1(0 



and we also know that the "beautiful romance of Nature" — which 

 any Lakeland hill or dale (and Borrowdale in particular) may be 

 said to be — 



Given to the passing traveller's rapturous glance, 



can so well *' plead for its peace," that in less than three weeks 

 from the day when it was heard that the projectors of a mineral 

 and passenger line from Braithwaite to Buttermere had complied 

 with standing orders, and that their Bill was awaiting a first reading 

 in the House, the Standard, Spectator, Daily News, Times, Saturday 

 Revietv, Pall Mall Gazette, Punch, The World, The Manchester 

 Guardiati, The Leeds Mercury, The Yorkshire Post, and many 

 other i^mportant provincial papers, were in arms, and, righteously 

 and effectively indignant, did 



With torrents pure and strong, 

 And constant voice protest against the wrong. 



The line from the Sonnet, 



Given to the passing traveller s raptiirous glance, 



was quoted, because, from letters received upon the subject from 

 many well-known names in English life and literature, one was 

 so struck by the way in which such a valley as Borrowdale had left 

 an indelible impression of its beauty upon the minds of those who 

 but once had visited it. One was prepared for this by reading a 

 chance passage in Sir Archibald Alison's Life, when, after describing 

 his walk up Borrowdale and over Honister Pass to Buttermere, 

 he speaks of that single walk remaining with him, a vision of 

 beauty, clear and bright after a period of forty years of toil and 

 travel. Forgive me if I quote a passage or two from the letters 

 received to show what I mean. 



The Dean of Westminster wrote : "I have only once seen 

 Borrowdale, but that once was quite sufficient to make me willing 

 to do anything in my power to help you to preserve it." 



I know I shall not have to apologise to him jf, side by side, I 

 quote a letter received from a poor working woman in Birmingham, 

 who, sending a shilling towards "The Borrowdale and Derwentwater 



