1026 
Keswick, and its Lake.—Lodore 
Waterfall. Ascent of Skiddaw. 
From the same, Vol. Il. 
From Penrith to Keswick is four 
Jeagues and a half ; and as we were 
told there was no place where we 
could breakfast upon the way, we 
lay in bed till a later hour than 
would otherwise have beseemed pe- 
destrians. The views were unin- 
teresting after such scenery as we 
had lately passed, yet as we were 
returning to the mountainous coun- 
try, they improved as we advanced, 
Our road laid under one very fine 
mountain called Saddleback, and 
from every little eminence we be- 
held before usin the distance the 
great boundaries of the vale of Kes- 
wick. At length, after walking 
five hours, we ascended the last hill, 
and saw the vale below us with its 
lake and town, girt round with 
mountains even more varied in their 
outline, and more remarkably 
grouped than any which we had left 
behind. It was beginning to rain, 
and to confess the truth we derived 
more Satisfaction from the sight of 
the town, than from the wonders 
around it. Joyfully we reached 
the inm to which our trunks had 
been directed from Ambleside, but 
our joy was in no slight degree 
damped by the unwelcome intelli- 
gence that the house was full. Was 
there another inn ?—that was full 
also; the town was crowded with 
company :—but if we would walk 
in they would endeavour to procure 
us beds. In a few minutes word 
was brought us that they had pro- 
cured one bed, if we had no objec- 
tion to sleep together,—and if we 
had it seemed there was no alterna- 
tive. We were assured for our 
comfort that strangers had some- 
3 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
times slept in their carriages. Acs 
cordingly we were conducted to 
our apartment, which proved to be 
at the house of the barber. q 
The barber in England is not the 
important personage he is in our 
country ; ke meddles with no sur- 
gical instruments, and the few who 
draw teeth practise exclusively 
among the poor, and are considered 
as degrading the profession ;—still 
the barber is a person of importance 
every where. Our host was as at~ 
tentively civil as a man could be, 
and partly out of compliment to— 
him, partly from a fancy to be © 
shaved in the English fashion, I sub- 
mitted my chin to him. Barbers- — 
basons it seems are as obsolete here — 
as helmets, and Don Quixote must 
in this country have found some 
other pretext for attacking a poor 
shaver. Instead of rubbing the soap 
upon the face, he used a brush 35 
this mode of operating is not so 
cleanly as our own, but it is more 
expeditious, We find him of great 
use in directing our movements 
here. He has been a sailor ; was 
in the famous action against the 
Comte de Grasse , and after having 
been in all parts of the world, re- 
turned at last to his native place, to 
pass the remainder of his days in 
this humbler but more gainful em- 
ployment. His wife was as active 
as himself in serving us; our 
trunks were presently brought up, 
—the table laid,—dinner brought 
from the inn ;—and though we 
might have wished for a larger apart. 
ment, which was not to serve for 
bed-room as well, yet the beha- 
viour of these people was so unlike 
that of inn waiters, and had so 
much the appearance of real hospi- 
tality, that the gratification of see- 
ing it was worth some little incon- 
venience. 
