M ATLOCK, 
636 
view very noble. Advancing along the precipice, the 
views catch you as you move through the draggling 
branches of the woods which grow on the edge of it, and 
are very pi£lui'efq>'*y ; in fome places down on the water 
alone; in others, into glens of woods dark and gloomy, 
with fpots, here and there, quite open, w hich let in vari¬ 
ous cheerful views of the dale and cultivated hills. Thefe 
continue till you come to an elm with divided branches, 
growing on the rocky edge of the precipice. It forms a 
natural baluftrade, over which you view a very noble fcene. 
You command the river both ways, prefenting feveral fine 
(beets of water, and falling four times over the rocks. To 
the left, the fhore is hanging-wood, from the precipice 
down to the very water’s edge ; but the rocks break from 
it in feveral places, their heads being beautifully. fringed 
with open wood, as if the projection was to exhibit a va¬ 
riety ot (hade on the back ground of the wood. At the 
top of the rocks, and quite furrounded with wood, two 
fmall grabs inclofures are feen, divided by draggling trees 
■—nothing can be more beautiful. The oppofite fide of 
the vale is formed by many hanging inclofures ; and the 
higher boundary is a great variety of hill cut in fields. 
To the right the fcene is different ; the edging of the wa¬ 
ter is a thick (tripe of wood, fo clofe that the trees feem to 
grow from the wate/. They form a dark {hade, under 
which the river is fmooth. Above this wood appear fome 
lioufes, furrounded by feveral grafs-fields, beautifully 
fbelving down among wild ground of wood and rock. 
Above the whole a noble hill, bare, but broken by rocky 
fpots. Advancing, you come to a projecting point, edged 
with fmall afh-trees, from which you have a fmooth reach 
of the river through a thick dark wood : a molt pleafing 
variation from the preceding fcenes. Above it, to the 
right, is the High Tor, or Mam Tor as it is vulgarly called, 
a vaft perpendicular rock, 350 feet high, riling out of a 
dark wood, itfelf being quite crowned with wood—the 
whole magnificent. Turning to another wave in the edge 
of the precipice, an opening in the fhrubbery-wood pre- 
fents a reach of the river wdth a very noble fhare of hang¬ 
ing wood, the rock partly bare, but all in a deep fliade of 
wood. A houfeortwo, and a few inclofures, enliven the 
fpot where the river is loff, all clofely bounded by tire 
great hill. This view isa complete picture. Proceeding- 
further, the woody edging of the rocks is fo thick as to 
prevent any views ; but the river falling-over fome rocks 
beneath, the roar of it renders this circumflance advan¬ 
tageous : it is the keeping of the general -picture. It leads 
toa point of rock higher than any of-the preceding, and, 
being open, prefentsa full view of all the wonders of the 
valley. To the left, the river flows under a noble fhore 
of hanging wood; and above the w^ole a va!t range of 
inclofures, w hich rile one above another in the moft beau¬ 
tiful manner. This point of view is nfgh enough to com¬ 
mand likewife a new vale behind the precipice; this ridge 
of rocky hill, fheiving gently down, is lolt in a fine wav¬ 
ing vale of cultivated fields of a pleafing verdure, and 
bounded by the fide of an extended bare hill. Tr.is dou¬ 
ble view renders the fpot amazingly fine. A few yards 
further, you turn on to the point of a very hold projec¬ 
tion of rock, wdiich opens to new fcenes. The river is 
feen both to the right arid left, gloriouliy environed with 
thick wood. On the oppofite hill fourgrafs inclofures of 
a fine verdure are fkirted with trees, through the branches 
of w hich you fee frefh {hades of green ; a pleafing-contralt 
to the rocky wonders of the precipice. From hence the 
wood excludes the view for fome diftanee, till you turn to 
a point with a feat, called Adam’s Bench ; and, as the 
rock here projects very much into the dale, it consequently 
gives a full command of all the woody Keeps you have 
palled ; and a very noble fcene it is. The range of hang¬ 
ing wood, almofl perpendicular from the lofty rocky 
points down to the very Water, is linking. The bare 
rocks in fome places bulge out, but never without a fkirt- 
ing of open wood : the light through branches fo grow¬ 
ing, from fuch lofty clifts, has an effeCt truly pidurefque. 
The immediate {bore on the other fide is wood; and, 
higher up, raifed inclofures. On the whole, a nobler 
union of wood and water is fcarcely to be imagined. 
Leaving the precipice, a walk cut in the rock leads to the 
bottom, where is another made along the banks of the 
river, but parted from it by a thick edging of wood, and 
quite arched with trees ; it is waved in gentle bends in as 
true a tafte as we remember any where to be feen, where 
the wood is fo thick as to be quite impervious. The roar- 
of the falls in the river is fine ; in other fpots, the grove 
to the water is thin enough to let in the glittering of the 
fun-beams on the river, which, in fuch a dark fequeftered 
walk, has a very pleafing effeCt. The fhaded walk leads 
toa bank in view of a fmall cafcade on the oppofite fide 
of the river ; foon after is an opening, to the right, to a 
fine fwell of wood, and then another to the left againfl the 
great bill, w hich is here fine. The next place to which 
vve would advife a ftranger to go, is to Maffon-bill, which 
is at a fmall diftance : llie way to it is an agreeable walk, 
which gives feveral views. This rock is 750 feet perpen¬ 
dicular ; the river is direCtly below, a fine fmooth dream, 
giving a noble bend. Oppofite is a vaft fweep of hills 
which rife fn the bolded manner, with a piCturefque knot 
of inclofures in the middle of it. On one fide, a deep 
ridge of rock ; on the other, a varied precipice of rock 
and wood. You look down on the old bath with a fine 
front of wood, many varied waves of inclofures bounded 
by diftant hills. Further on, on the fame eminence, you 
come to a point of bare rock, from which you look down 
a precipice of abfolutely five hundred feet perpendicular: 
the river, breaking over fragments.of the rocks, roars in a 
manner that adds to the fublimity of the fcene. The fhore 
of wood very noble. From hence, following the edge of 
the precipice, you come to another point, from whence 
you have a double view of the river beneath, as it were 
in another region. To the left, the great rock rifes from 
the bafon of a vaft wood in the boldeft and nobleft ftyle. 
Sinking a little to the right, you have one of the fineft 
views imaginable; the river gives a fine bend through a 
narrow meadow of a beautiful verdure; the boundaries of 
the vale, woods hanging perpendicularly, and feared with 
rocks. In the centre, a round hill riling out of a wood, 
in the midft of a vaft fweep of inclofures, which, hanging 
to the eye in the moft piflurefque manner, has an effect 
aftonifhingly fine. In one place a fteepie rifes from a 
knot of wood ; and a variety of fcattered villages, in 
others, unite to render this fcene truly glorious. 
Where as proud Maffon rifes rude and bleak. 
And with mifhapen turrets crefts the peak. 
Old Matlock gapes, with-marble jaws beneath, 
And o’er fear’d Derwent bends his flinty teeth s 
Deep in wide caves below the dangerous foil 
Blue fulphurs flame, imprifon’d waters boil. 
Impetuous ftreams in fpiral columns rife 
Through rifted rocks, impatient for the fkies ; 
Or, o’er bright feas of bubbling lavas blow. 
As heave and tofs the billowy fires below ; 
Condens’d on high, in wandering rills they glide,. 
From Maffon’S dome, and burft his fparry fide ; 
Round his grey towers, and down his fringed walls j 
From cliff to cliff the liquid treafure falls ; 
In beds of ftalaflite, bright ores among. 
O’er corals, fhells, and cryftals, winds along; 
Crufts the green modes, and the tangled wood. 
And fparkling plunges to its parent flood. 
Darzvin's Loves of the Plants. 
Near the upper end of the dale, at a village called Cran¬ 
ford, is a Jpacious building, ereCted for the manufacture 
of cotton, by the late fir Richard Arkwrignf, and now the 
property of his foil Richard Arkwright, efq. whole ele¬ 
gant manfion, Willerlley-caftie, It and s on the fouth fide 
of a commanding eminence, w hich terminates the exten- 
five range of rocks that forms the eaftern boundary of tb'e 
Derwent, in its courle through Matlock dale. The cafile 
con hits 
