dous and appalling, that few persons have sufficient resolution to experience those emotions which those awful scenes inspire, and they are therefore but seldom visited. One of the points of the summit juts out between two gulphs, that seem to be more then 800 feet deep, having their sides craggy and barren, and their bottoms paved with broken rocks, of various hideous forms and dimensions.

Near the south side of this mountain is the vale of Wanthwaite, which has been frequently described by tourists by the name of the vale of St. John.Mr. Hutchinson has given the following description of a singular piece of scenery in this place: An ancient ruined castle seems (he says) to stand upon the summit of a little mount, the mountains around forming an amphitheatre. This massive bulwark shows a front of various towers, and makes an awful, rude, and Gothic appearance, with its lofty turrets, and ragged battlements: we traced the galleries, the bending arches, the buttresses. The greatest antiquity stands characterized in its archi tecture; the inhabitants near it assert that it is an antediluvian structure.

"The traveller's curiosity is roused, and he prepares to make a nearer approach, when that curiosity is put upon the rack, by his being assured, that if he advances, 'certain genii, who govern the place, by virtue of their supernatural arts, and necromancy, will strip it of all its beauties, and by enchantment transform the magic walls. The vale seems adapted for the hábitation of such beings; its gloomy recesses and retirements look like the haunts of evil spirits. There was no delusion in the report; we were soon convinced of its truth: for this piece of antiquity, so venerable and noble in its aspect, as we drew near, changed its figure, and proved no other than a shaken massive pile of rocks, which stand in the midst of this little vale, disunited from M 2

the

the adjoining mountains, and have so much the real form and resemblance of a castle, that they bear the name of The Castle Rocks of St. John."

To the east of the last-mentioned mountain is Souter-fell, upwards of 2,500 feet in height: the north and west sides of it is barricaded with precipitous rocks, but on the east side it is open, and not difficult of access. Towards the middle of the last century an extraordinary phenomena of visionary appearance, occurred on this mountain, which at the time excited much conversation and alarm: the particulars of which have been collected by a modern writer, who says, that by an "attested relation, it seems, that the first time any of these visionary phenomena were observed, was on a summer's evening in the year 1743. As Daniel Stricket, then ser vant to John Wren, of Wilton Hall (about half a mile distant from Souter-fell), was sitting at the door with his master, they saw the figure of a man with a dog, pursuing some horses along Souter-fell side, a place so steep that a horse can scarcely travel on it. They appeared to run at an amazing pace, till they got out of sight at the lower end of the fell. The next morning Stricket and his master ascended the steep side of the mountain, in full expectation that they sould find the man lying dead; as they were persuaded that the swiftness with which he ran must have killed him; and imagined likewise, that they should pick up some of the shoes, which they thought the horses must have lost in galloping at such a furious rate. They, however, were disappointed; for there appeared not the least vestiges of either man or horses, not so much as the mark of a horse's hoof upon the turf. Astonishment and a degree of fear, perhaps, for some time, induced them to conceal the circumstances; but they at length disclosed them, and, as might be expected, were only laughed at for their credulity. The following year, on the 23rd of June, as the same

Daniel Stricket, who at that time lived with Mr. William Lancaster's father, of Blake hills, was walking a little above the house, about half past seven in the evening, he saw a troop of horsemen riding on Souter-fell side, in pretty close ranks, and at a brisk pace. Mindful of the ridicule which had been excited againt him the preceding year, he continued to observe them in silence for some time; but, being at last convinced that the appearance was real, he went into the house, and informed Mr. Lancaster, that he had something curious to shew him. They went out together; but before Stricket had either spoken or pointed to the place, his master's son had himself discovered the ærial troopers; and when conscious that the same appearances were visible to both, they informed the family, and the phenomena were alike seen by all. These visionary horsemen seemed to come from the lowest part of Souter-fell, and became visible at a place called Knott; they then moved in regular troops along the side of the fell, till they became opposite to Blakehills, when they went over the mountain: thus they described a kind of curvilineal path; and both their first and last appearances were bounded by the top of the mountain."

"The pace at which these shadowy forms proceeded, was a regular'swift walk; and the whole time of the continuance of their appearance was upwards of two hours: but further observation was then precluded by the approach of darkness. Many troops were seen in succession; and frequently the last, or last but one in a troop, would quit his position, gallop to the front, and then observe the same pace with the others. The same changes were visible to all the spectators: and the view of the phenomena was not confined to Blake hills only, but was seen by every person, at every cottage with in the distance of a mile. Such (says our author) are the particulars of this singular relation, as given

by Mr. Clarke. The attestation is signed by Lancaster and Stricket, and dated the 21st of July, 1783. The number of persons who witnessed the march of these aerial travellers seems to have been twenty-six."

It is to be observed that the time when these aerial figures were seen, was the eve of the Rebellion, and that it is not improbable they may have been the shadows of real troops of horsemen, exercising in some distant part of the country; which, by some particular operation of the sun's rays, on the thin vapours hovering about this mountain, might from some unknown refractive combinations, have produced this phenomena. This opinion is somewhat corroborated by the following particulars, related by M. Haue, respecting the Spectre of the Broken, an aerial figure that is sometimes observed among the Hartz mountains in Hanover.

Having ascended the Broken (says our author), for the thirtieth time, I was at length so fortunate as to have the pleasure of seeing this phenomenon. The sun rose about four o'clock, and the atmosphere being quite serene towards the east, his rays could pass without any obstruction over the Heinrichshöhe. In the south-west, however, towards Achtermannshöhe, a brisk west wind carried before it thin transparent vapours. About a quarter past four I looked round, to see whether the atmosphere would permit me to have a free prospect to the south-west, when I observed, at a very great distance, toward Achtermannshöhe, a human figure, of a monstrous size-a violent gust of wind having almost carried away my hat, I clapped my hand to it by moving my arm towards my head, and the colossal figure did the same.

"The pleasure I felt at this discovery can hardly be described; for I had already walked many a weary step in the hopes of seeing this shadowy image, without being able to gratify my curiosity. I immediately

I immediately made another movement, by bending my body, and the colossal figure before me repeated it. I was desirous of doing the same thing once more, but my colossus had vanished. I remained in the same position, waiting to see, whether it would return, and in a few minutes, it again made its appearance, on the Achtermannhöhe. I paid my respects to it a second time, and it did the same by me. I then called the landlord of the Broken (the neighbouring inn) and having both taken the same position, which I had taken alone, we looked towards the Achtermannhöhe, but saw nothing. We had, not however stood long when two such colossal figures were formed over the above eminence, which repeated their compliments by bending their bodies as we did, after which they vanished. We retained our position, kept our eyes fixed on the same spot, and in a little time the two figures again stood before us, and were joined by a third. Every movement that we made these figures imitated; but with this difference, that the phenomenon was sometimes weak and faint, sometimes strong and well defined."

Returning from this long digression, at the distance of about four miles from Keswick, is the village of THRELKELD, situated 288 miles from London, and containing 68 houses, and 260 inhabitants. Two miles and a half beyond which, we pass through PENRUDDOCK, a hamlet belonging to the parish of GREYSTOCK, situated about a mile to the right of our road, and containing 62 houses, and 318 inhabitants. The Church, which is a spacious structure, was formerly collegiate, and some of the stalls yet remain.

Adjoining this village is Greystock Castle, situated on an eminence, on the south side of an extensive park. The ancient structure was fortified, and some broken towers, and other remains, are still to be seen in the present mansion, the interior of which