192 PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 



The refectory on the south side of the cloisters has been 

 thrown down, but the cellars below it remain. The dormitory 

 was on the west side of the cloister, and is often mistaken for 

 the refectory in consequence of a fireplace having been 

 inserted in it. The buildings are almost entirely composed 

 of stones procured from the Wall. In the crevices of the 

 stonework the Wallflower and Male Fern were growing in 

 considerable numbers, and in the steps the Ivy-leaved Toad- 

 flax was very plentiful. The day having brightened con- 

 siderably, we proceeded in search of a light luncheon. The 

 roadside inn, where on a previous visit we had found every- 

 thing so beautifully clean and tempting, had been done away 

 with by the owners of the estates, and we therefore proceeded 

 to the Temperance Inn, the subject of their care and en- 

 couragement. We had scarcely crossed the threshold until 

 the odour of dirt and an illkept establishment reached us. 

 What little luncheon we procured was served on a bare table, 

 without even a knife to eat it with, and a squalid looking 

 child sat on the table. 



Ascending the rising ground we shortly reached Naworth 

 Castle. Magnificent oak trees stand near the entrance gate- 

 way, on which tradition says Belted Will used to hang moss- 

 troopers who fell into his hands. The Castle is built on the 

 edge of a platform nearly insulated by a deep gully. Nearing 

 the entrance we observed the Maidenhair Spleenwort growing 

 out of the mortar of the walls. The great hall of the fortress 

 is redolent of heraldic grandeur — the Greystock dolphin, the 

 Howard calf, and the Dacre bull and griffin being made to 

 support the banners of the house. The walls are covered 

 with ancient tapestry still in excellent preservation. The 

 private apartments of Lord William, and the careful manner 

 in which he guarded the approach to them, and the descent 

 to the dungeons, are well worth a very careful inspection. 

 The ancient library and the well preserved oaken furniture 

 possess great interest. 



We returned by the riverside to where we had left our con- 

 veyance, examining the plants, though most of these had now 



