APPRECIATION OF NATURE. 81 



opening .into shallow broads covered with ephe- 

 merae, and then narrowing into deeper and more 

 rapid channels, will have experienced the quiet 

 enjoyment of the scenery of one of our most 

 beautiful rivers. 



The English, perhaps, more than any other 

 nation, are capable of appreciating the charms of 

 nature, and those thousand beauties which are to 

 be found in our little sequestered dells, and in 

 the smiling vallies through which many of our 

 pretty streamlets find their way. The satisfaction 

 and complacency, which arise from a contempla- 

 tion of the beauties of the works of creation, 

 our walks in verdant fields and shady woods, 

 the song of birds, and the calmness and stillness 

 of nature in her more retired spots, all these have 

 been dwelt upon and described both by naturalists 

 and poets. It is indeed impossible to see the 

 verdure of our meadows, to hear the melodious 

 songs of birds, to witness the fertility of the earth, 

 and to view the order and economy which per- 

 vade all nature, without feelings of delight and 

 gratification. With these feelings we enter into 

 the charms of Walton's pastoral, and set a true 

 value on the tranquil pursuits of Gilbert White. 



But it is to the honest and patient Angler, that 

 such scenes afford the greatest enjoyment and ad- 

 miration. Far removed from the noise and tur- 

 moil of the world, he prepares his rod, and while 

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