INTRODUCTION TO FERN LAND. 
53 
stands unrivalled for the exquisite loveliness of its 
scenery. Few of those who have climbed its bold 
heights, crossed its rugged moorlands, and wan- 
dered through its shady woods and its delightful 
green lanes, will be inclined to dispute this asser¬ 
tion, 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 vallevs. Its 
majestic coast-lines tower defiantly 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 point of the 
cliff to the water’s edge with one deep dark mass of 
vegetation. But there is not even a grand mono- 
tony in the lines of noble cliffs along the coast of 
Devonshire. There is no monotony at all; for 
the grand rocks sink at intervals, to give place to 
magnificent bays, which sweep gracefully from 
cliffs point to cliff’s point, and help to fling over 
the coast scenery of this, the most beautiful of 
English counties, the same aspect of variety which 
is its most charming characteristic. 
