July 1, §. 1. 1731. My depar Orton What should we fear then? this grand profpect No dreadful phantom to the frighted eye, TH HE firft of July, juft as the day was breaking, I mounted my ture from horfe, and went again from Orton-Lodge. Lodge a fe- The morning being extremely fine, and miffed my every thing appearing as in the above lines, road: the I rid foftly on for three or four hours, and defcribed. Was fo delighted with the beauties, and an cond time: country infinite variety of lovely objects my eyes were feafted with, that I did not mind the way; and instead of coming to the turning that was my road, I got into a bending valley, which ended at a range of rocky mountains. For half an hour I travelled by the bottom of these frightful hills, and came at length to a pass through them, but fo narrow, that the beafts had not above an inch or two to fpare on each fide. It was dark as the blackest night in this opening, and a ftream came from it, by the waters falling in feveral places from the top of the high inclofing precipices. It was as fhocking a foot-way as I had ever seen. Finn, (I faid to my young man) as the bottom is hard, and you can only be wet a little, will you try where this pass ends, and let me know what kind of country and inhabitants are beyond it? That I will, faid O Finn, and immediately entred the cleft or crevice between the mountains. A couple of hours I allowed my adventurer to explore this dark way; but if in that time he could make nothing of it, then his orders were to return but there was no fign of him at the end of fix hours, and I began to fear he had got into fome pound. After him then I went, about one o'clock, and for near half a mile, the narrow way was directly forward, a rough bottom, and ancle deep in water; but it ended in a fine flowery green of about twenty acres, furrounded with fteep rocky hills it was impoffible to afcend. Walking up to the precipice before me, I found many caverns in it, which extended on either hand, and onwards, into a vaft variety of caves; some of them having high arched openings for entrance, and others only holes to creep in at; but all of them fpacious within, and high enough for the tallest man to walk in. In thefe difmal chambers I apprehended my fellow had loft himself, and therefore went into them as far as I could venture, that is, without lofing fight of the day, and cried out Finn! Finn! but could hear no found P 2 found in return. This was a great trouble to me, and I knew not what to do. Back however I must go to my horfes, and after I had spent two hours in fearching, fhouting, and expecting my lad's return, by fome means or other, I was juft going to walk towards the crevice, or dark narrow pafs I had come through to this place, when cafting my eyes once more towards the caverns in the mountains, I faw my boy come out, leaping and finging for joy. He told me, he never expected to fee the day-light more: for after he had foolishly gone too far into the caves, till he was quite in the dark, in hopes of finding a paffage through the mountain to fome open country, he was obliged to wander from chamber to chamber he knew not where for many hours, without one ray of light, and with very little expectation of deliverance; that he did nothing but cry and roar, and was hardly able to ftand on his legs any longer, when by a chance turn into a cave, he faw fome light again, and then foon found his way out. Poor fellow! he was in a fad condition, and very wonderful was his escape. After this, we made what hafte we could to our horfes, which we had left feeding in the vale, and Finn brought me fome cold provifions from his wallet for my dinner. dined with great pleafure, on account of the 5 I recovery recovery of my lad, and when we had both recruited and refted fufficiently, on we went again. We found the valley winded about the mountains for three miles, and then ended at the highest hill I had ever seen, but which it was poffible to afcend. With great difficulty we and our horfes got to the top of it, and down on the other fide. Six mountains of the fame height, whofe tops were above the clouds, we had to crofs, and then arrived at a bottom, which formed a moft delightful scene. §. 2. The Vale of Kefwick, and Lake of Mrs. ThurDerwentwater, in Cumberland, are thought loe's feat in Westmoreby those who have been there, to be the finest land. point of view in England, and extremely beautiful they are, far more fo than the Rev. Dr. Dalton has been able to make them appear in his Descriptive Poem; (addreffed to two ladies, at their return from viewing the coal-mines, near Whitehaven, that is, the late excellent Lord Lonsdale's charming daughters;) or than the Doctor's brother, Mr. Dalton, has painted them in his fine drawings; and yet they are inferior in charms to the vale, the lake, the brooks, the fhaded fides of the furrounding mountains, and the tuneful falls of water, to which we came in Weflmoreland. In all the world, I believe, there is not a P 3 more An account of the two loe's. more glorious rural fcene to be seen, in the fine time of the year. In this fine vale, I found one pretty little house, which had gardens very beautifully laid out, and usefully filled with the finest dwarf fruit trees and ever-greens, vegetables, herbs, and fhrubs. The mansion, and the improved spot of ground, were at the end of the beautiful lake, fo as to have the whole charming piece of water before the door. The projecting fhaded fells feemed to nod or hang over the habitation, and on either hand, a few yards from the front of the house, cascades much higher than that of dread Lodore, in Cumberland, fell into the lake. There is not any thing so beautiful and striking as the whole in any part of the globe that I have feen and I have been in higher latitudes, north and fouth, than moft men living. I have converfed with nations who live many degrees beyond the poor frozen Laplander. I have travelled among the barbarians who fcorch beneath the burning zone. §. 3. Who lived in this delightful valley, was, in the next place, my enquiry, Mifs Tur- after I had admired for an hour the amazing beauties of the place. I walked up to the houfe, and in one of the parlour windows, that had a view up the loch, I faw a young beauty fitting with a mufic-book in |