THE UNDERCLIFF. 239 



most wanted in a northern country. The climate 

 is remarkably equable as well as mild and dry, 

 and there are not many days during the winter on 

 which the invalid cannot take some exercise in the 

 open air. The mildness and dryness of the climate 

 during the winter months, may be in some degree 

 estimated by the circumstance of myrtles, gera- 

 niums, and various tender greenhouse plants 

 usually withstanding the winter in the open flower 

 borders. The absorption of heat by the almost 

 perpendicular cliffs of the Undercliff, exposed as 

 they are to the rays of the sun during the whole 

 day, must be considerable, even in winter ; and 

 the radiation of this heat during the night no 

 doubt tends to equalize the temperature. To the 

 invalid who has a taste for natural history, this 

 sheltered district and neighbourhood possesses an 

 additional advantage. It is rich in varied and 

 interesting plants ; indeed the specimens of natural 

 history with which it abounds offer abundant in- 

 ducements to exercise, and healthful mental oc- 

 cupation, to the cultivators of this delightful 

 science."'* How great will be my reward, should 

 these humble pages open a new source of intel- 

 lectual enjoyment, to any of those who may repair 



* The Sanative Influence of Climate ; by Sir James Clark, Bart. m.d. iic. 

 Fourth edition. London, 1846. 



