63 S KES W l C K. 
pottery, which would certainly contribute to yaife the va¬ 
lue of a mineral peculiar to this country, and with the' na¬ 
ture of which, though fo long in our poffeflion, we are 
(till fo imperfectly acquainted. 
So much has been laid of the beauties of the lakes and 
mountains about Kefwick, that it would be unpardonable 
not to defcribe them. Mr. Hutchinfon, in his Lxcurfion 
to the Lakes, has fo far exhaufted this fubjeft, as to leave 
little to be done by future travellers; we lliall there¬ 
fore attempt nothing new, but ext raft the molt ftriking 
particulars from what that ingenious and inquifltive tra¬ 
veller has penned. “ From Cockfnoot hill we took a ge¬ 
neral furvey of the lake ; which, though inferior in fize 
to Uls-water, is yet different in its beauties, and afforded 
us many delightful fcenes. The water, which ftill bears 
the name of Derwentwater, though embodied in fo great 
a lake, faid to be ten miles in circumference, was tranfpa- 
rent as cryltal, and Ihining as a mirror; over whofe fur- 
face live fine illands were difperfed ; the neareft in view 
was covered with corn ; the reft clothed in wood. The 
hills are lofty, arifing on every lide from the margin of 
the lake. Here the mountains were in lome parts covered 
•with grafs, in others with heath ; there, the rocks were 
grown with flirubs and brulh-wood, which hung in their 
apertures and creeks. Little valleys of cultivated land 
prefented themfelves in the openings and windings of the 
mountains; and fmall enclofures and groves of oak 
ftretched up the precipitate afcents of feveral hills from 
the brink of the water; at the head of the balon, the 
mountains were more rugged and romantic. We hurried 
to the boat, that we might enjoy the pleafures of this 
place in their greateft perfection. The general view was 
magnificent and- beautiful; but we wanted to take each 
pleafing fcene apart. We ordered the boatmen to coaft 
round the neareft ifland, called the Vicar’s Illand, con¬ 
taining about fix acres of corn-land ; on the eaftern lide 
of which a few fycamores formed a little grove, covering 
a hovel, which varied the hue with a rich green, and gave 
the whole a piCturefque appearance. Here we found a 
fweet fliade, whilft we lay on our oars to lilten to the found 
of waterfalls, which (truck the ear from every lide with 
an agreeable folemnity. On my fecond vilit I lamented 
to fee that this grove was hewn down, this beauty effaced ; 
what will not avarice perpetrate 1 Now we had the val¬ 
ley to the right opening upon our view, and extending a 
rich plain towards the north-weft, three or four miles in 
breadth ; the (trips of corn, and little groves, fcattered 
here and there, gave the molt pleafing variety, when con- 
trafted with the verdure of the mown meads, ltruck by 
the rays of the morning fun, and happily oppofed to the 
adjoining mountains. Ir. this vale, the church, with lome 
feat-houfes, Ihowed their white fronts, over which, the 
mountains arifing to the right were ftupendous and 
gloomy, as they flood covered with clouds. There Skid- 
daw railed his head, and, with a peaked-brow, overlooked 
Saddleback and Cawfey-pike, together with a chain of 
mountains ftretching away towards the north-weft ; whilft, 
on the other hand, the hills and rocks which Hand upon 
Baflenthwaite-water form the other wing of a lofty avenue 
of mountains, which extend into the diftant plains. We 
coafted the right-hand fide of the lake, where the hills, 
gradually retiring from its margin, rife to their fummits 
covered with herbage. . Here we had a view of the little 
valley of Newland, which winds about the feet of the 
mountains, and, with the fined verdure from the fmall en¬ 
clofures of grafs-ground, refreflies the eye, which had la¬ 
boured with upftretched looks over the vaft heights that 
fhut it in on every fide ; there cattle and flieep were feen 
depafturing, little- cottages were difperfed amongft the 
hedge-row afhes, whilft the fhadows of hills fuffered the 
fun-fhine to fall only in ftrips over the vale. 
“ We landed at St. Herbert’s Illand, which contains 
about five acres of land, now covered with young trees, 
famous for being the refidence of St. Herbert, a prieft and 
CpnfefTpr ; who, to avoid the intercourfe of man, and that 
nothing might withdraw his attention from unceafinp 
mortification and prayer, chofe this ifland for his abode! 
The fcene around him was adapted to his gloomy ideas of 
religion; he was furrounded by the lake, which afforded 
him fifii for his diet; on every hand the voice of water¬ 
falls excited the folemneft drains of meditation ; rocks and 
mountains were his daily profpeft, where barrennefs and 
folitude feemed to take up their eternal abode; from the 
fituation of this place, nature hath given three parts of 
the year to impetuous hurricanes and ftorms, the fourth 
alone provides for the reft. Here this reclufe erefted an 
hermitage, the remains of which are vifible at this day, 
being a building of ftone, formed into two apartments, 
the outward one about twenty feet long and fifteen broad; 
the other of narrower dimenfions. He was contemporary 
with St. Cuthbert, and, as the legends of that time fay, 
by the prayers of that faint, obtained a joint or equo-tem- 
porary death with him, in the year of our Lord 608. 
There is no hiltory of his life and atlions to be met with, 
or any tradition of his works of piety or miracles preferved 
by the inhabitants of the country. The paflion for foli¬ 
tude and a reclufe life, which reigned in the days of this 
faint, and was cherilhed by the monadic fchool, although 
at firft fight they may appear to us uncouth and enthuli- 
aftic, yet, when we examine into thofe times, ouraltonilh.- 
nient will ceafe; whillj: we-confider theftateof thofe men, 
who, under all the prejudices of education, were living 
in an age of ignorance, vaflalage, and rapine ; and we 
lliall rather applaud than condemn a devotee, who, dif- 
gufted with the world and the fins of men, configns his 
life to the fervice of the Deity in retirement. 
“ We now purfued our voyage by a noble woody fcene, 
where Brandelow Park, arifing from the edge of the lake, 
with llately young oaks, extends its groves over two round 
hoes or eminences, and behind them (after covering a lit¬ 
tle intervening valley) rifes on the fide of a mountain to 
a conliderable height- and forms a wood)' amphitheatre, 
fringed with fome fmall ftrips of corn, which grow under 
its ikirts ; whilft all above are ftupendous hills and rocks. 
The ftraight boles of the trees, together with the verdure 
of the ground under their lhadow, which was perceived at 
a great depth in the grove, by reafon of the diftance at 
which the trees flood from each other, formed an uncom¬ 
mon and folemn fcene, which, being again reflected by 
the water, feemed like enchanted haunts, where the dryads 
met their naiad-nymphs in the happy regions of the ge¬ 
nius of the lake. We arrived at the borders of Manilly 
Meadow, a flat of a few acres at the foot of the mountains, 
where our boat anchored, that we might enjoy the plea¬ 
fures of the fituation : to the left, the neareft object was 
a wooded ifland, edged with rocks; behind which, Bran.- 
delow Park, and oaken groves, drelfed in the deepeft 
green, covered the hills which arofe immediately from the 
margin of the lake, and from thence ftretched up the foot 
of Cathell’s mountain, which lay fo near to us, that it 
required the eye which viewed its fummit to be turned 
directly upwards. On our right, at the diftance of about 
one hundred yards, lay another ftnall ifland, on whofe 
rocky margin brulh-wood and willow hung fantaftically ; 
above whole thickets the diftant fliores were feen, where 
the mighty cliffs of Falcon and Wallow Crags, projecting, 
(how their grotefque and tremendous brows, in a lofty- 
line of rocks ; beneath the feet of which, a drip of culti¬ 
vated lands and woods (hot forth a verdant promontory, 
which funk gradually into the lake.- In the centre of this 
view (after ftretching the eye for the diftance of three 
miles over a bafon of the cleared and fmootheft water, 
fpreading its bofom to the noontide fun) is a large mount, 
called Caltlehead Rocks, riling in a cone, and covered 
with oak-wood; behind which a lofty mountain raifed its 
brown brow, dreft in heath and fun-burnt herbage, ex¬ 
ceeded only by Skiddaw, covered with blue vapour, and 
capped with clouds, which terminated the profped. 
“After paffing Bank Park, a rocky and barren pro¬ 
montory ; on which a few fcattered trees looked deplorably 
aged 
