342 WILD FLOWEBS OF 



broken through the rampart by some freak or convul- 

 sion of Nature, admitted by its romantic portal a 

 grand and unbounded view of the extent of ocean 

 advancing to the shore in magnificent array, crested 

 with snowy foam. There, with my disciple, I would 

 take my seat without a word ! But amidst our con- 

 templations the heavens are blackened with clouds, a 

 deluge sweeps down upon our devoted heads, the 

 winds thunder and rave about us the surge beats 

 over us, the rocks topple around us before the hurri- 

 cane; we are surrounded by the tide, and the shadows 

 of eternity spread before our trembling view ! 



And now a truce to terrors ! fly we from them on 

 the wings of the first favouring sea-breeze to rest 

 on the eternal mountains whose majestic but tempest- 

 worn forms rise boldly on the deep purple sky, while 

 the last gleam of sunset gives a momentary but 

 deceptive splendour to their topmost peaks. 



Such a gale as I once had to wing my papers some 

 years ago, might perhaps serve me now ; and, there- 

 fore, as an incident connected with my botanical 

 wanderings, I may state it. I was at Aberystwith, 

 and having got together a host of plants from bog, 

 mountain, shore and morass, I was engaged at my 

 lodgings in drying them, and as plants give out much 

 moisture in this process, I had been changing the 

 papers in which the plants lay. I had no small 

 quantity of wet sheets, and noticing that a breeze had 

 sprung up, I fastened my papers as I thought at a 

 corner of the window, and left them to flap in the blast 

 while I penned my observations. Flap they did for 

 some time securely, but at length the wind increased 

 its fury a thundering sound and loud exclamation 



