70 
Forest ponies were frequently encountered, but otherwise the 
solitudes seemed unbroken by life. Very few birds were seen, and 
of game, hardly a head was visible during the whole drive. 
At the top of one of the longest and stiffest hills which were 
encountered, a glorious prospect burst upon the sight. On every 
side, as far as the eye could reach, was a magnificent amphitheatre 
of undulating woodlands. The beech was already taking on its 
golden autumnal hue, contrasting well against the darker foliage of 
the Scots fir woods, which began to form a striking feature in the 
landscape away to the northward ; while right ahead, upon rising 
ground, could be seen the spire of Lyndhurst Church and the fine 
mansion of Northerwood, ensconced in the richest forest scenery. 
Crossing the railway at Beaulieu Road Station, we are soon in the 
midst of the Scots fir plantations on Matley Heath and in Denny - 
Enclosure. These have been planted about twenty years, and are 
thriving well on the better portions of the land; while on the bare 
thin soil, in exposed spots, they have a hard struggle for existence. 
The trees are planted in regular straight lines, like rows of 
cabbages in a garden, about two paces apart, which gives a certain 
corduroy ” appearance to the woods when seen from some distance 
off. This seems to have been the favourite method of arranging 
the trees in these plantations when they were formed; but it was 
the general opinion of the company that less precise formality 
would have been an advantage to the landscape and no loss to the 
value of the crop. 
Situate in the very heart of the Forest, in the neighbourhood of 
Lyndhurst which we are now approaching, a fine golf course is 
laid out on the White Moor lying on the right of the road, replete 
with the smoothest of putting greens, bunkers, whins, and stiveys, 
that delight the heart of a true-born Scot. A hearty cheer was 
given to several players of the Royal and Ancient Game, as the 
carriages passed them. On the outskirts of Lyndhurst we greatly 
admired the charming Elizabethan villas, with their red-tiled roofs, 
set amidst the all-abounding greenery on our left. On the opposite 
side of the road there rises a low grassy hill, called “ Bolton's 
Bench,” crowned with an old yew tree where the foresters were 
wont to assemble in the * brave days of old.” 
LYNDHURST. 
After a most enjoyable drive through an interesting country, the 
* Capital of the Forest,” Lyndhurst,—the Lindhest of Domesday 
