THE LAKE DISTRICT. THE section of England, known by the name of the Lake District, occupies a portion of the three counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancaster, and extends over an area, the greatest length and breadth of which are not more than forty-five miles. The picturesque attractions of the district are probably unequalled in any other part of England; and although some of the Scottish lochs and mountains must be admitted to present prospects of more imposing grandeur, it may safely be said, that no tract of country in Britain combines in richer affluence those varied features of sublimity and beauty which have conferred upon this spot so high a reputation. For the lover of nature, no tour could be devised of a more pleasing character than that which these lakes afford. "We penetrate the Glaciers, and traverse the Rhone and the Rhine, whilst our domestic lakes of Ullswater, Keswick, and Windermere exhibit scenes in so sublime a style, with such beautiful colourings of rock, wood, and water, backed with so stupendous a disposition of mountains, that if they do not fairly take the lead of all the views of Europe, yet they are indisputably such as no English traveller should leave behind him."* Nor is it only to the admirer of external nature that this district presents attractions. It is no less interesting to the antiquarian, the geologist, and the botanist. The remains of three Abbeys,-Furness,-Calder, and Shap,-of numerous castles,--of one or two Roman stations,—and of many Druidical erections, -afford ample scope for the research of the antiquarian ; whilst the rich variety of stratified and unstratified rocks, forming a complete series from the granitic to the carboniferous beds ;-and many rare plants, with ample facilities for observing the effect produced upon vegetation by the varying temperature of the air at different altitudes, yield to the students of geology and of botany abundant matter for employment in their respective pursuits. A further interest is imparted to the locality from its being the spot with which many of our great modern poets have been more or less intimately connected, and from which many of their finest poems have emanated. The district may be traversed by many routes, the selection of which will depend upon the tourist's convenience and taste, but especially upon the point * CUMBERLAND. from which he enters it. But as the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway is now, undoubtedly, the great avenue of approach, both from the north and south, and, by means of the Kendal Junction Line, brings Tourists directly to Kendal and the shores of Windermere, we conceive that we shall best consult his accommodation by commencing with the description of these places. KENDAL. [Hotels:-King's Arms; Commercial; Crown.] KENDAL, otherwise Kirkby-in-Kendal, the largest town in Westmorland, is situate in a pleasant valley on the banks of the river Kent, from which it derives its name. It contained in 1851, 11,829 inhabitants, and is a place of considerable manufacturing industry, having a large trade in woollen goods. The woollen manufacture was founded as early as the fourteenth century, by some Flemish weavers, who settled here at the invitation of Edward III. The town is intersected by four leading streets, two of which, lying north and south, form a spacious thoroughfare of a mile in length. The river is spanned by three neat stone bridges; it is of no great width, though subject to sudden floods by its proximity to the mountains. The houses, built of the limestone which abounds in the neighbourhood, possess an air of cleanliness and comfort,-their white walls contrasting pleasingly with numerous poplars, which impart a cheerful rural aspect to the town. The barony of Kendal was granted by William the Conqueror to Ivo de Taillebois, one of his followers, in which grant the inhabitants of the town, as villein (i. e. bond or serf) tenants, were also included; but they were afterwards emancipated, and their freedom confirmed by a charter from one of his descendants. The barony now belongs, in unequal portions, to the Earl of Lonsdale and the Hon. Mrs. Howard, both of whom have extensive possessions in Westmorland. By the Municipal Corporations Reform Act, the government of the borough is vested in a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen common councillors, six of whom are elected by each of the three wards into which it is divided. By the Reform Act, which disfranchised Appleby, the county town, Kendal, has the privilege of returning one member to Parliament. The Parish Church, a spacious Gothic edifice, dedicated to the Holy Trinity stands in that part of the borough called Kirkland. The tower is square, and possesses an altitude of 72 feet. Like most other ecclesiastical structures of ancient date, it contains a number of curious monuments and epitaphs. There are two other churches in the town, both lately erected, and forming handsome edifices; that which stands at the foot of Stricklandgate is dedicated to St Thomas, the other near Stramondgate Bridge to St George. In addition to the churches of the establishment, the Dissenters have upwards of a dozen places of worship. The Roman Catholics have recently erected a beautiful new Chapel, on the New Road near the Natural History Society's Museum. This Museum contains a collection of specimens illustrating local and general natural history and antiquities. The Whitehall Buildings, at the head of Lowther Street, form a handsome pile. They contain a news-room, ball-room, auction-room, billiard-room, &c. The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway passes within a short distance to the east of the town, and the Kendal and Windermere Railway forms a junction with the Lancaster and Carlisle at Oxenholme, two miles from Kendal. On the east of the town is the termination of the Lancaster and Preston Canal, which affords great facilities for the conveyance of coal to and from Kendal. The ruins of KENDAL Castle, of which only four broken towers, and the outer wall, surrounded by a deep fosse, remain, crown the summit of a steep elevation on the east of the town.* The remains of this fortress are well worthy of a visit, on account of the views of the town and valley which the hill commands. This was the ancient seat of the Barons of Kendal, and the birth-place of Catherine Parr, the last Queen of Henry VIII., a lady, who (as Pennant quaintly remarks,) "had the good fortune to descend to the grave with her head, in all probability, merely by outliving her tyrant." Opposite to the castle, on the west side of the town, is Castle-how-hill, or Castle-low-hill, a large circular mount of gravel and earth, round the base of which there is a deep fosse, strengthened with two bastions on the east. It is of great antiquity, and is supposed by some to have been one of those hills called Laws, where in ancient times justice was administered. In 1788, a handsome obelisk was erected on its summit in commemoration of the Revolution of 1688. About a mile to the south of the town, at a spot where the river almost bends upon itself, and hence called Water Crook, are the scarcely perceptible remains of the Roman Station, Concangium, formerly a place of some importance, judging from the number of urns, tiles, and other relics of antiquity discovered there. It is believed that a watch was stationed at this point for the security of the Roman posts at Ambleside and Overborough. In the walls of a farm-house in the vicinity are two altars, a large stone with a sepulchral inscription, and a mu tilated statue. *" A straggling burgh, of ancient charter proud, And dignified by battlements and towers WORDSWORTH. One mile and a-half to the west, at the termination of a long ascent over an open moor, is the bold escarpment of limestone rock, called UNDERBARROW (or Scout) SCAR. It is a remarkable object, and would repay the trouble of a visit for 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 Benson Knott, 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. Mrs 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. The gardens, as may be imagined, harmonize well with the old Hall, the inte rior of which also deserves more than a passing glance. It contains some exquisite specimens of elaborate carved work "The chambers carved so curiously, 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 L.3000. The carved chimney-piece in the Library is a curious and interesting piece of workmanship. Three of Lely's best portraits hang on the walls of different chambers, as well as other portraits of personages of conse quence 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 |