528 Gardrns in the Lakf District. 



shrubs and creepers ; from any of which, cuttings, offsets, or 

 seeds, were politely offered me. Observing to the innkeeper 

 of Bowness how pretty the Chinese roses, laurels, &c., looked 

 against the street walls, and what a neat village Bowness was ; 

 " Yes," he replied, " we are indebted to Mrs. Starkey for 

 that : since her residence here, she has produced a general 

 taste for gardening amongst the villagers." 



I should have been glad had you called upon J. A. Beck, 

 Esq., Esthwaite Lodge, more particularly as Mr. Beck is a 

 gentleman of general good taste, and a subscriber to most of 

 your publications ; though, as the distance was far from your 

 line of route, a call could not be anticipated. Esthwaite 

 Lodge is a neat Grecian structure, situated on the border of 

 Esthwaite Lake, a pretty water, about two miles long, and one 

 broad in the widest part, at the distance of about five miles 

 from Bowness, and on the opposite side of Windermere, near 

 to Hawkshead, a small market town. The grounds about 

 the house are naturally much varied, and are capable of being 

 made picturesque and pretty. I have given plans for nearly 

 an entire alteration of them. It is intended to introduce as 

 much variety as the compass of the ground will allow ; viz., a 

 green-house, a heath-house, aviaries, aquariums, fountains, 

 rockeries, rural and ornamental seats, various pleasure gar- 

 dens, forcing-houses, vegetable gardens, &c. ; and a peach- 

 house, vinery, and green-house are already built. The grounds, 

 in their present state, are furnished with a valuable assortment 

 of shrubs and border flowers. Mr. Beck's principal enjoy- 

 ments are in his library, and in horticultural pursuits, sketch- 

 ing, and architecture. 



That head of Esthwaite Lake which lies near Hawkshead 

 is, to a considerable extent, marshy ; forming various-sized 

 sheets of water. In one of these spaces, about forty or fifty 

 yards in diameter, is seen a small floating island, which, as 

 nearly as I was able to judge, from the difficulty of approaching 

 it, is from ten to fifteen yards long and six or eight yards in 

 width ; it is furnished with three or four alders from ten to fif- 

 teen feet high, and with bushes, grass, and reeds, the roots of 

 which, I should conjecture, are all interwoven. The curiosity 

 to the beholder is to see this group of trees (all in a growing 

 state, and of the largest magnitude of any in the vicinity), at 

 one time on the south side of tlie pool, at another on the 

 opposite side ; and at other times on its voyage to the west, 

 or on its return to the east, as the wind may direct. 



I may just observe, that in the marshy grounds in this 

 neighbourhood the common sweet gale and the Parnassia 

 palustris abound ; and that the common and other ferns 



