The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1891-05-03
Other Scenes in the English Lake
District.
Description of Greta Hall, Southey's
Old Home and of the Ancient Crosth-
waite Church Where the Poet is
Buried-Scenic Surroundings.
Especial Correspondence of the SUNDAY
UNION. Copyright, 1871
KEsw1cK, England, April 20, 1891.

day a cycloramic view of the entire Eng
fish Lake region. With the one grand
prospect I have enjoyed from Helvellyn's
summit, and the several ascents of Skid
daw have made, feel safe in asserting
that there is not accessible in the whole
world another SO satisfying feast for Wis
ual sense and mental delight.
The natural elements of sublinity and
beauty, diversified and blended splendid
ay, are surely here in a remarkable de-
agree. Finer and sweeter still, the heart
Eand soul are thrilled and uplifted through
endless recognitions. have stood at the
edge of Etna and seen far over Calabrian
Italy to the east as the suns disk burst
above the Ionian Sea, and the whole length
of Sicily to the west when that mighty
mountains shadow lay all that distance
upon its dark and misty valleys. Thrill
ing as is that scene it has in 1t, for the do
Tor of associations, Understandable sadness
for the beholder. Here are no buried
cities, no dreadful history, no Malta and
brigandage, no tyranny Of fear and
dread. Church spires with weather vanes
and church towers with crosses stand
friendly side by side. Shining towns lie
upon mountain sides, or creep to the edge
of CLASSY meres, in every mood and token
of peace Gray old hamlets and Yerdure-
softened villages speck the lovely dales
with hints of happiness in homes. And
every "statesman's'i lichened cottage,
high in upland dale, or perched along the
braes of fellS, tell brave old tales of indie
pendence, BODYBUILDING labor and heay-
en-given content. No wonder the poets
sang here in this grand, broad paradise.
Geographically speaking the Lake dis
trict comprises Cumberland, Westmore-
land and the northern part of Lancashire.
ItpoSsesses between 100 and 200 mountains
r..ErN
Old Man, Scafell Pike, Crinkle Crags,
Saddleback, Skiddaw and Helvellyn.
There are an hundred other "crags,"
pixies" and 'fells" which almost equal
these in hight, and, in my judgment, fire.
quently equal them in scenic impressive
ness. The principal and widest-known
lakes are Ullswater, Rassenthwaite Water,
Derwentwater, Thirlmere, Grasmere, Ry-
dial Water, Windermere. Coniston Water,
Crummock Water, loves Water, Vast
Water, Clearwater and Buttermere. These
are exclusive Ofyery many tiny lakes and
countless tarns. Many of the latter lie
beneath the shadows of maj eStic crags
more than 1000 feet above the sea level.
Aside from these mountains and lakes are
fully fifty noted daleS, as many ghylls of
great beauty, several famous waterfalls,
and the quaint and beautiful towns of
COniston, Bowness, Ambleside, Grasmere,
COckermOuth, Kendall, the old border
town of Penrith, at the eastern edge of the
region, and beautiful keswick, the me-
trOpolis OF the entire district.
Some knowledge of local nomenclature
is needed by a stranger among English
lakes. Every lake in the region has the
terminal water" or "meren Thirlmere
or Thorolfs mere; Grasmere from the
old Saxon ''grise," swine, the lake of the
swine; and DerWentwater from the Cam
bro-Celtic ''derwent," beautiful, are suffi-
Gent for illustration. The world holme
is invariably applied TO the islands Of the
English lakes, and is from the Danish
''holmi," a little island, while tarn. from
the Morse ''tiorn,'' tiny lake, is used to
define the silent pool within the highest
mountain swails and crags. These are
countless in the lake region. In the no.
menclature OF mountains are many Curl
GUS derlVatlOnS. Skaw or sea, from the
Danish ''skov," means a wood or forest,
and fell, from the Danish ''fald'' range
of mountains, and provincial English for
any rocky, barren hill or hight, gives
Scaw Fell the mountain of the forest. The
word ''felr' is compromised in the name
of nearly every Crumbian mountain. The
derivation of pike" as in Langdale
Pixies, Scaw Fell Pike, etc., is not so clear
1t is applied here TO peaks of great eleva-
ton and rugged prominence; but there
seems To be curious link between the
term and the ancient fires kindled on
these nights for pagan worship and sac
RI
usually precipitous mountain brows.
Stacks are lofty passes or dips in noun
tain peaks, between lOttier nights. And
riggs" as in Loughrigg, Latrigg and
Castlerigg, are ridgy SUBMITS, the deri-
walton Of the word being, suspect, from
the Celtic ri, ''righ," the king or head.
To an American the appellations of the
beautiful mountain streams and water
falls are peculiar and often confusing. A
gill or ghyll, is a swift stream running
through a gorge or glen with very rapid
descent, and where 1t breaks into a wa
1erfall it is always called force"
Thus Stock Ghyll Force, the famous wa
terfall of Ambleside, which has it's source
among the romantic cragS about Kirk
stone Pass, is the waterfall of the stream
which descends the glen OF Stock.
II one enters the Lake region from the
north the first impulse is to ascend Skid
daw, the second highest mountain of the
region, which is almost as near Keswick,
TO the north, as the slightly loftier Hell
vellyn is 10 the south. keswick lies in
the noble vale of Derwentwater between
these two monarch Sentinels of the lakes
The ascent of Slliddaw is no severe task
upon the powers of one accustomed to
mountain climbing, and can be easily
reached in three hours time from Kes-
wick. Unlike that of Helvellyn it is I'M
attended with bodily risk, but the view is
Il yaster and more varied one. In three
y
secure one perfect view, owing 10 the in
reference of fog and mist upon which no
absolute calculation can be made. To at
tempt any adequate description of what
u perfect day will reveal from the sum
NIT of Skiddaw, would require a cata-
logging of every majestic and beautiful
object among the lakes and camera-like
exposition Of every eNultant emotion of
the human heart. The vaStness of the
panorama may be family suggested when
its circumference Is stated. II is known
80 exceed 800 miles. Cumberland and
Westmoreland, with their majestic clus-
Sers Of mountains, lakes and rivers, are
as II were, at ones feet. To the eastward
the eye ranges over the back bone" of
England, the billowy Pennine Hills and
through verdureless dips, Northumber-
land and Yorkshire can be scanned TO the
German Ocean. To the west myriads of
AelIs ana daleS in wild confusion. Then,
the Irish Sea, and with glass, the mighty
walls OF Antrim, with the sunlight upon
Ineln 4 shining thread upon the horizon.
10 the southwest, across turbulent mass
OF peaks and fells and q silvery reach of
Ihe sea, lone Snaetell, the giant of the
isle OF Man, seems TO float upon the
waves. To the south and southeast,
where huge Helvellyn does not shut out
the sight, Cumberland, Westmoreland
ana Lancashire seem an interminable
maze OF blllowy scenic splendor. To the
north, across the Solway, those sweet
old ShtrcS, wherein Burns lived SANG and
died, spread their sunny dales, even their
very fields and homes. TO view. senti-
neled by hoaTy Criffel. at Solwav side
and blend into puppies and grays along
the range of misty hills behind.
There is another matchless panorana
hat with the eye of fancy and the heart
of memory can be seen and felt from grim
old Sliddaw's nights. The ewes mist
with tears as they trace the sat1rony Sol