1 868 THE VALE OF DENT 303 



of the world, and the farther you recede from it in 

 concentric circles, the nearer you get to the outposts of 

 ''civilisation falsely so called." Dent town and the 

 valley of Dent make a kind of paradise to a man 

 troubled with cares of Geological Surveys and Coal 

 Commissions. Fancy a valley some six or eight miles 

 long, well watered, with green sloping pastures and 

 noble trees, with great peaceful, solemn hills all 

 around ; noises unknown from the outer world, no 

 sounds, in fact, but those made by winds and running 

 rivers, or dropping rains and cattle, and the voices of 

 " the kindly race of men," and church-bells o' Sundays. 

 All the children are clean (very) ; all the men are 

 stalwart and frank, honest and brave ; and all the 

 women that are not beautiful are comely, some of 

 them stalwart too. Men, women, and children, Danes 

 by descent, are fair, with blue open eyes "states- 

 men," the men part, in the northern sense of the term 

 frank and respectful, for self-respect makes folk 

 respectful to others. 



* I have been away from home for four and a 

 half months, as human mortals usually count them, 

 but to me the time looks like four and a half mortal 

 years, and I long to see Louisa and my children 

 again.' 



His journeys of inspection now ranged over the 

 whole breadth of the northern counties of England. 

 On the 2 ist November 1868 he wrote to me from 

 Barnsley : ' Since I saw you I have been at Newcastle, 

 Bellingham, Morpeth, Ponteland, Richmond, Harro- 

 gate, Pateley Bridge, Otley, Bolton Bridge, Skipton, 

 and here. I have seen, besides geology, Ripon 

 Cathedral, Knaresboro, Kirk Hamerton (real Danish 

 or Anglo-Saxon), Bolton Abbey and Fountains Abbey, 



