wmam ALAHIX 



WESTMORLAND. 



Tb mountain liuwtuue ha* bean laid to rr.t commonly on tlic 

 aVtU*. On the wis.rn Moarpment however of the 1'euniue Chain, 

 AMI Cm* Fell, 15 miles southward, to Uighcup. near Murton, the 

 old rad-wodMoM or conglomerate intervenes, having a dip conform- 

 able to that of the limestone. It it obaerred aUto in the valley of the 

 Lone near Orion, and lower down near Kirkby Lonadale, and in the 

 nlltj of tli Mint and several other place* near KendaL It appears 

 bre in iU common form of a coarw pudding-stone. The subjacent 

 alaU, which is co-eitniiTe with the old red-sandstone, forma a kind 

 of broken unoW-Urrace along the escarpment, and is bounded on its 

 west aide by a narrow and irregular but nearly parallel line of green- 

 tana. This small slate and greenstone district is distinguished by 

 three lofty conical summits or pikea; Knock Pike, the most northerly, 

 is chirfly composed of greenstone ; Duflon Pike, near Knock Pike, 

 eootain* both grvenctone and slate; and Murton Pike, the southern- 

 most and the loftirst, appears to be almost entirely composed of slate. 

 Imperfect roofing sUU is dug on Langdon Moor, near Murton Pike, 

 and at Middle Kig ; and slate-pencils are obtained in several places. 

 Coal is not very abundant, and is seldom worked. 



The millstone grit is found only on the eastern border of the county, 

 earning the mountain limestone, and forming the summit of Brownber 

 Fell. Nine Standards, and Hanging Stones, in Arkengarth Forest, in 

 the Pennine Chain, in the east side of the valley of the Eden near its 

 head ; and of Wild-Boar Fell, on the west aide of the same valley, at 

 the eastern end of the main ridge of the Cumbrian Mountains. In 

 the coal-measure* which rest on the mountain limestone between 

 Applcby and Shap there are several coal pits. 



On the southern side of the county the carboniferous limestone 

 appears broken up by enormous faults into detached portions with 

 wide valleys between them; one large mass, with several outliers, 

 commence* about two miles north of Kendal, and extends as far south 

 as the shore* of Morecambe Bay, resting on the Silurian rocks, with 

 the interposition here and there of the old red-sandstone (Plumgarths, 

 Laverock Bridge, Ac.) ; opposite to its long south-western escarpment 

 of Underbarrow Scar is another mass of limestone (Whitbarrow). 

 The limestone at Kendal i* extensively quarried for building purposes, 

 and many of the beds polish into beautiful marble, which is in great 

 demand for ornamental purposes. Another mass of limestone of gome 

 extent lie* to the south-west of Kirkby Lonsdale. 



The new red-sandstone is the most recent formation of this county, 

 and fills all the lower port of the basin of the Eden, from near Brough 

 to the shores of the Sol way Frith. It usually appears here as a strong 

 thick-bedded sandstone, and is much used as a building-stone. It 

 rests upon the carboniferous rocks on its south-western side, and, 

 spreading wide on both sides of the Eden, abuts against the upraised 

 terrace of Cross Fell elevated by the great ' Pennine fault.' Gypsum 

 is obtained in many parts of the soliferous district in Westmorland. 



Proof* of igneous action are abundant in many parts of this county, 

 porphyritic dykes being found in various parts ; there are five which 

 may be observed not very far distant from the Shap Granite in Wet 

 Heddale, in the valley above High Barrow Bridge, on the crest of the 

 hill from that place to Shap, and in two places farther north and near 

 the roadside. But the well-known Shap Fell red porphyritic granite 

 forms the largest portion of erupted rock in the county. It rises at 

 the base of the upper divison of the slates, and appears to have cut 

 off the Coniston limestone for some distance; altering, tilting off at 

 high angle*, and indurating all the neighbouring rocks. The boulders 

 from this granite are easily recognised, and are found to have travelled 

 in one direction a* far aa the Yorkshire coast. They are seen resting 

 at the height of several hundred feet above the level of the plain of 

 Kden, against the steep sides of the great ridge of Cross Fell, and 

 they have travelled down the valley of the Keut to Morecambe Bay. 

 The mode of their transport, whether by water, or by ice, or by ice 

 floating in water, is yet an unsolved problem in geological dynamics ; 

 but what is called the glacial theory is that which is now most 

 generally received by the best geologists. 



Hydroyraphy and t'ommunico/um*. The Pennine chain of moun- 

 tain* separate* the waters which flow into the Irish Sea from those 

 which flow into the German Ocean. Westmorland is chiefly on the 

 western side, but a small portion is on the eastern Bide of the ridge, 

 and in this some of the upper waters of the Tees have their source. 

 The 7 itself rise* just beyond the northern border at the foot of 

 Croat Fell, but it* course as far as the fall at Cauldron Snout is on the 

 border of Westmorland. On the western side of the Pennine Chain 

 the county is divided by the principal ridge of the Cumbrian Chain 

 into two basins the basin of the Eden on the north, and the basin of 

 Morecambe Bay on the south, drained by the Keut, the Lune, aud 

 other stream., which flow into that tostuary. The Eden rises on the 

 border of Westmorland aud Yorkshire, on the side of Hugh's Seat, 

 :' the mountains of the Pennine Chain. It passes Kirkby 

 Stephen and Appleby, and shortly afterwards quits the county for 

 Comb Hand. It* course in Westmorland is 80 miles, no part of 

 WhMb u navigable. It has numerous affluents, among which may be 

 named the Beelah or Belay, the Helbeck, the Troutbeok, and the 

 Crowdundale on the right bank, and the Leeth and the Eatnont ou 

 the luft bank. All the larger oliluenta of the Kden which joiii it on 

 the Uft bank rise on the northern slope of the Cumbrian ri.lge. 

 The Lune, the Kent, tho Wiustor, and the Loven drain the basin of 



Morecambe Bay. The Lune rise* ou the northern side of tho Cum- 

 brian ridge. It pasei Orton aud Kirkby Lonsdale, a little below 

 which it passe* into Lancashire. No part of its course of 27 miles in 

 Westmorland is navigable. The Kent rises at the foot of High-street, 

 in the Cumbrian ridge, and after receiving the Sprint and the IJ.jnnis- 

 dale, or Mintbock, it flows into Morecambe Bay, along with the (mail 

 rivers Pool and Beelo, or Botha, which there join it. Its whole course 

 of 23 miles belongs to Westmorland : it is not navigable. The 

 Winslcr, also called the Pool, rises in Westmorland, and flows south 

 10 miles, along the border of Westmorland and of Furuess in 

 Lancashire, into Morecambe Bay. The Loven, which flows out of 

 Windermere, belongs to Lancashire ; but the Rothay, or Ifaitcbeclc, 

 which drains the valley of Grasmere, the streams which drain the 

 valleys of Great and Little Langdale, aud the Troutbeck, which all 

 flow into Windermere, and may be regarded as the upper waters of 

 the Loven, belong to Westmorland. Elterwatur, Grasmere, liydul 

 Water, and some other small lakes, or tarns, are connected with the 

 streams which flow into Windermere. Windermere belongs by its 

 position rather to LANCASHIRE, under which county it has been de- 

 cribed ; but the fisheries (which comprise all the lake) are held under 

 the barony of Kendal by the payment of certain lord's rents, aud they 

 are also rated and pay to the relief of the poor in Westmorland. 



For economical or commercial purposes the rivers and lakes of West- 

 morland are of little importance; but in combination with the rugged 

 mountains and the secluded valleys amid which they are found, they 

 give to the county a high degree of picturesque beauty. " The forms 

 of the mountaina," says Wordsworth, in his ' Scenery of the Lakes,' 

 " are endlessly diversified, sweeping easily or boldly in simple majesty, 

 abrupt aud precipitous, or soft aud elegant. In magnitude aud 

 grandeur they are individually inferior to the most celebrated of those 

 in some other parts of the island ; but in the combinations which they 

 make, towering above each other, or lifting themselves iu ridges like 

 the waves of a tumultuous sea, and in the beauty and variety of their 

 surfaces and colours, they are surpassed by noue." The mountains 

 are generally covered with turf, rendered rich and green by the mois- 

 ture of the climate ; forming in some places an unbroken extent of 

 pasturage, in others laid partially bare by torrents and burstings of 

 water from the mountains iu heavy rains. Wood is not abundant ; 

 the want of timber-trees is particularly felt, but coppices are toler- 

 ably numerous. The trees are chiefly oak, ash, birch, and a few elms, 

 with underwood of hazel, holly, and white and black thorns. Scotch 

 firs, beeches, larches, and limes have been introduced of kite years. 

 Fern is commonly found on the mountains ; heath and furze arc 

 only occasionally found. 



The valleys are for tho most part winding, and in many the wind- 

 ings are abrupt and intricate ; the bottom of the valleys is most 

 commonly formed by a comparatively spacious gently-declining area, 

 level as the surface of a lake, except where broken by rocks and hills 

 that rise up like so many islands from the plain. 



The small size of tho lakes is favourable to the production of 

 varied landscapes, and their boundary-lines are either gracefully or 

 boldly indented ; iu some parts rugged steeps, admitting of no culti- 

 vation, descend into the water; iu others, gently sloping lawns anil 

 rich woods or flat and fertile meadows stretch between the margin of 

 the lake and tho mountains. The margin of the lakes is generally 

 liued either with a fine bluish gravel thrown up by the water, or 

 with patches of reeds aud bulrushes ; while the surface is varii 

 by plots of water-liliea. The disproportionate length of some of the 

 lakes would, by making their appearance approximate to that of a 

 river, injure their characteristic beauty, were not this effect prevented, 

 especially in Ulleswater and Haweswater, by the winding shape of 

 the lakes, which prevents their whole extent from being seen at once. 

 The islauds are neither numerous nor very beautiful The water is 

 remarkably pure and crystalline. What are locally termed tarns are 

 small lakes, belonging mostly to small valleys or circular recesses, 

 high up among tho mountains. Loughrigg Tarn, near the junction 

 of the valleys of Great aud Little Langdale, is one of the most beauti- 

 ful. The mountain tarns are difficult of access, aud naked, desolate, 

 aud gloomy, but impressive from these very characteristics. 



The streams of Westmorland are rather large brooks than rivers, 

 with a very limpid water, allowing their rocky or gravelly beds to bo 

 seen to a great depth. The number of torrents aud smaller brooks, 

 with their waterfalls and waterbrcaks or rapids, is very great. The 

 wide actuary of the Keut presents at low water a vast expause of 

 sands. 



The lakes and tarns abound with various species of fish, as trout, 

 eel, bass, perch, tench, roach, pike, char, and others. Sea-fish are also 

 abundant ou the shore of Morecambe Bay. 



Westmorland has only one canal, the Lancaster Canal, which com- 

 mences on the east of Kendal, at a height of 144J feet abuve the level 

 of the sea, and runs southward with some bends by Burton-in-Keuditl 

 to Lancaster and Preston in Lancashire. About 12 miles of the can..l 

 are iu Westmorland. 



The principal coach-roads iu the county are the main road from 

 Lancaster to Carlisle and Glasgow ; and the road (formerly a mail- 

 road) through Stamford, Newark, Doucaster, aud Gretabridge, to Car- 

 lisle and Glasgow. The Carlisle road enters the county on the south 

 side, at Burtou-iu-Keudal, 11 miles from Lancaster, and runs north- 



