1801. ] 
had feveral vallies.—Meavy, crowned by 
the . beautifully-formed mountain, ealled 
Sheep’s Torr; Dewerftone, a rock of gi- 
gantic magnitude. Of thefe Torrs (a 
Saxon word, fignifying eminence): we had 
feveral in view, and not the Jeaft confpi- 
cuous the far-famed Torr of Brent, fix 
miles from Taviftock, on the craggy fum- 
mit of which is a parochial church, in 
which fervice is regularly performed every 
Sunday. After fome time we’ obferved the 
decreafe of vegetation, and the diminifhed 
fize of the foxglove (digitalis purpureus), 
very numerous in this partof Devon, and till 
now of great vigour, taught us what we 
were foo to approach. The yellow finch 
hovered around us at every ftep. . We ftill 
alcended, till an immenfe {pace lay before 
us.” ‘Diftances, crowned with fupendous 
mountains or extenfive feas. ) Vallies, rich 
i’ woods, meadows, farms, and cottages, 
churches, villages, and feats. We. now 
entered by a.gate the foreft of Dart-moor, 
and, turning back once more to contem- 
plate the charming {cenery that we were 
about to quit, took leave of gayer ele- 
gance,’ and, after-having feafted on the vi- 
{ual treat, proceeded to explore drearinefs 
and filence. We were now like youth 
forfaking the! flowery paths of well-known 
and long-tried domeftic blifs, to tread the 
more frowning, laborious, and uncertain 
one of manhood... Like youth, too, we 
were equally impatient and equally fan- 
guine. In this refpect only we differed— 
that, as the expectations of youth are al- 
ways difappointed, we had. no “reafon to 
repent of the anticipations we had formed. 
Every ftep in this defart region offered the 
charms of novelty ; a fpecies of enjoyment 
fo calewlated to cheat the impatient and 
ever-budding hopes of man, that it com- 
monly. ferves as ‘the fubftitute for more 
fubftantial and perfect pleafure. Lichens 
and other mountain plants now only 
flightly covered the rugged fragments 
which lay difperfed on every fide, or tower- 
ed intoawful eminence. Theroad was often 
compofed of. fand; in fome places rough, 
and like the beaten one of life, fometimes 
fmooth, and more frequently rugged. The 
rocks were partly granite, and glittered 
with mica. It was not novelty alone, 
however, which produced fatisfagtion. 
There is fomething ftrikingly awful in the 
rude and favage appearance of primeval 
and uncultivated nature. Magnitude and 
{pace are principal fources of the fublime. 
It is impoffible to view the more ftupen- 
dous works of the Divine Hand, without 
feeling unufwal awe, and being infpired 
with religious impreffions. Solitude and 
filence add to the effect on the mind. In 
A Pedéftrian Tour threwgh Part of Devon. 4 
more cultivated fpots nature.is broken into 
little parts, and dreffed in more fpecious 
and more lively forms; but in thefe hal- 
lowed folitudes impreffive grandeur gives 
folemnity to the foul.. We are infenfibly 
carried. back to the commencement of 
time, when chaos firft {pread into order 5 
and as we trace backward the long feries 
of hiftoric years, the mind is elevated, 
and the gayer world floats like the painted 
bubble before the enlarged view. When 
mountains fwell around, and pour their 
torrents down into the ‘various abyfles of 
vale, when. the clouds roll with extenfive 
and dark dignity, when a few burfting 
lights ferve only as a contraft to the depth 
of extenfive fhade, when the fenfe of alti- 
tude raifes up the imagination to the 
higheft pitch, and we perceive the finking 
world fading below, the mind muft be in- 
fenfible which is not impreffed with feel- 
ings unufually awful.—Such were ours. 
We. felt the power of grandeur and fpace 
4S new mountains lifted up their heads 
behind thofe which receded. as we pafled. 
Here ivemed.a commencement of creation. 
Frequently infant rills burfted into birth, 
and ran gladly to contribute their,mite to 
the formation of wider ftreams; frequently 
thofe crofled our road, which had affumed 
a more dignified chara¢ter, and acquired 
confequence enough to become obftruc- 
tions... Over thefe were, of courfe, formed 
bridges 5 and we faw feveral of more rude 
form, compofed of mafly ftones, which 
had ferved for the paflage of mortals long 
funk into oblivion, before advanced art 
had confttructed arches. The defarts were, 
however, cheered by fong, and every 
breath of air vibrated with the tuneful 
notes of the lark, - 
After a walk of twelve miles in fuch 
{cenery, we reached two bridges, where 
the limpid Dart had fwollen into conf- 
quence, but was nat-as yet able to view 
its banks nodding with woods, and {railing 
with that beauty which it reflects in a 
more diftant courfe of its progrefs. The 
Dart is a river of remarkable beauty, and 
pofleffes every picturefque charm which 
belongs te the Devonthire ftreams; ftreams 
which feldom creep in niuddy lazinefs, 
but run murmuring over fands, or dafking 
their foam over mofly rocks, difplaying 
every chequered pebble in their bottoms, 
and every filver-bellied trout that {ports in 
their cryftal wave. 
 (Tobecontinud.) ~ 
Zo the Editor of the Monthly Mogaxiue. 
sIk 
N your laft Number I obferve a letter 
i from an anonymous correfpondent, 
dated 
