tiemarks on Richard of Cirencester s Itinerary: [Aug. I, 
ing from the shades of moonlight reflected 
on tlie rocks and mountains, the stillness 
of the evening, and the soft serenity tiiat 
stole upon the senses. All nature seemed 
enwrapt in peace and harmony ; and, 
with reluctant steps, we bent our course 
again towards the inn, where, however, 
we. had no cause to complain of eitlier 
our fare or accommodations: and, after 
a sound repose, we breakfasted at an 
early hour the ensuing morning, and pre¬ 
pared to visit the peaceful vale of 
Hawkshead, and extend our excursion by 
the side of Esthwaite-water, and tlie 
banks of Windermere; an account of 
which I shall postpone to a future oppor¬ 
tunity, and conclude my letter by a few 
words on the subject of the little town of 
Ambleside, vt hich is situated on a l isiuir 
ground, a short distance from the upper 
end of Windermere, and, though a poor, 
straggling, deeaying-looking, place, is of 
great antiquity, and might, at a very tri¬ 
fling expence, be rendered an agreeable 
^nd desirable place of residence for 
strangers, and others who might chuse to 
make it their abode« A number of Ro¬ 
man coins and antiquities have, at differ¬ 
ent periods, been discovered in its neigh¬ 
bourhood ; and there are the remains of 
a Homan encampment at a short distance 
from the town. There is a weekly mar¬ 
ket, and some fairs are held there; but the 
landed propu’etors in the vicinity give no 
encouragement to the improvement of 
the place, notwithstandirg the manifest 
advantage that w'ould accrue to them¬ 
selves from such a line of conduct.— 
Lands let high in the vicinity; seven and 
eight pounds per acre for meadow-ground, 
and from iliree to four pounds for corn- 
land. But that is a circumstance easily 
accounted for, from the prodigious influx 
of strangers to visit the lakes, and the 
consequent demand for hay, and every 
article of provision for men and animals; 
together with the small portion of arable 
or meadow-land, in those mountainous 
districts, where the vallies only produce 
grass or corn; and by far the largest 
portion of ground is unfit for any pur¬ 
pose, but as walks for sheep of a small 
fchce, or is covered with wood. 
N ear to Ambleside, in a wood behind 
the inn, there is a grand waterfall, which 
is well worthy of a stranger’s notice. It 
5s called Stockgii! Force, and, even when 
but moderatelv Ailed wkh water, is sin¬ 
gularly in teres: Ir.g. On the top of the 
fall there is a grand assemblage of dark 
craggy pomts,' which, uniting almost 
ctes^ly, draw the ^ream into a narrow 
compass, where it is precipitated over a 
ledge of considerable height, iiito a dark 
and glootny abyss; and, again issuiivg 
amidst foam and smoke, wi ll a tremen¬ 
dous thundering noise, dashes down a 
steep and craggy channel, forming in its 
descent a variety of lesser cascades, and 
pouring impetuously along its rocky bed, 
until it reaches the Rothay, belovv the 
town, and joins the lake a little distance 
onward. This certainly is a fine scene, 
which is viewed with a kind of pleasing 
horror. Large masses of moss-clad rocks 
environ the stream, and rest within its 
banks, which are thickly clothed with tall 
trees and shrubs, in various and fantastic 
shapes ; while the W'hite foam of tlie wa¬ 
ter, here and there obscured amidst the 
leafy shade, again presents itself with the 
most dazzling whiteness, and flirms a 
beautiful contrast to the varied trees and 
shade of the embowering woods, the vivid 
colouring of the mosses, and the bright- 
green of the different sorts of fern, and 
w'ild aquatic plants. 
Farewell ! In my next, though you 
know I am not the enthusiastic admirer 
of Windermere w'hich many persons are, 
or affect to be, you shall have a short ac¬ 
count of its principal features : till when 
I remain your sincere friend, 
The Wanderer. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
your last year’s INlagazines, I gar® 
a comment on the 12th and 16th 
Iters of Richard of Cirencester’s Itine¬ 
rary. Some years since I shewed in your 
Magazine, that prefixes and postfixes 
were often employed in the ancient 
names of places; and I ascertained at tlie 
same time some peculiar uses made of 
syllables in these names. From these 
I have been enabled to correct mistakes 
of authors, in a variety of instances; 
but in tracing their errors through the 
medium of your iMagazine, I have treat¬ 
ed a subject of e(|ual, if not of more, 
importance. I have proved that men 
originally took their names from the 
kingdoms which they inhabited, and 
these from their own features of nature. 
The features of different countries being 
often the same, the same appellations 
occurred in various parts of the world. 
But we have for ages reckoned that the 
same names implied the same people; 
and hence authors have supposed coun- - 
tries couquered and peopled by men^ 
who never saw them. I have ilievefore 
