would repay the trouble of a visit by the splendid view of the distant lake mountains, and the interjacent country, which it commands. A hill, rising abruptly on the east of the town, termed BensonKnott, has an altitude of 1098 feet above the level of the sea. From the summit of this hill, an extensive prospect is also obtained.

LEVENS HALL, the seat of the Hon. Fulk Greville Howard, five miles south of Kendal, is a venerable mansion, in the Elizabethan style, buried among lofty trees. The park, through which the river Kent winds betwixt bold and beautifully wooded banks, is separated by the turnpike road from the house. It is of considerable size, well-stocked with deer, and contains a noble avenue of ancient oaks. The gardens, however, form the greatest attraction, being laid out in the old French style, of which this is perhaps a unique example in the kingdom. They were planned by Mr. Beaumont, (whose portrait, very properly, is preserved in the Hall,) gardener to King James II. Trim alleys, bowling-greens, and wildernesses fenced round by sight-proof thickets of beech, remind the beholder, by their antique appearance, of times" long, long ago." In one part, a great number of yews, hollies, laurels, and other evergreens, are cut into an infinite variety of grotesque shapes.

66 a spacious plot

For pleasure made, a goodly spot,

With lawns, and beds of flowers, and shades

Of trellis-work, in long arcades,

And cirque and crescent framed by walls

Of close-clipt foliage, green and tall,

Converging walks."

White Doe of Rylstone.

The gardens, as may be imagined, harmonize well with the old Hall, the interior of which also deserves more than a passing glance. It contains some exquisite specimens of elaborate carved work

"The chambers carved so curiously,

Carved with figures strange and sweet,

All made out of the carver's brain."

Christabel.

The work in the south drawing-room is exceedingly rich, as may be conceived from its having been estimated that, at the present rate of wages, its execution would cost £3000. The carved chimney-piece in the Library is a curious and interesting piece of workmanship. The two jambs represent Hercules and Samson-the one armed with the ass's jaw-bone, the other, having a lion's-skin for a covering, with a club. Above are emblematic representations, in bold relief, of the Seasons, the Elements, and the Five Senses; all which are explained in these lines, cut in dark oak:

Thus the five sences stand portraited here,
The elements foure and seasons of the yeare,
Sampson supports the one side, as in rage,
The other Hercules in like equipage.

Three of Lely's best portraits hang on the walls of different chambers, as well as other portraits of personages of consequence in bygone times. The entrance hall is decorated with relics of ancient armour of various dates, and one of the rooms is adorned with some splendid pieces of tapestry, descriptive of a tale from one of the Italian poets.

SIZERGH HALL, the seat of the ancient family of

Strickland, situate three and a half miles south of Kendal, at the foot of a bleak hill facing the east, is also deserving of a visit. It is an antique fortified building, standing in an undulating park, delightfully sprinkled with wood. Only a small portion of the old Tower remains, frequent additions and repairs having given an irregular but picturesque aspect to the whole pile. It contains a considerable collection of carved oak, tapestry, portraits, and armour.

The other seats in the neighbourhood are Abbot Hall, Kirkland, (Edward Wilson, Esq.) The Vicarage, Kirkland, (Rev. J. Hudson,) Helm Lodge, two miles south, (W. D. Crewdson, Esq.) Heaves Lodge, four miles south, (James Gandy, Esq.) Sedgwick House, four miles south, (John Wakefield, Esq.) Dallam Tower, seven miles south, (George Wilson, Esq.) Mosergh House, four miles north, (Mr. Machell,) Shaw End, five miles north, (Arthur Shepherd, Esq.) Low Bridge House, six miles north, (R. Fothergill, Esq.) Raw Head, four miles east, (Mr. Sleddall,) Hill Top, three miles east, (Rev. R. W. Fisher.)

AMBLESIDE.

AMBLESIDE, a small and irregularly built market town of 1000 inhabitants, is situate on steeply inclined ground, a mile from the head of Windermere, upon or near to the spot formerly occupied by the Roman station-Dictis. Lying immediately under Wansfell, and surrounded by mountains on all sides, except towards the south-west, the situation is one of great beauty, and consequently, during summer, it is

much frequented by tourists, who make it their abode for some time. There are several inns ; two of which, the Salutation and the Commercial, are excellent establishments. The chapel is a modern structure, having been rebuilt in 1812. In a field near the edge of the lake, are the indistinct remains of Roman fortifications, where coins, urns, and other relics, have been frequently discovered. Numerous excursions may be made from Ambleside; and the interesting walks in the immediate neighbourhood are still more abundant. A few only can here be specified.

The valley of Ambleside, on the border of which the town stands, is well wooded, and watered by several streams; the principal river is the Rothay, which flows from Grasmere and Rydal Lakes, and joins the Brathay, shortly before entering Windermere. Upon STOCK GILL, a tributary to the Rothay, there is a fine fall, or force, in a copsewood, about 700 yards from the Market Cross, the road to which passes behind the Salutation Inn. The fall, or rather falls, for there are four, are 70 feet in height. Portions of all four are visible from the usual stand; but the views may be pleasingly varied by descending the bank to the stream, or proceeding further up the Gill. Indeed, if the walk were continued for a mile alongside the stream, which rises in the Screes on Scandale Fell, much beautiful scenery would be seen.

LOUGHRIGG FELL, a rocky hill which rises opposite to the town, to an elevation of 1000 feet above Windermere, commands extensive prospects of the vale and surrounding mountains, as well as of Windermere, Grasmere, and Rydal Lakes, Blelham,

Loughrigg, and Elterwater Tarns, with the towns of Ambleside and Hawkshead.

From the summit of WANSFELL PIKE, (1590 feet in height,) which stands on the east, the mountains have a highly imposing appearance, and thence may be seen the whole expanse of Windermere, with its islands; but on account of the altitude of the spectator, the view is not so fine as that from another part of the Pike, called Troutbeck Hundreds, a little to the south.

The village of RYDAL, supposed to be a contraction of Rothay-dale, is placed in a narrow gorge, formed by the advance of Loughrigg Fell and Rydal Knab, at the lower extremity of Rydal Mere, one mile and a quarter from Ambleside. Here, in the midst of a park containing great numbers of noble forest trees, stands Rydal Hall, the seat of Lady le Fleming. The celebrated falls are within the park, and strangers desirous to view them, must take a conductor from one of the cottages near the hall gates. The fall below the house is beheld from the window of an old summer house. Here, says West, nature has performed every thing in little, which she usually executes on her larger scale; and on that account, like the miniature painter, seems to have finished

"The sylvan, or say rather the forest scenery of Rydal Park, was, in the memory of living men, magnificent, and it still contains a treasure of old trees. By all means wander away into those old woods, and lose yourselves for an hour or two among the cooing of cushats, and the shrill shriek of startled blackbirds, and the rustle of the harmless glow-worm among the last year's red beech leaves. No very great harm should you even fall asleep under the shadow of an oak, while the magpie chatters at safe dis. tance, and the more innocent squirrel peeps down upon you from a bough of the canopy, and then hoisting his tail, glides into the obscurity of the loftiest umbrage."-PROFESSOR WILSON.