The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-02-22
FOR THE NATIONAL ERA.
SHERWOOD FOREST,
W GER BY BATTLE.
A Tale of Saxon Slavery in the Twelfth Centur,
BIZ HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT.
CHAP. XVI.
The Suppliant.
Brother. he now true TO me-
And shall be a 3 true 10 thec
As wise God me iced

Aynys and ADlylIton.
The year had by this time worn onward to
the last days of summer, or one might almost
say to the earliest days Of autumn, and the
lovely scenery of the lake country had begun
to assume its most beautiful and picturesque
coloring.
For In the early summer months the hues of
the whole region are too generally green, with
out any variation except that produced by the
effect of sunshine and shadow, the sides of
the turEcovered mountains, the birch and oak
coppices on their lower slopes, the deep mead
ows at their base, are all Overspread with the
richest and most intense verdure even the re-
Elections in the bosom of the clear lakes pre-
serve the same general tints, diversified only by
the cerulean blue caught from the deep over
hanging heavens, and the not dissimlar hue
of the craggy SUBMITS of the loftier hill-tops,
where the slaty character of the rocks, partly
impregnated with iron, partly incrusted with
gray lichens, " overspread in many places" to
quote the words of fine writer and true lover
of nature, "the steep and almost precipitous
sides of the mountains with an intermi1ture of
colors like the compound hues of doves neck. "
"When, in the heat of advancing summer, "
he proceeds thereafter, the fresh green tint of
the heritage has somewhat faded, it is again re-
vived by the appearance Of the fern profusely
spread everywhere; and upon this plant, more
than upon anything else, do the changes, which
the seasons make in the coloring of the noun
tains depend. About the first week in Octo-
Der, the rich green, which prevailed through
the whole summer, has usually passed away.
The brilliant and various colors of the fern are
then in harmony with the autumnal woods
bright yellow, or lemon color, at the base of
the mountains, melting gradually, through
orange, to dark russell brown toward the sum-
mits, where the plant, being more exposed to
the weather, is in a more advanced state of de-
cay. Neither heath nor furze are generally
found upon the sides of the mountains, though
in some places they richly adorned BY
them. We may add, that the mountains are
of height sufficient to have the surface toward
the SUBMITS softened by distance, and to i'm
bibe the finest aerial hues. In common also
with other mountains, their apparent forms and
colors are perpetualy changed by the clouds
and vapors which float round Them the effect
indeed of mist or haze in country of this
character, is like that of magic. / have seen
six or seven ridges rising above each other, all
created in moment by the vapors upon the
side of mountain, which, in its ordinary ap-
pearance, showed not projecting point to fur
nish even hint for such an operation.
81 will take this opportunity of observing.
that they who have studied the appearances Of
nature feel that the superiority, in point of WIS.,
ual interest, of mountainous over other coun-
tries, is more strikingy displayed in winter than
in summer. This, as must be obvious, is part
ly owing to the forms of the mountains, which,
of course. are not affected by the seasons, but
also, in no small degree, to the greater variety
that exists in their winter than their summer
coloring. This variety is such, and so harmo-
niously preserved, that it leaves little cause of
regret, when the splendor of the season has pass
ed away. The oak coppices, upon the sides of
the mountains, retain russell leaves; the birch
stands conspicuous with its silver stems and
puce-colored twigs: the hollies, with green
leaves and scarlet berries, have come forth into
view from among the deciduous trees, whose
summer foliage had concealed them the ivy is
now plentifully apparent upon the stems and
boughs Of the trees, and among the woody rocks.
In place of the uniform summer-green of the
heritage and fern, many rich colors play into
each other over the surface of the mountains !;
turf, the tints of which are INTERCHANGEABLE taw.
ny-green, olive, and brown, beds OF withered
fern and gray rocks, being tremendously blend
ed together. The MOSES and hchens are never
so fourishing as in winter, if it be not season
of frost Il and their minute beauties prodigally
adorn the foreground. Wherever we turn, we
find these productions of nature, to which win
ter is rather favorable than unkindly, scattered
over the walls, banks of earth, rocks and stones,
and upon the trunks of trees, with the intermix-
ture of several species of small fern, now green
and fresh and, to the observing passenger,
their forms and colors are a source of inexhaust-
ible admiration"
Description Of the Country ofdse Lakes.
Thus far have / quoted the accurate and SIM