in Somersetshire, Devonshire, and Part of Cornwall. 489 



Dunster Castle; — Luttrell, Esq. This is a fine old castle, 

 situated high up the side of a conical hill on the sea coast; with 

 a park, consisting of a valley opening to the sea, with the sides 

 finely clothed with wood. The meadows are mown or pas- 

 tured, and appear as smooth as a lawn ; while those parts of the 

 hill sides not covered with wood exhibit ferns, hollies, and 

 thorns, unmixed with foreign trees, and in such a state as we 

 may suppose they were in when the castle was built, in the time 

 of Henry VIII. or Elizabeth. There is no want of scenery of 

 this kind in the parks of England, but it is not often that it 

 belongs to a really old castle, with all its grandeur and simpli- 

 city. Many modern castles have, in our opinion, so much 

 architectural display exteriorly, that we never for a moment sup- 

 pose them to be old. The ancient entrance to Dunster Castle 

 is through the straight street of Dunster town, the gateway to the 

 Castle forming its termination. The actual entrance, at present, 

 is by a winding road, which gradually ascends the hill to the Castle 

 court. The Castle itself has, in the interior, undergone several 

 alterations, some in good and others in bad taste. There are an 

 excellent carved balustrade to the principal staircase represent- 

 ing a hunt, and a very beautiful ceiling; but the windows, which 

 have been ornamented within subsequently, are in Batty Langley 

 Gothic. The Castle is surrounded by terraces ; and against the 

 walls are some fine exotics, among which are a large lemon 

 tree protected by glass during winter, a large pomegranate, 

 large myrtles, passion flowers, wistarias, coronillas, and an im- 

 mense hydrangea with both blue and pink flowers as a finale. 

 Higher up than the Castle court, on the summit of the hill, is 

 an oval bowling green, approached by a winding path, which 

 commands a panoramic view of the surrounding country, includ- 

 ing the bold promontory of Minehead, the sea, and the moun- 

 tains of South Wales. The whole place was in excellent order, 

 and appropriate keeping. 



Sept. 5. — Nettlecombe to Exeter, through Tiverton. The 

 road as far as Bampton was extremely hilly, consisting of narrow 

 lanes, with their fences so high that the eye was either carried 

 over the adjoining fields to such hilly ground as was near at 

 hand, or, where hills were wanting, there was nothing seen but 

 the steep high banks of the farms which bordered the deep 

 and ditch-like road. At Bampton, the cottages have their 

 chimney-tops finished with slates, sometimes two forming a 

 triangle, and sometimes one large slate supported by four props, 

 and kept from being blown away by a stone, as in the lake 

 scenery. The walls are either of stone or of cob, the latter 

 being formed much in the same way as the pise walls in PVance. 

 The roofs on the detached cottages are generally of thatch. 

 The cob walls are frequently used for gardens, the trees being 



