stay, though I had been averse to the scheme, dreading the dirt usual -in Scotch public-houses by the way-side. She said she had beds for us, -and clean sheets, and we desired her to prepare them immediately. It was -a two-storied house, light built, though in other respects no better -than the huts, and--as all the slated cottages are--much more -uncomfortable in appearance, except that there was a chimney in the -kitchen. At such places it is fit that travellers should make up their -minds to wait at least an hour longer than the time necessary to prepare -whatever meal they may have ordered, which we, I may truly say, did with -most temperate philosophy. I went to talk with the mistress, who was -baking barley cakes, which she wrought out with her hands as thin as the -oaten bread we make in Cumberland. I asked her why she did not use a -rolling-pin, and if it would not be much more convenient, to which she -returned me no distinct answer, and seemed to give little attention to -the question: she did not know, or that was what they were used to, or -something of the sort. It was a tedious process, and I thought could -scarcely have been managed if the cakes had been as large as ours; but -they are considerably smaller, which is a great loss of time in the -baking. - -This woman, whose common language was the Gaelic, talked with me a very -good English, asking many questions, yet without the least appearance of -an obtrusive or impertinent curiosity; and indeed I must say that I -never, in those women with whom I conversed, observed anything on which -I could put such a construction. They seemed to have a faith ready for -all; and as a child when you are telling him stories, asks for "more, -more," so they appeared to delight in being amused without effort of -their own minds. Among other questions she asked me the old one over -again, if I was married; and when I told her that I was not, she -appeared surprised, and, as if recollecting herself, said to me, with a -pious seriousness and perfect simplicity, "To be sure, there is a great -promise for virgins in Heaven"; and then she began to tell how long she -had been married, that she had had a large family and much sickness and -sorrow, having lost several of her children. We had clean sheets and -decent beds. - - -_Wednesday, September 14th._--Rose early, and departed before breakfast. -The morning was dry, but cold. Travelled as before, along the shores of -Loch Lubnaig, and along the pass of the roaring stream of Leny, and -reached Callander at a little past eight o'clock. After breakfast set -off towards Stirling, intending to sleep there; the distance eighteen -miles. We were now entering upon a populous and more cultivated country, -having left the mountains behind, therefore I shall have little to tell; -for what is most interesting in such a country is not to be seen in -passing through it as we did. Half way between Callander and Stirling is -the village of Doune, and a little further on we crossed a bridge over a -pleasant river, the Teith. Above the river stands a ruined castle of -considerable size, upon a woody bank. We wished to have had time to go -up to the ruin. Long before we reached the town of Stirling, saw the -Castle, single, on its stately and commanding eminence. The rock or -hill rises from a level plain; the print in Stoddart's book does indeed -give a good notion of its form. The surrounding plain appears to be of a -rich soil, well cultivated. The crops of ripe corn were abundant. We -found the town quite full; not a vacant room in the inn, it being the -time of the assizes: there was no lodging for us, and hardly even the -possibility of getting anything to eat in a bye-nook of the house. -Walked up to the Castle. The prospect from it is very extensive, and -must be exceedingly grand on a fine evening or morning, with the light -of the setting or rising sun on the distant mountains, but we saw it at -an unfavourable time of day, the mid-afternoon, and were not favoured by -light and shade. The Forth makes most intricate and curious turnings, so -that it is difficult to trace them, even when you are overlooking the -whole. It flows through a perfect level, and in one place cuts its way -in the form of a large figure of eight. Stirling is the largest town we -had seen in Scotland, except Glasgow. It is an old irregular place; the -streets towards the Castle on one side very steep. On the other, the -hill or rock rises from the fields. The architecture of a part of the -Castle is very fine, and the whole building in good repair: some parts -indeed, are modern. At Stirling we bought Burns's Poems in one volume, -for two shillings. Went on to Falkirk, ten or eleven miles. I do not -recollect anything remarkable after we were out of sight of Stirling -Castle, except the Carron Ironworks, seen at a distance;--the sky above -them was red with a fiery light. In passing through a turnpike gate we -were greeted by a Highland drover, who, with many others, was coming -from a fair at Falkirk, the road being covered all along with horsemen -and cattle. He spoke as if we had been well known to him, asking us how -we had fared on our journey. We were at a loss to conceive why he should -interest himself about us, till he said he had passed us on the Black -Mountain, near King's House. It was pleasant to observe the effect of -solitary places in making men friends, and to see so much kindness, -which had been produced in such a chance encounter, retained in a crowd. -No beds in the inns at Falkirk--every room taken up by the people come -to the fair. Lodged in a private house, a neat clean place--kind -treatment from the old man and his daughter. - - -_Thursday, September 15th._--Breakfasted at Linlithgow, a small town. -The house is yet shown from which the Regent Murray was shot. The -remains of a royal palace, where Queen Mary was born, are of -considerable extent; the banks of gardens and fish-ponds may yet be -distinctly traced, though the whole surface is transformed into smooth -pasturage where cattle graze. The castle stands upon a gentle eminence, -the prospect not particularly pleasing, though not otherwise; it is bare -and wide. The shell of a small ancient church is standing, into which -are crammed modern pews, galleries, and pulpit--very ugly, and -discordant with the exterior. Nothing very interesting till we came to -Edinburgh. Dined by the way at a small town or village upon a hill, the -back part of the houses on one side overlooking an extensive prospect -over flat corn fields. I mention this for the sake of a pleasant hour we -passed sitting on the bank, where we read some of Burns's poems in the -volume which we had bought at Stirling. - -Arrived at Edinburgh a little before sunset. As we approached, the -Castle rock resembled that of Stirling--in the same manner appearing to -rise from a plain of cultivated ground, the Firth of Forth being on the -other side, and not visible. Drove to the White Hart in the Grassmarket, -an inn which had been mentioned to us, and which we conjectured would -better suit us than one in a more fashionable part of the town. It was -not noisy, and tolerably cheap. Drank tea, and walked up to the Castle, -which luckily was very near. Much of the daylight was gone, so that -except it had been a clear evening, which it was not, we could not have -seen the distant prospect. - - -_Friday, September 16th._--The sky the evening before, as you may -remember the ostler told us, had been "gay and dull," and this morning -it was downright dismal: very dark, and promising nothing but a wet day, -and before breakfast was over the rain began, though not heavily. We set -out upon our walk, and went through many streets to Holyrood House, and -thence to the hill called Arthur's Seat, a high hill, very rocky at the -top, and below covered with smooth turf, on which sheep were feeding. We -climbed up till we came to St. Anthony's Well and Chapel, as it is -called, but it is more like a hermitage than a chapel,--a small ruin, -which from its situation is exceedingly interesting, though in itself -not remarkable. We sate down on a stone not far from the chapel, -overlooking a pastoral hollow as wild and solitary as any in the heart -of the Highland mountains: there, instead of the roaring of torrents, we -listened to the noises of the city, which were blended in one loud -indistinct buzz,--a regular sound in the air, which in certain moods of -feeling, and at certain times, might have a more tranquillizing effect -upon the mind than those which we are accustomed to hear in such places. -The Castle rock looked exceedingly large through the misty air: a cloud -of black smoke overhung the city, which combined with the rain and mist -to conceal the shapes of the houses,--an obscurity which added much to -the grandeur of the sound that proceeded from it. It was impossible to -think of anything that was little or mean, the goings-on of trade, the -strife of men, or every-day city business:--the impression was one, and -it was visionary; like the conceptions of our childhood of Bagdad or -Balsora when we have been reading the Arabian Nights' Entertainments. -Though the rain was very heavy we remained upon the hill for some time, -then returned by the same road by which we had come, through green flat -fields, formerly the pleasure-grounds of Holyrood House, on the edge of -which stands the old roofless chapel, of venerable architecture. It is a -pity that it should be suffered to fall down, for the walls appear to be -yet entire. Very near to the chapel is Holyrood House, which we could -not but lament has nothing ancient in its appearance, being -sash-windowed and not an irregular pile. It is very like a building for -some national establishment,--a hospital for soldiers or sailors. You -have a description of it in Stoddart's Tour, therefore I need not tell -you what we saw there. - -When we found ourselves once again in the streets of the city, we -lamented over the heavy rain, and indeed before leaving the hill, much -as we were indebted to the accident of the rain for the peculiar -grandeur and affecting wildness of those objects we saw, we could not -but regret that the Firth of Forth was entirely hidden from us, and all -distant objects, and we strained our eyes till they ached, vainly trying -to pierce through the thick mist. We walked industriously through the -streets, street after street, and, in spite of wet and dirt, were -exceedingly delighted. The old town, with its irregular houses, stage -above stage, seen as we saw it, in the obscurity of a rainy day, hardly -resembles the work of men, it is more like a piling up of rocks, and I -cannot attempt to describe what we saw so imperfectly, but must say -that, high as my expectations had been raised, the city of Edinburgh far -surpassed all expectation. Gladly would we have stayed another day, but -could not afford more time, and our notions of the weather of Scotland -were so dismal, notwithstanding we ourselves had been so much favoured, -that we had no hope of its mending. So at about six o'clock in the -evening we departed, intending to sleep at an inn in the village of -Roslin, about five miles from Edinburgh. The rain continued till we were -almost at Roslin; but then it was quite dark, so we did not see the -Castle that night. - - -_Saturday, September 17th._--The morning very fine. We rose early and -walked through the glen of Roslin, past Hawthornden, and considerably -further, to the house of Mr. Walter Scott at Lasswade. Roslin Castle -stands upon a woody bank above a stream, the North Esk, too large, I -think, to be called a brook, yet an inconsiderable river. We looked down -upon the ruin from higher ground. Near it stands the Chapel, a most -elegant building, a ruin, though the walls and roof are entire. I never -passed through a more delicious dell than the glen of Roslin, though the -water of the stream is dingy and muddy. The banks are rocky on each -side, and hung with pine wood. About a mile from the Castle, on the -contrary side of the water, upon the edge of a very steep bank, stands -Hawthornden, the house of Drummond the poet, whither Ben Jonson came on -foot from London to visit his friend. We did hear to whom the house at -present belongs, and some other particulars, but I have a very -indistinct recollection of what was told us, except that many old trees -had been lately cut down. After Hawthornden the glen widens, ceases to -be rocky, and spreads out into a rich vale, scattered over with -gentlemen's seats. - -Arrived at Lasswade before Mr. and Mrs. Scott had risen, and waited some -time in a large sitting-room. Breakfasted with them, and stayed till two -o'clock, and Mr. Scott accompanied us back almost to Roslin, having -given us directions respecting our future journey, and promised to meet -us at Melrose two days after.[26] - - [Footnote 26: See Lockhart's _Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter - Scott_, vol. i. pp. 402-7, for an account of this visit. Lockhart - says, "I have drawn up the account of this meeting from my - recollection, partly of Mr. W.'s conversation, partly from that of his - sister's charming 'Diary,' which he was so kind as to read to me on - the 16th May 1836."--ED.] - -We ordered dinner on our return to the inn, and went to view the inside -of the Chapel of Roslin, which is kept locked up, and so preserved from -the injuries it might otherwise receive from idle boys; but as nothing -is done to keep it together, it must in the end fall. The architecture -within is exquisitely beautiful. The stone both of the roof and walls is -sculptured with leaves and flowers, so delicately wrought that I could -have admired them for hours, and the whole of their groundwork is -stained by time with the softest colours. Some of those leaves and -flowers were tinged perfectly green, and at one part the effect was most -exquisite: three or four leaves of a small fern, resembling that which -we call adder's tongue, grew round a cluster of them at the top of a -pillar, and the natural product and the artificial were so intermingled -that at first it was not easy to distinguish the living plant from the -other, they being of an equally determined green, though the fern was of -a deeper shade. - -We set forward again after dinner. The afternoon was pleasant. Travelled -through large tracts of ripe corn, interspersed with larger tracts of -moorland--the houses at a considerable distance from each other, no -longer thatched huts, but farm-houses resembling those of the farming -counties in England, having many corn-stacks close to them. Dark when we -reached Peebles; found a comfortable old-fashioned public-house, had a -neat parlour, and drank tea. - - -_SIXTH WEEK_ - -_Sunday, September 18th._--The town of Peebles is on the banks of the -Tweed. After breakfast walked up the river to Neidpath Castle, about a -mile and a half from the town. The castle stands upon a green hill, -overlooking the Tweed, a strong square-towered edifice, neglected and -desolate, though not in ruin, the garden overgrown with grass, and the -high walls that fenced it broken down. The Tweed winds between green -steeps, upon which, and close to the river-side, large flocks of sheep -pasturing; higher still are the grey mountains; but I need not describe -the scene, for William has done it better than I could do in a sonnet -which he wrote the same day; the five last lines, at least, of his poem -will impart to you more of the feeling of the place than it would be -possible for me to do:[27]-- - - [Footnote 27: See in the "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland, 1803," the - _Sonnet composed at ---- Castle_.--ED.] - - Degenerate Douglas! thou unworthy Lord - Whom mere despite of heart could so far please, - And love of havoc (for with such disease - Fame taxes him) that he could send forth word - To level with the dust a noble horde, - A brotherhood of venerable trees, - Leaving an ancient Dome and Towers like these - Beggar'd and outraged! Many hearts deplored - The fate of those old Trees; and oft with pain - The Traveller at this day will stop and gaze - On wrongs which Nature scarcely seems to heed; - For shelter'd places, bosoms, nooks, and bays, - And the pure mountains, and the gentle Tweed, - And the green silent pastures yet remain. - -_I_ was spared any regret for the fallen woods when we were there, not -then knowing the history of them. The soft low mountains, the castle, -and the decayed pleasure-grounds, the scattered trees which have been -left in different parts, and the road carried in a very beautiful line -along the side of the hill, with the Tweed murmuring through the -unfenced green pastures spotted with sheep, together composed an -harmonious scene, and I wished for nothing that was not there. When we -were with Mr. Scott he spoke of cheerful days he had spent in that -castle not many years ago, when it was inhabited by Professor Ferguson -and his family, whom the Duke of Queensberry, its churlish owner, forced -to quit it. We discovered a very fine echo within a few yards of the -building. - -The town of Peebles looks very pretty from the road in returning: it is -an old town, built of grey stone, the same as the castle. Well-dressed -people were going to church. Sent the car before, and walked ourselves, -and while going along the main street William was called aside in a -mysterious manner by a person who gravely examined him--whether he was -an Irishman or a foreigner, or what he was; I suppose our car was the -occasion of suspicion at a time when every one was talking of the -threatened invasion. We had a day's journey before us along the banks of -the Tweed, a name which has been sweet to my ears almost as far back as -I can remember anything. After the first mile or two our road was seldom -far from the river, which flowed in gentleness, though perhaps never -silent; the hills on either side high and sometimes stony, but excellent -pasturage for sheep. In some parts the vale was wholly of this pastoral -character, in others we saw extensive tracts of corn ground, even -spreading along whole hill-sides, and without visible fences, which is -dreary in a flat country; but there is no dreariness on the banks of the -Tweed,--the hills, whether smooth or stony, uncultivated or covered with -ripe corn, had the same pensive softness. Near the corn tracts were -large farm-houses, with many corn-stacks; the stacks and house and -out-houses together, I recollect, in one or two places upon the hills, -at a little distance, seemed almost as large as a small village or -hamlet. It was a clear autumnal day, without wind, and, being Sunday, -the business of the harvest was suspended, and all that we saw, and -felt, and heard, combined to excite one sensation of pensive and still -pleasure. - -Passed by several old halls yet inhabited, and others in ruin; but I -have hardly a sufficiently distinct recollection of any of them to be -able to describe them, and I now at this distance of time regret that I -did not take notes. In one very sweet part of the vale a gate crossed -the road, which was opened by an old woman who lived in a cottage close -to it; I said to her, "You live in a very pretty place!" "Yes," she -replied, "the water of Tweed is a bonny water." The lines of the hills -are flowing and beautiful, the reaches of the vale long; in some places -appear the remains of a forest, in others you will see as lovely a -combination of forms as any traveller who goes in search of the -picturesque need desire, and yet perhaps without a single tree; or at -least if trees there are, they shall be very few, and he shall not care -whether they are there or not. - -The road took us through one long village, but I do not recollect any -other; yet I think we never had a mile's length before us without a -house, though seldom several cottages together. The loneliness of the -scattered dwellings, the more stately edifices decaying or in ruin, or, -if inhabited, not in their pride and freshness, aided the general effect -of the gently varying scenes, which was that of tender pensiveness; no -bursting torrents when we were there, but the murmuring of the river was -heard distinctly, often blended with the bleating of sheep. In one place -we saw a shepherd lying in the midst of a flock upon a sunny knoll, with -his face towards the sky,--happy picture of shepherd life. - -The transitions of this vale were all gentle except one, a scene of -which a gentleman's house was the centre, standing low in the vale, the -hills above it covered with gloomy fir plantations, and the appearance -of the house itself, though it could scarcely be seen, was gloomy. There -was an allegorical air--a person fond of Spenser will understand me--in -this uncheerful spot, single in such a country, - - "The house was hearsed about with a black wood." - -We have since heard that it was the residence of Lord Traquair, a Roman -Catholic nobleman, of a decayed family. - -We left the Tweed when we were within about a mile and a half or two -miles of Clovenford, where we were to lodge. Turned up the side of a -hill, and went along sheep-grounds till we reached the spot--a single -stone house, without a tree near it or to be seen from it. On our -mentioning Mr. Scott's name the woman of the house showed us all -possible civility, but her slowness was really amusing. I should suppose -it is a house little frequented, for there is no appearance of an inn. -Mr. Scott, who she told me was a very clever gentleman, "goes there in -the fishing season"; but indeed Mr. Scott is respected everywhere: I -believe that by favour of his name one might be hospitably entertained -throughout all the borders of Scotland. We dined and drank tea--did not -walk out, for there was no temptation; a confined barren prospect from -the window. - -At Clovenford, being so near to the Yarrow, we could not but think of -the possibility of going thither, but came to the conclusion of -reserving the pleasure for some future time, in consequence of which, -after our return, William wrote the poem which I shall here -transcribe:[28]-- - - [Footnote 28: See in "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland, 1803," _Yarrow - Unvisited_.--ED.] - - From Stirling Castle we had seen - The mazy Forth unravell'd, - Had trod the banks of Clyde and Tay, - And with the Tweed had travell'd. - And when we came to Clovenford, - Then said my winsome Marrow, - "Whate'er betide we'll turn aside - And see the Braes of Yarrow." - - "Let Yarrow Folk frae Selkirk Town, - Who have been buying, selling, - Go back to Yarrow:--'tis their own, - Each Maiden to her dwelling. - On Yarrow's banks let herons feed, - Hares couch, and rabbits burrow, - But we will downwards with the Tweed, - Nor turn aside to Yarrow. - - "There's Gala Water, Leader Haughs, - Both lying right before us; - And Dryburgh, where with chiming Tweed - The lintwhites sing in chorus. - There's pleasant Teviot Dale, a land - Made blithe with plough and harrow, - Why throw away a needful day, - To go in search of Yarrow? - - "What's Yarrow but a river bare, - That glides the dark hills under? - There are a thousand such elsewhere, - As worthy of your wonder." - Strange words they seem'd of slight and scorn, - My true-love sigh'd for sorrow, - And look'd me in the face to think - I thus could speak of Yarrow. - - "Oh! green," said I, "are Yarrow's Holms, - And sweet is Yarrow flowing, - Fair hangs the apple frae the rock, - But we will leave it growing. - O'er hilly path and open Strath - We'll wander Scotland thorough, - But though so near we will not turn - Into the Dale of Yarrow. - - "Let beeves and home-bred kine partake - The sweets of Burnmill Meadow, - The swan on still St. Mary's Lake - Float double, swan and shadow. - We will not see them, will not go, - To-day nor yet to-morrow; - Enough if in our hearts we know - There's such a place as Yarrow. - - "Be Yarrow stream unseen, unknown, - It must, or we shall rue it, - We have a vision of our own, - Ah! why should we undo it? - The treasured dreams of times long past, - We'll keep them, 'winsome Marrow,' - For when we're there, although 'tis fair, - 'Twill be another Yarrow. - - "If care with freezing years should come, - And wandering seem but folly, - Should we be loth to stir from home, - And yet be melancholy, - Should life be dull and spirits low, - 'Twill sooth us in our sorrow - That earth hath something yet to show-- - The bonny Holms of Yarrow." - -The next day we were to meet Mr. Scott, and again join the Tweed. I wish -I could have given you a better idea of what we saw between Peebles and -this place. I have most distinct recollections of the effect of the -whole day's journey; but the objects are mostly melted together in my -memory, and though I should recognise them if we revisit the place, I -cannot call them out so as to represent them to you with distinctness. -William, in attempting in verse to describe this part of the Tweed, says -of it, - - More pensive in sunshine - Than others in moonshine, - -which perhaps may give you more power to conceive what it is than all I -have said. - - -_Monday, September 19th._--We rose early, and went to Melrose, six -miles, before breakfast. After ascending a hill, descended, and -overlooked a dell, on the opposite side of which was an old mansion, -surrounded with trees and steep gardens, a curious and pleasing, yet -melancholy spot; for the house and gardens were evidently going to -decay, and the whole of the small dell, except near the house, was -unenclosed and uncultivated, being a sheep-walk to the top of the hills. -Descended to Gala Water, a pretty stream, but much smaller than the -Tweed, into which the brook flows from the glen I have spoken of. Near -the Gala is a large modern house, the situation very pleasant, but the -old building which we had passed put to shame the fresh colouring and -meagre outline of the new one. Went through a part of the village of -Galashiels, pleasantly situated on the bank of the stream; a pretty -place it once has been, but a manufactory is established there; and a -townish bustle and ugly stone houses are fast taking place of the -brown-roofed thatched cottages, of which a great number yet remain, -partly overshadowed by trees. Left the Gala, and, after crossing the -open country, came again to the Tweed, and pursued our way as before -near the river, perhaps for a mile or two, till we arrived at Melrose. -The valley for this short space was not so pleasing as before, the hills -more broken, and though the cultivation was general, yet the scene was -not rich, while it had lost its pastoral simplicity. At Melrose the vale -opens out wide; but the hills are high all round--single distinct -risings. After breakfast we went out, intending to go to the Abbey, and -in the street met Mr. Scott, who gave us a cordial greeting, and -conducted us thither himself. He was here on his own ground, for he is -familiar with all that is known of the authentic history of Melrose and -the popular tales connected with it. He pointed out many pieces of -beautiful sculpture in obscure corners which would have escaped our -notice. The Abbey has been built of a pale red stone; that part which -was first erected of a very durable kind, the sculptured flowers and -leaves and other minute ornaments being as perfect in many places as -when first wrought. The ruin is of considerable extent, but -unfortunately it is almost surrounded by insignificant houses, so that -when you are close to it you see it entirely separated from many rural -objects, and even when viewed from a distance the situation does not -seem to be particularly happy, for the vale is broken and disturbed, and -the Abbey at a distance from the river, so that you do not look upon -them as companions of each other. And surely this is a national -barbarism: within these beautiful walls is the ugliest church that was -ever beheld--if it had been hewn out of the side of a hill it could not -have been more dismal; there was no neatness, nor even decency, and it -appeared to be so damp, and so completely excluded from fresh air, that -it must be dangerous to sit in it; the floor is unpaved, and very rough. -What a contrast to the beautiful and graceful order apparent in every -part of the ancient design and workmanship! Mr. Scott went with us into -the gardens and orchards of a Mr. Riddel, from which we had a very sweet -view of the Abbey through trees, the town being entirely excluded. Dined -with Mr. Scott at the inn; he was now travelling to the assizes at -Jedburgh in his character of Sheriff of Selkirk, and on that account, as -well as for his own sake, he was treated with great respect, a small -part of which was vouchsafed to us as his friends, though I could not -persuade the woman to show me the beds, or to make any sort of promise -till she was assured from the Sheriff himself that he had no objection -to sleep in the same room with William. - - -_Tuesday, September 20th._--Mr. Scott departed very early for Jedburgh, -and we soon followed, intending to go by Dryburgh to Kelso. It was a -fine morning. We went without breakfast, being told that there was a -public-house at Dryburgh. The road was very pleasant, seldom out of -sight of the Tweed for any length of time, though not often close to it. -The valley is not so pleasantly defined as between Peebles and -Clovenford, yet so soft and beautiful, and in many parts pastoral, but -that peculiar and pensive simplicity which I have spoken of before was -wanting, yet there was a fertility chequered with wildness which to many -travellers would be more than a compensation. The reaches of the vale -were shorter, the turnings more rapid, the banks often clothed with -wood. In one place was a lofty scar, at another a green promontory, a -small hill skirted by the river, the hill above irregular and green, and -scattered over with trees. We wished we could have brought the ruins of -Melrose to that spot, and mentioned this to Mr. Scott, who told us that -the monks had first fixed their abode there, and raised a temporary -building of wood. The monastery of Melrose was founded by a colony from -Rievaux Abbey in Yorkshire, which building it happens to resemble in the -colour of the stone, and I think partly in the style of architecture, -but is much smaller, that is, has been much smaller, for there is not at -Rievaux any one single part of the ruin so large as the remains of the -church at Melrose, though at Rievaux a far more extensive ruin remains. -It is also much grander, and the situation at present much more -beautiful, that ruin not having suffered like Melrose Abbey from the -encroachments of a town. The architecture at Melrose is, I believe, -superior in the exactness and taste of some of the minute ornamental -parts; indeed, it is impossible to conceive anything more delicate than -the workmanship, especially in the imitations of flowers. - -We descended to Dryburgh after having gone a considerable way upon high -ground. A heavy rain when we reached the village, and there was no -public-house. A well-dressed, well-spoken woman courteously--shall I say -charitably?--invited us into her cottage, and permitted us to make -breakfast; she showed us into a neat parlour, furnished with prints, a -mahogany table, and other things which I was surprised to see, for her -husband was only a day-labourer, but she had been Lady Buchan's -waiting-maid, which accounted for these luxuries and for a noticeable -urbanity in her manners. All the cottages in this neighbourhood, if I am -not mistaken, were covered with red tiles, and had chimneys. After -breakfast we set out in the rain to the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, which -are near Lord Buchan's house, and, like Bothwell Castle, appropriated to -the pleasure of the owner. We rang a bell at the gate, and, instead of a -porter, an old woman came to open it through a narrow side-alley cut in -a thick plantation of evergreens. On entering, saw the thatch of her hut -just above the trees, and it looked very pretty, but the poor creature -herself was a figure to frighten a child,--bowed almost double, having a -hooked nose and overhanging eyebrows, a complexion stained brown with -smoke, and a cap that might have been worn for months and never washed. -No doubt she had been cowering over her peat fire, for if she had -emitted smoke by her breath and through every pore, the odour could not -have been stronger. This ancient woman, by right of office, attended us -to show off the curiosities, and she had her tale as perfect, though it -was not quite so long a one, as the gentleman Swiss, whom I remember to -have seen at Blenheim with his slender wand and dainty white clothes. -The house of Lord Buchan and the Abbey stand upon a large flat -peninsula, a green holm almost covered with fruit-trees. The ruins of -Dryburgh are much less extensive than those of Melrose, and greatly -inferior both in the architecture and stone, which is much mouldered -away. Lord Buchan has trained pear-trees along the walls, which are -bordered with flowers and gravel walks, and he has made a pigeon-house, -and a fine room in the ruin, ornamented with a curiously-assorted -collection of busts of eminent men, in which lately a ball was given; -yet, deducting for all these improvements, which are certainly much less -offensive than you could imagine, it is a very sweet ruin, standing so -enclosed in wood, which the towers overtop, that you cannot know that it -is not in a state of natural desolation till you are close to it. The -opposite bank of the Tweed is steep and woody, but unfortunately many of -the trees are firs. The old woman followed us after the fashion of other -guides, but being slower of foot than a younger person, it was not -difficult to slip away from the scent of her poor smoke-dried body. She -was sedulous in pointing out the curiosities, which, I doubt not, she -had a firm belief were not to be surpassed in England or Scotland. - -Having promised us a sight of the largest and oldest yew-tree ever seen, -she conducted us to it; it was a goodly tree, but a mere dwarf compared -with several of our own country--not to speak of the giant of Lorton. We -returned to the cottage, and waited some time in hopes that the rain -would abate, but it grew worse and worse, and we were obliged to give up -our journey, to Kelso, taking the direct road to Jedburgh. - -We had to ford the Tweed, a wide river at the crossing-place. It would -have been impossible to drive the horse through, for he had not -forgotten the fright at Connel Ferry, so we hired a man to lead us. -After crossing the water, the road goes up the bank, and we had a -beautiful view of the ruins of the Abbey, peering above the trees of the -woody peninsula, which, in shape, resembles that formed by the Tees at -Lickburn, but is considerably smaller. Lord Buchan's house is a very -neat, modest building, and almost hidden by trees. It soon began to rain -heavily. Crossing the Teviot by a stone bridge--the vale in that part -very wide--there was a great deal of ripe corn, but a want of trees, and -no appearance of richness. Arrived at Jedburgh half an hour before the -Judges were expected out of Court to dinner. - -We gave in our passport--the name of Mr. Scott, the Sheriff--and were -very civilly treated, but there was no vacant room in the house except -the Judge's sitting-room, and we wanted to have a fire, being -exceedingly wet and cold. I was conducted into that room, on condition -that I would give it up the moment the Judge came from Court.[29] After -I had put off my wet clothes I went up into a bedroom, and sate -shivering there, till the people of the inn had procured lodgings for us -in a private house. - - [Footnote 29: Compare Lockhart's _Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter - Scott_, vol. i. p. 403.--ED.] - -We were received with hearty welcome by a good woman, who, though above -seventy years old, moved about as briskly as if she was only seventeen. -Those parts of the house which we were to occupy were neat and clean; -she showed me every corner, and, before I had been ten minutes in the -house, opened her very drawers that I might see what a stock of linen -she had; then asked me how long we should stay, and said she wished we -were come for three months. She was a most remarkable person; the -alacrity with which she ran up-stairs when we rung the bell, and guessed -at, and strove to prevent, our wants was surprising; she had a quick -eye, and keen strong features, and a joyousness in her motions, like -what used to be in old Molly when she was particularly elated. I found -afterwards that she had been subject to fits of dejection and -ill-health: we then conjectured that her overflowing gaiety and strength -might in part be attributed to the same cause as her former dejection. -Her husband was deaf and infirm, and sate in a chair with scarcely the -power to move a limb--an affecting contrast! The old woman said they had -been a very hard-working pair; they had wrought like slaves at their -trade--her husband had been a currier; and she told me how they had -portioned off their daughters with money, and each a feather-bed, and -that in their old age they had laid out the little they could spare in -building and furnishing that house, and she added with pride that she -had lived in her youth in the family of Lady Egerton, who was no high -lady, and now was in the habit of coming to her house whenever she was -at Jedburgh, and a hundred other things; for when she once began with -Lady Egerton, she did not know how to stop, nor did I wish it, for she -was very entertaining. Mr. Scott sate with us an hour or two, and -repeated a part of the Lay of the Last Minstrel. When he was gone our -hostess came to see if we wanted anything, and to wish us good-night. On -all occasions her manners were governed by the same spirit: there was no -withdrawing one's attention from her. We were so much interested that -William, long afterwards, thought it worth while to express in verse the -sensations which she had excited, and which then remained as vividly in -his mind as at the moment when we lost sight of Jedburgh:[30]-- - - [Footnote 30: See in "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland, 1803," _The - Matron of Jedborough and her Husband_.--ED.] - - Age! twine thy brows with fresh spring flowers, - And call a train of laughing Hours; - And bid them dance, and bid them sing, - And Thou, too, mingle in the Ring! - Take to thy heart a new delight! - If not, make merry in despite - That one should breathe who scorns thy power. - --But dance! for under Jedborough Tower - A Matron dwells who, tho' she bears - Our mortal complement of years, - Lives in the light of youthful glee, - And she will dance and sing with thee. - - Nay! start not at that Figure--there! - Him who is rooted to his Chair! - Look at him, look again; for He - Hath long been of thy Family. - With legs that move not, if they can, - And useless arms, a Trunk of Man, - He sits, and with a vacant eye; - A Sight to make a Stranger sigh! - Deaf, drooping, such is now his doom; - His world is in that single room-- - Is this a place for mirthful cheer? - Can merry-making enter here? - - The joyous Woman is the Mate - Of him in that forlorn estate; - He breathes a subterraneous damp; - But bright as Vesper shines her lamp, - He is as mute as Jedborough Tower, - She jocund as it was of yore - With all its bravery on, in times - When all alive with merry chimes - Upon a sun-bright morn of May - It roused the Vale to holiday. - - I praise thee, Matron! and thy due - Is praise, heroic praise and true. - With admiration I behold - Thy gladness unsubdued and bold: - Thy looks, thy gestures, all present - The picture of a life well spent; - This do I see, and something more, - A strength unthought of heretofore. - Delighted am I for thy sake, - And yet a higher joy partake: - Our human nature throws away - Its second twilight, and looks gay, - A Land of promise and of pride - Unfolding, wide as life is wide. - - Ah! see her helpless Charge! enclosed - Within himself as seems, composed; - To fear of loss and hope of gain, - The strife of happiness and pain-- - Utterly dead! yet in the guise - Of little Infants when their eyes - Begin to follow to and fro - The persons that before them go, - He tracks her motions, quick or slow. - Her buoyant spirits can prevail - Where common cheerfulness would fail. - She strikes upon him with the heat - Of July suns; he feels it sweet; - An animal delight, though dim! - 'Tis all that now remains for him! - - I look'd, I scann'd her o'er and o'er, - And, looking, wondered more and more: - When suddenly I seem'd to espy - A trouble in her strong black eye, - A remnant of uneasy light, - A flash of something over-bright! - Not long this mystery did detain - My thoughts. She told in pensive strain - That she had borne a heavy yoke, - Been stricken by a twofold stroke; - Ill health of body, and had pined - Beneath worse ailments of the mind. - - So be it!--but let praise ascend - To Him who is our Lord and Friend! - Who from disease and suffering - As bad almost as Life can bring, - Hath call'd for thee a second Spring; - Repaid thee for that sore distress - By no untimely joyousness; - Which makes of thine a blissful state; - And cheers thy melancholy Mate! - - -_Wednesday, September 21st._--The house where we lodged was airy, and -even cheerful, though one of a line of houses bordering on the -churchyard, which is the highest part of the town, overlooking a great -portion of it to the opposite hills. The kirk is, as at Melrose, within -the walls of a conventual church; but the ruin is much less beautiful, -and the church a very neat one. The churchyard was full of graves, and -exceedingly slovenly and dirty; one most indecent practice I observed: -several women brought their linen to the flat table-tombstones, and, -having spread it upon them, began to batter as hard as they could with a -wooden roller, a substitute for a mangle. - -After Mr. Scott's business in the Courts was over, he walked with us up -the Jed--"sylvan Jed" it has been properly called by Thomson--for the -banks are yet very woody, though wood in large quantities has been -felled within a few years. There are some fine red scars near the river, -in one or two of which we saw the entrances to caves, said to have been -used as places of refuge in times of insecurity. - -Walked up to Ferniehurst, an old hall, in a secluded situation, now -inhabited by farmers; the neighbouring ground had the wildness of a -forest, being irregularly scattered over with fine old trees. The wind -was tossing their branches, and sunshine dancing among the leaves, and I -happened to exclaim, "What a life there is in trees!" on which Mr. Scott -observed that the words reminded him of a young lady who had been born -and educated on an island of the Orcades, and came to spend a summer at -Kelso and in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. She used to say that in the -new world into which she was come nothing had disappointed her so much -as trees and woods; she complained that they were lifeless, silent, and, -compared with the grandeur of the ever-changing ocean, even insipid. At -first I was surprised, but the next moment I felt that the impression -was natural. Mr. Scott said that she was a very sensible young woman, -and had read much. She talked with endless rapture and feeling of the -power and greatness of the ocean; and with the same passionate -attachment returned to her native island without any probability of -quitting it again.[31] - - [Footnote 31: Compare Lockhart's _Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter - Scott_, vol. i. p. 404.--ED.] - -The valley of the Jed is very solitary immediately under Ferniehurst; we -walked down the river, wading almost up to the knees in fern, which in -many parts overspread the forest-ground. It made me think of our walks -at Alfoxden, and of _our own_ park--though at Ferniehurst is no park at -present--and the slim fawns that we used to startle from their -couching-places among the fern at the top of the hill. We were -accompanied on our walk by a young man from the Braes of Yarrow, an -acquaintance of Mr. Scott's,[32] who, having been much delighted with -some of William's poems which he had chanced to see in a newspaper, had -wished to be introduced to him; he lived in the most retired part of the -dale of Yarrow, where he had a farm: he was fond of reading, and -well-informed, but at first meeting as shy as any of our Grasmere lads, -and not less rustic in his appearance. He had been in the Highlands, and -gave me such an account of Loch Rannoch as made us regret that we had -not persevered in our journey thither, especially as he told us that the -bad road ended at a very little distance from the place where we had -turned back, and that we should have come into another good road, -continued all along the shore of the lake. He also mentioned that there -was a very fine view from the steeple at Dunkeld. - - [Footnote 32: William Laidlaw.--ED.] - -The town of Jedburgh, in returning along the road, as it is seen through -the gently winding narrow valley, looks exceedingly beautiful on its low -eminence, surmounted by the conventual tower, which is arched over, at -the summit, by light stone-work resembling a coronet; the effect at a -distance is very graceful. The hills all round are high, and rise -rapidly from the town, which though it stands considerably above the -river, yet, from every side except that on which we walked, appears to -stand in a bottom. - -We had our dinner sent from the inn, and a bottle of wine, that we might -not disgrace the Sheriff, who supped with us in the evening,--stayed -late, and repeated some of his poem. - - -_Thursday, September 22nd._--After breakfast, the minister, Dr. -Somerville, called upon us with Mr. Scott, and we went to the manse, a -very pretty house, with pretty gardens, and in a beautiful situation, -though close to the town. Dr. Somerville and his family complained -bitterly of the devastation that had been made among the woods within -view from their windows, which looked up the Jed. He conducted us to the -church, which under his directions has been lately repaired, and is a -very neat place within. Dr. Somerville spoke of the dirt and other -indecencies in the churchyard, and said that he had taken great pains to -put a stop to them, but wholly in vain. The business of the assizes -closed this day, and we went into Court to hear the Judge pronounce his -charge, which was the most curious specimen of old woman's oratory and -newspaper-paragraph loyalty that was ever heard. When all was over they -returned to the inn in procession, as they had come, to the sound of a -trumpet, the Judge first, in his robes of red, the Sheriffs next, in -large cocked hats, and inferior officers following, a show not much -calculated to awe the beholders. After this we went to the inn. The -landlady and her sister inquired if we had been comfortable, and -lamented that they had not had it in their power to pay us more -attention. I began to talk with them, and found out that they were from -Cumberland: they knew Captain and Mrs. Wordsworth, who had frequently -been at Jedburgh, Mrs. Wordsworth's sister having married a gentleman of -that neighbourhood. They spoke of them with great pleasure. I returned -to our lodgings to take leave of the old woman, who told me that I had -behaved "very discreetly," and seemed exceedingly sorry that we were -leaving her so soon. She had been out to buy me some pears, saying that -I must take away some "Jeddered" pears. We learned afterwards that -Jedburgh is famous in Scotland for pears, which were first cultivated -there in the gardens of the monks. - -Mr. Scott was very glad to part from the Judge and his retinue, to -travel with us in our car to Hawick; his servant drove his own gig. The -landlady, very kindly, had put up some sandwiches and cheese-cakes for -me, and all the family came out to see us depart. Passed the monastery -gardens, which are yet gardens, where there are many remarkably large -old pear-trees. We soon came into the vale of Teviot, which is open and -cultivated, and scattered over with hamlets, villages, and many -gentlemen's seats, yet, though there is no inconsiderable quantity of -wood, you can never, in the wide and cultivated parts of the Teviot, get -rid of the impression of barrenness, and the fir plantations, which in -this part are numerous, are for ever at war with simplicity. One -beautiful spot I recollect of a different character, which Mr. Scott -took us to see a few yards from the road. A stone bridge crossed the -water at a deep and still place, called Horne's Pool, from a -contemplative schoolmaster, who had lived not far from it, and was -accustomed to walk thither, and spend much of his leisure near the -river. The valley was here narrow and woody. Mr. Scott pointed out to us -Ruberslaw, Minto Crags, and every other remarkable object in or near the -vale of Teviot, and we scarcely passed a house for which he had not some -story. Seeing us look at one, which stood high on the hill on the -opposite side of the river, he told us that a gentleman lived there who, -while he was in India, had been struck with the fancy of making his -fortune by a new speculation, and so set about collecting the gods of -the country, with infinite pains and no little expense, expecting that -he might sell them for an enormous price. Accordingly, on his return -they were offered for sale, but no purchasers came. On the failure of -this scheme, a room was hired in London in which to exhibit them as a -show; but alas! nobody would come to see; and this curious assemblage of -monsters is now, probably, quietly lodged in the vale of Teviot. The -latter part of this gentleman's history is more affecting:--he had an -only daughter, whom he had accompanied into Spain two or three years ago -for the recovery of her health, and so for a time saved her from a -consumption, which now again threatened her, and he was about to leave -his pleasant residence, and attend her once more on the same errand, -afraid of the coming winter. - -We passed through a village, whither Leyden, Scott's intimate friend, -the author of _Scenes of Infancy_,[33] was used to walk over several -miles of moorland country every day to school, a poor barefooted boy. He -is now in India, applying himself to the study of Oriental literature, -and, I doubt not, it is his dearest thought that he may come and end his -days upon the banks of Teviot, or some other of the Lowland streams--for -he is, like Mr. Scott, passionately attached to the district of the -Borders. - - [Footnote 33: The full title was _Scenes of Infancy, descriptive of - Teviotdale_, published in 1803.--ED.] - -Arrived at Hawick to dinner; the inn is a large old house with walls -above a yard thick, formerly a gentleman's house. Did not go out this -evening. - - -_Friday, September 23rd._--Before breakfast, walked with Mr. Scott along -a high road for about two miles, up a bare hill. Hawick is a small town. -From the top of the hill we had an extensive view over the moors of -Liddisdale, and saw the Cheviot Hills. We wished we could have gone with -Mr. Scott into some of the remote dales of this country, where in almost -every house he can find a home and a hearty welcome. But after breakfast -we were obliged to part with him, which we did with great regret: he -would gladly have gone with us to Langholm, eighteen miles further. Our -way was through the vale of Teviot, near the banks of the river. - -Passed Branxholm Hall, one of the mansions belonging to the Duke of -Buccleuch, which we looked at with particular interest for the sake of -the Lay of the Last Minstrel. Only a very small part of the original -building remains: it is a large strong house, old, but not ancient in -its appearance--stands very near the river-side; the banks covered with -plantations. - -A little further on, met the Edinburgh coach with several passengers, -the only stage-coach that had passed us in Scotland. Coleridge had come -home by that conveyance only a few days before. The quantity of arable -land gradually diminishes, and the plantations become fewer, till at -last the river flows open to the sun, mostly through unfenced and -untilled grounds, a soft pastoral district, both the hills and the -valley being scattered over with sheep: here and there was a single -farm-house, or cluster of houses, and near them a portion of land -covered with ripe corn. - -Near the head of the vale of Teviot, where that stream is but a small -rivulet, we descended towards another valley, by another small rivulet. -Hereabouts Mr. Scott had directed us to look about for some old stumps -of trees, said to be the place where Johnny Armstrong was hanged; but -we could not find them out. The valley into which we were descending, -though, for aught I know, it is unnamed in song, was to us more -interesting than the Teviot itself. Not a spot of tilled ground was -there to break in upon its pastoral simplicity; the same soft yellow -green spread from the bed of the streamlet to the hill-tops on each -side, and sheep were feeding everywhere. It was more close and simple -than the upper end of the vale of Teviot, the valley being much -narrower, and the hills equally high and not broken into parts, but on -each side a long range. The grass, as we had first seen near -Crawfordjohn, had been mown in the different places of the open ground, -where it might chance to be best; but there was no part of the surface -that looked perfectly barren, as in those tracts. - -We saw a single stone house a long way before us, which we conjectured -to be, as it proved, Moss Paul, the inn where we were to bait. The -scene, with this single dwelling, was melancholy and wild, but not -dreary, though there was no tree nor shrub; the small streamlet -glittered, the hills were populous with sheep; but the gentle bending of -the valley, and the correspondent softness in the forms of the hills, -were of themselves enough to delight the eye. At Moss Paul we fed our -horse;--several travellers were drinking whisky. We neither ate nor -drank, for we had, with our usual foresight and frugality in travelling, -saved the cheese-cakes and sandwiches which had been given us by our -countrywoman at Jedburgh the day before. After Moss Paul, we ascended -considerably, then went down other reaches of the valley, much less -interesting, stony and barren. The country afterwards not peculiar, I -should think, for I scarcely remember it. - -Arrived at Langholm at about five o'clock. The town, as we approached, -from a hill, looked very pretty, the houses being roofed with blue -slates, and standing close to the river Esk, here a large river, that -scattered its waters wide over a stony channel. The inn neat and -comfortable--exceedingly clean: I could hardly believe we were still in -Scotland. - -After tea walked out; crossed a bridge, and saw, at a little distance up -the valley, Langholm House, a villa of the Duke of Buccleuch: it stands -upon a level between the river and a steep hill, which is planted with -wood. Walked a considerable way up the river, but could not go close to -it on account of the Duke's plantations, which are locked up. When they -ended, the vale became less cultivated; the view through the vale -towards the hills very pleasing, though bare and cold. - - -_Saturday, September 24th._--Rose very early and travelled about nine -miles to Longtown, before breakfast, along the banks of the Esk. About -half a mile from Langholm crossed a bridge. At this part of the vale, -which is narrow, the steeps are covered with old oaks and every variety -of trees. Our road for some time through the wood, then came to a more -open country, exceedingly rich and populous; the banks of the river -frequently rocky, and hung with wood; many gentlemen's houses. There was -the same rich variety while the river continued to flow through Scottish -grounds; but not long after we had passed through the last turnpike gate -in Scotland and the first in England--but a few yards asunder--the vale -widens, and its aspect was cold, and even dreary, though Sir James -Graham's plantations are very extensive. His house, a large building, -stands in this open part of the vale. Longtown was before us, and ere -long we saw the well-remembered guide-post, where the circuit of our six -weeks' travels had begun, and now was ended. - -We did not look along the white line of the road to Solway Moss without -some melancholy emotion, though we had the fair prospect of the -Cumberland mountains full in view, with the certainty, barring -accidents, of reaching our own dear home the next day. Breakfasted at -the Graham's Arms. The weather had been very fine from the time of our -arrival at Jedburgh, and this was a very pleasant day. The sun "shone -fair on Carlisle's walls" when we first saw them from the top of the -opposite hill. Stopped to look at the place on the sand near the bridge -where Hatfield had been executed. Put up at the same inn as before, and -were recognised by the woman who had waited on us. Everybody spoke of -Hatfield as an injured man. After dinner went to a village six miles -further, where we slept. - - -_Sunday, September 25th, 1803._--A beautiful autumnal day. Breakfasted -at a public-house by the road-side; dined at Threlkeld; arrived at home -between eight and nine o'clock, where we found Mary in perfect health, -Joanna Hutchinson with her, and little John asleep in the clothes-basket -by the fire. - - -SONNET[34] - - [Footnote 34: See "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland, 1803," "Fly, some - kind Harbinger, to Grasmere-dale!"--ED.] - - COMPOSED BETWEEN DALSTON AND GRASMERE, - SEPTEMBER 25th, 1803 - - Fly, some kind spirit, fly to Grasmere Vale! - Say that we come, and come by this day's light. - Glad tidings!--spread them over field and height, - But, chiefly, let one Cottage hear the tale! - There let a mystery of joy prevail, - The kitten frolic with unruly might, - And Rover whine as at a second sight - Of near-approaching good that will not fail: - And from that Infant's face let joy appear; - Yea, let our Mary's one companion child, - That hath her six weeks' solitude beguiled - With intimations manifold and dear, - While we have wander'd over wood and wild-- - Smile on its Mother now with bolder cheer! - - - - - VIII - - JOURNAL OF A MOUNTAIN RAMBLE - BY DOROTHY AND WILLIAM WORDSWORTH - NOVEMBER 7TH TO 13TH, 1805 - -JOURNAL OF A MOUNTAIN RAMBLE, WRITTEN BY DOROTHY WORDSWORTH[35] - - [Footnote 35: This title is given by the editor. There is none in the - original MS.--ED.] - - * * * * * - -_Wednesday, November 7th._--On a damp and gloomy morning we set forward, -William on foot, and I upon the pony, with William's greatcoat slung -over the saddle crutch, and a wallet containing our bundle of -"needments." As we went along the mist gathered upon the valleys, and it -even rained all the way to the head of Patterdale; but there was never a -drop upon my habit larger than the smallest pearls upon a lady's ring. -The trees of the larger island upon Rydale Lake were of the most -gorgeous colours; the whole island reflected in the water, as I remember -once in particular to have seen it with dear Coleridge, when either he -or William observed that the rocky shore, spotted and streaked with -purplish brown heath, and its image in the water, together were like an -immense caterpillar, such as, when we were children, we used to call -_Woolly Boys_, from their hairy coats.... As the mist thickened, our -enjoyments increased, and my hopes grew bolder; and when we were at the -top of Kirkstone (though we could not see fifty yards before us) we were -as happy travellers as ever paced side by side on a holiday ramble. At -such a time and in such a place every scattered stone the size of one's -head becomes a companion. There is a fragment of an old wall at the top -of Kirkstone, which, magnified yet obscured as it was by the mist, was -scarcely less interesting to us when we cast our eyes upon it, than the -view of a noble monument of ancient grandeur has been--yet this same -pile of stones we had never before observed. When we had descended -considerably, the fields of Hartsop, below Brotherswater, were first -seen like a lake, coloured by the reflection of yellow clouds. I mistook -them for the water; but soon after we saw the lake itself gleaming -faintly with a grey, steely brightness; then appeared the brown oaks, -and the birches of splendid colour, and, when we came still nearer to -the valley, the cottages under their tufts of trees and the old Hall of -Hartsop with its long irregular front and elegant chimneys.... - - -_Thursday, November 8th._--Incessant rain till eleven o'clock, when it -became fair, and William and I walked to Blowick. Luff joined us by the -way. The wind was strong, and drove the clouds forward along the side of -the hill above our heads; four or five goats were bounding among the -rocks; the sheep moved about more quietly, or cowered in their -sheltering-places. The two storm-stiffened black yew-trees on the crag -above Luff's house were striking objects, close under or seen through -the flying mists.... When we stood upon the naked crag upon the common, -overlooking the woods and bush-besprinkled fields of Blowick, the lake, -clouds, and mists were all in motion to the sound of sweeping winds--the -church and cottages of Patterdale scarcely visible from the brightness -of the thin mist. Looking backwards towards the foot of the water, the -scene less visionary. Place Fell steady and bold as a lion; the whole -lake driving down like a great river, waves dancing round the small -islands. We walked to the house. The owner was salving sheep in the -barn; an appearance of poverty and decay everywhere. He asked us if we -wanted to purchase the estate. We could not but stop frequently, both -in going and returning, to look at the exquisite beauty of the woods -opposite. The general colour of the trees was dark-brown, rather that of -ripe hazel-nuts; but towards the water there were yet beds of green, and -in some of the hollow places in the highest part of the woods the trees -were of a yellow colour, and through the glittering light they looked -like masses of clouds as you see them gathered together in the west, and -tinged with the golden light of the sun. After dinner we walked with -Mrs. Luff up the vale; I had never had an idea of the extent and width -of it, in passing through along the road, on the other side. We walked -along the path which leads from house to house; two or three times it -took us through some of those copses or groves that cover every little -hillock in the middle of the lower part of the vale, making an intricate -and beautiful intermixture of lawn and woodland. We left William to -prolong his walk, and when he came into the house he told us that he had -pitched upon the spot where he should like to build a house better than -in any other he had ever yet seen. Mrs. Luff went with him by moonlight -to view it. The vale looked as if it were filled with white light when -the moon had climbed up to the middle of the sky; but long before we -could see her face a while all the eastern hills were in black shade, -those on the opposite side were almost as bright as snow. Mrs. Luff's -large white dog lay in the moonshine upon the round knoll under the old -yew-tree, a beautiful and romantic image--the dark tree with its dark -shadow, and the elegant creature as fair as a spirit. - - -_Friday, November 9th._--It rained till near ten o'clock; but a little -after that time, it being likely for a tolerably fine day, we packed up, -and with Luff's servant to help to row, set forward in the boat. As we -proceeded the day grew finer, clouds and sunny gleams on the mountains. -In a grand bay under Place Fell we saw three fishermen with a boat -dragging a net, and rowed up to them. They had just brought the net -ashore, and hundreds of fish were leaping in their prison. They were all -of one kind, what are called Skellies. After we had left them the -fishermen continued their work, a picturesque group under the lofty and -bare crags; the whole scene was very grand, a raven croaking on the -mountain above our heads. Landed at Sanwick, the man took the boat home, -and we pursued our journey towards the village along a beautiful summer -path, at first through a copse by the lake-side, then through green -fields. The village and brook very pretty, shut out from mountains and -lake; it reminded me of Somersetshire. Passed by Harry Hebson's house; I -longed to go in for the sake of former times. William went up one side -of the vale, and we the other, and he joined us after having crossed the -one-arched bridge above the church; a beautiful view of the church with -its "base ring of mossy wall" and single yew-tree. At the last house in -the vale we were kindly greeted by the master.... We were well prepared -to face the mountain, which we began to climb almost immediately. -Martindale divides itself into two dales at the head. In one of these -(that to the left) there is no house to be seen, nor any building but a -cattle-shed on the side of a hill which is sprinkled over with wood, -evidently the remains of a forest, formerly a very extensive one. At the -bottom of the other valley is the house of which I have spoken, and -beyond the enclosures of this man's farm there are no other. A few old -trees remain, relics of the forest; a little stream passes in serpentine -windings through the uncultivated valley, where many cattle were -feeding. The cattle of this country are generally white or -light-coloured; but those were mostly dark-brown or black, which made -the scene resemble many parts of Scotland. When we sat on the hillside, -though we were well contented with the quiet everyday sounds, the lowing -of cattle, bleating of sheep, and the very gentle murmuring of the -valley stream, yet we could not but think what a grand effect the sound -of the bugle-horn would have among these mountains. It is still heard -once a year at the chase--a day of festivity for all the inhabitants of -the district, except the poor deer, the most ancient of them all. The -ascent, even to the top of the mountain, is very easy. When we had -accomplished it we had some exceedingly fine mountain views, some of the -mountains being resplendent with sunshine, others partly hidden by -clouds. Ulswater was of a dazzling brightness bordered by black hills, -the plain beyond Penrith smooth and bright (or rather _gleamy_) as the -sea or sea-sands. Looked into Boar Dale above Sanwick--deep and bare, a -stream winding down it. After having walked a considerable way on the -tops of the hills, came in view of Glenridding and the mountains above -Grisdale. Luff then took us aside, before we had begun to descend, to a -small ruin, which was formerly a chapel or place of worship where the -inhabitants of Martindale and Patterdale were accustomed to meet on -Sundays. There are now no traces by which you could discover that the -building had been different from a common sheepfold; the loose stones -and the few which yet remain piled up are the same as those which lie -about on the mountain; but the shape of the building being oblong is not -that of a common sheepfold, and it stands east and west. Whether it was -ever consecrated ground or not I know not; but the place may be kept -holy in the memory of some now living in Patterdale; for it was the -means of preserving the life of a poor old man last summer, who, having -gone up the mountain to gather peats, had been overtaken by a storm, and -could not find his way down again. He happened to be near the remains of -the old chapel, and, in a corner of it, he contrived, by laying turf and -ling and stones from one wall to the other, to make a shelter from the -wind, and there he lay all night. The woman who had sent him on his -errand began to grow uneasy towards night, and the neighbours went out -to seek him. At that time the old man had housed himself in his nest, -and he heard the voices of the men, but could not make _them_ hear, the -wind being so loud, and he was afraid to leave the spot lest he should -not be able to find it again, so he remained there all night; and they -returned to their homes, giving him up for lost; but the next morning -the same persons discovered him huddled up in the sheltered nook. He was -at first stupefied and unable to move; but after he had eaten and drunk, -and recollected himself a little, he walked down the mountain, and did -not afterwards seem to have suffered.[36] As we descend, the vale of -Patterdale appears very simple and grand, with its two heads, Deep Dale, -and Brotherswater or Hartsop. It is remarkable that two pairs of -brothers should have been drowned in that lake. There is a tradition, at -least, that it took its name from two who were drowned there many years -ago, and it is a fact that two others did meet that melancholy fate -about twenty years since.... - - [Footnote 36: Compare the account given of this incident in _The - Excursion_, towards the close of book ii.; also in the Fenwick note to - _The Excursion_.--ED.] - - -_Saturday, November 10th._--A beautiful morning. When we were at -breakfast we heard suddenly the tidings of Lord Nelson's death and the -victory of Trafalgar. Went to the inn to make further inquiries. -Returned by William's rock and grove, and were so much pleased with the -spot that William determined to buy it if possible, therefore we -prepared to set off to Parkhouse that William might apply to Thomas -Wilkinson to negotiate for him with the owner. We went down that side of -the lake opposite to Stybarrow Crag. I dismounted, and we sat some time -under the same rock as before, above Blowick. Owing to the brightness of -the sunshine the church and other buildings were even more concealed -from us than by the mists the other day. It had been a sharp frost in -the night, and the grass and trees were yet wet. We observed the -lemon-coloured leaves of the birches in the wood below, as the wind -turned them to the sun, sparkle, or rather flash, like diamonds. The day -continued unclouded to the end. - - -_Monday, November 12th._--The morning being fine, we resolved to go to -Lowther.... Crossed the ford at Yanworth. Found Thomas Wilkinson at work -in one of his fields; he cheerfully laid down the spade and walked by -our side with William. We left our horses at the mill below Brougham, -and walked through the woods till we came to the quarry, where the road -ends--the very place which has been the boundary of some of the happiest -of the walks of my youth. The sun did not shine when we were there, and -it was mid-day; therefore, if it had shone, the light could not have -been the same; yet so vividly did I call to mind those walks, that, when -I was in the wood, I almost seemed to see the same rich light of evening -upon the trees which I had seen in those happy hours.... - - -_Tuesday, November 13th._--A very wet morning; no hope of being able to -return home. William read in a book lent him by Thomas Wilkinson. I read -_Castle Rackrent_. The day cleared at one o'clock, and after dinner, at -a little before three, we set forward.... Before we reached Ullswater -the sun shone, and only a few scattered clouds remained on the hills, -except at the tops of the very highest. The lake perfectly calm. We had -a delightful journey.... The trees in Gowborough Park were very -beautiful, the hawthorns leafless, their round heads covered with rich -red berries, and adorned with arches of green brambles; and eglantine -hung with glossy hips; many birches yet tricked out in full foliage of -bright yellow; oaks brown or leafless; the smooth branches of the ashes -bare; most of the alders green as in spring. At the end of Gowborough -Park a large troop of deer were moving slowly, or standing still, among -the fern. I was grieved when our companions startled them with a -whistle, disturbing a beautiful image of grave simplicity and thoughtful -enjoyment, for I could have fancied that even they were partaking with -me a sensation of the solemnity of the closing day. I think I have more -pleasure in looking at deer than any other animals, perhaps chiefly from -their living in a more natural state. The sun had been set some time, -though we could only just perceive that the daylight was partly gone, -and the lake was more brilliant than before.... A delightful evening; -the Seven Stars close to the hill-tops in Patterdale; all the stars -seemed brighter than usual. The steeps were reflected in Brotherswater, -and above the lake appeared like enormous black perpendicular walls. The -torrents of Kirkstone had been swollen by the rains, and filled the -mountain pass with their roaring, which added greatly to the solemnity -of our walk. The stars in succession took their stations on the -mountain-tops. Behind us, when we had climbed very high, we saw one -light in the vale at a great distance, like a large star, a solitary -one, in the gloomy region. All the cheerfulness of the scene was in the -sky above us....[37] - - [Footnote 37: A curious _recast_ of this journal by his sister was - published by Wordsworth, in his _Description of the Scenery of the - Lakes_.--ED.] - - - - - IX - - EXTRACTS - FROM - DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S JOURNAL - OF A - TOUR ON THE CONTINENT - 1820 - -EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S TOUR ON THE CONTINENT, 1820 - - -_Monday, July 10th, 1820._--We--William, Mary, and Dorothy -Wordsworth--left the Rectory House, Lambeth, at a quarter to eight -o'clock. Had the "Union" coach to ourselves, till within two stages of -Canterbury, when two young ladies demanded inside places.... The -Cathedral of Canterbury, described by Erasmus as lifting itself up in -"such majesty towards heaven, that it strikes religion into the -beholders from a distance," looks stately on the plain, when first seen -from the gently descending road, and appeared to me a much finer -building than in former times; and I felt, as I had often done during my -last abode in London, that, whatever change, tending to melancholy, -twenty years might have produced, they had called forth the capacity of -enjoying the sight of ancient buildings to which my youth was, -comparatively, a stranger. Between London and Canterbury the scenes are -varied and cheerful; first Blackheath, and its bordering villas, and -shady trees; goats, asses, sheep, etc., pasturing at large near the -houses. The Thames glorious; ships like castles, cutting their way as -through green meadows, the river being concealed from view; then it -spreads out like a wide lake, scattered over with vessels. - - -_Dover, Tuesday, July 11th._--We walked to the Castle before breakfast. -The building, when you are close to it, appears even _sublime_, from -its immense height and bulk; but it is not rich or beautiful in -architecture. The old warder stood in waiting upon the hill to lead us -forward. After ascending above a hundred stone steps, we were greeted by -the slender tinkling of a bell, a delicately wild sound in that place. -It is fixed at the top of a pillar, on which is inscribed a poetical -petition in behalf of the prisoners confined above in the Castle. - - -_Calais, Tuesday, July 11th._--Landed on the shores of France at -half-past one. What shall I say of Calais? I looked about for what I -remembered, and looked for new things, and in both quests was -gratified.... On my bedroom door is inscribed "Sterne's Room," and a -print of him hangs over the fireplace. The walls painted in panels, -handsome carpets, chimney-piece marble-coloured, hearth red, -bed-curtains white, sheets coarse, coverlet a mixture of cotton and -woollen, beautifully white; but how clumsy all contrivances of braziers -and smiths! The bell hangs on the outside of the wall, and gives a -single, loud, dull stroke when pulled by the string, so that you must -stand and pull four or five times, as if you were calling the people to -prayers. - - -_Calais, Wednesday, July 12th._--We rose at five; sunshine and clear, -but rather cold air. The Cathedral, a large edifice, not finely wrought; -but the first effect is striking, from the size of the numerous pillars -and arches, though they are paltry in the finishing, merely whitewashed -and stuck over with bad pictures and tawdry images; yet the whole view -at the entrance was affecting. Old men and women--_young_ women and -girls kneeling at their silent prayers, and some we espied, in obscure -recesses, before a concealed crucifix, image, or altar. One grey-haired -man I cannot forget, whose countenance bore the impression of worldly -cares subdued, and peace in heavenly aspiration.... Another figure I -must not leave unnoticed, a squalid, ragged woman. She sate alone upon -some steps at the side of the entrance to the quire. There she sate, -with a white dog beside her; no one was near, and the dog and she -evidently belonged to each other, probably her only friend, for never -was there a more wretchedly forlorn and miserable-looking human being. -She did not notice us; but her rags and her sickly aspect drew a penny -from me, and the change in the woman's skinny, doleful face is not to be -imagined: it was brightened by a light and gracious smile--the effect -was almost as of something supernatural--she bowed her body, waved her -hand, and, with a politeness of gesture unknown in England in almost any -station of life, beckoned that we might enter the church, where the -people were kneeling upon chairs, of which there might be a -thousand--_two_ thousand--I cannot say how many--piled up in different -parts of the Cathedral.... - -_9 o'clock, Inn-yard, Calais._--Off we drove, preceded by our friends, -each postilion smacking his whip along the street with a dexterity truly -astonishing. Never before did I know the power of a clumsy whip, in -concert with the rattling of wheels upon rough pavement! The effect was -certainly not less upon the spectators, and we jolted away as merry as -children--showed our passports--passed the gateways, drawbridges, and -shabby soldiers, and, fresh to the feeling of being in a foreign land, -drove briskly forward, watchful and gay. The country for many miles -populous; this makes it amusing, though sandy and flat; no trees worth -looking at singly _as_ trees.... - -_Half-past 10._--The party gone to bed. This _salle_, where I sit, how -unlike a parlour in an English inn! Yet the history of a sea-fight, or a -siege, painted on the walls, with the costumes of Philip the Second, or -even of our own time, would have better suited my associations, with the -names of Gravelines and Dunkirk, than the story of Cupid and Psyche now -before my eyes, as large as life, on French paper! The paper is in -panels, with big mirrors between, in gilt frames. With all this taste -and finery, and wax candles,[38] and Brussels carpets, what a mixture of -troublesome awkwardness! They brought us a ponderous teapot that would -not pour out the tea; the latches (with metal enough to fasten up a -dungeon) can hardly, by unpractised hands, be made to open and shut the -doors! I have seen the diligence come into the yard and unload--heavy, -dirty, dusty--a lap-dog walking about the top, like a panther in its -cage, and viewing the gulf below. A monkey was an outside passenger when -it departed. - - [Footnote 38: A charge was made for wax candles.--D. W.] - - -_Furnes, July 13th, Thursday, 5 o'clock._--I will describe this Square. -Houses yellow, grey, white, and _there_ is a green one! Yet the effect -is not gaudy--a half Grecian church, with Gothic spire; storks have -built their nests, and are sitting upon the venerable tower of another -church, a sight that pleasingly reminds us of our neighbourhood to -Holland. The interior of that which outwardly mimics the Grecian is -Gothic, and rather handsome in form, but whitewashed, and bedaubed with -tinsel, and dolls, and tortured images.... Bells continually tinkling. -_There_ goes a woman to her prayers, in a long black cloak, and bright -blue stockings; _here_ comes a nicely-dressed old woman, leaning on her -staff! Surely it is a blessing to the aged in Roman Catholic countries -to have the churches always open for them, if it were only that it makes -a variety in the course of a long day! How soothing, how natural to the -aged, thus to withdraw from the stir of household cares, and occupations -in which they can no longer take a part! and I must say (little as I -have yet seen of this mode of worshipping God) I never beheld more of -the expression of piety and earnest feeling than in some of the very old -people in these churches. Every avenue of the square of this town -presents some picturesque continuation of buildings. All is old, and -old-_fashioned_; nothing to complain of but a want of Dutch cleanliness, -yet it does not obtrude on the eye, out of doors, and the exterior is -grave, decent, and quiet.... - -The priests in their gaudy attire, with their young white-robed -attendants, made a solemn appearance, while clouds of incense were -ascending over their heads to the large crucifix above the altar; and -the "pealing organ" sounded to the "full-voiced quire." There was a -beautiful nun in a grey garment with a long black scarf, white forehead -band, belt, and rosary. Intent upon her devotions, she did not cast an -eye towards us, and we stood to look at her. The faces of many of the -women are handsome, but the steady grace, the chastened motions of their -persons, and the mild seriousness of their countenances, are _most_ -remarkable.... - -From Furnes to Bruges we had travelled through a flat country, yet with -an endless variety, produced by the various produce of a beautiful soil -carefully cultivated. We had been told that the country between Ghent -and Bruges was much of the same kind, only not so interesting, therefore -we were not sorry to interpose the variety of the packet-boat to -Ghent.... And, when all was ready, took our places on the deck of the -vessel. The tinkling of a bell, the signal for departure; and we glided -gently away with motion only perceptible by the _eye_, looking at the -retreating objects on the shore.... Two nuns and a priest (his -prayer-book in his hand), an English dandy, a handsome lady-like Flemish -girl, dressed in an elegant gauze mob-cap with flowers, and robe _à la -française_, were the most noticeable people.... The groups under the -awning would make a lively picture. The priest, in his cocked hat, -standing at his prayers, the pretty maiden in her cap and flowers, and -_there_ are the nuns. My brother and the nuns are very merry. _They_ -seem to have left their prayer-books at home, and one of them has a -pamphlet in her hand that looks like a magazine. Low cottages, pretty -and clean, close to the bank; a woman scouring a copper vessel, in white -jacket, red cap, blue petticoat, and clean sailcloth apron; the flat -country to be seen over the low banks of the canal, spires and towers, -and sometimes a village may be descried among trees; many little -public-houses to tempt a landing; near one I see a pleasant arbour, with -seats aloft for smoking.... The nuns are merry; so is the priest, in his -spectacles; the dandy recommends shoes, in preference to boots, as more -convenient. "There is nobody that can clean either on the Continent." -For my part, I think they clean _them_ as well as anything else, except -their vessels for cookery! they cannot get the dust out of a chair, or -_rub_ a table!... William and I remained till the carriages were safely -landed, amid a confusion of tongues, French, German, and English, and -inarticulate shoutings, such as belong to all nations.... Canals round -the town, rows of trees, fortifications converted into pleasure-grounds. -We pass through old and picturesque streets, with an intermixture of -houses of a later date, and showy shops; an appearance of commerce and -bustle, which makes the contrast with Bruges the more striking, as the -architecture of the ancient houses is of the same kind. William and I, -with our English lady, reached first the appointed inn, though our -friends had left the boat long before us.... - - -_Ghent._--After tea, walked through the city. The buildings, streets, -squares, all are picturesque. The houses, green, blue, pink, yellow, -with richest ornaments still varying. Strange it is that so many and -such strongly-contrasted colours should compose an undiscordant whole. -Towers and spires overlook the lofty houses, and nothing is wanting of -venerable antiquity at Ghent to give to the mind the same melancholy -composure, which cannot but be felt in passing through the streets of -Bruges--nothing but the impression that no change is going on, except -through the silent progress of time. _There_ the very dresses of the -women might have been the same for hundreds of years. _Here_, though the -black cloak is prevalent, we see a mixture of all kinds, from the dress -of the English or French belle to that of the poorest of our poor in a -country town.... - - -_Saturday, July 15th._--The architecture is a mixture of Gothic and -Grecian. Three orders of pillars, one above another, the Gothic part -very rich.... Multitudes of swallows were wheeling round the roof, -regardless of carts and hammers, or whatever noise was heard below, and -the effect was indescribably interesting. The restless motions and -plaintive call of those little creatures seemed to impart a stillness to -every other object, and had the power to lead the imagination gently on -to the period when that once superb but now decaying structure shall be -"lorded over and possessed by nature."... - - -_Arrival at Brussels._--Light and shade very solemn upon the drawbridge. -Passing through a heavy gateway, we entered the city, and drove through -street after street with a pleasure wholly new to us. Garlands of fresh -boughs and flowers in festoons hung on each side, and the great height -of the houses, especially in the narrow streets (lighted as they were), -gave a beautiful effect to the exhibition. Some of the streets were very -steep, others long or winding; and in the triangular openings at the -junction of different streets there was generally some stately ornament. -For instance, in one place a canopy, with white drapery attached to the -centre, and suspended in four inverted arches by means of four pillars -at the distance of six or seven yards from the centre. - - -_Sunday, July 16th._--_Brussels._--After breakfast, proceeded through -the park, a very large open space with shady walks, statues, fountains, -pools, arbours, and seats, and surrounded by palaces and fine houses--to -the Cathedral, which, though immensely large, was so filled with people -that we could scarcely make our way so as, by standing upon chairs (for -which we paid two sous each), to have a view of the building over the -multitudes of heads. The priests, at high mass, could not be seen; but -the melody of human voices, accompanied by the organ, pierced through -every recess--then came bursts of sound like thunder; and, at times, the -solemn rousing of the trumpet. Powerful as was the effect of the music, -the excessive heat and crowding after a short while overcame every other -feeling, and we were glad to go into the open air. Our _laquais de -place_ conducted us to the house of a shopkeeper, where, from a room in -the attics, we might view the procession. It was close to one of the -triangular openings with which most of the streets of Brussels -terminate. To the right, we looked down the street along which the -procession was to come, and, a little to the left below us, overlooked -the triangles, in the centre of which was a fountain ornamented with -three marble statues, and a pillar in the midst, topped by a golden -ball--the whole decorated with festoons of holly, and large roses made -of paper, alternately red and yellow. In like manner the garlands were -composed in all the streets through which the procession was to pass; -but in some parts there were also young fir-trees stuck in the pavement, -leaving a foot-way between them and the houses. Paintings were hung out -by such as possessed them, and ribands and flags. The street where we -were was lined with people assembled like ourselves in expectation, all -in their best attire. Peasants to be distinguished by their short -jackets, petticoats of scarlet or some other bright colour (in -contrast), crosses, or other ornament of gold or gilding; the -bourgeoises, with black silk scarfs overhead, and reaching almost to -their feet; ladies, a little too much of the French or English; little -girls, with or without caps, and some in elegant white veils. The -windows of all the houses open, and people seen at full length, or -through doorways, sitting, or standing in patient expectation. It amused -us to observe _them_, and the arrangements of their houses--which were -even splendid, compared with those of persons of like condition in our -own country--with an antique cast over all. Nor was it less amusing to -note the groups or lines of people below us. Whether standing in the hot -sunshine, or the shade, they appeared equally contented. Some approached -the fountain--a sacred spot!--to drink of the pure waters, out of which -rise the silent statues. The spot is sacred; for there, before the -priests arrived in the procession, incense was kindled in the urns, and -a pause was made with the canopy of the Host, while they continued -chanting the service. But I am going too fast. - -The procession was, in its beginning, military, and its approach -announced by sound of trumpets. Then came a troop of cavalry, four -abreast, splendidly accoutred, dressed in blue and gold, and accompanied -by a full band of music; next, I think, the magistrates and constituted -authorities. But the order of the procession I do not recollect; only -that the military, civil, and religious authorities and symbols were -pleasingly combined, and the whole spectacle was beautiful. Long before -the sound of the sacred service reached our ears, the martial music had -died away in the distance, though there was no interruption in the line -of the procession. The contrast was very pleasing when the solemn -chaunting came along the street, with the stream of banners; priests and -choristers in their appropriate robes; and not the least pleasing part -of it was a great number of young girls, two and two, all dressed in -white frocks. It was a day made on purpose for this exhibition; the sun -seemed to be feasting on the gorgeous colours and glittering banners; -and there was no breeze to disturb garland or flower. When all was -passed away, we returned to the Cathedral, which we found not so crowded -as much to interrupt our view: yet the whole effect of the interior was -much injured by the decorations for the fête--especially by stiff -orange-trees in tubs, placed between the pillars of the aisles. Though -not equal to those of Bruges or Ghent, it is a very fine Gothic -building, massy pillars and numerous statues, and windows of painted -glass--an ornament which we have been so accustomed to in our own -cathedrals that we lamented the want of it at Ghent and Bruges. - - -_Monday, July 17th._--_Brussels._--Brussels exhibits in its different -quarters the stateliness of the ancient and the princely splendour of -modern times, mixed with an uncouth irregularity, resembling that of the -lofty tiers of houses at Edinburgh; but the general style of building in -the old streets is by no means so striking as in those of Ghent or -Bruges.... - -_Waterloo._--Waterloo is a mean village; straggling on each side of the -broad highway, children and poor people of all ages stood on the watch -to conduct us to the church. Within the circle of its interior are found -several mural monuments of our brave soldiers--long lists of naked names -inscribed on marble slabs--not less moving than laboured epitaphs -displaying the sorrow of surviving friends.... Here we took up the very -man who was Southey's guide (Lacoste), whose name will make a figure in -history. He bowed to us with French ceremony and liveliness, seeming -proud withal to show himself as a sharer in the terrors of that time -when Buonaparte's confusion and overthrow released him from unwilling -service. He had been tied upon a horse as Buonaparte's guide through the -country previous to the battle, and was compelled to stay by his side -till the moment of flight.... - - -_Monday, July 17th._--_Brussels._--The sky had been overshadowed by -clouds during most of our journey, and now a storm threatened us, which -helped our own melancholy thoughts to cast a gloom over the open -country, where few trees were to be seen except forests on the distant -heights. The ruins of the severely contested chateau of Hougomont had -been ridded away since the battle, and the injuries done to the -farm-house repaired. Even these circumstances, natural and trivial as -they were, suggested melancholy thoughts, by furnishing grounds for a -charge of ingratitude against the course of things, that was thus -hastily removing from the spot all vestiges of so momentous an event. -Feeble barriers against this tendency are the few frail memorials -erected in different parts of the field of battle! and we could not but -anticipate the time, when through the flux and reflux of war, to which -this part of the Continent has always been subject, or through some turn -of popular passion, _these_ also should fall; and "Nature's universal -robe of green, humanity's appointed shroud," enwrap them:--and the very -names of those whose valour they record be cast into shade, if not -obliterated even in their own country, by the exploits of recent -favourites in future ages. - - -_Tuesday, July 18th._--_Namur._--Before breakfast we went to the church -of the Jesuits; beautiful pillars of marble, roof of pumice-stone -curiously wrought, the colour chaste and sombre. The churches of Ghent -and Bruges are injured by being whitewashed: that of Brussels is of a -pale grey, or stone-colour, which has a much better effect, though -nothing equal to the roof of the Jesuits' church at Namur; yet in one -point (_i.e._ the painted windows) the Cathedral of Brussels surpasses -all the churches we have yet seen.... Several women passed us who had -come thither to attend upon the labourers employed in repairing and -enlarging the fortifications. Their dresses were neat and gay; and, in -that place of which we had so often read in histories of battles and -sieges, their appearance, while they struggled cheerfully with the -blustering wind, was wild and romantic. The fondness for flowers appears -in this country wherever you go. Nothing is more common than to see a -man, driving a cart, with a rose in his mouth. At the very top of our -ascent, I saw one at work with his spade, a full-blown rose covering his -lips, which he must have brought up the hill,--or had some favourite -lass there presented it to him?... - - -_Wednesday, July 19th._--_Liége._--My first entrance into the -market-place brought a shock of cheerful sensation. It was like the -bursting into life of a Flemish picture. Such profusion of fruit! such -outspreading of flowers! and heaps of vegetables! and such variety in -the attire of the women! A curious and abundant fountain, surrounded -with large stone basins, served to wash and refresh the vegetables. -Torrents of voices assailed us while we threaded our way among the fruit -and fragrant flowers; bouquets were held out to us by half a score of -sunburnt arms at once. The women laughed--_we_ laughed, took one -bouquet, and gave two sous, our all.... Left Liége about 9 o'clock--were -recognised and greeted by many of the women at their stalls as we passed -again through the market-place.... Ascended a very steep hill, on the -top of which stands the ruined convent of the Chartreuse, and there we -left our carriages to look back upon the fine view of the city, -spreading from the ridge of the crescent hill opposite to us (which is, -however, somewhat unpleasingly scarified by new fortifications), and -over the central plain of the vale, to the magnificent river which, -split into many channels, flows at the foot of the eminence where we -stood.... Still, as we proceed, we are reminded of England--the fields, -even the cottages, and large farm-houses, are English-like; country -undulating, and prospects extensive, yet continually some pretty little -spot detains the eye; groups of cottages, or single ones, green to the -very door.[39] - - [Footnote 39: Compare in _Tintern Abbey_, ll. 16, 17-- - - "these pastoral farms, - Green to the very door." ED.] - - -_Thursday, July 20th._--_Aix-la-Chapelle._--I went to the Cathedral, a -curious building, where are to be seen the chair of Charlemagne, on -which the Emperors were formerly crowned, some marble pillars much older -than _his_ time, and many pictures; but I could not stay to examine any -of these curiosities, and gladly made my way alone back to the inn to -rest there. The market-place is a fine old square; but at -Aix-la-Chapelle there is always a mighty preponderance of poverty and -dulness, except in a few of the showiest of the streets, and even there, -a flashy meanness, a slight patchery of things falling to pieces, is -everywhere visible.... - - -_Road to Cologne._--At the distance of ten miles we saw before us, over -an expanse of open country, the Towers of Cologne. Even at this distance -they appeared very tall and bulky; and Mary pointed out that one of them -was a ruin, which no other eyes could discover. To the left was a range -of distant hills; and, to the right, in front of us, another -range--rather a _cluster_--which we looked at with peculiar interest, as -guardians and companions of the famous river Rhine, whither we were -tending, and (sick and weary though I was) I felt as much of the glad -eagerness of hope as when I first visited the Wye, and all the world was -fresh and new. Having travelled over the intermediate not interesting -country, the massy ramparts of Cologne, guarded by grotesque turrets, -the bridges, and heavy arched gateways, the central towers and spires, -rising above the concealed mass of houses in the city, excited something -of gloomy yet romantic expectation. - - -_Friday, July 21st._--_Cologne._--I busied myself repairing garments -already tattered in the journey, at the same time observing the traffic -and business of the river, here very wide, and the banks low. I was a -prisoner; but really the heat this morning being oppressive, I felt not -even a wish to stir abroad, and could, I believe, have been amused more -days than one by the lading and unlading of a ferry-boat, which came to -and started from the shore close under my window. Steadily it floats on -the lively yet smooth water, a square platform, not unlike a section cut -out of a thronged market-place, and the busy crowd removed with it to -the plain of water. The square is enclosed by a white railing. Two -slender pillars rise from the platform, to which the ropes are attached, -forming between them an inverted arch, elegant enough. When the boat -draws up to her mooring-place, a bell, hung aloft, is rung as a signal -for a fresh freight. All walk from the shore, without having an inch to -rise or to descend. Carts with their horses wheel away--rustic, yet not -without parade of stateliness--the foreheads of the meanest being -adorned with scarlet fringes. In the neighbourhood of Brussels (and -indeed all through the _Low Countries_), we remarked the large size and -good condition of the horses, and their studied decorations, but near -Brussels those decorations were the _most_ splendid. A scarlet net -frequently half-covered each of the six in procession. The frock of the -driver, who paces beside the train, is often handsomely embroidered, and -its rich colour (Prussian blue) enlivens the scarlet ornaments of his -steeds. But I am straying from my ferry-boat. The first debarkation -which we saw early in the morning was the most amusing. Peasants, male -and female, sheep, and calves; the women hurrying away, with their -cargoes of fruit and vegetables, as if eager to be beforehand with the -market. But I will transcribe verbatim from my journal, "written at -mid-day," the glittering Rhine spread out before me, in width that -helped me to image forth an American lake. - - * * * * * - -"It has gone out with a fresh load, and returned every hour; the comers -have again disappeared as soon as landed; and now, the goers are -gathering together. Two young ladies trip forward, their dark hair -_basketed_ round the crown of the head, green bags on their arms, two -gentlemen of their party; next a lady with smooth black hair stretched -upward from the forehead, and a skull-cap at the top, like a small dish. -The gentry passengers seem to arrange themselves on one side, the -peasants on the other;--how much more picturesque the peasants! _There_ -is a woman in a sober dark-coloured dress; she wears no cap. Next, one -with red petticoat, blue jacket, and cap as white as snow. Next, one -with a red handkerchief over her head, and a long brown cloak. There a -smart female of the bourgeoise--dark shawl, white cap, blue dress. Two -women (now seated side by side) make a pretty picture: their attire is -scarlet, a pure white handkerchief falling from the head of each over -the shoulders. They keep watch beside a curiously constructed basket, -large enough to contain the marketing of a whole village. A girl crosses -the platform with a handsome brazen ewer hanging on her arm. Soldiers--a -dozen at least--are coming in. They take the centre. Again two women in -scarlet garb, with a great fruit basket. A white cap next; the same with -a green shawl. _There_ is a sunburnt daughter of toil! her olive skin -whitens her white head-dress, and she is decked in lively colours. One -beside her, who, I see, counts herself of higher station, is -distinguished by a smart French mob. I am brought round to the gentry -side, which is filled up, as you may easily fancy, with much less -variety than the other. A cart is in the centre, its peasant driver, not -to be unnoticed, with a polished tobacco-pipe hung over his cleanly blue -frock. Now they float away!" - - -_Cologne, Friday, July 21st._--Before I left the interior of the -Cathedral, I ought to have mentioned that the side-chapels contain some -superb monuments. There is also a curious picture (marvellously rich in -enamel and colouring) of the Three Kings of Cologne, and of a small -number of the eleven thousand virgins, who were said, after shipwreck, -to have landed at this city in the train of St. Ursula. The Huns, who -had possession of the city, became enamoured of their beauty; and the -fair bevy, to save themselves from persecution, took the veil; in -commemoration of which event the convent of St. Ursula was founded, and -within the walls of that church an immense number of their skulls -(easily turned into eleven thousand), are ranged side by side dressed in -green satin caps. We left these famous virgins (though our own -countrywomen), unvisited, and many other strange sights; and what -wonder? we had but one day; and _I_ saw nothing within gate or door -except the Cathedral--not even Rubens's famous picture of the -Crucifixion of St. Peter, a grateful offering presented by him as an -altar-piece for the church in which he was baptized, and had served as a -chorister. Among the outrages committed at Cologne during the -Revolution, be it noted that the Cathedral, in 1800, was used as a -granary, and that Buonaparte seized on the picture bestowed on his -parish church by Rubens, and sent it to Paris. The Three Kings shared -the same fate. - -The houses of Cologne are very old, overhanging, and uncouth; the -streets narrow and gloomy in the cheerfulest of their corners or -openings; yet oftentimes pleasing. Windows and balconies make a pretty -show of flowers; and birds hang on the outside of houses in cages. These -sound like cheerful images of active leisure; but with such feeling it -is impossible to walk through these streets. Yet it is pleasing to note -how quietly a dull life may be varied, and how innocently; though, in -looking at the plants which yearly put out their summer blossoms to -adorn these decaying walls and windows, I had something of the -melancholy which I have felt on seeing a human being gaily dressed--a -female tricked out with ornaments, while disease and death were on her -countenance. - - -_Cologne, Saturday, July 22nd._--Upon a bright sunny morning, driven by -a civil old postilion, we turned our backs upon the cathedral tower of -Cologne, an everlasting monument of riches and grandeur, and I fear of -devotion passed away; of sublime designs unaccomplished--remaining, -though not wholly developed, sufficient to incite and guide the dullest -imagination,-- - - Call up him who left half-told - The story of Cambuscan bold![40] - - [Footnote 40: See _Il Penseroso_, ll. 109, 110.--ED.] - -Feelingly has Milton selected this story, not from a preference to the -subject of it (as has been suggested), but from its paramount accordance -with the musings of a melancholy man--in being left _half_-told-- - - Foundations must be laid - In Heaven; for, 'mid the wreck of _is_ and _was_, - Things incomplete and purposes betrayed - Make sadder transits o'er truth's mystic glass - Than noblest objects utterly decayed.[41] - - [Footnote 41: Compare the sonnet _Malham Cove_, in "Poetical Works," - vol. vi. p. 185.--ED.] - - -_Bonn._--The great area of the vale here is a plain, covered with corn, -vines, and fruit-trees: the impression is of richness, profusion, -amplitude of space. The hills are probably higher than some of our own -which we call mountains; but on the spot we named them hills. Such they -appeared to our eyes; but when objects are all upon a large scale there -is no means of comparing them accurately with others of their kind, -which do not bear the same proportions to the objects with which they -are surrounded. Those in the neighbourhood of Bonn are of themselves -sufficiently interesting in shape and variety of surface: but what a -dignity does the form of an ancient castle or tower confer upon a -precipitous woody or craggy eminence! Well might this lordly river spare -one or two of his castles,--which are too numerous for the most romantic -fancy to hang its legends round each and all of them,--well might he -spare, to our purer and more humble streams and lakes, one solitary ruin -for the delight of our poets of the English mountains! To the right -(but let him keep this to himself, it is too grand to be coveted by us) -is the large ruined castle of Gottesberg, far-spreading on the summit of -the hill--very light and elegant, with one massy tower.... - -For some miles, the traveller goes through the magnificent plain which -from its great width, appears almost circular. Though _unseen_, the -River Rhine, we never can forget that it is there! When the vale becomes -narrower, one of the most interesting and beautiful of prospects opens -on the view from a gentle rising in the road. On an island stands a -large grey Convent--sadly pensive among its garden walls and embowering -wood. The musket and cannon have spared that sanctuary; and we were told -that, though the establishment is dissolved, a few of the Nuns still -remain there, attached to the spot;--or probably having neither friends -or other home to repair to. On the right bank of the river, opposite to -us, is a bold precipice, bearing on its summit a ruined fortress which -looks down upon the Convent; and the warlike and religious edifices are -connected together by a chivalrous story of slighted, or luckless love, -which caused the withdrawing of a fair damsel to the island, where she -founded the monastery. Another bold ruin stands upon another eminence -adjoining; and all these monuments of former times combine with villages -and churches, and dells (between the steeps) green or corn-clad, and -with the majestic river (here spread out like a lake) to compose a most -affectingly beautiful scene, whether viewed in prospect or in -retrospect. Still we rolled along (ah! far too swiftly! and often did I -wish that I were a youthful traveller on foot)--still we rolled -along--meeting the flowing river, smooth as glass, yet so rapid that the -stream of motion is always perceptible, even from a great distance. The -riches of this region are not easily to be fancied--the pretty -paths--the gardens among plots of vineyard and corn--cottages peeping -from the shade--villages and spires--in never-ending variety. The -trees, however, in the whole of the country through which we have -hitherto passed, are not to be compared with the trees of England, -except on the banks of the Meuse. On the Rhine they are generally small -in size; much of the wood appears to be cut when young, to spring again. -In the little town of Remagan where we changed horses, crowds of people -of all ages gathered round us; the beggars, who were indefatigable in -clamour, might have been the only inhabitants of the place who had any -work to do.... - - -_Andernach._--Departed at about five o'clock. Andernach is an -interesting place, both at its entrance from Cologne, and its outlet -towards Coblentz. There is a commanding desolation in the first -approach; the massy square tower of defence, though bearded by green -shrubs, stands, as it were, untameable in its strength, overlooking the -half-ruined gateway of the ramparts. Close to the other gate, leading to -Coblentz, are seen many picturesque fragments and masses; and the -ancient walls shelter and adorn fruitful gardens, cradled in the -otherwise now useless trenches. The town itself appears so dull--the -inhabitants so poor, that it was almost surprising to observe walks for -public use and pleasure, with avenues and arbours on the level adjoining -the ramparts. The struggle between melancholy and cheerfulness, fanciful -improvements, and rapid decay, leisure and poverty, was very -interesting. We had a fine evening; and the ride, though, in comparison -with the last, of little interest--the vale of the Rhine being here wide -and level, the hills lowered by distance--was far from being a dull one, -as long as I kept myself awake. I was roused from sleep in crossing the -bridge of the Moselle near Coblentz. - - -_Coblentz, Sunday, July 23rd._--_Cathedral._--The music at our entrance -fixed us to our places. The swell was solemn, even _aweful_, sinking -into strains of delicious sweetness; and though the worship was to us -wholly unintelligible, it was not possible to listen to it without -visitings of devotional feeling. Mary's attention was entirely absorbed -till the service ceased, and I think she never stirred from her seat. -After a little while I left her, and drew towards the railing of the -gallery, to look round on the congregation, among whom there appeared -more of the old-fashioned gravity, and of antique gentility, than I have -seen anywhere else; and the varieties of costume were infinite.... The -area of the Cathedral, upon which we looked down from the crowded -gallery, was filled with old, middle-aged, and young persons of both -sexes; and at Coblentz, even the male dress, especially that of boys and -youths, has a pleasing cast of antiquity, reminding one of old -pictures--of assemblies in halls,--or of banquets as represented by the -Flemish masters. The figure of a young girl tightly laced up in bodice -and petticoat, with adornings of gold clasps and neck-chain, beside a -youth with open throat and ornamented shirt-collar falling upon the -shoulders of a coat of antique cut, especially when there chanced to be -near them some matron in her costly robe of seventy years;--these, -together, made an exhibition that even had I been a good Catholic, yet -fresh from England, might have interfered with my devotions; but where -all except the music was an unmeaning ceremony, what wonder that I -should be amused in looking round as at a show!... All that we witnessed -of bustle or gaiety was near the river, facing the fortress of -Ehrenbreitstein; and upon the wide wooden bridge which we crossed in our -way to the fortress. Fruit-women were seated on the bridge, and -peasants, gentry, soldiers, continually passing to and fro. All but the -soldiers paid toll. The citadel stands upon a very lofty bare hill, and -the walk was fatiguing; but I beguiled my weariness with the company of -a peasant lass, who took pains to understand my broken German, and -contrived to make me acquainted with no small part of her family -history.... This bonny maiden's complexion was as fresh as a rose, -though no kerchief screened it from the sunshine. Many a fierce breeze, -and many a burning sun must she have struggled with in her way from the -citadel to the town; and, on looking at her, I fancied there must be a -stirring and invigorating power in the wind to counteract the cankering -effect of the sun, which is so noticeable in the French peasantry on -their hot dry plains. No sooner do you set foot in the neighbourhood of -Calais than you are struck with it; and, at the same time, with the -insensibility of young and old to discomfort from glaring light and -heat. Whatever slender shade of willows may be at the door of a hut on -the flats between Calais and Gravelines, the female peasants, at their -sewing or other work, choose it not, but seat themselves full in the -sunshine. Thence comes a habit of wrinkling the cheeks and forehead, so -that their faces are mostly ploughed with wrinkles before they are fifty -years old. In this country, and all through the Netherlands, the -complexions of the people are much fresher and fairer than in France, -though _they_ also are much out of doors. This may perhaps be, in part, -attributed to the greater quantity of wood scattered over the country, -and to the shade of garden and orchard trees.... The view from the -summit of the hill of Ehrenbreitstein is magnificent. Beneath, on a -large, flat angle, formed by the junction of the Rhine and the Moselle, -stands the city, its purple-slated roofs surrounded by many tall -buildings--towers and spires, and big palaces among trees. The vale of -the Moselle is deep and green, formed by vine-clad steeps, among which -the eye, from the heights where we stood, espies many a pleasant -village. That of the Rhine is more varied and splendid--with towns that, -from their size, the irregularity of their buildings, and the numerous -towers and spires, give dignity to the proud river itself, and to the -prodigally scattered hills. Downwards we looked through the plain, along -which we had travelled the evening before from the town of Andernach, -which stands, as Coblentz does, upon a low bank of the Rhine: and there -is no eminence between the two towns to obstruct the view. The course -of the road, which is widely parted from that of the river, may be seen -in a straight line for many miles. We behold below us the junction of -the two great rivers; how steady and quiet is their meeting! A little -while each goes in his own distinct path, side by side, yet one stream; -and they slowly and by degrees unite, each lost in the other--happy type -of a tranquil meeting, and joining together in the journey of life! - - * * * * * - -Coblentz, as every one knows, was for a long time the headquarters of -the French _noblesse_, and other emigrants, during the Revolution; and -it is surprising that in the exterior of manners and habits there should -be so little to remind the passing traveller of the French. In Ghent and -Brussels, it is impossible to forget that you are in towns _not_ making -a part of France; yet, in both those places, the French have sown seeds -which will never die--their manners, customs, and decorations are -everywhere struggling with the native stiffness of the Flemish: but in -_Coblentz_ it is merely incidentally that the French courtier or -gentleman is brought to mind; and shops, houses, public buildings, are -all of the soil where they have been reared--so at least they appeared -to us, in our transient view. - - -_St. Goar, Monday, July 24th._-- ... The town, seen from the heights, is -very beautiful, with purple roofs, two tall spires, and one tower. On -the opposite side of the river we peep into narrow valleys, formed by -the lofty hills, on which stand two ruins called, as we were told by our -lively attendant, the Katzen and Mausen Towers (_i.e._ the Towers of the -Cat and the Mouse). They stare upon each other at safe distance, though -near neighbours; and, across the river, the greater fortress of -Rheinfels defies them both. A lovely dell runs behind one of the hills; -at its opening where it pours out its stream into the Rhine we espied a -one-arched Borrowdale bridge, and behind the bridge a village almost -buried between the abruptly-rising steeps.... I will transcribe the few -words I wrote in my memorandum-book, dated "Beside the Rhine, St. -Goar":--"How shall I describe this soothing, this elegant place! The -river flows on. I see it flow, yet it is like a lake--the bendings of -the hills enclosing it at each end. Here I sit, half-way from the centre -of the curve. At the turning of that semi-circular curve stands our Inn; -near it is the Post-House, both rather handsome buildings. The town, -softened white and purple, the green hills rising abruptly above it. -Behind me (but I cannot see it) is the Castle of Rheinfels. On the -opposite banks of the river, the vine-clad steeps appear as if covered -with fern. It is a sweep of hills that from this point appear -_even_-topped. At the foot of one of the dells which we noticed from the -Castle eminence, there is a purple roofed town with one spire, and one -church or convent tower; and I see the Borrowdale bridge beside the -lowly hamlet in the cleft of the other dell. A ferry-boat has been -approaching its landing-place with a crew of peasants. They come now -slowly up from the shore, a picturesque train in grey attire--no showy -colours; and at this moment I can fancy that even that circumstance -gives a sweeter effect to the scene, though I have never wished to expel -the crimson garments, or the blue, from any landscape." Here let me -observe that grey clothing--the pastoral garb of _our_ mountains--does, -when it is found on the banks of the Rhine, only look well at a certain -distance. It seems not to be worn from choice, but poverty; and in this -day's journey we have met with crowds of people whose dress was -accordant with the appearance close at hand of their crumbling houses -and fortifications. - - -_Bingen, Tuesday, July 25th._--Most delightful to the imagination was -our journey of yesterday, still tempting to hope and expectation! Yet -wherever we passed through a village or small town the veil of romance -was withdrawn, and we were compelled to think of human distress and -poverty--their causes how various in a country where Nature has been so -bountiful--and, even when removed from the immediate presence of painful -objects, there is one melancholy thought which will attend the traveller -along the ever-winding course of the Rhine--the thought that of those -buildings, so lavishly scattered on the ridges of the heights or lurking -in sheltering corners, many _have_ perished, all _are_ perishing, and -_will entirely_ perish! Buildings that link together the Past and the -Present--times of war and depredation, of piracy, of voyages by stealth -and in fear, of superstitious ceremonies, of monastic life, of quiet, -and of retreat from persecution! Yet some of the strongest of the -fortresses may, for aught I know, endure as long as the rocks on which -they have been reared, deserted as they are, and never more be tenanted -by pirate, lord, or vassal. The parish churches are in bad repair, and -many ruinous.... - - -_Mayence._--I thought of some thriving friar of old times; but last -night,[42] in reading Chaucer's Prologue to the _Canterbury Tales_, mine -host of the _Tabard_ recalled to my memory our merry master in the -dining-room at Mayence. - - [Footnote 42: This was when writing out her Journal, begun two months - after her return to Rydal Mount.--ED.] - - A seemly man our Hoste was with alle - To han bene a Marshal in an Halle; - A large man he was--bold of his speech. - - -_Frankfort, Wednesday, July 26th._--The town is large, though you do not -feel as if you were walking in a large town. Standing on a perfect level -you see no further than the street in which you are, or the one that -leads to it; and there is little stirring of people. Two huge palaces -are going to ruin. One of these (the Episcopal Palace) of red stone is -very handsome in its style of heavy architecture, and there are many -public buildings by the river-side. The quay is a cheerful and busy -place. After driving a short way on the shore below those lofty -buildings, we crossed a bridge of boats; and now (had we proceeded in -the same direction as before) we should have had the Rhine on our right -hand; but we turned back again, _i.e._ downwards, and still had it on -our left for two miles (more or less), not close to us; but always in -view broad and majestic, scattered over with vessels of various kinds. -Large rafters piled with wood were by the shore, or floating with the -stream; and a long row of mills (for grinding corn I suppose) made a -curious appearance on the water. We had a magnificent prospect downwards -in the _Rheingaw_ (stretching towards Bingen), a district famed for -producing finer vines than any other country of the Rhine.[43] The broad -hills are enlivened by hamlets, villas, villages, and churches. After -about two miles, the road to Wisbaden turns from the river (to the -right), and with regret did we part from our majestic companion to meet -no more till we should rejoin him for one short day among the rocks of -Schaffhausen.... We went to the Cathedral, a very large, but not -otherwise remarkable building, in the interior. The people assembled at -prayers, sate on benches as in our country churches, and accompanied by -the organ were chaunting, and making the responses. We ascend the Tower. -It is enormously high; and after an ascent of above five hundred steps, -we found a family living in as neatly-furnished a set of apartments as -need be seen in any street in Frankfort. A baby in the cradle smiled -upon us, and played with the Kreutzers which we gave her. The mother was -alert and cheerful--nay, she seemed to glory in her contentment, and in -the snugness of her abode. I said to her, "but when the wind blows -fiercely how terrible!" and she replied, "Oh nein! es thut nichts." "Oh -no! it does no harm." The view from the Cathedral is very extensive. The -windings of the river Maine; vessels in their harbours, or smoothly -gliding, plains of corn, of forest, of fruit-trees, chateaus, villages, -towns, towers and spires; the expanse irregularly bounded by distinct -mountains.... - - [Footnote 43: Hockheim on the right bank of the Rhine, nearly opposite - Mayence.--ED.] - -In the winding staircase, while descending from the Tower, met different -people, who seemed to be going to make neighbourly visits to the family -above. Passed through the market-place, very entertaining, and nowhere a -greater variety of people and of head-dresses than there. The women's -caps were high. My eye was caught by a tightly-clad, stiff-waisted lady -who wore a gold cap (almost as lofty as a grenadier's) with long lappets -of riband behind. I saw no reason why that cap (saving its silken -ornaments) might not have belonged to her great grandmother's -grandmother. The _Maison de Ville_ stands on one side of a handsome -square, in the centre of which is a noble fountain, that used to flow -with wine at the crowning of the Emperors. Oxen were roasted in the -square, and, in memory of the same, two heads, with their horns, are -preserved under the outside of a window of an old church adjoining the -_Maison de Ville_. - - -_Heidelberg, Thursday, July 27th._--After dinner, Mary, Miss H., and I -set off towards the castle.... The ascent is long and steep, the way -plain, and no guide needed, for the castle walks are free; and -there--among treasures of art, decaying and decayed, and the magnificent -bounties of nature--the stranger may wander the day through. The -building is of various dates: it is not good in architecture _as a -whole_, though very fine in parts. There is a noble round tower, and the -remains of the chapel, and long ranges of lofty and massy wall, often -adorned with ivy, the figure of a saint, a lady, or a warrior looking -safely from their niches under the ivy bower. The moats, which must long -ago have been drained, retain their shape, yet have now the wild -luxuriance of sequestered dells. Fruit and forest trees, flowers and -grass, are intermingled. I now speak of the more ruinous and the most -ancient part of the castle.... We walked upon a platform before the -windows, where a band of music used to be stationed, as on the terrace -at Windsor--a fine place for festivals in time of peace, and to keep -watch in time of war.... From the platform where we stood, the eye -(overlooking the city, bridge, and the deep vale, to the point where the -Neckar is concealed from view by its winding to the left) is carried -across the plain to the dim stream of the Rhine, perceived under the -distant hills. The pleasure-grounds are the most delightful I ever -beheld; the happiest mixture of wildness, which no art could overcome, -and formality, often necessary to conduct you along the ledge of a -precipice--whence you may look down upon the river, enlivened by boats, -and on the rich vale, or to the more distant scenes before mentioned. -One long terrace is supported on the side of the precipice by arches -resembling those of a Roman aqueduct; and from that walk the view of the -Castle and the Town beneath it is particularly striking. I cannot -imagine a more delightful situation than Heidelberg for a -University--the pleasures, ceremonies, and distractions of a Court being -removed. Parties of students were to be seen in all quarters of the -groves and gardens. I am sorry, however, to say that their appearance -was not very scholarlike. They wear whatever wild and coarse apparel -pleases them--their hair long and disorderly, or rough as a water-dog, -throat bare or with a black collar, and often no appearance of a shirt. -Every one has his pipe, and they all talk loud and boisterously.... - -Never surely was any stream more inviting! It flows in its deep -bed--stately, yet often turbulent; and what dells, cleaving the green -hills, even close to the city! Looking down upon the purple roofs of -Heidelberg variously tinted, the spectacle is curious--narrow streets, -small squares, and gardens many and flowery. The main street, long and -also narrow, is (though the houses are built after no good style) very -pretty as seen from the heights, with its two gateways and two towers. -The Cathedral (it has an irregular spire) overtops all other edifices, -which, indeed, have no grace of architecture, and the University is even -mean in its exterior; but, from a small distance, _any_ city looks well -that is not modern, and where there is bulk and irregularity, with -harmony of colouring. But we did not enter the cathedral, having so much -to see out of doors. - - -_Heidelberg, Friday, July 28th._-- ... The first reach of the river for -a moment transported our imagination to the Vale of the Wye above -Tintern Abbey. A single cottage, with a poplar spire, was the central -object.... As we went further, villages appeared. But Mr. P. soon -conducted us from the river up a steep hill, and, after a long ascent, -he took us aside to a cone-shaped valley, a pleasure-dell--I call it -so--for it was terminated by a rural tavern and gardens, seats and -alcoves, placed close beside beautiful springs of pure water, spread out -into pools and distributed by fountains. A grey stone statue, in its -stillness, is a graceful object amid the rushing of water!... Our road -along the side of the hill, that still rose high above our heads, led us -through shady covert and open glade, over hillock or through hollow; at -almost every turning convenient seats inviting us to rest, or to linger -in admiration of the changeful prospects, where wild and cultivated -grounds seemed equally the darlings of the fostering sun. Many of the -hills are covered with forests, which are cut down after little more -than thirty years' growth; the ground is then ploughed, and sown with -buck-wheat, and afterwards with beech-nuts. The forests of _firs_ -(numerous higher up, but not so here) are sown in like manner. Immense -quantities of timber are floated down the river. Sometimes in our -delightful walk we were led through tracts of vines, all belonging to -the Grand Duke. They are as free as the forest thickets and flowery -glades, and separated from them by no distinguishable boundary. -Whichever way the eye turned, it settled upon some pleasant sight.... -Passed through the walled town of Durlach (about two miles from -Carlesrhue), the palace deserted by the Duke. Coffee-houses all full, -windows open, billiards, wine and smoking, finery, shabbiness and -idleness. Large pleasure gardens beyond the barrier-walls, and we enter -an avenue of tall poplars, continued all the way to Carlesrhue. After a -little while nothing was to be seen but the poplar stems in shape of -columns on each side, the leafy part of the trees forming a long black -wall above them, so lofty that it appeared to reach the sky, that pale -blue roof of the Gothic aisle still contracting in the distance, and -seemingly of interminable length. Such an avenue is truly a noble -approach to the favoured residence of a _grand_ Duke. - - -_Baden-Baden, July 29th (Saturday)._-- ... Met with old-fashioned -civility in all quarters. This little town is a curious compound of -rural life, German country-townishness, watering-place excitements, -court stateliness, ancient mouldering towers, old houses and new, and a -life and cheerfulness over all.... A bright reflection from the evening -sky powdered with golden dust that distant vapoury plain, bounded by the -chain of purple mountains. We quitted this spectacle with regret when it -faded in the late twilight, struggling with the light of the moon. - - -_Road to Homburg._--_Sunday, July 30th._--We were continually reminded -of the vales of our own country in this lovely winding valley, where -seven times we crossed the clear stream over strong wooden bridges; but -whenever in our travels the streams and vales of England have been most -called to mind there has been something that marks a difference. Here it -is chiefly observable in the large brown wood houses, and in the -people--the shepherd and shepherdess gaiety of their dress, with a sort -of antiquated stiffness. Groups of children in rustic flower-crowned -hats were in several places collected round the otherwise solitary -swine-herd.... The sound of the stream (if there be any sound) is a -sweet, unwearied, and unwearying under-song, to detain the pious -passenger, which he cannot but at times connect with the silent object -of his worship. - - -_Road to Schaffhausen._--A part of the way through the uncleared forest -was pleasingly wild; juniper bushes, broom, and other woodland plants, -among the moss and flowery turf. Before we had finished our last ascent, -the postilion told us what a glorious sight we _might_ have seen, in a -few moments, had we been here early in the morning or on a fine evening; -but, as it was mid-day, nothing was to be expected. That glorious sight -which _should_ have been was no less than the glittering prospect of the -mountains of Switzerland. We did burst upon an extensive view; but the -mountains were hidden; and of the Lake of Constance we saw no more than -a vapoury substance where it lay among apparently low hills. This first -sight of that country, so dear to the imagination, though then of no -peculiar grandeur, affected me with various emotions. I remembered the -shapeless wishes of my youth--wishes without hope--my brother's -wanderings thirty years ago,[44] and the tales brought to me the -following Christmas holidays at Forncett, and often repeated while we -paced together on the gravel walk in the parsonage garden, by moon or -star light.[45] ... The towers of Schaffhausen appear under the shelter -of woody and vine-clad hills, but no greetings from the river Rhine, -which is not visible from this approach, yet flowing close to the -town.... But at the entrance of the old city gates you cannot but be -roused, and say to yourself, "Here is something which I have not seen -before, yet I hardly know what." The houses are grey, irregular, dull, -overhanging, and clumsy; streets narrow and crooked--the walls of houses -often half-covered with rudely-painted representations of the famous -deeds of the defenders of this land of liberty.... In place of the -splendour of faded aristocracy, so often traceable in the German towns, -there is a character of ruggedness over all that we see.... Never shall -I forget the first view of the stream of the Rhine from the bank, and -between the side openings of the bridge--rapid in motion, bright, and -green as liquid emeralds! and wherever the water dashed against tree, -stone, or pillar of the bridge, the sparkling and the whiteness of the -foam, melting into and blended with the green, can hardly be imagined by -any one who has not seen the Rhine, or some other of the great rivers of -the Continent, before they are sullied in their course.... The first -visible indication of our approach to the cataracts was the sublime -tossing of vapour above them, at the termination of a curved reach of -the river. Upon the woody hill, above that tossing vapour and foam, we -saw the old chateau, familiar to us in prints, though there represented -in connection with the falls themselves; and now seen by us at the end -of the rapid, yet majestic, sweep of the river; where the ever-springing -tossing clouds are all that the eye beholds of the wonderful commotion. -But an awful sound ascends from the concealed abyss; and it would almost -seem like irreverent intrusion if a stranger, at his first approach to -this spot, should not pause and listen before he pushes forward to seek -the revelation of the mystery.... We were gloriously wetted and stunned -and deafened by the waters of the Rhine. It is impossible even to -remember (therefore, how should I enable any one to imagine?) the power -of the dashing, and of the sounds, the breezes, the dancing dizzy -sensations, and the exquisite beauty of the colours! The whole stream -falls like liquid emeralds--a solid mass of translucent green hue; or, -in some parts, the green appears through a thin covering of snow-like -foam. Below, in the ferment and hurly-burly, drifting snow and masses -resembling collected snow mixed with sparkling green billows. We walked -upon the platform, as dizzy as if we had been on the deck of a ship in a -storm. Mary returned with Mrs. Monkhouse to Schaffhausen, and William -recrossed in a boat with Mr. Monkhouse and me, near the extremity of the -river's first sweep, after its fall, where its bed (as is usual at the -foot of all cataracts) is exceedingly widened, and larger in proportion -to the weight of waters. The boat is trusted to the current, and the -passage, though long, is rapid. At first, when seated in that small -unresisting vessel, a sensation of helplessness and awe (it was not -fear) overcame me, but that was soon over. From the centre of the stream -the view of the cataract in its majesty of breadth is wonderfully -sublime. Being landed, we found commodious seats, from which we could -look round at leisure, and we remained till the evening darkness -revealed two intermitting columns of fire, which ascended from a forge -close to the cataract. - - [Footnote 44: His first visit to the Alps, with Robert Jones, in - 1790.--ED.] - - [Footnote 45: Compare Dorothy Wordsworth's letters written at Forncett - rectory in 1790-91.--ED.] - - -_Monday, July 31st._--_Hornberg._--After this, over the wide country to -_Villengen_, a walled town upon the treeless waste, the way unvaried -except by distant views of remnants of the forest, and towns or -villages, shelterless, and at long distances from each other. They are -very striking objects: they stand upon the waste in disconnection with -everything else, and one is at a loss to conceive how any particular -town came to be placed in _this_ spot or _that_, nature having framed no -allurement of valley shelter among the undulations of the wide expanse. -Each town stands upon its site, as if it might have been wheeled -thither. There is no sympathy, no bond of connection with surrounding -fields, not a fence to be seen, no woods for _shelter_, only the dreary -black patches and lines of forest, used probably for fuel, and often far -fetched. In short, it is an unnatural-looking region. In comparison with -the social intermixture of towns, villages, cottages, fruit-trees, corn -and meadow land, which we had so often travelled through, the feeling -was something like what one has in looking at a dead yet gaudy picture -painted by an untutored artist, who first _makes_ his country, then -claps upon it, according to his fancy, such buildings as he thinks will -adorn it. - - -_Thursday, August 3rd._--_Zurich._--At a little distance from Zurich we -remarked a very fine oak tree. Under its shade stood a little building -like an oratory, but as we were not among the Roman Catholics it puzzled -us. In front of the tree was an elevated platform, resembling the -_Mount_ at Rydal, to be ascended by steps. The postilion told us the -building was a Chapel whither condemned criminals retired to pray, and -there had their hair cut off; and that the platform was the place of -execution. - - -_August 4th._--_Lenzburg_.... At six o'clock we caught a glimpse of the -castle walls glittering in sunshine, a hopeful sign, and we set forward -through the fog. The ruin stands at the brink of a more than -perpendicular, an overhanging rock, on the top of a green hill, which -rises abruptly from the town. The steepest parts are ascended by -hundreds of stone steps, worn by age, often broken, and half-buried in -turf and flowers. These steps brought us to a terrace bordered by -neatly-trimmed vines; and we found ourselves suddenly in broad sunshine -under the castle walls, elevated above an ocean of vapour, which was -bounded on one side by the clear line of the Jura Mountains, and out of -which rose at a distance what seemed an island, crested by another -castle. We then ascended the loftiest of the towers, and the spectacle -all around was magnificent, visionary--I was going to say endless, but -on one side was the substantial barrier of the Jura. By degrees (the -vapours settling or shifting) other castles were seen on island -eminences; and the tops of bare or woody hills taking the same island -form; while trees, resembling ships, appeared and disappeared, and -rainbow lights (scarcely more visionary than the mimic islands) passed -over, or for a moment rested on the breaking mists. On the other side -the objects were more slowly developed. We looked long before we could -distinguish the far-distant Alps, but by degrees discovered them, -shining like silver among masses of clouds. The intervening wide space -was a sea of vapour, but we stayed on the eminence till the sun had -mastery of all beneath us, after a silent process of change and -interchange--of concealing and revealing. I hope we were not ungrateful -to the memory of past times when (standing on the summit of Helvellyn, -Scaw Fell, Fairfield, or Skiddaw) we have felt as if the world itself -could not present a more sublime spectacle.... - - -_Herzogenboschee._--At length we dropped asleep, but were soon roused by -a fitful sound of gathering winds, heavy rain followed, and vivid -flashes of lightning, with tremendous thunder. It was very awful. Mary -and I were sitting together, alone, in the open street; a strange -situation! yet we had no personal fear. Before the storm began, all the -lights had been extinguished except one opposite to us, and another at -an inn behind, where were turbulent noises of merriment, with singing -and haranguing, in the style of our village politicians. These ceased; -and, after the storm, lights appeared in different quarters; pell-mell -rushed the fountain; then came a watchman with his dismal recitative -song, or lay; the church clock telling the hours and the quarters, and -house clocks with their silvery tone; one scream we heard from a human -voice; but no person seemed to notice _us_, except a man who came out -upon the wooden gallery of his house right above our heads, looked down -this way and that, and especially towards the _voitures_.... The beating -of the rain, and the rushing of that fountain were continuous, and with -the periodical and the irregular sounds (among which the howling of a -dog was not the least dismal), completed the wildness of the awful -scene, and of our strange situation; sheltered from wet, yet in the -midst of it--and exposed to intermitting blasts, though struggling with -excessive heat--while flashes of lightning at intervals displayed the -distant mountains, and the wide space between; at other times a blank -gloom. - - -_Berne._--The fountains of Berne are ornamented with statues of William -Tell and other heroes. There is a beautiful order, a solidity, a gravity -in this city which strikes at first sight, and never loses its effect. -The houses are of one grey hue, and built of stone. They are large and -sober, but not heavy or barbarously elbowing each other. On each side is -a covered passage under the upper stories, as at Chester, only wider, -much longer, and with more massy supporters.... In all quarters we -noticed the orderly decency of the passengers, the handsome public -buildings, with appropriate decorations symbolical of a love of liberty, -of order, and good government, with an aristocratic stateliness, yet -free from show or parade.... The green-tinted river flows below--wide, -full, and impetuous. I saw the snows of the Alps burnished by the sun -about half an hour before his setting. After that they were left to -their wintry marble coldness, without a farewell gleam; yet suddenly the -city and the cathedral tower and trees were singled out for favour by -the sun among his glittering clouds, and gilded with the richest light. -A few minutes, and that glory vanished. I stayed till evening gloom was -gathering over the city, and over hill and dale, while the snowy tops of -the Alps were still visible. - - -_Sunday, August 6th._--Upon a spacious level adjoining the cathedral are -walks planted with trees, among which we sauntered, and were much -pleased with the great variety of persons amusing themselves in the same -way; and how we wished that one, at least, of our party had the skill to -sketch rapidly with the pencil, and appropriate colours, some of the -groups or single figures passing before us, or seated in sun or shade. -Old ladies appeared on this summer parade dressed in flycaps, such as -were worn in England fifty years ago, and broad-flowered chintz or -cotton gowns; the bourgeoises, in grave attire of black, with tight -white sleeves, yet seldom without ornament of gold lacing, or chain and -ear-rings, and on the head a pair of stiff transparent butterfly wings, -spread out from behind a quarter of a yard on each side, which wings are -to appearance as thin as gauze, but being made of horse-hair, are very -durable, and the larger are even made of wire. Among these were seen -peasants in shepherdess hats of straw, decorated with flowers and -coloured ribands, pretty little girls in grandmother's attire, and -ladies _à la française_. We noticed several parties composed of persons -dressed after these various modes, that seemed to indicate very -different habits and stations in society--the peasant and the lady, the -petty shopkeeper and the wealthy tradesman's wife, side by side in -friendly discourse. But it is impossible by words to give a notion of -the enlivening effect of these little combinations, which are also -interesting as evidences of a state of society worn out in England. Here -you see formality and simplicity, antiquated stateliness and decent -finery brought together, with a pervading spirit of comfortable equality -in social pleasures. - - * * * * * - -_Monday, August 7th._--I sate under an elm tree, looking down the woody -steep to the lake, and across it, to a rugged mountain; no villages to -be seen, no houses; the higher Alps shut out. I could have forgotten -Switzerland, and fancied myself transported to one of the lonesome -lakes of Scotland. I returned to my open station to watch the setting -sun, and remained long after the glowing hues had faded from those -chosen summits that were touched by his beams, while others were -obscurely descried among clouds in their own dark or snowy mantle.... -Met with an inscription on a grey stone in a little opening of the wood, -and would have copied it, for it was brief, but could not see to read -the letters, and hurried on, still choosing the track that seemed to -lead most directly downwards, and was indeed glad when I found myself -again in the public road to the town.... Late as it was, and although -twilight had almost given place to the darkness of a fine August night, -I was tempted aside into a broad flat meadow, where I walked under a row -of tall poplars by the river-side. The castle, church, and town appeared -before us in stately harmony, all hues of red roofs and painting having -faded away. Two groups of giant poplars rose up, like Grecian temples, -from the level between me and the mass of towers and houses. In the -smooth water the lingering brightness of evening was reflected from the -sky; and lights from the town were seen at different heights on the -hill. - - -_Thun, Tuesday, August 8th._--The Lake of Thun is essentially a lake of -the Alps. Its immediate visible boundary, third or fourth-rate -mountains; but overtopping these are seen the snowy or dark summits of -the Jungfrau, the Eiger, the Stockhorn, the Blumlis Alp, and many more -which I cannot name; while the Kander, and other raging streams, send -their voices across the wide waters. The remains of a ruined castle are -sometimes seen upon a woody or grassy steep--pleasing remembrances of -distant times, but taking no primary place in the extensive landscape, -where the power of nature is magisterial, and where the humble villages -composed of numerous houses clustering together near the lake, do not -interfere with the impressions of solitude and grandeur. Many of those -villages must be more than half-deserted when the herdsmen follow their -cattle to the mountains. Others of their numerous inhabitants find -subsistence by fishing in the lake. We floated cheerfully along, the -scene for ever changing. On the eastern side, to our left, the shores -are more populous than on the western; one pretty village succeeded -another, each with its spire, till we came to a hamlet, all of brown -wood houses, except one large white dwelling, and no church. The -villages are not, as one may say, in close neighbourhood; but a -substantial solitary house is sometimes seen between them. The eminences -on this side, as we advance, become very precipitous, and along the -ridge of one of them appears a wall of rocks with turrets, resembling a -mighty fortification. The boatmen directed our ears to the sound of -waterfalls in a cleft of the mountain; but the _sight_ of them we must -leave to other voyagers.... - -The broad pyramidal mountain, Niesen, rising directly from the lake on -the western side towards the head, is always a commanding object. Its -_form_ recalled to my remembrance some of the stony pyramids of Glencoe, -but _only_ its form, the surface being covered with green pasturage. -Sometimes, in the course of the morning, we had been reminded of our own -country; but transiently, and never without a sense of characteristic -difference. Many of the distinctions favourable to Switzerland I have -noticed; and it seems as if I were ungrateful to our own pellucid lakes, -those darlings of the summer breezes! But when floating on the Lake of -Thun we did not forget them. The greenish hue of its waters is much less -pleasing than the cerulean or purple of the lakes of Cumberland and -Westmoreland; the reflections are less vivid; shore and water do not so -delicately blend together; hence a coasting voyage cannot be accompanied -with an equal variety of minute objects. And I might add many other -little circumstances or incidents that enliven the banks of our lakes. -For instance, in a summer forenoon, the troops of cattle that are seen -solacing themselves in the cool waters within the belt of a pebbly -shore; or, if the season do not drive them thither, how they beautify -the pastures, and rocky unenclosed grounds! While on the Lake of Thun we -did not see a single group of cattle of any kind. I have not spoken of -that _other_ sky, "received into the bosom" of our lakes, on tranquil -summer evenings; for the time of day prevented our being reminded in -the same degree of what we have so often beheld at such times; but it -is obvious that, though the reflections from _masses_ of brilliant -clouds must often be very grand, the clouds in their delicate hues and -forms cannot be seen, in the same soft distinctness, "bedded in another -sky."... - -In this pleasing valley we whirled away, again (as to the first sound of -a Frenchman's whip in the streets of Calais) as blithe as children; when -all at once, looking through a narrow opening of green and craggy -mountains, the Jungfrau (the Virgin) burst upon our view, dazzling in -brightness, which seemed rather heightened than diminished by a mantle -of white clouds floating over the bosom of the mountain. The effect was -indescribable. We had before seen the snows of the Alps at a distance, -propped, as I may say, against the sky, or blending with, and often -indistinguishable from it; and now, with the suddenness of a pantomimic -change, we beheld a great mountain of snow, very near to us as it -appeared, and in combination with hills covered with flourishing trees, -in the pride of summer foliage. Our mirth was checked; and, awe-struck -yet delighted, we stopped the car for some minutes. - -Soon after we discovered the town of Unterseen, which stands right under -the hill, and close to the river Aar, a most romantic spot, the large, -ancient wooden houses of the market-place joining each other, yet placed -in wondrous disregard of order, and built with uncouth and grotesque -variety of gallery and pent-house. The roofs are mostly secured from -the wind by large rough stones laid upon them. At the end of the town we -came to a bridge which we were to pass over; and here, almost as -suddenly, was the river Aar presented to our view as the maiden-mountain -in her resplendent garb had been before. Hitherto the river had been -concealed by, or only partially seen through, the trees; but at -Unterseen it is imperious, and will be heard, seen, and felt. In a fit -of rage it tumbles over a craggy channel, spreading out and dividing -into different streams, crossed by the long, ponderous wooden bridge, -that, steady and rugged, adds to the wild grandeur of the spectacle.... -I recollect one woody eminence far below us, about which we doubted -whether the object on its summit was rock or castle, and the point -remained undecided until, on our way to Lauterbrunnen, we saw the same -above our heads, on its perpendicular steep, a craggy barrier fitted to -war with the tempests of ten thousand years. If summer days had been at -our command we should have remained till sunset upon our chosen -eminence; but another, on the opposite side of the vale, named the -Hohlbuhl, invited us, and we determined to go thither. Yet what could be -looked for more delightful than the sights which, by stirring but a few -yards from our elastic couch on the crags, we might see all round us? On -one side, the river Aar streaming through the verdant vale; on the -other, the pastoral, walnut-tree plain, with its one chapel and -innumerable huts, bounded by varied steeps, and leading the eye, and -still more the fancy, into its recesses and to the snowy barrier of the -Jungfrau. We descended on the side opposite to that by which we climbed -the hill, along an easy and delightful track, cut in the forest among -noble trees, chiefly beeches. Winding round the hill, we saw the bridge -above the inn, which we must cross to reach the foot of the other -eminence. We hurried along, through fields, woody lanes, and beside -cottages where children offered us nosegays gathered from their shady -gardens. Every image, every object in the vale was soothing or -cheerful: it seemed a paradise cradled in rugged mountains. At many a -cottage door we could have loitered till daylight was gone. The way had -appeared short at a distance, but we soon found out our want of skill in -measuring the vales of Switzerland, and long before we had reached the -foot of the hill, perceived that the sun was sinking, and would be gone -before our labour was ended. The strong pushed forward; and by patience -_I_ too, at last gained the desired point a little too late; for the -brilliance had deserted all but the highest mountains. They presented a -spectacle of heavenly glory; and long did we linger after the rosy -lights had passed away from their summits, and taken a station in the -calm sky above them.[46] It was ten o'clock when we reached the inn. - - [Footnote 46: After the sunshine has left the mountain-tops the sky - frequently becomes brighter, and of the same hue as if the light from - the hills had retreated thither.--D. W.] - - -_Brienz, Wednesday, August 9th._-- ... There was something in the -exterior of the people belonging to the inn at Brienz that reminded one -of the ferry-houses in the Highlands--a sort of untamed familiarity with -strangers, and an expression of savage fearlessness in danger. While we -were waiting at the door, a company of females came up, returning from -harvest labours in the Vale of Berne to their homes at the head of the -lake. They gathered round, eyeing us steadily, and presently a girl -began to sing, another joined, a third, a fourth, and then a fifth, -their arms gracefully laid over each other's shoulders. Large black or -straw hats shaded their heads, undecked with ribands, and their attire -was grey; the air they sang was plaintive and wild, without sweetness, -yet not harsh. The group collected round that lonely house on the -river's edge would have made a pretty picture.... The shore of Brienz, -as far as we saw it, is much richer in intricate graces than the shores -of the Lake of Thun. Its little retiring bays and shaggy rocks reminded -me sometimes of Loch Ketterine. - -Our minstrel peasants passed us on the water, no longer singing -_plaintive_ ditties, such as inspired the little poem which I shall -transcribe in the following page; but with bursts of merriment they -rowed lustily away. The poet has, however, transported the minstrels in -their gentle mood from the cottage door to the calm lake. - - "What know we of the Blest above - But that they sing and that they love?" - Yet if they ever did inspire - A mortal hymn, or shaped the choir, - Now, where those harvest Damsels float - Homeward in their rugged Boat - (While all the ruffling winds are fled, - Each slumbering on some mountain's head) - Now, surely, hath that gracious aid - Been felt, that influence display'd. - Pupils of Heaven, in order stand - The rustic Maidens, every hand - Upon a Sister's shoulders laid,-- - To chant, as Angels do above, - The melodies of Peace, in love![47] - - [Footnote 47: See the "Poetical Works," vol. vi. p. 315, in - "Memorials of a Tour on the Continent, 1820," _Scene on the - Lake of Brientz_.--ED.] - - -_Interlachen, Thursday, August 10th._--Many a streamlet crossed our way, -after tumbling down the hills--sometimes as clear as the springs of our -Westmoreland mountains, but the instant they touched the glacier river -of the valley their pure spirit was lost--annihilated by its angry -waters. I have seen a muddy and a transparent streamlet at a few yards' -distance hurrying down the same steep; in one instance the two joined at -the bottom, travelled side by side in the same track, remaining distinct -though joined together, as if each were jealous of its own character. -Yielding to mild necessity, they slowly blended, ere both, in turbulent -disrespect, were swallowed up by the master torrent. - -The Jungfrau (till then hidden except a small portion of its summit) -burst upon our view, covered with snow from its _apparent_ base to its -highest pike. We had been ascending nearly four hours; and all at once -the wintery mountain appeared before us; of majestic bulk, though but a -small part of that mass springing from the same foundation, some of the -pikes of which are seen far and wide from every quarter of the compass; -and we, after all this climbing, seemed not nearer to the top than when -we had viewed what _appeared_ to be the highest summits from below. We -were all on foot, and (at the moment when, about to turn to our left and -coast along the side of the hill which, sloping down to the base of the -snowy mountain, forms a hollow between) suddenly we heard a tremendous -noise--loud like thunder; and all stood still. It was the most awful -sound which had ever struck upon our ears. For some minutes, we did not -utter a single word:--and when the sound was dying away exclaimed, "It -is an avalanche!" eagerly asking "where?" and whence it had come. The -guide pointed to a very small and almost perpendicular _rivulet_ (as it -appeared to us) perfectly white--and dashing down the mountains--"That," -said he, "is the Avalanche!" We could not _believe_ that such mighty -tumult had proceeded from a little rill (to _our eyes_ it was nothing -else, though composed of falling masses of snow, and probably ice), and -I suspect we were loth to leave the mystery explained: however, we were -compelled to yield to our guide's experience, seeing a few minutes -after, the motion of the little white rill or torrent gradually settle -till all was gone, and perfect silence succeeded, silence more awful -even than the noise which had preceded it. The hollow alongside of which -our course lay might be in length half a league. On our right was the -Jungfrau in stillness of deepest winter; and the opposite hill, the -Wengern, was carpeted with green grass and flowers. _These_ heights -were pastured by cattle, and we began to hear the tinkling of their -bells, and shouts from boys at a distance; but no other stirring till we -reached a single hut near the end of the sloping hollow, the only one -visible hereabouts. At the door of the hut, our steeds were let loose to -pasture, and we entered. Two or three young men and boys displayed the -stores of their cupboard--one little piece of wheaten bread to help out -the small supply which we had brought, plenty of cheese, and milk in -abundance. It was not better than a savage shelter; and the youths -looked as if they had had no valley culture; simple goodwill, however, -cheerful smiles and stores proffered without reserve made all -delightful, and had a shower and a wintry blast visited us from the -Jungfrau we should have rejoiced in the comfort of that shelter; but the -sun shone with _peculiar_ brightness, enriching the soft green ground, -and giving dazzling brilliancy to the snow. We desired our attendants to -bring their stores into the open air, and seated ourselves on the turf -beside the _household_ spring (so let me call it, though but a child of -summer at the foot of the icy mountain), the warm sun shone upon us; the -air invigorated our spirits and we were as gay as larks, that soar in a -region far below _ours_ on that happy afternoon. Again we heard the -thunder of avalanches, and saw them bursting out, fresh foaming springs. -The sound is loud as thunder, but more metallic and musical. It also may -be likened to the rattling of innumerable chariots passing over rocky -places.... Soon the vale lay before us, with its two glaciers, and--as -it might seem--its thousand cabins sown upon the steeps. The descent[48] -became so precipitous that all were obliged to walk. Deep we go into the -broad cradle-valley, every cottage we passed had its small garden, and -cherry-trees sprinkled with leaves, bearing half-grown, half-ripe -fruit. In plunging into this vale I was overcome with a sense of -melancholy pervading the whole scene--not desolation, or dreariness. It -is not the melancholy of the Scotch Highlands, but connected with social -life in loneliness, not less than with the strife of all the seasons.... -The sunshine had long deserted the valley, and was quitting the summits -of the mountains behind the village; but red hues, dark as the red of -rubies, settled in the clouds, and lingered there after the mountains -had lost all but their cold whiteness, and the black hue of the crags. -The gloomy grandeur of this spectacle harmonised with the melancholy of -the vale; yet it was _heavenly glory_ that hung over those cold -mountains. - - [Footnote 48: From the Wengern Alp.--D. W.] - - -_Grindelwald, Friday, August 11th._--_Scheideck to Meiringen._--To our -right, looking over the green cradle of the vale, we saw the glacier, -with the stream issuing from beneath an arch of solid ice--the small -pyramids around it of a greyish colour, mingled with vitriol green. The -bed of icy snow above looked sullied, so that the glacier itself was not -beautiful, like what we had read of; but the mass of mountains behind, -their black crags and shadows, and the awful aspect of winter -encroaching on the valley-domain (combinations so new to us) made ample -amends for any disappointment we might feel.... The rain came on in -heavy drops, but did not drive us to the closer shelter of the house. We -heeded not the sprinkling which a gust of wind sometimes sent in upon -us. Good fortune had hitherto favoured us; and, even if we had been -detained at that house all night, the inconvenience would have been -trifling. Our spirits were uplifted, and we felt as if it would be a -privilege to be admitted to a near acquaintance with Alpine storms. This -at least was my feeling, till the threatenings were over; and then, by -happy transition, I gladly hailed the bursting light of the sun that -flashed upon the crags, seen by glimpses between the dispersing clouds. -The interior of the house was roomy and warm; and, though the floors -were of the bare soil, everything looked cleanly; the wooden vessels -were pretty, ladles and spoons curiously carved, and all neatly arranged -on shelves. Three generations, making a numerous family, were there -living together in the summer season, with their cattle on the rough -pastures round them:[49] no doubt the main support of the household, but -the gains from travellers must be considerable. We were surprised at -being asked if we chose coffee. Hardly should we have deserved our -welcome shelter had we not preferred the peasant's fare--cheese, milk, -and cream, with the addition of bread fetched from the vale; and I must -not omit a dish of fruit--bilberries--here very fine. Indeed most of our -mountain plants, except the branchy fern and the common daisy (which we -rarely saw), grow in lavish beauty, and many others unknown to us, that -enamel the turf like gems. The monkshood of our gardens, growing at a -great height on the Alps, has a brighter hue than elsewhere. It is seen -in tufts, that to my fancy presented fairy groves upon the green grass, -and in rocky places, or under trees. - - [Footnote 49: All these Alps are occupied by owners of land in the - valleys, who have a right in common according to the quantity of - their land. The cheeses, like the rest of the produce, are the - property of all, and the distribution takes place at the end of the - season.--D. W.] - -The storm over, we proceeded, still in the forest, which led us through -different compartments of the vale, each of itself a little valley of -the loveliest greenness, on all sides skirted with pine-trees, and often -sprinkled with huts, the summer dwellings of the herdsmen. Sometimes -(seen through a lateral opening) a meadow glade, not much larger than a -calf-garth, would have its single dwelling; but the memory of one -particular spot--the perfect image of peace and pastoral -seclusion--remains with me as vividly as when, apart from my companions, -I travelled over its soft carpet of turf. That valley-reach might be in -length a quarter of a mile or more, and of proportionate width, -surrounded by hills covered with pines, overtopped by craggy mountains. -It was an apparently level plain, as smooth as velvet, and our course -through the centre. On our right flowed the grey stream from the -glaciers, with chastened voice and motion; and, on the other, were many -cabins in an almost formal line, separated from each other, and elevated -upon wooden pillars, the grass growing round and under them. There was -not a sound except of the gushing stream; no cattle to be seen, nor any -living creature. - - * * * * * - -Our way continued through interchange of pastoral and forest ground. -Crossed a bridge, and then had the stream to our left in a rocky gulf -overhung with trees, chiefly beeches and elms; sawing-mills on the river -very picturesque. It is impossible to imagine a more beautiful descent -than was before us to the vale of Hasli. The roaring stream was our -companion; sometimes we looked down upon it from the edge of a lofty -precipice; sometimes descended towards it, and could trace its furious -course for a considerable way. The torrent bounded over rocks, and still -went foaming on, no pausing-places, no gentle windings, no pools under -the innumerable smaller cataracts; the substance and the grey hue still -the same, whether the stream rushed in one impetuous current down a -regularly rough part of its steep channel, or laboured among rocks in -cloud-shaped heavings, or in boisterous fermentation.... We saw the -cataract[50] through an open window. It is a tremendous one, but, -wanting the accompaniments of overhanging trees, and all the minor -graces which surround our waterfalls--overgrowings of lichen, moss, -fern, and flowers--it gives little of what may be called pleasure. It -was astonishment and awe--an overwhelming sense of the powers of nature -for the destruction of all things, and of the helplessness of man--of -the weakness of his will if prompted to make a momentary effort against -such a force. What weight and speed of waters! and what a tossing of -grey mist! Though at a considerable distance from the fall, when -standing at the window, a shower of misty rain blew upon us. - - [Footnote 50: The Fall of the Reichenbach.--ED.] - - -_Meiringen, Saturday, August 12th._--Again crossed the river; then up a -bare precipice, and along a gallery hewn out of the rock. Downwards to -the valley more bare and open; a sprinkling of pines, among which the -peasants were making hay. Hamlets and single huts not far asunder: no -thought of dreariness crossed my mind; yet a pensiveness was spread over -the long valley, where, year by year, the same simple employments go on -in succession, and where the tempests of winter are patiently endured, -and thoughtfully guarded against.... The _châlet_ at Handek is large; -four long apartments, in one of which our mules rested. Several men were -living there for the summer season, but no women. They served us with -the same kindliness we had experienced on the Wengern and Scheidegg -Alps, but with slowness and gravity. These men were very tall, and had a -sedate deportment, generally noticed I find by travellers in Ober Hasli, -where the race has for centuries been distinguished by peculiar customs, -manners, and habits.... From the brink of a rock we looked down the -falls, and along the course of the torrent. The spectacle was -tremendous, and, from that point, not less beautiful. The position of -the sun here favoured us; and we beheld the arch of a bright rainbow, -steadily poised on the cloud of vapour below us that burst out of the -terrific waters. We looked down with awe upon - - the river, throwing - His giant body o'er the steep rock's brink, - -yet at first hardly without personal fear. The noise was so great we -could not help fancying it shook the very rock on which we stood. That -feeling passed away.... While I lay on my bed, the terrible solitudes of -the Wetterhorn were revealed to me by fits--its black chasms, and snowy, -dark, grey summits. All night, and all day, and for ever, the vale of -Meiringen is sounding with torrents. - -_Meiringen, Sunday, August 13th._--Rain over, and the storm past away, -long before the sunshine had touched the top of any other mountain, the -snow upon the Wetterhorn shone like silver, and its grey adamantine -towers appeared in a soft splendour all their own. I looked in vain for -the rosy tints of morning, of which I had so often heard; but they could -not have been more beautiful than the silvery brightness.... - - -_Lake of Lungern._--At an upper window of one of a cluster of houses at -the foot of the valley, a middle-aged man, with a long beard, was -kneeling with a book in his hand. He fixed his eyes upon us, and, while -his devotions were still going on, made me a bow. I passed slowly, and -looked into that house with prying eyes, it was so different from any -other, and so much handsomer. The wooden ceiling of the room, where the -friar or monk (such I suppose him to be) knelt at his prayers, was -curiously inlaid and carved, and the walls hung with pictures. The -picturesque accompaniments of the Roman Catholic religion, the elegant -white chapels on the hills, the steady grave people going to church, and -the cheerfulness of the valley, had put me into good humour with the -religion itself; but, while we were passing through this very hamlet, -and close to the mansion of the godly man, Mr. M. having lost the cork -of a little flask, I asked the guide to buy or beg for us another at one -of the cottages, and he shook his head, assuring me they would neither -give nor sell anything to us Protestants, except in the regular way of -trade. They would do nothing for us out of goodwill. I had been too -happy in passing through the tranquil valley to be ready to trust my -informer, and, having first obliged him to make the request, I asked -myself at two respectable houses, and met with a refusal, and no very -gracious looks.... - - -_Sarnen, Monday, August 14th._--The road to the monastery is marked by -small pillars of grey stone, not more than a quarter of a mile asunder. -At the top of each pillar is a square cupboard, as I may call it, or it -more resembles the head of a clock, where, secure from the rain, are -placed paintings of the history of our Saviour from His birth to His -ascension. Some of the designs are very pretty (taken, no doubt, from -better pictures) and they generally tell their tale intelligibly. The -pillars are in themselves pleasing objects in connection with the -background of a crag or overhanging tree--a streamlet, or a bridge--and -how touchingly must their pictured language have spoken to the heart of -many a weary devotee! The ascent through the forest was interesting on -every account. It led us sometimes along the brink of precipices, and -always far above the boisterous river. We frequently met, or were -overtaken, by peasants (mostly bearing heavy burthens). We spoke to each -other; but here I could not understand three words of their language, -nor they of mine. - - -_Engelberg, Mount Titlis, Tuesday, August 15th._--We breakfasted in view -of the flashing, silver-topped Mount Titlis, and its grey crags, a sight -that roused William's youthful desires; and in spite of weak eyes, and -the weight of fifty winters, he could not repress a longing to ascend -that mountain.... But my brother had had his own visions of glory, and, -had he been twenty years younger, sure I am that he would have trod the -summit of the Titlis. Soon after breakfast we were warned to expect the -procession, and saw it issuing from the church. Priests in their white -robes, choristers, monks chanting the service, banners uplifted, and a -full-dressed image of the Virgin carried aloft. The people were divided -into several classes; the men, bareheaded; and maidens, taking -precedency of the married women, I suppose, because it was the festival -of the Virgin. - -The procession formed a beautiful stream upon the green level, winding -round the church and convent. Thirteen hundred people were assembled at -Engelberg, and joined in this service. The unmarried women wore straw -hats, ornamented with flowers, white bodices, and crimson petticoats. -The dresses of the elder people were curious. What a display of -neck-chains and ear-rings! of silver and brocaded stomachers! Some old -men had coats after the mode of the time of _The Spectator_, with worked -seams. Boys, and even young men, wore flowers in their straw hats. We -entered the convent; but were only suffered to go up a number of -staircases, and through long whitewashed galleries, hung with portraits -of saints, and prints of remarkable places in Switzerland, and -particularly of the vale and convent of Engelberg, with plans and charts -of the mountains, etc. There are now only eighteen monks; and the abbot -no longer exists: his office, I suppose, became extinct with his -temporal princedom.... I strolled to the chapel, near the inn, a pretty -white edifice, entered by a long flight of steps. No priest, but several -young peasants, in shepherdess attire of jackets, and showy petticoats, -and flowery hats, were paying their vows to the Virgin. A colony of -swallows had built their nests within the cupola, in the centre of the -circular roof. They were flying overhead; and their voices seemed to me -an harmonious accompaniment to the silent devotions of those rustics. - - -_Lucerne, Wednesday, August 16th._--Lucerne stands close to the shore at -the foot of the lake of the four cantons. The river Reuss, after its -passage from the mountain of St. Gothard, falls into that branch called -the Lake of Uri, and issues out of another branch at Lucerne, passing -through the town. The river has three long wooden bridges; and another -bridge, 1080 feet in length, called the Cathedral Bridge, crosses a -part of the lake, and leads to the Cathedral. Thither we repaired, -having first walked the streets, and purchased a straw hat for 12 -francs, at the shop of a pleasant talkative milliner, on whose counter, -taking up a small pamphlet (a German magazine), we were surprised at -opening upon our own name, and, still more, surprised to find it in -connection with my brother's poem on the Duddon, so recently published. - -But I was going to lead you to the end of the long bridge under a dark -roof of wood, crossed and sustained by heavy beams, on each of which, on -both sides--so that they face you both in going and returning--some -portion of Scripture history is represented; beginning with Adam and -Eve, and ending with the resurrection and ascension of Christ. These -pictures, to the number of 230--though, to be sure, woful things as -works of art--are by no means despicable daubs; and, while I looked at -them myself, it pleased me much more to see the peasants, bringing their -burthens to the city, often stay their steps, with eyes cast upwards. -The lake is seen through the openings of the bridge; pleasant houses, -not crowded, on its green banks.... It was dark when we reached the inn. -We took tea at one end of the unoccupied side of the table in the -_salle-à-manger_; while, on the other side, a large party were at -supper. Before we had finished, a bustle at the door drew our attention -to a traveller; rather an odd figure appeared in a greatcoat. Mary said, -"He is like Mr. Robinson." He turned round while talking German, with -loud voice, to the landlord; and, all at once, we saw that it was Mr. -Robinson himself. Our joy cannot be expressed. If he had brought the -half of old England along with him, we could not have been more glad. We -started up with one consent; and, no doubt, all operations at the -supper-table were suspended; but we had no eyes for that. Mr. Robinson -introduced two young men, his companions, an American and a -Scotchman--genteel, modest youths, who (the ceremony of introduction -over) slipped away to the supper-table, wishing to leave us to -ourselves. We were indeed happy--and Mr. Robinson was not less so. He -seemed as if he had in one moment found two homes, his English home, and -his home in Germany, though it were in the heart of Switzerland. - - -_Lucerne, Friday, August 18th._--Merrily we floated between the soft -banks of the first reach of the lake, keeping near the left shore.[51] -Plots of corn interspersed among trees and green slopes, with pleasant -houses, not neighbouring one another, as at Zurich, nor yet having a -character of loneliness. Then we come to low shaggy rocks, forming -pretty little bays, and a singular rock appears before us in the water, -the terminating point of the promontory. That point passed, the Kusnach -branch opening out on our left hand, we are soon on the body of the -lake, from which the four smaller branches of Lucerne, Winkel, Alpnach, -and Kusnach may be said to proceed. The lake is full and stately; the -mountains are magnificent. The town of Lucerne, its red roofs softened -(even in the sunshine of this bright day) by distance, is an elegant -termination of its own compartment, backed by low hills. Rowing round -the rocky point, we lose sight of that quarter: the long Reach of -Kusnach is before us, bordered by soft shores with thinly-scattered -villages, and but few detached cottages. Behind us, the lake stretches -out to Mount Pilatus, dark, rugged, and lofty--the Sarnen and Meiringen -mountains beyond; and the summits surrounding the hidden valley of -Engelberg in the opposite quarter. - - [Footnote 51: Which is in fact the _right_ bank as we were going _up_ - the Lake.--D. W.] - - -_Top of Rigi, Saturday, August 19th._--At Goldau the valley desolation -begins. It bears the name of the former village buried in ruins; and is -now no more than three or four houses and a church built on the same -site. Masses of barren rubbish lie close to the houses, where but a few -years past, nothing was seen but fruitful fields. We dined at the inn, -and were waited on by the landlady, whose head-dress was truly -surprising. She wore from the back of the neck to the forehead a cap -shaped like a one-arched bridge with high parapets of stiff muslin; the -path of the bridge covered with artificial flowers--wonderously -unbecoming; for she was a plain woman--not young--and her hair (I think -powdered) was drawn tight up from the forehead. She served us with very -small fish, from the lake, excellently cooked, boiled milk, eggs, an -omelet, and dessert. From the room where we dined we had a view of the -Lake of Zong, formerly separated from the small Lake of Lowertz only by -_fertile_ grounds, such as we now beheld stretching down to its shores. -Yes! from a window in that house on its desolate site we beheld this -lovely prospect; and nothing of the desolation. - - -_Seewen, August 20th, Sunday._--A small white Church, with a graceful -Tower, mitre-topped and surmounted by a slender spire, was in prospect, -upon an eminence in the Vale, and thitherward the people led us. Passing -through the small village of Engelbole, at the foot of that green -eminence, we ascended to the churchyard, where was a numerous assemblage -(you must not forget it was Sunday) keeping festival. It was like a -_Fair_ to the eye; but no squalls of trumpets or whistles--no battering -of children's drums--all the people quiet, yet cheerful--cakes and fruit -spread abundantly on the churchyard wall. - -A beautiful prospect from that spot--new scenes to tempt us forward! We -descended, by a long flight of steps, into the Vale, and, after about -half a mile's walking, we arrived at _Brunnen_. Espied Wm. and M. upon a -crag above the village, and they directed us to the Eagle Inn, where I -instantly seated myself before a window, with a long Reach of the Lake -of Uri[52] before me, the magnificent commencement to our _regular_ -approach to the St. Gothard Pass of the Alps. My first feeling was of -extreme delight in the excessive _beauty_ of the scene;--I had expected -something of a more awful impression from the Lake of Uri; but nothing -so _beautiful_. - - [Footnote 52: The head Branch of the Lake of the Four Cantons.--D. W.] - -It was a moonlight night;--rather a night of fitful moonshine; for large -clouds were driving rapidly over the narrow arch of sky above the town -[Altorf]. A golden cross, upon one of the steeples, shone forth at times -as bright as a star in heaven, against the black mountain-wall, while -the transient touchings of the moonlight produced a most romantic effect -upon the many-coloured paintings on the wall of the old Tower. I sate a -long time at my window keeping watch, and wishing for a companion, that -I might walk. At length, however, when I was preparing to go to bed -(after ten o'clock) Mr. R. tapped at my door to tell me that Mr. M. was -going out. I hastily re-dressed myself, and we two then sallied forth -together. A fierce hot wind drove through the streets, whirling aloft -the dust of the ruins, which almost blinded our eyes. We got a hasty -glimpse of the moon perched on the head of a mountain pike--a moment and -it was gone--then passed through the long street. Houses and ruins -picturesque in the uncertain light--with a stateliness that does not -belong to them by day--hurried on to the churchyard, which, being on an -eminence, gave us another view of the moon wandering among clouds, above -the jagged ridges of the steeps:--thence homewards struggling with the -hot wind. _Some_ matters are curiously managed on the Continent, a -folding door, the sole entrance to my chamber, only separated it from -the salon where, at my return, guests were at supper. I heard every word -they spoke as distinctly as if I had been of the party, though without -understanding more than that a careful father was travelling with his -two boys, to whom he talked incessantly; but so kindly and pleasantly -that I hardly wished to get rid of his voice. We had broad flashes of -lightning after I was in bed, but no thunder. This reminds me that we -could have no fresh bread for breakfast in the morning, the bakers -having, as we were told, been prohibited (since the destructive fire) -under a heavy penalty, from heating their ovens except when the air is -calm. I think it must often be the lot of the good people of Altorf to -gnaw a hard crust; for these mountains are fine brewing-places for the -winds; and the vale a very trough to receive and hold them fast. - -A smart young maiden was to introduce us to the interior of the ivied -Tower, so romantic in its situation above the roaring stream, at the -mouth of the glen, which, behind, is buried beneath overhanging woods. -We ascended to the upper rooms by a blind staircase that might have -belonged to a turret of one of our ancient castles, which conducted us -into a Gothic room, where we found neither the ghost nor the armour of -William Tell; but an artist at work with the pencil; with two or three -young men, his pupils, from Altorf. No better introduction to the favour -of one of those young men was required than that of our sprightly female -attendant. From this little academy of the arts, drawings are dispersed, -probably, to every country of the continent of Europe. Mr. M. selected -two from a very large collection. - - -_Monday, August 20th._[53]--_Altorf._--We found our own comfortable Inn, -THE OX, near the fountain of William Tell. The buildings here are -fortunately disposed--with a pleasing irregularity. Opposite to our Inn -stands the Tower of the Arsenal, built upon the spot where grew the -Linden-tree to which Tell's son is reported to have been bound when the -arrow was shot. This tower was spared by the fire which consumed an -adjoining building, _happily_ spared, if only for the sake of the rude -paintings on its walls. I studied them with infinite satisfaction, -especially the face of the innocent little boy with the apple on his -head. After dinner we walked up the valley to the reputed birthplace of -Tell: it is a small village at the foot of a glen, rich yet very wild. A -rude unroofed modern bridge crosses the boisterous river, and, beside -the bridge, is a fantastic mill-race constructed in the same rustic -style--uncramped by apprehensions of committing waste upon the woods. At -the top of a steep rising directly from the river, stands a square tower -of grey stone, partly covered with ivy, in itself rather a striking -object from the bridge; even if not pointed out for notice as being -built on the site of the dwelling where William Tell was born. Near it, -upon the same eminence, stands the white church, and a small chapel -called by Tell's name, where we again found rough paintings of his -exploits, mixed with symbols of the Roman Catholic faith. Our walk from -Altorf to this romantic spot had been stifling; along a narrow road -between old stone walls--nothing to be seen above them but the tops of -fruit trees, and the imprisoning hills. No doubt when those walls were -built, the lands belonged to the churches and monasteries. Happy were we -when we came to the glen and rushing river, and still happier when, -having clomb the eminence, we sate beside the churchyard, where kindly -breezes visited us--the warm breezes of Italy! We had here a volunteer -guide, a ragged child, voluble with his story trimmed up for the -stranger. He could tell the history of the Hero of Uri and declare the -import of each memorial;--while (not neglecting the saints) he proudly -pointed out to our notice (what indeed could not have escaped it) a -gigantic daubing of the figure of St. Christopher on the wall of the -church steeple. But our smart young maiden was to introduce us to the -interior of the ivied Tower, so romantic in its situation above the -roaring stream, at the mouth of the glen, which, behind, is buried -beneath overhanging woods. We ascended to the upper rooms by a blind -staircase that might have belonged to a turret of one of our ancient -castles, which conducted us into a gothic room, where we found neither -the ghost nor the armour of William Tell; but an artist at work with the -pencil; with two or three young men, his pupils, from Altorf--no better -introduction to the favour of one of those young men was required than -that of our sprightly female attendant. From this little academy of the -arts, drawings are dispersed, probably, to every country of the -continent of Europe. - - [Footnote 53: There is a mistake here as to the date, which renders - all subsequent ones inaccurate.--ED.] - - -_Wednesday, August 22nd._--_Amsteg._--After Wasen our road at times very -steep;--rocky on both sides of the glen; and fewer houses than before. -We had left the forest, but smaller fir-trees were thinly sprinkled on -the hills. Looking northward, the church tower on its eminence most -elegant in the centre of the glen backed by the bare pyramid of Meisen. -Images by the wayside though not frequent, I recollect a poor idiot -hereabouts, who with smiles and uncouth gestures placed himself under -the Virgin and Child, pleading so earnestly that there was no resisting -him. Soon after, when I was lingering behind upon a stone, beside a -little streamlet of clear water, a procession of mules approached, laden -with wine-casks--forty at least--which I had long seen winding like a -creeping serpent along the side of the bare hill before me, and heard -the stream of sound from their bells. Two neatly-dressed Italian women, -who headed the cavalcade, spoke to me in their own sweet language; and -one of them had the kindness to turn back to bring me a glove, which I -had left on the stone where I had been sitting. I cannot forget her -pretty romantic appearance--a perfect contrast to that of the poor -inhabitants of her own sex in this district, no less than her soft -speech! She was rather tall, and slender, and wore a small straw hat -tied with coloured riband, different in shape from those worn in -Switzerland. It was the first company of muleteers we had seen, though -afterwards we met many. Recrossed the Reuss, and, ascending a very long -and abrupt hill covered with impending and shattered crags, had again -that river on our left, but the hill carried us out of sight of it. I -was alone--the first in the ascent. A cluster of mountain masses, till -then unseen, appeared suddenly before me, black--rugged--or covered with -snow. I was indeed awe-struck; and, while I sate for some minutes, -thought within myself, now indeed we are going among the terrors of the -Alps; for the course of the Reuss being hidden, I imagined we should be -led towards those mountains. Little expecting to discover traces of -human habitations, I had gone but a little way before I beheld, -stretching from the foot of the savage mountains, an oblong valley -thickly strewn over with rocks, or, more accurately speaking, huge -stones; and among them huts of the same hue, hardly to be distinguished, -except by their shape. At the foot of the valley appeared a village -beside a tall slender church tower;--every object of the same hue except -the foaming glacier stream and the grassy ground, exquisitely green -among the crags. The hills that flanked the dismal valley told its -history:--their precipitous sides were covered with crags, mostly in -detached masses, that seemed ready to be hurled down by avalanches. -Descending about half a mile we were at the village,[54] and turning -into the churchyard to the left, sate there, overlooking the pass of the -torrent. Beside it lay many huge fragments of rock fallen from above, -resembling one of still more enormous size, called the Devil's stone, -which we had passed by on the right-hand side of the road near the -entrance of the village. How lavishly does nature in these desolate -places dispense _beautiful_ gifts! The craggy pass of the stream coming -out of that valley of stones was decorated with a profusion of gorgeous -bushes of the mountain ash, with delicate flowers, and with the richest -mosses. And, even while looking upon the valley itself, it was -impossible, amid all its images of desolation, not to have a mild -pleasure in noticing the harmonious beauty of its form and proportions. -Two or three women came to us to beg; and all the inhabitants seemed to -be miserably poor. No wonder! for they are not merely _summer_ tenants -of the village:--and who, that could find another hold in the land, -would dwell there the year through? Near the church is a picturesque -stone bridge, at the further end spanned by the arch of a ruined gateway -(no gate is _there_ now), and its stone pillars are crested with flowers -and grass. We cross the bridge; and, winding back again, come in sight -of the Reuss far below, to our left, and were in that part of the pass -especially called by Ebel the valley of Schöllenen,[55] so well known -for its dangers at the time of the dissolving of the snow, when the -muleteers muffle their bells and do not venture to speak a word, lest -they should stir some loose masses overhead by agitating the air. Here -we passed two muleteers stretched at ease upon a plot of verdant turf, -under a gigantic crag, their mules feeding beside them. The road is now, -almost continuously very steep--the hills rugged--often ruinous--yet -straggling pine-trees are seen even to their summits; and goats -fearlessly browsing upon the overhanging rocks. The distance from -Ghestinen to the vale of Urseren is nearly two leagues. After we had -been long ascending, I perceived on the crags on the opposite side of -the glen two human figures. They were at about the same elevation as -ourselves; yet looked no bigger than a boy and girl of five years' -growth, a proof that, narrow as the glen appears to be, its width is -considerable:--and this shows how high and steep must be the mountains. -Those people carried each a large burthen, which we supposed to be of -hay; but where was hay to be procured on these precipices? A little -further--and the mystery was solved, when we discovered a solitary mower -among slips of grass on the almost perpendicular side of the mountain. -The man and woman must have been bearing their load to the desolate -valley. Such are the summer labours of its poor inhabitants. In winter, -their sole employment out of their houses and cattle-sheds must be the -clearing away of snow, which would otherwise keep the doors barred up. -But even at that season, I believe, seldom a week passes over their -heads without tidings from the top of St. Gothard or the valley of -Altorf, winter being the season when merchandise is constantly passing -upon sledges between Italy and Switzerland:--and Ghestinen is one of the -halting-places. The most dangerous time of travelling is the spring. For -_us_ there were no dangers. The excellent paved road of granite masters -all difficulties even up the steepest ascents; and from safe bridges -crossing the torrents we looked without trepidation into their gulfs, or -pondered over their hasty course to the Reuss. Yet in the Gorge of -Schoellenen it is not easy to forget the terrors which visit that -houseless valley. Frequent memorials of deaths on the spot are -discovered by the way-side,--small wooden crosses placed generally under -the shelter of an overhanging stone. They might easily be passed -unnoticed; and are so slightly put together that a child might break -them to pieces:--yet they lie from year to year, as safe as in a -sanctuary. - - [Footnote 54: Named Göschenen. It is 2100 feet above the lake of - Waldstelles and 3282 above the level of the Vierwaldstädtersee. - --D. W.] - - [Footnote 55: Ramond gives this name to the whole valley from Amsteg - to the entrance of Ursern. Ebel gives to it, altogether, the name of - the Haute-Reuss; and says that it is called by the inhabitants the - Graccenthal--Göschenen.--D. W.] - - -_Thursday, August 23rd._--_Hopital._[56]--Mary and I were again the -first to depart. Our little Trager had left us and we proceeded with -another (engaged also for 9 francs the distance to Airola, one league -less). Turned aside into one of the little chapels at the outskirts of -the town. Two Italians were refreshing and repainting the Saints and -Angels; we traced something of the style of their country (very -different from what is seen in Switzerland) in the ornaments of the -Chapel. Next we were invited to view a collection of minerals: and, -avowing ignorance in these matters, passed on. The ascent is at once -very steep. The sun shone full upon us, but the air was clear and cool, -though perfectly calm. Straying from the paved road we walked on soft -grass sprinkled with lowly flowers, and interwoven with the -ground-loving thyme which (hardly to be discovered by the eye in -passing) sent out gushes of aromatic odour. The Reuss rapidly descending -in a rocky channel between green hills, hillocks, or knolls was on our -left hand--not close to the road. Our first resting-place was beside a -little company of its small cataracts--foaming and sparkling--such as we -might have met with in the _ghyll_ of a Westmoreland mountain--scantily -adorned with bushes, and liberally with bright flowers--cattle wandering -on the hills; their bells made a soft jingling. The ascent becomes less -steep. After ascending half a league, or more, having passed several -painted oratories, but neither cottage nor cattle-shed--we came to a -wide long hollow, so exactly resembling the upper reaches of our vales, -especially Easedale, that we could have half believed ourselves there -before the April sun had melted the snow on the mountain-tops, the clear -river Reuss, flowing over a flat, though stony bed in the centre. M. and -I were still alone with our guide; and here we met a French traveller, -of whom Mr. R. told us he had afterwards inquired if he had seen two -ladies, to which he rudely answered that he _had met two women_ a little -above. This reminded me of an unwilling inclination of the head when I -had spoken to this Frenchman in passing, as I do to all whom I meet in -lonely places. He did not touch his hat: no doubt an intentional -incivility, for, on the Continent, that mark of respect towards -strangers is so general as to be often troublesome. Our -fellow-travellers overtook us before we had ascended from the -Westmoreland hollow, which had appeared to them, as to us, with the face -of an old friend. No more bushes now to be seen--and not a single house -or hut since we left Hopital. The ascent at times very rapid--hill -bare--and very rocky. The Reuss (when seen at our right hand) was taking -an open course, like a common mountain torrent, having no continuous -glen of its own. Savage pikes in all directions:--but, altogether, the -mountain ascent from Urseren not to be compared in awfulness and -grandeur with the valley pass from Amsteg. I recollect no particular -incidents by the way, except that, when far behind in discourse with a -lame, and therefore slow-paced, foot-traveller (who intended to halt for -the night at the Hospital of St. Gothard), he pointed out to me a patch -of snow on the left side of the road at a distance, and a great stone on -the right, which he told me was the spot where six travellers had been -overwhelmed by an avalanche last February--they and the huge stone -buried beneath the snow, I cannot say how many feet deep. I found our -party examining the spot. The hill, from which the avalanche had fallen, -was neither precipitous nor, to appearance, very lofty, nor was anything -to be seen which could give the notion of peculiar hazard in that place; -and this gave us, perhaps, a more vivid impression of what must be the -dangers of the Alps, at one season of the year, than the most fearful -crags and precipices. A wooden cross placed under the great stone by the -brother of one of the deceased (an Italian gentleman) recorded the time -and manner of his death. We tasted the cold snow near this spot, the -first we had met with by the way-side, no doubt a remnant of the -avalanche that had buried those unfortunate travellers. At the top of -the ascent of St. Gothard a wide basin--a dreary valley of rocky -ground--lies before us. - - [Footnote 56: Hospenthal.--ED.] - -An oratory, where no doubt thanksgivings have been often poured out for -preservation from dangers encountered on a road which we had travelled, -so gaily, stands beside a large pool of clear water, that lies just -below us; and another pool, or little lake, the source of the Reuss, is -discovered between an opening in the mountains to the right. The -prospect is savage and grand; yet the grandeur chiefly arises from the -consciousness of being on ground so elevated and so near to the sources -of two great rivers, taking their opposite courses to the German Ocean, -and the Mediterranean Sea: for the mountain summits which rise all -round--some covered with snow--others of bare granite, being viewed from -a base so lofty are not so commanding as when seen from below; and the -_valley country_ is wholly hidden from view.--Unwilling to turn the -mountain, I sate down upon a rock above the little lake; and thence saw -(a quarter of a mile distant) the Hospital, or Inn, and, beside it, the -ruins of a convent, destroyed by the French. A tinkling of bells -suddenly warned me to look about, and there was a troop of goats; some -of them close at hand among the crags and slips of turf; nor were there -wanting, even here, a few bright lowly flowers. Entering into my -brother's youthful feelings of sadness and disappointment when he was -told unexpectedly that the Alps were crossed--the effort accomplished--I -tardily descended towards the Hospital. - -I found Mary sitting on the lowest of a long flight of steps. She had -lost her companions (my brother and a young Swiss who had joined us on -the road). We mounted the steps; and, from within, their voices answered -our call. Went along a dark, stone, _banditti_ passage, into a small -chamber little less gloomy, where we found them seated with food before -them, bread and cheese, with sour red wine--no milk. Hunger satisfied, -Mary and I hastened to warm ourselves in the sunshine; for the house -was as cold as a dungeon. We straightway greeted with joy the infant -TESSINO which has its sources in the pools above. The gentlemen joined -us, and we placed ourselves on a sunny bank, looking towards Italy; and -the Swiss took out his flute, and played, and afterwards sang, the _Ranz -des Vaches_, and other airs of his country. We, and especially our -sociable friend R. (with his inexhaustible stock of kindness, and his -German tongue) found him a pleasant companion. He was from the -University of Heidelberg, and bound for Rome, on a visit to a brother, -in the holidays; and, our mode of travelling, for a short way, being the -same, it was agreed we should go on together: but before we reached -Airola he left us, and we saw no more of him. - - -_Friday, August 24th._--_Airola_ (3800 feet above the sea).--I walked -out; but neglected to enter the church, and missed a pleasure which W. -has often spoken of. He found a congregation of Rustics chanting the -service--the men and women alternately--unaccompanied by a priest.... -Cascades of pure unsullied water, tumble down the hills in every -conceivable variety of form and motion--and never, I think, distant from -each other a quarter of a mile in the whole of our course from Airola. -Sometimes, those cascades are seen to fall in one snow-white line from -the highest ridge of the steep; or, sometimes, gleaming through the -woods (no traceable bed above them) they seem to start out at once from -beneath the trees, as from their source, leaping over the rocks. One -full cataract rose up like a geyser of Iceland, a silvery pillar that -glittered, as it seemed, among lightly-tossing snow. Without remembering -that the Tessino (of monotonous and muddy line) was seldom out of sight, -it is not possible to have even a faint notion of the pleasure with -which we looked at those bright rejoicing rivulets. The morning was -sunny; but we felt no oppression from heat, walking leisurely, and -resting long, especially at first, when expecting W. and R., who at -length overtook us, bringing a comfort that would have cheered a -_dreary_ road--letters from England. - - -_Sunday, August 26th._--_Locarno._--We had resolved to ascend St. -Salvador before sunrise; and, a contrary wind having sprung up, the -boatmen wished to persuade us to stay all night at a town upon a low -point of land pushed far into the Lake, which conceals from our view -that portion of it, where, at the head of a large basin or bay, stands -the town of Lugano. They told us we might thence ascend the mountain -with more ease than from Lugano, a wile to induce us to stay; but we -called upon them to push on. Having weathered this point, and left it -some way behind, the place of our destination appears in view--(like -Locarno and Luvino) within the semicircle of a bay--a wide basin of -waters spread before it; and the reach of the lake towards Porlezza -winding away to our right. That reach appeared to be of more grave and -solemn character than any we had passed through--grey steeps enclosing -it on each side. We now coasted beneath bare precipices at the foot of -St. Salvador--shouted to the echoes--and were answered by travellers -from the road far above our heads. Thence tended towards the middle of -the basin; and the town of Lugano appeared in front of us, low green -woody hills rising above it. Mild lightning fluttered like the northern -lights over the steeps of St. Salvador, yet without threatening clouds; -the wind had fallen; and no apprehensions of a storm disturbed our -pleasures. It was 8 o'clock when we reached the Inn, where all things -were on a large scale--splendid yet shabby. The landlord quite a fine -gentleman. His brother gone to England as a witness on the Queen's -trial. We had soon an excellent supper in a small salon where her -present Majesty of England and Count Bergami had often feasted together. -Mary had the honour of sleeping in the bed allotted to her Majesty, and -I in that of which she herself had made choice, not being satisfied -with her first accommodations. The boatman told us she was _una -bravissima Principessa_ and spent much money. The lightning continued; -but without thunder. We strayed again to the water-side while supper was -in preparation. Everybody seems to be living out of doors; and long -after I was in bed, I heard people in the streets singing, laughing, -talking, and playing on the flute. - - -_Monday, August 27th._--_Lugano._--Roused from sleep at a quarter before -4 o'clock, the moon brightly shining. At a quarter _past_ four set off -on foot to ascend Mount St. Salvador. Though so early, people were -stirring in the streets; our walk was by the shore, round the fine -bay--solemn yet cheerful in the morning twilight. At the beginning of -the ascent, passed through gateways and sheds among picturesque old -buildings with overhanging flat roofs--vines hanging from the walls with -the wildness of brambles or the untrained woodbine. The ascent from the -beginning is exceedingly steep and without intermission to the very -summit. Vines spreading from tree to tree, resting upon walls, or -clinging to wooden poles, they creep up the steep sides of the hill, no -boundary line between _them_ and the wild growth of the mountain, with -which, at last, they are blended till no trace of cultivation appears. -The road is narrow; but a path to the shrine of St. Salvador has been -made with great pains, still trodden once in the year by crowds -(probably, at this day, chiefly of peasantry) to keep the Festival of -that Saint, on the summit of the mount. It winds along the declivities -of the rocks--and, all the way, the views are beautiful. To begin with, -looking backward to the town of Lugano, surrounded by villas among -trees--a rich vale beyond the town, an ample tract bright with -cultivation and fertility, scattered over with villages and spires--who -could help pausing to look back on these enchanting scenes? Yet a still -more interesting spectacle travels _with us_, at our side (but how far -beneath us!) the Lake, winding at the base of the mountain, into which -we looked from craggy forest precipices, apparently almost as steep as -the walls of a castle, and a thousand times higher. We were bent on -getting start of the rising sun, therefore none of the party rested -longer than was sufficient to recover breath. I did so frequently, for a -few minutes; it being my plan at all times to climb up with my best -speed for the sake of those rests, whereas Mary, I believe, never once -sate down this morning, perseveringly mounting upward. Meanwhile, many a -beautiful flower was plucked among the mossy stones. One,[57] in -particular, there was (since found wherever we have been in Italy). I -helped Miss Barker to plant that same flower in her garden brought from -Mr. Clarke's hot-house. In spite of all our efforts the sun was -beforehand with us. _We_ were two hours in ascending. W. and Mr. R. who -had pushed on before, were one hour and forty minutes. When we stood on -the crown of that glorious Mount, we seemed to have attained a spot -which commanded pleasures equal to all that sight could give on this -terrestrial world. We beheld the mountains of Simplon--two brilliant -shapes on a throne of clouds--_Mont Blanc_ (as the guide told us[58]) -lifting his resplendent forehead above a vapoury sea--and the Monte Rosa -a bright pyramid, how high up in the sky! The vision did not _burst_ -upon us suddenly; but was revealed by slow degrees, while we felt so -satisfied and delighted with what lay distinctly outspread around us, -that we had hardly begun to look for objects less defined, in the -far-distant horizon. I cannot describe the green hollows, hills, slopes, -and woody plains--the towns, villages, and towers--the crowds of -secondary mountains, substantial in form and outline, bounding the -prospect in other quarters--nor the bewitching loveliness of the lake of -Lugano lying at the base of Mount Salvador, and thence stretching out -its arms between the bold steeps. My brother said he had never in his -life seen so extensive a prospect at the expense only of two hours' -climbing: but it must be remembered that the whole of the ascent is -almost a precipice. Beyond the town of Lugano, the hills and wide vale -are thickly sprinkled with towns and houses. Small lakes (to us their -names unknown) were glittering among the woody steeps, and beneath lay -the broad neck of the Peninsula of St. Salvador--a tract of hill and -valley, woods and waters. Far in the distance on the other side, the -towers of Milan might be descried. The river Po, a ghostly serpent-line, -rested on the brown plains of Lombardy; and there again we traced the -Tessino, departed from his mountain solitudes, where we had been his -happy companions. - - [Footnote 57: Cyclamen.--D. W.] - - [Footnote 58: It was _not_ Mont Blanc. He was mistaken, or wanted to - deceive us to give pleasure; but however we might have wished to - believe that what he asserted was true, we could not think it - possible.--D. W.] - -But I have yet only looked _beyond_ the mount. There is a house beside -the Chapel, probably in former times inhabited by persons devoted to -religious services--or it might be only destined for the same use for -which it serves at present, a shelter for them who flock from the -vallies to the yearly Festival. Repairs are going on in the Chapel, -which was struck with lightning a few years ago, and all but the altar -and its holy things, with the image of the Patron Saint, destroyed. -Their preservation is an established miracle, and the surrounding -peasantry consider the memorials as sanctified anew by that visitation -from heaven. - - -_Tuesday, August 28th._--_Menaggio._--We took the opposite (the eastern) -side of the lake, intending to land, and ascend to the celebrated source -of the _Fiume Latte_ (River of Milk). Following the curves of the shore -came to a grey-white village, and landed upon the rocky bank (there is -no road or pathway along this margin of the lake; and every village has -its own boats). Mounting by a flight of rugged steps, we were at once -under a line of houses fronting the water; and after climbing up the -steep, walked below those houses, the lake beneath us on our left. All -at once, from that sunny spot we came upon a rugged bridge; shady all -round--cool breezes rising up from the rocky cleft where in twilight -gloom (so it appears to eyes saturated with light) a copious stream--the -_Fiume Latte_--is hurrying with leap and bound to the great lake. Our -object, as I have said, was the fountain of that torrent. We mounted up -the hill by rocky steeps, and pathways, in some places almost -perpendicular, the precipice all the way being built up by low walls -hung with vines. The earth thus supported is covered with melons, -pumpkins, Indian corn, chestnut-trees, fig-trees, and trees now -scattering ripe plums. The ascent was truly laborious. On the lake we -had never been oppressed by the heat; _here_ it was almost too much even -for _me_: but when we reached the desired spot, where the torrent drops -from its marble cavern, as clear as crystal, how delicious the coolness -of the breeze! The water issues silently from the cold cavern, slides -but a very little way over the rock, then bounds in a short cataract, -and rushes rapidly to the lake. The evergreen Arbutus and the -prickly-leaved Alaturnus grow in profusion on the rocks bordering the -Fiume Latte; and there, in remembrance of Rydal Mount, where we had been -accustomed to see one or two bushes of those plants growing in the -garden, we decked our bonnets, mingling the glossy leaves of those -evergreen shrubs with that beautiful lilac flower first seen in the -ascent of St. Salvador. An active youth was our guide, and a useful one -in helping us over the rocks. A woman, too, had joined the train; but -Mary and I showing her that she was neither useful nor welcome, she -began to employ her time in plucking the bunches of Indian corn, laying -them in a heap. We could have lingered a whole summer's day over the -cascades and limpid pools of the Fiume Latte. - - -_Saturday, September 1st._--_Milan._--Our object this morning was to -ascend to the roof, where I remained alone, not venturing to follow the -rest of the party to the top of the giddy, central spire, which is -ascended by a narrow staircase twisted round the outside. Even W. was -obliged to trust to a hand governed by a steadier head than his own. I -wandered about with space spread around me, on the roof on which I trod, -for streets and even squares of no very diminutive town. The floor on -which I trod was all of polished marble, intensely hot, and as dazzling -as snow; and instead of moving figures I was surrounded by groups and -stationary processions of silent statues--saints, sages, and angels. It -is impossible for me to describe the beautiful spectacle, or to give a -notion of the delight I felt; therefore I will copy a sketch in verse -composed from my brother's recollections of the view from the central -spire. - - -_Sunday, September 2nd._--_Milan._--A grand military Mass was to be -administered at eight o'clock in the _Place d'Armes_, Buonaparte's field -for reviewing his troops. Hitherward we set out at seven; but arrived a -little too late. The ceremony was begun; and it was some time before we -could obtain a better situation than among the crowds pressed together -in the glaring sunshine, as close as they could come to the building -where the temporary altar was placed. The ground being level nothing was -to be seen but heads of people, and a few of the lines of soldiers, and -their glittering fire-arms; but we could perceive that at one time they -dropped down on their knees. At length, having got admittance into the -building (le Palais des Rois), near which we stood, almost stifled with -heat, we had a complete view from a balcony of all that remained to be -performed of the ceremonies, military and religious; but of the latter, -that part was over in which the soldiers took any visible share, though -the service was still going on, at the altar below us, as was proclaimed -by the sound of sacred music, which upon minds unfamiliarised to such -scenes had an irresistible power to solemnise a spectacle more -distinguished by parade, glitter, and flashy colours, than anything -else. The richly caparisoned prancing steeds of the officers, their -splendid dresses, the numerous lines of soldiers standing upon the green -grass (though not of mountain hue it looked _green_ in contrast with -their habiliments), and the immense numbers of men, women, and children -gathered together upon a level space--where space was _left_ for -thousands and tens of thousands more--all these may easily be -imagined:--with the full concert of the military band, when the _sacred_ -music ceased--the marching of the troops off the field--Austrians, -Hungarians, and Italians--and, last of all, the cavalry with the -heart-stirring blast of their trumpets. Before we left the field, the -crowd was gone, the tinselled altar and other fineries taken down--and -we saw people busied in packing them up, very much like a company of -players with their paraphernalia. - -Went also to the Convent of Maria della Grazia to view that most famous -picture of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, painted on the wall at -one end of the Refectory, a very large hall, hung along the sides with -smaller pictures and, at the other end, that painting of the crucifixion -of which we had seen a copy at Lugano. This Refectory was used in the -days of Buonaparte as a military storehouse, and the mark of a -musket-ball, fired in wantonness by a French soldier, is to be seen in -one part of the painting of Leonardo da Vinci. Fortunately the ball hit -where the injury was as small as it could have been; and it is only -marvellous that this fine work was not wholly defaced during those times -of military misrule and utter disregard of all sacred things.[59] -Little conversant in pictures, I cannot take upon me to describe this, -which impressed my feelings and imagination more than any picture I ever -saw, though some of the figures are so injured by damp that they are -only just traceable. The most important are, however, happily the least -injured; and that of Our Saviour has only suffered from a general fading -in the colours, yet, alas! the fading and vanishing must go on year -after year till, at length, the whole group must pass away. Through the -cloisters of the monastery, which are shattered and defaced, pictures -are found in all parts, and there are some curious monuments. - - [Footnote 59: It is perfectly notorious that this picture suffered - more from the negligence of the monks than from the scorn of the - French. A hole was broken thro' the lower part of the centre of - the picture to admit hot dishes from the Kitchen into the Refectory. - --H. C. R.] - - -_Wednesday, September 5th._--_Cadenabbia._--Bent our course toward -Fuentes--and after a wearisome walk through damp and breathless heat (a -full league or more) over a perfect level, we reached the foot of the -eminence, which from the lake had appeared to be at a small distance, -but it seemed to have retreated as we advanced. We had left the high -road, and trudged over the swampy plain, through which the road must -have been made with great expense and labour, as it is raised -considerably all the way. The picturesque ruins of the Castle of Fuentes -are at the top of the eminence--wild vines, the bramble and the clematis -cling to the bushes; and beautiful flowers grow in the chinks of the -rocks, and on every bed of grass. A _tempting_ though rugged ascent--yet -(with the towers in sight above our heads, and two-thirds of the labour -accomplished) Mary and I (Wm. having gone before to discover the nearest -and least difficult way for us) sate down determined not to go a step -further. We had a grand prospect; and, being exhausted by the damp heat, -were willing for once to leave our final object unattained. However, -while seated on the ground, two stout hard-laboured peasants chancing -to come close to us on the path, invited us forward, and we could not -resist--they led the way--two rough creatures. I said to Mary when we -were climbing up among the rocks and bushes in that wild and lonely -place, "What, you have no fear of trusting yourself to a pair of Italian -Banditti?" I knew not their occupation, but an accurate description of -their persons, would have fitted a novel-writer with ready-made -attendants for a tribe of robbers--good-natured and kind, however, they -were, nay, even polite in their rustic way as others tutored to city -civility. _Cultivated_ vines grew upon the top of the hill; and they -took pains to pluck for us the ripest grapes. We now had a complete view -up the great vale of the Adda, to which the road that we had left -conducts the traveller. Below us, on the other side, lay a wide green -marshy plain, between the hill of Fuentes and the shores of the lake; -which plain, spreading upwards, divides the lake; the upper small reach -being called Chiavenna. The path which my brother had travelled, when -bewildered in the night thirty years ago, was traceable through some -parts of the forest on the opposite side:--and the very passage through -which he had gone down to the shore of the lake--then most dismal with -thunder, lightning, and rain. I hardly can conceive a place of more -solitary aspect than the lake of Chiavenna: and the whole of the -prospect on that direction is characterised by melancholy sublimity. We -rejoiced, after our toil, at being favoured with a distinct view of -those sublime heights, not, it is true, steeped in celestial hues of -_sunny glory_, yet in communion with clouds, floating or -stationary:--scatterings from heaven. The ruin itself is very -interesting, both in the mass and in detail--an inscription is lying on -the ground which records that the Castle was built by the Count of -Fuentes in the year 1600, and the Chapel about twenty years after by one -of his descendants. Some of the gateways are yet standing with their -marble pillars, and a considerable part of the walls of the Chapel. A -smooth green turf has taken the place of the pavement; and we could see -no trace of altar or sacred image, but everywhere something to remind -one of former grandeur and of destruction and tumult, while there was, -in contrast with the imaginations so excited, a melancholy pleasure in -contemplating the wild quietness of the present day. The vines, near the -ruin, though ill tended, grow willingly, and rock, turf, and fragments -of the stately pile are alike covered or adorned with a variety of -flowers, among which the rose-coloured pink was in great beauty. In our -descent we found a fair white cherub, uninjured by the explosion which -had driven it a great way down the hill. It lay bedded like an infant in -its cradle among low green bushes--W. said to us, "Could we but carry -this pretty Image to our moss summer-house at Rydal Mount!" yet it -seemed as if it would have been a pity that any one should remove it -from its couch in the wilderness, which may be its own for hundreds of -years. - - -_Thursday, September 6th._--_Cadenabbia._--After a night of heavy rain, -a bright morning. W., M., and I set off toward Menaggio along the -terrace bordering the water, which led us to the bay at the foot of the -rocky green hill of the Church of our Lady; and there we came upon the -track of the old road, the very _same_ which my brother had paced! for -there was no other, nor the possibility of one. That track, continued -from the foot of the mountain, leads behind the town of Cadenabbia, -cutting off the bending of the shore by which we had come to this point. -From the bare precipice, we pass through shade and sunshine, among -spreading vines, slips of green turf, or gardens of melons, gourds, -maize, and fig-trees among the rocks; it was but for a little space, yet -enough to make our regret even more lively than before that it had not -been in our power to coast one reach at least of the lake on foot. We -had been overtaken by a fine tall man, who somewhat proudly addressed us -in English. After twenty years' traffic in our country he had been -settled near his native place on the Banks of Como, having purchased an -estate near Cadenabbia with the large sum of two thousand pounds, -acquired by selling barometers, looking-glasses, etc. He had been used -to return to his wife every third year in the month of October. He made -preparations during the winter for fresh travels in the spring; at the -same time working with her on the small portion of land which they then -possessed. Portsmouth and Plymouth were the grand marts for his wares. -He amused us with recitals of adventures among the sailors, who used to -bully him with, "Come, you rogue, you get your money easily enough; -spend it freely!" and he did not care if he got rid of a guinea or two; -for he was sure to have it back again after one of the frolics--and much -more. They would often clear away his whole stock of nick-nacks. This -industrious trader used to travel on foot at the rate of from thirty to -forty miles a day, and his expenses from London to Como were but three -guineas, though it cost him one-third of that sum to get to Calais. He -said he liked England because the people were _honest_, and told us some -stories illustrative of English honesty and Italian over-reaching in -bargains. This amusing and, I must say, interesting companion, turned -from us by a side-path before we reached Menaggio, saying he would meet -us again, as our road would lead us near his cottage on the heights, and -he should see us from the fields. He had another dwelling on his estate -beside Cadenabbia, where the land produced excellent wine. The produce -of his farm on the _hills_ was chiefly hay, which they were then -gathering in. - - -_Sunday, September 9th._--_Domo d'Ossola._--We rose at 5 o'clock. The -morning clear and very cold. Mr. M., R. and G. intended to take the -diligence; W., Mary, and I to walk; for, having been so much gratified -with our journey over St. Gothard, we had determined to cross the -Simplon also on foot. M. set forward first; I followed a few minutes -after defended from cold by my woollen cloak. W. was left to dispose of -the luggage, which (except a small bundle carried by each) we intended -to send by the diligence. Shops already open. Bought some bread, and -made my way directly through the town. At the end of it, looked back -upon its towers and large houses, prettily situated, as on a plain, -under steep hills--some of them separate mounts, distinct in form. I -could not but regret that we might not linger half a day, and ascend to -the Chapel of Mount Calvary, still much resorted to for its peculiar -sanctity. The view from that commanding eminence would have enabled us -to bear away more distinct remembrances than _I_, at least, have done, -of a town well deserving to be remembered, for it must for ages back -have been of importance, as lying at the foot of this pass of the Alps. -After a mile's quick walking I grew a little uneasy at not having -overtaken Mary. Behind and before, Buonaparte's broad, unshaded road was -stretched out in a right line. However convenient such roads for -conquest or traffic, they are, of all others, the least pleasant to the -foot-traveller, whose labours seem no nearer to their end till some -natural impediment must be submitted to, and the road pursues another -course. Looking forward I could see nothing of Mary, and the way being -sprinkled with passengers, I was more perplexed, thinking it probable -that her figure before me, or behind, might be undiscoverable among -them, but my pace (to warm myself in the nipping air) had been so quick, -it seemed more likely that she had not advanced so far; therefore I sate -down: and glad I was, after some time, to espy her blue gown among the -scatterings of women in scarlet garments. She had missed her way in the -town and gone back in quest of me. The fresh morning air helped us -cheerfully over the long line of road; and passengers whom we -continually met amused us. Some were travellers from the Alps; but they -were much more frequently peasants bent on Sunday's devotion and -pleasure, chiefly women, awkward in appearance, short of stature, and -deformed by their manner of fastening the full round petticoat lifted up -almost to the shoulders. - -It pleased me now to review our course from Bavena, where this our -second ascent of the Alps may be said to begin; the princely reach of -the Lake then before us, with its palaces and towns, thence towards the -mountains and the vale of Tusa, solitary churches on the -steeps--ruins--embowered low stone cottages--vineyards and extensive -lawns--cattle with their bells, and peasants tending them. The romantic -village of Vergogne, its ruined fortress overlooking the narrow dell and -torrent's bed--inhabited houses as grey with age as the ruin -itself--and, upon the level below, how delightful was it, in our hour of -rest and sauntering, to quit the sunshine, and walk under roofs of -vines! Further on, the vale more wide and open--large meadows without -trees. Hay-makers--straggling travellers on the outstretched road. -Villages under green mountains--snowy mountains gilded by the light of -the setting sun! - -_Now_, from Domo d'Ossola we were proceeding on the same unbending road, -up the same vale, a scene of desolation and fertility, vines by the -wayside, the grapes hardly ripening. Having ascended a long hill to -_Crevola_, where there is a small public-house, at which we had thought -of stopping to breakfast, the road crosses a remarkably high and massy -bridge, over the chasm of Val di Vedro, whence the river Vedro takes its -course down to the vale of Tusa, now below us on our right hand, where, -towards the centre of the vale, the village of Crevola stands on an -eminence, whence the morning sound of bells was calling the people -together. We turned to the left, up the shady side of Val di Vedro; at -first, the road led us high above the bed of the torrent. Being now -enclosed between the barriers of that deep dell, we had left all traces -of vineyards, fruit-trees, and fields. Beeches climb up among the crags -to the summit of the steeps. The road descends; traces of the ancient -track visible near a bridge of one lofty arch, no longer used by the -traveller crossing the Alps, yet I went to the centre to look down on -the torrent. Traces of the foundation of a former bridge remain in the -chasm. Met a few peasants going to the vale below, and sometimes a -traveller. Again we climb the hill, all craggy forest. At a considerable -height from the river's bed an immense column of granite lies by the -wayside, as if its course had been stopped there by tidings of -Napoleon's overthrow. It was intended by him for his unfinished -triumphal arch at Milan; and I wish it may remain prostrate on the -mountain for ages to come. His bitterest foe could scarcely contrive a -more impressive record of disappointed vanity and ambition. The sledge -upon which it has been dragged from the quarry is rotted beneath it, -while the pillar remains as fresh and sparkling as if hewn but -yesterday. W., who came after us, said he had named it the "weary stone" -in memory of that immense stone in the wilds of Peru, so called by the -Indians because after 20,000 of them had dragged it over heights and -hollows it tumbled down a precipice, and rested immovable at the bottom, -where it must for ever remain. Ere long we come to the first passage -_through_ the rocks, near the river's bed, and "Road and River" for some -time fill the bottom of the valley. We miss the bright torrents that -stream down the hills bordering the Tessino; but here is no want of -variety. We are in closer neighbourhood with the crags; hence their -shapes are continually changing, and their appearance is the more -commanding; and, wherever an old building is seen, it is overspread with -the hues of the natural crags, and is in form of accordant irregularity. -The very road itself, however boldly it may bestride the hills or pierce -the rocks, is yet the slave of nature, its windings often being governed -as imperiously as those of the Vedra within the chasm of the glen. -Suddenly the valley widens, opening out to the right in a semicircle. A -sunny village with a white church appears before us, rather I should say -numerous hamlets and scattered houses. Here again were vines, and grapes -almost full grown, though none ripening. Leaving the sunshine, we again -are enclosed between the steeps, a small ruined Convent on the right, -the painting on the outside nearly effaced by damp. We come to the -second passage, or gallery, through the rocks. It is not long, but very -grand, especially viewed in combination with the crags, woods, and -river, here tumbling in short cascades, its channel strewn with enormous -ruins. W. had joined us about a league before we reached this point; and -we sate long in admiration of the prospect up the valley, seen beyond -the arch of the gallery which is supported by a pillar left in the rock -out of which the passage has been hewn. A brown hamlet at the foot of -the mountains terminates this reach of the valley, which has again -widened a little. A steep glen to the left sends down a boisterous -stream to the Vedra. We had walked three leagues; and were told we were -near the Inn, where we were to breakfast, and, having left the gallery -200 yards behind, saw more of the village (called Isella) and a large, -square, white building appeared, which proved to be a military station -and the post-house, near which was our Inn.... Leaving now the -Piedmontese dominions, we make our last entrance into the country of the -Swiss. Deciduous trees gradually yield to pine-trees and larches, and -through these forests, interspersed with awful crags, we pass on, still -in cool shade, accompanied by the turbulent river. Here is hardly a slip -of pasturage to be seen, still less a plot of tillage (how different -from the Pass of the Ticino!) all is rocks, precipices, and forests. We -pass several places of _Refuge_, as they are named, the word _refuge_ -being inscribed upon their walls in large characters. They are small, -square, white, unpicturesque buildings (erected by Buonaparte). The old -road is not unfrequently traceable for a short way--Mary once detected -it by noticing an Oratory above our heads that turned its back towards -us, now neglected and facing the deserted track. - - -_Sunday, September 9th._--_Domo d'Ossola._--Soon after, we perceive a -large and very striking building terminating a narrow reach of the -valley. A square tower at the further end of the roof; and, towards us, -a lofty gable front, step-like on each steeply-sloping side, in the -style of some of our old roofs in the north of England.[60] The building -is eight stories high, and long and broad in proportion. We perceived at -once that it must be a Spittal of the old times; and W., who had been -lingering behind, when he came up to us, pronounced it to be the very -same where he and his companion had passed an awful night. Unable to -sleep from other causes, their ears were stunned by a tremendous torrent -(then swollen by rainy weather) that came thundering down a chasm of the -mountain on the opposite side of the glen. That torrent, still keeping -the same channel, was now, upon this sunny clear day, a brisk rivulet, -that cheerfully bounded down to the Vedro. A lowly Church stands within -the shade of the huge Spittal, beside a single dwelling-house; small, -yet larger than the Church. We entered that modest place of worship; and -were charmed with its rustic splendours and humble neatness. Here were -two very pretty well-executed pictures in the _Italian_ style, so much -superior to anything of the kind in the country churches of Switzerland. -Rested some while beside the Church and cottage, looking towards the -Spittal on the opposite side of the road, the wildest of all harbours, -yet even stately in its form, and seemingly fitted to war with the -fiercest tempests. I now regret not having the courage to pass the -threshold alone. I had a strong desire to see what was going on within -doors for the sake of tales of thirty years gone by: but could not -persuade W. to accompany me. Several foot or mule travellers were -collected near the door, I bought some _poor_ peaches (very refreshing -at that time) from a man who was carrying them and other things, to the -village of Simplon--three sous the pound. Soon after leaving the -Spittal, our path was between precipices still more gloomy and awful -than before (what must they have been in the time of rain and vapour -when my brother was here before--on the narrow track instead of our -broad road that smooths every difficulty!) Skeletons of tall pine-trees -beneath us in the dell, and above our heads,--their stems and shattered -branches as grey as the stream of the Vedra or the crags strewn at their -feet. The scene was truly sublime when we came in view of the finest of -the galleries. We sate upon the summit of a huge precipice of stone to -the left of the road--the river raging below after having tumbled in a -tremendous cataract down the crags in front of our station. On entering -the Gallery we cross a clear torrent pent up by crags. While pausing -here, a step or two before we entered, a carriage full of gentlemen -drove through: they just looked aside at the torrent; but stopped not; I -could not but congratulate myself on our being on foot; for a hundred -reasons the pleasantest mode of travelling in a mountainous country. -After we had gone through the last, and least interesting, though the -longest but one of the galleries, the vale (now grassy among scattered -rocks, and wider--more of a hollow) bends to the left; and we see on the -hill, in front of us, a long doubling of the road, necessary, from the -steepness of the hill, to accomplish an easy ascent. At the angle, -where, at the foot of the hill, this doubling begins, M. and I, being -before W., sate and pondered. A foot-path leads directly upwards, -cutting off at least a mile, and we perceived one of our young -fellow-travellers climbing up it, but could not summon the courage to -follow him, and took the circuit of Buonaparte's road. The bed of the -river, far below to our left (wide and broken up by torrents), is -crossed by a long wooden bridge from which a foot-path, almost -perpendicular, ascends to a hamlet at a great height upon the side of -the steep. A female crossing the bridge gave life and spirit to a scene -characterised, in comparison with _other_ scenes, more by wildness than -grandeur; and though presided over by a glacier mountain and craggy and -snowy pikes (seemingly at the head of the hollow vale) less impressive, -and less interesting to the imagination than the narrow passes through -which we had been travelling. After some time the curve of the road -carries us again backward on the mountain-side, _from_ the valley of the -Tusa. Our eyes often turned towards the bridge and the upright path, -little thinking that it was the same we had so often heard of, which -misled my brother and Robert Jones in their way from Switzerland to -Italy. They were pushing right upwards, when a peasant, having -questioned them as to their object, told them they had no further ascent -to make;--"The Alps were crossed!" The ambition of youth was -disappointed at these tidings; and they remeasured their steps with -sadness. At the point where our fellow-travellers had rejoined the road, -W. was waiting to show us the track, on the green precipice. It was -impossible for me to say how much it had moved him, when he discovered -it was the very same which had tempted him in his youth. The feelings of -that time came back with the freshness of yesterday, accompanied with a -dim vision of thirty years of life between. We traced the path together, -with our eyes, till hidden among the cottages, where they had first been -warned of their mistake. - - [Footnote 60: In Troutbeck Valley especially.--D. W.] - -Hereabouts, a few peasants were on the hills with cattle and goats. In -the narrow passage of the glen we had, for several miles together, seen -no moving objects, except chance travellers, the streams, the clouds, -and trees stirred sometimes by gentle breezes. At this spot we watched a -boy and girl with bare feet running as if for sport, among the sharp -stones, fearless as young kids. The round hat of the Valais tied with a -coloured riband, looked shepherdess-like on the head of another, a -peasant girl roaming on craggy pasture-ground, to whom I spoke, and was -agreeably surprised at being answered in German (probably a barbarous -dialect), but we contrived to understand one another. The valley of the -Vedro now left behind, we ascend gradually (indeed the whole ascent is -gradual) along the side of steeps covered with poor grass--an undulating -hollow to the right--no trees--the prospect, in front, terminated by -snow mountains and dark pikes. The air very cold when we reached the -village of Simplon. There is no particular grandeur in the situation, -except through the accompanying feeling of removal from the world and -the near neighbourhood of summits so lofty, and of form and appearance -only seen among the Alps. We were surprised to find a considerable -village. The houses, which are of stone, are large, and strong built, -and gathered together as if for shelter. The air, nipping even at this -season, must be dreadfully cold in winter; yet the inhabitants weather -all seasons. The Inn was filled with guests of different nations and of -various degrees, from the muleteer and foot-traveller to those who loll -at ease, whirling away as rapidly as their companion, the torrent of the -Vedro. Our party of eleven made merry over as good a supper in this -naked region (five or six thousand feet above the level of the sea) as -we could have desired in the most fertile of the valleys, with a dessert -of fruit and cakes. We were summoned out of doors to look at a living -chamois, kept in the stable, more of a treat than the roasted flesh of -one of its kind which we had tasted at Lucerne. Walked with some of the -gentlemen about half a mile, after W. and M. were retired to rest. The -stars were appearing above the black pikes, while the snow on others -looked as bright as if a full moon were shining upon it. Our beds were -comfortable. I was not at all fatigued, and had nothing to complain of -but the cold, which did not hinder me from falling asleep, and sleeping -soundly. The distance from Domo d'Ossola six leagues. - - -_Monday, September 10th._--_Simplon._--Rose at five o'clock, as cold as -a frosty morning in December. The eleven breakfasted together, and were -ready--all but the lame one,--to depart on foot to Brieg in the Haut -Valais (seven leagues). The distance from the village of Simplon to the -highest point of the Pass is nearly two leagues. We set forward -together, forming different companies--or sometimes solitary--the -peculiar charm of pedestrian travelling, especially when the party is -large--fresh society always ready--and solitude to be taken at will. In -the latter part of the Pass of St. Gothard, on the Swiss side, the -grandeur diminishes--and it is the same on the Italian side of the Pass -of Simplon; yet when (after the gradual ascent from the village, the -last inhabited spot) a turning of the road first presents to view in a -clear atmosphere, beneath a bright blue sky (so we were favoured), the -ancient _Spittal_ with its ornamented Tower standing at the further end -of a wide oblong hollow, surrounded by granite pikes, snow pikes--masses -of granite--cool, black, motionless shadows, and sparkling sunshine, it -is not possible for the dullest imagination to be unmoved. When we found -ourselves within that elevated enclosure, the eye and the ear were -satisfied with perfect stillness. We might have supposed ourselves to be -the only visible moving creatures; but ere long espied some cows and -troops of goats which at first we could not distinguish from the -scattered rocks! but by degrees tracked their motions, and perceived -them in great numbers creeping over the yellow grass that grows among -crags on the declivities above the Spittal and in the hollow below it; -and we then began to discover a few brown _châlets_ or cattle-sheds in -that quarter. The Spittal, that dismal, yet secure sheltering-place -(inhabited the winter through), is approached by a side track from the -present road; being built as much out of the way of storms as it could -have been. Carts and carriages of different kinds (standing within and -near the door of a shed, close to the road) called to mind the stir and -traffic of the world in a place which might have been destined for -perpetual solitude--where the thunder of heaven, the rattling of -avalanches, and the roaring of winds and torrents seemed to be the only -_turbulent_ sounds that had a right to take place of the calm and -silence which surrounded us. - - -_Wednesday, September 12th._--_Baths of Leuk._--Rose at 5 o'clock. From -my window looked towards the crags of the Gemmi, then covered with -clouds. Twilight seemed scarcely to have left the valley; the air was -sharp, and the smoking channel of hot water a comfortable sight in the -cold gloom of the village. But soon, with promise of a fine day, the -vapours on the crescent of crags began to break, and its yellow towers, -touched by the sunshine, gleamed through the edges of the floating -masses; or appeared in full splendour for a moment, and were again -hidden. - -After six o'clock, accompanied by a guide (who was by trade a shoemaker, -and possessed a small stock of mountain cattle), we set forward on our -walk of eight leagues, the turreted barrier facing us. Passed along a -lane fenced by curiously crossed rails,--thence (still gently ascending) -through rough ground scattered over with small pine-trees, and stones -fallen from the mountains. No wilder object can be imagined than a -shattered guidepost at the junction of one road with another, which had -been placed there because travellers, intending to cross the Gemmi, had -often been misled, and some had perished, taking the right-hand road -toward the snow mountain, instead of that to the left. Even till we -reached the base of that rocky rampart which we were to climb, the track -of ascent, in front of us, had been wholly invisible. Sometimes it led -us slanting along the bare side of the crags:--sometimes it was scooped -out of them, and over-roofed, like an outside staircase of a castle or -fortification: sometimes we came to a level gallery--then to a twisting -ascent--or the path would take a double course--backwards and -forwards,--the dizzy height of the precipices above our heads more awful -even than the gulfs beneath us! Sometimes we might have imagined -ourselves looking from a parapet into the inner space of a gigantic -castle--a castle a thousand times larger than was ever built by human -hands; while above our heads the turrets appeared as majestic as if we -had not climbed a step nearer to their summits. A small plot or two of -turf, never to be cropped by goat or heifer, on the ledge of a -precipice; a bunch of slender flowers hanging from a chink--and one -luxuriant plot of the bright blue monkshood, lodged like a little garden -amid the stone-work of an Italian villa--were the sole marks of -vegetation that met our eyes in the ascent, except a few distorted -pine-trees on one of the summits, which reminded us of watchmen, on the -look-out. A weather-beaten, complex, wooden frame, something like a -large sentry-box, hanging on the side of one of the crags, helped out -this idea, especially as we were told it had been placed there in -troublesome times to give warning of approaching danger. It was a very -wild object, that could not but be noticed; and _when_ noticed the -question must follow--how came it there? and for what purpose? We were -preceded by some travellers on mules, who often shouted as if for their -own pleasure; and the shouts were echoed through the circuit of the -rocks. Their guide afterwards sang a hymn, or pensive song: there was an -aërial sweetness in the wild notes which descended to our ears. When -_we_ had attained the same height, _our_ guide sang the same air, which -made me think it might be a customary rite, or practice, in that part of -the ascent. The Gemmi Pass is in the direct road from Berne to the Baths -of Leuk. Invalids, unable to walk, are borne on litters by men, and -frequently have their eyes blinded that they may not look down; and the -most hardy travellers never venture to descend on their horses or mules. -Those careful creatures make their way safely, though it is often like -descending a steep and rugged staircase: and there is nothing to fear -for foot-travellers if their heads be not apt to turn giddy. The path is -seldom traceable, either up or down, further than along one of its -zig-zags; and it will happen, when you are within a yard or two of the -line which is before you, that you cannot guess what turning it shall -make. The labour and ingenuity with which this road has been constructed -are truly astonishing. The canton of Berne, eighty years ago, furnished -gunpowder for blasting the rocks, and labourers were supplied by the -district of the Valais. The former track (right up an apparently almost -perpendicular precipice between overhanging crags) must have been -utterly impassable for travellers such as we, if any such had travelled -in those days, yet it was, even now, used in winter. The peasants ascend -by it with pikes and snowshoes, and on their return to the valley slide -down, an appalling thought when the precipice was before our eyes; and I -almost shudder at the remembrance of it!... - -A glacier mountain appears on our left, the haunt of chamois, as our -guide told us; he said they might often be seen on the brow of the Gemmi -barrier in the early morning. We felt some pride in treading on the -outskirts of the chamois' play-ground--and what a boast for us, could we -have espied one of those light-footed creatures bounding over the crags! -But it is not for them who have been laggards in the vale till 6 o'clock -to see such a sight. - -The total absence of all _sound_ of living _creature_ was very striking: -silent moths in abundance flew about in the sunshine, and the muddy Lake -weltered below us; the only sound when we checked our voices to listen. -Hence we continued to journey over rocky and barren ground till we -suddenly looked down into a warm, green nook, into which we must -descend. Twelve cattle were there enclosed by the crags, as in a field -of their own choosing. We passed among them, giving no disturbance, and -again came upon a tract as barren as before. After about two leagues -from the top of the Gemmi crags, the summer chalet, our promised -resting-place, was seen facing us, reared against the stony mountain, -and overlooking a desolate round hollow. Winding along the side of the -hill (that deep hollow beneath us to the right) a long half-mile brought -us to the platform before the door of the hut. It was a scene of wild -gaiety. Half-a-score of youthful travellers (military students from the -College of Thun) were there regaling themselves. Mr. Robinson became -sociable; and we, while the party stood round us talking with him, had -our repast spread upon the same table where they had finished theirs. -They departed; and we saw them winding away towards the Gemmi on the -side of the precipice above the dreary hollow--a long procession, not -less interesting than the group at our approach. But every object -connected with animated nature (and human life especially) is -interesting on such a road as this; we meet no one with a stranger's -heart! I cannot forget with what pleasure, soon after leaving the hut, -we greeted two young matrons, one with a child in her arms, the other -with hers, a lusty babe, ruddy with mountain air, asleep in its wicker -cradle on her back. Thus laden they were to descend the Gemmi Rocks, and -seemed to think it no hardship, returning us cheerful looks while we -noticed the happy burthens which they carried. Those peasant travellers -out of sight, we go on over the same rocky ground, snowy pikes and -craggy eminences still bounding the prospect. But ere long we approach -the neighbourhood of trees, and overlooking a long smooth level covered -with poor yellowish grass, saw at a distance, in the centre of the -level, a group of travellers of a different kind--a party of gentry, -male and female, on mules. On meeting I spoke to the two ladies in -English, by way of trying their nation, and was pleased at being -answered in the same tongue. The lawn here was prettily embayed, like a -lake, among little eminences covered with dwarf trees, aged or blighted; -thence, onward to another open space, where was an encampment of cattle -sheds, the large plain spotted with heaps of stones at irregular -distances, as we see lime, or manure, or hay-cocks in our cultivated -fields. Those heaps had been gathered together by the industrious -peasants to make room for a scanty herbage for their cattle. The turf -was very poor, yet so lavishly overspread with close-growing flowers it -reminded us of a Persian carpet. The _silver_ thistle, as we then named -it, had a singularly beautiful effect; a glistering star lying on the -ground, as if enwrought upon it. An avalanche had covered the surface -with stones many years ago, and many more will it require for nature, -aided by the mountaineers' industry, to restore the soil to its former -fertility. On approaching the destined termination of our descent, we -were led among thickets of Alpine Shrubs, a rich covering of -berry-bearing plants overspreading the ground. We followed the ridge of -this wildly beautiful tract, and it brought us to the brink of a -precipice. On our right, when we looked into the savage valley of -Gastron--upwards toward its head, and downwards to the point where the -Gastron joins the Kandor, their united streams thence continuing a -tumultuous course to the Lake of Thun. The head of the _Kandor Thal_ was -concealed from us, to our left, by the ridge of the hill on which we -stood. By going about a mile further along the ridge to the brow of its -northern extremity, we might have seen the junction of the two rivers, -but were fearful of being overtaken by darkness in descending the Gemmi, -and were, indeed, satisfied with the prospect already gained. The river -Gastron winds in tumult over a stony channel, through the apparently -level area of a grassless vale, buried beneath stupendous mountains--not -a house or hut to be seen. A roaring sound ascended to us on the -eminence so high above the vale. How _awful_ the tumult when the river -carries along with it the spring tide of melted snow! We had long viewed -in our journey a snow-covered pike, in stateliness and height surpassing -all the other eminences. The whole mass of the mountain now appeared -before us, on the same side of the Gastron vale on which we were. It -seemed very near to us, and as if a part of its base rose from that -vale. We could hardly believe our guide when he told us that pike was -one of the summits of the Jungfrau, took out maps and books, and found -it could be no other mountain. I never before had a conception of the -space covered by the bases of these enormous piles. After lingering as -long as time would allow, we began to remeasure our steps, thankful for -the privilege of again feeling ourselves in the neighbourhood of the -Jungfrau, and of looking upon those heights that border the Lake of -Thun, at the feet of which we had first entered among the inner windings -of Switzerland. Our journey back to the chalet was not less pleasant -than in the earlier part of the day. The guide, hurrying on before us, -roused the large house-dog to give us a welcoming bark, which echoed -round the mountains like the tunable voices of a full pack of hounds--a -heart-stirring concert in that silent place where no waters were heard -at that time--no tinkling of cattle-bells; indeed the barren soil offers -small temptation for wandering cattle to linger there. In a few weeks -our rugged path would be closed up with snow, the hut untenanted for the -winter, and not a living creature left to rouse the echoes--echoes which -our Bard would not suffer to die with us. - - -_Friday, September 14th.--Martigny._--Oh! that I could describe,--nay, -that I could _remember_ the sublime spectacle of the pinnacles and -towers of Mont Blanc while we were travelling through the vale, long -deserted of the sunshine that still lingered on those summits! A large -body of moving clouds covered a portion of the side of the mountain. -The pinnacles and towers above them seemed as if they stood in the -sky;--of no soft aërial substance, but appearing, even at that great -distance, as they really are, huge masses of solid stone, raised by -Almighty Power, and never, but by the same Power, to be destroyed. The -village of Chamouny is on the opposite (the north-western) side of the -vale; in this part considerably widened. Having left the lanes and -thickets, we slanted across a broad unfenced level, narrowing into a -sort of village green, with its maypole, as in England, but of giant -stature, a pine of the Alps. The collected village of Chamouny and large -white Church appeared before us, above the river, on a gentle elevation -of pasture ground, sloping from woody steeps behind. Our walk beside the -suburban cottages was altogether new, and very interesting:--a busy -scene of preparation for the night! Women driving home their goats and -cows,--labourers returning with their tools,--sledges (an unusual sight -in Alpine valleys) dragged by lusty men, the old looking on,--young -women knitting; and ruddy children at play,--(a race how different from -the languishing youth of the hot plains of the Valais!)--Cattle bells -continually tinkling--no silence, no stillness here,--yet the bustle and -the various sounds leading to thoughts of quiet, rest, and silence. All -the while the call to the cattle is heard from different quarters; and -the rapid Arve roars through the vale, among rocks and stones (its -mountain spoils)--at one time split into divers branches--at another -collected into one rough channel. - -Passing the turn of the ascent, we come to another cross (placed there -to face the traveller ascending from the other side) and, from the brow -of the eminence, behold! to our left, the huge Form of Mont -Blanc--pikes, towers, needles, and wide wastes of everlasting snow in -dazzling brightness. Below, is the river Arve, a grey-white line, -winding to the village of Chamouny, dimly seen in the distance. Our -station, though on a height so commanding, was on the lowest point of -the eminence; and such as I have sketched (but how imperfectly!) was the -scene uplifted and outspread before us. The higher parts of the mountain -in our neighbourhood are sprinkled with brown chalets. So they were -thirty years ago, as my brother well remembered; and he pointed out to -us the very quarter from which a boy greeted him and his companion with -an Alpine cry-- - - The Stranger seen below, the Boy - Shouts from the echoing hills with savage joy.[61] - - [Footnote 61: _Descriptive Sketches._--W. W.] - - -_Sunday, September 16th._--_Chamouny._--There is no carriage road -further than to Argentière.--When, having parted with our car and guide, -we were slowly pursuing our way to the foot-path, between the mountains, -which was to lead us to the Valorsine, and thence, by the Tète-noire, to -Trient, we heard from the churchyard of Argentière, on the opposite side -of the river, a sound of voices chanting a hymn, or prayer, and, turning -round, saw in the green enclosure a lengthening procession--the priest -in his robes, the host, and banners uplifted, and men following, two and -two;--and, last of all, a great number of females, in like order; the -head and body of each covered with a white garment. The stream continued -to flow on for a long time, till all had paced slowly round the church, -the men gathering close together, to leave unencumbered space for the -women, the chanting continuing, while the voice of the Arve joined in -accordant solemnity. The procession was grave and simple, agreeing with -the simple decorations of a village church:--the banners made no -glittering show:--the females composed a moving girdle round the church; -their figures, from head to foot, covered with one piece of white cloth, -resembled the small pyramids of the Glacier, which were before our -eyes; and it was impossible to look at one and the other without -fancifully connecting them together. Imagine the _moving_ figures, like -a stream of pyramids--the white Church, the half-concealed Village, and -the Glacier close behind among pine-trees,--a pure sun shining over all! -and remember that these objects were seen at the base of those enormous -mountains, and you may have some faint notion of the effect produced on -us by that beautiful spectacle. It was a farewell to the Vale of -Chamouny that can scarcely be less vividly remembered twenty years hence -than when (that wondrous vale being just out of sight) after ascending a -little way between the mountains, through a grassy hollow, we came to a -small hamlet under shade of trees in summer foliage. A very narrow clear -rivulet, beside the cottages, was hastening with its tribute to the -Arve. This simple scene transported us instantly to our vallies of -Westmoreland. A few quiet children were near the doors, and we -discovered a young woman in the darkest, coolest nook of shade between -two of the houses, seated on the ground, intent upon her prayer-book. -The rest of the inhabitants were gone to join in the devotions at -Argentière. The top of the ascent (not a long one) being gained, we had -a second cheering companion in our downward way, another Westmoreland -brook of larger size, as clear as crystal; open to the sun, and -(bustling but not angry) it coursed by our side through a tract of -craggy pastoral ground. I do not speak of the needles of Montanvert, -behind; nor of other pikes up-rising before us. Such sights belong not -to Westmoreland; and I could fancy that I then paid them little regard, -it being for the sake of Westmoreland alone that I like to dwell on this -short passage of our journey, which brought us in view of one of the -most interesting of the vallies of the Alps. We descended with our -little stream, and saw its brief life in a moment cut off, when it -reached the _Berard_, the River of Black Water, which is seen falling, -not in _black_ but _grey_ cataracts within the cove of a mountain that -well deserves the former epithet, though a bed of _snow_ and glacier ice -is seen among its piky and jagged ridges. Below those bare summits, pine -forests and crags are piled together, with lawns and cottages between. - -We enter at the side of the valley, crossing a wooden bridge--then, -turning our backs on the scene just described, we bend our course -downward with the river, that is hurrying away, fresh from its glacier -fountains; how different a fellow-traveller from that little rivulet we -had just parted from, which we had seen--still bright as silver--drop -into the grey stream! The descending vale before us beautiful--the high -enclosing hills interspersed with woods, green pasturage, and cottages. -The delight we had in journeying through the Valorsine is not to be -imagined--sunshine and shade were alike cheering; while the very -numerousness of the brown wood cottages (descried among trees, or -outspread on the steep lawns), and the people enjoying their Sabbath -leisure out of doors, seemed to make a quiet spot more quiet. - - -_Wednesday, September 19th._--_Lausanne._--We met with some pleasant -Englishmen, from whom we heard particulars concerning the melancholy -fate of our young friend, the American, seen by us for the last time on -the top of the Righi. The tidings of his death had been first -communicated, but a few hours before, by Mr. Mulloch. We had the comfort -of hearing that his friend had saved himself by swimming, and had paid -the last duties to the stranger, so far from home and kindred, who lies -quietly in the churchyard of Küsnacht on the shores of Zurich. - - -_Saturday, September 29th._--_Fontainbleau._--In the very heart of the -Alps, I never saw a more wild and lonely spot--yet _curious_ in the -extreme, and even _beautiful_. Thousands of white bleached rocks, mostly -in appearance not much larger than sheep, lay on the steep declivities -of the dell among bushes and low trees, heather, bilberries, and other -forest plants. The effect of loneliness and desert wildness was -indescribably increased by the remembrance of the Palace we had left not -an hour before. The spot on which we stood is said to have been -frequented by Henry the IVth when he wished to retire from his court and -attendants. A few steps more brought us in view of fresh ranges of the -forest, hills, plains, and distant lonely dells. The sunset was -brilliant--light clouds in the west, and overhead a spotless blue dome. -As we wind along the top of the steep, the views are still changing--the -plain expands eastward, and again appear the white buildings of -Fontainbleau, with something of romantic brightness in the _fading_ -light; for we had tarried till a star or two reminded us it was time to -move away. In descending, we followed one of the long straight tracks -that intersect the forest in all directions. Bewildered among those -tracks, we were set right by a party of wood-cutters, going home from -their labour. - - -_Monday, October 29th._--_Boulogne._--We walked to Buonaparte's Pillar, -which, on the day when he harangued his soldiers (pointing to the shores -of England whither he should lead them to conquest), he decreed should -be erected in commemoration of the Legion of Honour.[62] The pillar is -seen far and wide, _unfinished_, as the intricate casing of a -_scaffolding, loftier than itself, shows at whatever distance_ it is -seen. It is said the Bourbons intend to complete the work, and give it a -new name; but I think it more probable that the scaffolding may be left -to fall away, and the pile of marble remain strewn round, as it is, with -unfinished blocks, an undisputed monument of the Founder's vanity and -arrogance; and _so_ it may stand as long as the brick towers of -Caligula have done, a remnant of which yet appears on the cliffs. We -walked on the ground which had been covered by the army that dreamt of -conquering England, and were shown the very spot where their Leader made -his boastful speech. - - [Footnote 62: Then established.--D. W.] - -On the day fixed for our departure from Boulogne, the weather being -boisterous and wind contrary, the _Packet_ could not sail, and we -trusted ourselves to a small vessel, with only one effective sailor on -board. Even _Mary_ was daunted by the breakers outside the Harbour, and -_I_ descended into the vessel as unwillingly as a criminal might go to -execution, and hid myself in bed. Presently our little ship moved; and -before ten minutes were gone she struck upon the sands. I felt that -something disastrous had happened; but knew not what till poor Mary -appeared in the cabin, having been thrown down from the top of the -steps. There was again a frightful beating and grating of the bottom of -the vessel--water rushing in very fast. A young man, an Italian, who had -risen from a bed beside mine, as pale as ashes, groaned in agony, -kneeling at his prayers. My condition was not much better than his; but -I was more quiet. Never shall I forget the kindness of a little Irish -woman who, though she herself, as she afterwards said, was much -frightened, assured me even cheerfully that there was no danger. I -cannot say that her words, as assurances of safety, had much effect upon -me; but the example of her courage made me become more collected; and I -felt her human kindness even at the moment when I believed that we might -be all going to the bottom of the sea together; and the agonising -thoughts of the distress at home were rushing on my mind. - - - - - X - - EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S - TOUR IN SCOTLAND - 1822 - -EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S TOUR IN SCOTLAND, 1822 - - -_Friday, 14th September 1822._--Cart at the door at nine o'clock with -our pretty black-eyed boy, Leonard Backhouse, to drive the old grey -horse.... Scene at Castlecary very pretty.... Nothing which we English -call comfort within doors, but much better, civility and kindness. Old -woman bringing home her son to die; left his wife, she will never see -him again. [They seem to have gone by the Forth and Clyde Canal.] Scene -at the day's end very pretty. The fiddler below,--his music much better -there. A soldier at the boat's head; scarlet shawls, blue ribbons, -something reminding me of Bruges; but we want the hum, and the fruit, -and the Flemish girl with her flowers. The people talk cheerfully, and -all is quiet; groups of cottages. Evening, with a town lying in view. -Lassies in pink at the top of the bank; handsome boatman throws an apple -to each; graceful waving of thanks. - - -_Thursday morning [on the Clyde]._--Now we come to Lord Blantyre's -house, as I remember it eighteen years ago.... Gradually appears the -Rock of Dumbarton, very wild, low water, screaming birds, to me very -interesting from recollections. Entrance to Loch Lomond grand and -stately. Large hills before us, covered with heather, and sprinkled all -over with wood. Deer on island, in shape resembling the isle at -Windermere. Further on an island, of large size, curiously scattered -over with yew-trees--more yews than are to be found together in Great -Britain--wind blowing cold, waves like the sea. I could not find out our -cottage isle. The bay at Luss even more beautiful than in imagination, -thatched cottages, two or three slated houses. The little chapel, the -sweet brook, and the pebbly shore, so well remembered. - -Ferry-house at Inversnaid just the same as before, excepting now a glass -window. A girl now standing at the door, but her I cannot fancy our -"Highland girl"; and the babe, while its granddame worked, now twenty, -grown up to toil, and perhaps hardship; or, is it in a quiet grave? The -whole waterfall drops into the lake as before. The tiny bay is calm, -while the middle of the lake is stirred by breezes; but we have long -left the sea-like region of Balloch. Our Highland musician tunes his -pipes as we approach Rob Roy's cave. Grandeur of Nature, mixed with -stage effect. Old Highlanders, with long grey locks, cap, and plaid; -boys at different heights on the rocks. All crowd to Rob Roy's cave, as -it is called, and pass under in interrupted succession, for the cave is -too small to contain many at once. They stoop, yet come out all covered -with dirt. We were wiser than this; for they seem to have no motive but -to say they have been in Roy's cave, because Sir Walter has written -about it. - - -_Evening._--Now sitting at Cairndhu Inn after a delightful day. The -house on the outside just the same as eighteen years ago--I suppose they -new-whitewash every year--but within much smarter; carpets on every -floor (that is the case everywhere in Scotland), even at that villainous -inn at Tarbet, which we have just escaped from, which for scolding, and -dirt, and litter, and damp, surely cannot be surpassed through all -Scotland. Yet we had a civil repast; a man waited. People going to -decay, children ill-managed, daughter too young for her work, father -lamed, mother a whisky-drinker, two or three black big-faced -servant-maids without caps, one barefoot, the other too lazy or too -careless to fasten up her stockings, ceilings falling down, windows that -endangered the fingers, and could only be kept open by props; and what a -number of people in the kitchen, all in one another's way! We peeped -into the empty rooms, unmade beds, carpeted floors, damp and dirty. They -sweep stairs, floors, passages, with a little parlour hearth-brush; -waiter blew the dust off the table before breakfast. I walked down to -the lake; sunny morning; in the shady wood was overtaken by a woman. Her -sudden coughing startled me. She was going to her day's work, with a -bottle of milk or whey. "It's varra pleesant walkin' here." It was our -first greeting. The church, she said, was at Arrochar.... After -breakfast, we set off on our walk to Arrochar. The air fresh, sunshine -cheerful, and Joanna seemed to gain strength, as she walked along -between the steep hilly trough. The cradle-valley not so deep to the eye -as last night, and not so quiet to the ear through the barking of dogs. -These echoed through the vale, when I passed by some reapers, making -haste to end their day's work. Gladly did I bend my course from this -passage between the hills to Arrochar, remembering our descent in the -Irish car. My approach now slower, and I was glad, both for the sake of -past and present times. Wood thicker than then, and some of the gleaming -of the lake shut out by young larch-trees. Sun declining upon the -mountains of Glencroe, shining full on Cobbler. No touch of melancholy -on the scene, all majesty and solemn grandeur, with loveliness in -colouring, golden and green and grey crags. On my return to Loch Lomond, -the sunlight streaming a veil of brightness, with slanting rays towards -Arrochar, where I sate on the steeps opposite to Ben Lomond; and on Ben -Lomond's top a pink light rested for a long time, till a cloud hid the -pyramid from me. I stayed till moonlight was beginning.... - - -_Friday morning._--The gently descending smooth road, the sea-breezes, -the elegant house, with a foreign air, all put Joanna[63] into -spirits and strength. "Cobbler," like a waggoner, his horse's head -turned round from us, the waggon behind with a covered top.... Chapel -like a neglected Italian chapel, a few melancholy graves and -burial-places--pine-trees round. Fishermen's nets waving in the breeze; -sombrous, yellow belt of shore, yellowish even in the mid-day light.... -At the inn, went into the same parlour where William and I dined, after -parting with Coleridge.... - - [Footnote 63: Joanna Hutchinson.--ED.] - -In Glencroe[64] huge stones scattered over the glen; one hut in first -reach, none in second, white house in third; last reach rocky, green, -deep.... When we came to the turning of the glen, where several waters -join, formerly not seen distinctly, but heard very loud, the stream in -the middle of the glen, a long winding line, was rosy red, the former -line of Loch Restal. A glorious sky before us, with dark clouds, like -islands in a sea of fire, purple hills below. Behind two _smooth_ -pyramids. Soon they were cowled in white, long before the redness left -the sky. After Glenfinlas, the road not so long, nor dreary, nor -prospect so wild as at our first approach; uncertain whither tending. -Church to right with steeple (surely more steeples in Scotland than -formerly). Reached Cairndhu, excellent fire in kitchen, great kindness, -still an unintelligible number of women, but all quiet.... - - [Footnote 64: They drove over from Arrochar to Cairndhu.--ED.] - - -_Saturday morning._--Men, women, and children amongst the corn by the -wayside, children's business chiefly play. Passed the church; the bridge -like a Roman ruin--how grand in its desolation, the parapet on one side -broken, the way across it grown over, like a common, with close grass -and grunsel, only a faint foot-track on one side. Met a well-looking -mother with bonny bairns. Spoke to her of them. "They would be weel -eneuch," said she, "if they were weel skelpit!" The father seemed -pleased, and left his work (running) to help us over the bridge. A -shower; shelter under a bridge; sun and shadows on a smooth hill at head -of loch; at a distance a single round-headed tree. Tree gorgeous yellow, -and soft green, and many shadows. Now comes a slight rainbow. Towards -Inveraray strong sunbeams, white misty rain, hills gleaming through it. -Now I enter by the ferry-house, Glenfinlas opposite.... - -How quiet and still the road, now and then a solitary passenger. No -sound but of the robins continually singing; sometimes a distant oar on -the waters, and now and then reapers at work above on the hills. Barking -dog, at empty cottage, chid us from above. The lake so still I cannot -hear it, nor any sound of water, but at intervals rills trickling. I -hasten on for boat for Inveraray; view splendid as Italy, only wanting -more boats. There is a pleasure in the utter stillness of calm water. -Sitting together on the rock, we hear the breeze rising; water now -gently weltering.... How continually Highlanders say, "Ye're varra -welcome." - -"This is more like an enchanted castle than anything we've seen," so -says Joanna, now that we are seated, with one candle, in a large room, -with black door, black chimney-piece, black moulding.... We enter, as -abroad, into a useless space, turn to left, and a black-headed lass, -with long hair and dirty face, meets us. We ask for lodgings, and she -carries us from one narrow passage to another, and up a narrow -staircase, and round another as narrow, only not so high as the broad -ones at T----, just to the top of the house. We enter a large room with -two beds, walls damp, no bell.... Reminded of foreign countries, as I -walked along the shore; beside dirty houses. Long scarlet cloaks, women -without caps; a mother on a log of wood in the sunshine, her face as -yellow as gold, dress ragged; she holds her baby standing on the -ground, while it laughs and plays with the bristles of a pig eating its -breakfast.... Came along an avenue, one and a half miles at least, all -beeches, some very fine, cathedral-fluted pillars. - - - - - XI - - EXTRACTS FROM MARY WORDSWORTH'S - JOURNAL OF A TOUR IN BELGIUM IN 1823[65] - - [Footnote 65: The MS. is headed "Minutes collected from Mem. Book, - etc., taken during a Tour in Holland, commenced May 16th, 1823."--ED.] - -EXTRACTS FROM MARY WORDSWORTH'S JOURNAL OF A TOUR IN BELGIUM - - -Left Lee. (I now transcribe what was dictated by William.) ... Dover, as -interesting as ever, and the French coast very striking as we descended. -Walked under Shakespear's Cliff by moonlight. Met several sailors, none -of whom had ever asked himself the height of the cliff. I cannot think -it can be more than 400 feet at the utmost; how odd that the description -in Lear should ever have been supposed to have been meant for a reality. -I know nothing that more forcibly shows the little reflection with which -even men of sense read poetry. "How truly," exclaims the historian of -Dover, "has Shakespear described the precipice." How much better would -he (the historian) have done had he given us its actual elevation! The -sky looked threatening, a wheel at a great distance round the moon, -ominous according to our westland shepherds. The furze in full -blossom.... - - -_Ostend, half-past 8 o'clock, Sunday morning._-- ... We were driven at a -fierce rate before the wind.... We proceeded till about four o'clock, -when we were--had the same wind continued--within two hours of Ostend. -But now, overhead was a bustle of quick steps, trailing and heaving of -ropes, with voices in harmony. Below me, the vessel _slashed_ among the -waters, quite different from the sound and driving motion I had become -accustomed to.... The phosphorous lights from the oars were beautiful; -and when we approached the harbour, these, in connection with the steady -pillar streaming across the water from the lighthouse, upon the pier; -and afterwards, still more beautiful, when these faded before a -brilliant spectacle (caused by a parcel of carpenters and sailors -burning the tar from the hulk of a large vessel under repair), upon the -beach. I thought if we were to see nothing more this exhibition repaid -us for our day of suffering. But we wished for the painter's skill to -delineate the scene, the various objects illuminated by the burning -ship, the glowing faces of the different figures--among which was a -dog--the ropes, ladders, sands, and sea, with the body of intense bright -fire spreading out and fading among the dim stars in the grey mottled -sky.... Ostend looks well as to houses compared with one of our English -towns of like importance. The tall windows, and the stature of the -buildings, give them a dignity nowhere found with us; but it has no -public buildings of interest. Climbing an oblique path which led up to -the ramparts, a little boy called out in broken English, "Stop, or the -soldiers will put you in prison." Not a living creature to be seen on -that airy extensive walk, everybody cooped in the sultry flat. -Melancholy enough at all times, but particularly so on this great day of -annual celebration. But the joy, if any there is, is strictly confined -to the doing of nothing. A few idle people were playing at a game of -chance, under the green daisy-clad ramparts. I got a glimpse of the -country by climbing the steps to a wind-mill, "snatching a fearful -_joy_" I cannot call it, for the view was tame; the sun however shone -bright on the fields, some of which were yellow as furze in blossom, -with what produce I know not.... - - -_Bruges, Hôtel de la Fleur de Blé; Monday, May 19th._-- ... Bruges loses -nothing of its attractions upon a second visit as far as regards -buildings, etc., but a bustling Fair is not the time to feel the -natural sentiment of such a place. We crept about the shady parts, and -among the booths, and traversed the cool extensive vault under the Hôtel -de Ville, where the butcher's market is held (a thousand times the most -commodious shambles I ever saw), and the bazaars above, and made some -purchases. - - -_Tuesday 20th._-- ... The thought of Bruges upon the Fair-day never can -disturb the image of that spiritualised city, seen in 1820, under the -subdued light and quiet of a July evening and early morning.... Nothing -can be more refreshing than to flout thus at ease, the awning screening -us from the sun, and the pleasant breezes fanning our temples; ... -cottages constantly varying the shores, which are particularly gay at -this season, interspersed with fruit-tree blossom and the broom flower; -goats tethered on the grassy banks, under the thin line of elms; a -village with a pretty church, midway on the journey; ... the air -delightfully refreshed by the rain; the banks, again low, allow the eye -to stretch beyond the avenue; corn looking well, rich daisy-clad -pastures, and here alive with grasshoppers; large village on both sides -of the canal, bridge between, from which letters are dropped into the -barge, as we pass, by means of a shoe. A sale at a Thames-like chateau; -we take on purchasers with their bargains--chests of drawers, bed and -chamber furniture of all sorts--barge crowded; Catholic priests do not -scruple to interlard their conversation with oaths; the three Towers of -Ghent, seen through the misty air in the distance under the arch of the -canal bridge, give a fine effect to this view; drawing nearer and -gliding between villages and chateaux, the architecture looks very -rich.... - - -_Ghent, Thursday 22nd._--Left Ghent at 7 o'clock by diligence.... Paved -road between trees; elms with scattered oaks; square fields divided by -sluices, some dry, others with water bordered by willows, etc., thin -and low; neat houses and villages, English-looking, only the windows and -window-shutters gaily painted; labourers upon their knees weeding flax; -some corn, very short, but shot into ear; broom here and there in -flower, else a perfect uniformity of surface.... - - -_Antwerp._-- ... Disappointed by the first view of Antwerp standing in -nakedness.... Few travellers have been more gratified than we were -during our two days' residence in this fine city, which we left, after -having visited the Cathedral, and feasted our eyes on those magnificent -pictures of Rubens, over and over again; and often was this great -pleasure heightened almost to rapture, when, during mass, the full organ -swelled and penetrated the remotest corners of that stately -edifice--here we were never weary of lingering; but none of the churches -did we leave unvisited; that of St. James was the next in interest to -us, which contained Rubens' family monument; a chapel or _recess_ railed -off, as others are, in which hung a beautiful painting by the great -master himself bearing date 23rd May, --64; a mother presenting a child -to an old man, said to be Rubens' father; three females behind the old -man, and R. himself, in the character of St. George, holding a red flag -among a group of angels hovering over the living child. The drapery of -the principal female figure is a rich blue. R.'s three wives are -represented in this exquisite picture. Besides the several churches, so -rich in fine paintings, we spent much time in the museum--formerly the -Convent des Recollects--an extremely interesting place, independent of -the treasure now contained in it.... The picture by which _I_ was most -impressed was a Christ on the Cross, by Van Dyck; there was a chaste -simplicity about this piece which quite riveted me; the principal figure -in the centre, St. Dominique in an attitude of contemplation; the St. -Catherine embracing the foot of the Cross, and lifting a countenance of -deep searching agony, which, compared with the expression of patient -suffering in that of the Saviour, was almost too much to look upon, yet -once seen it held me there.... - - -_Saturday 24th._--At 9 o'clock we left Antwerp by the diligence.... -Breda looked well by moonlight, crossed by steamboat the _Bies -Bosch_ near Dort, which town we reached by half-past six on Sunday -morning, May 26th. We are now in the country of many waters.... Mounted -the tower, which bore the date 1626; an interesting command of -prospect--Stad-house, Bourse, winding streets, trees and rivers (the -Meuse) intermingled; walks, screened by trees, look cool. The eye -follows five streams from different parts of the handsome town into the -country; vessels moving upon them in all directions.... - - -_Rotterdam._--Walked to the "Plantation," a sort of humble Vauxhall. -About sunset, seated upon the banks of the Meuse; sails gliding down, -white and red; the dark tower of the Cathedral; a glowing line of -western sky, with twelve windmills as grand as castles, most of them at -rest, but the arms of some languidly in motion, crimsoned by the setting -sun. A file of grey clouds run southward from the Cathedral tower. The -birds, which were faintly warbling in the pleasure-ground behind us when -we sate down, have now ceased. Three very slender spires, one of which -we know to be the Hôtel de Ville, denote, together with the Cathedral -tower, the neighbourhood of a large town. - - -_Tuesday 27th._-- ... Left Rotterdam at ten o'clock. As we crossed the -bridge, the fine statue of Erasmus, rising silently, with eyes fixed -upon his book, above the noisy crowd gathered round the booths and -vehicles, which upon the market-day beset him, and backed by buildings -and trees, intermingled with the fluttering pennons from vessels -unloading their several cargoes into the warehouses, produced a curious -and very striking contrast.... The stately stream down which we floated -took us to the royal town of the Hague. Arriving there at five o'clock, -we immediately walked to the wood, in which stands the Palace; charming -promenades, pools of water, swans, stately trees, birds warbling, -military music--the _Brae Bells_; the streets similar to those at Delf; -screens of trees, sometimes on one side, but generally on both sides of -the canal; bridges at convenient distances across.... Looked with -interest upon the ground where the De Wits were massacred, to which we -were conducted by a funny old man, of whom we purchased a box. The spot -is a narrow space, passing from one square to another, if I recollect -right, near to the public building, whence the brothers had been dragged -by the infuriated rabble. Horse-chestnut trees in flower everywhere. - - -_Wednesday 28th._-- ... Looked into the fine room where the lottery is -kept, which interested us, as well as the countenances of those who were -working at fortune's wheel, and those who were eagerly gaping for her -favours. Above all, the King's Gallery most attracted us with its -magnificent collection of pictures.... - - -_Leyden, Thursday 29th._--Arose, and found that our commodious chamber -looked upon pleasure-walks, which we at once determined must be the -University garden, naturally giving to this place the sort of -accommodations found in our own seats of learning, but no such luxury -belongs to the students of Leyden. The ground with its plantations -through which these walks are carried, and upon which the sun now so -cheerfully shone, was formerly covered with buildings that were -destroyed, together with the inhabitants, by an explosion which took -place in a barge of gunpowder in 1806, then lying in the neighbouring -canal.... - -There are no colleges, or separate dwellings, in Leyden, for the -students; they are lodged with different families in the town. Our -guide had three at his house from England, as he told us. A wandering -sheep lying at the threshold, as we passed a good-looking house in the -street; were told that this was a pensioner upon the public, that it -would lie there till it was fed, and then would pass on to some other -door. This animal had been brought up the pet of a soldier once -quartered at Leyden, and when he changed his situation his favourite was -sent into the fields, but preferring human society, it could not be -confined amongst its fellows, but ever returned to the town, and, -begging its daily food, it passed from door to door of those houses -which its old master had frequented, obstinately keeping its station -until an alms was bestowed--bread, vegetables, soup, nothing came wrong, -and as soon as this was received, the patient mendicant walked quietly -away. - - -_Haarlem._-- ... Reached Haarlem at five o'clock; went directly to the -Cathedral, mounted the tower, an hour too early for the sunset; a -splendid and interesting view beyond any we have seen. Looking eastward, -the canal seen stretching through houses and among the trees, to the -spires of Amsterdam in the distance. A little to the right, the Mere of -Haarlem spotted with vessels, the river Spaaren winding among trees -through the town; steeple towers of Utrecht beyond the Mere. The Boss, a -fine wood and elegant mansion built by ---- Hope, now a royal residence; -new kirk, fine tower; the sea, and sand-hills beyond the flats glowing -under a dazzling western sky. The winding Spaaren again among green -fields brings the eye round to the Amsterdam canal, up which we shall -glide.... - - -_Friday 30th._-- ... We were floating between stunted willows towards -Amsterdam, the birds sweetly warbling, but the same unvaried course -before us. I have, however, a basket at my feet containing pots of -fragrant geranium, and a beautiful flowering fern, brought, I suppose, -from the market where we saw the commodities offered for sale. The -groups of figures, with their baskets and stalls of vegetables, ranged -along the shady avenues, have often a striking effect; the fanciful -architecture towering above, as seen from the end of one of the market -streets, especially if the view be terminated by a spire or a lofty -tower.... The spires of Amsterdam, and different spires and shipping, -rise beyond the flat line of the water. The same cold north wind is -breathing in the sunshine, now that we are not within the screen of the -trees. The plains are scattered with cattle, and a broken line of Dutch -farm-houses, which we have hitherto in vain looked for, stretch at a -field's distance from the canal. Having now resumed our seats, reeds and -pools diversify our course; and drawing nearer Amsterdam, I must put -away my book, to look after the pleasure-houses and gardens; the first -presents a bed of full-blown China roses. - - -_Amsterdam, Saturday 31st_.... _Brock._--After walking one hour and five -minutes by the side of the canal, upon a good road, through a tract of -peat-mossy rich pasturage, besprinkled with cattle, and bounded by a -horizon broken by spires, steeple-towers, villages, scattered farms, and -the unfailing windmill--seen single or in pairs, or clustered, at short -distances everywhere--we are now seated beneath the shelter of a -friendly windmill; the north wind bracing us, and the swallows -twittering under a cloudless grey sky above our heads.... After -twenty-six minutes' further walk, the canal spreads into a circular -basin, upon the opposite margin of which stands the quaintly dressed -little town of Brock. The church spire rises from amid elegantly neat -houses, chiefly of wood, much carved and ornamented, and covered with -glazed tiles.... In each of these houses is a certain elaborately -ornamented door by which at their wedding the newly-married pair, and -perhaps their friends, enter. It is then closed, and never opened again -until the man or his wife is carried out a corpse.... The streets are -paved with what are called Dutch tiles, but certainly not the polished -slabs we have been accustomed to give this name to--more like our -bricks, of various colours arranged in patterns, as Mr. B. would like -the floors of his sheds, etc., to be. A piece of white marble often -forms the centre to some device; where the flooring in a garden happens -to be uniform in colour, a pattern is formed by a sprinkling of sand, -which seems to lie as a part of the flooring unmoved under a fresh -blowing wind.... - - -_Saardam, Sunday evening, June 1st._--We have had a delightful trip -to-day to Saardam, another North Holland town. Visited the hut, and -workshop, in which Peter the Great wrought as a carpenter.... - - -_Monday, June 2nd._--Am thankful to rest before we depart from -Amsterdam, in which I would not live to be Queen of Holland; yet she is -mistress of the most magnificent palace I ever saw, furnished -substantially, and in excellent taste, by Louis Buonaparte. The edifice -formerly belonged to the city, the Stad-house, and was presented to him -as a compliment upon his elevation to the throne.... At five this day we -are to depart for Utrecht, most happy to turn our faces homeward, and to -leave this watery country, where there is not a drop fit to drink.... - - -_Antwerp, June 5th._--Arose at seven, and have revisited most, indeed -all, that best pleased us before--and accomplished our wish to mount the -Cathedral tower, and under favourable skies; a glorious sunset upon the -Scheldt; the clouds, the shadow of the spire, the spire itself, the town -below, the country around, our own enjoyments--these we shall ever -remember, but we are to be off to Malines, at seven o'clock in the -morning.... - - -_Wednesday 11th._-- ... Adventures we have had few; William's eyes -being so much disordered, and so easily aggravated, naturally made him -shun society, and crippled us in many respects; but I trust we have -stored up thoughts, and images, that will not die. - - - - - XII - - EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S - TOUR IN THE ISLE OF MAN - 1828 - -EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S TOUR IN THE ISLE OF MAN, 1828 - - -_Thursday, June 26th, 1828._--Called at half-past two, and breakfasted -by kitchen fire. Walked to the end of gravel terrace;[66] grey calm, and -warbling birds; sad at the thought of my voyage, cheered only by the end -of it. Sat long at Morris's door; grey and still; coach full, and sour -looks within, for I made a fifth; won my way by civility, and -communicating information to a sort of gentleman fisher going to -Wytheburn. English manners ungracious: he left us at Nag's Head without -a bow or good wish. Morning still foggy. Wytheburn, cliffs and trees. -Stayed inside till reached an inn beside Bassenthwaite; only another -lady in coach, so had a good view of the many cloudy summits and -swelling breastworks of Skiddaw, and was particularly struck with the -amplitude of style and objects, flat Italian foreground, large fields, -and luxuriant hedges,--a perfect garden of Eden, rich as ivory and -pearls. Dull and barish near Cockermouth. Town surprised me with its -poor aspect. Old market-house to be pulled down. Sorry I could not study -the old place. Life has gone from my Father's Court.[67] View from -bridge beautiful. Ruin, castle, meadows with hay-cocks.... Again cold -and dreary after river goes. Dorrington very dreary, yet fine trees. -Dropped Mr. Lowther's sons from school. Busy-looking fresh-coloured -aunt, looks managing and well satisfied with herself, but kind to the -boys; little sister very glad, and brothers in a bustle of pleasure.... -Workington very dismal; beautiful approach to Whitehaven; comfortless -inn, but served by a German waiter; Buckhouse's daughter; a hall, a -church; the sea, the castle; dirty women, ragged children; no shoes, no -stockings; fine view of cliffs and stone quarry; pretty, smokeless, -blue-roofed town; castle and inn a foreign aspect. Embarked at ten. Full -moon; lighthouse; summer sky; moved away; and saw nothing till a distant -view of Isle of Man. Hills cut off by clouds. Beautiful approach to -Douglas harbour; wind fallen. Harry met me at inn; surprised with gay -shops and store-houses; walk on the gardens of the hills; decayed -houses, divided gardens; luxuriant flowers and shrubs, very like a -French place; an Italian lady, the owner; air very clear, though hazy in -Cumberland. Very fine walk after tea on the cliff; sea calm, and as if -enclosed by haze; fishes sporting near the rocks; a few sea-birds to -chatter and wail, but mostly silent rocks; two very grand masses in a -little bay, a pellucid rivulet of sea-water between them; the hills -mostly covered with cropped gorse, a very rich dark green. This gorse -cropped in winter, and preserved for cattle fodder. The moon rose large -and dull, like an ill-cleaned brass plate, slowly surmounts the haze, -and sends over the calm sea a faint bright pillar. In the opposite -quarter Douglas harbour; illuminated boats in motion, dark masts and -eloquent ropes; noises from the town ascend to the commanding airy -steeps where we rested. - - [Footnote 66: At Rydal Mount.--ED.] - - [Footnote 67: The house at Cockermouth where William and Dorothy - Wordsworth were born. Compare _The Prelude_, book i.--ED.] - - -_Saturday, 28th June._--Lovely morning; walked with Henry[68] to the -nunnery; cool groves of young trees and very fine old ones. General -Goulding has built a handsome house near the site of the old nunnery, on -which stands a modern house (to be pulled down). The old convent bell, -hung outside, is used as a house-bell; the valley very pretty, with a -mill stream, and might be beautiful, if properly drained. The view of -the nunnery charming from some points. - - [Footnote 68: Henry Hutchinson, Mrs. Wordsworth's brother, the - "retired mariner" of the 9th Sonnet, composed during Wordsworth's - subsequent tour in 1833.--ED.] - -Walked on to the old church, Kirk Bradden; handsome steeple. -Burial-ground beautifully shaded, and full of tombstones. Tombstone or -obelisk to the memory of a son of the Duke of Athole, commander of the -Manx Fencibles. - -Douglas market very busy. Women often with round hats, like the Welsh; -and girls without shoes and stockings, though otherwise not ill dressed. -Panniers made of matted straw; country people speak more Manx than -English; the sound is not hoarse nor harsh. Cliffs picturesque above -Mona Castle; a waterfall (without water); the castle of very white stone -from Scotland, after the style of Inveraray. How much handsomer and -better suited to its site would be the native dark grey rock. The -nunnery house is as it should be; and the castle, with stronger towers -in the same style, would have been a noble object in the bay.... Road -and flat sandy space to the sea; a beautiful sea residence for the -solitary; pleasant breezes, and sky clear of haziness. - - -_Sunday, 29th June._--A lovely bright morning; walk with H.; a fine view -over the sky-blue sea; breezy on the heights. At Mr. Browne's church. -Text from Isaiah, the "Shadow of a great Rock," etc., applied to our -Saviour and the Christian dispensation. Marketplace and harbour -cheerful, and, compared with yesterday, quiet. Gay pleasure-boats in -harbour, from Liverpool and Scotland, with splendid flags. During -service the noises of children and sometimes of carriages distressing. -Mr. Browne a sensible and feeling, yet monotonous and weak-voiced, -reader. His iron shoes clank along the aisle--the effect of this very -odd. Called in the Post Office lane at the postmaster's, narrow as an -Italian street, and the house low, cool, old-fashioned and cleanly. -Stairs worn down with much treading, and everything reminding one of -life at Penrith forty years back. A cheerful family of useful-looking, -well-informed daughters; English father and Scotch mother. Crowds -inquiring for letters. To Kirk Bradden, one and a half miles; arrived at -second lesson. Funeral service for two children; the coffins in the -church. Mr. Howard a fine-looking man and agreeable preacher. The -condition of the righteous and of the ungodly after death was the -subject. Groups sitting on the tombstones reminded me of the Continent. -The churchyard shady and cool, a sweet resting-place. We lingered long, -and walked home through the nunnery grounds. The congregation rustic, -but very gay. There seems to be no room for the very poor people in -either church, and in Douglas great numbers were about in the streets -during service. Mr. Putman called, a gentlemanly man, faded, and -delicate-looking; brought up at Dublin College for the bar, took to the -stage, married a hotel lady, disapproved by her friends, gave lectures -on elocution, had profits, but obliged to desist, having broken a -blood-vessel; now living on a very small income at Douglas in lodgings; -sighing for house-keeping, and they have bought the house we visited -last night on the sands. After tea walked with Joanna on pier--a very -gay and crowded scene. Saw the steam-packet depart for Liverpool. Ladies -in immense hats, and as fine as millinery and their own various tastes -can make them. Beauish tars; their pleasure-boats in harbour, with -splendid flags; two or three worthy suitors in bright blue jackets, -their badges on their breast, their hats trimmed with blue ribands. For -the first time I saw the Cumberland hills; but dimly. Sea very bright; -talked with old sailor and tried his spectacles. Went to the Douglas -Head, very fine walk on the turf tracks among the horns gorse, bright -green, studded with yellow flowers in bunches, the ladies'-bed-straw; -the green sea-weed with the brown bed of the river produces a beautiful -effect of colouring, and the numbers of well-dressed, or rather -_showily_-dressed, people is astonishing, gathered together in the -harbour, and sprinkled over the heights. Fine view of rocks below us on -the lower road; lingered till near ten. Lovely moonlight when I went to -bed; amused with Miss Fanny Buston, her conceit, her long, nose, her -painted cheeks, _not_ painted but by nature. - - -_Tuesday, July 1st._--With Joanna[69] to the shore, and alone on the -pier. Very little air even there, but refreshing; and the water of the -bay clear, and green as the Rhine; close and hot in the streets; but the -sun gets out when the tide comes in; a breeze, and all is refreshed. - - [Footnote 69: Joanna Hutchinson.--ED.] - - -_Wednesday morning, July 2nd._--In evening walked to Port-a-shee (the -harbour of peace); foggy, and hills invisible, but stream very pretty. -Shaggy banks; varied trees; splendid rosebushes and honeysuckles. -Returned by sands; a beautiful playfield for children. The rocks of -gorgeous colours--orange, brown, vivid green, in form resembling models -of the Alps. The foggy air not oppressive. - - -_Thursday, July 3rd._--A fine morning, but still misty on hills. On -Douglas heights, the sea-rocks tremendous; wind high; a waterfowl -sporting on the roughest part of the sea; flocks of jackdaws, very -small; a few gulls; two men reclined at the top of a precipice with -their dogs; small boats tossing in the eddy, and a pleasure-boat out -with ladies; misery it would have been for me; guns fired from the ship, -a fine echo in the harbour; saw the flash long before the report. Sir -Wm. Hilary saved a boy's life to-day in the harbour. He raised a -regiment for Government, and chose his own reward--a Baronetcy! - - -_Friday, 4th July._--Walked with Henry to the Harbour of Peace, and up -the valley; very pretty overarched bridge; neat houses, and hanging -gardens, and blooming fences--the same that are so ugly seen from a -distance: the wind sweeping those fences, they glance and intermingle -colours as bright as gems. - - -_Saturday._--Very bright morning. Went to the Duke's gardens, which are -beautiful. I thought of Italian villas, and Italian bays, looking down -on a long green lawn adorned with flower-beds, such as ours, at one end; -a perfect level, with grand walks at the ends, woods rising from it up -the steeps; and the dashing sea, boats, and ships, and ladies struggling -with the wind; veils and gay shawls and waving flounces. The gardens -beautifully managed,--wild, yet neat enough for plentiful produce; -shrubbery, forest trees, vegetables, flowers, and hot-houses, all -connected, yet divided by the form of the ground. Nature and art hand in -hand, tall shrubs, and Spanish chestnut in great luxuriance. Lord -Fitzallan's children keeping their mother's birthday in the strawberry -beds. Loveliest of evenings. Isle perfectly clear, but no Cumberland; -the sea alive with all colours, the eastern sky as bright as the west -after sunset. - - -_Monday, 7th July._--Departed for Castletown. Nothing very interesting -except peeps of the sea. Well peopled and cultivated, yet generally -naked. Earth hedges, yet thriving trees in white rows; descent of a -little glen or large cliff very pleasing, with its small tribute to the -ocean. One cottage, and a corn enclosure, wild-thyme, _sedum_, etc.; -brilliant and dark-green gorse; the bay lovely on this sweet morning; -narrow flowery lanes, wild sea-view, low peninsula of Long Ness, large -round fort and ruined church: bay and port, cold, mean, comfortless; low -walk at Castletown, drawbridge, river and castle, handsome strong -fortress, soldiers pacing sentinel, officers and music, groups of women -in white caps listening, very like a town in French Flanders, etc. etc. -Civility, large rooms, no neatness. - - -_Tuesday, 8th July._--Rose before six. Pleasant walk to Port Mary Kirk, -along the bay before breakfast; well cultivated, very populous, but -wanting trees; outlines of hills pleasing. Port Mary, harbour for Manx -fleet; pretty green banks near the port, neat huts under those rocks, -with flower-garden, fishing-nets, and sheep, really beautiful; a wild -walk and beautiful descent to Port Erin; a fleet of nearly forty sails -and nets in the circular rocky harbour, white houses at different -heights on the bank. Then across the country past Castle Rushen--a white -church, and standing low; cheerful country, a few good houses, but -seldom pretty in architecture; children coming from school, schools very -frequent: now we drag up the hill, an equal ascent; turf, and not bad -road, but a weary way. - -But I ought to have before described our passage from Port Mary to Port -Erin, over Spanish Head, to view the Calf, a high island, forty acres, -partly cultivated, and peopled with rabbits--rent paid therewith; a -stormy passage to the Calf, a boat hurrying through with tide, another -small isle adjoining, very wild; I thought of the passage between Loch -Awe and Loch Etive. To return to the mountain ascent from Castle Rushen: -peat stacks all over, and a few warm snow huts; thatches secured by -straw ropes, and the walls (in which was generally buried one window) -cushioned all over with thyme in full blow, low _sedum_, and various -other flowers. Called on Henry's friend beside the mountain gate; her -house blinding with smoke. I sate in the doorway. She was affectionately -glad to see Henry, shook hands and blessed us at parting--"God be with -you, and prosper you on your journey!" Descend: more cottages, like -waggon roofs of straw, chance-directed pipes of chimneys and flowery -walls, not a shoe or a stocking to be seen. Dolby Glen, beautiful -stream, and stone cottages, and gardens hedged with flowery elder, and -mallows as beautiful as geraniums in a greenhouse. - - -_Wednesday, 9th, Peele._--Morning bright, and all the town busy. -Yesterday the first of the herring fishing, and black baskets laden with -silvery herrings were hauled through the town, herrings in the hand on -sticks, and huge black fish dragged through the dust. Sick at the sight, -ferried across the harbour to the Island Castle, very grand and very -wild, with cathedral, tower, and extensive ruins, and tombstones of -recent date: several of shipwrecked men. Our guide showed us the place -where, as Sir Walter Scott tells us, Captain Edward Christian was -confined, and another dungeon where the Duchess of Gloucester was shut -up fifteen years, and there died, and used to appear in the shape of a -black dog; and a soldier who used to laugh at the story vowed he would -speak to it and died raving mad. The Castle was built before artillery -was used, and the walls are so thin that it is surprising that it has -stood so long. The grassy floor of the hill delightful to rest on -through a summer's day, to view the ships and sea, and hear the dashing -waves, here seldom gentle, for the entrance to this narrow harbour is -very rocky. Fine caves towards the north, but it being high water, we -could not go to them. Our way to Kirk Michael, a delightful terrace; sea -to our left, cultivated hills to the right, and views backwards to Peele -charming. The town stands under a very steep green hill, with a -watch-tower at the top, and the castle on its own rock in the sea--a sea -as clear as any mountain stream. Fishing-vessels still sallying forth. -Visited the good Bishop Wilson's grave, and rambled under the shade of -his trees at Bishop's Court, a mile further. The whole country pleasant -to Ramsey; steep red banks of river. The town close to the sea, within -a large bay, formed to the north by a bare red steep, to the south by -green mountain and glen and fine trees, with houses on the steep. Ships -in harbour, a steam-vessel at a distance, and sea and hills bright in -the evening-time. Pleasant houses overlooking the sea, but the -cottage[70] all unsuspected till we reach a little spring, where it -lurks at the foot of a glen, under green steeps. A low thatched white -house dividing the grassy pleasure plot, adorned with flowers, and above -it on one side a hanging garden--flowers, fruit, vegetables -intermingled, and above all the orchard and forest trees; peeps of the -sea and up the glen, and a full view of the green steep; a little stream -murmuring below. We sauntered in the garden, and I paced from path to -path, picked ripe fruit, ran down to the sands, there paced, watched the -ships and steamboats--in short, was charmed with the beauty and novelty -of the scene: the quiet rural glen, the cheerful shore, the solemn sea. -To bed before day was gone. - - [Footnote 70: The house in which they were to stay at Ramsey.--ED.] - - -_Thursday._--Rose early. Could not resist the sunny grass plot, the -shady woody steeps, the bright flowers, the gentle breezes, the soft -flowing sea. Walked to Manghold Head, and Manghold Kirk: the first where -the cross was planted. The views of Ramsey Bay delightful from the Head: -a fine green steep, on the edge of which stands the pretty chapel, with -one bell outside, an ancient pedestal curiously carved, Christ on the -cross, the mother and infant Jesus, the Manx arms, and other devices; -near it the square foundation surrounded with steps of another cross, on -which is now placed a small sundial, the whole lately barbarously -whitewashed, with church and roof--a glaring contrast to the grey -thatched cottages, and green trees, which partly embower the church. -Numerous are the grave-stones surrounding that neat and humble -building: a sanctuary taken from the waste, where fern and heath grow -round, and _over_-grow the graves. I sate on the hill, while Henry -sought the Holy Well, visited once a year by the Manx men and women, -where they leave their offering--a pin, or any other trifle. Walked -leisurely back to Ramsey; fine views of the bay, the orange-coloured -buoy, the lovely town, the green steeps. The town very pretty seen from -the quay as at the mountain's foot; rich wood climbing up the mountain -glen, and spread along the hillsides. - - -THE END - - -_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_. - - - - -Transcriber's Note - - -Footnotes have been moved below the paragraph to which they relate. - -There is a paragraph on Page 218 that is partially repeated on Page 219. -Since there are minor differences to the text, I have left the two -unchanged. - -"=" is used in the text to indicate that a fancy font was used. - -Inconsistencies have been retained in spelling, hyphenation, formatting, -punctuation, and grammar, except where indicated in the list below: - - - Period removed after "Church" on main title page - - "Ferry house" changed to "Ferry-House" on Page 3 - - "Crerar" changed to "Creran" on Page 3 - - "Ferryhouse" changed to "Ferry-House" on Page 4 - - Period added after "38" on Page 4 - - "t" changed to "it" on Page 49 - - Period added after "shade" on Page 127 - - Hyphen changed to a dash after "pain" on Page 141 - - Period added after "ED" on Footnote 36 - - "Ullswater" changed to "Ulswater" on Page 157 - - Quote removed after "Switzerland." on Page 215 - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth, Vol. -II (of 2), by Dorothy Wordsworth - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNALS OF DOROTHY WORDSWORTH, VOL II *** - -***** This file should be named 42857-8.txt or 42857-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/8/5/42857/ - -Produced by sp1nd, Linda Hamilton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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