1807.] 
the waves on the shore, the seclusion 
aud stillness of the place, all conspire to 
vive an air of soothing solemnity to the 
scene. ‘Those who have taste and feel- 
ing, must bid adieu to St. Johu’s with 
regret, and “cast many 2 longing, aby 
gering look behind.” 
Binstead had been mentioned to us 
as worthy attention: this isa small hamlet, 
‘¢ Far shelter’d in a glade obscure;” 
it is sweetly embosomed in woods. “Near 
the humble church stands the parsonage, 
a beautiiully secluded cottage: it is al- 
most covered with jessamine and honey- 
suckles, which meet the sloping thatch, 
and embower its litte windows. <A 
glass door opens from the front into a 
lictle garde nn, on whose beds bloom 
bushes of myrtle which scarcely lose a 
leaf even in winter: over ‘a door is a. 
simple tablet, pecping from amongst 
surrounding shr ubs, on which is inscribed, 
*¢ Contentment is wealth.” 
Contiguous to the garden, isa field bound- 
ed by hangi ing woods, through the natural 
arches of” which, the ocean aye ose 
the sight. A neat simple walk leads toa 
garden formed on the descending clitt, 
down which a thght of stone steps con- 
ducts to the beach. The continued wood 
runs along the coast, separating the gar- 
den from the oceau. The inviti ne wicket 
opening on the shore, sometimes leads 
water-parties to land fae and the bene- 
volent occupier of this peaceful a abode 
is obliging enough to permit them to dine 
under a spacious yew-tree, near the 
house. I had imagined that habitations 
comprising so many beauties, existed 
only in the imaginations of the writers of 
fiction: it was a misiake; 
Wight affords many such, and Binstead 
parsonage is amongst the numitict: 
Steep-Eill was now the place of our 
destination ; and we aseended our vehicle, 
flushed with hopes to see new beauties, 
and enjoy new pieasures. The Priory 
(the seat of Judge Grose) is the first ob- 
ject to detain the traveller. ‘The grounds 
are on a grand scale, and ennehed with 
scarce shrabs and trees. From ditkerent 
Openings in the walks, very fine’ views of 
the sea are alforded ; ‘and’a large fleer at 
anchor within our sicht, oy ently enriched 
this scene. On quitting the Priory, the 
road becomes hig! ily interes Ling, romantic, 
and varied. St. Helen's is a lov ely point: 
the little hamlct is situated on a fine 
chil, the harbour at the bottom: We 
next pass through Brading, a small mar- 
ket-town, ancient in its appearance. The 
Tour in the Isle of Wight 
sacred for the occasion, 
the Isle of 
427 
first religious establishment in the Island, 
is said to have been here. Sandown, a 
short distance further, has a considerable 
fort, built by Henry WIELe it is kept in 
repair, and well manned. Humihating 
proots of the imperfect state even of cle 
vilized society, here crowd. on the sight. 
The eye is offended hy those nurseries of 
ignorance and ferocity—barracks; and 
the mind is wrested trom its tranquillity 
by the gleaming firelock, and the discor- 
dant drum, Near the shore a number of 
huts formed of the soil, are erected for 
the soldiers’ wives; these buildings, with 
all their wretched ‘accompaniments, ‘sug- 
gest the idea of a Hottentot settlement. 
That man should ever be transformed 
into a machine for expediting human 
murder, is a melancholy and awful con- 
sideration; but that this execrable pro- 
fession should be carried on amidst all 
that is beautiful and sublime in nature, 
is as offensive to taste, as it 1s obuoxious 
to judgment and feelmg. Near this spot 
is the cottage of the once celebrated John 
Wilkes. tis finely situated, the bay of 
Sandown sweeping just ‘pelow. its win- 
dows.. ‘The plantations and shrabberies 
were once ornamented with pavilions, 
and gay with flowers. A memorial to 
Charchill was erected here, after,a model 
of Virgil’s tomb at} Naples. The shrab- 
berics are now torn in pieces, the wood 
destroyed, the house shut up, forlorn, and 
desolate. On meeting a woman amidst 
the wild, [asked her what had done all 
this: she replied, “the soldiers, ma’am, 
the suidiers; they tear every ‘thing to 
pieces ;” and with an exclamation too 
added “ what 
flowers there war !”’. 
It.is scarcely possible to conceive 
within twenty miles, a ride which com- 
prehends such variety, beauty, erandeur, 
and sublimity, as that between Ryde 
and Niton. ine bold views of the sea, 
lofty clitts, rich plots of ground covered 
with ripe harvests, and hanging woods 
ornamenting the deep slopes, ‘form an 
ever-charming, ever-changing variety. 
At Shanklin Chine, the subline part of 
the scenery commences. ‘This 1s ‘an im- 
mense chasm, formed by some awful con-~ 
vulsion of nabiiie: The height of the 
cliffs at its opening on the shore, is at 
least two hundred and seventy feet: the 
sloping winding sides of this g srand fissure 
are richly covered with avariet y of fouage, 
which conceals its termination. On 
ditterent edges of the disparted rock, are 
two cottages, which have a very pictu- 
resque effect, whethcr beheld trom above 
or below ; these heigiiten the novelty aad 
Bo EZ beauty 
