KESWIC K. 
aged and torn, we entered a fine bay, where the moun¬ 
tains rife immediately out of the lake ; here (landing per¬ 
pendicular, there falling back in ruinous and rude confu- 
fion, as being piled heap on heap from the convulfions of 
chaos ; and in other parts (helving and hanging over the 
lake, as if they threatened an immediate fall; the whole 
forming a (lupendous circus. To deferibe this view is 
difficult, as no expreffion can convey an idea of the fub- 
jed, where the wild variety confifls only of various fea¬ 
tures of the fame objefts; rocks and mountains forming 
and conflituting the parts of this maffive theatre. In the 
front of this romantic feene, a (mall mount prefents itfelf, 
covered with herbage; fmall from the mighty (tature and 
gigantic members of the other parts of the profpefl. 
Overlooking this mount Hands a round rock, pufhing his 
mountainous brow into the clouds, once crowned with 
a cattle. On the fummit of the mount, fweetly contrafted 
by the grey rocks behind, there grows, with peculiar pic- 
turefque beauties, a fingle ancient oak. The lake beneath 
■was a perfect mirror. On each hand the cliffs and moun¬ 
tains are (trewed with bullies and (hrubs, down whole lides 
fmall (treams of water trill, like fo many threads of filver, 
giving a delicate mixture to the greynefs of the rocks over 
which they pafs, in many places perpendicular, and rent 
into a thoufand rude columns, as if they had been torn 
by thunderbolts ; in other places they are of a tamer af- 
pe< 5 l, and, compacted in one folid mafs, (land firm as the 
pillar of the antediluvian world. Where the hills are l'e- 
parated, little vales filled with wood, or narrow winding 
dells of grafs-ground, twill round their feet, and give a 
happy variegation to the view. In fome places, clefts in 
the rocks afford a profpeft into a valley behind ; in others, 
the over-hanging cliffs form rude arches and apertures, 
through which dillant mountains are difeovered. Behind 
all are mountains piled on mountains, where the clouds 
rolled in heavy volumes,givingagloominefs to thofe regions 
of confufion and barrennefs, which rendered the luftre of 
the (hining lake, and the dreams of light which fell upon 
the rocks, waterfalls, and (hrubs, brighter and more 
pleading. In the cliffs in this part of the lake eagles build 
their neds, far removed from gunffiot, and feldom dilturb- 
ed by men ; for it is no eafy matter to affhil their lofty ha¬ 
bitation. In the fight of the cottage, hither they bring 
the fpoils of the fold or the field, to feed their young, fu- 
perior to the wrath of the injured. ‘I was fortunate 
■enough,’ fays Mr. Topham, ‘ to fee the florming of an ea¬ 
gle’s nell, which was built in the cleft of a rock, that has 
been condantly employed for that purpofe for many ages, 
notvvitlidanding it is dedroyed every year. The man who 
took it was let down in a balket by a rope from the fum- 
mit of a rock, and combated with a (word the parent 
eagle, who fought valiantly in defence of her progeny.’ 
On thefe fhores a fait fpring of very falubrious quality is 
found, but is neglefled. 
“ We next vifited a very extraordinary phenomenon, an 
ifland about forty yards in length, and thirty in breadth, 
grown over with rufhes, reeds, grafs, and fome willows. 
We would have landed upon it, but, as the water was 
faid to be forty fathom deep in that place, and the attempt 
rather hazardous, we defifled, and had not the means of 
inquiring particularly into its nature. This ifland arofe 
about four perpendicular feet above the furface of the wa¬ 
ter, on which we were told it floated ; from its magnitude 
we were not able, with one boat, to try whether it would 
move from the perpendicular line of its then llation, or 
whether it was bound to, and connected with, the bottom 
of the lake by the roots of any aquatic plants which ap¬ 
peared upon its furface. On my fecond vifit, the lake was 
greatly increafed in magnitude, infomuch that the Lord’s 
Ifland, as it is called, which before was a mere peninfula, 
was now fo perfedtly infulated, that we failed between it 
and the main land in feveral feet water, the arm of the 
lake which formed this division not being lefs than three 
hundred yards in width; the floating ifland was no more 
to be (een ; and I am induced to afl'ert, that it never de- 
Ye> i. XL No. 787. 
(iS9 
feends below the furface but when tire lake is full of-wa¬ 
ter, and the fedges and willows, which cover the point of 
fome rock, are flooded and difappear. 
“ We now pufhed up the river which feeds the lake ; 
the water-lily fpreads its broad leaves over the furface, 
and here and there (liowtd its meek white bells, being at 
this feafon in full perfection. .We anchored near a little 
but pleafant habitation, called Lochdore, or Lodore; a 
place perfectly adapted for the abode of a reclufe, and 
much preferable to St.'Herbert’s Ifland, lying open to the 
fouthern fun, lheltered from the north by mighty moun¬ 
tains, which almod overhang it; and, fronting to the 
wideil part of the bafon, it commands a view of the (everal 
iflands, Maniily meadows, and Brandelow Parks, with their 
oaken groves hanging from the afeent of the mountains 
(hade above fnade ; Cathell’s and the adjoining crags fur¬ 
mounting the whole feene. We were landed on a plain 
of meadow-ground, which defeended to the edge of the 
water, over which we palled to an adjoining wood at 
the foot of the rocks, behind Lodore-houfe. After wind¬ 
ing through feveral paffes in thefe groves and thickets, we 
gamed a fituation where we were delighted with the noble 
objects which prefented themfelves to our view. Around 
us was lpread a grove, formed of tall young oaks, a(h, and 
birch, trees, which gave an agreeable coolnefs and (hade ; 
above the trees, with uplifted looks, to the right, we 
viewed a mountain of rock, called Shepherd’s Crag, form¬ 
ing a rude circular mafs, lhelving from the foot towards 
its crown in a fpiral form ; on every plain of which, and 
every ltep that hung upon its lides, herbage and (hrubs 
grew fantaftically, whilft the very fummit wore a verdant 
cap of grafs. To the left, there arQlea perpendicular grey 
cliff, faid to be a thoufand feet in height from the lake, 
rent into innumerable filfures, and Handing, like maflivs 
columns in rude arrangement, to fupport the feeming ruins 
of a fhattered tower, grown white with Horms, and over¬ 
looking Shepherd’s Ciag fome hundred feet. In the open¬ 
ing between thefe Hupendous rocks, the river pours its 
whole Hream, forming a grand cafcade near two hundred 
perpendicular feet high ; as the channel is rugged, the 
water makes a fheet of foam, and roars among the caverns 
and cliffs, fo that you are deprived of hearing any thing 
but its tumult. Reaching the wood, where the defeent 
is lefs precipitate, it winds among the trees, fometimes 
fhowing itfelf, and at others totally concealed, whilll it 
ferpentines towards the lake. The (pray which is dallied 
around the rocks, and carried upon the breeze, wherever 
it meets the rays of the fun through the openings of the 
cliffs, takes the colours of the rainbow. On turning front 
this grand fpeftacle, the greateH beauties of this lake are 
thrown into one profpeft. The ground whereon we Hood 
was rugged and rocky, fliadowed with trees, looking over 
a rich bofom of wood ; below us lay the Lodore meadows-, 
where groups of cattle were difperfed, and by the fhore 
fome carpenters were repairing their boats, a circumftance 
which enlivened the feene ; the Alining lake lay in one 
fmooth plain, reflecting the azure fky chequered with 
clouds ; over which the Vicar’s Ifland, yellow' with corn, 
and the woody iflands, were arranged ; the mountains, 
wliofe feet were trimmed with wood, lay in long perlpec- 
tive to the left. C’aflle-head, with its embowered cone, 
and Lord’s Ifland arifmg from the oppofite fhore, inter¬ 
vened between us and the vale of Kelwick ; over which 
the awful Skiddaw, with his inferior race of- mountains, 
frowned in azure majefly, and doled the feene. Claude 
in his huppiefl hour never (truck out a finer landfcape ; it 
has every requifite which the pencil can demand, and is 
perhaps the only view in England which can vie with the 
iublime feenes from which that painter formed his tafle. 
“ We now returned to our boat, and, failing within 
fome little diffance of the fhore, had a view of the water¬ 
fall, where the beauties of the lake to the fouth-eafl lay- 
in pleafing perfpedive. We looked over a fmall part of 
the bafon, from whence to the left a Hupendous mountain' 
of rock arofe, on whole Hurts, and in lae rents and clefts 
3 N of 
