2 DEVONSHIRE. 



rocks and stones, nearly all terminate in large estuaries, which 

 at high water have the appearance of lakes, and give in them- 

 selves a peculiar character to much of the Devonshire scenery. 

 The abundance of wood on the steep slopes, much of the 

 crround being at an angle, ill adapted for agriculture, and the 

 extreme richness of the autumnal tints of the foliage, afford 

 another peculiar feature of the landscape. 



The excessive rain-fall in Devon, nearly double that we 

 experience in London, does not necessarily imply a propor- 

 tionate amount of bad weather ; a large amount of the 

 Devonshire rain falls at night and falls in torrents ; and it 

 will frequently happen that, after a pouring night, the day 

 will be brilliant with a clearness of atmosphere and depth 

 of blue in the sky, such as we do not see in other parts of 

 England. Speaking of Dawlish and Bideford, the two 

 parts of Devonshire with which I am best acquainted, I 

 should say that, though there is far more rain there than 

 near London, there is also far more sunshine. 



That the ground is often not dry for weeks together I 

 must admit, but even in that respect the county has turned 

 over a new leaf during the past summer and been troubled 

 with extreme drought ; possibly those who visit Devonshire 

 next summer may have to encounter an unusual pluviosity 

 to make up for the scarcity of rain this year, and may meet 

 with such disappointments as that I experienced on my first 

 and only visit to Linton, when it rained so continuously that 

 all mv sio:ht-seeing: was done under an incessant drizzle, and 

 any inducement to prolong my stay was wanting in the total 

 absence of any indication of the slightest improvement in the 

 w-eather. The lofty hills which there come close to the coast 

 had their summits enveloped in clouds, which rarely allowed 

 a glimpse of the actual outline. Perhaps on that very ac- 

 count they might have a more savage and grander look ; but 



