350 
cliffs appear. Juft before I defcended 
the hill f had a complete view of the 
whole city, which, with the adjacent 
country, reminded me of a Weftmoreland 
land{cape : it has fome refemblance of the 
approach to Kendal from Shap, but the 
hills here are not fo high nor naked as 
thofe on each fide of Kendal, and the 
valley narrower. A fine river runs 
through the fouth part of Bath, and 
winds its way down the crooked vale to 
the Severn. The city from hence has 
quite a modern afpect, and one tire of 
houfes rifes above another, fo as to pre- 
fent a very pleafing and beautiful piéture. 
On afcending into the city, I found my 
favourable-ideas of its elegance and beau- 
ty not difappointed, but rather heighten- 
ed. The houfes are neat or elegant and 
tofty ; the ftreets, two or three excepted, 
are remarkably clean, wide and airy ; and 
{qme of them totally flagged with fine 
fiones from the one fide to the other. 
The defcent of the hill takes ef all the 
water immediately after any rain falls, 
and a great part of the town, particularly 
the higher ftreets, have an open view to 
the country. The two crefcents are long 
rows of high houtes, built exa&tiy uni- 
form in regular curves, and are quite 
@pen to the country: the elegance, and 
pleafant fituation of, thele buildings, is 
perhaps not excelled, if equalled in the 
world. The air in this neighbourhood 
is falubrious, but what chiefly’ renders 
Bath fuch a place of note, are its famous 
hot wells, which have been too often de- 
fcribed to require particular notice here. 
The population of thts city is eftimated 
at 30,000, and is fill increafing : an idea 
of the rapid increafe of inhabitants may 
be had from the following fa&t: in 1694 
the number of births i one of the parithes 
was 1, and in1794, 601. The great re- 
fort of genteel and wealthy people makes 
Bath a lively and fathionable place, which 
is indeed the principal fupport of mof of 
the fettled inkabitants. No trade of any 
confequence, nor manufaéture is attended 
tohere. Every article of living -is very 
dear in this city, yet the rent of land in 
the neighbourhood is not fo high as 
might be expeéted in fuch a fituation, 
being in general not more then 2 or 31. 
an acre. aS 
October 26, went from Bath to Briftel 
in Gloucefterfiire, 12‘ miles, 
tolerably good. ‘Phe foil partly a loamy 
clay, and partly a reddith fandy loam, 
and very iuitable for potatoes, of which 
voot I faww feveral fields, fome of which 
I think T 
8 Fs Gora \ 
ghee road 
the people were digging up. 
Bath aud B riftol. 
“itev, 
have travelled fome hundreds of miles 
without feeing fo much potatoe ground as 
TI have noticed in this day’s journey. 
Stone walls fupply the place of thorn 
hedges in feveral parts of this diftrié. 
The furface of this country is rather 
uneven, nor is the fertility of its foil 
any wife remarkable. The fneft. white 
free-ftone is got in this neighbourhood, 
and which takes a fine polith. Here £ 
obferved very large and furprifing petre-~ 
factions, which had -been inclofed in. the - 
rocks : the ftones and fragments of rocks 
lying by the fides of the road for the pur- 
poie of repairing it, contained well de- 
fined prints of varicus things, mot of 
which feem to have been large thells. of 
very different fhapes ; fome of the figures 
are regularly and curioufly fluted. 1 
came in fight of Briftol at about a mile 
from the city: it ftands partly on a plain, 
but the north fide climbs up the Side of a 
hill, and confequently it appears to great 
advantage from this road. The city ex= 
tends to a great diffance on every fide, 
and the clouds of fimcke thew. its great 
population, which one of the Brifto] 
guides eftimates at 100,000: but though 
that account may be rather exaggerated, 
it is certainly the fecond town in Eng- 
land, for the number and refpectability 
of its inhabitants. The glafs-houfes, of 
which there are 78 or 20 in and near the 
city, make a confpicuous figure, and the 
buildings in general have a modern Icok. 
Arriving at the town I was, however 
fomewhat difappcinted in my” expecta- 
tions; I found many, nay moft of the 
ftreets narrow and dirty, and many places 
in great want of pavin g 3 but towards the. 
higher parts and ftreets of the town, thele 
iMconveniences are avoided, and feveral 
pleafant fituations are to be met with, 
Several elegant buildings, and even itreets 
are now building about. the confines of 
the city ; and moft of the genteeler inha- 
bitants and tradefmen have country re- 
fidences a little cut of the noife and buftle 
of the town. ‘Medicinal {prings or‘ hot 
wells which rife a little below the town 
are much frequented, and found ufeful in 
removing fome diferders. Briftol is a 
great commereial town, but the fhipping 
“fee to lie at an inconvenient diftance 
from moft parts of the city: the veffels 
come up the river Avon to the harbour, 
which empties itfelf into the fea at the 
mouth of the Severn. This is likewife 
a manufacturing town, of various articles, 
but glafs-making is the principal;  fe- 
veral works for lead, in every ftage of 
its manufaGure; brafs wire, and brats 
works ; 
