The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-09
a VISIT TO wINDERMERE, RYDAL
AND DERwENTwATER.

A friend allows us TO publish the following eX-
tract from letter giving an account of a recent
visit to the well-known English lake district -
SCOTLAND, May 90, 1861 told you about
Chester, but that was only the beginning Of
something that grew more and more beautiful at
each step. On Tuesday morning we lefty Liver
pool and went by rail to Windemere. | don't
think yOu ever visited the English lakes, but
they are very beautiful and very rich IN all sorts
Of poetiCal associations. We stayed at BrOwner's,
a mile from Windermere, directly upon the lake.
The hotel Is an old-lashioned rambling English
house, built of stone.
We had a little parlor overlooking the lake, and
at five O'Clock we enjoyed our dinner of mutton
and salmon-trout as much as one would think II
right or possible to enjoy creature comforts.
After dinner we went out on the lake in little
boat, with crimson cushions and u carpeted floor,
and for two hours we rOwed over the water,
watching the mountains and the sunset, and the
wonderful greGnneSS and beauty OF the islands
and the shore, until the twilight began to darken.
Then we took walk to the top of little hill,
where we had a charming view. By this time it
was nearly ten o'clock, and still 1t was not dark
The twilight here is so long that night and morn
ing seem almost to meet. We go to ped before it
is perfectly dark, ana before one seems to have
slept at all the light comes breaking in ut the
windows, and destroys entirely the pleasure OF
morning nap,
Wednesday morning we left In tiny little
steamer for Ambleside, seven miles distant. The
air was delicious, the scenery charming and we
had the entire steamer TO ourselves, We passed
many handsome villas, and saw "Doye's Nest"
the cottage where Mrs Hemans lived. At Am
beside engaged what s called II car to carry
us to keswick seventeen miles distant This car
is a two-wheeled affair for one horse, the seats
run sideways, and there is little raised iron
seat for the driver. 1t Just held our small bag.
gage and our two selves, and we thought II was
a veIy Jolly and grand style of riding. | don't
think | ever had nicer day. The scenery
through the mountains and lakes was charming,
nd hqgill4
places.
Harriet Marineau lives at Ambleside, and we
saw her cottage. Then we drove to Rydal Noun
and saw Wordsworth's house, and got peep
over the fence into his garden Behind the house,
from a hill, we saw the same beautiful view
which he SO often described. Then, as we rode
| on, we got down from our cart and clambered up
on high rock overlooking Rydal Lake, where
| Wordsworth used TO lie and dream out his poems,
| i suppose. After that we passed the cottage
| where Hartley Colerdge lived and died in lSi9.
| Then we saw tiny plain little cottage where
| De Quincy and Wordsworth lived together at
! one time, and where Walter Scott visited, and we
| took drink of beer at the "White Swan Inn,
| where Sir Walter used to 60 for his daily potion,
| because Wordsworth lived too plainly 70 suit his
| tastes.
! Then we come to Grassmere, and here in the
| old Churchyard we stood by the plain black slab
| which marks the grave of Wordsworth and his
| beautiful wife IL bears no inscription but the
name and date of the death of each. Behind
! We went on 10 Keswick Here we saw Gre'a
| Hall, SOuIhey's OLD home, and went into the old
| church, where is handsome monument u
| Southey, with an inscription by Wordsworth
| The OLD grey haired sexton knew both poets, anI
! w,nt to school with Coleriage. He talked very
| interestingly about them, nOtwth Standing hi
broken voice and want o. teeth. At last he tOot
us to the yeslry and asked us 10 write down Ou
names, and when he saw New York, "Ah an =
lac said "and how about the war They arr
e ing to beat YOU, lhe Confederate, and th
Irish won't fight for you"
| " Beat us" replied --: " we will not Onll
eat them but we would beat France and Eng
land, If ihcy come" So as We walked down I'll
aisle the old man fairly trcmblcd with excitement
ara he declared that England alone could neYc
be beaten By any nation.
We did Not stay exactly IN Keswck, hut mil
beyond, At Il fine hotel, with garden behind, m
hey ond a narrow foO'-path lending 10 the Del
WCutwater Lake. This is smaller, but far NOR
gard than the Windennerc Lake, with hig
II ouitahs in the distance and tlc town OF hes
W ck nCstuF in the valley.
A. O'Clock we went out IN boat, and roweC
! ,uld think, more than eight miles, maxim
| The cl,ut Of tue lake The sun set behind eli
! hills aud th- whole water was Ike a sheet
god. At9 o'clock the sky was still bright au
, | the " ter still COlO'cd. A. last the moon WI
able to make little impression, and we rove
home with the moonlight following Ia orr wax
, YcsurdaN morning we mounted another lOtT
chr and rode over the hills TO Prnrith the ueare
, railway station and after waiting at the dep
an hour-Rr d.a.half we were OIL for ----.