so we all stood for some minutes; with a reverence which I am quite sure was sincere on the part of myself and my friend; and which I verily believe the painter, at the moment, felt as much as we did.

SOUTHEY'S HOUSE.

K

The "Guides and Mineralogists" of Keswick.-Derwentwater;
its Islands, and poetical associations.-The Lady's Rake.-The
Falls of Lodore. -The Boulder Stone.-Glaramara.-Castle
Crag.-Excursion to Borrodale.-The Yews.-Sty-head.—
Scawfell.

We returned to the inn in time for dinner, and found about half a dozen professional guides at the door awaiting our arrival, who all thrust their cards into our hands, and made profuse offers of their services, either to ascend Skiddaw with us, or show us Lodore and all the beauties of Derwentwater. Without making a bargain with any of them-for we were undecided as to our movements-we escaped from their clutches with as much expedition and dexterity as possible; and amused ourselves, while the trout for our dinner was preparing, by comparing with one another the printed professions of the rival

1

guides. One called himself "guide and boatman ;" and informed ladies and gentlemen visiting the lakes, mountains, &c., "that he still continued to act in those capacities;" and that he flattered himself, from the knowledge he had of the country, to be able to conduct them by the most pleasing routes through the lake district;-that he had neat pleasure-boats to let for hire; that he attended and assisted the angler upon his excursions on the lakes; and supplied parties with fishing-tackle, if desired; concluding his announcement by adding that he kept "an assortment of the best black-lead pencils for sale." This at first sight seemed as if the tourists in this part of the country were more than usually addicted to "taking notes" of what they saw; but the advertisement was afterwards made more comprehensible by recollection of the fact that black-lead pencils were one of the staple manufactures of the place. Another guide and boatman, who also knew the district better than any competitor, kept fishingtackle, and attended anglers, and represented himself as being endowed with the additional knowledge of "minerals ;" and so styled himself, "guide, boatman, and mineralogist." Among his other qualifications, duly announced in a postcript, was the fact that he lived near the Royal Oak, from which he had been a guide for the last thirty-two years; and that when requested he took a gun with him upon the lake, and

fired it off from a place where the echo from the surrounding rocks and woods had a very fine effect. What his extra demand for the gun was I could not ascertain my companion said no doubt he had “a charge for it."

66

As the weather next morning was cloudy and threatened rain, we were for some time undecided

what course to pursue. We finally determined to send for a guide and boatman; and be rowed down the lake to the celebrated waterfall of Lodore, if the weather gave any signs during the morning of a more propitious day. When the guide made his appearance, he asked a sum that appeared exorbitant, which we should nevertheless in all probability have given him, if there had been any chance of sunshine when we got upon the bosom of Derwentwater. The very reverse of this seemed likely; and as we were bargaining, it began to rain, and soon after it came down in torrents. The boatman, however, seemed to think that we ought to have gone in spite of the wet; and retired in a humour that did not seem the pleasantest in the world. When the sky cleared, in less than an hour afterwards, we determined to walk by the shore of the lake to Lodore, being informed that it was not much above five miles, and that the road afforded finer views of the scenery than could be obtained from the lake. We started accordingly, and meeting our guide, inquired the nearest way. We thought,

from the leer with which he replied, and the sly look that he gave to his companions, that he was misdirecting us. Nevertheless we walked on for about a mile, when, meeting a man coming in the opposite direction, we inquired of him, and learned that our suspicions were correct, and that if we had continued as directed, we should have found ourselves at the end of two hours back again at Keswick, without having seen Lodore at all. He kindly put us in the right way, accompanying us himself for a considerable distance. We learned from him that he was an auctioneer in Keswick, and that he had sold Southey's household goods a few months before. He said that the articles all fetched high prices, and that his walking-stick was sold for fifty-five shillings. He much regretted, of course, that he had not had the selling of his goods, which he thought would have fetched double the price in Keswick that they had brought at London. On leaving us he put his card into our hands, from which we learned that his name was Joseph Brown, and that he was not only an auctioneer, but a guide, boatman, and mineralogist, and dealer in black-lead pencils. As he did not lead us astray, like his compeers, and was an intelligent and obliging man, and spoke with indignation of the rapacity of some of the most pertinacious of the guides that swarm about the place, his name is here given for the advantage of all whom it may concern.