MISCELLANY. 
498 
The Vale of Milton is one of the loveliest spots in the beautiful county of P—*» 
Bounded on the West by a lofty range of verdant hills, and on every other side 
by gentle acclivities, surmounted by the most delightful groves, in whose still 
shade the Nightingale loves to pour forth his dulcet strains into the bosom of 
those beautiful moon-lit nights so frequent and refreshing in the month of June, 
there, if nowhere else, flourish the Oak, the Beech, the Larch, the Sycamore, and 
a dozen other native trees, untouched by the meddling hand of Man, and secure 
from the yet more withering influence of the rude North wind of our bleak 
climate. There the Blackcap and other sylvan choristers chaunt their “ wood- 
notes wild" in sweet rivalry, without fear of being molested by their implacable 
enemies the pseudo-sportsman and the bird’s-nester. There grow, in unexampled 
number and brilliancy, many of Flora’s brightest gems. In the woods are formed 
gardens far surpassing in beauty the conventional things thus ycleped by the 
lords of the creation. Yes ! for though Nature may call to her aid such humble 
and despised beauties as the Primrose, the Cowslip, the Daisy, and even the 
Nettle and other coarser herbage, yet such is the well-rendered care bestowed on 
their arrangement, that, to the cultivated and refined mind, the scene forms one 
of the most beautiful pictures that can be imagined. 
The Vale, though not extensive, includes almost every variety that the heart 
©f Man can desire. If the gorgeous flowers and highly-prized fruit-trees of 
warmer climes be absent, not the less worthy of admiration are the lovely 
vegetable beauties which do adorn the landscape. Again: let the lover of the 
bold and romantic despise these homely charms, and, standing in the midst of our 
modern Garden of Eden, turn his eyes Westward. There let him feast his mind 
on the noble peaks and awful precipices forming the Occidental boundary to the 
peaceful valley below. Surveying the latter from the summit of Peak Bandall, 
dull indeed must be the man who fails to notice and admire the varied character 
of the River Wanton, now flowing calmly through the fertile mead, now ambling 
over the smooth pebbles, and ever and anon lost amid rich groves and clusters of 
shrubs. On the slopes above the water graze Sheep, Cows, and Horses, with 
legions of Geese; and on the peak itself ample scope and verge enough are allowed 
for the restless nature of the Wild Goat. 
On the brow of the peak stands, and has stood for ages, the noble castellated 
structure entitled Mainwaring Abbey, rearing its lofty pinnacles amid the dense 
mass of foliage with which it is surrounded. In this wild yet lovely valley no 
stiff park-wall is needed to prevent the idler, of either sex and all ages, from 
intruding on its still solitude. Here the perfection of unalloyed Nature may 
be enjoyed to the utmost. Here the sound of the gun is never heard; and, con¬ 
sequently, while “game” suffers no diminution, all the rarer and more prized 
species of the feathered tribes abound. The Jackdaw and the Starling nestle in 
