and occasional residence of unquestionably the first orator of the age. It stands upon an eminence not far from the ruins of Brougham Castle, commanding extensive views of the surrounding country, the mountains beyond Ulleswater closing the prospect. From its situation and beautiful prospects, it has been termed "the Windsor of the North." Having at one time belonged to a family named Bird, it was from this circumstance sometimes called Bird's Nest. The pleasuregrounds and shrubberies are of considerable extent and tastefully laid out. In one part is the Hermit's Cell,-a small thatched building containing furniture fitted for, and emblematic of, a recluse. Upon the table in the centre these lines are painted : "And may at last my weary age To something like prophetic strain." The family of Brougham (or Burgham, as it was formerly spelt,) is ancient and respectable. The manor, which bears the same name after having been long alienated, was re-acquired, and still belongs to the Broughams. EDEN HALL, the seat of the famous Border clan of the Musgraves, is a large and handsome edifice on the west bank of the river Eden, which, being bordered with trees, forms an elegant feature in the pleasure-grounds. In the hall there is preserved with scrupulous care an old and anciently painted glass goblet called the Luck of Edenhall, which would appear, from the following traditionary legend, to be wedded to the fortunes of its present possessors. The butler, in going to procure water at a well in the neighbourhood, (rather an unusual employment for a butler,) came suddenly upon a company of fairies, who were feasting and making merry on the green sward. In their flight they left behind this glass, and one of them returning for it, found it in the hands of the butler. Seeing that its recovery was hopeless, she flew away, singing aloud "If that glass should break or fall, Farewell the luck of Eden Hall." The Musgraves came to England with the Conqueror, and settled first at Musgrave in Westmorland, then at Hartley Castle in the same county, and finally at their present residence. LOWTHER CASTLE, the seat of the Earl of Lonsdale, K.G., is seated in a noble park of 600 acres, on the east side of the woody vale of Lowther. It was erected by the present Earl upon the site of the old hall, which had been nearly destroyed by fire, as far back as the year 1726, after the designs of the architect Smirke. The white stone of which it is built, is in pleasing contrast with the vivid green of the park and woods. The effect of the whole pile is strikingly grand, worthy the residence of its wealthy and powerful owner. The north front, in the castellated style of the thirteenth or fourteenth century, is 420 feet in length. The south front is in the Gothic Cathedral style, and has the usual number of pinnacles, pointed windows, &c. So far from the diversity of the fronts being discordant, the art of the designer has made them increase each other's effect. Surmounting the whole is a lofty tower, from the summit of which the prospect is extremely fine -the mountains of Helvellyn, Seat Sandal, Saddleback, and Skiddaw, their sides probably shadowed "By the white mist that dwells upon the hills," are distinctly visible. The fitting up of the interior is in a style of grandeur corresponding with the external appearance. Heart of oak and birch occupy, in a great measure, the place of foreign woods in the furniture and carvings. The staircase which climbs the great central tower is highly imposing. Many masterpieces of the old painters hang upon the walls, and the corridors and rooms are adorned with busts from the chisels of Chantrey, Westmacott, and other sculptors. Amongst these, the bust of Queen Victoria, taken when she was about six or eight years of age, will be viewed with more than ordinary interest. There is also a facsimile of the famous Wellington shield, carved in solid silver, after the designs of the late Stothard, R. A. The different compartments exhibit in a regular series, the victories which his Grace has obtained over the foes of Britain in India and the Peninsula, but as the shield was executed before the battle of Waterloo, that crowning victory is unfortunately omitted. The capabilities of the situation which the park afforded, had been publicly noticed by Lord Macartney, who, in describing a romantic scene in the imperial park at Gehol in China, observed, that "it reminded him of Lowther in Westmorland, which, from the extent of prospect, the grand surrounding objects, the noble situation, the diversities of surface, the extensive woods and command of water, might be rendered by a man of sense, spirit, and taste, the finest scene in the British dominions." How far his Lordship's views have been realized the visitor will judge. The park has been much admired for the profusion of fine forest trees which embellish its banks and braes. It is watered by the Lowther, the pellucid clearness of which, fully justifies its supposed etymological derivation. The grey and tree-crowned crags, the transparent stream, and the graceful windings of its course, add greatly to the charms of its scenery. One portion bears the name of the Elysian fields. Near the Castle there is a large grassy terrace shaded by fine trees, from which the prospect is most charming. The Lowther family is of great antiquity, the names of William de Lowther and Thomas de Lowther, being subscribed as witnesses to a grant of lands in the reign of Henry II. Sir John Lowther, first Viscount Lonsdale, distinguished himself by influencing the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland in favour of King William, at the memorable era of 1688; in return for which service, that king created him a Viscount, and conferred upon him many other honours. Sir James Lowther, first Earl of Lonsdale, succeeded to the three great inherit ances of Mauds Meaburn, Lowther, and Whitehaven, which came to him by different branches of the family. When a commoner, he was thirty years M. P. for Westmorland or Cumberland, and in 1761 was returned for both counties. He was also Lord Lieutenant of the two counties, an alderman of Carlisle, and succeeded to the two millions left by his kinsman, Sir James Lowther of Whitehaven, 1755. Of his immense wealth, the distribution of which by will was said to give universal satisfaction, "a small portion in gold," L.50,000, was found in his houses. Upon the death of the late Earl the earldom became extinct, but that of viscount descended to Sir William Lowther of Swillington, Bart. who in 1807 was created an Earl. He still enjoys the titles, and is as universally beloved as his cousin the last peer was the reverse. Tourists whilst at Penrith will not fail to visit the romantic lake of ULLESWATER, and those who can bea: the fatigue of lengthened excursions will be gratified by a ride to Hawes Water. The former lake is generally viewed by tourists when travelling between Ambleside and Penrith, as the road between the two places passes along its northern shore. As, however, it is a general rule that lake scenery, in order to be seen to advantage, should be visited in a direction opposite to that in which the waters flow, it would be better to invert this order of approach. Two roads conduct from Penrith to Pooley Bridge, at the foot of the lake about six miles distant, both of which lead through a country abounding in picturesque scenery. One leaves the Keswick road two miles and a-half from Penrith, and, passing through Mr Hasell's park at Dalemain, reaches Ulleswater, three-quarters of a mile above Pooley Bridge. The other road leads along the Shap road to Eamont Bridge, shortly before reaching which, Carleton Hall is seen on the left. After crossing the bridge, by which Westmorland is entered, the first road on the right must be taken. In the angle of the field on the left at this deviation, is King Arthur's Round Table, and a little beyond on the right is Mayborough, both of which antique remains have been previously noticed. At Yanwath, two and a-half miles from Penrith, there are the ruins of an ancient Hall, formerly one of the "noble houses" of Sir Lancelot Threlkeld. The road, passing through Tirrel and Barton, ultimately arrives at Pooley Bridge, six miles from Penrith. The Eamont is crossed by a stone bridge upon issuing from Ulleswater. There are two small inns, at which boats upon the lake may be procured. On the west of the village is a steep and conical hill, clothed with wood, called Dunmallet, upon which there were formerly the vestiges of a Roman fortification. Winding walks lead to the summit, from which a fine view of the lake is commanded. About half a mile from Pooley, on the east side of the lake, is a villa named Eusemere, which for some time was the residence of the late William Wilberforce. From Pooley Bridge to Patterdale, a distance of ten miles, |