— 868 
which he first enters. The heights here 
want that bold Alpine character, ¢sabel- 
_ lished with: the jutting crag, the deep 
glen, and the foaming torrent, which is: 
elsewhere seen in excellent perfection, on 
a smaller scale.» The hills are usually of 
gentie ascent, and their summits present 
an extensive tract of country, unmarked 
by any prominent. irregularity of sur- 
face. Itis for the most part cultivated; 
but the stone fences that divide the fields 
give a barren aspect even to this im- 
proved state of the soil; and the unsatis- 
fied eye searches in vain for hedges and 
trees, to enliven the dreary prospect. 
Sometimes, indeed, spots of great beauty 
occur. Thesolitary farm, once, perhaps, 
o . \ . . > 
a manorial residence, iS seen peeping 
through its ancient rookery of elms ; and 
the straggling village, often embowered in 
_ trees, here and there decorates the wind- . 
ing valley; while streams, distinguished, 
and even named, from the meandring 
course they take, at once fertilize and 
adorn the face of the country. 
Some degree of uniformity is a defect 
connected with the very nature. of vale 
scenery. But, perhaps, the “ Vale of 
Glocester” suffers less than almost any 
other from this cause. Bounded on 
one side by its native chain of hills, oc- 
casionally fringed or clothed with wood, 
and these, too, frequently protruding 
their abrupt declivities on the plain be- 
neath ; skirted, on the other, by the gi- 
gantic heights of Malvern, the romantic 
swell of May-hill, with its tufted sum- 
mit, and by the blue: mountains of Cam- 
bria, melting into the clouds ; intersected 
by the majestic Severn, whose margin is 
lined by the forest, and whose channel, 
as it approaches the ocean, expands to a 
width that assumes .the grandeur of a 
vast lake :—such an assemblage as this 
nay surely atone for the unceasing repe~' 
tition of fertile meadows, clustering’ 
trees, and scattered hamlets. « For, how- 
ever destructive the sameness of these 
objects may prove to picturesque effects, 
they cannot fail to excite the most grate- | 
ful emotions in the benevolent and feels 
ing mind. i 
[ know of no term, that so significantly 
and appropriately designates the tract 
wiich I am now about to notice, as the 
vulsar appellation of the *‘* Bottoms.” 
This name is confined to several delight-' 
ful little vallies, which are formed by 
hills of comparanvely inconsiderable 
height, that here intersect the county in 
various directions. Most of these were 
originally covered with wood, and they 
to the cultivated fertility of th 
on which it. borders. “It ey 
/ 
Deseripiion of Cheltenham, and its Vicinity.” [Nov. 1,: 
‘are. still embellished. by many valuable 
remains of their ancient clothing. From 
the summits of some of these hills, the 
most complete panoramic views are ex- 
hibited. The distant prospect includes 
the “ Vale,” in which the course of the 
Severn. from Kingsroad to Worcester 
‘can plainly be traced; while the home-~: 
view comprehends the numberless beau- 
ties which the bounteous hand of Nature 
has unsparingly distributed over this 
charming district. The gentle declivi-. 
ties on the sides of the valliesare thickly 
dotted with cottages, and the bold’ pro- 
jections finely shaded with foliage. Streams 
burst forth from almost every bank ; and 
these, rushing into the valley, unite in 
one. common channel, and form in each 
‘“‘ Bottom” a rapid current. On the 
banks of these waters are dispersed the- 
various mills which are employed in the 
manufacture of woollen cloth, and the 
splendid residences of those engaged in 
- this branch of trade are on every side to. 
be seen, decorated with all the elegance © 
that bespeaks commercial opulence. In 
fine, the diversity: of objects that here> 
arrest the attention, is novel and striking ; 
for miniature representations of the sub- ~ 
lime and the beautiful follow each other. 
in uninterrupted succession, Sometimes 
we are reminded of the once peaceful | 
vales of Switzerland, and we gaze with 
rapture on the romantic knoll, crowned ° 
with a cluster of spreading beeches; the °: 
sequestered glen, variegated by the rugged 
crag that starts from its side, ornamented 
by the tangled bushes scattered on its 
surface, and washed by the ‘rivulet that . ~ 
bursts from its bosom, Again, we are 
surprised with the Alpine character which 
this Protean. scenery ‘assumes, and view 
with new pleasure the abrupt declivity, 
that threatens to impede our ‘progress ; 
“the. bold clif, fringed with verdure ; the ji 
hanging woods; the impetuous torrent 5 
and the straggling habitations, that ap- 
pear almost inaccessible. Here popula- 
lation seems greatly to have flourished, ° 
and here every thing “wears the exhila~ ~ 
rating aspect of industry and comfort. - 
The fourth division only remains now) 
to be noticed; and I shali not detain you © 
by entering into a disquisition on the pe- 
_Culiarities of forest scenery. The for- ~ 
lorn sameness of a continued succession - 
of trees is universally felt; but the “ Fo- ' 
rest of Dean” exhibits a wildness and 
variety that forms a delightful contrast 
ey ‘« Vale,” 
wy are 
fd charac- . 
‘eneral ine 
equality 
Ud fe 
teristic beauty consists of a4 
X 
J 
\ 
ri 
7 
