359 



" Seymour," said Mr. Hamilton, " you 

 will have hard work, if you attempt to 

 defend this piece of water ; Howard and I 

 are firmly united against you, and I am 

 inclined to speak more strongly than he 

 has done ; for I remember it in its original, 

 but by no means unpolished state. It was 

 a charming natural meadow, perfectly free 

 from every thing that looked slovenly ; in 

 which, however, several groups of trees, mix- 

 ed with a few thorns and hollies, had been 

 very judiciously, at least very luckily, suf- 

 fered to remain. I used to delight in walk- 

 ing along the old path-way : for the most 

 part, it kept near the water, and every 

 now-and-then passed through one of the 

 thickets, where for a moment you lost sight 

 of the river ; the banks of which, though 

 neither high nor rocky, possessed a great 

 deal of pleasing variety. I recollect parti- 

 cularly one projecting part, that was higher 

 than the rest, and most beautifully fringed; 

 and where there were some large stones, on 

 the side, and at the bottom of the bank : 

 I remember it the more, because 5 from my 



