CHAPTER I. 
FERN LAND. 
MIDST all our English counties, Devonshire 
stands unrivalled for the exquisite loveli- 
ness of its scenery. Few of those who have 
climbed its bold heights, crossed its rugged moor- 
lands, and wandered through its shady woods and 
its delightful green lanes, will be inclined to dis- 
pute this assertion, however familiar they may be 
with English landscapes. It is the marvellous 
variety of its scenery which constitutes the peculiar 
charm of this county — the rugged boldness of its 
many hills contrasting with the soft grace of its 
valleys. Its majestic coast-lines tower grandly up 
against the sky, both on its north and on its south 
seaboard — now frowning with barren but lofty 
grandeur at the waves, now clothed from the highest 
