LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAPN 914.2 Sh25o The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN $£P 0 2 1966 W 07 1986 L161— 0-1096 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/officialtourists00shaw_0 THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE LONDON & NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. TO TOURISTS. The Editor will be glad to receive any notes or corrections that maybe forwarded to him by Tourists making use of this Guide. These may be addressed to the care of the Publishers, London. TIME TABLES. Official. — London and North-Western Railway Company’s detailed Monthly Time Table. Price id. This book contains 158 pages of valuable information upon every subject of interest and use to the Railway Traveller, including particulars of the fares to and from all the principal places in the United Kingdom and to the Continent. Bradshaw’s General Railway and Steam Navigation Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. Monthly, price 6d. For Ireland— The Official Railway, Coach, Car, and Steam Navigation Guide. Monthly, 3d. For Scotland — Murray’s Time Tables for the Railways, Steamers, and Coaches. Monthly, 3d. The above Time Tables may generally be obtained at the Railway Bookstalls. t • • • • • • • • • STKfHENSON ,/ If THE OFFICIAL &mxxM Hixtesqm 6uibe TO THE LONDON k NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY, AND OTHER RAILWAYS WITH WHICH IT IS IMMEDIATELY IN CONNECTION, EMBRACING INFORMATION RESPECTING TOURS IN ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND SCOTLAND. SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR THE USE OF AMERICAN TOURISTS. EDITED BY G. SHAW. LONDON: NORTON AND f SHAW, 7, GARRICK S°j]rTKT; \V.6., ano-EU>>TON, SQttJbW,? N.W., > -i *> * > « * q o ^ ^ ,, p i) <-> v o jpublis^e;rs £>n &eha t »t? of>tke> ^ ® ’ LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY; LIVERPOOL: 4, PARKERoS'JREET ; AND AT jp UP LIN AND BIl^RAST. iu,.» > « \ ' %c\N, S. ; ^ 'N V* *> * ‘ ESTES AND LAU£iAY/> 143, Street TORONTO , CANADA: ADAM, STEVENSON, AND CO., Publishers. t *n 7/y,i PREFACE. T HE primary object in the preparation of this Guide has been to offer to the reader a concise, trustworthy, and, at the same time, portable companion to all places of remarkable interest within the limits of the British Islands, suitably embellished and enriched with numerous coloured plates and illustrative engravings, and a useful series of new and correct maps. A secondary object has been to use the elaborate network of the London and North- Western Railway Company’s lines in their numerous ramifications and connections to convey the traveller from place to place. Almost the entire country described in these pages has been personally traversed, and the information thus laboriously ac- quired used in the preparation of this work. In those few in- stances in which this has not been the case, the information has been sought from original sources, and used only when it might be with good reason considered reliable. A glance at the contents pages of this work will show the reader that by accepting this work as his Guide to the tourist districts of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, he will be enabled to see every object of great interest or historic renown. In conducting the traveller his interests have been studied in recommending the shortest and most direct routes, and in those . cases in which the London and North-Western Railway system | offers a more circuitous approach, the author has unhesitatingly sacrificed the interests of the company to the convenience of the tourist in recommending a line, even when in direct opposition to that company. While this course has been adopted in the necessary cases, rather than make the work a mere advertisement of the London and North-Western Railway, it will be evident to the reader that this wide-reaching company offers unparalleled re- sources to the traveller who desires to visit the many romantic and beautiful districts which gem the island home of the English race, or those centres of industrial efforts and manufacturing activity for which England is famed. On no other line in Great PREFACE. Britain can the tourist see so many places of interest. By means of its own line, or those of other companies with which it has through-booking arrangements, it can offer the best and quickest routes between London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool to and from all parts of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, possess- ing, as it does, the shortest sea-routes between England and Ireland. This will be yet more evident when it is considered that the London and North-Western Railway offers to the tourist the best and quickest routes to and from the following districts and towns The south-west of Ireland, including Killarney, Glengarriff, Cork, Queenstown, and the Blackwater. The west of Ireland, embracing Limerick, Kilkee, and thence by the coast to the Cliffs of Moher, Lisdoonvarna, Galway, Connemara, Achill, and Sligo. The north of Ireland : Lough Erne, Donegal Highlands, Londonderry, Giant’s Causeway, Lough Neagh, and Belfast. The east of Ireland : Newcastle, Carlingford Bay, Dundalk, Drogheda, Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford. North and South Wales. In Scotland : Moffat, Abottsford and Melrose, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greenock, the Trosachs, Oban, Staffa, Iona, Caledo- nian Canal, Inverness, Isle of Skye, Aberdeen, Dundee, P erth, Highland Railway, and Stirling. In England : Carlisle, English Lakes, Lancaster, Preston, York, Scarborough, Harrogate, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Buxton, Crewe, Shrewsbury, the Pottery Districts, Stafford, Derby, Lichfield, Wolverhapton, Birmingham, Leicester, Coventry, Kenilworth, Leamington, Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon, Rugby, Market Harborough, Stamford, Peterborough, Northampton, Cambridge, Oxford, Aylesbury, Watford, St. Albans, Harrow, and London. For the American tourist landing at the ports of call in Ireland, Queenstown and Londonderry, the London and North- Western Railway Company have the best and quickest route to London and Liverpool and the other great towns in England. | The journey between Liverpool and London, 200 miles, only occupies five hours. By this route tourists may visit Crewe, Shrewsbury, the Pottery Districts, Stafford, Derby, Lichfield, Wolverhampton, the Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry, Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington, Stratford-on-Avon, Rugby, Peterborough, Cambridge, Oxford, and St. Albans. The London and North-Western Railway Company also book to all parts of the Continent from all their principal stations, and by the routes, mentioned on page 578, etc. i. PREFACE. vii Among the minor advantages of the present work is the light which it affords upon the internal working of this the most im- portant and wealthy of British railways, showing, as it does, the vast capital that lies buried in its permanent way, bridges, tunnels, rolling stock, and enormous constructing works at Crewe and elsewhere, and also the numerous ramifications, of its interests and connections. In this connection it may be worthy of men- tion, that through the free access to important official documents which have been consulted in the preparation of this work, the public are put in possession of information never before published. And lastly — what will be an obvious characteristic — the ex- ceeding cheapness of this volume, comprising, as it does, in addition to a copious text, forty-eight coloured engravings, nu- merous wood engravings, and ten new maps. In no other work of the same class is so much given for so low a price. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. History ........ PAGE. Liverpool and Manchester Railway . 2 London and Birmingham Railway . 3 Manchester and Birmingham Railway • 5 List of Tunnels ...... . 6 Euston Station ....... . 8 Board of Directors .... . . . 9 Extent of the System ..... . 12 List of Canals ....... • 13 CHAPTER II. The Permanent Way List of Steam Vessels . 18 CHAPTER III. The Crewe Works ...... . 19 CHAPTER IV. Carriage Department, Wolverton • 43 Waggon Works, Earlestown Junction • 53 CHAPTER V. Points, Signals, and Telegraphs . 54 CHAPTER VI. Mail Department ... ... CHAPTER VII. Newspaper Department ..... . 75 CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER VIII. PAGE. Parcel Department 81 Pneumatic Despatch Company . . 82 Merchandise Department . CHAPTER IX. Railway Clearing House . 85 IRELAND. SECTION L Queenstown to Dublin . . 89 EXCURSION I. Blarney Castle and St. Anne’s Hill • 96 EXCURSION II. Youghal and the Blackwater . . 99 EXCURSION III Cork to Killarney .... . 109 SECTION II. Killarney to Dublin, vid Mallow and Limerick Junction 129 SECTION III. Killarney to Galway, vid Limerick, Kilrush, Kil- kee, Cliffs of Moher, and Lisdoonvarna . 134 SECTION IV \ Dublin, vid Maynooth, Mullingar, and Athlone, to Galway C 140 SECTION V. t Tour through Connemara . . 146 CONTENTS . EXCURSION IV. PAGE. Westport to Athlone 156 EXCURSION V Sligo to Mullingar 156 SECTION VI. From Sligo, via Bundoran, Lough Erne, and En- niskillen, to Londonderry 157 SECTION VII. Londonderry to Portrush and Giant’s Causeway, by Coast Road to Larne, and from the latter by rail to Belfast 159 Londonderry to Belfast, vid the Giant’s Causeway 160 EXCURSION VI. Direct from Portrush for Giant’s Causeway, by Rail, vid Antrim and Carrickfergus Junction . 168 SECTION VIII. Belfast to Newry, vid Portadown . . . .173 EXCURSION VII. Belfast to Newry, via Newcastle . . . .176 SECTION IX. Newry to Dublin, vid Dundalk, Greenore, Drogheda . SECTION X. Londonderry to Dublin, by direct line. SECTION XI. Dublin Excursion to Howth, vid Clontarf ; . . SECTION X/I. Two Days’ Circular Tour through Wicklow and . 179 . 183 . 184 . 189 . 190 CONTENTS . xi NORTH WALES. r SECTION XIII. PAGE. From Dublin or Kingstown to Holyhead . , 200 SECTION XIV . ; Holyhead to Chester, vid Bangor, Llandudno, Bettws-y-Coed, Rhyl, Corwen, Denbigh, and Holywell 203 SECTION XV Holyhead to Chester, vid Bangor, Caernarvon, Llanberis, Afon-Wen, Portmadoc, Ffestiniog, Harlech, Barmouth, Aberystwith, Dolgelly, Bala, Corwen, Llangollen, Ruabon, and Wrex- ham . . . , . . . , , .215 ENGLAND. SECTION XVI Chester to Liverpool, vid Birkenhead . . . 229 SECTION XVII Chester to Liverpool, vid Runcorn . , • . 231 SECTION XVIII Chester to Crewe ...... • 233 SECTION XIX. Liverpool • 234 EXCURSION VIII Liverpool to New Brighton, Egremont, Etc. . 257 ■f EXCURSION IX. PAGE. Liverpool to Eastham 258 SECTION XX. Liverpool to London, via Crewe, Stafford, Birming- ham, Coventry, Rugby, and Watford . . . 259 EXCUES/ON X. Coventry to Kenilworth, Leamington, and War- wick 281 SECTION XXI. Stafford to Rugby 289 SECTION XXII. Crewe to Stafford, via JBurslem, ( Stoke-upon-Trent, Trentham, and Stone 291 EXCURSION XI Etruria to Hanley 293 EXCURSION XII Stoke-upon-Trent to Longton, and to Trentham Hall . . . 294 SECTION XXIII Birmingham to Dudley, Wednesbury, Wallsall, Lichfield, Burton-on-Trent, and Derby . . 296 SECTION XXIV. Nuneaton to Leicester 304 SECTION XXV Rugby to Stamford ....... 3 ° 8 SECTION XXVI. Bltsworth to Stratford-on-Avon .... 310 j CONTENTS. CON 1 EN 1 A xni Blisworth, SECTION XXVII. PAGE. ^Northampton, to Peterborough . 315 Bletchley, SECTION XXVIII. via Bedford, to Cambridge . . .318 SECTION XXIX. Bletchley to Oxford ....... 323 Bletchley, worth . SECTION XXX. via Buckingham and Banbury, to Blis- SECTION XXXI Leighton to Luton 328 SECTION XXXII. Cheddington to Aylesbury 329 SECTION XXXIII Watford to St. Alban’s ...... 330 London . SECTION XXXIV. 332 EXCURSION XIII To Kew, Richmond, Hampton Court, and Windsor Castle .355 EXCURSION XIV. To Greenwich, Woolwicpi, and Gravesend . . 358 EXCURSION XV. To the Crystal Palace ...... 360 Liverpool SECTION XXXV. to Manchester 362 Liverpool to Manchester . CONTENTS. SECTION XXXVI PAGE. Manchester (London Road Station) to Buxton, Haddon Hall, Chatswortil, Matlock, and Derbyshire ^78 SECTION XXXVII. Manchester (Victoria) to Leeds, Harrogate, York, and Scarborough .... SECTION XXXVIII. Manchester to Crewe ..... SECTION XXXIX. Crewe to Oswestry and Shrewsbury SECTION XL. Whitchurch to Oswestry and Aberys,twith . SECTION XLI. Stafford to Shrewsbury and Welshpool SECTION XLII Shrewsbury to Hereford SECTION XLI I I Woofferton to Droitwich, via Tenbury and Bewdley SECTION XLIV. Hereford to Birmingham, via Malvern, Worcester, Droitwich, Kidderminster, and Stourbridge ! 423 . 427 . 430 399 415 . 416 418 419 420 422 SECTION XLV. Crewe, via Warrington, to the North . SECTION XLVI. Liverpool to Carlisle SECTION XL VII. Preston to Lytham, Blackpool, and Fleetwood . 436 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY’S GUIDE. CHAPTER I. HISTORY. S EVENTY years ago Trevithick announced that he would exhibit to the public, within an enclosed space on what is now the site of the Euston station of the London and North- Western Railway Company, a steam- coach runn ing round an elliptical railway. On the day fixed a great number of persons assembled to see it, but although the steam-coach performed its work to the satisfaction of the spectators, and it was announced that the exhibition would be repeated on the morrow, Trevithick suddenly closed the place and withdrew himself and his loco- motive from the scene. His whimsical .temper was, however, so well known that this excited no particular wonder, though it disappointed a much larger crowd than that which had assembled on the previous day. * It is somewhat singular that this, one of the first experiments in railroad travelling, should have taken place on the spot destined to become in the course of little more than thirty years afterwards the head centre of the most important British railway company to which the nineteenth century has given birth — the London and North-Western. This railway company is formed out of the London and Birmingham, Grand Junction, and Manchester and Birmingham Railway Companies, amalgamated by Act of Parliament, passed July 16th, 1846. * Smiles’s Lives of the Engineers , vol. iii., p. 41. I 2 LONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN GUIDE. As, however, the Liverpool and Manchester line, which forms part of the London and North-Western system, was the grand experimental line of the world, being the first undertaken to serve the uses for which railways are now made, we purpose giving a short sketch of its origin and construction. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Owing to the relations between the port of Liverpool and the manufacturing town of Manchester there ‘grew up between these places an immense traffic, to meet the requirements of which the united resources of road and canal were found to be unequal. Raw cotton could not be conveyed into Manchester, nor manufactured fabrics carried out of it, with sufficient expedition by the carts and waggons on the one, and by the boats and barges on the other ; while in reply to complaints of delay the carriers carelessly informed the merchant or manufacturer that, if he were dis- satisfied, he might carry the goods himself. In 1821, therefore, a committee of Liverpool gentlemen was formed for the purpose of considering the formation of a tramway between Liverpool and Manchester, it being left quite an open question whether the goods trains should be drawn by horses, fixed engines, or by locomotives, as on the Stockton and Darlington line. Passenger traffic was only just hinted at as a thing which might possibly be included ! A trial survey was made amid great opposition on the part of almost all classes. Not only did Lords Derby and Wilton and Mr. Bradshaw, the agent for the Bridgewater Canal Company, oppose it, but even the cottagers rose up in arms. Gamekeepers harassed the surveyors as they would poachers, and farmers defended their fields with presented pitchforks. The mob, however, concentrated its hatred on the bearer of the theodolite, and it was found necessary to hire a professed “bruiser” to carry the instrument. Unable to cope with this champion at close quarters, the mob retired and from a distance smashed the theodolite with brickbats as they would kill a noxious animal. Afterwards a second survey was made, in which George Stephenson assisted ; and he, upon Mr. James, the principal surveyor, falling into difficulties, eventually completed it. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Bill went into committee on the 2 1st of March, 1825. It was fiercely attacked and resolutely defended. Stephenson was examined, and then made his celebrated answer to the question whether it would not be an “awkward circumstance” if a cow should get upon the line, by replying, ‘ ‘ vara awkward — for the coo. ” The bill was withdrawn, but engineers of greater weight with the public than Stephenson having been engaged, the line was surveyed again, LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAIL WA Y. 3 and the bill went a second time into committee on the 6th of March following, and was passed after having cost the projectors no less than ^27,000. George Stephenson was now engaged as engineer at a salary of ;£ 1,000 per year, and the works were commenced in earnest. The road across Chat Moss, which every other en- gineer had pronounced to be an impossibility, was accomplished at a comparatively small cost, and on the first of January, 1830, an experimental train of passengers went over it. It was not until the line was almost completed that the proprietors began in earnest to consider what system of traction should be adopted. Most of them were in favour of fixed engines ; very few advocated loco- motives. The directors, however, in their report of March 27th, 1828, had stated “that after due consideration they had authorised their engineer to prepare a locomotive engine, . . which would be effective for the purposes of the company without being an annoy- ance to the public.” A prize of ^500 was offered for the best locomotive, and this was won by Robert Stephenson with the Rocket (see fig. 5, page 27). Before the trial, however, this locomotive was by no means the favourite with the public — they were predisposed in favour of the Novelty , and the Rocket had absolutely to fight its way into favour. The line was opened for public traffic on the 15th of September, 1830, on which occasion Mr. Huskisson, M.P. for Liverpool, was unfortunately killed. The spot where this ac- cident occurred is marked by a monument, seen at Parkside, on the left, when travelling from Manchester to Liverpool. The London and Birmingham Railway. Two years later a bill was introduced into Parliament for making a line of railway between London and Birmingham. Though the feeling against the scheme was very strong in all towns on the intended route, this bill passed the Commons, but it was condemned almost without a hearing in the House of Lords, upon the motion of Earl Brownlow. In the following year, however, it was introduced again, and passed almost with- out opposition, the landowners, seven-eighths of whom before objected, having been literally bought over to sanction it. There was still considerable opposition out of doors, the land of one person, a clergyman, having to be surveyed whilst he was in the pulpit. Many towns shrank from the contact of the railway, dreading the supposed pestilential breath of the loco- motives. The Northamptonshire graziers feared that the smoke would injure the wool of their flocks ; they asserted that horses would run about distracted, and that cows would not graze on the sooty grass, while birds would drop down, stifled by 4 L ONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE . sulphurous effluvia. The bill, however, received the royal assent on the 6th of May, 1833. The scheme for the Ldildon and Birmingham Railway began in the latter town in 1830. Two routes were proposed, one via Coventry, the other via Oxford, but George Stephenson decided in favour of the former. He and his son Robert were appointed engineers, and the latter walked over the entire length of the line no less than twenty times before it was completed. In the construction, of this line, difficulties of a different kind from those on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway were met with, for new ground will always present fresh obstacles to be over- come. The length of the lately-completed line was only thirty- two miles. It was now proposed to make a line 1 12J miles long, and to do this it was necessary to bore or cut though many hills, and to make embankments across many valleys ; and this had to be done by persons most of whom were new to their work. The men who had dug out the canals of a preceding day were a nucleus, which, absorbing miners and labourers, has developed into the present generation of ‘ ‘ navvies. ” But we must bear in mind that, at the time when this railway was commenced, no such class, strictly speaking, existed. The contractors, too, were new to their work ; this is sufficiently proved by the fact that out of eighteen only seven finished their contracts. The others either became insolvent or had to be helped by the company. Primrose Hill was the first high ground 'bored, and the stiff London clay, swelling or contracting according as the weather was wet or dry, made this a matter of no slight difficulty. Stephenson, who lived at Haverstock Llill at this time, had the tunnel (845 yards) lined with an immense thickness of brickwork, fearing lest it should “ cave in,” like the Preston Brook tunnel on the Grand Junction Railway. At Watford a tunnel 1,725 yards long was cut through the chalk ; at North church a shorter one ( 53 ° yards), and one of nearly the same length at Stowhill, and between them the still shorter one of Linslade (290 yards). But at Kilsby ridge was the chief difficulty in the way of tunnelling. This hill had been fairly tested by trial shafts, and was found to consist of oolite shale, and Avas let as such to the contractor. But it was found, upon boring, that between them lay a quicksand under a bed of clay forty feet thick, and when the workmen came to this a deluge of Avater burst in upon them from above, and they were saved with difficulty. The contractor took to his bed at this unexpected discovery, and though the company released him from his obligations, he never rallied, but died shortly aftenvards. The energies of Stephenson had to be brought to bear upon this undertaking. He erected steam- MANCHESTER AND BIRMINGHAM RAH WA Y. 5 engines of 160 horse-power each, and conquered the water by sheer force. Thus the difficulty was surmounted, but only at a greatly increased cost of that part of the line, for the expense of making this tunnel was in reality ^300,000, whereas the original estimate was only ^99, 000. The most formidable cuttings were at Tring, Denbigh Hall, and Roade. Tring cutting is an immense chasm, opened through the chalk ridge of Ivinghoe, two and a half miles long, and for a quarter of a mile fifty-seven feet deep. 1,500,000 cubic yards of chalk were taken out, forming to the north an embankment six miles long and thirty feet high. Roade cutting is one mile and a half, long, and in some places sixty-five feet deep, cut through clay and hard rock. Constant pumping was necessary to keep the works going. The contractors gave it up, and the company had to take it in hand. Steam-engines were set to pump, locomotives to draw, and 800 men and boys to dig, wheel, and blast, for which last purpose 3,000 barrels of gun- powder were used. On the 20th of July, 1837, the line was opened as far as Boxmoor, and on the 16th of October this was extended to Tring. On April 9th, 1838, a further extension was made to Denbigh Hall, and on the same day that portion between Birmingham and Rugby was opened, the intermediate distance being worked by stage-coaches. The line between London and Birmingham was opened throughout on the 1 7th of September of the same year. The Manchester and Birmingham Railway. The Manchester and Birmingham Railway arose out of two distinct projects which were before Parliament in the session of 1837, one of which was for a line of railway to run from Man- chester to the Tamworth station of the Birmingham and Derby line, the other to form a communication by rail between Man- chester and the Grand Junction Railway at Stafford ; Mr. Stephenson was engineer for the former, and Mr. Rastrick for the latter. The Parliamentary contest between the promoters of these two lines was at last settled by the appointment of a military engineer to examine the country and report on both the pro- jected routes. An amalgamation of interests was in consequence agreed upon, and the Act of incorporation received the royal assent on the 30th of June, 1837. The whole line was opened for public traffic in August, 1842. Some idea of the magnitude of the tunnel-work on the London and North-Western Railway and its extensions may be gained from a glance at the following table : — 6 LONDON AND NORTH \ WESTERN GUIDE . List of Tunnels upon the various lines of rail, showing their length, Name of line. Name of tunnel. London to Birmingham Primrose Hill Kensal Green Watford North church Linslade ) f n • • • Stowhill * n i i Kilsby Beechwood New Street Stour Valley , , (north of) Peterborough W ansford Oxford Wolvercott Rugby and Stamford Morcutt Trent Valley Shugborough Gran d J unction Wednesfield Pleath ,, Chester and Crewe Preston Brook W averton Liverpool and Manchester Lime Street f > j > Waterloo n ii Byrom Street ii ii Crown Street ii ii ii ii 1 1 Wapping Bolton and Kenyon Kenyon Clifton Branch Clifton Crewe and Manchester Stockport Pluddersfield and Manchester ii ii Staley- Bridge ii »> jj Standedge ii a * • • Huddersfield Leeds and Dewsbury Morley Macclesfield Branch Macclesfield ii Chester and Holyhead ... Prestbury Aggregate length Bangor and Caernarvon ii a TUNNELS. 7 situation, and the nature of the soil through which they run. Situation. Length. Nature of soil. Yards. if mile post 84s London clay 4 ? »» 347 Originally an open cutting iBi 1,72s Chalk and quicksand 29 t „ 530 Chalk and gravel 4 °f 290 Sand rock 68 509 Oolite clay 76 f „ 2,435 Lias clay and oolite shale ,, 3 °° Shelly marl, and hard rock Birmingham 329 Sand and sandstone rock ,, 854 Red sandstone rock 103 mile post 616 Shale, rock, sand, and peat 2 miles from Oxford 143 Soft blue clay 33f mile post 452 Blue clay 4 miles south of Stafford 790 _ Gravel and rock Near Wolverhampton 176 : 1 Shale and coal measures 184^ mile post 79 Marl 185$ Liverpool , » 156 Sand 2,086 840 » , 2,689 288 >■ New Rock , » 120 , , 18 mile post 2,233 j 34 Marl H . „ 6 miles from INI an Chester 1,276 Sand 29 7 ,, Staley Bridge 665 Clay, shale, and rock \ mile west of Morsley 200 \ station 1 ! Between Diggle and Marsden 5,323 1 - Shale and rock Huddersfield 1,067 1 Near Leeds 3 , 37 ° 1 1 7f miles from Manchester 15 » ,, of tunnelling 342 264 | Clay and sand 4 , 73 i >> 855 8 LONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN GUIDE. We have said that the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the grand experimental line of the world ; and in like manner the London and Birmingham was intended by Stephen- son to be the model line. It is certainly no small credit to the genius of that engineer that, through all the battles of the guages, of longitudinal or transverse sleepers, and the thousand and one vexed questions of railway engineering, this line has held its own, and that the characteristic peculiarities of other lines have been virtually set aside. Something is due doubtless to the almost royal position which the London and North-Western Railway Company holds among the railway companies of the United Kingdom, which induces the pro- moters of other lines to construct them so that they may run in harmony with the leading line of the country. These three lines of railway, a brief sketch of the rise and completion of which we have given above, were the commence- ment of the gigantic system of iron highways, which, starting from the spot where in the early part of this century Trevithick’s locomotive ran its ephemeral round, now traverses 1,641 miles of the United Kingdom, and is known as the London and North-Western System. Euston Station, at once the great starting-point and terminus of this system, is approached from Euston Square between two lodges, one of which (the western) is a branch office of Messrs. Norton and Shaw, the celebrated tourist agents and guide book publishers. Mid- way between these lodges stands a statue of Robert Stephenson. Crossing the northern division of the square and passing between the two great railway hotels, the Euston and the Victoria , the severe, but imposing entrance portico of the station (fig. 1), with its ornamental iron gates, rises before the spectator with a dignity becoming its position, in front of the chief station of the London and North-Western Railway Company. On each side of this portico, which is built in the Doric style, from designs by Hard- wick, are two offices — one is used for the post and postal telegraph office, and the others respectively for the royal mails, parcels office, lavatory, etc. Passing from this entrance to the station a carriage area, about 135 feet long by an average of 66 in width, is crossed, this having at its northern extremity verandah work of iron and glass to protect passengers from the weather as they alight from their vehicles. On entering the station the tourist finds himself in the large entrance hall (fig. 2), a spacious room, 126 feet long by 61 feet in width and 62 in height, at the extremity of which is a staircase leading to the board room and various offices, and near the foot of LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. 9 this staircase is a statue of the elder Stephenson. On each side of the hall are doors leading to the booking offices, and thence to the waiting and refreshment rooms, and also to the platforms, which, together with the lines of rail within the station, are covered over with a glazed roof of great extent, supported by iron pillars. The cost of this station was upwards of £*100,000; and its extent is above six acres. The shareholders’ meeting room at Euston station is large, and contains a painting, by Joy, of the late Lord Wolverton, formerly a chairman of the company* and a bust by Wyon, of Admiral Moorsom, who also held that office. The room is used for the meetings of the board of directors* a number of gentlemen chosen from the most important of the proprietors ; the directors and other officers for the year 1875 being shown in the following list : — - Board of Directors. Richard Moon, Esq., Woodlands, Harrow Weald, Stanmore, Middlesex, chairman. James Bancroft, Esq., Broughton Hall, Manchester. John Pares Bickersteth, Esq., Grove Mill House, near Wat- ford, Herts. James Bland, Esq., Quarry Bank, Liverpool. Col. James Bourne, M.P., Heathfield House, Liverpool. The Hon. Thomas Charles Bruce, M.P., 42, Hill Street, Berkeley Square, London, W. William Cawkwell, Esq., 48, Regent’s Park Road, London, N.W. George Crosfieid* Esq., Walton Lea, Warriiigton * and 22, Hyde Park Street, London, W. Richard Ryder Dean, Esq., 97, Gloucester Place, Portnlan Square, London, W. Sir Hardman Earle, Bart., Allerton Tower, Liverpool. A Fletcher, Esq., Allerton Wootton, Liverpool. Henry Russell Greg, Esq., Lode Hill, Handforth, Manchester. Lord Richard Gfosvenor, M.P., 76, Brook Street, London, W. John Hartley, Esq., Tong Castle, Shifnai, Salop. John Hick, Esq., M.P.* Myttoii Hall, near Whalley, Lancashire. William Edwards Hirst, Esq;* Lascelles Hall, Huddersfield. William Nicholson Hodgson, Esq., M.P., Newby Grange, Carlisle. John King, Esq. , junior, Chepstow Street, Manchester, J. Knowles, Esq., M.P. Darnhall Hall, Winsford, Cheshire. The Hon. William Lowther, M.P., Ampthill Park, Ampthill. Beds ; and Lowther Lodge, Kensington Gore, London, W. Entrance to Euston Station. Fig. i.) 12 LONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN GUIDE . Mattliew Lyon, Esq., Leamington. William Dalziel Mackenzie, Esq., Gillotts, Henley-on-Thames. Michael Linning Melville, Esq., Hartfield Grove, Tunbridge Wells. Lord Alfred Paget, 56, Queen Anne Street, London, W. George Sheward, Esq., 17, Leinster Square, Bayswater, London, W. Oscar Leslie Stephen, Esq., Bardon Hall, Leicester; and 5, Whitehall Yard, London, S.W. The Duke of Sutherland, K.G., Stafford Blouse, St. James’s London, S.W. William Tipping, Esq., Brasted Park, Seven Oaks, Kent. Henry Ward, Esq., Rodbaston, Penkridge, Stafford. J. M. Wood, Esq., Leigham Court Road, Streatham, S.W. Chief Traffic Manager , G. Findlay, Esq. Secretary , Stephen Reay, Esq. Solicitor , Richard Francis Roberts, Esq, Civil Engineer , William Baker, Esq. Mechanical Engineer , Francis W. Webb, Esq. Marine Superintendent , Captain C. B. C. Dent, R.N. Superintendent of the Line, G. P. Neele, Esq. Chief Goods Manager , Thomas Kay, Esq. Extent of the System. The following table, showing the gigantic proportions of the company, will be interesting to some of our readers : — Authorised capital. Value of locomotives, without tenders. Value of carriages and waggons at present in use. English money. American money. English money. American money. English money. American money. £ 63,582)365 Dollars. 317,911,825 £ 5,640,000 Dollars. 28,200,000 £ 3,260,259 Dollars. 16,301,295 At the present time (September, 1875) there are 1,587 miles of line opened in connection with the London and North-Western Railway ; and 90 J miles of new branches are in course of con- LIST OF CANALS. 13 struction and approaching completion. But in addition to their railways, the following canals are also under the control of the directors : — Name of canal. Extent. Length. Shropshire Union From Ellesmere Port to Wolver- Miles. Canal hampton, with branches to Middle- wich and' Shrewsbury, and from Newtown to a junction with the above at Harlestown, with a branch to Llangollen and Some minor ex- tensions 2 ° 3 i Lancaster Canal From Kendal to Preston, and branch to Glasson Dock 60 Sir John Ramsden’s From Pluddersfield to Cooper Bridge 4 Canal Huddersfield Canal From Ashton-under-Lyne to Hudders- field 19! St. Helen’s Canal From St. Helen’s to Widnes... i6| Birmingham Canal F rom Birmingham to Wolverhampton, Navigation Lichfield, Tam worth, with various branches in the South Staffordshire district 160 Rochdale Canal Na- From Manchester to Sowerby Bridge, vigation with branch to Heywood ... 35 Leeds and Liverpool From Leeds to Liverpool, with Canal branches from Lathom to Tarleston Lock, and Wigan to Leigh ... H 3 h Total ... 642! We have thus given a rapid resume of the history of the Lon- don and North-Western Railway and its present position. Let us now glance at the several departments by which the operations of the company are carried on ; and afterwards conduct the reader on an imaginary tour to the various places served by the system and its auxiliaries. 14 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE . CHAPTER II. THE PERMANENT WAY. I T will be readily understood by those who give a little con- sideration to the matter that even the best constructed railway requires a constant supervision and as constant an expenditure to maintain it in good working order. It is not enough that it has been skilfully planned by the civil-engineer and honestly made by the contractors ; for hundreds of miles of artificial roadway, made of and traversing every description of soil, at one time piercing hard rock, at others crossing the sands of the sea, must be liable to injury from numberless causes. Heavy storms, persistent rains, frost, snow, and the effect of sudden transitions from hot to cold weather, and from wet to dry, all act with injurious effect upon the railway. It may be slowly undermined by springs or suddenly washed away in some places by floods ; the metals suffer from constant wear and tear of rapid or heavy traffic, the keys which secure the rails in their chairs become loose, the misnamed ‘ ‘ sleepers, ” continually shaken, become restless and unsteady, culverts and drains get choked or broken through, the piers of bridges may sink, and the roofs of tunnels may ‘ ‘ cave in” ; so that it is evident that constant and careful supervision can alone insure the safety of those ‘who travel by rail. In order to prevent danger or inconvenience to the passengers from any such occurrences as we have mentioned the London and North-Western Railway Company’s line is portioned out, according to the nature of its works, into distances of from seventeen to thirty miles, and over each of these divisions there is appointed an “overlooker,” whose portion of the line is subdivided into “lengths,” to each of which there is a foreman, and a gang of two or three men. Every morning before the first train passes the foreman is required to walk over the whole of his length, not merely to look over it, but to ascertain from actual inspection that every one of the wooden plugs, or keys, which secure the rails in the chairs is firmly fixed and driven home, and that the rails are properly in THE PERMANENT WA K 15 gauge ; and so well are all these rules and arrangements attended to and carried out that the whole of the line is thus daily inspected before the arrival of the first “up” and first “down” trains ; the overlooker examining and verifying the work of the foreman and his gang. . Should a foreman detect any fault in any part of his length he proceeds to remedy it at once. At a distance of 800 yards above or below the spot, according as it is on the down or the up line, he plants a red flag, and this is kept flying until his men have made the necessary repairs. In case of a landslip or other obstruction notice is immediately sent to the proper quarter, and a “break- down” party is at once conveyed with tools and all necessary materiel to the spot ; and, when the metals become worn, or the sleepers unsteady, a “relaying” party is promptly set to work to renew the defective part of the line. One very important point in all these operations is to repair any damage without impeding public traffic, and this is so skil- fully managed that many miles of rails can be taken up and turned, or others relaid, in an incredibly short space of time.. While the men are engaged in this work they are protected by the red flag, and attended by an official who informs them of the approach of a train, when, if any piece of rail has been taken up, it is immediately laid down again, and temporarily secured in its place for the train to pass over. In like manner the driver ot the engine is warned by fog-signals of the proximity of the work- men, and he slackens speed accordingly to enable them to get the temporary rail ready by the time the train reaches the spot. This being done, the men stand clear of the rails and on the outside of the line, and the train passes on its way, probably without any of the passengers being aware of what had been going on, or of the break that had happened in the line but a few minutes before. In this way many miles of rail have before now been taken up and relaid in one day, and, in the meanwhile, as many thousands of passengers have travelled over that part of the line without inconvenience or hurt. All these above-mentioned operations are under the direction of the civil-engineer of the company, as are also the repairs of the bridges, viaducts, tunnels, etc., which are conducted by a class of officials educated and trained to remedy the injuries to which these parts of the permanent way are severally liable. The stations, sidings, sheds, drainage, etc., are also carefully in- spected, and any inefficiency reported. Every part of the company’s line is thus watched and supervised day by day, in order that nothing likely to cause danger or inconvenience to the public may occur. In foggy weather additional precautions are taken ; indeed, 16 LONDON AND NORTH* WESTERN GUIDE . ballasting is not allowed to be clone at these times, except under very urgent circumstances. But it is not enough that the permanent way be thus carefully looked after ; the rolling stock which passes over it is also very closely inspected, for both may be endangered if either of them be not in good order. Therefore as soon as an engine has finished its course for the day, has blown off its steam, and has had its fires raked out, it is cleaned and examined in the engine- house. The driver first goes carefully through all its parts, noting down in a book anything that may be defective or missing. After he has done with it, it is again examined by the ‘ ‘ foreman of the fitters,” and if he find anything out of order which the driver has omitted to mention, the latter gets reported. To make assurance trebly sure, the engine is examined a third time by the superintending engineer, and the foreman of the fitters stands a chance of being reported in his turn if anything have escaped him. There is also a boiler inspector, whose duty it is to report upon the safety of that part of the engine. In like manner the carriages are cleaned and examined, and the soundness of the wheels tested, the grease-boxes are filled, the buffer-rods cleaned and oiled, the cushions dusted, and everything done that can secure the safety and comfort of the passengers. The engine-driver is required to be at his post at least thirty minutes previous to the advertised time of departure of the train. He has then to sign his name in a book, and if his signature be not perfectly steady he is suspended, or may be discharged. If all be right, he receives his coke ticket and his time card, upon which he sets down the time lost at every station. Finally, his chronometer is wound up and set to correct time, and he is then ready to take his place and start. We have in this chapter given the tourist thfese particulars in order that he may know how great a care is taken by the London and North-Western Railway Company that he and other travellers on their lines shall, as far as human foresight avails, accomplish their journeys with ease, speed, and safety. How needful this care is he will see, when he reflects upon the following statistics. In the first place the number of passengers travelling over the permanent way of this company per day, between their 560 stations, is more than 100,000 ! Then the weight of goods and minerals (coal and coke included) carried over it per day is estimated at an average of 73,000 tons, while the number of * * train miles” run per annum over this system is not less than 29, 000, 000 ! ! ! Moreover, to conduct this enorihous traffic requires 40,000 ser- vants and officials at a weekly cost of about £50,000, and an annual consumption of coal amounting to 600,000 tons ! ! ! THE PERMANENT WA Y. 17 We have next to mention a few other statistics with regard to the permanent way, which we trust will prove of interest as show- ing the magnitude of the works over which the careful supervision above-mentioned is maintained. First, the number of miles run of the London and North-Western Railway is 1,641 ; this, however, does not represent one fourth of the length of rail used, which may be estimated at 10,000 miles, and its aggre- gate weight at nearly 700,000 tons ! ! ! From Willesden station to Bletchley there are already three lines of rail, and a fourth is being rapidly completed. When this is done the up and down lines on the north-east side will be for goods traffic and “stopping” trains, and those on the north-western side of the permanent way will be reserved for express and fast trains. The form of rail used by the London and North-Western Railway is that known as the “bull-headed.” This form of rail is found more durable than the old “ fish-belly ” rail, the form of which is seen in the illustration (fig. 17, page 52), and some examples of which were until recently to be seen in use near Watford. The sleepers, now universally of wood, were formerly, in the early days of railway engeering, large blocks of stone, it being supposed that this alone would stand the rough usage to which these misnomers were subjected. These square masses of stone had, however, after- wards to be taken up, and those of our readers who feel an in- terest in bygone “ways and means” may, in towns and villages on the London and North-Western Railway, often meet with these large granite blocks doing duty as paving or kerbstones, the holes pierced in them for the pins, or the hollows cut for the chairs, still plainly showing their former use as railway sleepers. While upon the subject of the permanent way, we must not omit mentioning some of its minor enemies, which might other- wise not occur to the reader ; we speak of the mole and the rat. The mouse, the mole, and the toad were mentioned by Virgil, more than eighteen centuries ago, as enemies to the perma- nency of the threshing-floor, and slight as the injury to the railway might seem to be from the burrowing of rats and other vermin, or the choking of drains by them, it is not overlooked on account of its insignificance, and there are in some districts men calling themselves rat-catchers to the London and North- Western Railway Company. Leaving the permanent way, we now pass by an easy transition to the London and North-Western Railway Company’s extension of their traffic over the common highway of the Anglo-Saxon race — the sea. 18 LOADON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . London and North-Western Railway Company’s Steam-Vessels. The London and North-Western Railway Company are the owners of a fine fleet of steamers, rendered necessary for the sea passage between England and Ireland, via Holyhead. The following table shows their names and tonnage : — • Name. Tonnage. Earl Spencer .... 859 Eleanor ..... 917 Duchess of Sutherland 908 Countess of Erne 829 Duke of Sutherland . 860 Alexandra ..... 827 Stanley 769 Telegraph . . . 827 Ad. Moorsom .... 787 Cambria ..... 759 Dodder . 162 Two other steamers considerably larger and more powerful than the above, and intended for the Dublin service are now in course of construction by the Messrs Laird. These fast steam-vessels ply twice daily each way between Holyhead and North Wall Dublin, and once daily between Holy- head and Greenore, carrying on an average 15,000 passengers monthly. At Greenore will be found every accommodation for passengers. There are also trains in connection with the steamers between Greenore, Dundalk, and all parts of the North of Ireland. The London and North- Western Company’s steamers carry on an average 10,000 passengers monthly, this number being quite distinct from those carried between Holyhead and Kingstown, and which in the month of April, 1873, stood as follows: — Saloon passengers, 3, 133^ ; second cabin, 2,674^. Total, 5,808. The London and North-Western Railway Company arc also joint owners of the splendid line of steamers running, between Fleetwood and Belfast, and of the ferry steamers between Liver- pool and Birkenhead (Monks Ferry). CREWE WORKS . 19 CHAPTER III. DESCRIPTION OF THE CREWE WORKS OF THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY. '"P'HESE works, which are now the largest railway works in the world, were established in March, 1843, for the pur- pose of repairing the locomotive engines, carriages, and waggons, required for working the Grand Junction Railway, now a part of the London and North-Western Railway system. The portion of the works at that time devoted to the use of the Locomotive Department became too limited for the effec- tive maintenance of the locomotive stock, and an addition of workshop accommodation was made to this department by the removal of the Waggon Department from Crewe to Ordsall Lane, Manchester. In 1853 an addition was made to the works at Crewe by the establishment of works for the manufacture of rails. In 1857 an amalgamation of the northern with the north- eastern divisions was eftected, by which the Crewe works became the centre of the Locomotive and Carriage Departments of the northern division of the line, the locomotive centre of the southern division being at Wolverton. In 1859 further accommodation for the Locomotive Department here was still urgently required, and this was obtained by the removal of the Carriage Department to Saltley, Birmingham, in the latter part of that year. In 1862 the Locomotive Department of the southern division of the railway was amalgamated with that of the northern division, and Mr. Ramsbottom, who was at that time locomotive superintendent of the northern division, was appointed locomo- tive superintendent and mechanical engineer for the whole system. From this time the locomotive works at Wolverton have gradually been handed over to the Carriage Department, additional accommodation having been provided at Crewe by the erection of suitable workshops, in lieu of those vacated at 20 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE . Wolverton. These changes, together with the removal of the Waggon department to Earlestown in 1853, placed the several centres of the Locomotive, Carriage, and Waggon Departments, at Crewe, Wolverton, and Earlestown respectively. In 1864 a very important addition to the Crewe establish- ment was made by the erection of works for the manufacture of Bessemer steel. The whole of the available land at the ‘ ‘ Old Works ” being then occupied, it was necessary to place these works at a short distance down the Chester and Holyhead line. Up to this time the Chester and Holyhead Railway had gone 1 through the centre of the works, and owing to the increasing traffic, both in the works and on the railway, it was deemed advisable to divert this portion of the line, so as to run entirely outside of the works. Advantage was taken of the piece of land situated in the fork, between the old line and the deviation, to build additional \ workshops, which, from their proximity to the new line, have, by general consent, received the appellation of the “Deviation Shops.” To these shops the millwrights, pattern-makers, and j moulders were removed from the old works in the end of 1867. To keep pace with the continued development of the railway, a new boiler-shop and smithy were built in 1870 at the steel works, where the engine-repairing shops, in lieu of those vacated at Wolverton, had already been built. The tender building and ! repairing-shop and the engine-painting shop were removed in 1874 l to larger premises at the steel works. The directors having de- \ cided to make and repair the railway signals, hitherto done by | contract, the old tender-shop has been altered for this purpose. I* When the workshops now in course of erection are completed, the covered area of the whole establishment at Crewe will be 'V. about twenty-three acres, the total enclosed space being about ^ eighty-five acres. In 1871 Mr. Ramsbottom, to whom the development of the 1 works is largely due, retired from the service of the London and North-Western Railway Company, and Mr. F. W. Webb, who j had previous to 1866 been Mr. Ramsbottom’s chief assistant, was appointed as his successor. Although these works are essentially locomotive works, yet they produce a considerable quantity of warehouse machinery J and other general machine work, such as is in use at the various stations on the line. The preparing capabilities of the works are now so wide in their range that the company are now the l manufacturers, after the purchase of the raw materials (in the shape of pig-iron, spiegeleisen, and scrap wrought iron), of every part of the locomotive engines and other machinery constructed CREWE WORKS , . 21 at Crewe, with the exception of brass tubes and copper plates. Several engines have, however, been constructed, every part of which was manufactured at Crewe. The total number of locomotive engines which have been con- structed at these works, from their commencement up to the end of May, 1875, i s T 9 21 ; 146 were made in one year — that ending November 30th, 1872. Besides these there are upwards of 1,700 locomotive engines repaired annually, there being usually about 250 in the workshops under repair at one time. The “ Old Works,” as the original establishment is now called, are entirely devoted to the manufacture and repair of locomotive engines, and comprise one shop used solely for erecting new | engines, three repairing-shops, wheel-shop, fitting and turning- shop, smithy and forge for light forgings, spring-shop, copper- smithy, and signal-shop, also the offices and general stores. The forge and smithy here contains 1 1 3 smiths’ fires, nineteen steam-hammers, ranging in weight from 2 \ cwts. to as many tons, twelve heating-furnaces, and two trains of rolls, capable of rolling the ordinary sections of merchant-iron from a quarter of an inch up to three inches in diameter, and also most of the ordinary I sections of angle and T iron. With the exception of the forg- ! ings and smith’s work which are made in the above-mentioned smithy, the various parts of the engines are brought here in their rough state, from the other parts of the -works, as, for example, the framing and other wrought iron plates from the plate-mill ; the crank and straight axles, tyres, spring-steel, cou- pling and connecting-rods, and other steel forgings from the forge at the steel w^orks ; cylinders, -wheels, hornbloclcs, axle- boxes, and other iron and brass castings from the foundry. The lighter portions and “ finished work” are taken to the fitting-shop, the interior of which, on entering, presents a bewilder- f ing appearance, countless numbers of pullies and straps running ; in all directions, apparently in hopeless confusion, but which are each performing their various duties, that is, driving an endless 1 variety of machines of all kinds, namely, turning-lathes, planing, shaping, slotting, boring, and drilling-machines. Here locomo- | tive cylinders are bored, planed, and fitted, the pistons, valves, valve-motion, axle-boxes, slide-bars, connecting-rods, coupling- rods, injectors, boiler-fittings, etc., undergo the various operations necessary to reduce them to the required proportions, all being prepared and fitted up to standard gauges and templates suited to the various classes of engines, but without respect to the in- dividual engine for which they may afterwards be used. Inter- changeability of parts is thus obtained to a large extent, resulting in great economy in repairs, and so far is sameness of parts 1 carried that four of the standard classes of engines have their 22 LONDON AND NORTH ■ WESTERN GUIDE. pistons, slide-bars, cross-heads, valves, valve-motion, and con- necting-rods exactly alike, any of which could, if required, be interchanged, and the coupling-rods of three classes of six-wheel coupled engines, of which there are large numbers, could be taken off any one of the engines and put on any other of the three classes. As an example of the accuracy resulting from the use of standard templates and gauges in the manufacture of the various parts of the locomotive engine, it may be stated that when one of a pair of cylinders, of an inside cylinder engine, has been damaged, as frequently occurs, it has been replaced by a new one, which has been bolted to the remaining cylinder, without any further fitting. One portion of the fitting-shop is devoted to the manufacture of injectors, boiler-fittings, and other brass work, and here troughs covered with iron gratings have been formed in the floor for receiving the turnings. Into these troughs the turnings and borings which fall on the floor are swept, and are thus collected with greater facility, and are found to contain less foreign material than when collected in the usual way. The iron and other foreign materials, with which they become mixed, are separated from them, and thus prepared for re-melting, by comb- ing them through with a series of horseshoe magnets, placed on an endless revolving frame. A highly interesting adjunct to this shop is an upper room, devoted to the preparation of bolts, nuts, pins, and other small articles. Here a great many of the boys are placed on first entering the works as apprentices, and remain for a time, preparatory to being drafted out to more important work, and as they far outnumber the journeymen employed in the room, it is usually spoken of as the “ nursery.” Here are miniature lathes, slotting, and shaping-machines, besides a host of screwing, nut-tapping, and facing-machines. Nearly the whole of the work done here is given to the boys as piece-work, and some of them will face as many as 500 nuts per day, or chamfer 1,500. Here also the special tools and labour- saving appliances, used in the various parts of the works, are constructed. Simultaneously with the preparation in the fitting of the parts of the engines already referred to, the frame-plates, wheels, axles, etc., are prepared in the wheel-shop. This shop is fitted with the largest and most powerful machines, suited for the work to be done, the largest wheel-lathe being capable of turning the tyres of a pair of engine-wheels eight feet nine inches in diameter. The crank axle machinery is here very complete and carefully arranged, so that after one machine has done its special work to the axle it 1 is passed on to the next in order, until it is completed. Specially notable in this group are the “roughing ”-lathes, in which there are seven cutting-tools in each lathe employed at one time in C RE WE WORKS. “ roughing out” the crank axles, and the nibbling-machine, designed by Mr. Ramsbottom for cutting out the “ throws ” in the cranks, which has no fewer than 160 cutting-tools arranged round the circumference of a large disc. One marked feature of this shop is the mechanical arrangements used for lifting the wheels and axles into the lathes and other machines. This consists of light travelling jib-cranes, which run on a single rail laid on the floor of the shop, parallel with the lathes, and are worked by a light cotton cord, about f of an inch in diameter, running at the rate of about a mile per minute, and by which motion is transmitted to the various parts of the cranes. These cranes travel along the shop at the rate of eighty feef per minute, and lift their loads at the rate of nine feet per minute. The various parts of the locomotive having been thus prepared In the several shops, they are then taken to the erecting-shop, where the engines are built. A view of this department is given in fig. 3, showing workmen employed in the various operations for which the erecting shop is designed. The frames, being first put together, are now ready to receive the boilers, which, having been prepared in the boiler- shop, are then brought and fixed in their places, and after the various mountings have been fitted, the skele- ton locomotive is picked up by two overhead travelling cranes, one crane taking hold of each end, and the engine is carried outside of the shop, where the boiler is tested by steam to the ordinary work- ing pressure, and by hydraulic pressure up to 200 pounds per square inch. This having been done, it is again taken into the shop, where the boiler is covered, and the remaining parts, namely, pistons, valves, valve-motion, wheels and axles, springs, connecting and coupling-rods, etc., are put in their places, the complete engine is again laid hold of by the overhead cranes, and is carried by them out of the shop and taken to the paint-shop. The usual time re- quired in the erecting-shop for building an engine is about four weeks ; while the shortest time in which any engine has been built in this shop was fourteen working days. A tender for each engine, tank-engine excepted, having been built in the tender-shop at the same time that the engine was being built in the erecting-shop, is also taken to the paint-shop. The engine and tender, having been painted, are then coupled together, and after being tried on the line are ready for train service. The overhead travelling cranes, referred to in the erecting-shop, although different in con- struction from those in the wheel-shop, are similar in principle, being worked by a small cotton cord, running at a high velocity, and imparting motion to the various parts of the crane. This type of crane, designed by Mr. Ramsbottom, has been found so convenient and expeditious in working that the whole of the engine-repairing shops have been provided with them. Erecting Shop, Crewe Works. (Fig. 3.) la**'- * CREWE WORKS . 25 The leading types of locomotive engines made at Crewe are the express passenger engines (see fig. 4), having outside cylinders six- teen inches in diameter, twenty-four inches stroke, and single driv- ing-wheels seven feet six inches in diameter ; the coupled passenger engines, having inside cylinders seventeen inches in diameter, twenty-four inches stroke, and two pairs of driving-wheels six feet six inches in diameter, coupled ; the goods engines, having inside cylinders seventeen inches in diameter, twenty-four inches stroke, and three pairs of wheels five feet in diameter, coupled ; and the coal-engines, for coal-trains and heavy goods, a six-wheel coupled engine, similar to the goods, but having a larger boiler, and wheels four feet three inches in diameter. The total number of locomotive engines in stock on the 31st of May, 1875, was 2 , 157 - After contemplating one of these giant engines made at Crewe, it may be worth the reader’s while to turn to that early passenger locomotive, the Racket, which in the year 1830 won the prize for excellence at Rainhill. Alighting at the Kensington station of the London and North-Western Railway, he will find in the Patent Office at the South Kensington Museum the very engine of which mention is made on page 3 of this work, and of which fig. 5 is an illustration, and will be struck by the difference between it and the locomotives of the present day — the smallness of its size, the thinness and rudeness of its ironwork, the absence of spring buffers — their place being apparently supplied by a wooden beam — the want of steam-whistle and gauges, the uncased boiler, and the exposure of the cylinders to the cold current of air through which the locomotive passes en route , and the placing of that machinery upon which the very life, so to speak, of the engine depends in a situation where it would be most exposed to injury, not to mention the fact of those wheels in which strength and unity of parts are so much wanted being fitted with a wooden ri 7 ii and spokes of no great thickness. Vet at the same time it would ill become him to li smile supe- rior ” in the presence of the first successful passenger locomotive, a machine, to which the world is so much indebted, and which possesses much which is retained in all the engines of the present day— the tubular boiler, the steam draught, reversing levers, and the inside flange to its wheels, the merits and demerits of which were a matter of discussion in the days of Stephenson. The steam-pipe, too, though not kept hot, as it is in the present race of locomotives, by passing through the boiler, still has a sheltered position, and probably the best which the maker of the engine could then give it. To despise the Rocket , the forerunner of all passenger locomotives, would, therefore, be as ill judged as to admire Simonides and forget Cadmus. An Express Locomotive, London and North-Western Railway. (Fig. 4.) 28 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE . The Lady of the Lake , one of the 7ft. 6in. express passenger engines belonging to the London and North-Western Railway Company, was exhibited at the International Exhibition in London in 1862, and obtained a bronze medal for excellence of work- manship. The engine Watt, one of the same class, ran the special train which conveyed the Queen’s messenger bearing the despatches, containing the decision of the American Government in the case of the “ Trent ” difficulty in 1862 from Holyhead to Stafford, a distance of 131 miles, without a single stoppage ; the journey was made in 144 minutes, being at the rate of fifty-four and a half miles per hour. This remarkable run was made without stopping by the aid of Mr. Ramsbottom’s “ pick-up ” apparatus, for supplying the tenders with water while running, an apparatus with which most of the tenders are fitted, and by the use of which the size and weight of the tender can be much reduced for running a given distance. A section of a London and North-Western tender fitted with this apparatus is shown in fig. 6. The “Steel Works,” which consisted, at the time of their opening in 1864, of a converting-house with two converters, cogging-shop, and a small forge, have been much enlarged, the steel-making plant being now capable of producing 30,000 tons of steel per annum, and besides the addition of a large forge and rolling-mills, there have also been erected four locomotive repairing-shops, boiler-shop, boiler-smithy, furnace-shed, and plate stores. The converting plant consists of four 5 -ton converting vessels, arranged in two groups, with the cupolas placed behind them. The pig-iron is first melted in an ordinary cupola, the air being supplied to the cupola by a Roots blower, after which it is run down a trough formed in the sand into one of the convert- ing vessels. The sides of the vessel are thickly lined with ganister, a kind of refractory stone, the bottom of the vessel being formed with a great number of small holes for the admission of air ; through these holes the air is injected, being forced upwards through the molten metal, the oxygen of the air com- bining with and eliminating the carbon of the iron, and carrying on a fierce combustion inside the vessel, as can be seen from the showers which are thrown out of the mouth of the vessel, until the whole of the impurities are ejected. The “blowing,” as this stage of Bessemer process is called, is carried on for a period vary- ing from fifteen to twenty minutes, until the metal in the vessel is thoroughly decarbonized, when the vessel is then turned on its side, and the blowing is stopped. A quantity (varying accord- ing to the quality of steel required) of spiegeleisen, an iron highly charged with carbon and manganese, and which has been previ- ously melted in one of the furnaces, is then run into the vessel Diagram showing a Tender “picking up ” Water from the Feed-trough when in motion. (Fig. 6.) CREWE WO R ItS. containing the decarbonized iron, and combines chemically with it ; thus a known percentage of carbon and manganese is added to the metal in the vessel, and steel of the required degree of hardness is obtained. The vessel is now turned down and the liquid mass of steel which it contains is poured out into a huge ladle, carried on the end of a crane ; this crane is then swung round, and the steel is run out through a small hole in the bottom of the ladle into cast iron ingot moulds, which are ranged round the casting-pit in a semicircle, and so formed into ingots, thus ending a process which presents at every stage what may be termed an exhibition of real fireworks, far surpassing any artifi- cial display. The ingot moulds are now removed, and the red- hot ingots are lifted out of the casting-pit by hydraulic cranes, and are taken away on the tramway to be worked up into rails, axles, plates, etc. A view showing the manufacture of Bessemer steel at Crewe works is given in fig. 7. The air is supplied to the converting vessels by a very fine pair of horizontal “ blow- ing ’’-engines, of 450-horse power, by Hick, Hargreaves, and Co., of Bolton. The steam cylinders are thirty-six inches in diameter, and five feet stroke, and the air cylinders forty-eight inches in diameter, and the same stroke as the steam cylinders. The walls of the engine-room are ornamented with the coats of arms of their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh, in commemoration of their visits to the works in 1866 and 1867 respectively. The forge machinery consists of a “ cogging”-machine, a 30-ton and two io-ton duplex steam-hammers, also four vertical steam- hammers, ranging in weight from 15 cwts. to 8 tons (see illustration, fig. 8), a tyre-rolling mill, a plate-rolling mill, a merchant-mill, and a mill for rolling spring-steel, together with saws and shear- ing-machines. The cogging-machine consists of a pair of large segmental rolls, five feet in diameter, and are geared to an engine, which is reversed, together with the rolls, by hydraulic power. This machine is employed in “ roughing down” steel ingots into blooms for rails, previous to their being taken to the rail works to be rolled into rails, there being at present no rail-mill at the steel works ; but Mr. Webb is now preparing to put down a power- ful mill here for this purpose. The 30-ton hammer was designed by Mr. Ramsbottom, and consists of two ponderous blocks, each weighing 30 tons, moving upon rails, and carried by eight small wheels. These blocks are moved by large steam cylinders placed immediately behind them, and on steam being admitted to the cylinders, the hammer-blocks are propelled with enormous force against the mass to be forged. This hammer is principally em- ployed in drawing down the steel ingots for crank axles, straight axles, and tyres. Eight-ton Steam-Hammer. (Fig. 8.) C RE WE WORKS. 3 3 The large saw shown in fig. 9, and used for sawing off the crop ends of the forgings, is seven feet in diameter, and is driven by a special engine at a very high velocity, the teeth running at the rate of 13, coo feet per minute. The end of an axle nine inches in diameter is sawn through while hot by this saw in less than half a minute ! The tyre-mill is driven by a pair of horizontal engines, and is employed in rolling solid steel tyres, and not only rolls the tyres required for the locomotive engines and tenders, but also supplies the whole of the tyres required by the carriage and waggon departments, the number rolled for these departments often reaching 650 per week. The plate-mill has rolls twenty-four inches in diameter ; it is driven by a pair of vertical reversing engines, constructed with link motion and reversed by hydraulic power. As an illustration of the ease with which this mill can be reversed, it may be stated that it has actually been reversed seventy-three times in one minute, the rolls making a quarter of a revolution in each direction. The rolls are adjusted with great nicety for the required thick- ness of plates by an arrangement of tightening down gear, by which both ends of the rolls are simultaneously lowered after each pass of a slab, thus securing greater accuracy in rolling to thickness than can be obtained by the ordinary method of screwing down. This operation is performed by hydraulic power and is manipulated by a boy. Steel plates for stationary boilers have been rolled in this mill twenty-four feet long, four feet nine inches wide, and § of an inch thick, and also plates for locomotive fire-box seventeen feet long, six feet wide, and T 5 ^ of an inch thick. The merchant-mill is of the same size as the plate-mill, and is suitable for rolling the heavier sections of merchant-iron, but is principally employed in rolling axles for the carriage and waggon departments. The axles are rolled in the mill with the required taper, being small in the middle and tapering out to a large diameter at the ends, this shape being imparted to them by suitable grooves in the rolls. The hydraulic power for performing the several operations re- ferred to is obtained from a pair of pumping-engines, the water from which is conducted in pipes laid underground to all parts of the works, and is rendered serviceable in numerous ways. In the steel works there are twenty-two furnaces for heating the steel, all of which, with the exception of two, are Siemens’s regenerative gas furnaces ; there is also one large annealing gas furnace, principally used for annealing steel boiler plates, and four for making steel by the Siemens-Martin process. The gas for these furnaces is generated in a series of gas-producers, twenty-two being employed for this purpose ; the^gas is conveyed from the producers to the furnaces in underground flues. 3 The Circular Saw. (t ig- 9-1 CREWE WORKS . 35 Steam is supplied to the various engines and steam-hammers by two ranges of stationary boilers, ten being of the Cornish type, five feet nine inches diameter, thirty feet long, with a single flue, and eight being of the Lancashire type, seven feet diameter, thirty feet long, with double flues ; these last have only recently been made at the works, and are constructed entirely of steel plates. The locomotive engine repairing-shops are a range of buildings 993 feet long and 106 feet nine inches wide. They are fitted with wheel-lathes for turning the tyres of the engine-wheels when worn, and also numerous other machines required for effecting the necessary repairs to the various parts of the locomotive engines. They are also fitted with overhead travelling cord- cranes, the same as those in the erecting and repairing- shops at the Old Works. Each group of repairing shops, both here and at the Old Works, is furnished with boiling-pans, for removing the oil and grease from the various parts of the locomotive engines, when they are taken apart for repairs. By this means each part is well cleaned at very little cost, and the grease, having been collected, is after- wards converted into soap. The boiler-shop (a view of which, showing workmen engaged in the various branches of boiler-making, is seen in fig. 10) is 350 feet long and 107 feet six inches wide, and is devoted to the construction of locomotive, stationary, and other boilers. This shop is also fitted with overhead travelling cord-cranes, similar to those already referred to, but more lightly con- structed, and is equipped with machines of all kinds required in the preparation of the boilers, such as shearing, punching, drilling, and tapping-machines, and plate-bending rolls. The plates, after having their edges sheared to the required size, are accurately punched by a self-acting dividing-table, and after being annealed are bent in the bending-rolls and riveted up by the steam riveting-machines, two of which are constantly em- ployed. Several attempts to introduce steel into the manufacture of the boilers had been made here from time to time, but were not followed by any satisfactory results ; Mr. Webb has, however, been successful in using steel for this purpose, and three hundred and fifty locomotive and fifty stationary boilers have now been made almost exclusively of this material. A locomotive fire-box and also a complete locomotive boiler were sent from this shop to the Inter- national Exhibition in London in 1873 ; both of them were very fine specimens of boiler work, and were constructed entirely of steel. The greatest care is taken to insure reliable plates for the boilers, test-pieces being cut from each plate. A small hole i of an inch in diameter is punched into one of these : 'S/If : The Boiier-biiop. (Tig. io.) CREWE WORKS . 37 pieces* and this hole is widened out by taper drifts until it be- comes a hole two inches in diameter ; another is bent nearly double. These pieces are cold when the tests are made* and unless they stand these severe tests the plates are rejected. A piece is also tested for tensile strength and analyzed for carbon, and a complete register of all the tests, and also the position which each plate occupies in every boiler, is kept. As -a proof of the excellence of the materials and workmanship used in the con- struction of boilers, it may be stated that out of 2, 500 locomotive boilers made at Crewe, since 1855? and up to the end of June, 1875, there has not been a single case of explosion. In connec- tion with this shop is a smithy containing sixty smiths’ hearths, and a furnace shop containing two plate furnaces, used for flang- ingand bending the boiler plates. Here are also the new tender-shop and painting-shop pre- viously referred to. These have been built on land recently purchased outside the original limits of the Steel Works. The former is 530 feet long, and is used for building new and re- pairing old tenders ; the latter, 350 feet long and 150 feet wide, is used for painting the engines and tenders, there being usually about a hundred of these in the shop at one time. Extensive brick-making plant has also been erected here $ it consists of two brick-making machines, with a large circular kiln on Hoffmann’s principle, and the necessary drying sheds. The turn out from this plant was about five millions and a half of red bricks in the year ending May, 1875. Fire bricks are also made here, the old bricks being ground up for this purpose. Four ovens for burning have recently been erected; they are capa- ble of producing about eighty thousand fire bricks per month. The “Deviation Works” are, as previously stated, a range of shops built alongside of the deviation of the Chester and Holy- head Railway, and comprise a brass foundry, iron foundry, mill- wright’s shop, joiner’s and pattern-maker’s shop, and saw-mill. The brass foundry has a range of crucible furnaces in the centre of the shop, and a large melting furnace for heavy castings, and turns out an average of about ten tons of brass castings per week. Both in this and the iron foundry a considerable quantity of the moulding is done by machines and plated patterns for the smaller articles. The iron foundry has two large and two small cupolas, the pig-iron being lifted to the charging floor by a hydraulic lift ; it is also fitted with light overhead travelling cranes, and has four hydraulic jib-cranes, which are found to be extremely useful. The weekly out-put of iron castings from this foundry is usually about a hundred tons. The millwright’s shop is devoted to the manufacture and repair of all shafting and machinery in the works ; to the construction 38 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . of cranes, warehouse machinery, and stationary engines for the various goods stations on the railway ; as well as pumping machinery, and coal and water apparatus for supplying the loco- motive engines at the various steam-sheds and watering-stations. The joiner’s and pattern-maker’s shop, too, is fitted up with a great variety of wood-working machinery, comprising mortising, tenoning, tongueing, grooving, planing, surfacing, and dovetail- ing machines, and circular saw benches. The pattern-loft is overhead, and in a cellar underneath the shop is a saddler’s shop, where machine- straps, hose-pipes, and other leather work are prepared. A large “crispin’’ sewing-machine is employed here for this purpose. The saw-mill in connection with this shop is fitted with the heavier descriptions of wood-working machinery, such as log and deal frames, squaring-machines, rack- saws, and circular saw benches. At this place also is the labo- ratory for analyzing samples, such as pig-iron, spiegeleisen, and other materials used in the Bessemer process, also the test pieces of steel ingots, rails, boiler plates, etc. The “Rail Works” consist of a forge and mill for the manufacture of rails, and are capable of producing about 23,000 tons of iron and steel rails per annum. In the forge there are fifteen puddling-furnaces and five balling-furnaces. The pig- iron, having been puddled, is brought out of the furnace in the shape of balls, which, having been shingled under a 5 -ton steam-hammer, are passed through the rolls, and rolled into 10- inch slabs, two of which are afterwards re-heated in one of the balling-furnaces, then welded together under the hammer, and drawn down into a puddled bar suitable for tops for iron rails. In the mill there are seven heating-furnaces for heating the blooms for steel rails and the rail piles for iron rails. The rail piles, which are formed of puddled bar and old rails, having been heated in one of the furnaces, are passed through the bolting-rolls and formed into blooms, which are then re-heated and rolled out into rails ; an illustration of the process is given in fig. 1 1 . . The rails while hot are sawn off to the required length by a circular saw, and after cooling are drilled and straightened. The forge rolls consist of two pairs of rolls eighteen inches in diameter, and the rail-mill of three pairs of rolls twenty inches in diameter ; both trains of rolls are driven by a pair of hori- zontal engines, by Boulton and Watt, the cylinders being thirty- six inches diameter and six feet stroke. Steam is supplied to them by seven upright boilers, which are heated by the waste gases from the furnaces. The general stores are at the Old Works, and all materials are issued from there to the several departments. No article of any kind, it matters not of what value it may be, whether an The Rail-Rolling Mill. (Fig. xi.) 40 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. expensive brass casting, or a few yards of twine, can be procured without an order from one of the foremen ; and it is then issued by the storekeepers, who alone are allowed to enter the stores. One notable feature in the works is the narrow gauge tram- way, of which nearly three miles are now laid down, its ramifi- cations extending to every corner of the works. The gauge of this line is only eighteen inches, and the service is performed by miniature locomotive engines, weighing in working order only two and a half tons. These engines run about with trains of strong low-wheeled trollies, conveying materials of all kinds from one part of the works to another. To drive the whole of the machinery in the works thirty-three stationary engines are employed, steam being supplied to them and to the twenty-nine steam-hammers in various parts of the works by thirty-five horizontal and thirteen upright boilers. For the convenience of those of the workmen who live at such a distance from the works as to be unable to go to their meals in the time allowed, dining-rooms have been provided by the company. Here they leave their food in the morning with the attendant, who prepares and places it in the allotted place, ready for each of the workmen at the mealtimes. The number of persons of all classes to whom the works afford employment is about 6,000 ; but besides these there are about 550 engine-drivers, firemen, and others at the steam-sheds at Crewe station, thus swelling the total number of persons em- ployed in the locomotive department at Crewe to 6,550. The steam-sheds just referred to, although not a part of Crew r e works proper, still take no insignificant part in establishing Crewe as an important locomotive centre. Owing to the central position which Crewe occupies it is found advantageous to work most of the principal mail express and goods trains from this station, over the various parts of the system. About 120 engines are in steam daily at this station, for the stabling of which suit- able sheds are provided ; they cover an area of nearly two and a half acres. A valuable appendage to this shed is a washing- house and soap factory. This wash-house is equipped with the requisite machinery for washing the sponge-cloths and waste used in cleaning the locomotive engines. These when dirty are sent to Crewe from the various steam -sheds on the system, and are here washed and dried and afterwards sent back. The oil and grease from the cloths is collected and is subsequently converted into soap, which is then issued for use to the various steam-sheds* The company are also the makers of their own gas. The water supply is derived from the red sandstone at Whitmore, dis- tant about twelve miles south of Crewe, on the line between Crewe and Stafford. A large well has been sunk there and CREWE WORK’S. 41 pumping machinery erected, the water being pumped into large reservoirs at Whitmore and Madeley, both of which are consider- ably elevated above Crewe, the water descending by its own gravity. The growth of the town of Crewe has been commensurate with the growth of the works, as previous to their establishment the inhabitants consisted solely of a few farmers and cottagers, and now the population numbers over twenty thousand, consisting almost entirely of the employes at the works, their families, and the tradesmen who supply them. The railway company have built, and are the owners of no fewer than 740 workmen’s cot- tages, and in addition to this a considerable number have been built by the workmen themselves. As the town is almost entirely dependent upon the railway company, the directors have aided by their countenance and material support in nearly every public movement deserving of their liberality. They have built and endowed a church, and assisted by private subscription in the erection of many other places of worship ; have established a large national-school for the education of boys and girls ; have erected public baths, which afford every convenience; and they also supply the whole town with both gas and water. The Mechanics’ Institution, a handsome building in Prince Albert Street, has also been provided and is literally supported by the directors. This institution comprises a library of upwards of five thousand volumes, many of which are works on scientific subjects ; a com- fortable reading-room, liberally supplied with newspapers, maga- zines, and periodicals, 14,300 having been purchased in the year 1874 ; class-rooms, smoking-room, gymnasium, an American bowling-saloon, specification-room, and a commodious lecture- hall, capable of accommodating eight hundred persons. Evening classes are held in the winter months for instruction in elementary and advanced subjects, and are largely attended by the young persons who are employed in the works during the day. That the privileges afforded by this institution are highly prized is proved by the facts that tlie average number of members for the year 1874 was upwards of a thousand, the membership for the winter months being 1,250, and that nearly twenty thousand volumes were issued from the library in the same year. A savings bank has also been instituted by the railway company, to encourage habits of prudence and economy among their servants and their families ; interest at the rate of four per cent, per annum is paid by the company on all sums deposited. The large numbers of depositors who avail themselves of this bank afford ample testi- mony of its value- In concluding this sketch of this railway colony we may state that the works have been visited by many distinguished persons 42 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . of almost every nation, including Americans, Frenchmen, Ger- mans, Russians, Italians, etc. They were visited by Prince Oscar, now King of Sweden, in 1861 ; in 1866, by the Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Duke of Sutherland, the Earls of Lichfield, Sefton, Shrewsbury and Vane, Lord Richard Gros- venor, etc. ; in 1867, by the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Marquis of Ormonde, Lord Richard Grosvenor, etc. ; in 1872, by the Burmese Ambassadors, accom- panied by Major A. R. McMahon, political agent to the Court of Mandalya ; by Ed. Jones, Esq., agent to the King of Burmah, the Mayor of Liverpool, etc. ; in 1872, by the Japanese Ambas- sadors, accompanied by Sir Harry Parkes, the Earl of Mar, the Mayors of Liverpool and Warrington, etc. ; by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, in 1862 and 1872 ; by the British Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science, in 1870; and in June, 1873, by His Majesty the Shah of Persia and suite, accompanied by the Duke of Sutherland, the Marquis of Stafford, the Earls Sefton and Shrewsbury, Lords Morley, Lord Richard Grosvenor, Major-General Sir Henry Rawlinson, Generals Hardinge and Stanton, Colonels Marshall and Byng, etc. His Majesty was received by R. Moon, Esq., the chairman of the company, and a number of the directors, and was conducted through the works by Mr. Webb, locomotive superintendent and mechanical engineer to the company. Strangers are admitted to inspect the works only on present- ing suitable letters of introduction at the superintendent’s office at the works. Those visitors who are furnished with such mea*s of obtaining admittance, and are desirous of inspecting this great engineering establishment, will, of course, alight at Crewe Junc- tion, which is an important station distant 158 miles from London and 43! from Liverpool. For hotel accommodation at Crewe, and indeed at all other towns and places mentioned in our routes, the tourist will do well to consult the list attached to this work, and may depend upon our information on that head being the most trustworthy that can be obtained. ✓ CARRIAGE AND WAGGON DEPARTMENT. 43 CHAPTER IV. CARRIAGE AND WAGGON DEPARTMENT. Carriage Department, Wolverton. T HE town of Wolverton may be said to be altogether a “rail- way ” town. There is, indeed, at the distance of about a mile or so from the station, a little village called Old Wolverton, but the huge collection of brick-built houses, shops, factories, etc., now known as Wolverton, owes its origin entirely to the London and North-Western Railway. Some years ago, before the opening of the London and Birmingham section of the line, scarcely a house was to be seen on this site, but now, on emerging from the down platform of the station, the stranger passes through streets running at right angles to each other, and between square blocks of houses, marked with oval iron plates bearing the letters L. & B. R., and, bearing to the right, comes to the carriage works of the London and North-Western Railway Company, one of the largest establishments of the kind in the world. These works were originally intended for the construction of locomotives, but the advantages possessed by Crewe, from its being nearer to the coal-mines and iron-works of the midland district, caused the greater part of this branch of railway industry to be transferred to that place about the year 1864-5. Then the old shops were remodelled and enlarged, and new ones built, adapted to the carrying on of what is now the special manu- facture of the place — carriage-building. To what extent this enlarging was necessary may be seen from a visit to the “paint- ing-shop,” a large room capable of holding two hundred vehicles, with the hands engaged in painting, polishing, and fitting them with trimmings ; but which formerly sufficed for three distinct branches of the locomotive manufacture. By visiting the London and North-Western Company’s works at Wolverton a stranger may see carriages in every stage of con- struction. He will find vast timber sheds for housing huge balks of oak, teak, mahogany, and pine, and smaller ones of sycamores walnut, and maple, for the decorative part of the work. Near to 44 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. are mills for sawing, planing, drilling, and dressing the wood before it goes into the building-shops, where there are carriages in all stages towards completion, and of every class, from the magnificent sleeping-saloon (see page 46) down to the, carriage truck and horse box. On the other hand, by going to the foundry and fitting-shops he will see the casting, forging, or dressing, of every piece of metal work used in their construction. In another place he will be shown the repairing-room, where various classes of vehicles are being re-bottomed, repannelled, or repaired, so long as this can be done with advantage, and also the place where carriages past service are broken up and sold ; no part of an old carriage, whether it be wood or metal work, being used in the construction of a new one, so great is the care of the London and North-Western Railway Company for the safety of its passengers. Besides these manufacturing departments, the company has constructed large sheds for protecting the carriages when built. One triple shed is one quarter of a mile in length and holds three hundred vehicles. In the large painting-shop, before mentioned, the decorative part of the work is done, and men may be seen engaged in paint- ing, varnishing, staining, polishing, gilding, and naming the dif- ferent “classes/’ “picking out ” panels with lines, or adorning them with the coat of arms, or the intricate cypher L. & N. W. R., while in another section of the same room others are engaged in the trimmings and cushion making. % The warehouses also are of great extent ; these are to store until wanted the hinges, bolts, screws, nails, etc., or the cushions, carpets, and curtains for the carriages. In so large an establishment as Wolverton it will be well seen that an exact system of time-keeping and supervision of the employes is necessary, and the regulations of the company for this purpose are as complete as possible. Opposite the entrance of every department sits a time-keeper, who receives in a box every workman’s numbered check as he comes in, verifies his attendance at his work by three personal visits during the day, and marks his time accordingly, towards the end of the day placing the numbered check on a board, where the workman may see and take it, so as to be provided with it when he comes again at six the next morning. The hours of attendance at work are from 6 a.m. to 5*30 p.m. on all days but Saturday, when the usual half holiday is given. But while, as in duty bound, looking strictly after the interests of the proprietors in guaranteeing the honest fulfilment of every man’s duties, the directors are* not unmindful of the moral and social welfare of their employes, and have accordingly provided x i CARRIAGE AND WAGGON DEPARTMENT. 45 mess, bath, reading-rooms, etc., and a Mechanics’ Institute for training and educational purposes ; and it reflects no small credit upon this latter that one of its members in the year 1873 gained the Whitworth scholarship. The extent of ground which the works cover at present is thirty-seven acres, and as they are still increasing in importance, it has been found necessary to add to the number of dwelling-houses for the work- men. A large piece of ground has therefore been bought by the company, and laid out for building purposes, about twenty new houses being in course of construction at the present time. The number of hands now employed in the works in the various departments is as follows : — Carriage Department hands ----- 1,475 Locomotive ,, ,, - - - - - 514 Gas 5 > >> “ " " - 43 2,032 The usual number of vehicles kept in stock at Wolverton Works being — Saloons and first class carriages - 279 Second class carriages - - - - - - 15 1 Third ,, ,, " 977 Composite carriages - - - - - -1,315 Mail carriages - 37 Horse boxes ------- 493 Carriage trucks ------- 259 3,611 Besides the above, all the barrows, hand-trucks, levers, and other requirements of station platforms are made at Wolverton, and here also the notice boards are made, painted, and lettered. At these works every suggested improvement in carriage build- ing- is fairly tried, and adopted if successful ; and one impor- tant matter connected with the safety of passengers is at the present time just completed there, viz., an improvement upon Clarke’s break, by which a train at the height of speed can be stopped in ten seconds ; this was tried upon the train which in the autumn of 1873 conveyed her Majesty the Queen to Scotland. It is so contrived that the break can be applied to the whole train of carriages, or can be detached at will and made to act upon the luggage vans only. Before leaving this section of the Guide we purpose describing, for the benefit of those of our readers who may have to take long journeys by night, one of the new sleeping-saloons now constructed at Wolverton works. Sleeping Saloon Carriage. (Fig. 12 . CARRIAGE AND WAGGON DEPARTMENT. 47 This sleeping-saloon (fig. 12), which far excels for its admirable arrangements and luxurious accommodation all others in use upon English railways, is divided into a single and double compartment. The former will accommodate four travellers, while the latter is capable of holding eight, each having its separate lavatory and w.c., while the entrance-passage, common to both, divides the double compartment from the single one (see plan, fig. 13). By this arrangement the more numerous party of travellers, whether ladies or gentlemen, could have the double compartment, leaving the single one for the smaller party. In the same manner the couches and berths could be allotted to a larger and smaller party of gentlemen. Plan of Sleeping Saloon Carriage. (Fig. 13.) The sleeping-saloon is superbly fitted up with maple and walnut panelling, relieved with - gilt mouldings. The seats, which resemble those of a first- class carriage, are covered with the blue cloth usually adopted by the London and North- Western Railway Company, but the seats are made to slide out and meet, thus forming one sleeping couch, running lengthways of the train, not transversely ; thus the four seats in the single compartment form two couches. Overhead are two chintz- covered mattrasses with pillows, which by a clever arrangement of levers can be lowered from the roof, where they are packed during the day, and made to form two sleeping-berths. These, when in position, are reached by a low pair of steps, upon which a little table-top slides so as to be available during the day for writing, reading, chess, o-r other purposes. The windows of the carriage have crimson blinds, while a green shade covers the lamp, thus giving, in connection with the various fittings of the carriage, a pleasing variety of colour. The fittings of the lavatory, with its large mirror, etc., are also most complete, and the water arrangements admirable ; the last remark also applies to the w.c. Altogether this is one of the most magnificent specimens of railway carriage building yet produced, and carriages of this class are in great demand for long journeys. They certainly reflect great Interior ol Sleeping Saloon. (Fig. 14.) Carriage and waggon department. 49 credit both upon the railway company that projected the idea and the skilful hands that carried it out. A view of the double compartment in use as a sleeping-saloon is given in fig. 14. Fig. 15 shows the manner in which a first-class carriage attached to the Scotch and Irish mail trains is converted into sleeping com- partments, each compartment being made by this arrangement to provide sleeping accommodation for three travellers. The elbow rests, it will be seen, are thrown up so as to enable two persons to. lie at length upon the ordinary seats of the carriage, while a third coitch is provided by a seat which slides out and forms a communication between the two opposite seats on the right-hand side of the carriage. This arrangement leaves the door on the left hand, or platform side of the compartment, free for the ingress or egress of the passengers. From the illustration (fig. 16) the American tourist will under- stand the arrangement of a ii ^-composite ’^carnage, that is. one divided into first, second, |ir^l|t4ird-|:'la^*Ic|)]n^artm{5nt5,f difference of accommodation, iij tjies§ clissej\4;yjijg t ac the price the traveller chooses, or is able, to pay for his journey by rail ; and it will be found, by referring to page® 45 'ante, that composite carriages form almost one-half of the pa&sgnger vehicles, and that they amount to one-tlin|U of 4he aggregate » number,, of vehicles of all kinds kept in stolk -Jk? l^lotverton woskfe. I *,#*»• .Whether this division of railway carnages *mti>* blisses® meets with the approbation of the American tourist or not, it is clearly a matter in which English railway companies have no choice, for railway classes merely coincide with and depend upon the exis- tence of corresponding social classes. It would doubtless do much to facilitate and simplify railway management if the British public would be content with one class of carriage, and one ticket-rate per mile. Before concluding this chapter upon the London aird North- Western Railway establishment at Wolverton, with its vast stores, its splendid^ machinery, and its triumphs of carriage-building, we propose, by way of showing the progress made in the special manufacture carried on there, to take a retrospective glance at one of the early railway passenger-carriages. This we do for the same reason as when speaking of the locomotive works at Crewe we brought before the notice of the reader the early rail- way “ tractor, ” as engines like the Rocket were then called ; and in both instances of comparison we doubt not that the vast strides made since then towards excellence, if not perfection, will be apparent. At the present day, indeed, if a little rain finds its way through the joints of a carriage it causes much angry com- plaint, and yet it is not so very long ago since open carriages ran upon some railways, bearing their loads of shivering passengers 4 Ordinary Tri-Composite Carriage, ist, 2nd, and 3rd Class. (Fig. 16.) 52 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE i through all kinds of weather. Illustrated works of that time show these railway travellers defending themselves with cloaks and umbrellas against the pelting storm through which they are being hurried, not indeed at the rate- at which we now travel, for the speed of third-class trains was then as much behind the pre- sent fate of travelling as the carriages of that day were in comfort aiid convenience inferior to those now manufactured at Wolverton. At the present day the third-class passenger travels with the. same speed as the first on the London and North-Western Rail- way, for he can book by any train — with the exception of one or two, the very special purposes of which cause the number of travellers by them to be limited ; and he, moreover, rides in car- riages equally well provided in the winter with foot-warmers as the first-class, a comfort unknown in former times. As a matter (Fig. 17.) of interest, then, to those who are fond of comparing things past with things in present use, we give in fig. 1 7 an illustration of the exterior of one of the first passenger carriages used upon the London and North-Western Railway, showing also the “ fish- belly” rails used at that time, and of which we have spoken already in our chapter on the Permanent Way. CARRIAGE AND WAGGON DEPARTMENT. *53 The Waggon Works, Earlestown Junction. I 11 . 1 85 3 '4 the London and North-Western Railway Company’s waggon works were removed from Ordsall Lane to Earlestown Junction, a station situated nearly midway between Liverpool and Manchester. Previous to this date, however, there had been a private firm carrying on business at Earlestown, but, of course, occupying only a small proportion of the thirty-five acres of land now required for the waggon works of this great and opulent company. This acreage, which includes the space taken up by sidings, will at once show the importance of the works which occupy it. The various departments here are much the same as at Wolverton, viz., timber yards, foundries, saw-mills, smithies, building, fitting, painting, and repairing shops, together with stores, warehouses, offices, etc. ; the difference being that they are devoted to the manufacture of vehicles in which strength and stowage room are looked to instead of elegance and comfort. In both cases, attention has been given by the Company to the special requirements of each department, and consequently both places are equally celebrated in the particular manufacture for which they were established. A somewhat smaller number of hands is employed at Earlestown, but the reader will be able to judge of the admirable arrangement of every part of the estab- lishment when he is told that a new waggon is turned out from Earlestown works every thirty minutes ! the total number of the London and North-Western Railway Company’s waggons being upwards of 40,000. In addition to these, many waggons are manufactured by private firms ; but before these are suffered to run over the Com- pany’s lines they have to be examined and reported safe by an inspector appointed for that duty, as the break-down of a badly constructed waggon might endanger the safety of a whole train. The wood used in the construction of the London and North- Western Company’s trucks is of the most durable kind, such as oak and elm ; the parts most liable to injury are protected with iron plates ; and, like carriages at Wolverton, old trucks and waggons, when past repairing, are broken up and the materials are sold. 54* LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . CHAPTER V. POINTS, SIGNALS, AND TELEGRAPHS. E have remarked on page 1 6 that upwards of 100,000 persons travel daily upon the various lines of the London and North- Western Railway; and there are few of these travellers who do not, at particular points of their journey, approach some place where the simple pair of rails upon which they have been running seem to branch out to right and left into an apparently confused labyrinth of metals. Among all the many intersecting roads before them, there is perhaps but one which their train can follow without the greatest danger ; and while they in safety take this, other trains pass and re-pass, or branch off to right or left of them in perfect confidence, apparently as if they knew, among so many roads, the particular ones which would bring them safely to the end or their journey. The way in which this result is accomplished we propose to consider in the present chapter. This part of our mission, too, we trust to perform faithfully, and in such a manner that the traveller who has hitherto been timid at approaching some well-known junction, shall rest assured that he is in less danger there than whilst walking through the streets of the metropolis ; and shall unconcernedly hear the scream of an ap- proaching express, knowing that skill, foresight, and care have been combined so as to render it all but an impossibility for it to do him the slightest injury. All travellers have heard about and have seen points and signals, and know that their safety on a railway journey depends greatly upon these ; but the way in which they are worked exists in the minds of most men as a vague idea, and with generally the erroneous one that a signal-man is an overworked official who may, through fatigue of mind or body, show a safety signal while he opens a road to danger. They know his power ; for by day they have found their train slackened in its speed or stopped altogether in its course by the arm of the semaphore ; and by night, too, they have seen at large stations a number of red, green, and white lights, often so arranged as to call forth admira- tion at their beautiful effect ; and they know that these are the POINTS , SIGNALS, AND TELEGRAPHS. 55 signals which stop their train, slacken its speed, or bid it go on and fear nothing. Few persons, however, know that though the signal-man apparently controls the machinery that effects this, yet he himself is also controlled by the machinery, and can in no way make the signals and the points work otherwise than in harmony. From ignorance of this arises that almost groundless fear which haunts some railway passengers when they see before them an apparent complication of lines, and trains steaming along them in all directions ; for they do not bear in mind that what appears to the uninitiated as hopeless confusion, is often to those who understand it admirable order. We extract the following, with some trifling additions and adaptations, from the Engineer : — - “ In the early youth of the railroad/signals formed an essential part of its equipment, and, though they were then imperfect in construction and rude in action, they satisfied tolerably well the wants of the time. But as the railroad extended its arms in all directions, branching hither and thither, converging to a terminus or diverging from a junction, the arrangement and working of signals involved problems of extreme complexity, problems all the more difficult because a failure in their solution might cause incalculable loss to railway proprietors and injury to railway travellers. The conditions of such problems have at length been reduced to their simplest form, and by arrangements which are neither costly nor complex, security in working points and signals has been attained, as great as the imperfection of all human mechanism will permit. “Not at junctions only, but also at most stations, and, above all, at terminal stations, points are required to shift trains from one line to another. At the greater stations, where trains are frequent, it is constantly necessary to change the platforms for arrival. One platform may be occupied by one train ; another train coming up must therefore be directed to another platform. Trains have to be drawn away from their arrival platforms and guided into those used for departure, and locomotives have to be directed now hither, now thither, to perform those operations of hauling and pushing which are so necessary, but which, to the uninitiated, appear so confused and perplexing. In all such cases, the mere movements to and fro are of course entirely in the hands of the engine-driver ; the deviations from side to side are exclusively under the control of the pointsman. There are thus two authorities who have to be co-ordinated by some system which shall make them work harmoniously together. The system, reduced to its simplest terms, is this : — The engine-driver is told that when a certain semaphore arm stands out horizontally before him, or when a certain red disc presents its broad face towards him, or when at night a certain red light meets his view, the line 56 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . is barred against him ; on no account must he proceed, but must then and there stop short and remain till further orders. He knows nothing of the reason for the delay, nor need he know ; the signal tells him that danger is ahead, and however vexatious or unaccountable the stoppage may be, obey he must, on peril of life and limb, not to himself only, but to hundreds besides. When the semaphore arm is lowered, when the disc is turned edgeways towards him, or when a green or white light takes the place of the red glare, he may proceed, for those signals tell him that the line is clear. As signals constitute the organ of com- munication with the driver, almost everything depends on their being properly worked. In former times a station-master, a porter, or some other employe, put signals at safety or danger, as the case might be, while some one else worked the points. Or it might be that the pointsman ran from his point to the signal lever, or vice versa . But besides the outlay of time, this division of duty and. responsibility could not ensure the safety of the passengers. Points and signals were at times in direct contra- diction, and produced disastrous consequences. “ It thus came to be a matter of absolute necessity that railway points and signals should be so correlated that no con- tradiction could - occur. The desired result has been achieved, and perhaps nowhere is this triumph of ingenuity more fully illustrated than at the great stations on the London and North Western Railway. “ For the sake of setting this apparently complex system of correlated points and signals more clearly before the reader, let us in imagination pay a visit to a signal-box at one of these great London and North-Western stations. It is not necessary to select any one in particular, for the only difference between them will be found to be in the external shape, or position, of the signal-box, the number of semaphores, levers, and telegraphs, and the number of employes required to work them. The system is the same in all. “We see before us, then, some hundred yards in front of the station, a platform erected, at a height sufficient to give a clear view of all the lines. On this platform stands a glass house, and farther on are four tall poles, from either side of which project semaphore arms, say, to the number of twenty-four. These arms generally remain in their horizontal attitude, to signify danger, and are only occasionally lowered, and that but for a few seconds, to signify that the passage is clear. With others at a distance they command all the lines and sidings near the station, and every driver of a locomotive arriving, departing, or changing lines, has to keep his eye steadily upon some of them, stopping without fail when their warning blocks his way, and moving without fear when POINTS , SIGNALS , AND TELEGRAPHS. 57 they promise safety. He easily distinguishes which of the signals belong to the line he occupies for the moment, for they are arranged to right and left, and, in altitude, in a manner corresponding to the arrangement of the' lines themselves. If, then, the engine-driver does his duty, and if the signals properly point it out, no accident can happen. “Mounting by an iron ladder to the signal platform, we enter the glass house. One side of this building is occupied, by a row of strong iron levers standing nearly upright from the floor, and placed at equal distances along the one side of the apartment, as in our view of the interior of the signal-box at Crewe (fig. 18) ; on the opposite side are many electric telegraph instruments, and the rest or the width forms a gangway or passage from end to end for two stalwart and serious-looking men, whose time is entirely occupied in looking through the glass sides of their cell, and pulling this way or pushing that way some of the levers which are arranged before them. These levers work all the points and signals, and their number is found to correspond exactly with the number of points and signal levers outside. Every lever is numbered, and on the floor beside it there is fixed a brass plate, engraved with its name and use. Sets of them are also distinguished in a way that readily catches the eye, by being painted in strong colours. Thus, for example, all the point levers may be black, the up signals red, the down signals blue, and the distant signals green. The row of levers thus presents a diversified pattern to the eye, which is readily caught by the parti-coloured groups, and, having once got the key, distinguishes quickly and correctly between their different classes. “On examining the levers somewhat more closely we perceive that many of them have numbers painted on their sides, not one number only, but in some cases half a dozen or more ; and one naturally asks what can be their meaning. These numbers in- volve the whole secret of the safety which is secured by the mechanism, as will be readily understood on examining the prin- ciples on which it has been devised. ‘ ‘ The keys and pedals of an organ, as every one knows, com- mand numerous valves admitting air from- a wind- chest to the pipes which it is desired to sound. The key-boards are some- times double or triple, and are occasionally arranged so that the performer sits with his back to the instrument. The pipes are generally spread over a large space, and sets of them are some- times enclosed in separate chambers. There thus arises con- siderable complexity in the mechanism by which the several keys are made to operate on their respective air valves. Nevertheless, by means of rods, cranks, and levers, such a connection is effected that, on depressing a C key, not one C pipe only, but it may be ot Signal-Box at Crewe Juuction. (Fig. i3.) POINTS, SIGNALS , AND TELEGRAPHS. 59 twenty C pipes are made to sound, in whatever part of the in' strument those pipes may be situated. And so it is with the points and signal levers. The whole row may be considered to form a key-board of five-and-a-half octaves, every key of which is connected by suitable cranks and rods to some one of the sixty- seven points and semaphores which have to be played upon. In the organ, a touch of the finger serves to depress a key, for the movement has only to admit a puff of air to certain pipes— but here the keys require a strong and steady pull, for they have to move ponderous point bars, or broad semaphore arms, and their movements have to be conveyed round many corners and over considei able distances. Ik both cases the mode of communicat- ing motion is the same, the two mechanisms differing only in size and strength ; and thus far the organ and the signal instru- ment exactly correspond. Now, however, we come to a point in which they differ toio ccclo. A performer on the organ can touch any keys he pleases in any order or in any number; he can i discourse most eloquent music,’ or he can rend the ears of his audience by abominable discord. Not so the signalman. Concord he can produce at will, but discord is utterly beyond his powers. He cannot open the points to one line and at the same time give a safety signal to a line which crosses it ; and the points must be properly set, close home to the stock, or fixed rail, or the signal for a train to pass cannot possibly be given, and the least obstruction occurring to prevent the full and true opening or closing of the points is at once discovered, even with connecting rods of the greatest length practicable. Moreover, whilst a train is actually travelling through the points, it is itself master of the situation ; not even the signalman can, either intentionally or inadvertently’ change their position or disturb them until the whole train is safely passed. When he gives a clear signal for a main line, he cannot open a point crossing to it ; when he gives a clear signal for a crossing he must show danger for all the lines which it crosses. And this is the meaning of the numbers marked on the different levers. No. io, let us suppose, has 5, 7, and 23 marked on its side. He maw pull at No. 10 as long as he pleases, but he cannot move it till Nos. 5, 7, and 23 have first been moved • and so throughout the whole system. No signal lever can be moved to safety unless the point levers corresponding with it have first been moved, and no point lever can be moved while there stands at safety any signal lever that ought to stand at danger. Eveiy lever is under lock and key, each being a part of the key which unlocks some of the others, and each forming a part of the lock which secures some of .the others against possible move- ment, while each is at the same time subject to the control of all those which are related to it. 6o LONDON AND NORTH-IVESIERN GUIDE. “This result, complex and difficult as it seems, is achieved by mechanism of great simplicity and beauty. Immediately under the floor of the platform, and just in front of the levers, are arranged several series of vibrating and sliding bars, somewhat like the tumblers of a lock placed horizontally. These bars have projections here which stand in front of certain levers as obstacles to their motion, or notches there which permit certain levers to travel. Some of them have sloping faces such that, when a lever moves along them, it edges them to one side, and this transverse motion being communicated to others of the series brings the proper projections or notches in front of those other levers to which the moving lever is related. Thus, by the movement of one lever, some others are stopped and some are left free, and this simple principle carefully applied to all, works them into a system incapable of discord. “The locking apparatus of points and signals is not excepted from the general law of depreciation. So skilfully, however, have the London and North-Western Company’s mechanical engineers worked out the system, that the very wear of the material becomes an element of safety. The natural or normal position of all the signals, be it remembered, is that which indicates danger. If, then, through slackness or wear, the lever which works a signal should become partly inoperative, the worst that can happen is to leave the signal at danger. This may cause delay, because it may stop a train which might safely proceed, but it cannot involve danger; and throughout the whole mechanism this great principle is kept in view, to be safe under any circumstances. Let cranks or slides wear, rods stretch or break, delay may ensue, but danger never. “ Having thus described the general features of the mechanism which actuates points and signals and correlates them, we will now explain the system which guides the signalists in their opera- tions. At each end of the glass house a man is seated with note- book and pencil in front of an electric telegraph instrument. The apparatus on the right rings a bell, the man looks at its index, and immediately exclaims, ‘Chester,’ ‘Stockport,’ or whatever else the needle may direct him to say. Looking along the line of rail we perceive the steam cloud of a locomotive advanc- ing, and presently catch the bright sheen of its steam-chest as it sweeps with a train round the curve on the right or left side. Before we can turn round, the signalmen have drawn some three, four, or it may be half a dozen levers, the proper junctions have been effected, and the due signals are set : the train glides safely up to its allotted platform. And not one train only, for several trains may be coming up their several lines, and others may be simultaneously sweeping out from the station. The telegraph passes the word from afar, the man who watches it POINTS ; SIGNALS, AND TELEGRAPHS. 61 lepeats the word aloud, and the others calmly, quietly, yet rapidly turn it into the practical work of guiding the train to its des- tination. Ihe telegraph at the opposite end of the glass house is for the general put-poses of the service of the railway. It is called a speaking instrument,” for it can give or receive any message whatever^ and so far it is distinguished from its opposite neigh- bour, which has no tongue except for names of trains, and of these speaking instruments there are on the London and North- Western Railway upwards of 750. Every message with its time is noted by the one man, and every train with its time is noted by the other. Thus, by the labour and attention of two signalists and two telegraphists, during the day— each keeping his eight hours watch— and of half this number at night, when business is slack— the whole of this complex system of points and signals worked with safety and despatch. The number of operations that have to be performed in the crowded hour may perhaps exceed one hundred ; but the performance of these operations by no means tries the powers of the mechanism or oppresses the operators^ excess of work, as may be understood from the fact that a train can be diverted from one extreme line to a platform on the opposite extreme— an operation requiring the movement 0 ' A. pa "' S °A ,h 0Int< i and of al1 the signals belonging to them m the incredibly brief period of twenty seconds. ■ To do thi= on the old system there would have been required one man at each pair of poults, and several men at the signals, we need rnAAf 7 . a . t , a kl g e ex Pense of time and money, and at a considerable risk to the passengers. 1 ° raiI : v ? y com panies, a system which effects so great economy of time and labour is a benefit of no mean order ; and to travellers trilbef" -f PPal ' a 5 US Which f l,ides them with all but absolute A a ‘, y ,° l h ' d f tlnat ! o n is a boon which entitles its inventors and adopters to be ranked as public benefactors.” 6 i may ir V delusion, that telegraph apparatus is fixed at fn 9 ad ?t- eS ‘’A th A Londo ? and North-Western Railway, and tha‘t m add-on to the number of speaking instruments mentioned fol- 0 'lrWk'A f 6 3 ’ 5 , 87 lnst . raments and bells, with ninety switches foi block telegraph working, or signalling, whilst there are ,142 stations from which signals are worked. The number of wires and the labyrinth of rails at Crewe Junction may be seen their y iines he many thousands of passengers who daily travel upon Exterior of Signal-Box at Crewe Junction, showing number of wires. (Fig. 19.) MAIL DEPARTMENT . 63 CHAPTER VI. MAIL DEPARTMENT B Y referring to tlie Post Office estimates for the year ending March 31st, 1874, printed by order of the blouse of Commons, we find that a sum of £446, 532 per annum is set down as the cost of the conveyance of mails by railway in England and Wales. Of this sum no less than £136,740 is paid to the London and North-Western Railway Company, and it will be seen by a glance down the table marked “ Sub Head (G) ” in the official estimates that this is more than double that paid to any other of the forty railways (or thereabout) which carry her Majesty’s mails. The next largest sum, £52,500, is paid to the Great Western, while the Midland claims £45,000, and the North- Eastern £44,030, six other companies getting various sums from £26,060 down to £10,450, and the remainder smaller amounts, some as low as £167. The total sum of the amount paid to the Great Western, the Midland, and the North- Eastern comes, therefore, to very little more than the single item paid to the London and North-Western Railway, leaving some- what more than a third of the gross sum to be divided among about thirty-six smaller lines, a conclusive proof of the great postal and, consequently, commercial extent of the London and North-Western Railway system. The immense district traversed by this railway causes such an enormous quantity of postal -work to devolve upon its lines that were the trains marked in the time tables as mail-trains the only ones that carried letter-bags, the public correspondence would in these crowd out the public. For few persons besides those whose interest and duty it is to know, have any idea of the aggregate weight and bulk of the little |oz. packets that flow in an almost continuous stream from all parts into the sorting rooms of the General Post Office at St. Martin’s le Grand. P>ut some time back the post-office authorities acquired the power to send letter-bags by any train, and from Euston alone no less than twenty passenger trains per day carry the mails to various places on the London and North-Western Railway 64 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Company’s line. This has, to a considerable extent, reduced the bulk and weight of those which are daily carried by the special Irish, the Irish and Scotch, and the limited Scotch mail- trains, by dispersing amony many what would otherwise have to be carried by three. Still, by these special trains the bulk and weight carried are formidable enough, and the van loads of letters, etc., which arrived night and morning from St. Martin’s le Grand, to be quickly stowed away in the post-office carriages, may be spoken of as tons ! Bodks and newspapers make up much of the weight, but not so much as many would suppose, for the starting of Messrs. Smith and Son’s newspaper vans (see Chap. VII., page 75) every morningfrom Euston by the 5. 15 train enables the country booksellers to supply daily papers at an early hour, and conse- quently newspapers are not posted and re-posted to friends from place to place, as in the days when there were no facilities for obtaining the journal du jour. This of course has lightened the labours of the post-office, proportionably, with regard to news- papers, and it will be found that one half of the daily tons of correspondence, etc., is made up of \ oz. letters, circulars, and of post cards weighing oz. each, while it may surprise the reader to learn that before now the springs of the railway post-office carriage have snapped under the united weight of the various missives sent by post. The mail-trains from Euston with sorting carriages are the 7. 15 a. m. — Irish and Scotch — the 8.25 p.m., which is special Irish, and the 8.40 p.m,, the limited mail. The letters for Ireland are sent to the travelling carriage comparatively unsorted, and the correspondence for particular towns is made up en route. Some of this is done in the train from Euston to Holyhead, and some of it in the post-office cabin of the Holyhead and Kingstown mail steamers, as shown in illustration, fig. 24, page 73. Thus it is all ready for distribution by the various Irish railway com- panies directly the mail arrives at Dublin. The limited mail, for Scotland, which leaves Euston at 8.40 p.m., is limited to four passenger carriages, one for Edinburgh, one for Glasgow, one for Aberdeen, and one for inverness, with post-office sorting carriages, and two bag tenders, connected with each other by gangways, thus enabling the officials to pass from one to another. The sorting carriages are about 26 feet in length ; the tenders are not quite so large, nor are they fitted for their whole length with sorting boxes, their chief use being for the stowage of direct mail-bags from London to Liverpool, Man- chester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other large towns, until such time as the train reaches Scotland, when they are used for taking up and sorting the Glasgow and Edinburgh mails. The furniture of the sorting carriage is nil, if we except a small rack for books Post Office Van, Mail-bag Exchanging Apparatus, showing Bags ready for delivery. (Fiy 66 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. of reference and a swing seat in the shape of a saddle, on which the sorter may sit when he is tired of standing. The most interesting feature in the post-office carriages is, however, the mail-bag exchanging apparatus, and of this we therefore purpose giving a short description. The machinery consists of a rope net, in a strong iron frame, fixed upright against the outside of the carriage window-shutter, as shown in fig. 2d. This net at the proper time is let down, and then extends about 2 feet 6 inches over the side of the line. A strong rope in the shape of the letter V is permanently fixed from the side of the carriage to the outer side of the net, horizontally, thus <1, the opening facing the direction in which the train is going, and this, passing under the post at the station on which bags to be received are hung (see fig. 2i), sweeps them out of the springs which previously held them in position into the net, when they are lifted in through the window. The bags to be left at the station are made up in bales weighing about 7olbs. each (this being the weight proportioned to the tension of the springs), and the wrappers in which they are enclosed are of strong leather/ secured by cross-straps. A short strong strap with an iron tongue is attached to each bale, and this is inserted between the springs of a lever at the side of the doorway. The bale is gently pushed out at the proper time, and its weight brings the lever down into an extended position. Passing over the ground net at, the side of the line, the bales, one or more, according to the requirements of the town, are swept out of the lever springs and left on the ground net. By again referring to fig. 20 , the manner in which the bag is inserted in the lever springs will be apparent to the reader. Having described the mail-bag exchanging apparatus, we pro- ceed to speak of the journey and the internal arrangements of the sorting-carriage and tenders. Some of our readers may have travelled by, and others may have seen, the “Wild Irishman ” and the “Flying Scotchman,” as these special mail-trains are familiarly called, and may be aware of the speed at which they travel. The time of their departure is fixed by the post-office authorities, as is also that of the trains which wait their arrival at the various junctions with North-Western branches and other companies’ lines. These trains are allowed to wait a short but rigidly fixed time, in case the limited mail should be late. This may be the case in w ’inter ; though in summer it passes or arrives at the various places on its route with almost the regularity of clock- work. Between London and Aberdeen the limited mail stops at thirteen stations, which are important junctions with other lines, and the mail-bags are exchanged at fifty-three stations by the apparatus we have described above. The sorting- carriage and 68 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. tenders are exclusively for post-office purposes, and none but post-office officials are allowed to enter them. Relays of em- ployes are here engaged in dealing with the correspondence. One clerk and four sorters start from London and travel as far as Preston ; they are joined by another five at Rugby, who go on to Carlisle. One clerk and one sorter join at Preston in place of those arriving from London, and in the same way those who joined at Rugby are replaced at Carlisle. Each officer is on duty about six hours, and is continuously engaged, the work being evenly extended over the whole of their respective distances, They return to their various head-quarters on the following night by the up mail, and usually perform four journeys, two in each direction, and then rest at home one night. Postmasters sending bags to the travelling post-office divide their letters into two divisions, according to a list supplied to them, and label the bundles respectively i and 2. The object of this will presently be seen. The bags are opened at the news- paper desk, which stands in the middle of the sorting-space, and while bundles marked No. I are handed to the sorter on the bag- opener’s left, those marked No. 2 are passed to the one on his right. The eftect of this arrangement is that letters in bundles No. 2, when sorted, are found to be only for those towns the labelled pigeon-holes for which are on jLe right, and those in No. i for towns whose pigeon-holes are on the left of the bag-, opener ; and it also enables the authorities to tell approximately by whom a particular letter was sorted. While this is going on, the sorters of these respective divisions, Nos. i and 2, are preparing the mails for those towns whose names are before them, and the empty bags to contain the letters hang behind each man. Thus all passing and repassing is avoided. A view of the interior of the sorting- carriage on the London and North-Western Rail- way is shown in illustration on the opposite page (fig. 22 ). Should the bag-opener find any registered letters, these, with the bills upon which they are entered, are handed to the clerk on duty. He also deals with the surcharged and the unpaid correspondence. Such is the internal economy of the sorting-carriage and tenders as the limited mail flies on its way northward. W e ought, however, to mention that, in addition to the clerk and sorters mentioned above, one man is continuously engaged with the exchanging apparatus. On arriving at Carlisle, the train is re-marshalled, and the post-office carriages separated. One of the tenders being used as a sorting-carriage for Edinburgh and another for Glasgow ; and thus the letters collected between London and Carlisle for those cities are prepared for prompt delivery on the arrival of the train. 70 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. At Carlisle two sorters belonging to the Edinburgh and Glas- gow offices, who have worked their way by the up mail, join the train from London, and proceed to do the work which formerly had to be done after the arrival of the limited mail at these two cities. On their v/ay up from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Carlisle, they had sorted the Scotch correspondence for London into bags for its eight metropolitan districts ; then, waiting eight hours, they return to their homes, on the way sort- ing the English correspondence for Edinburgh and Glasgow. The down limited mail service ends at Strome Ferry, in the ex- treme north of Scotland, and here begins the up mail service to London, which is indeed the exact counterpart of the other. The apparatus for taking up and delivering the mails en route is now so perfect that failures to receive into the train are very rare ; but it may upon occasion happen that the bag is not delivered, owing to the official in the darkness of the night fail- ing to observe some well-known object by the way, a house, a brid ge, or a church, which has usually warned him of his near approach to some station. It has been the case that a white horse, or a herd of cattle, having, perhaps, for months past fed in a particular meadow, has sewed as a cue ; and that the sudden with- drawal of either of them to another field has misled the post-office offi cial and caused him to be too late in fixing the bag for delivery. When, however, a failure of this kind does take place, the bag is sent back by first train from the next station, and thus serious inconvenience is avoided. The run between some of the stations is very short, and hence considerable expedition is necessary to get the bags ready in time — we mean, to take those from one station out of the net, and to tie up, seal, and adjust others for delivery before reaching the next station. Sometimes a letter gets missent, but this happens so very rarely that such an occurrence must be looked upon as the exception which proves the rule ; and when we bear in mind the rude or obscure hieroglyphs, rather than handwriting, on some letters, and the imperfect knowledge of geography shown by the writers, we can only wonder that letters thus addressed in an unfamiliar scrawl should be as a rule so unerringly sorted by lamplight, in carriages flying at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Lest some of our readers should be prompted by curiosity to attempt to witness the work of the mail-bag exchanging apparatus, we deem it right to inform them that, owing to the speed of the trains, any attempt of this kind will be useless, as the exchange of the bags is instantaneous, and even the practised eye of the post-office official fails to catch it. Moreover, some little per- sonal risk is incurred if the head, or even the hat, of the curious traveller is thrust too far out of the window of the carriage. Under these circumstances he will do wisely to content himself MAIL DEPARTMENT. 7 l with our description of it, supplemented by an inspection of the working model kept at the Euston station of the London and North-Western Railway Company. As letters between America and Great Britain pass through Ireland, it may interest the transatlantic tourist to know something of the postal arrangements to and through the sister island. We have before spoken incidentally of the two special Irish mails from Euston, morning and evening. The appliances and internal arrangements belonging to the post-office vans of these are similar to those of the limited Scotch mail, and they convey letters over the London and North-Western line as far as Holy- head. Upon the arrival of the train at this port one of the four splendid steamers, Ulster, Leinster , Connaught, or Munster, is in waiting to receive the mails. These vessels are expressly fitted up for this service, and are unrivalled as to speed and safety. Of one of the finest of these steamers,, the Connaught we give an illustration, (fig. 23). The steamer is bound to start a few minutes after the mails are shipped, and in the post-office cabin, the process of sorting en route goes on as shown in fig. 24, in spite of wind and weather. Upon arriving at Kingstown the mails are carried by rail to Dublin, and thence are sent out into all parts of the island. The number of mail- bags conveyed weekly by the above steamers averages — By day boats - - - - 339 hags By night boats - - ■ 788 ,, Total - 1,127 ,, The advantages of sending and receiving the Anglo-American correspondence by the special Irish mail trains are obvious. If an ocean mail steamer start from Liverpool on the evening of the 1 6th instant, letters may be posted in London to go by it up till the evening of the 1 7th, the steamer calling at Queens- town and taking in the bags which have meanwhile been conveyed by the London and North-Western Railway Company’s special Irish mail, and Holyhead and Kingstown steamers, and Great Southern and Western Railway to Queenstown. In like manner letters from America are landed at Queenstown, and, proceeding thence by fast mail train, reach London long before the steamer which brought them from New York gets to Liverpool. The landing of the American mails at Queenstown, en route for England, is shown in illustration (fig. 25). We may here remark that the mail steamers between Liverpool and New York, which pass by the north of Ireland, land and receive the mails at Londonderry in the same way as those which pass Ireland by the south do at Queenstown. Holyhead and Kingstown Mail Steamer Connaught. (Fig. NEWSPAPER DEPARTMENT. 75 CHAPTER VII. THE NEWSPAPER DEPARTMENT. W HEN a late speaker rises in the House of Commons to close a debate upon some great question of national in- \ terest, he may, in these days, be considered as addressing not ] only those immediately before him, but also the members of the { commonwealth at large. To those who sit within the range of j his voice his words, indeed, travel at the rate of about thirteen | miles per minute, while to those who are beyond its reach they \ come, though more slowly, at a speed which years ago would j have been deemed incredible. He may have finished speaking :j at 4 a.m., and on that same morning his speech may be read by | the Birmingham manufacturer before starting to unlock his ware- jj house. : Let us consider how this result is attained. While the honoura- j ble member is addressing the House a dozen pens in the reporters gallery are busy taking down his words. Paragraph after paragraph is flashed along the wire, let us say, to the Times office, to be set up by the compositor. At the last moment the result of the division is added, the impatient steam- engine is set to work, the printing-machine is fed with its daily rations of paper, and copy after copy of the Times of that day is thrown off. Then, about this time, to him who on a winter’s morn- ing stands in Printing House Square, appears one of the many strange sights of the nineteenth century. By the light of the gas- lamps the street is seen to be full of vans bearing the name, W. H. Smith and Son, or London and North - Western Railway. Amongst these, but near to the office door, is gathered a little crowd of men belonging to the ccal-whipper and costermonger class ; and not far off stands the impassive form of the London policeman. These men and these vehicles are waiting impa- tiently for the hour of publishing. The vans are backed up to the door, and the men’s eyes are frequently bent upon the lighted windows of the office, through which may be seen “faint glimpses of the inner world.” Presently they catch sight of the first bale of copies, borne on the shoulders of one of the employes, who passes by the window toward the door, and then all is stir and bust’e. 76 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Bale upon bale is brought forth and placed by these street-porters in the vans which have been waiting to receive them. If the spectator chance to have anything of an official look about him he will, perhaps, find himself regarded as «ne sent from 186, Strand, to see that no bale goes astray, or is left behind, and may hear frequent remarks that “all will be right this morning, anyhow.” Those, however, of our readers who have no opportunity of visiting Printing House Square at the hour of publishing may form a fair idea of this busy scene by referring to our illustration (fig 26). As the vans are filled they drive off and others take their place, for by 5.15 a.m. all newspapers for the midland and north-western districts of the country must be at Euston. For this reason, and also because they are the most important customers, Messrs. Smith and Son’s vans are first served, though any bookseller or stationer may send his parcels by the same train, provided they arrive at Euston in time. Although we have as yet spoken only of the Times office, the reader wfill do well to remember that the same kind of scene is being enacted at all the various offices of the great London papers, an:l that a little before 5 a.m. every day a steady stream of Messrs. Smith and Son’s vans is setting in towards Euston. Let us now turn to this station. Here the 5.15 a.m. train is waiting, and attached to it are three vehicles, known as “Messrs. Smith and Son’s Newspaper Vans.” Externally they have no particularly interesting features, but upon looking into the interior we perceive a table extending the length of one side of the van, and upon this lie a number of ready-directed wrappers, while others are arranged on little shelves immediately above. Within we also find four or five of Messrs. Smith and Son’s employes, waiting for the arrival of the newspapers to begin their work of counting and wrapping up. As the street vans come in they are unloaded, and in an incredibly short space of time the bundles and bales are all transferred to the railway vans ; the train starts, the men at the same time begin their work, and the interior of the van assumes the appearance shown in our illustration (fig 27). One of the London and North-Western Company’s servants accompanies the newspaper van, and as the bundles are made up he receives them from the packers, weighs them, and notes down the weight and every particular, so that the carriage may be fairly charged to Messrs. Smith and Son. As in the case of letter-bags by the mail, so by the newspaper train the bundles for the nearest places are first made up and are reaiy for delivery directly at the station. As the 7. 15 a.m. Irish and Scotchmail overtakes the 5. 15 a.m., this latter train does not take the newspapers for Ireland and Scotland, neither does it convey many other bundles to their full destination. For instance Tiie 1 imes Ortice, x.inting hiouse Square, at the hour ot publishing. (Tig. 26.)' NEWSPAPER DEPARTMENT \ 79 the newspapers for Birmingham are counted and made up into bundles between Huston and Rugby, where they are put out to be forwarded by fast trains. Those for Manchester and Liver- pool are in like manner made up en route , and are put out at Stafford (the extreme point to which Messrs. Smith and Son’s vans run), and are thence forwarded by the newspaper train to their respective destinations. The newspaper vans then return empty to Euston, to be ready for service next day. The hour at which newspapers arrive, by the 5.15 a.m. and trains in connection with it, at the various stations at which they are delivered is as follows : — Euston, departs at “ 5.15 Blisworth, arrives at - 6.35 Rugby „ - 7.6 Nuneaton ,, - 7.30 Tamworth ,, - 7-5° Stafford ,, - - 8.32 Leamington ,, - 8.45 Birmingham ,, - 8.20 Crewe ,, - 9-i3 Manchester ,, - 10.0 Chester ,, - 10.27 Liverpool ,, - 10.25 The newspapers for Ireland and Scotland are despatched by the 7.15 a.m. mail from Euston, and reach — Dublin at 6.20 p.m. Edinburgh and Glasgow at - 6.0 ,, Thus we see how closely connected the members of the House of Commons may be with their respective constituencies, and how science, commercial enterprise, and the wonderful machinery of the railway have been combined to produce this result. The case we have cited indeed will perhaps be looked upon as chiefly interesting to politicians ; but it is of course unnecessary to remind our readers that it is not the politician only to whom the early conveyance of news from a central point is a matter of interest or advantage. Suffice it to say that thousands of individuals are benefited by the admirable arrangements we have described the working of above ; while few, we fear, consider or inquire how much they are indebted to the London and North-Western Rail- way Company for the facilities which they afford the public of learning at the earliest hour every occurrence which may be of public interest or for public advantage, not to speak of the many private interests depending upon an early knowledge of what is done in the world. Perhaps a glance at the past may make us 8o LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. more keenly alive to the benefits and pleasures we derive from the Astern which we have been describing. There are yet some living among us who remember a different state of things; when, in the time of the long Peninsula war, rumour had come of a great battle at Talavera, or vSalamanca, and the smiths and button makers of Birmingham, after hours of conjecture and debate, turned out to watch for the arrival of the London coach. If it came in decorated with laurels, those who first perceived this began a shout which swelled into a loud huzza as it reached the denser masses of the crowd. From the narrow streets and alleys of Digbeth and Deritend the people gathered round, and hemmed in the coach. The horses that had toiled to bring the good news were released from the traces, and while they were led quietly up the Bull Ring, the noisy crowd hauled and pushed the vehicle and its load up that steep hill to the * 4 Swan,” or the “ Hen and Chickens.” Then the huzzas were hushed as the guard ! produced the Twies , and from the back of the coach began to J read the particulars of the fight and the list of killed and wounded. This last was the aliquid a?nari , and, as a rule, could t only contain those names mentioned in “the Duke’s” despatch, i The greater bitterness of suspense remained for the friends of the “rank and file ;” and, for the multitude at large, days often had to elapse before the fate of hundreds of their townsmen could be known. In these days, on the contrary, thanks to steam, electricity, and commercial enterprise, much, at least,' of the agony of suspense is saved. Indeed, all true news is better soon than late : — 11 Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures ; And of so easy and so plain a stop, That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, The still discordant wavering multitude, Can play upon it.” ♦ * * * c “ From Rumour’s tongues, They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true wrongs.” Shakspeare, King Henry IV., Part II. Induction. PARCEL DEPARTMENT. Si CHAPTER VIII. PARCEL AND MERCHANDISE DEPARTMENTS. Parcel Department. W E have previously (as will be seen by referring to page 8. ante), mentioned the parcel office in one of the build- ings forming part of the grand Doric portico at Euston. We propose now briefly to set before the reader a few items of in- formation respecting this department on the London and North- Western Railway Company’s line. In the first place, parcels, like passengers, are of three classes. Light parcels, and such as need quick delivery, may be sent by the most speedy means of conveyance, “passenger train”; others may be sent by “van train,” a means of conveyance inferior in speed to the preceding ; but of more rapid transit than the third, or “luggage train,” which is the cheapest and, of course, the slowest means of forwarding goods. The van train, as a means of forwarding parcels, we believe, from our own experience, not to be so widely known as it deserves, the public generally only knowing the existence of the passenger and the goods train. Were the advantages of the cheap, and in most cases sufficiently expeditious, van train better known, parcels which cannot well travel in company with heavy goods, and which will not bear the cost of carriage by passenger train, would be sent in greater numbers ; and people living twenty or thirty miles from a large town would find it far cheaper to pay the carriage of goods for household consumption from the towil than to give the shopkeepers in small places their high prices for long-kept articles. Still, though the public is to a great extent unaware of the advantages offered by the railway, the fact that about one million and a half of parcels are annually carried to and from the Euston terminus alone by the London and North-Western Railway Company is sufficient to show the great amount of business transacted in this department. In fact, owing to the vast number of parcels constantly being sent out from, and coming into, Euston, it has been found necessary, in 6 82 I ONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE, order to expedite the transaction of this branch of the company’s business, to establish two distinct offices, one for the despatch and the other for the delivery of small packages daily arriving at this station. Pneumatic Despatch Company. We may here mention that the Pneumatic Despatch Company has laid down a line of tubes between the General Post Office, High Holborn, and Euston (a distance of 4,738 yards) for the conveyance of mail-bags and parcels generally. This company, however, has suffered from having to encounter much the same kind of opposition as that which beset railway companies in earlier days ; the Duke of Bedford refusing to allow the pneu- matic tubes to pass through his estate. The Pneumatic Despatch Company’s “ carriers ” which convey the mails and parcels through the tubes are each about 10 feet long and 3 feet ten inches high, and are of the same form as the tube, which resembles an ordinary tunnel on a small scale. Each carrier runs upon four wheels, and a number of them can be coupled together so as to form a train. The mode of propelling or drawing these is as follows : — At the central station in Holborn is a steam-engine which works a rotary fan 25 feet 6 inches in diameter, and this produces simultaneously the pres- sure which propels one train of carriers to Euston and the vacuum which at the same time draws the return trains to Holborn. The propelling pressure is about ^lb. to the square inch, and with this a train of loaded carriers, weighing ten or twelve tons, is easily sent up an incline even of as steep a gradient as 1 in 15. The engineer of the Pneumatic Despatch Company is L. Clark, Esq., C.E., who was also the inventor of the system now univer- sally adopted of transmitting telegraphic messages through pneu- matic tubes. Thus pneumatic agency seems to form with steam and electricity a triple alliance for saving that which is commer- cially, as well as in other respects, most valuable to man, time. Merchandise Department. According to the half-yearly reports of the directors for 1874, the amount received by the company in that year for the carriage of merchandise, live stock, and minerals was ^5, 169,502, the number of tons conveyed on the line being not less than 24,017,638, while the mileage of trains run to work this enor- mous tonnage was 16,062,108 miles. These figures will show the reader what a large business is conducted by the company in the transmission of goods. It is not our intention to describe in detail the arrangements for working this class of traffic ; but a few general remarks may interest the tourist as he glances through this portion of the Guide. MERCHANDISE DEPARTMENT. 83 In working a line like the London and North-Western, the goods trains run with full loads between the most important places. The traffic at the intermediate. stations is collected by a service of local trains, and conveyed to centres such as Rugby, Crewe, and other junctions, there to be properly marshalled and classified, and from thence to be forwarded by the through trains without further delay. The duty of marshalling and classifying the goods and mineral traffic into district and station order is a work of enormous mag- nitude. The business at the terminal stations, such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Carlisle, is both com- plicated and costly. Without this arrangement of trains for their several destinations, and of the waggons in those trains in station order, it would be almost impossible to cany on the goods and mineral traffic without the most serious interruptions and delays. As it is, any neglect or omission on the paid of any member of the staff in this respect results in confusion at the various junc- tions and stations on the journey. The magnitude of these opera- tions may be realised from the fact that the company have one hundred and seventy-two engines constantly employed in marshal- ling and classifying the trains in the sidings, and that the total number of hours of shunting performed in the year 1874 was 613,472, by the above regular and extra shunting engines, repre- senting a cost to the company, at 5s. an hour, of ^153,368. The importance of this work being effectually performed has been fully recognised, and constant attention has been given to secure it, so as to avoid delay and irregularity on the main line. At terminal stations various methods have been adopted. Thus at Camden, a double line of turn-tables across the shunting lines is worked by hydraulic capstans, and at other places there are fan- shaped sidings, each siding holding waggons for different districts, but involving a separate operation to place them in station order. At some stations the sidings have been arranged on a similar plan, but with the gradient falling with the load so as to econo- mise power ; and recently a plan has been devised by an officer of the company by which the waggons can be marshalled in district and station order at the same time. This plan has been ordered to be carried out at Edge Hill (Liverpool), in the first instance, and if found practicable will be adopted at all the larger stations. It is not within the scope of this Guide to do more than allude to the working of the goods traffic at the stations, and to the application of steam and hydraulic power to the cranes, lifts, and arrangements requisite to secure a quick and economical conduct of the business. All railway companies are now common carriers. Originally this business was conducted over the various railways by the old 84 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. canal and road carriers. In a few years, however, it became evident that, in order to enable the railway companies to cope with the increasing derru^ids of the public, it should be managed wholly by themselves, the carriers being appointed as the cartage agents in the principal towns. This was a radical change, and contrary to the intention of the original promoters of railways ; and, while the result has been of great advantage to the com- munity, some persons think the companies would have benefited to a greater extent, had they continued as toll-takers instead of becoming carriers. However this may be, the organisation and method with which this great trade is conducted by all the com- panies are indeed surprising. The staff of men and horses engaged in the collection and delivery of goods in London, by the London and North-Western Company alone, exceeds the number that was necessary to work all the coaches and carriers’ vans that ran in the old days to and from the north. They have altogether sixteen hundred men and one thousand horses engaged in the goods business in London. The speed with which this is carried on is remarkable. The collection, transit, and delivery of goods between all the important towns in England is accomplished within the day of twenty-four hours, and between England and Scotland and the ports of Ireland within two days, or forty-eight hours. The Yorkshire merchant attends the London wool sales ; he makes his purchases one day, and the wool is in his warehouse the next. The Lancashire spinner attends the Liverpool cotton market, and expects his cotton delivered, and probably in actual consumption, the next day. The dead meat from Scotland and the poultry, butter, and eggs from Ireland are all despatched with the narrowest margin of time to meet particular markets ; and all is accomplished with certainty. This could only have been done by means of the universal system of through rates and through booking that exists between the companies, and which has been encouraged and developed by the facilities afforded by the railway clearing-houses in England and Ireland for the settlement of the complicated through traffic arrangements relating both to goods and rolling stock. THE RAILWAY CLEARING HOUSE . 85 CHAPTER IX. THE RAILWAY CLEARING HOUSE* T HE through traffic of the London and North-Western Rail- way, z>., traffic booked to or from places on other companies 7 lines, is immense, and is settled through The Railway Clearing House. This establishment, the only one of the kind in Great Britain, is a large but unpretending building, situate on part of the premises of the London and North-Western Railway Company’s station at Euston. It contains many rooms, in most of which a number of clerks are engaged in working out silently and surely some of the most intricate commercial problems of the day ; but before explaining to the reader what these are it will be well to state to him briefly and clearly the raison d'etre of the Clearing House. Previous to the year 1842 (when the Clearing House was established) each railway company only booked as far as its line extended, so that on a long journey a passenger had to frequently change carriages, shift luggage, and get a fresh ticket. The inconvenience of this was keenly felt by the public, and of course the railway companies could not but be aware that the re-booking of passengers and changing of luggage entailed extra work and, consequently, extra expense upon themselves. Nor was the inconvenience limited to the human passenger. The ox, the sheep, and the pig (except in the item of luggage), likewise gave trouble on long journeys ; and with goods and parcels the difficulties and delays were most vexatious both to sender and receiver. To remedy this state of things, and, as it were, to unite the many railways of the country into one common highway for the service of the public, the Clearing House was established. Like all new things in England, it was received with little favour at first, and three years after its commencement only sixteen railway companies had availed themselves of its services. Ten years later there were seventy-three ; but in 1868 its jurisdiction extended 86 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. over 13,000 miles of rail. The number of companies using the Clearing House is now ninety-four and the mileage 15,000. The Railway Clearing House is under the control of a com- mittee, composed of directors appointed by all the railway com- panies that are parties to the clearing arrangements ; the expense of maintaining the establishment being divided in proportion to the amount of business done by each company. Here, then, after a passenger has booked through, say from Euston to Inverness, or elsewhere upon another company’s line, the ticket given up at the end of the journey is received, and each of the several railway companies over whose line the passenger has travelled is credited with its proper share of the sum paid at Euston ; and in like manner the London and North-Western Railway Company would be credited with its share of a fare paid at a station on another company’s line for a ticket, say to Euston. The same course is adopted with regard to live stock, parcels, goods, and minerals, booked by one company to places on the lines of other companies, only that the calculation of what is due to each is often rendered more intricate by the fact that traffic may be booked by one company, carried in the waggons of a second, over the lines of a third, fourth, or fifth, and pro- tected by the tarpaulins of a sixth ; the waggons being, moreover, subject to a demurrage, that is, a charge for their detention. Demurrage is also charged upon passenger carriages. Thus, if a party take a first-class carriage from Euston to Edinburgh, the Scotch railway company is bound to return it at once, either full or empty, or a demurrage charge of 10s. per day is made for its detention ; so also, at proportionately lower rates, with seconds and thirds and goods waggons, which last are charged 3s. per day. In order to check this detention, servants of the Clearing House are stationed at every junction to note down the numbers of ‘ 4 foreign ” vehicles, as they are called, with the dates upon which they go out and return; and the detention of any of these for a day or even a few hours is carefully set down and charged against the offending company. From this, the reader will see how intricate the calculations of the Clearing House must necessarily be ; and if he refer on page 16 to the enormous passenger and other traffic upon the London and North-Western Railway, he will see that if it were not for this institution that company and the others in conjunction with it must be continually handing over and returning to each other immense sums of money, instead of mere balances. Every com- pany would have to maintain a staff of clerks specially for this work, and these not being controlled by one general manage- ment, and being of necessity biassed in favoui of their respective employers, numberless disputes would arise, an evil which cannot THE RAILWAY CLEARING HOUSE. 87 take place when all the railway companies agree to place their accounts for settlement in the Clearing House, where these come into the hands of specially trained clerks, working on one system, without bias and with one sole aim, viz., to produce the nc plus I ultra of exactness, and who are moreover the employes of an j establishment whose decisions in respect of disputed claims are 1 final. Perhaps there is no commercial establishment which stands so j purely upon its merits as the Railway Clearing House. No j railway company is obliged to join it, and any company can | withdraw from it ; but as it would be found impossible to do their ; through business without its aid, no one does withdraw. It is a ; voluntary association combined under the provisions of an Act ' of Parliament, having no legal power beyond that of suing and ! being sued, of deciding disputes between railway companies, and , of adjusting mutual obligations in the most economical manner. The establishment is divided into four departments, viz. : — 1. The Coaching Department, for the settlement of passenger fares, and the receipts arising from the carriage of parcels, horses, • dogs, and fish. 2. The Merchandise Department, the largest in the place, for ' the settlement of goods, live stock, and mineral traffic. 3. The Mileage Department, which settles the accounts relat- ! ing to the interchange of rolling stock. 4. The Lost Luggage Department, which receives daily from all stations in the kingdom returns of articles of luggage found at ; stations and for which no owner has appeared; it also inquires for all articles lost. From our preceding remarks the reader will, we judge, gain : some idea of the origin, purpose, and working of Departments i I, 2, and 3. With respect to the Lost Luggage Department, the i method of recovering missing articles is very simple and effec- tual also, for the returns show that at least 95 per cent, of the waifs and strays come back to the owners. The means taken for I the recovery of lost luggage, etc., is as follows : — A description of : the article gone astray is forwarded to the Clearing Plouse ; this i information is furnished to the various stations, and anything ; which may answer to the description is at once sent up for inspec- ; tion. By this means almost everything gets back to its proper owner, and, considering the vast number of articles lost by care- ; less passengers, in a very short time indeed. To perform the work of these four departments a staff of j nearly 1,200 clerks is now maintained, whereas in 1849, no were ' found to be sufficient ; but then there were only about 50,000,002 ' items to be gone through, instead of the many more millions j which now annually pass through the Clearing House ! Its re- j 88 LONDON ADD NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. ceipts were, in 1847, ^793,701 ; in 1868, they were £1 1,078,284 ; and in 1873,^15,402,814. Attached to the Clearing House there is a large library of from 5,000 to 6,000 vols., supported by the voluntary subscriptions of the clerks ; a capacious dining-room, and luncheon bar, and also a co-operative store. Though the Clearing House is a wonderful monument of commercial intelligence, skill, and exactness, and upon whose existence so much of the public service depends, we advise the tourist to be content with admiring its splendid system of adjust- ing contra accounts, its calculations almost infallible, and its balances, in which no discrepancy is detected ; to be grateful for the power which its existence gives him of passing on from line to line without delay or hindrance in the shape of re-booking, changes of carriage, and shifting of luggage ; and not to consider the Clearing House an institution to be visited out of curiosity as a show-place. Twelve hundred clerks may be deeply inter- ested in as many calculations without being in the least degree interesting tfiemselves, and the presence of a stranger only seems to disturb the genii loci , monotonous routine, perfect exactitude, and supreme silence. Of the genius who originated the Clearing House system we should almost feel inclined to say that, with a far higher object in vhw, he must have possessed the same mental organization as the human calculating machine described by Southey : — “The multiplication table was hi*s creed, His paternoster, and his decalogue.” IRELAND. SECTION I. QUEENSTOWN TO DUBLIN. THE BLACKWATES, GLENGAEIFFE, AND KILLABNEY. UEENSTOWN, formerly known as Cove, and giving its name to the majestic harbour at its foot, is about eleven miles from Cork. The distant appearance from the seaward approach is not promising, although, in a gloomy and rugged way, very picturesque. But, when the two fort-crowned rocky headlands which guard its mouth have been passed, the whole character of the scenery undergoes a change, which will be the more pleasantly appreciated from the contrast it affords with the first view. On entering the harbour, Queenstown is seen fronting the south, and the tourist will be sure to admire the beauty, security, and scope of the broad, deep harbour in which his floating home at last finds a resting-place. It is said to be the finest in Europe, and is so large that it might receive and protect the entire navy of Great Britain. The town itself is seen extend- ing up the slope of a hill, and its appearance is strikingly pic- turesque. On landing, the tourist will be equally sure to enjoy the Queenstown. [Hotel : “The Queen’s.”] 90 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. splendid marine view which the heights above the town command. The view over Haulbowline, Rocky, and Spike Islands, extending to the harbour’s mouth, and embracing the forts and lighthouses, is particularly fine. We give a coloured view. If the tourist decide on remaining at Queenstown for a day, we ! may inform him that the “Great Island,” extending five miles 1 from east to west, and two from north to south, on which the ; town is built, contains some interesting relics of ancient times — viz., the ruins of Bellvelly Castle ; and the still more hallowed remains of Temple-robin Church, where lie buried Tobin, the author of “The Honeymoon,” and the Rev. C. Wolfe, the writer of the ballad on the burial of Sir John Moore. The old church of Clonmel may also be visited. Outside the hotel door the tourist can procure a jaunting car, which will convey him to ; the different spots we have mentioned. We would advise him, in this instance, as well as in all Irish towns where strict cab \ regulations are not supposed to be in vogue, to arrange the fare ' with the driver beforehand. From Queenstown the tourist can, the same day, pay a visit to \ Cloyne, to view its round tower and cathedral. ) Round towers, so prolific of antiquarian controversies, may be seen in many other places which the tourist is about to visit ; but Cloyne Cathedra], ■ supposed to have been built in the fourteenth century, is remark- able as having been under the spiritual care of Bishop Berkeley. The worthy Bishop’s Utopian expedition to America, apart from his reputation as a metaphysical writer, will commend Cloyne to ~ the attention of the tourist. A steamer plies from Queenstown \ to Aghada, whence long outside cars carry passengers to Cloyne. ! Having returned to Queenstown, the tourist has a choice of three ! routes to Cork — by the Cork and Queenstown Direct Railway, - by the Cork and Passage Railway, or by the Citizens’ River ; Steamers, which take him the whole way by water. We would t } \ advise this last route, as a very fine panoramic view is afforded • of “the noble sea avenue to Cork,” at which an eastern traveller has remarked, “A few minarets placed in its hanging gardens 1 ■ would realize the Bosphorus.” As the steamer moves from the * pier, the tourist will get peeps, through the openings between Spike, Haulbowline, and Rocky Islands, at the fort-crowned , headlands that protect the harbour from the Atlantic waves. • : Leaving Queenstown behind, the handsome villas of Middleton ; Park and Rushbrook overhang the river on the right hand ; \ while a little in front, towards the left, rises Monkstown Hill, ■ with its old castle, formerly used for monastic purposes, and its ; pretty Siamese cottages. i Passing Monkstown, a fashionable watering-place, which lies : under the castle, and where the steamer stops to take in and dis- BLACKROCK CASTLE . 91 - charge passengers, we come in sight of Glenbrook Hotel and Baths. Glenbrook is also a watering-place. At the opposite (right-hand) side of the river, runs the railway from Queenstown to Cork direct. After leaving the Glenbrook pier, the club-house and yard of the Glenbrook Rowing Club are passed, and the steamer arrives at. Passage, a small and dirty town, whence there is a railway to Cork, which is distant seven miles. The tourist may land here and proceed by the railway trains which run every hour ; but unless rain has come on, or any other unforeseen accident has occurred, we would say to the traveller, by all means stay where you are — aye, even though it should rain, and blow, and thunder. It is presumed the tourist is interested in scenery ; and, of its kind, there can be found in few places anything to excel the river from Passage to Cork. Passing Fota Island on the right, the eye of the traveller will be attracted by Rlackrock Castle, which stands upon a little promontory on the left-hand side. The river here is very wide, and, if the tide be not low, presents a Blackrock Castle. fine appearance ; the elevated banks on each side are crowned with an abundance of wood, amongst which appear pretty detached villas and terraces overlooking the river. On the left is the Navigation Wall; or, as it is more generally called, the New Wall, an agreeable walk, with good seat accommodation, 92 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . band-house, keeper’s lodge, etc. Behind it lies the Victoria Park, a large piece of reclaimed land ; here the Cork races and horse fairs are held. At the Custom-house the river divides into two channels, the Custom-house occupying the tongue of land which separates them. We ascend the right-hand or north channel. On the right-hand side, as we proceed, are the Great Southern and Western Terminus (the line to Dublin), and the offices of the Cork Steamship Company, with a handsome stone front. In a few minutes we land at St. Patrick’s Bridge, an elegant and commodious structure, lately erected. Cork. [Hotels : te Imperial," Pembroke Street ; “ Royal Victoria,” Patrick Street.] On landing, the tourist puts himself and his luggage on an outside car, and drives through a portion of Patrick Street, at the head of which, facing the bridge, stands the statue of Father Mathew, the apostle of temperance. We advise the tourist to take an outside car. There is another species of hackney carriage peculiar to Cork — the “ jingle but it is uncomfortable, and should only be taken in case of rain. Having reached the hotel, the * 4 Boots ” will look after luggage, and show the tourist his bedroom. Having gone through his ablutions, he may en- quire his way to the coffee-room. Here all needful refreshments can be obtained, and every hotel has a billiard-room, where, if so inclined, the tourist can find amusement. The population of Cork, in 1871, amounted to 78,382. The principal streets are Patrick Street, the Grand Parade, and the South Mall. These streets, which, roughly speaking, form three sides of a square and enclose a number of smaller streets, are broad, but the houses are built in an unmethodical manner, and impress one with a sense of a want of harmony. The Grand Parade runs from the end of Patrick Street to the south branch of the river Lee. It is a fine street, even wider than Patrick Street, yet conspicuous for the same fault of irregularity. The South Mall leads from the end of the Grand Parade to Anglesea Bridge, and its continuation is Lapp’s Quay, leading to the Custom-house. It is probably the best built and most respect- able street in the city. Formerly the centre of this street was a river deep enough for ships to come up with the tide. Beneath Patrick Street and the Grand Parade are broad water-courses, arched over at great expense. These are the only streets of sufficient interest to merit describ- ing ; but there are others adjoining the military barracks, from which a bird’s-eve view can be had over the city ; and there are CORK. 93 crowded streets near the Court-house, and close to the Cathedral, where the alfresco customs of the poorer classes maybe curiously observed on any fine evening. The Mardyke is a promenade extending for about a mile close to the river, from which it is separated by fields and the grounds of private residences, at the western extremity of the town. It is beautifully arched over by the entwining branches of the fine elm trees that grow on each side. It was once the principal resort of fashion ; but since the opening of the beautifulValk along the bank of the river opposite Glanmyre, known as the New Wall, its honours have been divided. But the tourist should not neglect to take a stroll “round the town,” as a walk through the three streets above described is called by Corkonians. There is always variety here for the stranger, in “taking stock” of the fashionables, examining the Irish manufactured goods in the shop windows, making a few purchases, and listening to the jokes and humour of the native cabmen, artizans, and street Arabs. Here, too, the American will find his ears saluted with the purest brogue. The best time to enjoy this stroll is between three and five o’clock in the afternoon. The “ Coal Quay a bazaar for the sale of almost everything except coals — is also interesting to strangers, though not fashionable. There is here a large plain building, extending in the space between two streets, and divided by several rows of counters, on which is displayed a strange and miscellaneous collection of second-hand articles — everything from a needle to an anchor, from a flimsy cotton dress to a faded court suit. On Saturday evenings, the place is thronged with the poorer classes of tradespeople ; and then, as the crowd surges along, the excited volubility of the several vendors becomes a study curious and amusing to the tourist. For evening amuse- ment there is the theatre in Old George Street, very probably a concert at the Athenaeum (for Cork is a musical town), and the lately-built circus. The following are the principal buildings worthy of a personal examination : — SS. Peter and Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, an exceedingly handsome Gothic building of modern date. Saint Patrick’s Chapel, which may be seen together with the New Presbyterian Church, in driving to Glanmyre. The Cathedral of St. Finn Barr, the third erected on the present site, is one of the architectural ornaments of the city ; it is a very fine specimen of Gothic art. The Church of Shandon, however, is by far the most cele- brated of the numerous ecclesiastical buildings of the city. Its steeple rises to a height of 120 feet ; two of its sides are built of limestone, and two of red sandstone. It is constructed in storeys decreasing in size as they ascend, and in appearance 94 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. “very much resembles an old-fashioned pepper-box.” It is most noted for its sweet-toned bells, of which a native poet, Father Prout, sang : — “ I’ve heard hells chiming Full many a clime in, Tolling sublime in Cathedral shrine ; Whilst at a glib rate Brass tongues would vibrate. But all their music Spoke nought tike thine.” From Shandon to the Butter Weigh-house is only a step across the road ; and Cork is perhaps better known to strangers for its butter') than for anything else. How celebrated is the Cork brand, and how world- wide is the trade in Cork butter, may be judged from the fact that Dr. Livingstone found a Cork butter hogshead in a part of the interior of Africa. Having seen the Weigh-house and Shandon — the former of which should be visited, if possible, before eleven o’clock a.m., a drive to the Queen’s College will fill up the time until the fashionable hour for a walk in Patrick Street. On the road to the college, through Great George’s Street, w r e pass the Court- house, which has a fine boldly- projecting Grecian portico of eight columns, supporting an entablature and cornice surmounted by a pediment, on the apex of which is a group of figures, repre- senting Law and Mercy supporting Justice. About a mile further on the tourist reaches the Queen’s College,} which is a building in the Tudor style, designed by Sir Thomas Dean. It occupies a commanding site, overlooking the southern branch of the Lee. The library, the examination-hall, and the lecture- rooms are elegant and convenient apartments. The college affords equal opportunity of education to students of all religious : sects. There are twenty-one professors of classics, science-, law, medicine, and engineering. DRIVES IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF CORK. 1 st. Over Anglesea Bridge, commonly called “The Metal Bridge,” down Albert Quay, passing, first, the Corn Market, recognisable by its clock-tower, and next the joint terminus of the Cork and Bandon, Cork and Macroom, and West Cork Railways. From this terminus the tourist will presently start ; for Glengariffe. Turn to the right, up Victoria Street, where is , the terminus of the Cork and Passage Railway ; here we have a view of what is euphuistically called “The Park,” and of the race-course and the stand-house, and perhaps a stray donkey, or a few cows enjoying the lovely seclusion of the Cork Park ; CORK. 95 passing on, we soon turn into the Blackrock Road. Tell the driver to take you to Mr. Pike’s, where fine conservatories and well laid-out grounds will repay a visit. Proceed on to Black- rock Castle, drive ‘ 4 round the ring,” returning to Cork by the village of Douglas ; at Evergreen Cross turn to the left, and visit the Cemetery, formerly the Botanic Gardens, which is laid out with good taste, something in the manner of Pere la Chase. Here are many splendid tombs, and one embellished with a masterpiece by ( Hogan, jthe well-known sculptor, who was a native of the city. Leaving the Cemetery, you can, if you wish to see some of the less fashionable parts of Cork, tell your driver to take you up Douglas Street, and home via Parliament Bridge ; or you can go by the Free Church, past the Blind Asylum, as it is often called, turning to the left down South Terrace, and thence along George’s Quay, from which you will see, at the other side of the river, on Charlotte Quay, the unfinished Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity, usually called “ Father Mathew’s Chapel,” the building of it having been chiefly promoted by him ; or if, instead of turning down the South Terrace, you continue straight on, you will pass, on the left, in Anglesea Street, the Model Schools, a series of red brick buildings, and on the right, the Corn Market before mentioned. Crossing “ the Metal Bridge,” the wide street which faces you is Warren’s Place, at the left-hand corner of which you see the Provincial Bank, and at the right-hand, the Savings Bank. 2nd. Drive over Patrick’s Bridge, and up Bridge Street, turn- ing to the right down King Street, bowl along past the Presbyterian Church and St. Patrick’s Chapel, over the tunnel, and past the terminus of the Great Southern and Western Railway, down to Glanmyre. A fine day, the tide in, and your spirits gay, you must enjoy this drive. Go past the Tivoli Station on the Cork and Queenstown Railway, past Callaghan’s Gate, till you come in sight of Dunkathal (otherwise' Dunkettle) Station and Bridge. Here turn to the left, and you have as pretty a drive along the right bank of the Glanmyre river as can easily be found. Driving through the dingy little village, turn up the first hill on the left, and after a sharp ascent you reach the elevated road by which you will return to your hotel. You might tell the driver to bring you by Montenotte, as it is the pleasantest way, and the road is lined with the fine residences of Cork magnates. When you get as far as St. Luke’s Church, you are only a short way from the Barracks, and, if so inclined, can pay it a visit. Driving along the Wellington Road and down Patrick’s Hill, you obtain a good view of the city. Should it be evening and the lamps lighted, the effect is very pretty. 96 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Should the tourist like a row on the river — which, in fine weather, with the tide full, is really enjoyable — he can hire a boat at the ferry slip on Penrose’s Quay, just opposite the terminus of the Great Southern and Western Railway, or on the ferry at Pope’s Quay. The charge is generally one shilling per hour : this does not include boatmen. If the tourist or his friends cannot man the boat themselves, their only resource is to impress some of the idle lads always to be found loitering about the quays. These will be glad, for a small sum, to row or steer as required. Should he do so, however, he must not be fastidious, since the chances are very great that his crew will be quite inno- cent of shoes or stockings. EXCURSION /. BLARNEY CASTLE AND ST. ANNE’S HILL. * T HE tourist can visit Blarney by train, starting from the ter- j minus of the Great Southern and Western Railway Company, We, however, recommend him to take an outside car, and request the driver to proceed along the North Road, past the Lunatic j Asylum, to Blarney ; and from here, after he has seen the Castle, ■ etc., drive on to St. Anne’s Hill (Dr. Barter’s). Returning to i # Cork, be particular in ordering your “ coachee ” to bring you by the road which passes Inniscarra Bridge, and which affords some pleasant scenery on the banks of the Lee. No tourist should leave the neighbourhood of Cork until he has seen Blarney Castle, and kissed the Blarney Stone, for — “ Like a magnet its influence such is, Attraction it gives all it touches ; If you kiss it, they say, from that blessed day You may kiss whom you please with your Blarney.” It has been well observed by a writer : ‘ ‘ It is almost as mar- vellous as the power attributed to the Blarney Stone, that a few lines, containing in themselves no merit save their absurdity, should succeed in gaining a world-wide notoriety for a place which otherwise would scarcely have been celebrated beyond its own vicinity. ” The present Castle of Blarney is built on the site of i an older structure, the foundations of which are still visible. It ; belonged to the MacCarthys, Princes of Desmond. In the reign | of Elizabeth, it was considered the strongest fortress in Munster. BLARNEY CASTLE . 97 It resisted several sieges, but was treacherously taken by Lord Broghill in 1646 ; and the army of King William demolished the fortifications, razing the castle to the ground, and leaving but one tower standing. In 1701, the Governor of Cork, Sir James Blarney Castle. Jeffreys, purchased the castle, and erected a large house in front of it, which now, in conjunction with the older building, forms a picturesque ruin. The height of the tower is one hundred and twenty feet, and the view from the top is very fine; it extends 7 98 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . over a rich and well-planted country, undulating, and intersected by the rivers Blarney, Comane, and Scorthonac. To the north- east rise the Boggra Mountains, and to the south, about a half- mile from the castle, lies a pretty lake. ‘ ‘ The groves of Blarney, ” surrounding the castle, look as charming as ever — “ Being banked with posies That spontaneous grow there.” Still are grand walks, “For speculation And conversation,” < kept in good order ; but the statues of * ‘ the heathen gods and goddesses, Neptune, Plutarch, and Nicodemus,” have been felled by the hammer of ‘The cruel auctioneer.” The celebrated Blarney x Stone was placed in the walls of the castle, some feet below the battlement at the northern angle. It bore an inscription, now illegible, telling that the castle was built in 1446, by Cormack MacCarthy. To kiss it, it was necessary that a friend should hold the feet of the aspirant to eloquence, whilst he went head- foremost over the wall. As few ran such a risk, whilst so many j ‘ ‘ pilgrims ” returned, teeming with sweet persuasive qualifications, ■ it was natural to conclude that every stone in the tower had V equal potency ; and so, for the convenience of visitors, several j have been removed and placed on the lawn before the castle. Beneath the castle are some extensive caves, the entrances to which are now closed. i “ Oh, ’tis there the caves are. Where no daylight enters, But bats and badgers.” One of them had been converted into a dungeon of the most gloomy and wretched kind ; massive rings and bolts yet remain, to which the miserable prisoners were chained. This horrible prison is not the least interesting portion of the castle. The lake is said to hold in its depths the treasures of the Earl of Clancarthy, some of whose retainers, on the storming of the castle, escaped with the valuables and threw them into the water. The place where they are concealed is only known to three of the Mac- Carthys, who each, when dying, reveal it to another of the family, thus perpetuating the secret until the title be again restored, and a MacCarthy be once more the owner and Lord of Blarney. Another legend of the lake tells that on every May YOUGHAL. 99 morning a herd of white cows arises from its depths, and comes to feed on the rich meadows that surround it. The guide, too, can tell the visitor other stories of enchantment ; but these are generally without that sparkle of native wit which makes the absurdities of Killarney so refreshing. Leaving the castle, the tourist visits St. Anne’s Hill, where the late Dr. Barter erected luxurious baths, in connection with a magnificent boarding establishment. Under his care, and in- fluenced by his particular rules of regimen, patients acquired health and strength with such marvellous celerity that the house became very noted, and was resorted to even by foreigners of distinction and wealth. In one of the apartments, which is quite a museum, the visitor will be shown many articles of vertu, given as presents by grateful persons whom the doctor had cured. The grounds are laid out in the most charming manner ; an exquisite mingling of fragrant flowers, delightful groves, and sweet shrubs, conser- vatories, bowers, grottoes, fountains, streamlets, and statuary. From hence the tourist returns to Cork by the road specified at starting. EXCURSION 11 YOUGHAL AND THE BLACKWATER. [Hotels : “ Devonshire Arms ” and “ Imperial.”] T HERE is a direct railway communication between Cork and Youghal. The terminus is on “ Summer Hill,” between St. Patrick’s Chapel on the south and the Presbyterian Church on the north. Trains run each way three times per diem, and a two hours’ ride brings the tourist to one of the most excellent watering-places in Munster, and to the far-famed Blackwater — the Rhine of Ireland. Youghal is situated on the western shore of the Blackwater (near its mouth), which, at the southern end of the city, has an average breadth of half a mile, where ships of considerable ton- nage may ride with safety. About a mile and a half north- east of the town, the river is crossed by a timber bridge, remark- able for its stability, elegance, and length. It is 1,787 feet long, is constructed on fifty-seven sets of piers, and is twenty-two feet wido between the railings of the roadway. The drawbridge is forty feet wide, and the whole unites the counties of Cork and Waterford. For the historical and antiquarian lore of Youghal the visitor ioo LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. may consult Shaw’s “Tourist’s Picturesque Shilling Guide to Kil- larney and Cork.” A couple of hours will suffice to examine the ruins of the an- cient walls, the tower and archway, called the Clock Gate, which divides the principal street of the town into the North and South Main Streets, and the beautiful Church of St. Mary,) with its in- teresting monuments and elaborate window. But perhaps the place of greatest interest in the neighbourhood is (Myrtle Grove, Myrtle Grove. where lived the illustrious Walter Raleigh. The house is yet in excellent preservation, and probably very little changed since his residence. It is built in the Elizabethan style, and is considered a fine specimen of that order, being small, but eminently com- fortable. The principal rooms are wainscoted with oak, and in many instances the panels are richly carved. The chimneypiece in the drawing-room is exquisitely wrought into beautiful pat- terns, and further decorated with grotesque figures. THE BLACKWATER. In the quaint, old-fashioned garden, the first potatoes intro- duced into Ireland were planted ; and it is said that the apples which grew on the stalk were at first collected, but when cooked were found so disagreeable to the taste that the plant was con- sidered useless, until, on the ground being dug up to receive some other crop, the roots were discovered increased fifty-fold, and from those few tubers was propagated the countless wealth of potatoes with which the soil of Ireland teems ; whether Sir Walter, by this introduction, conferred a blessing or wrought the contrary has often been disputed. Having viewed the antiquities, the tourist should take the steamer, and proceed up the river to Cappoquin. The steamer makes two trips daily, each trip occu- The Blackwater. pying about two hours ; and as the scenery along this famous river is of almost incomparable loveliness, a more delightful two hours cannot be well imagined. The scenery of the Black- water is seen to most advantage when ascending the river. After passing the bridge, the banks, beautifully variegated with groves, corn-fields, cottages, and meadows, rise to a considerable height on either hand. The steamer, as she glides slowly along, allows a full view of the picturesque ruins of Temple Michael and the 102 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. contiguous relics of the Abbey of Molanfide. Then comes in sight the modern mansion of Ballinatray, just before the river widens into a lake. The tourist has now a composite prospect of hill, meadow, mountain, lake, and river, the whole forming a most exquisite landscape. Strancally Castle rises over the deepest part of the river ; its ivied ruins blend with the mossy rocks, and assume a peculiarly venerable and pleasing appearance. The magnificent Gothic castle of New Strancally is seen embowered in extensive woods, above which rise its lofty towers and spreading battlements. Further on, and also overlooking the river, is Dromana Castle, environed with beautiful plantations. Tourin Castle lies on the left bank, whilst on the right we be- hold the massive mountains of Knockmeledown, and we can distinguish the Abbey of La Trappe on Mount Melleray. From Camphire to Cappoquin the views surpass in grandeur all that the tourist has previously admired. Cappoquin. Along the river, as we approach, Cappoquin possesses a most imposing aspect ; but this is not justified, for on the traveller’s arrival he finds it a poor place, notwithstanding that it is graced with a noble bridge and adorned with the fine villa residence of Sir John Keane. The tourist must here engage an outside car to complete the trip ; and he may dine at ‘ * Morrisey’s ” hotel before proceeding to Mount Melleray. Mount Melleray Abbey. At a distance of about three miles from the town of Cap- poquin, in the county of Waterford, and in a line almost directly north of it, stands the Abbey of Mount Melleray. It is situated in the midst of a barren waste, lying at the base of a range of high mountains. This position, though by no means attractive for persons not anxious to lead a solitary life, is quite suitable to the object of this establishment, as its inmates are called by their vows to a life of retirement and seclusion. The Abbey is reached by an avenue leading off from the main road between Cappoquin and Clonmel ; and glimpses of it are had as it is approached from either town. Only the tower and spire of the church and its roof are seen from a distance ; but the appearance it presents leaves no room for doubt in the mind of the traveller as to its object. Seen from the road, the Abbey has not a very imposing aspect, as the buildings, though very extensive, are not very lofty ; they are, moreover, almost hidden in the trees. Towards the close of the year 1831, the Irish (as also the MOUNT MELLERAY ABBEY. 103 English and Scotch) monks of the Cistercian order were com- pelled to quit their monastery of Melleray in France and to return to their native land. They were poor — almost penniless — when they landed in Cork ; but they met with a cordial re- ception from the generous people of that city. Their first care was to seek a place where they might be able to serve God and observe their rule in peace. They were for a short time located at Rathmore, in the county of Kerry ; but circumstances not permitting them to fix themselves permanently there, they ulti- mately settled on their present farm, which forms part of the estate of Sir John Keane, Baronet, and consists of about 700 statute acres. It was a wild, impoverished tract ; and was con- sidered by the people of the neighbourhood to be irreclaimable. Forty years ago a small cottage, which had but three very humble apartments, and which is still standing in good repair at the southern extremity of the farm, was the only residence pos- sessed by the founders of this establishment. But, in the course of a few years, this humble cottage, like the grain of mustard- seed, which becomes a large tree, was exchanged for the present spacious Abbey, erected by the charitable aid of the people and the assistance of many generous and influential friends and bene- factors, lay as well as clerical. At the same time, the farm was enclosed ; fields were laid out and fenced ; a portion of the tract was soon put under cultivation ; and thousands of trees were planted by the monks. The main buildings of ffie Abbey form a square, one side of which is wholly occupied by the church. This church is built in the form of a cross, and is 160 feet long, by thirty feet wide, and thirty-two feet high. The guest-house, library, refectory, chapter-room, and dormitories make up the other sides of the quadrangle. A cloister within passes round the entire enclosed area, and has doors leading to all the principal parts of the mo- nastery. Connected with, but extending out beyond the principal building, is the infirmary, for the sick of the community, Con- tiguous to the monastery are workshops, bakehouse, dairy, and laundry. At a short distance is the farmyard, containing stables, cowhouses, barn, etc., etc. In front of the guest-house, which looks towards the west, is a plot, neatly kept, and intended as recreation-ground for the gentlemen who come to the Abbey to make a spiritual retreat, and enjoy a few days’ solitude. Immediately beyond this is a large kitchen garden, which is enclosed by a high wall, and which supplies vegetables for the use of the guests and the community. Year after year since the period of the foundation of the Abbey various improvements have been effected in the buildings and in the land. At present the entire monastic pile and everything io 4 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . immediately connected with it present a finished appearance ; and much of that barren waste, which, forty years ago, almost damped the courage of the zealous men who volunteered to reclaim it, now looks green and blooming. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that, notwithstanding the increasing toil and efforts of those forty years and the improvements effected, the crops, even of potatoes, grown on the farm, are very indifferent. Some years after the foundation of the Abbey a classical school was opened by the monks. This institution, though forming no essential part of the monastic system pursued here, has flourished beyond expectation. At present about ioo students, well lodged and well boarded, for a very moderate pension, are receiving a good classical education. The strict regularity insisted upon by the monks, who conduct this depart- ment, as well as the untiring attention paid to the religious train- ing of the students, go far in forming, in these young men, lasting habits of decorum and strictest morality, which have always been special characteristics of the students of Melleray. The school- house is a large and handsome building, comprising study -hall and several class-rooms. It is supplied with several musical instruments — pianos and harmoniums — for the use of those of the students who may wish to learn music. The recreation- ground in front of it is tastefully laid out. Five members ofi the community are in daily attendance at this classical school ; and one of them superintends the students at their boarding- house. There is also a school for the poor male children of the neigh- bourhood, conducted by two members of the community. This school and its enclosed recreation-ground are always kept ex- quisitely neat. This is done partly with a view to inspire the poor children with love for order and cleanliness, as well as to exercise a beneficial influence on their moral feelings. These poor children, numbering about seventy, are never charged school fees ; and many of them are, to a great extent, fed and clothed by the monks. The Cistercian order — so called from the forest of Citeaux, where its first monastery was built — was founded in France, towards the close of the eleventh century, by St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme. St. Stephen Harding, an Englishman, was third Abbot of this order. About the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury a reformation of the order was instituted by John de Ranee, Abbot of La Trappe, in Perche, near Normandy ; and it is to this reform that the brothers of Mount Melleray belong. Hence the name of “ Trappists,” by which they are sometimes called. This congregation of La Trappe professes to observe the holy rule of St. Benedict in its integrity. MOUNT MELLERAY ABBEY. 105 There are at present in the community of Mount Melleray I ninety-four members, twenty-seven of whom are priests. Prayer j and manual labour are their principal employments. The choir monks assemble in their monastic church at seven different times each day to sing the divine office. They also celebrate high mass every day. The intervals between the different hours of the divine office are employed in private prayer, spiritual reading, manual labour, or in the various other functions which devolve on particular members of the community. The lay-brethren, though equal to the choir-religious in all the essential points of j monastic life, are not bound to the divine office ; hence they ; are enabled to devote more time to manual labour. The habit of the choir-religious is of white, coarse, woollen cloth. They wear over it a black scapular, which is furnished with a hood for the head. The cowl, which they wear when in choir, is a large, | ample, white garment, open only at the top, sufficiently for the | head to pass through, and having long, wide sleeves. The habit of the lay-brethren is of the same material as that of the choir- monks ; but all of brown colour. Instead of the cowl, they wear, when not at work, an ample cloak having a hood attached to it, but without sleeves. Two o’clock on working days, and one o’clock on Sundays j and holidays, are the hours for rising. All sleep in their monastic j habit, and are thus enabled to be down in the church for prayer j a few minutes after the dormitory bell is rung. The hours j for retiring to rest are seven o’clock in winter, and eight I o’clock in summer — the Cistercian year being divided into these j two periods. The Cistercian bed is a quilted straw mattress, with I a straw pillow. I With the exception of the priests and brothers who attend \ the secular church, the schools, guest-house, etc., all con- stantly observe strict silence ; yet they can speak to the Superiors on necessary matters, though in as few words as pos- sible. Even those members of the community who are obliged to hold communication with seculars must observe silence as far as is compatible with their respective duties. These officers form but a very small section of the community ; all the others are entirely devoted to a life of solitude and silence. This rigid silence, so far from being felt oppressive, constitutes one of the main sources of the happiness and serenity which the brethren constantly enjoy. It leaves their minds disengaged, to a great ‘ extent, so that they are free to converse spiritually with God alone. 1 The food is very simple, suitable to the austerity of the order : bread, vegetable soup, potatoes, and the like. Meat or fish is never used by those in health ; none but the sick and infirm use any other than vegetable food. The great regularity of the life io6 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. which the monks lead contributes to preserve their health ; and thus the majority of them are enabled to pass through many years together without being under the necessity of using meat or fish even once. One refection in the day is all that is allowed by the rule, for the greater part of the year ; but all are not able to comply with it in this particular. Those who cannot observe this rigorous fast are allowed a slender collation in the morning. The domestic duties are all performed by the brethren them- selves — no female being ever allowed to enter the enclosure. These various duties are gone through in silence ; and so quiet and peaceful a scene does the entire monastic establishment pre- sent that one might fancy only a few persons dwelt in it, whereas it contains nearly a hundred members. The whole community, choir and lay-brethren, assist at the last office of the day — Compline , at the end of which is solemnly sung, by all together, the beautiful anthem 4 4 Salve Regina. ” The long, loud, soul-stirring notes of this heavenly melody, sung in unison by nearly a hundred voices, and accompanied by the har- monium, have the effect of disengaging, for the time being, the minds and hearts of those present from earthly things. Just outside the enclosure Avail is a large reception-house, called “The Lodge,” where all visitors are received. If they come merely to see the Abbey, the gentlemen are shown through every part of it. But if the visitor be a gentleman who wishes to make a spiritual retreat in the monastery, he is taken to the guest-apartments, and treated with cordial hospitality. Such retreat may be prolonged for a fortnight. Ladies also, Avho wish to pass a few days in retreat at the Abbey, are accommodated Avith apartments in the house of a respectable lady who dwells out- side the gate of the avenue, at about fifteen minutes’ Avalk from the Abbey. Under the superintendence of this same lady, and almost adjoining her house, is the school for female children. It is under the National Board. The number of children is about eighty. Visitors are received at all hours, as two of the brothers remain constantly in the Lodge to attend to every call. One of the brothers is also specially charged Avith the care of the poor, Avhom he supplies with food. No poor wandering stranger is ever sent aAvay unrelieved. In the year 1849 the Abbot of Mount Melleray founded a Monastery in the State of IoAva, near the city of Dubuque. The new monastery was called New Melleray. Both establishments are governed by Mitred Abbots, A\ 7 ho are assisted by Priors and Superiors. The Abbot is elected by the majority of votes, and holds his office for life. About four miles from Cappoquin, at the opposite side of the river, stands LISMORE. 107 Lismore. [Hotels : “ Devonshire Arms ” and “ French.”] The drive along the banks of the river is delightful, and soon the tourist reaches the Duke of Devonshire’s castle and grounds, which are open to visitors. The castle is one of the finest resi- dences in the kingdom. The gardens and conservatories of Rose Cottage, belonging to the Duke’s agent, Mr. Baldwin, are perhaps the most beautiful in Ireland. The best view of the castle, and its stately irregular pile of towers, is to be had from the piece of waste land below the bridge, from which our sketch was taken. Lismore Castle. The castle and bridge are built of stone, whose brightness of tint affords the happiest relief to the dark evergreens and verdant ivy that cling around the beetling rocks, or spring from their frequent fissures ; whilst beneath, the river repeats all this per- fection, as it reflects back from its tranquil bosom the innumera- ble details of the picture. So vivid is the colouring, that a io8 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. person who had not actually seen the reality would be prone to imagine a correct painting highly exaggerated in tint. The castle is built on the site of one of the ancient universities of Ireland. Here came to study Alfred the Great, in whose days four thousand students thronged the halls, now no more. From Lismore the tourist may proceed direct to Cork, via Fer- moy and Mallow. Fermoy. [Hotel : “ Queen’s Arms.”.] Fermoy is distant from Lismore fifteen miles ; and the beauties of the Blackwater valley, between Fermoy and Mallow, are far better seen from the road, which runs almost parallel with the northern bank of the river, than from the railway. This road is overhung almost continuously for ten miles by fine trees, and passes through scenery of the choicest rural character. Fermoy is a brisk business town, containing a large military barrack and a Roman Catholic college, one or two convents, and an important Roman Catholic cathedral. The town has a thriving, cheerful appearance, and the river is crossed below the salmon-weir by a handsome bridge. ‘ ‘ The famous Castle Hyde ” is east of the town, environed with choice woods and enlivened by the meandering Blackwater. If the traveller proceeds direct to Mallow per rail, he may choose to break the journey at Ballyhooley, five miles from Fermoy. Here he will have an opportunity of seeing the fine mansion and splendid demesne belonging to Lady Listowel. At the entrance - gate, on an abrupt hill over the Blackwater, are the picturesque ruins of Corvenmore Castle, clad with a garb of ivy from base to battlement, and fitted up and internally restored by her lady- ship to its ancient appearance — therefore extremely interesting to the antiquarian. Further on, ten miles from Fermoy, is Castletownroche, where are the ruins of a fortress, once the seat of the Lords of Fermoy, built on a rock overlooking the Awbeg river. The castle is memorable for its gallant defence against the army of Cromwell, the garrison having been commanded by Lady Roche. Mallow. [Hotel: “Railway.”] Arrived at Mallow, the tourist can visit Kilcolman Castle, by car, before returning to Cork. The ruins are within a couple of hours’ drive of Mallow, and few Americans would like to leave Ireland without seeing the ancient residence of Spencer. It was here that, sitting “ Amongst the cooly shade Of the green alders, by the Mulla’s shore,” CORK TO KILLARNEY. 109 he composed the greater part of his “ Faerie Queene,” and here he was visited by his friend Raleigh. From Mallow the tourist may proceed direct to Killarney ; but in this case he will miss the scenery of the south-west of Ireland, which is well worth seeing. We shall suppose the tourist to return to Cork. EXCURSION III ; CORK TO KILLARNEY, via MACROOM AND GLENGARIFFE. T HE tourist can book through to Killarney by this route, from the station of the Cork and Macroom Railway Company. By the opening of this line, tourists have now an opportunity of going through the most beautiful and interesting scenery in the south of Ireland, proceeding to Macroom by rail, and by well-appointed conveyances to Killarney. By this route tourists have the opportunity of seeing the celebrated lakes of Inchigeela — the road runs along their edge for four miles, thence to the far-famed Gougaune-Barra, or the Holy Lake, through the Pass of Kimaneigh, Bantry Bay, Glengariffe, Kenmare River, etc., etc. On and after 3rd June, coaches and cars will run, through the season, to and from Killarney and Glengariffe, to meet the trains of the Cork and Macroom Direct Railway, as follows, Sundays excepted : — - Cork to Killarney. From Cork, per rail, to Macroom - Macroom - Inchigeela (stopping for refreshments at Brophy’s Hotel) Gougaune-Barra (giving time to see the lakes) Glengariffe (arrival) - Glengariffe (departure every morning from Eccles’ Hotel) Kenmare - - - - - • - Killarney - Now, supposing the tourist to have taken his ticket at Cork, at the station on Albert Quay, after an hour’s ride he reaches Macroom, whence the journey is made by road. 9 o a.m. 10 o a.m. 12 o noon, 2 o p.m. 5 30 P-m. 9 30 a.m. 1 o p.m. 5 30 P-m. IIO LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. About eleven miles from Cork the train passes Kilcrea Castle and Abbey, on the right as we face the engine. The abbey dates back as far as 1465, and is an imposing structure, even in its ruins. The castle stands a little to the west of the abbey, and is in better perservation. The country people use the abbey as a burial-place, and within, the walls, the ground, windows, and recesses are piled with bones and skulls. Until some years past, the entrance at each side was flanked by a wall built of human skulls and bones. Macroom. Macroom, or “the Crooked Oak,” as its name signifies, has no special claims to the visitor’s attention, compared with the scenes which lie before him. Leaving the train and getting on the car, he may see, in passing, Macroom Castle, said to have Gougaune-Barra Lake. been built in the reign of King John. This antique structure is altogether devoid of architectural interest, but its strange-looking tower rising, ivy-clad, over the smooth Sullane, which flows be- low, is a picturesque sight. Within the walls of Macroom Castle was bom Admiral Penn, the father of William Penn. ) GOUGA UNE-B AREA— PASS OF KIM A NEIGH, hi After about two hours’ pleasant drive Inchigeela is reached : the car stops here at Brophy’s Hotel for refreshment. Leaving the hotel, the road borders the charming Inchigeela lakes. Next we "come to Gougaune- Barra, where the car again stops, in order to afford the tourist time to see the lake. If the tourist likes to take this opportunity, he can get a seat on a special car, which runs to and from the lake (allowing just time for a brief glimpse), while the car on which he came so far awaits his return. Gougaune-Barra. This ancient hermitage of St. Finn Barr lies in a most se- questered locality. The lake, surrounded by rugged over- hanging mountains and looking like a polished slab of black marble, has a small wooded island in the centre. “ There is a green island in lone Gougaune-Barra, Where Allua * of song rushes forth as an arrow, In deep-vallied Desmond a thousand wild fountains Come down to that lake from their home in the mountains. There grows the wild ash, and a time-stricken willow Looks chidingly down on the mirth of the billow, As, like some gay child, that sad monitor scorning, It lightly laughs back to the laugh of the morning. And its zone of dark hills — oh ! to see them all brightening, When the tempest flings out its red banner of lightning, And the waters rush down ’mid the thunder’s deep rattle, Like the clans from their hills at the voice of the battle ; And brightly the fire-crested billows are gleaming And wildly from Mullagh the eagles are screaming— Oh ! where is the dwelling in valley or highland, So meet for a bard, as this lone little island ? ” On this island are the ruins of the Saint’s Church, the wall of an adjoining convent, and the rectangular cloister. Around this enclosure are eight small cells, for penitents ; but the dimensions of the whole extent of building are extremely small. No tourist should visit Glengariffe without performing a pilgrimage to this beautiful retreat. Pass of Kimaneigh. In driving through this celebrated pass the tourist will enjoy to the fullest the astonishing grandeur of the Priest’s Leap Moun- tains. The pass extends for a mile. It is a deep cleft between two almost perpendicular hills, and is barely wide enough for the narrow road and rugged water channel it contains. It is best seen after rain, when the torrent foams beside the path. After passing through the valley of Ballylicky, where stands the ancient seat of the Hutchens family, encompassed by a dense * The Lee. 1 12 L ONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN GUIDE. mass of old oak, and through which the traveller first catches a peep of Bantry Bay, memorable as having been twice entered by the French fleet for the invasion of Ireland, first in, 1689, and secondly in 1 796 ; — winding along its edge, we pass another of the O’Sullivans’ castles, still in good repair, all the woodwork being of massive teak. When entered, the formidable hall, 21 feet high, bears the appearance of a prison cell, but on the once secret doors to the various departments being opened, many traces present themselves of the luxury these little kings rolled in. Leaving the O’Sullivans for a time, we rise over the hills ot j Ardnagashel, from which, for three miles of the road, we scan the whole of the bay, the splendid mansion of the Earl of Bantry, the islands of Whiddy and Bere, Dunboy Castle, Rohencorrig Lighthouse ; and lastly, lying under the Caha range, the great object of our day’s journey, Glengariffe, bursts on us. Leaving, as we are, the most rugged of hills, and entering a deep, dense, and naturally wooded Alpine valley of surpassing loveliness, reposing amidst the richest gifts of nature, one is inclined to say, with Anthony Trollope, our celebrated Irish author,) on his first visit to the glen, “Oh! what a little heaven !” But another two miles have yet to be travelled. Our coachman puts on a spurt as, winding round a sharp turn at the head of the hill, we catch our first peep of Eccles’ Hotel, the coach terminus, and the western part of Glengariffe harbour. Watch carefully now as our vermilion coach swings effectively down through the beauti- ful grounds of Glengariffe Castle, the residence of Robert H. E. White, Esq., each clearing presenting a new and prettier scene, till, drawn up on an esplanade, washed by the tide, we stand at the door of “Eccles’ Hotel,” known forty years since as the “Bantry Arms,” the “country home” of two of our most emi- nent writers, and patronized by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh. G-lengariffe. [Hotels : “ Eccles” and “ The Royal.”] To see this lovely spot will require at least three days. Few scenes we have ever witnessed can surpass the one from the hall door and windows of Eccles’ hotel, though there is one, and only one, still finer in Glengariffe, viz., the “look out” at the head of the hotel gardens, which, and the walks through other parts of these gardens, no visitor should miss. One day’s excursion is by a whale boat down Bantry Bay to the six caves, into one of which, with the assistance of torches, we can row for a quarter of a mile. This twelve miles’ row down a bay, rivalled only by the Bay of Naples, with the Sugar Loaf Glengarri fife. 1 14 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. and Hungry Hill Mountains standing over us, cannot fail to be entertaining to all, and gentlemen fond of fishing and shooting may find any amount of sport. A second day should be spent driving over the heights of Coularagh, 1,200 feet high, on a fine road, and quite overhanging the bay; and, leaving our car to ascend Sugar Loaf and Hungry Hill, the latter boasting of a very fine waterfall, 700 feet high, return to it and drive home to dinner, vid Lord Bantry’s domain and beautiful cottage. Another day, the best of the three, should be confined to paddling in a smaller boat into the numberless enchanting little nooks of Glen- gariffe Harbour, where the water is as placid as a pond, over- hung by arbutus, mountain ash, and rhododendron. The features most worth notice are : Cromwell’s Bridge, a pretty old ruin, said to have been built by the country people, at the hero’p direc- tions, in forty-eight hours, to take his army to Berehaven to chas- tise the O’Sullivans ; it is added that he hanged a man for each hour he was delayed. “Garnish” Island, with its Martello tower. “Whiddy” Island and the redoubts and views from KENMARE . US the ruins of another of the O’Sullivans’ castles. “Brandy” Island and the cave which was used as late as thirty years since to hide smuggled goods. “Rabbit” or “Fort” Island, which rises out of the water a mere shell of rock embosoming one of the many Danish forts of this country ; if we are so romantic as to wish a luncheon on Bark Island, our host will send us one of his portable tents (this is a common practice in Glengariffe). There are numerous other interesting spots “such as are only found in Glengarriffe.” The car for Killarney leaves Eccles’ Hotel, Glengariffe, every morning at 9.30, and reaches Kenmare at I p.m., and Killar- ney at 5.30 p.m. The road to Kenmare, up the slope of Caha Mountains, was made by Nimmo, an eminent engineer. This road leads up a steep incline, and affords a view of great beauty ; sometimes it borders on precipices of vast depth, overlooking glens and valleys that spread away far as the eye can reach, and fade into grey indistinctness. Then w~e have the distant moun- tains looming, blue and shadowy, and we catch glimpses of the glancing sea. We pass streams that dash down the rocks in sheets of foam, and valleys looking wildly desolate from the quantities of great stones that strew them. On the summit of the ridge we pass through a tunnel cut in the rock, and, emerg- ing, are in the “kingdom of Kerry;” it is then downhill to Kenmare, and our journey is rapid. Kenmare. [Hotel: “ Lansdowne Arms.”] Kenmare is a small, neat town, half-way between Killarney and Glengariffe. The Sound of Kenmare, improperly called the Kenmare River, is crossed by a fine suspension-bridge, and is the deepest inlet on the coast. The antiquarian remains at Kenmare are Cromwell’s Fort, portions of an ancient foot- bridge, and traces of a Druid’s circle. Leaving Kenmare, the road, as it ascends, leads through scenery of increasing grandeur — the mountains of Glengariffe, the Priest’s Leap, and the Paps on the right, and the Macgilli- cuddy Reeks extending in magnificence on the left. At length, nearing the Mulgrave Barracks, we see the Upper Lake of Killarney glancing like a sheet of silver, and all the piled fantas- tic rocks of Coom Dhuv encircling it, like genii guarding their treasure. It is far more advisable to enter Killarney in this way from Kenmare than to arrive there by the unpoetic railway, and see nothing of the lakes until one travels two miles further west of the town. If the tourist should remain a day at Kenmare, a visit to the n6 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. industrial school of a community of nuns will repay his trouble. Very fine specimens of Irish point lace, Irish guipure crochet, and imitation Spanish lace, can be purchased. A history of “The Kingdom of Kerry” (for in the “good ould times” it was a kingdom) has been written by one of the nuns ; it is a work of research. Killarney Hotels. (For situation, see Map.) [“ Railway,” “ Royal Victoria,” and “ Lake.”] # T| ie mana gers will be glad to assist in making up parties for visiting the lakes. We extract the following from the Railway Hotel : — SCALE OF CHARGES. Sitting room . . . from 3s Bedroom, large bed, two persons . ,, single person ,, two beds Breakfast ; Table d’hote .... Dinner as per bill of fare Attendance, per day 6d. to 6s. per day. • 4 s - • 3 s - ,, • 5 s - from is. 8d. ,, 4s. 6d. ,, 3s. 6d. . is. 6d. CARS, CARRIAGES, TONIES, GUIDES, T o the Gap of Dunloe .... Round Ross Island ..... To the Police Station, New Line To Muckross Abbey ..... Mangerton and back ..... Tore Waterfall Muckross Abbey Demesne, through Dinas, and home by Tore Waterfall Through Lord Kenmare’s Demesne . To Carran Tual ..... To the Deer Park ..... Ross Castle ...... Aghadoe Ruins ..... Muckross Abbey and Demesne, Dinas and Police Station, New Line Ross Island and West Demesne Mangerton and Police Station . Ross Island, West Demesne, and Deer Park The Tunnel .... AND BOATS. One-horse Car. Two-horse Car or Carriage. 8s. 6d. I 5 S. od. 4 0 8 0 8 0 15 0 4 0 8 0 8 6 15 6 4 6 9 0 8 0 15 0 3 0 6 0 10 6 19 6 4 0 7 6 2 6 5 6 4 0 7 0 10 6 19 6 6 0 11 0 10 6 19 6 8 6 14 6 7 0 13 0 THE LAKES OF KILL ARNE V. 1 1 7 PONIES AND GUIDES. Ponies, each ........ 5 6 Guides . .......50 BOATS. A two-oared Boat . . . . . . 10 6 Four-oared ,, 21 o DISTANCES. Distances from Killarney town to a few of the chief place of interest : — Miles. The Glen in Lord Kenmare’s Deer Park . . .if Ross Island (by land) . . 2 Muckross Abbey ... 3 Tore Waterfall ... 5 O'Sullivan’s Cascade . . 5 Aghadoe Ruins, through Ken- mare Demesne . ( sf Miles. Glena Bay .... 6 The Punch Bowl ... 7 Eagle’s Nest .... 7 Dinish Island .... 8 Derrycunnihy Cascade . -13 Gap of Dunloe . . . 1 -j Mulgrave Police Barracks . 12 Carran Tual . . . .14 MEASUREMENTS. According to the Ordnance Survey, the heights of the principal mountains are : — Carran Tual: Mangerton . Purple Mountain . Feet. • 3,414 • . 2 >756 • 2,739 Tomies . Tore Eagle’s Nest Feet. 2,413 1,764 1,103 The elevations of the Lakes above the sea are : — Devil’s Punch Bowl . Cum-meen-na-copasta Gouragh Callee . Black Lough Feet. . 2,206 . 2,156 1,226 . 1,096 587 Cushvalley Kittane . Coom-a-Dhuv Upper Lake Lower Lake Feet. 337 256 197 70 66 The areas of the Lakes are : — Acres. I Acres. Upper Lake . . . 430 Lower Lake . . . 5,001 Long Range . . . 120 | Middle Lake ... 680 The Lower Lake is five miles long and two and a half broad ; Middle Lake, two miles long and one broad ; Upper Lake, two and a half miles long and half a mile broad. The Lakes of Killarney. Of these we shall attempt but slight description ; they must be seen. For many interesting particulars, the tourist may consult ‘ ‘ Shaw’s Shilling Guide ” to the district. Thackeray said that a 1 1 8 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. man who thought of seeing the Lakes in one day was an ass ; it was like a child reading over the multiplication table, and fancying he had it by heart. However, time may not permit a lengthened stay, and the hurried tourist had better “ gallop over ” the Lakes in one day than not see them at all. Prince Napoleon performed this feat as follows: — “On his arrival at the Hotel, he took a rapid survey of the Lower Lake from the old castle, and proceeded immediately by Tore Waterfall to the Mulgrave Barracks on the new line, from which a bird’s- eye-view of the three lakes is presented ; visited the waterfall at Derrycunnihy, and thence by boat through the Upper Lake, by the Eagle’s Nest and Long Range, through the Old Weir Bridge to Dinish Island, where fresh horses awaited him. The Prince embarked again, and visited Innisfallen and Ross Castle ; and taking boat again at Lord Kenmare’s private quay on the island, returned at seven o’clock to the hotel.” If the tourist does not dread fatigue, he may proceed by Aghadoe ; visit Dunloe Castle, and ascend Carran Tual ; descend by the Black Valley, and return by boat through the Lakes ; or he may proceed back through the Gap of Dunloe, or by Lord Brandon’s cottage, Derrycunnihy, Eagle’s Nest, Tore, and Muckross. Another “one day excursion” is by Aghadoe, Beaufort Bridge, through the Pass of Dunloe, and back by water from the head of the Upper Lake ; visiting Muckross, Innisfallen, and Ross. For the guidance of those who can spend a week in feasting on Killarney’s beauties, we give a programme of excursions, which omits no charm within a compass of thirty or forty miles. The first five days relate to the district of the Lakes. The sixth excursion will afford those who are inclined to visit the scenery of the Kerry coast, wild and grand as it is, an opportunity of gratifying their taste : — First Day. — Carriage to the Gap of Dunloe ; on pony through the Gap ; boat from Lord Brandon’s Cottage to Ross Castle ; and from Ross Castle to Hotel by carriage. Second Day. — Carriage to Muckross Abbey and Demesne ; Dinish Island ; Derrycunnihy Cascade ; Mulgrave Police Station ; return to Hotel by the Tore Waterfall. Third Day. — Ascent of Mangerton on pony. Fourth Day. — Ascent of Carran Tual on pony. Fifth Day. — Ruins of Aghadoe ; Ross Island and West De- mesne ; Innisfallen Island ; O’Sullivan’s Cascade ; and caves of the Middle Lake. Sixth and following Days..— Valentia • Transatlantic Tele- graph Station; by car. -OF- DUNLOP-, KILL. GAP OF DUNLOE . 119 FIRST DA Y. Through the Gap of Dunloe and return by boat from Lord Brandon’s Cottage, For this day an excursion through the “Gap of Dunloe,” by Aghadoe, returning through the Upper Lake, is one of the choicest the tourist can make, if the weather be suitable. This information the guides can always give ; their judgments are as infallible as the barometer. The tourist passes some fine villas, and reaches Beaufort Bridge, about five miles from Killarney. The Castle Dunloe stands high above the River Laune, and from it the view is extremely fine. It was erected for the pro- tection of the “Gap,” and underwent many sieges during the reigns of Henry and Elizabeth. The Gap of Dunloe. About a mile farther on is the entrance to this celebrated defile, and near it is the cave which, about thirty years since, was dis- covered by some labourers whilst digging a trench. When first entered, it was found to contain several human bones and some skulls. Graven on the large stones of the roof were Ogham in- scriptions, which seem to show that this was some Druidical temple or place of sepulture in dark ages before the introduction of Christianity. The Gap is a strangely wide gorge, separating the Tomies Mountains from the Macgillicuddy Reeks, and running almost due south for a distance of about four miles. On one side the stern grandeur of the Reeks looms high above the traveller ; and on the other the rugged magnificence of the Tomies com- mands his unqualified admiration. The poetic conceptions of the peasantry attribute the formation of the Gap to a sword-cut from a warrior giant of old. The gates of this romantic valley are almost perpendicular rocks, which scarce give room for the road between them. The hills on either side of the opening are spurs of the great mountains, and called respectively the Holly and Bull mountains. A small wild stream traverses the valley, expanding at various places into gloomy lakes, called the Cum- meen Thomeen Lakes. For the legendary lore connected with these places, the tourist may consult “Shaw’s Shilling Guide,” or trust to his courier. We give a coloured illustration. Issuing from the southern portals of the glen, the grandeur of the Black Valley bursts on the sight. For many minds, this valley has even more charms than the Gap itself. The tourist now regains the road, and passing through Lord Brandon’s demesne, embarks in the boat which he should, before he starts on this excursion, order to meet him, and rows down a narrow bit of river which opens on the Upper Lake. This is the 120 LONDOD AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . loveliest of the three, but anything we could here say would convey no adequate idea of its beauty. Seeming land-locked, we wonder where will be our exit, as each headland, rock, and mountain, not before seen, come into view ; yet we wend our way amongst them, and our boatmen point out, as we pass, the attractions of the charming islands. From the Upper Lake we pass into the Long Range. About the middle of the Long Range Eagle’s Nest is reached, celebrated for its echo, which the tourist may land to enjoy ; next the Old Weir Bridge ; and the channel that the boat takes flows into the Middle or Muckross Lake, which, though not equal to the Upper Lake, has more charms than the lower. Gliding on to Glena Bay, and across the Lower Lake, the tourist brings his first day’s excursion to an end. SECOND DA Y. Muckross Abbey and Demesne ; Dinish Island ; Derrycunnihy Cascade; Mulgrave Police Station ; Tore Waterfall. Muckross Abbey is the next place of interest on our programme. A church was built here in early times, but was destroyed by fire in 1 192. The present relics are those of a monastery, founded in 1440, by the Brickeen Bridge. MacCarthys, princes of Desmond. Having examined the choir, nave, transept, cloisters, and yew-tree, as well as the beautiful doorway which forms the entrance to the nave, and looked upon the tombs of Ireland’s bygone chiefs, the tourist passes out once »/• : J ■4 THE LOWER LAKE, KILLAKNEY. MUCKROSS ABBEY, 121 more into the demesne, and revels in the beauties of the ‘ ‘ Ladies’ Walk,” and the innumerable views of Mangerton and Tore Mountains. Nowhere else is there such an assemblage of land- scapes. Passing Mr. Herbert’s house, the road to Dinish Island lies over Brickeen Bridge, which connects Muckross Peninsula with Brickeen Island, from which the tourist passes to Dinish Island, where he can -have eatables cooked, if desired. Leaving the car, a short path brings us to where a fine view can be obtained of the “Old Weir Bridge,” and the famous “Meeting of the Waters.” Resuming our seat, we shortly pass through the The Tunnel connecting Ross and Muckross Demesnes. tunnel connecting Ross and Muckross demesnes, and the tourist has before him the best possible view of the wild romantic 122 LONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN GUIDE . grandeur of the Upper Lake. About a mile farther on we cross the Galway river, and approach the Derrycunnihy Cascade, which, surrounded by some of Killarney’s choicest scenery, plunges down a mountain chasm, and falls roaring and shivering on to rocks below, whence again it is hurled over a headlong precipice. Half a mile further west is the Mulgrave Police Barracks, from a spot a little above which an excellent view is obtained. Hence the tourist returns home by the Tore Waterfall, and so finishes his second day. THIRD DA Y. Ascent of Mangerton. The distance to the top of Mangerton from the town of Killarney is about seven miles. From the first portion of the road there is no view of the Lakes, in consequence of high walls at either side. At Cloghereen the road runs eastward for a mile, then southward, and the tourist soon finds himself at the bridle-path leading up to the “Devil’s Punch Bowl.” At this lake it is usual and much safer to leave the ponies, whilst the traveller ascends to the top on foot. About a mile on, the tourist comes in sight of Lough Kittane, a considerable lake, singularly lovely, with three small islands on it. The mountain now becomes bleak and rugged, but, as we proceed, more and more interesting ; the views, with every foot of elevation, lengthening out and increasing in grandeur. On the left is the “ Horses’ Glen.” We look down into it from a tremendous precipice, and see the little lake far below, appear- ing like an ink drop, caused probably by the intense shadows of the overhanging cliffs. Farther on, and after some tough climb- ing, we arrive at the singular lake which goes by the ominous euphony of “ The Devil’s Punch Bowl.” The Bowl is a tarn, almost a quarter of a mile long, down deep in a dark gorge, and looking from the great overhanging steeps almost as small and quite as black as an ink-bottle. The water is as cold as ice, and as unrippled as if it really was frozen over. There are no fish found in it, although they are plentiful in the stream that flows out of it. The echo is fine, but rather peculiar ; it seems to ring round and round, as it bounds and responds from rock to rock. Putting our hands into the lake to feel its extreme coldness, and picking up some stones which the guide tells us are good for sharpening pen-knives on and whetting razors, we commence on foot the climb to the top, occasionally using our hands to assist where the path is steepest. Pure and exhilarat- ing, the atmosphere floats around us ; our spirits grow as light and as elastic. Occasionally we stop to rest, still Excelsior is the CAR KAN TUAL. 123 word. The ordnance mark denoting the summit is in sight; the path grows less difficult ; we tread on a peaty soil ; we quicken our pace ; we gain the mound ; we are two thousand seven hundred and fifty-six feet above the sea, and what a glo- rious panorama rewards our exertions. Far as the eye can reach, an extending picture dazzles, and gladdens, and fascinates ; away to the east the Boggra Mountains and the Paps loom cloud-like and softly blue ; far on the north the Shannon gleams, and nearer rise the Slievemish Mountains ; on the east we view the rocky ranges of Iveragh, Dingle Bay, and the Kenmare River ; south we see the distant Caha Mountains, that shadow Glen- gariffe and rise over Bantry Bay. But nearer there are greater charms of scenery, for the three Lakes lie at our feet, and we overlook their fairy islands. The town seems but a stone’s-throw from us, and we can trace the roads that converge to it for many a mile into the country to the north and east. Like silver threads, we see the streams and rivers running amongst the brightly verdant meadows ; and we view the gem-like sheen of arbutus bowers that gird the glancing lakes ; higher, we behold a darker zone of tasselled pines. The Macgillicuddy Reeks stand out in all their sumptuous magnifi- cence — Carran Tual, like a monarch, proudly overtopping them all. Nearer still, the Purple Mountain and the Tomies rear their peaks amongst the quivering clouds, and, nearer yet, the Droop- ing Mountain and Tore exalt their painted rocks. Amidst such scenes, we may echo the royal verdict which the Prince of Wales spoke on his visit to this grand mountain, “This is glorious.” Descending, the tourist will probably visit “The Horses’ Glen,” a chaotic pit surmounted by perpendicular rocks. Ex- cepting from one narrow entrance, it is quite inaccessible. It contains another of those cold black lakes ; and in one of the overhanging precipices the guide will point out an eagle’s nest. The echo seems to possess more than usual harmony in its ascent. FOURTH DAY. Ascent of Carran Tual. The view from the summit of Carran Tual is not grander than that obtained from the top of Mangerton ; but as the former mountain is more than 600 feet higher than the latter, the prospect is much more extensive. The Prince of Wales, during his visit to Killarney in 1858, went up Carran Tual. We may therefore follow in the steps of royalty, and order our ponies to the foot of the mountain, early enough, however, to 124 LONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN GUIDE . allow them a good rest there, for it is fifteen miles from Killamey. The road leads away by the northern shore of the Lower Lake, bridges the river Laune east of Dunloe Castle, passes the en- trance to the Gap, and gradually winds in amongst the moun- tains. At the base of the mountain, about five miles from the top, we arrive at a cottage near a river, built for the accommo- dation of visitors, and here we find our ponies awaiting us. We now commence the ascent. The path is not difficult, only rugged in some places ; strewn with coarse stones, it is not easy for our ponies. Continuing for about three miles, we arrive at an exceedingly lonely glen, where the mountain rises with great steepness, and where we must dismount and prepare to breast it. This is called the “Hag’s Glen.” The path becomes steeper; but after an hour and a half’s scrambling, we reach the summit, crowned by a little cairn, the first stone of which was placed there by the Prince. The view is extremely grand. We are above all the neigh- bouring mountains, and our gaze is uninterrupted. We see far into the counties of Limerick, Clare, and Cork, and far out into the Atlantic Ocean. On one side is the estuary of the Kenmare River, on the other is the wide Bay of Dingle. We trace the Shannon from the great cliffs at Loop Head to Kilrush, to Tar- bert, and to where its waters expand and reach towards Ennis, and even to Limerick. We make out the Galtee Mountains that border Tipperary, at least sixty miles to the eastward, and the mountains of Bandon to the south. Mizen Head and Bantry Bay appear to the south-east, all within a radius of seventy or eighty miles. We can command mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, woods, and seas, islands and inlets, far as the eye can reach, until, in the distance, land and sky appear to meet, gray and in- distinct ; and the horizon is only clear where the sunbeams fall on the gleaming waves of the Atlantic. We discern several lakes, the most conspicuous of which is Lough Cara, near Killorglin. The Killarney Lakes, excepting the eastern portion of the Lower Lake, are concealed from our view by the inter- vening heights. On several of the surrounding mountains we perceive small tarns. The other reeks run in parallel ridges, intersected by glens and gorges of the most terrific wildness. Rugged crags hem in valleys of the most inconceivable desola- tion, and bold precipices rise over lakelets of chaotic blackness. Descending the mountain and regaining our cars, amidst the benedictions of our late guides, we desire our driver to proceed by Churchtown, in order that we may visit the grave of the great chief whose ancient territory we are in. We leave the Castle of the O’Sullivans More (Dunloe) on the right, and get on the Cahirciveen Road at Beaufort Bridge. On the lake shores RUINS OF AG HA DOE. 125 we see Lakeview, the residence of James O’Connell, brother of the great statesman. Farther on we pass the Roman Catholic chapel, near Lady Headley’s mansion (Aghadoe House). On our left are the Aghadoe Ruins, Saint Finian’s ancient shrine, and the “Pulpit” — perhaps the Bishop’s palace. We observe the entrance to the Victoria Hotel, and drive on to the town, passing the Asylum, the Cathedral, and the Convent ; occasion- ally through the trees catching glimpses of Lough Lean, beautiful and placid ; and we see the Reeks “ Lift to the clouds their craggy heads on high, Crown’d with tiaras fashion’d in the sky. In vesture clad of soft ethereal hue. The Purple Mountains rise to view. With Dunloe’s Gap.” FIFTH DA V. Rums of Aghadoe ; Ross Island and West De?)iesne ; Innisfallen Island ; O' Sullivan' s Cascade ; and Caves of the Middle Lake. Euins of Aghadoe. The remains consist of a church, a round tower, and a round castle of the round tower. N ow that but a portion of the basement story remains, it is quite easy to ascend, the height of the frag- ment being only about twelve feet. It measures in outer circum- ference fifty-two feet, and the thickness of its wall was three feet and a half. The stones, laid in regular courses, are large and well dressed ; the masonry was much better than that of either the adjacent church or castle. The castle called the “ Bishop’s Chair,” as the round tower is called the “ Pulpit,” is about thirty feet in height : its walls are seven feet in thickness, and contain a flight of stairs within their space. It stands within an earthen enclosure ; and from this cir- cumstance, united with its round configuration, is thought to be- long to the ninth century. Its similitude to the Saxon castles, which almost invariably were round and erected on a tumulus, has often been remarked. The cathedral consists of nave and choir, divided by a wall, which evidently once was pierced by a door. The entire length is about eighty feet long by twenty broad ; and the nave appears to have been the older division, for they are of unequal antiquity. It was lighted by two windows, round-headed and small. It is in a very ruinous state, much of the south wall having fallen. The choir was lighted by a narrow double lancet over a place where the altar stood ; another twin window in the side wall imparts a dim “religious light.” It contains a few tombs. 126 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. This portion of the building is thought to belong to the thirteenth century, and the architecture of the nave refers to the seventh. Ross Island. Ross Island belongs to the Kenmare estate ; it is laid out with walks and carriage-drives in a tasteful and picturesque manner. Its area is about 150 statute acres, and it is about a mile in length ; it is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait, crossed near the castle by a bridge. Shrubberies, flower- beds, lawns, and groves diversify the land ; and wherever the view is especially fine, seats or summer-houses are arranged accommodate the visitor. The shores of the island are worn into every variety of creek, promontory, and bay — deeply-in- dented rocks, fantastic and curious ; and a walk or a sail along the margin of the waters is a most enjoyable treat. In this in- teresting island the tourist may spend many delightful hours, or, if time permits, many as happy days ; and so lovely is the place that the spectator is fain to believe its charms of rocks and wood and waters cannot be surpassed. Ross Castle is a noble ruin, picturesquely clothed with ivy. It was the stronghold of the O’Donoghues. The castle stood a siege against the Parliamentary forces in Cromwell’s time, but surrendered when vessels were brought from Castlemaine and launched on the lake ; for an old prophecy foretold that it would fall when surrounded by “ ships of war.” We give a view. The keep of the castle is nearly perfect ; it consists of a mas- sive square tower, with a spiral stone staircase ascending to the top. Originally it was enclosed by an embattled curtain wall, having round flanking towers at each side. It is one of the most prominent ornaments to the lake, yet not less remarkable for its intrinsic beauty as a ruin than interesting from its associations, having been the palace of O’Donoghue. It is the focus of nine- tenths of those racy stories which waft us away from the hard dulness of every-day life to the refreshing regions of fancy — which, by changing the aliment of the mind, renew its powers, as change of diet restores vigour to the body. Innisfallen Island lies about one mile and a half from the shore, between Ross and Rabbit Islands. It is the loveliest of the islets, and, as you approach in a boat, looks as if it were growing out of the lake, by reason of the density of its evergreen groves and underwood. The ruins of Innisfallen Abbey, founded by St. Finian, in the seventh century, claim attention for “ sweet Innisfallen.” Here for centuries were preserved the “Annals,” the great record of Irish history, relating (many hundred years after the event) the conversion of the Celts to Christianity by St. Patrick. ROSS CASTLE, KILLARNEY. VALENT/A. 127 O’Sullivan’s Cascade is reached after a row across the lake. A rugged path through a rich wood leads to the waterfall, which is heard afar off, like the tones of a great organ, long before it comes in sight. The height of the fall is seventy feet, and it has three distinct leaps. Having viewed before re-embarking the huge “ Royal Oak,” the tourist will in his boat glide along the shore to the thrice-lovely Bay of Glena. The grounds about the cot- tage, built for the use of visitors by Lady Kenmare, are ex- quisitely laid, and a fresh combination of lake and mountain scenery is beheld, the best, we believe, on the Lower Lake. The famous Killarney stag-hunts usually took place on this shore. If time allow, he may spend some delightful hours in voyaging to the smaller islands. Over the ample bosom of the Lower Lake about thirty islands are nestled. The one formerly known as the Gun Rock is, since the Prince of Wales’s visit, called Prince’s Island. O’Donoghue’s Horse, one of the most celebrated rocks, was blown down during a storm, and lies buried in the waters ; but his Stable yet survives. The Lower Lake is five miles long by two and a half wide. It is also known as Lough Leane (the Lake of Learning). Its scenery is of a softer and more sylvan description than the Upper Lake, yet, though tamer, little less bewitching, for to the arid dignity of mountain aspect is united the gentle tranquillity of rural scenes ; and as we urge our boat along by the eastern shore, we behold all the animation that sheep and cattle give to a picture, harmonizing with a background of craggy mountains, rich with all the splendour of light and shadow and colouring, and looking doubly high because of the placid lake that sleeps at their base and mirrors their immensity. We give a coloured view of the Lower Lake. SIXTH AND FOLLO WING DA VS. Valentia. The tourist ought not to omit seeing Valentia, where he can be shown the Transatlantic Telegraph Station. The distance from Killarney is forty-five miles ; and a mail car leaves Kil- larney every morning at six for Cahirciveen (fare, six shillings). The first half of the journey is uninteresting, but the approach to Dingle Bay is very fine. Cahirciveen is small, but very neat ; and the harbour, which is between the island and the mainland, is one of the finest in the kingdom. There is an hotel here, and another at the ferry landing at Ventry. Bray Head, the Skellings, and the mountain ranges are the chief features of the scenery. At Dowlas Head are some fine caves, an excursion to which in calm weather is most delightful. On the opposite side 128 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. of Dingle Bay is Dunmore Head, tlie nearest point to American shores. But the Telegraph Station is the great object of interest. Valentia. The tourist can, if he does not mind a little roughing, return from Valentia up the Kenmare estuary to Kenmare, and thence to Killarney, in one of the fishing smacks along the coast. By this route he will see some of the best coast scenery in the United Kingdom, as he sails by the islands of Puffin, the Skellings, Dinish, and many others. If he object to the sea voyage, he may return by Derrynane, where the former residence of Daniel O’Connell will claim his attention, as well as Staigne Fort, one of the most remarkable antiquities of Ireland. From Killarney the tourist can go direct to Dublin, vid Mal- low. Tourists who intend taking a tour through Connemara and the KILL A RNE V TO DUBLIN \ 129 west of Ireland, do not proceed from here to Dublin, but to Galway, via Mallow, Limerick, Kilrush, Kilkee, Cliffs of Moher, Lisdoonvarna, and Ballyvaughan. SECTION II. KILLARNEY TO DUBLIN, via MALLOW AND LIMERICK JUNCTION. D URING the season, commencing about the 16th of May. and closing with September, through carriages run direct from Ki Harney to Dublin, but in the winter passengers must change carriages at Mallow Junction. From Killarney the line proceeds to Headford, Shinnagh, Mill Street, thence to Kanturk [Hotel : “ Tierny Arms ”1. which has an old castle, built by one of the McCarthys, kings of Munster. Mallow (Junction).* Passengers for Limerick may change trains here, or a Charleville. Leaving Mallow we next pass Buttevant, and the next station we come to is Charleville, close to which is Charleville Castle, the seat of the Earl of Charleville. This station forms the junction of the Cork and Limerick Direct Railways. The next station, after a run of five miles, is Kiimallock, once a place of great importance in Ireland, but now degene- rated to a poor insignificant town, with only a few shops and scaicely any trade. The town has many historical events * See p. 108. 9 130 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . connected with the cruel Desmonds, whose ancient residence was here. There are still traces left also of an old wall, which Edward III. built round the town. Leaving Kilmallock, we next reach Knocklong. A short distance on the right from the station stands a small isolated police-barrack. This was attacked by Fenians, and magnified into a great affair by the newspapers. The reader will see how very small a force would be necessary to attack so poor a looking sentry-box ; two or three strong men would carry the barrack home with them. Passing from the county of Limerick, we enter Tipperary, on the line to Limerick Junction, 107 miles from Dublin, and 10J from the last station. On the right of the line, the Galtee Mountains are seen in the distance, and pn the left is Ballykisteen House, the Irish seat of the Earl of Derby. Passing Dundrum Station, we reach Goold’s Cross, a station 95^ miles from Dublin, from whence is obtained a distant view of the celebrated Rock of Cashel, standing about four miles and a half to the right, and crowned with a famous group of ruins, comprising a cathedral, monastery, small church, round tower, and castle. In ancient times, this rock was the site of the palace of the kings of Munster. Cashel is a place of great antiquity ; nothing is known of the date of its founda- tion, and very little of its early history. It was the seat of the kings of Munster, and a very early bishopric, the royal and episcopal offices being combined. In 1172 Henry II. con- voked a synod of the Irish prelates, which met in this city to acknowledge his sovereignty and confirm to him and his successors the kingdom of Ireland, a decree which was subse- quently ratified by Pope Alexander. After the rebellion of the seventeenth century, the town was occupied by the Royalists; but, in 1647, it was stormed and taken by Lord Inchiguin for the Parliament. Most of the houses in the town are poorly built, but some improvements have lately been made. Three miles before reaching Goold’s Cross, the line runs through Dundrum demesne, the seat of Lord Hawarden. The park is one of the largest in Ireland, containing 2,400 acres, and famous for its deer. The next station is Thurles. But two miles short of it, the ruins of Holy Cross Abbey TEMPLEMORE—POR TARLINGTON. 131 stand on the right. These are said to be the finest remains of Gothic architecture in the country. The abbey was founded in 1182, and is said to have contained a fragment of the true cross of Calvary, presented by Pope Pascal to Donald O’Brien, grandson of Brien Boru. At Thurles the Danes were defeated by the Irish in the tenth century. The Marquis of Ormond takes a title from this place. We now see the Devil’s-Bit-Mountains, on the left. They are so-called from a legend which says that the devil, being benighted and hungry on their summits, bit a piece out of the mountain, but finding it too hard and tough to eat, dropped it in disgust ; the bit forms the celebrated Rock of Cashel, so says the legend. The tourist will observe a gap in part of the range, which is said to have been the Satanic mouthful. Seventy-five miles from Dublin is Templemore, the next station. On the left stands the seat of Sir J. Carden, called the Priory, beautifully situated on an eminence in a finely-wooded park. This small town was founded by the Knights-Templar, who have left an interesting relic of one of their preceptories, now forming one of the entrances to the Priory. A journey of eight miles takes us out of Tipperary into Queen’s County, and passing Parsonstown Junction, where the line branches off to Limerick, Roserea, and Mountrath, several old castles are passed in the run to Maryborough, 50! miles from Dublin, a pleasant and prosperous town, situated on a small affluent of the river Barrow. The town is very ancient, and the chief one of Queen’s County. Before the Union it returned two members to the Irish Parliament. The town was founded during the reign of Philip and Mary, and named, in honour of the sovereign, Maryborough. The next station is Portarlington, formerly called Coltodry, 41J miles from Dublin. It is situated on the Barrow River, and sends one member to Parliament. Charles II. gave this town to Lord Arlington, who erected a small port on the Barrow, hence the modern name Portarlington. William III. afterwards gave it to General Rouvigny, when it became the home of numerous French and Flemish Protestants. The Dawson family, of Emo Park, take their title of Marquis from this place. 132 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . The late Duke of Wellington, and his brother, the Marquis of Wellesley, were educated in the town. Monasterevan is entered by means of an iron viaduct 500 feet long, which crosses the Barrow River, on which the town is situated. Hence a nice view can be obtained of Moore Abbey, the seat of the Marquis of Drogheda, to whom the town of Monastereven belongs. The Abbey stands on the site of an old Priory, and the demesne surrounding it is finely cultivated. The next station is Kildare, a poor place, and anything but the smiling place imagination would have pictured as the home of “ Sweet Norah,” whom the song says was its pride. The town is half concealed from the railway by a ridge, on the summit of which rises a round tower, 132 feet in height. This tower is in a very perfect state, and forms one of the most conspicuous objects of the town. The original name of the town was Kill-dara, “ the Church of the Oak.” It was founded as early as the sixth century, and was repeatedly ravaged by the Danes and by the Kings of Leinster. At a later period it was taken by the English, who built a strong castle, and held a Parliament here in 1339. James II. granted a charter to the town. The place is now the property of the Duke of Leinster, to whom it gives the title of Marquis. Between Kildare and the next station, the line crosses The Curragh of Kildare, where horse-races are held twice a year. George IV. visited these races when on a tour in Ireland. The Curragh is six miles long by two broad, and has been the scene of many a desperate struggle. In 1234 Lord Montemarisco fell during the insurrection, headed by the Earl of Pembroke. In 1406 the Irish, led by the Prior of Connell, were defeated by the English. Again, in 1789, the Irish volunteers assembled here; and the United Irishmen also encamped here in 1804. Some mounds, still visible, are supposed to be the graves of fallen warriors. The Curragh is the property of the Crown. It is the site of a camp of instruction, where a number of troops are “under canvas.” The year 1861 was rendered memorable by the temporary sojourn here of the Prince of Wales, to acquire that thorough knowledge of military dis- cipline so essential for the heir-apparent to the throne. Distant two and a half miles is the station of SALLIA T S — HA ZLE-IIA TCH— CL ONDALKIN. 1 33 Newbridge, twenty-five miles from Dublin. This small town is rapidly rising into importance. Sixty years ago it was not, and until the close of the Russian war, it only boasted of a single row of houses. Since that time the number of inhabitants and houses have increased fivefold. This is considered to be owing to its being the centre of communication between Dublin and the military camp on the Curragh. In approaching the next station, Sallins, and five miles from that point, the Hill of Allen rises 300 feet cut of the Bog of Allen. This is said to be the scene of one of Ossian’s poems, and the reputed residence of Phin M’Coul (Esquire). Nearer Sallins, the line crosses the Liffey by a wooden bridge 270 feet in length, and afterwards enters a deep cutting. Passing Straffan, we leave the county of Kildare, and approach the next station, Hazle-hatch, ten miles from Dublin. A mile to the left of this station is Celbridge Abbey, formerly the home of Esther Vanhomrigh, known as the original of Vanessa , in Dean Swift’s poem of “ Cadenus and Vanessa.” A bower of laurels is still pointed out as the spot in the grounds of the abbey where the cele- brated Dean and Vanessa frequently conversed. Passing Lucan, the next station is Clondalkin, a small village, four and a half miles from Dublin. Here may be seen a round tower, 84 feet high, said to be one of the most perfect in Ireland. Here, also, stood the palace of the Danish King A wliffe, better known as Dunawley. It was also the site of a monastery, founded in early times. In 1797 a fearful gunpowder explosion occurred in the vicinity, the effects of which were felt for a great distance. About a mile from Clondalkin stands Ballyfermot Castle and Church, and on the opposite side the tourist soon passes the Military Hospital of Kilmainham, established in 1675, said to be on the site of a priory of Knights-Templar, founded by Earl Strongbow in 1174. The final stage of the journey is Dublin. For description see page 184. 134 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION III. KILLARNEY TO GALWAY, via LIMERICK, KILRUSH, KILKEE, CLIFFS OF MOHER, AND LISDOONVARNA. (Same as Section II. up to Charleville.) L EAVING the station at Charleville, we enter the county of Limerick, and pass on to the station of Bruree, from thence to Rosstemple, Croom, and Patrick’s Well, at which point the line unites with the Limerick and Foynes Railway. A distance of 7J miles further conducts the traveller to Limerick. [Hotels : “Cruise’s Royal,” “George.”] Limerick (population, in 1871, 39,828), the fourth city in Ireland as to wealth, size, and population, is situated on the Shannon, about eighty miles from the sea. It is the oldest corporate town in Ireland, for which reason — as well as for the prominent part it has played in the vicissitudes of Irish history — Limerick people are very proud of their native city. It was besieged several times, and the “old castle,” which dates from the reign of John, by whose direction it was built, shows still the breaches made by the Parliamentary cannon. This fine old ruin, together with the stone on which the famous treaty of 1691 was signed, the cathedral, with its steeple and monuments, and some of the houses in the older portions of the town, are the principal antiquities that claim the tourist’s attention. There are three districts comprised within the present corporate limits, each built at different periods and having peculiar characteristics. The oldest is called English-town, having been built by the English settlers in the reign of John. A century later, the native Irish under Bruce attacked and burned the suburbs, but, failing in their assaults on the walls, settled down outside, and finally fortified their position, which was subsequently known as Irish-town. New-town, in which are now the principal streets, has been built within the last fifty years. Here dwell most of those who have any pretensions to wealth. At present, we regret to say, Limerick is not a prosperous town. George’s Street, extending from the Military Walk, through Richmond Place, to Patrick’s Street, runs almost the entire length of New- town, and is intersected by several shorter streets. There are two fine monuments in this district — a bronze statue of LIMERICK. 135 Daniel O’Connell in Richmond Place, and, in Percy Square, a memorial column to the Lord Monteagle. The principal bridges are the two spanning the Shannon — Thomond Bridge, connecting English-town with the county of Clare ; and Wellesley Bridge, the greatest ornament of the city, and the finest bridge, perhaps, in Ireland. On this bridge stands a statue to the late Lord Fitz-Gibbon, who fell at Balaclava ; and from its centre a very fine view is obtained of the cannon-marked walls of the old castle, and the cathe- dral in the foreground. At the Clare extremity of Thomond Bridge, the “ Treaty Stone,” on which the famous “violated treaty” of 1691 was signed, rests on a pedestal. The cathedral dates as far back as the twelfth century, and contains many venerable tombs, but the interior is otherwise void of interest ; the Catholic sculptures of course disappeared in the adapta- tion of the building for the services of Protestantism. The steeple is 120 feet high, and has a peal of bells which are fabled to have been brought from Italy at an early date, and have of course a legend In connection with them. The castle was built by the direction of King John shortly after his visit to Ireland, to protect the Thomond Gate, which was the only entrance to the ancient city. Seven towers with walls of massive thickness still remain, and are connected with each other by walls of still greater strength. 1 The court- yard within the fortifications has been recently fitted up as a barrack. The principal public buildings are the City and County Court Houses, the Town Hall, and St. John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral. This last building is a very handsome example of modern ecclesiastical architecture, and was built entirely by means of the voluntary contributions of the people. The “ better half,” or other gentle companion of the tourist, will of course secure specimens of Limerick lace before leaving the City of the Violated Treaty. An enjoyable excursion may be made to Castleconnel, in it- self a poor straggling village, but contiguous to some elegant country seats, and having the additional attractions of a chaly- beate spa, the ruins of a castle picturesquely built on a detatched rock, together with a charming view of the most beautiful part of the Shannon — the rapids of Doonass. The Shannon here, with a greater volume of water than the four largest rivers of England put together, rushes headlong for nearly half a mile over and through a vast aggregation of rocks, presenting a spectacle approaching the sublime. Castleconnel can be easily reached by a branch line of the Limerick and Waterford Railway. The train runs near 136 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . the course of the river the whole way, giving the traveller views of Lord Clare’s demesne (the gardens of which are the finest in the county), Hermitage, the seat of Lord Massey, and Doonass. A second excursion maybe made to Adare Castle, ten miles from the city, on the Limerick and Foynes Railway. The structure is a noble monument of Irish skill. The extensive gardens and spacious pleasure-grounds, the hoary ruins of the old castle of the Desmonds and three abbeys, together with the natural beauty of the spot, form a combination of charms by which the tourist’s half-hour’s ride will be well repaid. The Augustinian abbey, which stands in the foreground, has its walls and cloisters almost entire. The Franciscan abbey, which forms the background of the view, has been repaired, and is used as the parish church ; while the Abbey of the Holy Trinity is now used as a Roman Catholic Chapel. The excursion to this interesting place can also be performed by road in a hired carriage. Kilrush. [Hotels i ‘ Vandeleur Arms ” and is of the Gothic order of architecture, and quadrangular in form • it is built of grey mountain limestone, and is orna- mented with an artistically designed cupola on the front which faces the town. It contains a museum, with many specimens of stuffed animals and birds ; a fine geoiogical co l lec ^ n ’^_ in specimens of the district; an excellent library, pact lecture rooms; there is also an anatomical section in the museum. It is one of the most economical colleges in the kingdom, the annual fees not exceeding £12. GALWAY. *45 The Church of St . Nicholas is an antique structure, dating from 1320, but principally remarkable for having been much associated with the annals of the Lynch family, under whose patronage it seems to have been beautified. Having seen the architectural beauties, and moralized over the traces of Galway’s ancient importance, the tourist may find fresh food both for admiration and for speculation. He can- not fail to be struck by the tall graceful girls of the Claddagh, in their picturesque habits ; while the customs of the strange people inhabiting this district are well worth the study of the archaeologist. They hold but little intercourse with the inha- bitants of Galway, and are ruled over by a “king” annually elected from among their number. They exist principally by fishing, and are most rigid in their observance of ‘ ‘lucky ” and “ unlucky ” days. But their custom of “marriage by capture,” and other of their usages, no longer practised, are the most interesting facts in connection with this apparently alien colony; for here seem to have survived many of the manners and practices which Sir J. Lubbock and Mr. Tylor have been at such pains to investigate in their well-known histories of primitive humanity. The coast of Galway possesses, to some extent, the same flora as the coast of Spain, particularly in ferns. This is said to be accounted for by the seeds having been carried in mer- chandise to Galway, or brought by winds, tides, or birds. The salmon fishing under Galway Bridge is excellent ; and at low tide the salmon literally pave the bottom of the river, so numerous do they become when waiting to get over the weir into Lough Corrib. The rod angling is confined to a club of gentlemen ; but permission to fish can sometimes be obtained on application to the secretary, at a charge of 10s. per rod per day — the angler retaining one third of his “ catch ” in weight of fish, or receiving the money value of the same according to the current market price. An inspection of the Iodine Chemical Works, for the manu- facture of iodine from seaweed, and of the Steam Clog Factory may also prove interesting to the tourist. But for those who are not antiquarians, the bay will be the first object. In its greatest extent it is thirty miles long and twenty wide ; and within its embrace it holds innumerable creeks and havens which might well be styled harbours. The facilities afforded by this splendid bay for accommodating shipping, the fact of its being the nearest harbour in the kingdom to St. John’s, and its proximity to Dublin, all combined to make Galway Bay eligible as a transatlantic packet station. Steamers did actually run for a short period, and some unusually rapid IO 146 LONDON AND NOR TIL WESTERN GUIDE. passages Were made ; but with the death of Father Daly, the indefatigable champion of his native town, disappeared Gal- way’s hopes, and since that time Cork has retained the privi- lege. Unlike most of the bays around, and their name is legion — Connemara means “ bays of the sea” — Galway is comparatively devoid of islands, except at its outer extremity, where lie the isles of Arran. This peculiarity, and the fact that a “ turf bog of several feet in depth, in which are stumps and roots of large trees, and many branches of oak and birch intermixed” ( Dutton's Survey ), may be seen ten feet below high-water mark at Borna, give some colouring of probability to the h)'pothesis that the bay was once dry land, and the isles of Arran part of the mainland. These islands, three in number, can be visited by taking a passage in the fishing boats that visit Galway; or a boat may be hired for a half-sovereign at Roundstone, by which a party may reach the isles, view the scenery and archaeological remains, and return next morning. On Arranmore, the largest of the islands, are the remains of a fort, called Dun ^Engus which was built before the Christian era. There are also ruins of seven churches, and an ancient Irish inscription on a portion of a stone cross. A view of the cliffs, on the side facing the ocean, would alone repay the trouble of an excursion to these islands. SECTION V. TOUR THROUGH CONNEMARA. P ROCEEDING from Galway, on the tour through Conne- mara, there is a choice of two routes — by the steamer, Eglington , up Lough Corrib to Cong, and thence by car to Clifden, vid Maam and the Half-way House ; or by car from Cong, direct to Clifden ; but the second route does not take in Galway, nor does it give such views of Lough Corrib’s enchanting shores as are to be obtained from the deck of the Eglington. The steamer leaves Galway daily, and ascending the river Gallive for three miles, enters the “ Friar’s Cut,” and, soon reaching Menlough Castle, “one of the handsomest of the old CONG. 147 inhabited castles of Ireland,” brings the tourist to the shores of the lough. The first twelve miles, after leaving the Cut, though rich in ecclesiastical and feudal remains, in no way prepare us for the coming beauties of the upper portion of this inland sea. The first group of ruins of especial interest is that of “ Armaghdoun.” Tolokian Castle, or Caisleau-na-Cailliaghe — “the Hag’s Castle ” — whose picturesque, ivy-clothed walls cannot fail to arrest attention, comes next in view. Literally nothing seems to be known with reference to its origin. At this point an island will be observed, which bears upon it the remains of an uncemented stone fort, supposed to be of great antiquity. As the steamer continues to advance, a capital view is obtained of Annabreen Castle, a ruined fortress, conjectured by Sir William Wilde to be the oldest of the castles surround- ing Lough Corrib. It is entirely built of undressed stone. The surface of Lough Corrib is diversified by numerous islands — it is commonly said that there is one upon it for every day in the year. The most important of these islands is Inchangoill, or Inis-an-Ghoill, Crabhtheach — “ the Island of the Stranger,” which lies to the left of the course pursued by the steamer. Upon this island are the ruins of two very ancient churches — one of which, the older and plainer of the two, is called the Church of St. Patrick. The style of its masonry and architecture fully support the tradition of its having been built in his age. There is in the churchyard a curious monumental stone, only six inches in thickness, upon the side of which is an inscription, supposed to be one of the earliest Christian inscriptions in Ireland. It describes the stone to be “ Lia Lugnaedon, Macc Lmenue ” — “the Stone of Lugnaedon, son of Limania,” the sister of Saint Patrick. A little further on, we pass Moytura House, the residence of Sir William Wilde ; it stands upon the ancient battle-field of Moytura, from which it takes its name. Approaching Cong, the beautiful demesne of Sir Arthur Guinness appears in sight. The scenery of the lake here, dotted over with wooded islands, is charmingly picturesque. Cong. [Hotel : “ Burke’s.”] Cong (Cunga, an Irish word, signifying a neck) is a village on the isthmus separating Loughs Corrib and Mask. The neighbourhood of Cong abounds in natural curiosities — the curious subterranean streams which convey the waters of 1 48 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Lough Mask to those of Lough Corrib being especially worthy of notice. This extraordinary freak of nature may be seen through openings where the land has fallen in. Of these natural caverns, that called “The Pigeon Hole,” the abode of the sacred trout, is easiest of access. Cong Abbey, which claims the honour of having been the residence of Roderick O’Connor, the last monarch of Ireland, who lived there for fourteen years before his death, is the chief object of interest in the locality, and an examination of its beauties will well repay the tourist. Although said to have been founded in the seventh century, the remaining portions of the ruin are supposed not to be much older than the twelfth ; the style of the mouldings and sculptured stone-work is clearly that of the decorated Norman order of architecture. The entrance-gateway and some of the windows are peculiarly beautiful. The market cross of Cong is, too, well worthy of notice, as also the cave of rough unhewn stone in Ashford demense, which, by the liberality of Sir A. Guinness, is always open to visitors. The tourist can either sleep at Cong, or proceed on to Maam and Half-way House; this route commands some splendid views as it gradually ascends to Maam, both of the waters of Corrib and of the mountain scenery surrounding the beautiful Glen of Bealanabrack, which is passed before reaching the hotel. Maam is only five miles from Half-way House, where the tourist mounts the car, en route for Clifden. If it be decided to remain at Cong, the car can be caught at Oughterard, by rowing across the lake. Intercepting the car, however, at Half-way House, brings the tourist twelve miles nearer Clifden than if he had gone to Oughterard. The scenery, too, between Cong and Half-way House, is far superior to what it is between Oughterard and Half-way House. Glendalougli. The second route to Clifden, by car direct, (not to be compared to the one described), lies through the village of Moycullen. The country towards the shore of Lough Corrib is flat, and affords occasional views of those scenes so much better looked upon from the Eglingion. Some fine country seats are passed, the principal being Lemonfield, the residence of G. O’Flahertie, Esq., a descendant of the “ferocious O’Flaherties.” Nearer is Aughnanure Castle, the ancient stronghold of the family. The tourist now arrives at Oughterard, a picturesque looking town, situated on the Owen Riff river (“The River of Sulphur”), which forms a MOUNTAINS, CONNEMARA. GLENDALOUGH. succession of cascades just above the town. This river abounds with fresh water mussels, in which pearls are frequently found. The road from this place to Half-way House (a distance of twelve miles) lies through lake and mountain scenery. At five miles Lough Bofin is passed, and next Lough Arderry. Next comes Lough Shindella, with its numerous wooded islands, though the lake is but two miles in length. Here is the Half-way House, a simple country cottage, buried amidst the mountains. The seven miles from this to Glendalough is a most delightful drive, and the group of lakes amongst which the tourist finds himself are superior to anything else in Connemara, and, in the opinion of some, quite equal to Killarney. The endless combinations in which Glendalough, Derryclare, Ballynahinch, and the lonely romantic Inagh appear, with their background of lofty mountains, and the precipitate courses of the hill- side torrents, tracing silvery lines from the summits to the deeply-embosomed lakelets at the base, can only be realised when actually seen. There is a choice of two hotels, if the tourist should wish to make a stay in this lovely district — the Recess Hotel, six miles from Half-way House, and the Glendalough Hotel, on the opposite side of the lake. If time permit, we would recommend a halt here, for the ascent of Lisoughter Mountain affords a bird’s-eye view of the attrac- tive neighbourhood that would repay the trouble tenfold. Behind stretch the Maamturk range ; to the south winds the road just traversed from Oughterard ; while in front, with Loughs Inagh and Derryclare in the intermediate vale, the Twelve Pins rear their rugged heads. Setting out once more from Glendalough towards Clifden, which is now fourteen miles distant, and after driving for about three miles through interesting country, the branch road which leads to Roundstone is passed on the left, just beyond it Lough Ballynahinch is reached. The remains of an ancient castle may be observed on a small island in the lough. The scenery still continues interesting, and again the tourist is in the land of lakes. On the left side of the road the Bally- nahinch and Glencraghan rivers are passed ; the latter takes its rise in the Twelve Pin Mountains, of which we give a view. On the right, the Derryclare and Benlettery Mountains rise in all their grandeur. From the shoulder of Derriff Cave a good view can be obtained of the lovely and lonely Lough Inagh. Ballynahinch — the ancient residence of the Martin family — stands at the southern extremity of the lough bearing the same name. In former days the Martins possessed almost regal power in this part of the country; and the peasantry 150 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . constantly speak of the “reign” of the Martins, clearly denoting the paramount authority of this family, out of whose hands the immense property — upwards of 200,000 acres of land, together with the family mansion — passed some years since, the last owner having mortgaged it to the Law Life Insurance Company. The house, which is surrounded by trees, stands on the shore of the lough, a range of dark and lofty mountains forming the background. Passing onward, the road to the right leads to the celebrated green marble quarries, specimens of which, worked into crosses, brooches, etc., can be purchased at Clifden [Hotels : “ Mullarkey’s New” and “ Carr’s ”], a little town six miles further on, which is prettily situated, embosomed amid hills, but open towards the west to the Atlantic. Clifden is of quite modern growth, having, in fact, been founded by the late Mr. Darcy. Clifden Castle, formerly the residence of this gentleman, a modern castellated mansion, is reached by a road winding along the sea-shore, and has a beautiful situation, but is, in other respects, not remarkable. Outside the town, the Owenglen River forms a succession of pretty falls. For excursions to Roundstone, Mount Urrisberg, and elsewhere, the tourist should consult Shaw’s local shilling Guide. From Clifden the road to Leenane lies through Letter- frack, seven miles distant, a clean, comfortable little place, with two good hotels (a temperance hotel, and Mrs. Casson’s, one of the neatest in the country). A very pleasant day may be spent here in ascending the Diamond Mountain. Two miles further on the road to Leenane, the tourist crosses the River Dawross, which conveys the waters of Kyle- more Lake and Pollacappul to Ballynakele Harbour. From this bridge the first view is caught of the unrivalled Pass of Kylemore. It is about three miles long, and is endowed with a beauty peculiarly its own. In the distance the Twelve Pins rear their lofty heads, looking like the guardian genii of the Pass. The mountains to the left, or north of the road, rise precipitously, and are wooded half-way up ; their summits are bare — bold and lofty crags jutting out at intervals. This wood, from which the place takes its name — Kylemore, or “ big wood,” — is the only ancient wood now remaining in the whole country, which was at one time covered with forest, as is evidenced by the large quantity of timber still existing in the bogs. In this wood is found the exquisite white heath. The mountains to the right and across the lakes are less pre- ' KYLKMORE LAKE, CONNEMARA. L EENANE — WESTPOR T. 151 cipitous, but are completely bare of trees, and but scantily covered with grass and heather, so that they sparkle in the sun, and by moonlight appear quite silvery. Having left the Pass, we behold the shores of Killery in all their magical beauty. The village of Leenane is situated at the inland extremity of the bay. This moun- tain-locked arm of the sea resembles much a Norwegian fiord, but without wood or foliage. It is ten miles in length, and not quite half a mile in width ; and the narrow mouth being protected by an island, one would easily be deceived into thinking it a lake. As Mr. Otway says, “there is scarcely any lake that has not a flat, tame end, generally that where the superabundant waters flow off and form a river. But here nothing was tame — on every side the mag- nificent mountains seemed to vie with each other which should catch and keep your attention most. Northwards the Fenamore Mountains; the Partree range to the east; Maam Turc to the south. A little more to the south-west the sparkling cones of the Twelve Pins of Benabola; then a little more to the west, the Renvyle Mountain ; and off to the north again, the monarch of the whole amphitheatre, Mweelrea, ‘ With its cap of clouds that it had caught. And anon flings fitfully off.’ ” Whilst he is at Leenane, the tourist should make an excur- sion to Delphi, a sight which, it has been said, would alone repay the trouble of the journey from London. For informa- tion as to this and other excursions to Salruck Pass, Innisturk Island, and Renvyle House, the tourist may consult Shaw’s Guide to the district. The Killery Bay Hotel affords accom- modation at Leenane. From Leenane, en route to Westport (eighteen miles), the road winds along the shore of Killery, up the banks of the Eriff River, amid scenes of great variety. The road is a good one, though, after leaving Eriff Bridge, rather uninteresting, until Croagh Patrick comes in sight — the famous Croagh Patrick, on which the national saint stood when he banished the venomous snakes and toads from Ireland. Westport [Hotels : “Railway” and “ Imperial ’*] was once a flourishing town, and evidences of its former pros- 152 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . perity are apparent in the number of empty warehouses, large enough, as Thackeray, with pardonable exaggeration, says, to contain the merchandise of Manchester. The “ Mall,” which is the principal street, runs the whole length of the town. Through this street flows the stream, which, before entering the town, waters the beautiful demesne of the Marquis of Sligo, whose plantations and gardens are open to visitors. Excursions should be made to Achill Island, Muirrisk Abbey, and the summit of Croagh Patrick. The drive from Westport to Achill embraces the rich scenery of the won- drous Clew Bay, and the multitudinous groups of islands along its shore, with Clare Island, the ancient residence of Grana Uaile, protecting its mouth. About two miles beyond Newport, a little town north-west of Clew Bay, two of the most striking ruins in Ireland are reached — the Castle of Carrig-a-Hooley and Burrishoole Monastery. Some of the mullions and carvings of the latter are very curious specimens of art. But the castle, though without any beauty of design, is equally interesting as one of Grana Uaile’s favourite strong- holds. The sensational history of Grana’s exploits the tourist will find set forth at length in Shaw’s Shilling Guide to this dis- trict. Pushing on through Molhrany, after eight miles, an ex- quisite sea view opens before the gaze; then, crossing Achill Sound, the tourist enters on the large irregularly-shaped island of Achill. It is bounded on the north by the deeply-indented Blacksod Bay ; on the south by Clew Bay ; the Sound and Bull’s Mouth bind it on the east ; and the western side, guarded by stupendous cliffs, faces the Atlantic. There is little or no vegetation on the island. Slievmore is the highest mountain in Achill ; but Sliev Croaghaun is better worth ascending. Sliev Croaghaun is 2,500 feet in height, and upon gaining the summit it is rather startling to find that, instead of the other side of the mountain also descending gradually, it forms a tremendous precipice, looking over the edge of which the great ocean is seen 2,500 feet below. The face of this precipice is very curious. “ There are evident indications here of Sliev Croaghaun having been sliced down, and left, as it were, a palpable remnant of some great convulsion ; for just behind the precipice, where it is highest, and about twenty feet from the brow, an anterior chasm is seen, forming an enormous and rugged fissure for hundreds of yards along, in some places hundreds of feet deep ; and this shows that when the mighty blow was given, and while half the mountain was falling down, this crack took place. It was but a chance that this great slice did not go down along with the rest.” Muirrisk Abbey (muirrisc, “ a sea-shore marsh ”) is situated CASTLEBAR— BA LLINA 153 at the foot of Croagh Patrick. Muirrisk is the starting-point for making the pilgrimage to the “ Lug,” a plateau near the summit, whence the saint “ Preached his sarmint , Which drove the frogs Into the bogs And bothered all the varmint The tourist now returns to Westport, and thence takes the train, via Castlebar, to Manulla Junction ; where carriages are changed for Ballina. Castlebar, the principal town in Mayo, has nothing in its present ap- pearance to interest the tourist. During the rebellion of 1798 it gained some notoriety. The French, with an unarmed horde of natives, penetrated as far as Castlebar, where a brave stand was made by the Fraser Fencibles. The precipitate retreat of the remainder of the English force is known as the “Castlebar Races.” Foxford is a prettily situated little town, progressing rapidly, with neat houses and clean streets. It is much resorted to by anglers, for the River Moy is one of the best salmon rivers in Ireland. KillalaBay, six miles from the town, is famous for having been the rendezvous of the French invaders in 1798. Between Killala and Ballina [Hotels : “ Moy/' “ Royal,” and “ Imperial”] are the ruins of Roserk and Moyne Abbeys, and a remnant of a round tower. From Ballina to Dromore is fifteen miles. There are two roads, but the stage-car route is the more direct. The Church of Dromore is remarkable for having been built by Jeremy Taylor, the celebrated divine, when Bishop of Down, in the reign of Charles II. From Dromore to Ballysodare (sixteen miles) the country is better cultivated. To the left is seen Aughris Head, the southern promontory of Sligo Bay ; and on the right the Ox Mountain. Ballysodare is a pretty village, on a bay and river of the same name. The river, on the western bank of which is St. Fechan’s Abbey, forms some fine rapids just outside the village. The road now winds round the shore in a northerly direction, and allows a fine view of Sligo Bay and Knockarea Mountain, on the promon- tory separating Ballysodare and Sligo Bays. 154 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Sligo [Hotels : “ Imperial ” and “ Victoria ”] is a thriving town, having the largest export trade in grain of any town in the north-west of Ireland, but it affords small attraction for the tourist. The ruins of Sligo Abbey are unfortunately situated in a narrow street, which prevents their being seen to advantage. The Abbey was founded in 1252, by Maurice Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, burned to the ground in 1415, and rebuilt by con- tributions from pilgrims who visited the place to secure “indulgences.” In the choir, which is still standing, are the remains of a beautiful Gothic window, and an altar of carved stone. There are also several beautiful tombs, one of which, belonging to the O’Connors, bears date 1616, and represents the figures of O’Connor-Sligo and his wife, surmounted by a figure of Christ. The steeple, which rises from an arch beautifully groined, is still entire. The cloister is also worth attention. “ It consists, at present, of three sides of a square of beautifully-carved little arches of about four feet in height, which seem to have been anciently separated from each other. Almost all the little pillars are differently orna- mented, and one in particular is very unlike the rest, having a human head cut on the inside of the arch. There are several vaults throughout the ruins, containing the remains of skulls, bones, and coffins. The abbey and yard are still used as a burying-place.” — Inglis. Lough Gill is about three miles from the town. One plan is to hire a boat and row up the River Garrogue to it; another, to take a car, and drive through the grounds of Hazlewood. The lake is about five miles in length, from one to two in breadth, and is situated on Mr. Wynne’s estate of Hazle- wood. The tourist here enters upon quite a different class of scenery. Instead of the wild romantic aspect of Connemara, cultivated wooded landscapes meet the eye at every turn, forming a strong contrast to the kind of country travelled through at the commencement of the tour. The scenery is considered by some to be almost equal to that of Killarney, which in character it strongly resembles, the elevations along the sides of the lake being beautifully wooded — the arbutus trees predominating. “This is a very lovely spot ; the views of the lake from a hundred points are very enchanting ; and in the disposition of lawn, wood, and shrubbery, taste and art have taken ample advantage of the gifts of nature. Finer ever- greens I never saw in the most southern countries. The laurels and bays, grown into great trees, rivalled, if they did not surpass, those of Woodstock LOUGH GILL. 155 or Curraghmore ; and here I again found the arbutus, not indeed quite equal in its perfection to the arbutus of Killarney.'’ — Inglis. There are about twenty thickly-wooded islands on Lough Lough Gill. Gill — Cottage Island, about eight acres, and Church Island, twenty-five acres, being the two largest. The best view of the lake will be obtained at Dooney Rock, half-way up the lough on the right-hand side. From this point the entire circumference of the lake can be seen at one view. The neighbourhood of Sligo abounds with beautiful drives One of the best is to Benbulben Head, on the way to Bundoran (nine miles) and Glencar Waterfall. Walsh’s mail cars leave Sligo twice a-day for Bundoran and Ballyshannon, performing the distance in three and three-quarter hours. 156 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . EXCURSION IV. WESTPORT TO ATHLONE.* L EAVING Westport by the Great Northern and Western Railway, the traveller passes through Mayo County by Castlebar to Manulla Junction, where the line branches off* to the left to Foxford. Continuing on the main line towards Athlone, Balia, Ballyhaunis, and Claremorris are successively passed. Between the latter station and Castlereagh the tourist passes from Mayo into Roscommon County, when Ballymoe, Dunamon, Roscommon, Ballymurry, and Knockcroghery are the stages to- wards the junction at Athlone. EXCURSION V. SLIGO TO MULLINGAR. L EAVING Sligo (for which see pages 153-5), we traverse- the county of the same name, passing the stations of Ballysa- dare, Collooney, and Ballymote ; and enter the county of Ros- common, near Boyle. The rail then visits a cluster of towns on the Upper Shannon, and runs through County Longford, a small county returning two members to Parliament. The town of Longford is a small thriving place. It stands on the banks of the river Longford, and obtained considerable celebrity in an early age of history on account of an abbey of which St. John, one of the disciples of St. Patrick, was abbot. The castle of Longford was the theatre of many interesting historical events. The best buildings here are a handsome church and a large Roman Catholic cathedral with a good tower. Multyfarnham is beautifully situated near Lake Deravaragh. Here are the ruins of an abbey with a steeple 90 feet high, built in 1 236, and which contains tombs of the Nugents. Wilson’s Hospital for Orphans is here. The next station is Mullingar, for which and the rest of the route to Dublin, see page 140, * For Westport, Castlebar, and Manulla Junction, see p. 153. BALL YSILANNON, *57 SECTION VI. FROM SLIGO, via BUNDORAN, LOUGH ERNE, AND ENNISKILLEN, TO LONDONDERRY. ROM Sligo the tourist must proceed by Walsh’s car to Bun doran. The road winds round the steep base of Benbulben, a magnificent headland composed of carboniferous limestone. From this point, the road commands a view of a succession of lofty hills to the east, and glimpses of the wide Atlantic in the west. From Bundoran [Hotel: “Hamilton’s Terrace”] we have a choice of three routes : — 1. By train to Bundoran Junction, where carriages must be changed for Londonderry. 2. By rail- way or car to Belleek, thence by steamer to Enniskillen, and from Enniskillen by railway to Londonderry. The tourist must, however, learn at Bundoran or Belleek whether (and at what times) the steamers ply on the lake, since at the time of our going to press we are unable to obtain information as to any fixed arrangements for this season. 3. By road, on the mail cars, round the coast of Donegal to Lough Swilly, and thence by the Lough Swilly Railway to Londonderry. The last-mentioned route will take the tourist through grand and comparatively unknown coast scenery. That by Bundoran Junction is the quickest. The first station is famous for its salmon-leap. The line of railway lies along the course of the river, by which the great volume of Lough Erne’s waters finds an exit to the sea. Though the length of this river is only nine miles, it falls 140 feet in its short course, so that some fine rapids are formed. At Ballyshannon the tourist bids adieu to the sea coast. As he speeds along the well-cultivated undu- lating plain between Ballyshannon and Belleek, Lough Erne lies on his right. At Belleek is “the first and only porcelain manufactory in Ireland,” and strangers are readily shown over the works. At Pettigoe the railway runs only half a mile from Lough Erne, while five miles away on the other hand is situated Lough Derg, the most celebrated place of pilgrimage in Ireland. It lies in a dreary moorland district, and contains several small islands. One of these — Station Island, or St. Patrick’s Purgatory — con- tains a cavern, into which used to be lowered (after long fasting) those pilgrims who were anxious to form some idea of the * entrance to the. place of temporary punishment for the wicked Ballyshannon [Hotels : “ Erne ” and Imperial 158 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . after death. At Kesh the train approaches very close to the most beautful portion of the lough, and then takes a more easterly course towards Lowtherstown and the junction, where we change carriages for Omagh and Strabane, en route for Londonderry. The train now faces northward, and, passing through Omagh and Strabane, crosses the river Foyle, about midway between the latter town and Lifford. A good view of the river, and of the Valley of the Finn, may be obtained as we cross the bridge, from which Derry is but half an hour’s journey. The second route is, however, the best, for the tourist should not miss seeing Lough Erne, of which we give a view. Embarking at Belleek for Enniskillen, the traveller is carried over the entire length of the “ more than Windermere of Ireland,” as Inglis calls it. Its area is about 28,000 statute acres, and there are 109 islets scattered over its surface. The largest of these isles, Boa, is passed soon after leaving Belleek ; but the most interesting is Devenish, at the opposite extremity of the lake. On this island is a very perfect specimen of the round tower. “ It is exactly circular, 69 feet high to the conical converging at the top, which has been restored, and is 15 feet more; it is 48 feet in circum- ference, and the walls are 3 feet 5 inches thick ; thus the inside is only 9 feet 2 inches in diameter. Besides the door, which is elevated 9 feet above the ground, there are seven square holes to admit the light. The whole tower is very neatly built with stones of about a foot square, with scarcely any cement or mortar, and the inside is as smooth as a gun-barrel.” — Petrie. i There are also ruins of two churches on the island. The northern shores* of the lake slope gently upward from the water’s edge ; but as we proceed south they become bolder, gradually , blending with the hilly moorlands, which terminate in the Clifts f of Poulaphuca, twelve miles below Enniskillen. [Hotels: "Imperial,” "White Hart," " M 'Bride's,” and "Enniskillen Arms.”] Enniskillen is the chief town of Fermanagh. It is built on an island formed by the branching of the river which connects the Upper and Lower Loughs of Erne. It dates from 1612, when James I. granted it to William Cole, the ancestor of the Earls of Enniskillen, to whom most of the town now belongs. The principal manufactures are cutlery and straw plait. The 6th Regiment of Dragoons, known as the Enniskilleners, was principally raised in this town, which is an important military station. The distance from Enniskillen to the Bundoran Junction is only ten miles, and from this point we have already traced the tourist’s route to the " Maiden City.” LOUGH ERNE. LONDONDERRY. 159 SECTION VII. LONDONDERRY TO BORTRUSH AND GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, BY COAST ROAD TO LARNE, AND FROM THE LATTER BY RAIL TO BELFAST. Londonderry. [Hotels “Jury’s,” “ Imperial,” and “ Commercial.”] T HIS city, supposed to have been founded by St. Columbkill, in the sixth century, is situated on a rising ground sloping from the west bank of the Foyle. It was destroyed by fire in 783, and again in 812. In 983 the Danes carried away the shrine of St. Columbkill, and ruthlessly massacred the clergy and students. The vicissitudes of Derry were many from this date to the advent of Edward Randolph, in 1565, with an English force, who came to reduce Shane O’Neill to subjection. Randolph set about fortifying the place, but an explosion of gunpowder having destroyed many of his troops and the lately-erected works, he abandoned the position. Queen Elizabeth, however, determined to have the fortifications restored, and for that purpose commis- sioned Sir Henry Docreva to the command in 1600. He effected a landing at Culm ore, four miles below Derry, where he built a fort, the remains of which may still be seen. He then proceeded to pull down the old abbey and cathedral, together with other religious houses, with the materials of which he erected the wall and some other fortifications. This was the real foundation of the present city of Derry. Sir Henry encouraged English adventurers to settle in the place, and was soon after appointed governor, obtaining at the same time a charter of incorporation for the town. In 1608, however, Derry was again reduced to ashes by Sir Cahir O’Dogherty. Eut Cahir perished shortly after, and his property was confiscated, like that of the O’Neills and O’Don- nells some time previously. These wholesale confiscations led to the ‘ * colonization ” of Ulster and the formation of the “Lon- don Society.” To this body a new charter was given, of which one of the conditions was that the city should be well enclosed. The charter under which the society now acts is one granted by Charles II., on his restoration. The walls are still in a good state of preservation, and are the only perfect fortification of the kind in the United Kingdom. This is owing to the jealous care of the citizens, who regard with the greatest pride the walls so nobly defended by their ancestors. They have even retained a few of the guns in the exact positions which they occupied during i6o LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. the celebrated siege, which lasted 105 days and is too well known to need description. Within the walls, the city has maintains the same arrangements as to its streets as when originally laid out. The Corporation Hall occupies the centre, and from the square in which this building stands nearly all the streets run at right angles to the four original gates. These are Bishop’s Gate, the Ship Quay Gate, the New Gate, and the Ferry Gate. The city now extends far beyond the walls ; it has been much im- proved of late years. A splendid view of Derry and its environs is obtained from the cathedral tower. Besides this building, which crowns the top of the hill on which the city stands, the tourist should visit the monument erected to the memory of the Rev. George Walker (the hero of the siege) on the central western bastion of the wall. Two fine bridges span the Foyle — a new one of iron and a wooden one, 1,068 feet long, and forty feet broad, built by an American gentleman, at a cost of ^16,294. About four miles north-west from Derry are the remains of the Grianan of Aaileach, a monument of the ancient Irish. These vestiges of pagan worship are on a hill which rises 802 feet over the shores' of Lough S willy ; so that the place is worthy of a visit, apart from archaeological attractions/for the view afforded of the surrounded country, including Lough Swilly. Culmofe Fort, of which we have already spoken, stands at the mouth of the river, overlooking Lough Foyle. The “Allan” and “Anchor” lines of steamships call at Lough Foyle on their voyages to and from America. Excursions can be made from Londonderry to Malin Head (by rail to Buncrana) and to Inishowen (by public car to Moville, thence by hired car, twenty-five miles.) The drive from Bucrana to Malin Head is twenty-six miles. The principal points of interest are Bucrana Castle, an old fortress of the O’Donnells ; eight miles further the Gap of Mamore ; the Cliffs of Dunaff (505 feet high) ; the neat little town of Cordonagh, on Trawbreaga Bay; then Malin, from which the Head is but eight miles distant. This is the most northern point of Ireland, and though but 226 feet in height commands an extensive view of the coast. The drive to Inishowen Head takes the tourist past some fine country seats : the picturesque little watering-place, Moville ; Greencastle (where the American mail steamers call), an ancient stronghold of the O’Dogherty’s ; Dunagree Lighthouse ; and the Head itself. The view from the Head extends as far as Bengore Point, including Portrush, the Skerries, and the Causeway. Londonderry to Belfast, via Giant’s Causeway. The railway from Londonderry to Coleraine runs along the shore PORTRUSH— GIANT’ S CAUSEWAY, 161 of Lough Foyle, passing Newtown- Limavady on the right. There are some beautiful country seats in this neighbourhood, amongst which Bellarena, the demesne of Sir F. IPeygate, may be men- tioned. From this to Magilligan, the cliffs tower overhead to a considerable height, forming a picturesque background. After passing Castlerock the line winds round by the banks of the Bann to Coleraine, where the tourist must change carriages for Portrush. Coleraine, famous for the quality of its linens and whisky, is about four miles from the sea. Our next station is Port Stewart, a rather pretty watering-place, and then we come to Portrush [Hotels : “ Coleman’s ” and the ‘'Antrim Arms ”], the port of Coleraine, from which it is distant only seven miles. At Portrush the tourist takes a car, and proceeds along a road overlooking a fine sandy beach for three miles, when he reaches one of the most picturesque ruins in Ireland, the far-famed Castle of Dunluce. It stands on an isolated rock, which rises abruptly to the height of 120 feet above the waters. The building occupies the whole surface of the rock, the perpendicular sides of which look as if they were a continuation of the walls. The chasm which separates it from the shore was crossed by two walls, upon which the drawbridge was wont to be lowered. Its date and founder are unknown, but about the year 1580 it belonged to McQuillan, from whom it went to the McDonnells of the Isles. It is now in the possession of the Earl of Antrim, a descendant of that sept. The country people believe that a banshee resides in a small vaulted room at the eastern side, and utters her “mournful wail” regularly at the approaching death of any member of the Antrim family. Two miles further we reach Bushmills, an old town deriving its name from the fine salmon river Bush ; and after another drive of two miles we arrive at the famous Giant’s Causeway. For a detailed account of this wonderful natural phenomenon the tourist may consult “ Shaw’s Guide” to the district; our remarks here must necessarily be very brief. The name has originated from the legend that assigns the existence of the Causeway to the labours of one “Fin McCoul,” an Irish giant, who con- structed it that a Scotch giant might walk across, in order to have a trial of strength between them. Fin was, of course, the victor ; but he generously allowed his beaten adversary to settle in Ireland. So, there being no longer any necessity for the Causeway, it was allowed to be washed away by the action of the waves. Fiction apart, there remain now the portion visible 1 62 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GULDE. on this coast, a few remnants at Rathlin Island, and some at the Scotch extremity, at Staffa. Sir Walter Scott gives the follow- ing summary of his impressions derived from a visit in 1814. Ladies’ Wishing Chair. [laving described the shores as extremely striking, he says, " They open into a succession of little bays, each of which has precipitate banks, graced with long ranges of the basaltic pillars, sometimes placed above each other, and divided by masses of intervening strata or by green sloping banks of earth of extreme steepness. These remarkable ranges of columns are in some places chequered by horizontal strata of a red rock, or eaith> ° the appearance of ochre ; so that the green of the grassy banks, the dark grey or black appearance of the columns, with those red seams and other varieties of the interposed strata, have most uncommon and striking effects. The outline of these cliffs is as striking as their colouring. In several places PI.EASKIN HEAD, GIANT’S CAUSEWAY. GIANT'S CAUSEWAY. 163 the earth has wasted away from single columns, and left them standing iso- lated and erect, like the ruined colonnade of an ancient temple, upon the verge of the precipice. In other places the disposition of the basaltic ranges presents singular appearances, to which the guides give names agreeable to the images they are supposed to represent.” Some of these names are : The Chimney Tops (so called because they were mistaken by one of the ships of the Armada for the “Chimneys” of Dunluce Castle), the Honeycomb, the Loom, the Organ, and the Theatre. The cave of Portcoon is a little to Giant’s Loom. the west of the Causeway, and can be visited by land or water. The echo is very fine, though some prefer that of Dunkerry Cave, which can be visited by water only. Should the tourist desire it, he can put up at the “Causeway Hotel” (where guides to the Causeway are obtained), situated just over the rugged path- way, descending to the shore. As two days, at the least, ought 164 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . to be allowed for viewing this ‘ ‘wonder of the world,” this plan is worth considering. Having gratified his curiosity about all the marvels from the Great Steucan to the Pleaskin and Bengore Plead, the tourist Giant’s Organ. proceeds farther eastward by the old road, on the second day, towards the Cape of Dunseverick, leaving behind the headlands where — 11 Dark o’er the foam-white waves The Giant’s pier the war of tempests braves : A far projecting, firm basaltic way Of clustering columns, wedged in dense array. With skill so like, yet so surpassing art, With such design, so just in every part. That reason pauses, doubtful if it stand The work of mortal or immortal hand.” CA RRICIG-A-REDE BRIDGE. 165 Dunseverick Castle, like Dunluce, crowns the summit of an isolated rock. Similarly to Dunluce, its foundation also dates beyond the memory of man. It is certain, however, that the rock was fortified before the in- troduction of Christianity, though the ruins which occupy its surface at present cannot be of much earlier date than the twelfth century. Still keeping the old road, the tourist soon reaches the village of Ballintoy, a mile from which, connected by a path leading through fields, is the weird chasm crossed by Carrick-a-Rede Bridge. The abyss, eighty feet deep and about sixty feet wide, is spanned Carrick-a-Rede Bridge. by a swinging bridge, 1 ormed by two parallel ropes, on which are laid some planks ; another thin rope for the hand stretches across at one side. One experiences a sensation almost pain- ful at the sight of men and boys crossing this precarious path with heavy loads on their backs. They seem, however, to think little of the dangerous footway, the very appearance of which makes the tourist dizzy. Carrick-a-Rede means the “Rock in the Road,” and is so called because it stops the passage of the Salmon along the coast. The rock is inhabited only during the 1 66 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . fishing season in the summer, after which the men engaged in the fishery leave their rocky home and take up the bridge. In the immediate vicinity are several caves, the principal of which (thirty-six feet high and seventy wide at the entrance) has its sloping sides and roof formed of columnar basalt, like the Causeway. We next pass Kenboan, or the 4 ‘ White Head,” a promontory of limestone and chalk, on which are the ruins of an old castle. Three miles from this is Ballycastle [Hotels : “ Antrim Arms ” and “ Royal a town of about two thousand inhabitants. Coal is the only pro- duction of consequence near the town, so that the fine quay erected by Mr. Boyd is comparatively useless. In the year 1770 the miners struck on a passage conducting to thirty-six chambers, “all trimmed and dressed by excellent hands ; also baskets and mining instru- ments ; ” showing that the mine must have been worked pre- viously. Tradition assigns this early working of the mine to the Danes. Outside Ballycastle Bay, at about five miles’ distance, is the island of Rathlin, interesting to geologists as well as to anti- quarians. There is little doubt that Rathlin must at one time have formed part of the county of Antrim ; and Dr. Hamilton was even of opinion that it is “ the surviving fragment of a large tract of country which at some period of time has been buried in the deep, and may formerly have united Staffa and the Causeway.” The geological structure is certainly the same. The ruins of Bruce’s Castle are on the headland at the eastern end of the island, facing Scotland. Here the ill-fated Robert Bruce sought shelter during his wars with Baliol for the throne. The Scottish coast can be seen from the ruins. Resuming our route to Larne, we pass the abbey ruins of Bona-Margy, in the cemetery of which are the remains of the Earls of Antrim. Near this abbey are some ruins of their castle, By diverging from the main road the tourist gains the summit of the Fairhead cliffs, in which is a deep fissure, known as the “ Grey Man’s Path,” supposed by the country people to have been cleft by the “Great Man of the North Sea,” as a passage to the top of the head. The tourist will not fail to be struck by the contrast be- tween the superstitions of the northern and southern peasantry of Ireland, owing, we presume, to the difference in the scenery by which they are surrounded. The Leprechauns and Clurichauns of the south are here exchanged for a race of giants. Cape Benmore, or Fairhead, rises about 636 feet above the level of the sea, and has two small lakes on its summit, one of which contains an CUSHENDALL— GLENARM— LARNE. 167 island, supposed to have been used as a place of worship by the Druids. The scenery along the shore of Murlough Bay, and on to the village of Cushendun and the viaduct over the Glendun River, is of ‘ ‘ unspeakable grandeur and beauty.” In this neighbourhood are said to have resided Fin McCoul and the poet Ossian. The grave of the latter is even pointed out, as well as that of a Scotch giant slain by him. At Cushenclall [Hotel : “ Martin’s ”J, is one of the most charmingly situated hamlets in Antrim. Driving round Red Bay, the most beautiful of the bays on this coast, the tourist reaches the fine glen called Glenariff, or Waterfoot, where is a harbour of refuge. Continuing round Red Bay, the traveller reaches Garron Point, commanding a splendid view north and south, with the pictur- esque Garron Tower on the right, the residence of the Marquis of Londonderry. Three miles further on, the traveller still keeping close to the sea-shore, is Carnlough, in the centre of a vale of the same name. Again resuming the ride round this beautiful coast the tourist reaches Glen arm [Hotel : “ Antrim Arms situated at the mouth of one of the many picturesque glens to be found in Antrim. Glenarm Castle is the seat of tlie Antrim family. From Glenarm to Larne, the new road conducts the tourist past Cairnes Castle, Ballygawley Head, Shaw’s Castle, and the high circular precipices known as Sallagh Braes. In the town of Larne [Hotel : “ King’s Arms ”], there is little to interest the tourist ; but in the vicinity are the ruins of Olderfleet Castle, where Edward Bruce landed in 1315, with 6,000 men, to conquer Ireland. On all days of the week, except Sunday, a steamer leaves Larne in connection with the Northern Counties Railway Com- pany of Ireland and the Caledonian and North-Western Com- panies of Great Britain. Through booking arrangements by this route are in operation between Belfast, Larne, and all prin- cipal towns in the north of Ireland, to Carlisle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, the Lake District’ Preston, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London. The passage is made in daylight, and occupies about two hours sea passage, and one hour loch 1 68 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. sailing, thus connecting Great Britain by the shortest sea route with Belfast and the north of Ireland. The tourist takes the train here for Belfast, via Carrickfergus. The line lies along the west side of Lough Larne, passing through Glynn and Ballycarry, where, in 1611, was built the first Presbyterian church in Ireland. Here also are the ruins of Templecoran. After Ballycarry we reach Kilroot, in the ruined church of which Dean Swift preached. The train, still keeping between lofty hills and the shore of Belfast Lough — or Carrickfergus Bay, as it is also called — now speeds on to Carrickfergus [Hotel: “Victoria”], one of the most ancient towns in Ireland, and intimately con- nected with the history of the country. Some interesting remains of the fortifications are still to be seen — the “ North Gate” being almost perfect. The Castle, too, is in a good state of preserva- tion, notwithstanding that time, “the beautifier of ruins,” has added so much to its picturesqueness. On the quay is pointed out the stone upon which William, “ of glorious, pious, and im- mortal memory,” placed his foot, when he landed for the first time in Ireland. As the train approaches Belfast, we can see Cave Hill, from which a fine view of the city and envirous is obtained. EXCURSION VI DIRECT FROM PORTRUSII FOR GIANT’S CAUSEWAY BY RAIL, via ANTRIM AND CARRICKFERGUS JUNC- TION. L EAVING the Giant’s Causeway and Portrush, we pass Port Stewart, a small bathing place, of which Dr. Adam Clarke, the commentator, was a native, and to whom a monument was erected in 1859, and arrive at Coleraine [Hotels : “ Clothworker’s Arms ” and “Hurley’s a borough town, with a population of 5,631, who return one member to parliament. A sand bank at the mouth of the Bann, on which it stands, prevents vessels of heavy tonnage passing up. The town is large and handsome, and contains a church built in 1614, with old tombs, which stands on the site of the priory and old abbey. BALL YMONE Y, ETC.— BELFAST, 169 Ballymoney [Hotels : “ Commercial ” and “ Royal ”] has a population of 2,600, engaged in the linen and butte r trades. Close at hand are Leslie Hill and O’Hara Brook. Passing Bellaghy we arrive at Ballymena [Hotels : “Adair Arms,” “ Roe’s,” “ Kennedy’s,” and “ Temperance a thriving linen town in County Antrim. Here are the ruins ot an old castle founded by the Adairs, which the rebels held in 1798. The next town of note after passing Cookstown Junc- tion is Antrim [Hotel : “ Commercial ”], a small town which gives name to Antrim County, with a population of 2, 138. St. Patrick founded a church here in 495, which the present structure replaces. Close at hand is a perfect round tower, 95 feet high, well worth examination. Two miles from Antrim is Shane’s Castle, the seat of the O’Neills. It is supposed to be haunted by the banshee, whose wail is heard whenever one of the O’Neills die. This is firmly believed. A bloody or red hand is the arms of Ulster, from the story that the “ first O’Neill was one of a company, the leader of whom pro- mised that whoever touched the land first should have it. O’Neill, seeing another boat ahead of his, took a sword, cut off his left hand, flung it ashore, and so was first to touch it.” I The next stage in the journey is from Antrim to Carrickfergus Junction, and thus on to Belfast. [Hotels: “Royal” and “Imperial,” in Donegal Place; “Commercial, in connection with the Commercial Buildings ; The “ Queen’s Arms,” in York Street ; and the “ Victoria,” in Waring Street.] Belfast is the most prosperous town in Ireland. No town, in fact, of the entire kingdom has advanced with more rapid strides than this centre of Irish industry. This is the more striking when contrasted with the condition of so many of the places through which we have already conducted the tourist — places whose ancient importance is now attested only by crumbling ruins and dusty records. So little can Belfast boast of her anti- quity, that there is probably no house in the town more than 150 years old. But she is increasing at something like the rate of 1,500 new houses per annum, and her population has more than quadrupled since the census of 1821. As has been remarked by a native speaker, -‘ Year by year Belfast i§ changing its aspect, iyo LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . and overstepping its boundaries, climbing the hill -side, skirting the river’s margin, and even invading the sea’s ancient domain.” It is worthy of remark, too, that this prosperity is in no way due to Government patronage. The persevering industry of her sturdy citizens has been the only fostering influence that lias pro- duced this wonderful growth, which we hope may some day be imitated by other towns in the country. Belfast is a corrup- tion of “ Beal na far sad” signifying “ the Mouth of the Ford.” This 4 4 Ford ” was not formerly navigable all the way to Belfast, but in 1840 a new cut was made, which now permits vessels drawing twenty feet of water to come up on spring tides. Three bridges span the Lagan — Queen’s Bridge (a line structure, built of granite), Lagan Bridge, and the Ormeau Bridge. The streets are clean, well-paved, and well kept, notwithstanding that it is so large a manufacturing place. The public buildings of Belfast" are many of them worthy of this growing town. Among them may be noticed the Belfast Bank, at the corner of Waring and Donegal Streets, directly opposite the Commercial Buildings. The bank is housed in a structure of mixed architectural character, being composed of the two orders, Doric and Corinthian. The Ulster Bank is another handsome structure, in Waring Street. A dome surmounting the interior contains stained-glass portraits of several eminent men. The Northern Bank, in the High Street, occupies a site opposite the Albert Memorial. The Commercial Buildings were erected at a cost of ^20,000. It is a most convenient structure, containing a handsome assembly room and reading-room. The Royal Society for the Promotion and Improvement of the Growth of Flax in Ireland is housed in this building. The flourishing con- dition of the northern portion of Ireland at the present moment is almost wholly due to the well-directed operation of this use- ful society. The Custom Plouse and Post Office are parts of a fine large structure occupying a site between the lower extremity of High Street and Albert Scpiare. It is a Palladian building, and was finished in 1857. This group of public offices includes the Inland Revenue Office, Stamp Office, and an office of the Board of Local Marine. The Long Room of the Custom House, 70 feet by 30 feet, and 25 feet in height, contains sculptured designs by Samuel Lynn, representing Manufacture, Peace, Commerce, and Industry. The Harbour Office, at the head of the Clarendon Dock, is an imposing edifice^ The Court House, built in 1850, is a very imposing edifice, admirably arranged for the convenience of dispensers of justice. The royal arms occupy the tympanum of the pediment, while an emblematical figure of Justice surmounts the apex. The public hall is about 35 feet in height by 47 feet wide each way. The Gaol is opposite the Court House, and is BELFAST. 1 71 capable of holding 300 prisoners. The Belfast Museum occupies the northern side of College Square. It contains a rich collec- tion of Irish antiquities, well worthy of a visit, a geological collection, and a series of ornithological specimens. The Linen Hall is a building erected in 1715? a t a cos t °f ,£10,000. It occupies the centre of Donegal Square, on a site granted by the Earl of Donegal. The Ulster Hall was erected in 1862 as a concert-room and a hall for public meetings. The hall seats 3,000 people, and contains a large organ. The Queen’s College is a handsome brick structure pointed with stone. The tower rising to the height of 100 feet surmounts the chief doorway. The entire length is 600 feet ; it consists of a centre of 300 feet, and two wings each 150 feet. It was opened in 1849, with 175 students. The Presbyterian College is an elegant structure at the extremity of University Square. The cost was defrayed by the voluntary contribution of the Presbyterian body. It was opened by Dr. Merle D’Aubigne, the author of the “ History of the Refor- mation.” The Presbyterian Meeting House in Rosemary Street is the handsomest chapel belonging to the denomination in Belfast. It is classic in style, and was built at a cost of ^10,000. St. Ann’s Parish Church, Donegal Street, was erected by the Marquis of Donegal in 1776. Trinity Church was erected in 1843, at the expense of William Wilson, Esq. The Albert Memorial and Clock Tower is a striking addition to the many architectural features of Belfast. It stands at the foot of High Street, and is 147 feet in height and 10 feet in diameter. A statue of the Prince occupies a niche in the shaft of the tower. To the lover of the vegetable kingdom the Botanic Garden will be attrac- tive. It contains a fine collection of the heaths found in Irish bogs, and other indigenous plants of Ireland. The principal conservatory is of iron ; it is light and airy in appearance. Ship-building is largely carried on ; and the extensive iron ship-building yard of the Messrs. Plarland and Wolff, on Queen’s Island, calls for special notice. The vessels of the White Star Line of Packets were built by this firm, and the yard is placed on the Admiralty list as suitable for building for the Royal Navy. The harbour is under the control of commissioners elected by the ratepayers. The linen trade of Belfast received a great impetus during the American war, and many new spinning and weaving factories, bleaching works, etc., were erected, and all the subsidiary trades engaged in connection with this industry were largely increased. But the flax mills are the most interesting buildings in connection with Belfast industry. One of these establishments, Mr. Mulhol- land’s, now worked by the York Street Spinning Company, alone employs 1,500 hands. The tourist is recommended, however, to visit also the smaller but more compact mill belonging to Mr. An- 172 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. drews. Other objects deserving notice might be enumerated, but those mentioned will content the tourist, who, however, should not finally bid farewell to Belfast without having a bird’s eye view from Cave Hill. This hill is basaltic in its formation, and has two caves and a fort, belonging in former times to the sept of Me Art. Excursions may be made from Belfast to Holywood, Bangor, and Donaghadee, and to Shane's Castle, on Lough Neagh. For Donaghadee, Bangor, or Holywood, the two latter water- ing places on Belfast Lough, the tourist takes train at the Queen’s Bridge station, and proceeds as far as Comber, where carriages must be changed for Donaghadee. This little seaport (Commercial Hotel) was some time ago a place of some note through being one of the Government steam-packet stations, and much money was spent on the construction of the harbour and lighthouse. Overlooking the town on the north-east is a rath 140 feet high and 480 feet in circumference round the base. This has been converted into a powder magazine, with a castellated wall sur- rounding it. From this wall the coast of Scotland and the Isle of Man may be seen, for Donaghadee is the nearest point of commu- nication between Great Britain and Ireland. In the summer months there is also steamer communication between Belfast, Bangor, Holywood, and Donaghadee. A far more interesting excursion from Belfast is that to Lough Neagh. To reach this, the fourth largest lake in Europe, the tourist must hire a conveyance and drive by road, or go by rail from the Northern Counties Railway Station in York Street to Antrim, which is situated on the finest part of the shores of the Lough. Castle Antrim demesne extends for two miles on the Lough’s shores to the south of the town, and Viscount O’Neill’s park stretches for three miles to the west. The former has some fine old timber, and the gardens are especially worth a visit. They are arranged in the Louis Quinze style, in long straight avenues, decorated at each side by flower-beds and trees. Shane’s Castle is con- sidered to stand on the best wooded demesne in the north of Ireland, and is so called from its ancient owner, Shane O’Neill, King of Ulster, who flourished during the reign of Elizabeth. The castle continued to be the residence of his posterity until 1816, when it was accidentally burned. The fortified esplanade and conservatory were additions that were built at the time of the fire. The best views of the lough are to be had from Shane’s Castle and Mount Divis. Lough Neagh contains 98,255 statute acres, and is sixteen miles in length and nine in breadth. Its greatest depth is 102 feet, at a point near Skady Island, but its average depth is only BELFAST TO NEWRY. 173 from thirty-nine to forty-two feet, so that, as a rule, its bottom is of greater elevation than the sea. Its waters are fed by the rivers Bann (Upper), Blackwater, Mainwater, Six-mile- water, and Balinderry. In contrast with the scenery through which we have lately brought the tourist the shores of Neagh must appear tame and its waters a dreary expanse. Its margin is generally flat and boggy, especially to the south, and its waters are so calm that it has frequently been frozen over. In 1814, Colonel Heyland rode on horseback over it. It is best seen from the north and east points. There is first class mail steamship service between Belfast and Fleetwood (Lancashire) every evening (Sundays excepted) at 7.30 p.m., with through booking arrangements to all the principal stations of the London and North-Western Railway in England. The steamers on this route are very strong, with superior ac- commodation for passengers ; they are fast boats, timed to arrive at Fleetwood so as to catch the first trains to Preston, Man- chester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and London. There is also steamboat communication from Belfast to many other seaport towns in England, Ireland, and Scotland. SECTION VIII. BELFAST TO NEWRY. 'T'HIS excursion may be made by two routes : (1) By Ulster Railway (Victoria Street Station) ; and (2) by County Down Railway (Queen’s Bridge Station), via Downpatrick and Newcastle, and thence by car to Kilkeel, and so round the Mourne Mountains by the coast road to Rosstrevor and Warren- point toNewry. Belfast to Newry, via Portadown. This route brings the tourist along the valley"of the Lagan to Lisburn. On his right hand stretches the chain of hills which extends from the latter town to White Head, in which the northern shore of Belfast Lough terminates. The first station is at the compact little hamlet of Dunmurry (four miles from Belfast). We then (at seven and a half miles) come i/4 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . to Lisburn, on the Lagan, a very busy trading town for its size. In Lisburn Church is a monument to Jeremy Taylor. Before reaching Moira, seven miles farther, we pass the ruins of the old church and round tower of Trummery, interesting for the light the latter has thrown on the origin of these structures, human remains having been discovered beneath its foundation. Five and a half miles farther Lurgan station is reached. At a short distance to the left is seen the town, and the handsome Elizabethan mansion and beautifully laid out grounds of Lord Lurgan’s demesne. Though Lurgan is the most cleanly and improved of the northern smaller towns, and has a considerable linen trade, it was unknown to fame until the celebrated grey- hound, “Master Magrath,” immortalized it by winning the “blue ribbon ” in the contest for the Waterloo Cup. This public favourite died not long since, and a handsome monument has been erected over his remains. Five miles from Lurgan is the thriving thoroughfare town of Portadown, which is the junction ot the principal northern lines of railway, and has a water commu- nication with Lough Neagh, Belfast, and Newry. The train thus far is elevated considerably over the low ground of the valley, and commands fine views of the adjacent country oir either hand. From this point to Tandragee and Gilford (thirty miles from Belfast) the country is remarkably fertile, but subject to be flooded in winter, in consequence of its low level and the number of rivers by which it is watered. Often, for weeks, the entire district presents the appearance of a vast lake, stretch- ing away north to the swampy shore of Lough Neagh. We now pass Scarvagh, where a branch line from Lisburn, via Hills- borough, Dromore, and Banbridge, joins the main line. This branch has some claim to be mentioned, as the cathedral at Dromore was built by Jeremy Taylor, and Banbridge is a com- mercial town fast rising to importance, having thread-spinning, cloth-w^eaving, and linen factories well worth visiting. Two miles south of Scarvagh we reach Poyntzpass, so called because Lieutenant Poyntz, of Elizabeth’s army, forced a passage here through the Earl of Tyrone’s troops. At Goragh Wood the tourist must change carriages for Newry. The junction line from Goragh Wood runs down a steep incline to Newry [Hotels : “Victoria” and “ Imperial”], which lies in a sheltered nook, between the Mourne and Carlingford mountain ranges. It is built partly in the county of Armagh and partly in the county of Down, which are separated by the tidal river called Newry Water, and the canal, which extends to Lough Neagh. Warrenpoint, the port of Newry, is NEWRY. 175 about six miles distant ; but vessels not drawing more than six- teen feet of water can sail up to the town. As the tourist speeds down the incline to Newry, he can appreciate the splendid viaduct which crosses Craigmore ravine. This achievement of modern engineering is 2,000 feet in length, and consists of eighteen arches, from fifty to 100 feet high. The old portions of Newry, on the declivity, are irregularly but picturesquely built; the modern streets, however, on the low ground are broad, and the shops and houses are good. The history of Newry comprises the usual series of internal feuds, incursions by neighbouring chieftains, and final subjugation under English rule. The commencement of its present improve- ment and prosperity dates from the completion of the canal communication with Lough Neagh. The surroundings of Newry are exceedingly fine. On the north is a well-cultivated agricul- tural district, varied with handsome country seats, factories, and bleacliing-greens. On the south the mountain-locked bay stretches to the sea, looking like an inland lake amid the wooded mountains. On the west the Slieve Gullion Mountains rise to the height of 1,385 feet, while the Mourne range overlooks the town from the east. The tourist can stay at Newry, or proceed by train to Warren- point [Hotels: “Victoria” and “Crown”], five miles from Newry, where the river opens into the lough, or he can make the delight- ful little watering-place of Rosstrevor, which he reaches by ’ bus or car from Warrenpoint, his head-quarters for a few days. From Warrenpoint or Rosstrevor the tourist should take a trip by car to Kilkeel, and round the Mourne Mountains by the coast road to Newcastle. First-class public cars run between Warren- point, Kilkeel, and Newcastle. On the road from Newry to Warrenpoint stands Narrow- water Castle, erected by the Duke of Ormonde, in 1663, on the rock which juts out to the centre of the river. The situation of this square keep is at once pic- turesque and commanding, being an effectual guard to the only approach to Newry. Passing Warrenpoint, and keeping close to the shelving pebbly shore towards Rosstrevor, we come to the Obelisk raised to the memory of Major-General Ross, who fell at the battle of Baltimore. Still hugging the coast, we proceed to Ballyedmond, half a mile beyond which, after cross- ing the Causeway-water, the road leaves the coast, and conducting us through a well-cultivated tract of country by Mourne Park, again approaches the coast at Kilkeel. We push on to New- castle by the road running along the coast under the Mourne Mountains, and then return to Newry by the same route, or vid Rathfryland, and Hilltown, thus making a circuit round the entire range. 176 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. EXCURSION VII BELFAST TO NEWRY, via NEWCASTLE. T HE second and most interesting route from Belfast to Newry, by the County Down Railway from Queen’s Bridge Station, leads through Comber, via Downpatrick to Newcastle, where the train stops. The tourist will now take the well-appointed public car to Kilkeel (ten Irish miles), and round the coast to Rosstrevor and Warrenpoint, and thence by rail to Newry. Downpatrick [Hotel : “ Denver’s ”] is supposed to be the most ancient town in Ireland. It is situated about a mile from the south-western extremity of Strangford Lough. It is built on a series of low hills, and has an Irish, English, and Scotch district, like the Ranmes, Titienses, and Luceres of the Roman City. The old cathedral is said to have been founded by St. Patrick, in 432, and is supposed to contain his remains, together with those of St. Bridget and Columbkill. Over the east window are niches which formerly contained statues of the saints ; and on a stone tablet beneath (no longer existing) was the following elegaic couplet : — “ Hi tres in duno tumulo tumulantur in uno, Brigida, Patritius, atque Columba Pius.” There is also near the town an ancient fort, Saul Abbey, and Inch Abbey, all three remarkable and venerable ruins. From Slieve-na- Griddle, the highest of the hills encircling the town, a commanding view may be had of the town, the ruins, the Mourne Mountains, and Lough Strangford, 'with its group of islands. About half a mile from Slieve-na-Griddle are the “ Wells of Struel,” the waters of which were supposed to have extraordinary healing qualities. The country lying between Downpatrick and Newcastle on the north and south, and between Castlewellan and Dundrum on the east and west — particularly Castlewellan demesne — contains some of the happiest combinations of wood, water, and mountain scenery to be found in Ulster. Dun Scotus, the famous “wise man” of the thirteenth century, was a native of Downpatrick. Newcastle [Hotel : “ Annesley Arms ”J, the Scarborough of Ireland, is thirteen miles from Downpatrick. It is so called from the castle built there in the year of the Spanish Armada ; but there is no vestige of the castle now, the site being occupied by the Baths. NEWCASTLE . 177 Sliev Donard rises 2,796 feet above the level of the sea; it is of easy access from Newcastle, and will repay the trouble of ascent. This thriving and cheerful little town stands at the head of the most westernly sweep of Dundrum Bay. Many of the aristocracy and wealthy classes from all parts of Ireland resort here in summer, because of its attractions — its salubrious air, its pure sea water, flowing over a fine sandy beach, and the exquisite beauty and wild grandeur of its mag- nificent scenery. Glorious coast views are secured from the promenade, which skirts the bay. The wild, varied, and ro- mantic scenery of Tollymore Park, and the pleasure grounds around Donard Lodge are, with generous courtesy, thrown open to the public by the noble owners. The following extract justly describes the attractions of Newcastle : — 44 This fashionable watering place has become this summer more attrac- tive than ever. Nature has done much to make it beautiful, and art has not been wanting to increase its beauties. The towering mountain and the glorious sea invite visitors by their grandeur and beauty. The romantic and tastefully adorned grounds which encompass Donard Lodge possess peculiar attractions, while, not far distant, Tollymore Park promises many a delightful walk and pleasant drive. Various improvements have been made in the neighbourhood of the spa, both in the matter of increased accommodation and various local improvements, while several additional lodging-houses for the accommodation of visitors have been recently fitted up and furnished in a superior manner. We may also enumerate the following : — A carriage-road has been formed, affording a delightful drive along the mountain, as far as the quarries. Walks leading to the 4 Hermit’s Glen ’ and the waterfall have been laid out along the river’s sides. Several pretty bridges have been erected across the -river, and rustic seats have been formed in numerous places, from which the river may be seen to most advantage. Considerable taste has been displayed in the formation of a place, called the 4 Rockery,’ which is composed of peculiar stones found on the mountain, thrown into a variety of forms, intermixed with shrubs and flowers and intersected by walks. In order that intellectual entertainment may not be wanting, it is in contemplation to establish a news-room in the town, the want of which has been hitherto felt. The delightful weather that prevails adds its charms to increase the pleasure which is to be obtained by a sojourn at Newcastle.” From Newcastle the tourist can reach Newry by road, by Norton and Shaw’s well-appointed two-horse long car, vid Kilkeel and Rosstrevor. Leaving this picturesque and truly delightful little bathing- 12 178 LONDON AID NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . place, we pass along the Mourne shore through a singularly wild- featured and sublime landscape. On our left is the broad ex- panse of the Irish Sea ; on our right a grand Alpine region of cloud-embosomed mountains overhangs the road. After we leave the town the rocks rise perpendicularly, and to a height of more than ioo feet from the sea ; wild precipices and shelving cliffs indented with yawning caverns, lashed by tremendous waves, give this coast a character of extraordinary sublimity. Into one of the caves, called Donard’s Cave, which the pea- santry believe runs into the bowels of the earth, the sea rushes, during south-east gales, with a roar louder than the thunder of the tropics, over many a rough impediment, till it expands into a large circular basin right under the crest of Sliev Donard. ' ' Proceeding towards Kilkeel, we pass, about a mile and a half from Newcastle, St. Patrick’s Stream, which precipitates itself down from the mountain ; and, a little farther on, Maggy’s Leap, an immense chasm, which an old witch so named used to ! bound across on her broomstick when chased for her misdeeds, and thus escape her pursuers. If the tale be true, her agility at least equalled that of the more famous “Nanny,” whose “ cutty sark” impeded not her pursuit of Tam O’Shanter. Farther on is “ Armer’s IPole,” a place so wild and fearful as almost to suggest the deed of guilt from the commission of which it bears its name. Many of our Irish readers must have read the i freezing tale of “Edmund Armer, the Parricide,” as it appeared .< in the Belfast Whig, , from the graphic pen of one whom they \ knew and admired, the late John Morgan Esq., whose genius will no more brighten his beloved North. Passing Bloody Bridge River, an old grave-yard, and the ruins of St. Mary’s Church, Ballagh Bridge, Green Plarbour (a little indentation in the rocks), Roaring Rocks, Rourk’s Park, and Glassdmmman Catholic chapel, as we approach Annalong, the narrow belt of arable land which skirts the bases of the moun- tains, gradually widens, and presents a tamer but more pleasing aspect. It is well cultivated and good, though light land, over which are thickly strewn comfortable cabins and cottages, with a schoolhouse, a Presbyterian meeting-house, and a Catholic chapel ; but it has no features of general interest to attract the attention of the tourist, except the ancient Cromlech, a,t the northern entrance to Kilkeel. As we have before described the route from Newry to Kilkeel, we must refer the tourist for the description of the route ter page 175* Tourists wishing to proceed direct from Newry to England, vid Holyhead, may proceed by rail to Warrenpoint, thence -per London and North Western Railway Company’s steamer down DUNDALK. 179 Carlingford lough to Greenore, and thence to Holyhead by the well-appointed fast steamboat service in connection with the same railway. (For description of Greenore dock, etc., see page 180. ) Leaving Belfast by the early morning train, Newry may be visited, and the tourist be enabled to reach Dublin the same night. But if he wishes to spend a few days in the neighbour- hood, he should purchase Shaw’s Shilling Guide to Carlingford Bay. SECTION IX. NEWRY TO DUBLIN, via DUNDALK, GREENORE, AND DROGHEDA. S HOULD the visitor decide on travelling to Dublin direct, he will find a description of the journey as far as Newry already given (page 175). Instead, however, of changing trains at Goragh Wood, he will proceed straight on. Passing Newry, which lies in a valley below, a prospect of the Newry Water Valley is obtained, in which distance lends all its enchantment to the naturally lovely scene. Leaving Goragh Wood, the train soon enters the glen at the eastern side of the Sliev Gullion, and, keeping the Newry Mountains on the west, soon reaches another beautiful glen, Ravensdale, which is only seventeen miles from Dundalk. [Hotel: “Arthur’s.”] This town stands at the head of a small inlet of the magnificent bay, called after the town. Dundalk consists of two long streets, which intersect each other, and some smaller ones. It has a flourishing trade. The ruins of its dismantled walls, attesting its former strength, are still to be seen. It was here that Edward Bruce was crowned king of Ireland, in 1315, and here he lived for two years previous to his death, which took place in an en- gagement with the English, at Faighart, a short distance from the town. i8o LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Dundalk to Greenore. The line from Dundalk to Greenore is about twelve miles in length and connects the railway system in the former town with the new packet station at Greenore, from whence a first-class steamer sails daily (Sundays excepted) to Holyhead at 8.20 p.m. The line of the Dundalk and Greenore Railway is carried over the estuaries of Castletown and Ballymascanlan by two large viaducts, each of twenty-two spans of nearly forty feet. The line traverses a very beautiful country, touching at two intermediate stations, Ballingan and Bush. For a part of its way it commands a fine view of Dundalk Bay, while on the other side rise up in all their rude grandeur the Carlingford mountains, down whose sides “ A hundred torrents rend their furious way.” As Greenore is approached the line curves with a view to a future connection with a railway now nearly constructed between Greenore, Carlingford, and Newry. Upon reaching Greenore the traveller finds himself in the presence of a splendid prospect of land and water, as his eye takes in a rich foreground of verdure on either side and a magnificent background of mountains. On his left the bold and rugged mountain-chain of Carlingford rises gradually, even from the water’s edge, until it attains a height of 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. In front the view of the far-stretching waters of the lough is closed at a distance of some miles by Warrenpoint and Rosstrevor, while to the right are disposed, in full grandeur of outline and colouring, the series of mountain ranges and peaks that run from Rosstrevor to the Mourne Mountains. In the dim distance Sliev Donard, the highest of the Mourne Mountains, raises his grim form to a height of nearly 3,000 feet. At Greenore the traveller will find a fine stretch of quay, a commodious terminus, and a well-appointed hotel. The quay is 750 feet long, and affords berths for two first-class steamers and other vessels. Dundalk to Drogheda. Leaving Dundalk, fifty-eight miles from Belfast, the tourist has an opportunity of observing the southern aspects of the Newry and Carlingford mountains. The surrounding district is remarkably fertile, and contrasts strongly with the country to the north of the town. Crossing the rivers Fane and Glyde, we now come to Castle Bellingham, famous for its ale. Five miles further another river is crossed, and Dunleer can be looked down on from the high elevation of the railway. From this point to Drogheda the view is much limited by rocky heights, known as the Callon Hills, until we pass over the Boyne viaduct, and arrive at the DROGHEDA. 181 Drogheda terminus. The viaduct is a fine work. It consists of three beams, 550 feet long, which are supported by four piers, ninety-five feet high ; the distance between the two centre piers being 250 feet. The southern termination consists of twelve, and the northern of three arches, each of sixty-one feet span. There is another viaduct — the Newfoundwell — a little more to the north, of five semicircular arches, forty-five feet span each, with castellated parapets. The entire length of these viaducts is 3,359 feet. Drogheda. [Hotel: “ Imperial.”] Drogheda is thirty-two miles from Dublin, and eighty-one from Belfast. It is on the banks of the Boyne, about four miles from the mouth. The river intersects the town ; so that the southern portion would be in the county of Meath and the northern in the county of Louth, were it not that Henry IV. raised the town and surrounding neighbourhood to the dignity of a separate county, which, by virtue of King Henry’s charter, still has its separate assizes, etc. Its ancient name was Treadagh, and since early in the tenth century, when it was one of the greatest strongholds of the Danes, it has had more than its share in Ireland’s woes. It was the great battle-ground for the wars of the native I risk and the Settlers of the Pale ; and in later times, the siege and sack of the town, and the massacre of its garrison and inhabitants by Cromwell, with minor assaults, successful and unsuccessful, gave a still deeper tinge to the already crimsoned page of its history. But the most celebrated historical event associated with Drogheda is the Battle of the Boyne, which was fought about a mile from the town. The battle-field is marked by an obelisk, 150 feet high, erected on the spot where it is supposed that William com- menced the attack, having led his forces down the road, which may be seen on the right hand side, as we approach the obelisk from the town. On the south side of the river, a ruin, on a gently rising ground, is pointed out as the spot where James stood during the early part of the conflict. Of Drogheda’s ancient fortifications, two gates and portions of the wall still remain. In the older parts of the town the streets are extremely narrow and crowded together under the protection of the walls ; but the lofty gables and projecting stories will prove interesting to those of antiquarian tastes. The church of St. Mary and the Magdalene steeple are the most venerable of the ecclesiastical ruins. The ruins of the Dominican Abbey are also interesting, as exhibiting a breach made by Cromwell’s cannon. Along the river up to Slane the scenery is very fine, and the whole district teems with interesting antiquarian remains. 182 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Dowth contains an ancient church, and some Druidical remains, together with a large moat, 286 feet high, supposed to have been a royal cemetery anterior to the era of Danish and English rule. There is a similar moat at New Grange. About five and a half miles, in a north-westerly direction from Drogheda, are the ruins of Mellifont Abbey, founded in 1142. It was one of the richest abbeys in the north of Ireland, being presented, on one occasion alone, amongst other offerings, with a gold chalice and 180 ounces of gold. After the dissolution of the monasteries, an ancestor of the present Marquis of Drogheda, to whom it was granted, converted it into a feudal castle. It was often besieged, and, of course, suffered severely. All that now remains are the Gothic doorway and a few fragments'of the chapel. Three miles east of Mellifont there is a fine assemblage of ruins, at Monasterboice, viz. : Two chapels, the remains of a round tower, and St. Boyne’s Cross, the most ancient religious relic in Ireland. The Hill of Tara, though no longer embellished with the famous “halls” in which the ancient minstrels “the soul of music shed” for the delight of royal ears, may claim a visit. To the. superficial observer, unversed in legendary lore, the spot would appear a mere collection of hillocks, with a central one of conical outlines, overtopping the rest. But here, down to the fifth century, there was a magnificent royal palace, in which triennial convocations of the Irish kings assembled to enact and repeal laws and elect a supreme ruler. And here was the famous coronation stone of the Irish monarchs, which was removed to Scotland subsequently, whence it was brought to London by Edward I., and is now in Westminster Abbey. But all the pomp and pageantry of Tara has disappeared, without leaving even a wreck behind. “No more to chiefs and ladies bright The harp of Tara swells ; The chord alone that breaks at night Its tale of ruin tells.” Tara is -six miles south of Navan, which is ten miles by rail from Drogheda. Leaving behind Drogheda and the “ Boyne Waters,” the train runs in a south-easterly direction to Laytown Station, on the Nanny River. The view up the valley, as the train crosses the little estuary, is deservedly admired. From this point to Gormanstown the railway runs close to the shore, affording enjoyable prospects of the smooth shingle, and the sea, and of the Carlingford and Mourne Mountains, on the one hand: ENNISKILLEN. 183 and, on the other hand, of the fertile farms lying between the line of railway and the chain of hills stretching from Ashbourne to the Boyne. Two miles ere we reach Balbriggan (over which the train passes on a viaduct), we cross the Delvin, and enter the county of Dublin. Balbriggan, with its fine strand, reaching for miles north and south, is a neat little town, celebrated for its excellent hosiery. Passing Ardgillan Castle and Hampton, two handsome country residences overlooking the railway, we approach the Skerries. The line is here about half a mile from the coast ; but the little fishing town and the islands can be seen, and, perhaps, a fleet of fishing-smacks in the offing. The train now passes through the deep cutting of Baldungan Hill, until we come to the Rush Station. At Donabate the line crosses an estuary on a wooden viaduct, from which is seen the Isle of Lambay, the property of Lord Talbot de Malahide. Three and a half miles further south we reach Malahide town and castle. The estuary, at the mouth of which these are situated, is crossed by an embankment and wooden viaduct, 335 feet long. From this a good view is had of a rude specimen of the round towers and some ecclesiastical ruins. The train now passes through another deep cutting, emerging near the Howth Junction, from which Howth Hill is visible ; then past Raheny and Clontarf Castle, to the Amiens Street station, in Dublin. A short con- necting line, to enable passengers by this route to reach the terminus of the London and North-Western Railway at North Wall, is in course of construction. The steamers for Holyhead Start from the quay, which will communicate with the terminal station of the new line by means of covered ways, so as to pro- tect passengers from the inclemency of the weather. ■ + SECTION X. LONDONDERRY TO DUBLIN BY DIRECT LINE. L EAVING Londonderry the tourist passes successively the stations of Strabane, Newtown Stewart, Omagh, and Bun- doran Junction which have already been described, when, passing Ballinamallard, he arrives at Enniskillen, [Hotels: “Imperial,” “White Hart,” “M’Bride’s,” and “Enniskillen Arms the county town of Fermanagh, and situated in a fine spot on 1 84 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. an island between the upper and lower lakes of Lough Erne. With a population of 5,701 it returns one member to Parliament. In the Town Hall are the banners taken at the Battle of the Boyne. It is celebrated for the successful defence which the inhabitants made in 1688 on behalf of William III. Following the line of the rail the tourist passes the minor stations of Lisbellaw, Maguire’s Bridge, Lisnaskea, and Newtownbutler, and arrives at Clones, a town with a population of about 2,390. It has the remains of an abbey founded by St. Tierney. The line forms a junction here with the Midland Great Western Railway. Continuing the journey towards Dundalk, the traveller, having seen Newbliss, Monaghan Road, and Ballybay stations, reaches Castleblaney, where are the beautiful grounds, spacious lake, etc., of Castle- blaney House, formerly belonging to Lord Blayney, but now owned by Mr. Hope, by whom they have been most liberally thrown open to the public. After Culloville station succeeds Inniskeen, which was one of the chief seats of the Danes and has ruins of several ports. Close at hand is Cabra Castle, near the ruins of an old castle. The next station is Dundalk, from whence the route is the same as already described, via Drogheda. ♦ SECTION XI. DUBLIN. [Hotels: “ Shelbourne,” in Stephen’s Green ; “ Gresham,” 21, Upper Sack- ville Street ; “Morrison’s,” 1, Dawson Street; “ Macken’s,” 12, Dawson Street ; “ Imperial,” 21, Lower Sackville Street ; “ Bilton,” 56, Upper Sackville Street ; “ Prince of Wales,” 37, Lower Sackville Street ; "Jury’s Commercial,” 6, College Green.] D UBLIN is admirably situated in the valley through which the river Liffey flows to the sea. The estuary of the river gradually opens from a short distance below the city, until it expands into a beautiful bay semicircular in form, of which the Dubliners are justly proud. The metropolis does not show to advantage from DUBLIN. 135 any of the approaches, whether from the ‘ ‘ black north, ” as we bring the tourist, from the west, or even from the bay. The situation — on the calcareous plain reaching across the entire breadth of Ireland to Galway — is low, and though the public buildings of Dublin will compare favourably with those of any city in the United Kingdom, the tourist, as he approaches, sees no striking object, presaging what is to be expected. As he drives to his hotel, however, he cannot fail to be satisfied with the prospect afforded by the streets through which he may pass. The city is divided almost equally by the river, but the southern half is annually extending its surburban portion at a rate which threatens to falsify this description in a very few years. Nearly all the public buildings, however, are in the immediate vicinity of the point of intersection, and are pretty equally distributed on the respective banks of the river. While the district south of the Liffey can boast of the Bank of Ireland (Old Houses of Parliament), Trinity College, Dublin Castle, and the Cathedral, the north bank has the general Post Office, the Four Courts, the King’s Inns, Custom House, and several handsome churches. The streets are for the most part broad and well-paved, except in some of the poorer districts ; and the squares, if they do not con- tain such magnificent mansions as some of the West-End squares in London, are, at all events, well built, and comprise large areas, Stephen’s Green covering as much as twenty-three acres. Dublin is of great antiquity, being mentioned as a place of importance by Ptolemy (a.D. 140), who styles it Eblana Civitas. By the natives it was called Athcliath or Bally-Athcliath- dubhlinne , i. e. , “the Town of the Ford of Hurdles on the Black Water,” because the town could only be entered then on the north side by means of hurdles laid over the swamp border- ing the unembanked river. The annals of the city tell us that a great battle was fought there in 291, and that St. Patrick’s Church was founded in 448. The real foundation of Dublin, however, should be referred to the Danes, who made their first descent in 798, and, having taken possession of Dublin, Fingal, and the neighbourhood, proceeded to erect castles and fortifica- tions. Previous to this time all private houses, even the royal residences at Tara, were built of wattles and mud ; indeed stone and brick houses Were not common until the reign of James I. From the early part of the ninth century to the battle of Clontarf, in 1014, the history of Dublin is little more than a list of the series of expulsions and re-establishments of the Danes. Soon after the English, under Strongbow, had made good their footing in the “ Pale,” the extension of the walls and general strengthening of the defences were commenced, and .in 1 205 John gave directions for the building of the Castle. From this 1 86 London and north-western guide . period to the commencement of the eighteenth century the history of Dublin is the history of Ireland’s civil wars and insurrections. The external appearance of the city, however, steadily improved from the reign of Elizabeth, who founded Trinity College in 1591* During the reign of Charles II. four bridges were erected across the river. But the period of Dublin’s chief growth in beauty and magnificence was during the existence of the National Parliament. In the eighteenth century this body lavished enormous sums in improving the Irish metropolis. The following are the principal places of note in Dublin : — The Parliament House, at present rented by the Directors of the Bank of Ireland, is situated in College Green, facing Trinity College, and is an imposing edifice of great beauty of design. The centre of the structure is an Ionic colonade, over the four central columns of which is a pediment, whose apex is surmounted by a statue of Hibernia, supported on either hand by Fidelity and Com- merce. At the eastern end there is a fine portico, facing College Street, of fine Corinthian columns, upholding a pediment crowned by figures of Fortitude, Justice, and Liberty. But technical de- scriptions of buildings can after all do little towards realizing the effect produced by a sight of their architectural beauty. We shall therefore leave the “House in College Green” to be judged by the tourist himself. Strangers are admitted to see the interior. Trinity College is a fine old pile of buildings, disposed in four quadrangles. The front entrance, opposite to the House of Parliament, 308 feet long, is four stories high, with entrance portico in the Ionic order. The unsightly railing which used to protrude far into the crowded thoroughfare has been lately re- moved. The new one takes in much less space, and is an orna- ment to the street. This enclosed space contains statues of two former students “known to fame” — Oliver Goldsmith and Ed- mund Burke. The first quadrangle is called Parliament Square. It contains the Chapel, the Theatre or Examination Hall, and the Dining Halls, besides apartments for the fellows and students. The second quadrangle is called Library Square. The Library is 270 feet long and contains over 200,000 volumes — not a surpris- ingly large number, when it is remembered that a copy of every book entered at Stationer’s Hall in London must be sent to the College. The three remaining quadrangles are plain squares, comp(fsed of brick buildings faced with cut stone. The Museum contains a fair collection of the usual specimens of birds, beasts, and fishes, and among the antiquities are included the old horn of King O’ Kavanagli and Brian Boroihme’s harp. The Castle is situated on the rising ground called Cork Hill, DUBLIN. 187 in the centre of the city. It is not a handsome structure from an architectural point of view, having been built entirely for strength. It was not used as a residence for the Viceroy until the reign of Elizabeth, who had it fitted up for that purpose. The viceregal apartments, St. Patrick’s Hall, and the Council Chamber, have finely empanelled ceilings, and some admirably painted portraits. The Chapel Royal, too, is interesting ; the carvings in black oak deserve examination. Admittance, should the chapel be closed, can be gained by ringing the door-bell. The Royal Exchange, now called the City Hall, faces Parlia- ment Street, at the east end of Dame Street. It is a large square building, of Portland stone. In front is a fine statue of “ The Liberator,” by Hogan, while the hall contains statues of Grattan and George II. Christ Church Cathedral is interesting on account of its anti- quity rather than for its beauty. It was founded by the King of the Danes in the early part of the eleventh century, and the vaults are supposed to have been built even before the advent of St. Patrick. There are here monumental figures of Strongbow and Eva. St. Patrick’s Cathedral occupies the site of a church supposed to have been built by the saint. It is situated in one of the lowest and dirtiest parts of the city, and was fast falling into ruin until the late Sir Benjamin Guinness restored it, at the cost 0^150,000. The present structure, though not affecting to be decorated, is one of the most imposing buildings of the kind in the kingdom. In rebuilding the edifice the old design has been strictly adhered to. The full length is 300 feet, breadth eighty feet, and the length of the transepts 160 feet. The tower, which stands on the the north-west corner, rises to the height of 120 feet, and the spire is 101 feet, making in all 221 feet. The vicissitudes of the cathedral were manifold ; amongst the most note- worthy are that it was converted to the use of law courts in the reign of Henry VII., and that it was all but made a university. The principal monuments are those to Boyle, the first Earl of Cork, to Dean. Swift, and the memorial tablet to “ Stella.” The Four Courts ( i.e ., Queen’s Bench, Exchequer, Common Pleas, and Chancery) is a magnificent pile, situated on Inn’s Quay. The front entrance has a handsome Corinthian portico, (six columns), surmounted by a colossal statute of Moses. The General Post Office is in Sackville Street. The portico, supported by six fluted columns, of the Ionic order, is eighty feet wide. The pediment is surmounted by figures of Hibernia, Mercury, and Fidelity. Opposite the General Post Office is Nelson’s Monument a column 12 1 feet high, with a statue of Nelson on the top. The ascent is worth making for the sake of the view obtained, which, 1 88 LONDON AND NORTHWESTERN GUIDE . in addition to the prospect of Dublin and the vicinity, affords glimpses, in clear weather, of the Mourne Mountains, in Down, and the beautiful district lying round the Wicklow Mountains, including the unsurpassed beauty of Dublin Bay, and the coast line along past Killiney Hill and Bray Head. The Custom House is a large quadrangular building, of the Doric order. The front entrance faces the river. It is sur- mounted by a fine portico, with an entablature and projecting cornice. A group in the tympanum represents Neptune, with Hibernia and Britannia, seated in a marine shell, driving away Famine. The building has a dome, 125 feet high, on which stands a statue of Hope. The National Gallery and the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society (the oldest of the kind in the United Kingdom) are close to each other, in the block between Kildare Street and Merrion Square. Near by, at No. 24, Merrion Row, the Duke of Wellington was born, and at No. 30, in the Square, Daniel O’Connell long resided. Also in the neighbourhood (Dawson Street), is the Royal Irish Academy, whose museum of antiqui- ties should be visited. Here may be seen St. Patrick’s Bell, the celebrated Cross of Cong, the Bible of St. Columbkill, and other interesting relics. Any member will give an introduction on application. There are eight bridges across the Liffey, the principal of which is Carlisle Bridge, leading from Sackville Street to Westmoreland Street. From the centre of this bridge the tourist may obtain a good general view of the city. Stretching in a northerly direction from the bridge is Sackville Street, with Nelson’s Pillar occupying its centre, and the General Post Office on the left hand side. Looking up stream he can see the Four Courts on the north line of quays, the course of which can be traced for a considerable distance. Looking down stream the Custom House shows boldly on the left ; and turning to the right, Trinity College and the Bank are seen facing each other, with the statue of King William III. occupying the intermediate space in the distance. This meagre enumeration by no means exhausts the number of Dublin’s architectual beauties ; but space will not permit us to describe more. The suburban sights are Glasnevin Cemetery and the Botanical Gardens, on the north. The former contains the monuments of O’ Connell and Curran. The gardens are on the site of the poet Ticlcell’s demesne, and are laid out in a most artistic and beautiful manner. A visit should also be paid to the Phoenix Park, Zoological Gardens, and Royal Barracks. The following are the positions of the different Railway Termini : — The Great Southern and Western Railway, Kingsbridge; Mid- land Great Western Railway, Broadstone ; the Northern (Dublin, HOWTH. 189 Drogheda, and Belfast) Railway, Amiens Street ; Dublin and Kingstown Railway, Westland Row; Dublin and Wicklow Rail- way, Harcourt Street. To these we may add the extensive terminus now in course of construction at North Wall. The Great Southern and Western, the Midland Great Western, and the Northern lines of railway will each possess a communication with it. The Places of Amusement are as under : — Theatre Royal, in Hawkins Street ; the Gaiety Theatre, in Grafton Street ; Queen’s Theatre, in Great Brunswick Street ; the Rotunda, in Great Britain Street ; and last, though not least, the Winter Gardens, at the Exhibition Palace, Harcourt Street. At both the last- mentioned places concerts, musical promenades, and other amuse- ments, are constantly taking place. For particulars, see the Dublin daily newspapers. EXCURSION TO HOWTH, via CLONTARF. In making this excursion the tourist will do well to take the ’bus or a car to Clontarf, and thus view the battle-field, the Marathon of Ireland, on which Brian Boroihme formerly van- quished the Danes. The victory, however, was dearly bought by the Irish, inasmuch as Brian and his gallant son Murrough (Moore’s “ Minstrel Boy”) were left dead on the field. Here also the tourist can visit Marino, the beautiful seat of the Earl of Charlemont. The grounds are tastefully decorated, and the view from the Doric Temple, built by Sir William Chambers, extends over the city, Dollymount, and the bay. Clontarf Castle, the seat of the Vernons, is also worth visiting. Near by is the Raheny station, whence trains can be taken to Howth. PIow- ever, should the tourist not be attracted by Clontarf’s historical associations, he can travel the entire distance (half an hour’s journey) by train from the Amiens Street station. “ The bold and nearly insulated promontory, called the Hill of Howth,” says Dr. Petrie, “which forms the north-eastern terminus of the Bay of Dublin, would, in itself, supply abundant materials for a topographical volume — and a most interesting work it might be made. For the geologist, botanist, and naturalist, it has abundant store of attractions, while its various ancient monuments of every class and age, from the regal fortress, the sepulchral cairn, and the cromlech of Pagan times, to the early Christian oratory, the abbey, and the baronial hall of later years would supply an equally ample stock of materials for the antiquary and the historian.” From the high ground over the Baily Lighthouse, we have a view of the ocean and the whole extent of the igo LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . amphitheatre of hills surrounding the bay ; while on the left is the rocky isle called Ireland’s Eye, and farther away to the north, Lambay, which we have already pointed out, with the bold outlines of the Mourne Mountains in the background. From the road leading round the Head, we look down on the now useless harbour of Howth, which, if built a furlong farther out on the head, would have admirably fulfilled the purpose for which it was intended ; as it is, it affords shelter only to a few fishing vessels, and is fast filling up with sand. The other points of interest are Howth Abbey and Castle, the Cromlech, and the Church of St. Fintan, on the southern side of the hill. The abbey was founded by the St. Lawrences, early in the thirteenth century, and contains numerous relics. The castle has also its relics, among which may be mentioned the sword of Amoricus Tristram, the founder of the^St. Lawrence family, to whose prowess the victory at Clontarf was mainly due ; the ancient bells of the abbey, a full-length portrait of Dean \ Swift, and several other fine paintings. The original name of the family, before the battle of Clontarf, was Tristram, and was changed by the warrior above mentioned in accordance with a vow made that, if victorious, he would assume the name of his patron saint. The castle gates, until within the last few years, used always to be thrown open during the dinner-hour of the family. This custom was kept up in con- sequence of a pledge exacted from a member of the family by the redoubtable Grace O’Meally — Grana Uaile — who, on her return from her celebrated visit to Queen Elizabeth, when she astonished the English courtiers by heartily shaking the Queen’s hand, graciously extended to be kissed, was refused admission on the ground that the family were at dinner. Offended at such \ an un- Irish want of hospitality, Grace carried off the heir ap- parent of the family to her island stronghold in Clew Bay, and restored him only on condition that St. Lawrence and his descen- dants should ever throw open the castle gates at dinner-time. This promise was faithfully adhered to until the last few years. - — SECTION XII. TWO DAYS’ CIRCULAR TOUR THROUGH WICKLOW. First Day. r_ P'HERE are two lines of railway from Dublin to Kingstown — A viz., the Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford Railway, starting WICKLOW. 191 from the Harcourt Street station ; and the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, from the Westland Row Station. The trains on the latter line run every half-hour. We advise the tourist to take his ticket at the Westland Row station, as this line affords ex- cellent views of the southern suburbs of Dublin, comprehending Booterstown, Williamstown, Blackrock, and Monkstown. On leaving the station, the train runs over several streets, until it crosses the Grand Canal Docks, then passing the Merrion station, it keeps along the strand the whole way, except while passing through a short cutting near Blackrock. On the right-hand side buildings of every variety, from the neat cottage-villa to the grand mansion, stud the hill-side, and in most cases a prospect is permitted of the wooded estates and elaborately laid out gardens. The finest of these are Mount Merrion, the seat of the Hon. Sidney Herbert, and Monkstown Castle. The grounds of the latter residence, apart from the interesting ruins * are well deserv- ing of a visit, and strangers are readily admitted on sending up their cards. On the left hand one can see the long wall, at the termination of which rises the Pigeon-house Fort. This struc- ture runs from Ringsend towards the centre of the bay, but comes into view as the train proceeds along the opposite shore to that on which stand Dollymount and Clontarf. The whole width of the bay and the bold outlines of Howth Head are now ob- servable. But the eye is drawn to the prospect immediately contiguous to the railway, for here, stretch the two long piers which embrace the magnificent artificial harbour of Kingstown, with its forest of masts and rigging [Plotels: “Anglesea Arms,” and £ ‘ Royal Marine ”]. The ancient name of Kingstown was Dunleary, but on the failure of Howth Harbour, to satisfy the requirements of a packet station and harbour of refuge for vessels navigating the rough channel which separates the two kingdoms, Dunleary was re- christened, after being honoured by the presence of royalty, and since the landing of George IV. in 1821, has been known as Kingstown. The eastern pier is 3,500, the western 4,950 feet long, and the space inclosed is 251 statute acres. The eastern pier is a very fashionable promenade, and is adorned with a pillar marking the spot where George IV. disembarked, and an obelisk commemorating the death of Captain Boyd, who lost his life in endeavouring to afford assistance to a shipwrecked crew. The Royal Mail Packets start from and arrive at a short pier built near the eastern end of the harbour. They leave Kingstown at 6.45 a.m. and 7. 15 p.m., and arrive about 7.45 a.m., and 6 pan., every day. The most comprehensive view of the town and harbour is ob- tained from the balcony in front of the railway station. Looking 192 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . northward, Howth is seen, beyond some ten miles of sparkling water. Turning to the south, the Fortyfoot Road leads the eye up a broad causeway to the town, which rises gradually upward on an inclined plane from the edge of the water to a considerable eleva- tion. This serves to exhibit its fine terraces and residences to the best of advantage. If the tourist should happen to spend the night at Kingstown, we recommend him to take a seat, about sunset, near the lighthouse, at the extremity of the east pier. Nothing can exceed the beauty of the scene as the setting rays gild the sea, the rocks, the hill-side villas, and the three clubhouses, at the water’s edge, the Royal St. George and Royal Irish Yacht Clubs and the Royal Kingstown Harbour Rowing Club. From Kingstown the railway runs over the old atmospheric line to Dalkey, through a deep cutting. Dalkey Island, which is separated by a narrow 44 sound,” ten fathoms deep, from the mainland, is reached as the train emerges from the Killiney tunnel. In former years a comical kingdom was established on the island, and upheld with great pomp— his Majesty reigning one year, coming in and going out amid bacchanalian honours. A roofless church of the order of St. Benedict and a martello tower occupy its two extremities. The Hill of Killiney, broken into three summits, may be ascended by obtaining permission beforehand from Mr. Warren, of Rutland Square, Dublin. It is 474 feet in height, and being about midway between Kings- town and Bray, the tourist can look from one bay to the othei, and compare the beautiful landscapes on either hand. On the ridge to the north, the old dismantled signal-tower overhangs the quarries, from which have been taken the blocks of stone with which Kingstown was built. In the neighbourhood are several Druidical remains. The next station beyond Dalkey is Bally- brack, which occupies the slope of the most westerly of the Killiney hills, around which the train winds close to the sea. Flere a splendid view is presented of Bray, Shanganagh Castle, and other country seats, and the nearer one of the Wicklow Moun- tains. Sweeping along the unbroken curve of the bay, the train now reaches Bray. [Hotels : ‘ 4 Royal Marine,” 4 4 International, ” and 44 Royal.”] On the sea side of the railway lies the Bray Esplanade, its surface spreading for a mile along the coast, in the direction of Bray Head, which takes the eye from all the medley of terraces, villas, and hotels to the charms of nature. The town is divided by the Bray River, which forms the boundary-line between the counties of Dublin and Wicklow. The view from the station can be followed round the mountain range, fringing the curve of the bay, from Carrickgallogan, on the north (902 feet), to Bray Head, on the south, with the two Sugar-loaf Mountains in the centre. WICKLOW. 193 At the station the tourist will procure a jaunting car, which he may engage either by time (for four persons, 2s. first hour, 9d. every hour after ; for two persons, first hour is. 6cL, every sub- sequent hour 6d. ; for the whole day, 12s.), or by distance (6d. per mile). He then drives to the Bray Bridge, from which a fine view is had of the “ Valley of Diamonds,” whence he turns westward towards the Dargle, a distance of about two and a half miles. As the car follows the course of the stream the valley narrows, until soon passing over the bridge, beneath which the sombre waters of the Dargle River flow to the point where they assume the name of Bray River, we reach a spot where a fine old tree casts its shadow over the road. The turn to the left is now taken ; it leads up a long steep carriage-way to the Dargle, variously translated as the “ Dark Glen ” and the “Glen of Oaks.” At the gate the tourist dismounts (for he must tra- verse the Dargle on foot) and sends his car round to meet him at the other entrance, where he will come out. He can easily find his way through by following the path. Here, too, he must give the driver his card, and Jehu will procure orders for admis- sion to the Powerscourt demesne, through which we shall drive presently. As the lodge gate closes behind him, the tourist feels himself under the influence of the scene. In the gorge of the glen a dark flood is seen to dash over impeding rocks, the white foam contrasting fitfully with the murky body of the peat-tinged waters. The sun cannot penetrate the depths of the ravine, but its beams slant down the woody sides of the glen, and bring out the old oak trees in strong relief against the darker underwood. Pursuing the course of the glen along the broad walk, a path branches off, and descends to the river side. Mr. Inglis says that the whole scene may be characterized by the one word “romantic.” “The union of rock, wood, and water, is ex- tremely happy ; and in the noon of a hot summer’s day the cool- ness and sober light in the bottom of this sylvan dell, added to the truly picturesque combinations presented to the eye, and the pleasant murmur of the almost hidden stream, form altogether an enjoyment of no common order.” Clambering up a narrow pathway in the dense underwood of the glen, we regain the broad road at the Moss House. Refreshments (brought by tourists themselves) are usually despatched here. The next point that strikes the eye as we proceed is a huge rock, projecting far from the glen’s side, and overhanging the depths of the ravine, where the river purls 300 feet below. We next approach the View Cliff, from which the glen is seen opening into a valley ; while away in the distance, over river, field, and flood, rise the mountains. Embosomed in this scene, a glimpse of Powerscourt is caught, and below, where the river widens, beneath the shade of trees, is 13 194 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Tinnahinch, the beautiful country seat purchased by the Irish Parliament for the orator Henry Grattan. Pursuing his way, the tourist now passes out at the second gate, where his car waits to take him to Powerscourt Waterfall. There are two ways of reaching the fall — either direct by Enniskerry, or by turning to the left, and proceeding on the public road down the hill, past Tinnahinch House and Bridge, and so to the gate of Powers- court Deer Park. Orders for admission (except on Mondays and Tuesdays) to Powerscourt must be obtained beforehand from the Agency Office in Enniskerry. We have already informed the tourist how to procure them while he is seeing the Dargle. The Waterfall, particularly after rain, is a vision of beauty as it dashes from rock to rock, sometimes direct, sometimes slanting outwards, for a distance of 300 feet. At the bottom of the cliff is a dark abyss, into which the waters tumble amid foam and spray. The Ladies’ Drive commences at the chief entrance to Powerscourt, takes the visitor by a zig-zag course up the deeply wooded eastern banks of the Waterfall Glen, and, after a long drive at a great elevation, opens on two fine artificial lakes, with fish passes, well stocked with trout. Powerscourt contains 14,000 acres. A residence twice honoured by royal visits occupies the “ Lawn Hill.” We gi/e a view of the fall. Having viewed the waterfall, the tourist will take the road on the right, leading down the rocky valley to the picturesquely situated chapel of Kilmacanoge. Here the ascent of the Sugar-loaf may be said to commence. A half hour’s clambering will bring the explorer to the very peak, from which a bird’s-eye view of the whole district is obtained, Seaward, the coast line ®>f railway can be traced from Wicklow Head to Kingstown and Dublin, while at the feet of the beholder are the depths of the umbrageous Glen of the Downs. More inland, the summits of a group of mountains are gilded by the summer sun ; The dark shadows are the deep valleys and gorges, where the holy Saint Kevin fled from the £ ‘ eyes of unholy blue. ” Having taken his bird’s-eye view, the tourist descends and enters the Glen of the Downs, 'passing Glen Cottage. Leaving the cottage, over a flat velvet sward, beneath the octagon temple, the tourist proceeds through a dell very different from the Dargle, but still beautiful. It is a mile and a half in length, and about 150 feet in breadth. The sides, which rise frequently to the height of 300 feet, are covered with a thick copsewood and occasionally crowned with pine trees. As the end is approached, Delgany and the sea burst on the view. Delgany is a pretty little village, picturesquely situated amid the emerald-green ^hills which lie along the shore here. At Delgany there is a good hotel, where refreshments can be had before taking the train at Greystones station (two miles) for Bray. POWERSCOURT WATERFALL, CO. WICKLOW. WICKLOW. 195 From Greystones the train runs along the verge of the precipi- tous cliff which rises above the shore. If the traveller look through the left hand carriage window, the rocks seem to tremble preparatory to falling, as the rapid motion shakes the carriage ; while, peering from the opposite window into the seeming abyss beneath, a nervous person might start in terror at the sight of the craggy strand over which the train impends as it sweeps round a curve ; and his apprehension is not apt to be lessened when, a few moments after, he enters the first of the tunnels cut through the solid rock under Bray Head. This train returns to Dublin by the Harcourt Street route, so that the tourist has his return journey pleasantly varied. Leaving Bray, instead of keeping the shore, as on the line by which we brought the tourist down from Dublin, the train proceeds a little inland towards Shankhill station. Here the Greater Sugar-loaf Mountain comes in sight. Proceeding on to Loughlinstown, we pass the shot-tower of the Ballycorus Lead Works, and crossing the bridge which spans Bride’s Glen, arrive at the Carrickmines station. On the right are the ruins of Tully and Rathmichael churches and a portion of a round tower. On the left is the undulating country, gradu- ally blending with the slope of the Three Rock Mountain, 1,763 | feet high. From Carrickmines to the prettily situated village of Dundrum the route lies on the plain at the foot of the Dublin Mountains. Thence we speed on to Milltown, between which and Merrion is situated the village of Donnybrook, where until 1855 was held in every August the famous “Donnybrook Fair,” of “Sprig of Shillelah” notoriety. A few minutes more brings the tourist back to Dublin at the Harcourt Street station. Second Day. I If the tourist can spare time for our second day’s tour to Wick- j low, he should postpone this return journey to Dublin, via I Dundrum, until he is about to take his final leave of Ireland. In this case he will put up at Bray for the night, and start early next morning for the Devil’s Glen, Lough Bray, and the Seven Churches. There is an hotel at Glendalough, where the tourist can have every comfort, and where we should advise him to stay for the night, giving him ample time the following day to see the Vale of Avoca, the “ Meeting of the Waters,” etc., returning by train to Dublin or Bray, via Rathdrum and Wicklow. Thus he may see the whole of the Wicklow mountain scenery in three j days. Should the tourist, however, not care to spend three days in the locality, he can follow the course of the two days’ tour as : far as Glendalough and the Seven Churches, returning thence the same evening to Bray or Dublin. Leaving Bray, the train sweeps along the curve of the bay 196 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . until it reaches the platform leading up to an elevation of fifty feet above the sea, at which level it skirts the rugged promon- tory of Bray Head, passing twice through short tunnels cut through the rock, and then winding along the sea-board to Greystones. The scenery is now unvaried until the tourist approaches Wicklow (fourteen and a half miles). Here, or at the Rathnew station, the tourist will take a car to the Devil’s Glen, three and a half miles distant. There are two hotels at Wicklow — the Marine and the Bridge Hotel — but we should prefer the Newrath Hotel at Rathnew. Wicklow is wretchedly built, and its streets are narrow. At the approach to the town are the ruins of a Franciscan abbey, founded in the reign of Henry III., and at the east of the town is the racecourse, the only two things to notice. The Devil’s Glen is one mile and a half in length, and is con- sidered to resemble the Dargle. It is, however, altogether on a grander scale, being broader, while its sides are considerably higher towards the lower end. Holt, the famous rebel of ’98, made this place his head-quarters both before and after the rising, and the peasantry of the district have innumerable stories of the “gineral’s” doings. Cars are not allowed through the glen, so that the tourist must either, after traversing the glen, retrace his steps to the lodge, or send the car round to the cross roads on the high ground to the waterfall. Havin g walked through the glen and seen the fall, the tourist can reach the point above mentioned by taking a path over a few fields. A short distance from this point the Vartry Reservoir, which covers an area of 400 acres, may be seen. From this the route lies to the right, towards the village of Roundwood. Passing the village, and still keeping in the same direction, after a mile’s drive the road to the left brings the tourist to Luggala Lodge, the property of Lord Powerscourt. Both Lough Tay and Lough Dan are situated in the glen, which extends from Luggala to the Seven Churches. The former lough lies entirely within the demesne of Luggala, but a pass to admit a party can be readily obtained at his lord- ship’s agency office in Enniskerry. The lough, which has an area of 120 acres, is gloomily romantic. Lying in a deep elliptical dell, with the river Annamoe pouring into it over a rocky preci- pice just close to the lodge, its waters are shadowed on one side by the almost perpendicular cliffs dividing it from the military road, and on the other by the thickly wooded declivities forming the commencement of the Djouce Mountain. Walking along this latter (the eastern) shore, the tourist reaches the meandering stream which connects the tvVo loughs. Here the traveller must decide whether he will follow the course of the river bank to Lough Dan, walk along its western shore, and then on to GLENDALOUGH, CO. WICKLOW. WICKLOW. 1 97 Roundwood (about three miles), or retrace his steps to the car, after seeing Lough Tay. If he adopt the former alternative, he will find the valley intervening between the two loughs one ot great beauty — its softness and verdure contrasting well with the sterile mountain tops. Dan is the more extensive lough, but in its surroundings inferior to Luggala. From this lough flows the river which the tourist often crosses and recrosses as he goes by Annamoe and Laragh, till, at the “Meeting of the Waters,” he finds it mingling with Avonbeg, or the Avonmore, and rolling down the vale as the Avoca River. Resuming our road at Roundwood, a drive of three miles brings us to Annamoe, in the neighbourhood of which Lawrence Sterne, the author of Tristram Shaivdy nearly lost his life in a millrace. Not far from this village are the ruins of Gastle Kevin, the former stronghold of the O’Tooles. It was one ot this royal line who granted the ground to St. Kevin on which the Seven Churches have been built, the circumstances of which gift are related in the song — “ As St. Kevin was a travelling in a place, called Glendalough He chanced to meet with King O’Toole, and asked him for a shough,” etc. Another drive of three miles along Glenavon, between Car- ricknashanough (1,313 feet) and Trooperstown (1,408 feet) moun- tains, and we reach the village of Laragh, charmingly placed at the junction of the vales of Laragh, Glendalough, and Clara. Passing through the village, the road to Glendalough (Hotel “ Royal ”) is but a mile long. Glendalough — the “ Glen of the Two Loughs” — is three miles long, and lies between the Derrybawn and Lugduff mountains on the south, and Brockagh, Glendassan, and Comaderry on the north. The lower lough is very small, but the other, the centre of attraction, is a mile in length, and a little over a quarter of a mile in breadth. The mountains rise so abruptly from its shores that the waters are seldom brightened with the sun’s rays, and have, in consequence, a gloomy, though beautiful appearance. This is quite sufficient to account for the absence of larks, so frequently enforced on tourists’ attention by Moore’s hackneyed couplet. A few minutes’ walk from the hotel brings the visitor to the Round Tower, the Cathedral, a Cyclopean doorway, and St. Kevin’s kitchen. We give a coloured view. The round tower is no feet high, and fifty-one feet in cir- cumference, and is a very good specimen of those structures about the origin of which antiquaries are yet in doubt — some claiming for them an existence long anterior to Christianity ; some referring them to a comparatively modern date, in conse- quence of their being found in the vicinity of Christian churches. 19B LONDON ‘ NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. The hypothesis which assigns their construction to the fire- worshipping pagans of old, accounts for churches being in the vicinity of these towers on the theory that the early Christianity of Ireland spread by amalgamating with and absorbing heathenism, rather than by placing itself in antagonism with the older form of worship. Another argument in favour of this explanation is the fact of ‘ 6 seven churches ” being found in so many places all over the island. The ancient Irish attached a mysterious meaning to the number seven ; hence their tendency to erect seven churches in whatever neighbourhood a more holy anchorite than usual dwelt. Very often, we believe, the seven churches were spoken of when it would have been difficult to tell off the full complement. The Oratory, or St. Kevin’s Kitchen, as it is called, through the belfry having been mistaken by the imaginative peasantry for a chimney, is the most perfect of the ruins. It is twenty-two feet by fifteen, roofed with slabs of stone. As the tourist will perceive from this, the dimensions of the ruins are rather pigmy. Having examined those antiquities which lie about the lower lake, the tourist can now pass on to the larger, and of course, following the example of Sir Walter Scott and other celebrities, ascend to “ St. Kevin’s Bed.” This is merely a rude hole in the cliff, hanging over the sombre waters at the south side of the lake. The well-known legend tells how the saint, who had fled hither from the dangerous attractions of the lovely Kathleen, started from a dream, one morning, in which the fair one seemed to stand between him and the gate of heaven. Still doubtful as to the reality of the dream, he opened his eyes, and, beholding Kathleen hanging over him, dashed her over the ledge ere he thought what he was doing. The ancient “city” of Glenda- lough is supposed to have stood on the banks of the little river which flows into the lough, a quarter of a mile west of Ivy Church. This reputed city was reduced to a heap of ashes no less than four times in the eleventh century, but seems to have sprung up again and again, until its last destruction, in 1398, by the English forces.. The mountains encircling the loughs are granitic, with numerous veins of quartz and ores of lead, which a mining company is at present working. Having “done ” Glendalough, the tourist will take the route to Rathdrum, vid Glenmalure. Leaving the Glen, the road leads over the Lugduff mountain, affording splendid prospects both on the ascent and the descent afterwards to Drumgoff (four miles). From here the tourist can make the ascent of Lugna- quilla, the second highest mountain in Ireland (3,039 feet). Near Drumgoff is the Ess Waterfall, which is reached by follow- ing the banks of the Avonbeg River ; but after any length of WICKLOW. 199 dry weather it is not worth visiting. From Dramgoff we follow the banks downward through the weird beauty of Glenmalure, which, as we approach Rathdrum (a distance of six miles), becomes wider and its sides densely wooded. From Rathdrum, once a place of importance, but now offering no attraction to the tourist save its agreeable situation, the train can be taken to Wooden Bridge ; but the drive will be more enjoyable, as the vale increases the number of its charming prospects each mile of the way. Our road lies over the hill a mile to the right of the Avondale and Kingstown demesnes. Winding round the crest of this height, a magnificent view unfolds itself of Castle Howard and the first “ Meeting of the Waters. ” The castle owes more to its lovely situation on a wooded eminence than to any intrinsic beauty of structure ; but it serves to complete the enchanting picture. The point of union where the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers commingle their waters is a little below Lion Bridge, by which the Castle Howard demesne is approached. Here is pointed out the spot where Moore is supposed to have sat when he composed the touching lyric which has immortalized “The vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet,” The road now runs parallel with the banks of the united streams, between the richly-wooded sides, which rise, a quarter of a mile apart, to the height of from 400 to 500 feet. The vale, which is about eight miles long, will not fail to leave a lasting impression on the tourist’s mind. About a mile above Wooden Bridge (Wooden Bridge Hotel) are copper and sulphur mines . The hotel is delightfully placed, so as to command views of the vale and the second “ Meeting of the Waters,” which dispute the palm of poetic celebration with the Castle Howard “ meeting.” But this spot has another beauty, which renders it independent of the poet, and that is, the union of the different glens, which maybe seen from a rising ground adjacent to the hotel. “From the east and the west, the north and the south, they come like rivers into the sea.” From Wooden Bridge, the tourist can return by train to Dublin, vid Wicklow and Bray. NORTH WALES. & SECTION XIII. FROM DUBLIN OR KINGSTOWN TO HOLYHEAD, The Voyage. T HE tourist having now completed our circular tour through Ireland, will make arrangements for proceeding to Holy- head, en route for England, Wales, Scotland, and the Continent. If he has made Dublin his head-quarters during the Wicklow excursions, he has only to take his luggage to Westland Row, from which station, trains, in connection with the mail steamers from Kingstown, leave every morning at 6. 15, and every evening at 6.45, carrying passengers direct to Carlisle Pier, alongside which the steamers await the arrival of the train from Dublin. The mail boats on this line are perhaps the finest, for their tonnage, in the world. The quartette of steamers, owned by the City of Dublin Steam-packet Company, are named respectively the “Leinster,” “Munster,” “Ulster,” and “Connaught,” Each vessel mea- sures about 350 feet in length, has engines of 700 horse power, and is about 2,000 tons burden. Their average rate of sailing is seventeen miles an hour, but they can do twenty-two, if hard pressed. For the carriage of the mails the company have a subsidy of ^85,000 from Government, reducible by a refund when the passenger returns exceed a given sum. On the grant of the subsidy a condition was imposed that the company should pay a fine of 34s. per minute whenever the steamers were be- hind the time specified for the arrival of the mails. Owing, London, & London. JrJCortK Western, Co* Tourists JLicturesqua &uide£ook iltshed. by Norton. S/lom\ 7. t. xarriok, SP Covent G and Jin,. W.C An Ocean Mail Steamer rounding Holyhead. 202 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. however, to the completeness of the arrangements, and the extraordinary speed and power of the packets, the penalty has not been imposed for years. The passage (something over sixty miles in length) is usually run in three hours and three-quarters, and whether the tourist leaves by the morning or evening boat, he is afforded a delightful general view of Kingstown and the coast scenery, over which we have carried him during the days previous to his departure. In the one case the rising, and in the other the setting, sun lights up the whole southern hill reaching from Dalkey to Booterstown, glittering on the windows of the long rows of suburban mansions, and tipping the masts in the harbour with fire. This effect is not lost as the tourist steams on the open sea. Southward (if it be morning), over the rocky stores of Dalkey and the bold outlines of the Killiney Hills and Bray Head, the same glamour is cast, burnishing the white sand, the cliffs, and the bare mountain heads ; while northward the dis- tricts of Dollymount and Clontarf have the appearance of a town in conflagration. If the evening boat be the one selected, the sun plays equally magical pranks ; but in this case the rays, coming from behind Dublin, gild only the prominent points, leaving the eastern bases of the hills in a shade, which by contrast throws out the favoured portions into more brilliant prominence. The London and North-Western Railway Company run a much cheaper line of packets between North Wall, Dublin, and Holyhead twice daily (Sundays excepted), which carry passengers, goods, parcels, and live stock. These strongly-built and fast steamers accomplish the sea passage in about five hours, and start from North Wall, Dublin, at 7.30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Greenwich time and 11 a.m., arriving respectively at the goods station, Holyhead, at about 2 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. As we approach the Welsh coast the bold outlines of Holy- head are seen ; and drawing nearer, the caverns with which the Head is pierced can be descried. Entering the harbour the Skerries Islands are on the left, and on the right the South Stack Lighthouse. This stands on the crest of an insulated rock, joined to Holy Island by a suspension bridge. The light- house has been the means of preserving many lives and much property. It was built by the corporation of Trinity House, and a farthing per ton is levied on all ships passing. The Breakwater Lighthouse crowns the end of that splendid structure, round which the steamer steers ere she runs alongside the pier, to which the train runs down. Holyhead Harbour has been constructed at a cost of ^1,303,663, and covers an area of 300 acres. MEN AI SUSPENSION BRIDGE. IIOL YHEAD. 203 Holyhead [Hotel : “ London and North-Western Railway”], so called from a monastery founded by St. Gybi in the sixth century, is the chief packet station for Ireland. It stands on Holy Island, on a bay between it and the west side of Anglesea, in North Wales. The rail crosses the narrow strait or track dividing the island and mainland, on an embankment, close to that which supports Telford’s coach-road, constructed in 1815. On the west side of Holyhead Hill are the North and South Stack Rocks, hollowed into caves, and swarming with wild birds. The Parliament Cave between the North and South Stack is 70 feet high. The descent to the South Stack Lighthouse is down a cliff by the Stairs, 380 steps altogether. The rock is frequently variegated, and greasy to the touch, like soapstone. An obelisk on the hill south of the harbour commemorates the late Captain Skinner, of the Post Office service, who lost his life by being washed overboard, in 1833. There are three regular steamboat services from Holyhead : (a.) the Holyhead and Kingstown mail service ; (£.) the Holy- head and Dublin (North Wall) service ; {c.) the Holyhead and Greenore service. The two latter are worked solely by the London and North-Western Railway Company. The mail packets from Kingstown bring over, in addition to the Irish letters, the mail bags which are landed at Queenstown and Londonderry from America. -■ ■ » SECTION XIV. HOLYHEAD TO CHESTER, via BANGOR, LLANDUDNO, BETTWS-Y-COED, RHYL, DENBIGH, AND HOLYWELL. T HE rail, on its way to Bangor, passes near the south coast of Anglesea, where the tourist may inspect the curious little churches of Llangwffen and Llanddwyn, each on an island, also Aberffraw, the decayed capital of the early North Wales princes, and Bodorgan, the seat of the Meyricks. In the neighbourhood of Bodorgan station is a splendid lake, two miles in circum- ference, called Llyn Coron, much frequented by anglers. From Holyhead to the Menai Staitsis about twenty-two miles. Near to Stephenson’s grand engineering triumph over this arm of the sea stands Telford’s 204 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Menai Suspension Bridge, [Hotels : Anglesea end, “ Anglesea Arms,” on the opposite side, “Victoria.”] This celebrated bridge was opened on the 30th January, 1826. From the surface of the water, at the highest tides, to the road- way of the bridge, is 100 feet. The distance between the points of suspension is 560 feet, and the extreme length of the chains 1,715 feet. The amount of compensation awarded to the owners of the ferry by which communication was previously kept up was £26,577, the actual cost of building £120,000, so that we may estimate the outlay on the erection of this wonderful structure at about ,£146,577 ! To fully appreciate its dimensions a boat should be taken, so as to enable the tourist to look up from beneath. By so doing, he will also have an opportunity of hearing the wonderful echo, which illustrates some peculiar and interesting principles of acoustics. But this engineering achievement is entirely eclipsed by the still more stupendous work to which we shall now direct the tourist’s attention, the Britannia Tubular Bridge. The necessity of carrying the railway across the Menai Straits, and the palpable difficulties besetting such an undertaking, had aroused the ingenuity of many eminent men, but all the plans suggested were found wanting in some requisites until the late Robert Stephenson conceived the idea of conveying “the trains across the straits through long hollow tubes.” The Britannia Bridge is so called from the rock of that name in the middle of the strait. The entire length of each line of tube is 1,513 feet. This total is made up of four pairs of tubes — i. e. two stretching from the Caernarvon embankment to the pier at high-water mark, and two from this point to Britannia Tower, on the rock already mentioned ; then two from Britannia Tower to a pier at high-water mark on the Anglesea shore, and two thence to the embankment on the same shore. The span from the high-water mark piers to Britannia Tower is 472 feet each way ; the lesser span from the high-water mark piers to the embankment is 274 feet; making, with the length within the abutment, in all 1,513 feet. The heat during the summer months increases the length one foot ! To overcome the difficulty of the contraction and expansion from atmospheric changes, the ends of the tubes are so fixed that, resting on movable rollers, they do not leave a gap in the line of rail when contracted by the winter cold. Those tubes are 104 feet above the water, and together weigh 11,400 tons; while the stonework of the bridge contains nearly a million and a half of cubic feet. BRITANNIA TUBULAR BRIDGE, LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. BANGOR— BEA C/MAR/S. 205 Passing through this aerial tunnel, and the Menai Bridge station, and then through Belmont tunnel, the tourist arrives at Bangor. [Hotels : “ George,” “ Penrhyn Arms,” “ Castle,” “ Railway Hotel,” “ British,” and “ Belle Vue.”] Bangor is situated at the base of a lofty range of cliffs, consists, like many other small towns, of one long street, and has little to attract in the way of outward appearance. Even the cathedral, though dating from the sixth century, is without any special attraction. The town has a free museum, library, and reading room. The neighbourhood, however, in addition to the bridges already noticed, is rich in scenery, and the city con- veniently situated for visiting Penrhyn and Beaumaris castles, Menai Straits, and Anglesea (“the Island of the Angles,”- — i. e. one of the three German tribes by whom England was overrun, after the departure of the Romans). Penrhyn Castle is situated about a mile east of Bangot, on the site of the ancient palace of Mochwynog, Prince of Wales (a.d. 720). It is built of grey Mona marble, and is a most extensive building, commanding splendid views of Beaumaris, Bangor, and Puffin Island on the one side, and of the Snowdon range of mountains on the other. Visitors are admitted to the castle by tickets (to be purchased at the Penryhn Arms, Castle, and George Hotels) every Tuesday and Friday. The slate quarries, five miles distant, are also worthy of a visit. Beaumaris [Hotels : “ Bulkeley Arms,” and “ Liverpool Arms”] is about four miles by ferry, and seven miles by road, from Bangor, at the entrance of the straits. The castle was erected in 1295 by Edward I., but does not seem to have played so important a part in history as one might have expected. The outer ballium has ten Moorish towers, which give it quite a foreign aspect. “The walls of the chapel, situated at the east end of the building, are embellished with twenty-one elegantly canopied niches, between which are lancet windows of great beauty, and behind them are recesses gained in the thick- ness of the wall.” A stone staircase, perforating the walls, brings you to the top of the ruins, from which the whole sur- rounding district can be seen at a glance. In Beaumaris church is a fine monument by Westmacott. Farther north, on the shore, is Baron Hill, where is to be seen the stone coffin of Princess Joan, King John’s daughter. Beyond this is Penmon Priory, the Mona (Mon = Anglesea) Marble Quarries, and Priest- holme, or Puffin Island. 206 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . If the tourist resume his journey at Bangor, en route for Chester, he will enter the tunnel through the Bangor Mountain, and, emerging thence, will cross the two viaducts spanning the Ogwen River and Valley respectively, both of which command fine views, and reach Aber, where Llewellyn made his last stand against Edward I. A beautiful glen, three miles long, leads to the Rhaiadr Mawr Cataract. Keeping along the shore, he will now have on his left Puffin Island, so called from the number of those birds that resort there. On his right will be Meini Herion, one of the most remarkable of the Snowdon range, after which Penmaen Mawr station and tunnel are reached. Leaving these behind, the sea comes in view again, but is lost to sight once more as the train speeds through a deep cutting, and enters another tunnel before stopping at Conway. [Hotels : “ Castle,” “ Erskine Arms,” and “Harp.”] This ancient and most picturesque town is situated on the sloping side of the vale through which the river of the same name flows. The town and castle are entirely surrounded by walls* which, being of a rude triangular form, are not unlike the out- line of a Welsh harp. “ I think no description,” says Miss Costello, “ however enthusiastic, can do justice to one of the most romantic and interesting spots that exists perhaps in Europe. ” Both town and castle were founded in 1284, by Edward I., to overawe the Welsh, and the walls, which are defended by eight towers, are very massive. There are many venerable and interest- ing houses in the town, but the castle throws everything else in the shade. Two sides are bounded by the river and a creek, the other two confront the town. Through one of the entrances of the fortress runs a tubular bridge, built on the same principle, but anterior to the Britannia Bridge at Menai. A pleasant excursion can be made from Llandudno Junction by rail to Llandudno [Hotels : “ Adelphi,” “ Imperial,” “ Queen’s,” and “ St. George’s”], a fashionable bathing-place, near to which are copper mines (where an enormous excavated chamber was discovered in 1849, showing that the mines had been worked 1,800 years ago by the Romans, whose benches and hammers were found there) ; and thence to the Great Ormes Head, remarkable for its Druidical remains. CONWAY CASTLE, FROM THE NORTH LLANR WST—BE TTIVS- Y- COED. 207 LLANDUDNO JUNCTION TO BETTWS-Y-COED. Another excursion may be made by rail from Llandudno Junction to Bettws-y-Coed, into the heart of Welsh scenery. Llanrwst is a small town on the route, pleasantly situated on the western bank of the Conway. The bridge is the principal object of interest ; it was constructed after the designs by Inigo Jones, who is said to have been a native of the place. The scenery around is enchanting. Bettws-y-Coed [Hotels : “ Royal Oak,” “Waterloo,” “ Gwydyn,” and “ Gian Aber or the “ Chapel” or the “Station in the Wood,” is a hamlet forming a romantic sylvan retreat, delightfully situated at the junction of the counties of Denbigh and Caernarvon, and a favourite haunt of anglers and artists. From the old church Cox took many of his most exquisite pictures. The view presents features of quiet loveliness and grandeur, in which river, cataract, wood- land, and mountain, are alternately commingled. Close to this the rivers Conway and Llugwy meet. The latter is here crossed by Pont-y-Pair, an old stone bridge erected in the fifteenth century. The Falls of the Conway are about three miles from Bettws-y- Coed. The road leads across the Waterloo Bridge, a handsome iron structure, cast in the year the Battle of Waterloo was fought. The view up this valley is one of the sweetest pictures on which the eye can rest. The Swallow Falls are about two miles from the town, a beautiful cataract. The water of the Llugwy is precipitated down a chasm, which in its widest parts measures sixty feet across. It does not form a single sheet from top to bottom, but is broken into three large falls, partly precipitous and partly shelving, and these again are sub-divided and broken by jutting crags, which disperse and dash about the waters in all directions, and then the stream rushes on impetu- ously to the romantic bridge of Pont-y-Pair. The extension of the railway from Bettws-y-Coed to the slate districts of Ffestiniog is now in progress. The new line passes through the valley of the Lledwr, by Dolwyddelan castle, said to have been the birth- place of Llewylyn the Great. Again resuming our route to Chester, at Llandudno Junction station, we pass Colwyn station, enter another tunnel, and once more gain the coast, which we keep in view until we reach 208 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Abergele and Pensarn [Hotels : Abergele, “ Bee,” and Pensarn, “ Cambrian ”], pleasantly situated sea bathing places. Gwrych Castle is a splendid pile of buildings of modern date, situated in very ex- tensive grounds. On the lodge gates are four tablets commemo- rating battles fought in the pass prior to the Norman conquest, and down to the reign of Richard II. Near by are the remains of British and Roman camps, and the Cefn-yr-Ogof Cave, in which the unhappy Richard II. hid from Bolingbroke. Leaving Aber- gele behind, we are now hurried to Rhyl [Hotels : “Belvoir,” “ Royal,” “ Dudley Arms,” “ Queen’s,” and “ Mostyn Arms”], which takes rank as the first bathing-place in Wales, though a recent town, dating only from 1820. It is a centre for many excellent excursions. It is situated at the entrance to the celebrated Vale of Clwyd, which extends twenty miles in length, flanked on both sides with elevated hills, beyond which Snowdon can be seen. RHYL TO CORWEN. Rhuddlan. Hotels : “ New Inn,” “ Marsh Inn,” “ Black Boy,” and “ King’s Head.”] Diverging from the route to Chester, and going by rail up the Vale of Clwyd, the tourist passes the little station of Foryd, and quickly reaches the ancient town of Rhuddlan, situated on the eastern bank of the Clwyd. Below it is Rhuddlan Castle, the ruins of which have a noble and imposing appearance from every point of view. It is built of grey stone, is nearly square, and has six towers, three of them tolerably entire. It has a double ditch on the north side, and a strong wall and fosse all round. It was built by Llewellyn in 1015, and dismantled in 1646. It was rebuilt or fortified by Henry II. It was here that Edward I. gave the Welsh people their charter of freedom. Queen Eleanor, in 1283, was delivered here of a princess. Northumberland seized the castle in 1399 previous to the deposition of Richard II., who was brought here on his way to Flint Castle. The church contains the tombs of Dean Shipley and the Conways. Below the village is the “ Marsh of Rhuddlan,’’ where in 795 the Welsh fought a bloody battle under their leader Caradoc, and were defeated and lost their general by the Saxon forces under Offa, the King of Mercia. About two miles from the station, at the ■WATERLOO BRIDGE, BETTWS-Y-COED. \ ST. ASAPH, ETC.— COR WE JV. 209 village of Dyserth, near the foot of the Cym Mountains, is a beautiful waterfall, situated amongst enchanting scenery. The city of St. Asaph [Hotels : “ Mostyn Arms/’ “ Kimmel Arms,” and “ Plough ”] stands on an eminence between the rivers Clwyd and Elwy. The principal attraction of this charmingly-situated city is the cathedral, which was first built of wood by St. Asaph in 596 and rebuilt in 1 770 ; it has recently been completely renovated, under the direction of Sir Gilbert Scott, R.A. The plan is cruciform, with a square embattled tower rising from the intersection. It con- tains a painted tomb in memory of Bishop Barrow, who died in 1680, and a mural tablet, in memory of Felicia Piemans, who resided at Bronwylfa, near to St. Asaph, for a great part of her life. Passing Trefnant station the tourist reaches Denbigh [Hotels : “ Crown ” and “ Bull ”], which occupies an imposing situation on the side of a rocky eminence, the top of which is crowned with the/uins of a castle built in the reign of Edward I. It was blown up with gun- powder after the restoration of Charles II. The prospects through the broken arches and decaying walls are of a magnificent character. The town was originally enclosed with walls and fortified with one square and three round towers. Passing Llanrhaidr and Rhewl stations, eight miles of travelling conduct us to Ruthin [Hotels : “ Castle Arms,” “ Wynnstay Arms,” and “ Cross Keys ”], a town standing on the side of a hill. It has the remains of a castle, built in the thirteenth century. A new structure has been erected within the boundaries of the ruins. Passing three other stations, the tourist is conducted to Corwen [Hotel : “ Owen Glyndwr Arms ”], a small market town at the foot of the Berwyn Mountains, situated on the River Dee. The natural features of the spot are associated with the name of Owen Glyndwr. There is Glyndwr’s Sword and Glyndwr’s Seat, a heap of stones. On the summit 6f a hill, on the opposite side of the river, a circle of loose itones marks the spot where Owen Gwynedd was posted to repel t;he invasion of Henry II., and where Owen Glyndwr retreated ''Ivhen threatened by Henry IV. A splendid view may be ob- tained from this and the neighbouring heights. I 2io LONDON AND NORTIIAVESTERN GUIDE. Resuming the journey to Chester from Rhyl, Mostyn, cele- brated for its collieries is passed, and the traveller arrives at Holywell Station. [Hotels : “ King's Head” and “ Harp Inn.”l About a mile from this, on the side of a hill, is St. Winifred’s Well, which gives its name to the town. The well, situated close to the church, throws up thirty tons of water per minute. It is highly spoken of for bathing purposes. Passing Bagillt, we come to Flint. To the left of the station can be seen, rising from a rocky promontory on the shore, the ruins of Flint Castle, the scene of poor Richard II. ’s humiliation and betrayal. No other place of interest is now met with till, leaving Wales behind, and passing the Saltney Junction, we enter the cutting through Brewer’s Hall Hill, from w 7 hich Cromwell bombarded Chester, cross the Dee, over the largest cast-iron girder bridge in the kingdom, and halt at the Chester station, the longest in the kingdom. The fa§ade towards the city is 1,050 feet in length, built in the Italian style. Within are separate platforms for the London and North- Western, the Great Western, and the Birkenhead Railway Companies. Chester. [Hotels : “Grosvenor,” “Queen’s,” “Blossoms,” and “Green Dragon.”] We cannot attempt to give an adequate description of this grand old city. It is essentially a Roman city, the “walls gray with the memories of two thousand years, ” being on the identical lines drawn by the Imperial generals. The usual Roman plan, too, of four great streets (cut down several feet into the solid rock), running from a common centre, north, south, east, and west, and terminating at the gates facing the cardinal points, is quite suffi- • cient to prove its origin, apart from its Latin name (it was the Castra of the 20th Legion). Some form of town, however, existed here before the Roman invasion, but the history of the place previous to that date is lost in fable. The Roman walls, varying from twelve to forty feet high, were restored by Alfred the Great’s daughter Ethelfleda, 907, and from that date to the mock Fenian raid in 1867 Chester has been associated with almost every poli- tical movement in the kingdom. It was particularly prominent in the great Civil War, being the first city that declared for Charles, and the last to succumb to the Parliamentary forces. A mere enumeration of the Roman antiquities would fill a chapter. We must therefore leave the tourist to prosecute his archaeological inquiries by means of some of the local guides, and content our- el ves with pointing out the principal objects of interest observa- ble from the walls, round which he may walk in three-quarters CHESTER. 21 1 of an hour. The detour may be commenced at East Gate, which is in the vicinity of the Grosvenor and Blossoms Hotels. Pro- ceeding northward we soon reach the Cathedral, said to occupy the site of a Roman temple to Apollo. Different religious edifices seem to have stood here at different times, down to 1093, when Plugh Lupus, William the Conqueror’s nephew, founded the present noble structure, into which he retired in repentance at the end of his days. On the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII., it was converted into the Cathedral Church of Chester. The greater part of the venerable building, as it now stands, is in the Late Decorated Gothic style of the fourteenth century ; but there are many traces of Norman and perhaps Saxon architecture. Chester Cathedral is almost entirely built of the red sandstone, which is so plentiful in this district, and its principal portions seem to have been erected during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. The blending of the different styles fashion- able during those different periods gives a pleasing variety to the massive pile. The west front, however, is decidedly the best, though in a partially unfinished state. The foundation of two towers was laid in 1508, which would undoubtedly have increased the imposing effect of this fine front. The entrance is formed of a Tudor arch, under a square head, with elegant spandrills, and a hollow moulding at the top, occupied by a row of angels. Over this entrance is the great western window of the nave, with eight lights and elaborate tracery — all flanked by octagonal turrets with embattled parapets. The south front has a deep porch, with richly-panelled spandrils, and an entrance under a Tudor arch of much the same design as that in the west front. The south side of the nave is not striking, but the south side of the transept is singular, if not handsome, being totally unlike the north wing in length and breadth, and has aisles on both sides, like the nave and choir. The choir is of considerable beauty, and the Gothic work at the sides has a most pleasing effect. The Lady Chapel and the Chapter-house, to the south of the choir, contain many examples of Early English architecture. The square central tower, however, is decidedly the finest external feature of this venerable structure. It rises to the height of 127 feet from the roof of the chancel, has two pointed windows in each face, and also an octagonal turret at each angle. The interior of the cathedral falls very far short of what is naturally expected from its massive external appearance. In- stead of the usual vaulted roof, there is but a flat wooden ceiling, which makes its elevation seem much lower than it really is. This architectural defect is partially compensated for by the beauty of the cloisters, the antiquity of some of the monuments, 212 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . the elegant taste of others, and the elaborately-sculptured Gothic screen of stone, separating the nave from the choir, which has some rich and beautiful tabernacle work. The stalls have fine canopies, pinnacles, and pendants. Here also is the bishop’s throne, which is chiefly formed by the shrine of St. Werburgh, of which miraculous legends are told. The choir is paved with black and white marble. It will be seen, therefore, that it is by far the richest portion of the interior, and will merit all the attention the tourist has time to bestow upon it. As we walk on from the cathedral we see, to the right, on the canal bank, the lofty tower of Messrs. Walker and Parker’s Shot manufactory. In front is the Phoenix Tower, at the angle of the walls where they turn westward towards the North Gate. On this tower Charles I. stood during the battle of Rowton Moor and witnessed the defeat of his Cheshire army. Beneath the walls, at this point, runs the Shropshire Union canal, sunk in the solid rock. Moving on in the direction of the North Gate, the original Roman walls can be seen, terminating in a cornice six feet below the parapet. We now arrive at the North Gate, from the summit of which the view is most extensive, including the Welsh mountains, the. railway station, and the churches of Waverton and Christleton in the distance. Close outside the gate is the Blue-coat Hospital, founded in early times, destroyed during the Civil Wars, and rebuilt in 1 700. It is now under the guardianship of the corpo- ration, who are bound to board, clothe, and educate thirty boys between the ages of twelve and fourteen. There are also alms- houses for the accommodation of thirteen paupers. Northgate Street, which runs from here to the Cross, is one of the Roman ways, and may be reached by a flight of steps at the gate. Moving onward, we now reach a square building on the right- hand side of the wall. The summit commands a view of the river to the sea, embracing Flint Castle, the Jubilee Column, and the Lighthouse on Ayr Point, with the Training College near on the right. Proceeding on our circuit we approach an- other tower, formerly known as the Goblin’s Tower, but now called “Pemberton’s Parlour.” On the front is a mutilated in- scription of the ‘ ‘ glorious reign of Anne, ” to the effect that some repairs had been made during the mayoralty of the Earl of Derby, in 1702. Inside the wall at this point is Borrowfield, the exer- cise ground of the Roman Legion. We now approach the Water Tower. The river at present is some distance from the walls, but it appears that formerly ships were able to sail up to the very tower. It was at this portion of the fortification that Cromwell directed his fire when bombard- ing the city in 1645. f he tower is now fitted up as a museum, CHESTER. 213 and contains some fine relics. This tower also contains a camera, and on the summit a telescope has been fixed, through which may be seen the Great Ormes Head, the Wrekin in Shropshire, and the Welsh mountains. Close under the walls is the railway viaduct of forty-seven arches, and the splendid iron bridge across the Dee. The handsome brick building to the left, as we walk towards the Water Gate, is the Infir- mary, which can accommodate 100 patients. Adjacent is the City Gaol and House of Correction, with its fine Doric en- trance, over which criminals used to be executed before the new regulation came into force. Beyond these buildings is the Linen Hall Cheese Market, passing which we arrive at the Water Gate. From this gate we have a truly charming prospect. At our feet is the famous Rhoodee race-course. To the right is the House of Industry and the Viaduct. Beyond the race-course and the river are the splendid villas of Curzon Park, while a little to the left we catch glimpses of the lodge of Eaton Park and the superb arch of Grosvenor Bridge. Towards this structure we now direct our steps. It spans the river with one arch of 200 feet (the largest stone arch in the world), is forty feet high, and forty-eight feet wide. The foundation was laid in October, 1827, and it was opened by the Queen (then Princess) in 1832. A short distance from the bridge stood a Roman gateway, which was taken down some years since, and on the opposite side of the river, in “Edgar’s Field,” is a statue of Pallas. This, to- gether with the New Cemetery, may be visited by crossing the Grosvenor Bridge. Continuing our route along the w T alls, we now arrive at the Castle, the foundation of which is variously referred to the Roman era and the reign of William the Conqueror. This ancient structure was pulled down in the last century, to make room for the present noble pile of buildings. The main entrance is through a handsome Doric portico of ten fluted columns, each cut out of a single block of stone. The Castle is enclosed by a fosse thirteen feet deep, surmounted with a handsome iron rail- ing. Behind the guard-room is Caesar’s Tower, a remnant of the ancient edifice. Facing the front entrance is the Shire Hall, whose portico of twelve columns resembles that of the outer entrance, in having pillars of single blocks of stone. The hall is semicircular in form, with a handsome dome ceiling supported by twelve Ionic columns of single stones. On the left hand stands the County Gaol, a fine commodious range of buildings. N ear the grand portico is the Combermere Monument, erected at a cost of ^*7,000. Again resuming our circuit of the walls, we walk over the Bridge Gate (rebuilt in 1782), so called because it is the gate leading to the old bridge. The earliest bridge over 214 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. the river in this place was a wooden one, in the time of Ethel - fleda. This was twice destroyed in the thirteenth century, in the latter end of which Edward I. compelled the citizens to erect the present edifice, which consists of seven arches. The appear- ance of antiquity, however, is spoiled on the east end by the iron-plate footpath erected in 1826, which gives it an incon- gruous look. Alongside the bridge are the old Dee Mills, whose erection dates from a long period anterior to the reign of Edward III. In Lower Bridge Street, which leads from Bridge Gate, stands the house in which Charles I. resided during the siege. We next reach New Gate, a plain arched gateway erected in 1608, in place of a postern which formerly occupied the same position. Passing onward, we leave the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on the right, and soon come to East Gate, the point from which we started. This gate, built at the expense of the then Marquis of Westminster, consists of a remarkably fine centre arch and two posterns. The foundation stone was laid in 1768, The old gate had a very beautiful Gothic arch, and two massive octagonal towers, but was too narrow. At a still earlier period a Roman gateway occupied the same spot. Outside the walls, between Bridge Gate and East Gate, is the Church of St. John the Baptist. The foundation took place in 689 ; but the old steeple fell in during the year 1468, and being rebuilt, fell in once more in 1574. The church was then re- paired, and reduced to its present size. “At the east end of the church are the ruins of the chapels, about the choir, consisting of the outer walls, with the remains of several windows of Gothic architecture ; and the eastern wall, containing a beautiful arched window, of the same style, but larger and richer in ornament than the others.” There are numerous other churches. One of the many curious features of this fine old city is the Rows, which occupy the greater part of the old Roman ways — Eastgate Street, Watergate Street, Northgate Street, and Bridge Street. Pennant says of them, “These Rows appear to me to have been the same with the ancient vestibules, and to have been a form of building preserved from the time that the city was possessed by the Romans. They were the places where dependents waited for the coming out of their patrons, and under which they might walk away the tedious minutes of expectation. Plautus, in the Third Act of his Mostel - lari a, describes both their station and use. The shops beneath the Rows were the cryptae and apothecae, magazines for the various necessaries of the owners of the houses.” The Rows, in fact, are two terraces of shops, one above the other — the 4 4 first floor front ” of each house forming a sort of gallery over the ground floor. These galleries can be reached by flights of steps at either end of the Row, and at convenient distances in the CAERNARVON. * \ 215 interval. In one of the houses of the bridge Street Row is a Roman hypocaust, or sweating-bath, fifteen feet long, eight feet wide, ancl six feet seven inches deep, on much the same principle as the modern Turkish bath. Before leaving Chester, the tourist should not fail to visit Eaton Hall, the palatial seat of the Duke of Westminster. It is about three miles distant, Grosvenor Bridge way, and is open to visitors by tickets, which they can procure at the Grosvenor Hotel, or of any newsvendor. The Hall is a very elaborately pinnacled and turreted pile, 460 feet in length. It is beautifully finished inside and out, and contains several fine paintings. The marble floor of the entrance hall alone cost 1,600 guineas. From this the tourist may form some idea of the magnificence of the building and its furniture. The gardens are also worth seeing. SECTION XV. HOLYHEAD TO CHESTER, via BANGOR, CAERNARVON, LLANBERIS, AEON-WEN, PORTMADOC, FFESTINIOG, HARLECH, BARMOUTH, ABERYSTWITH, DOLGELLY, BALA, CORWEN, LLANGOLLEN, RUABON, AND WREXHAM. C HANGING trains at Bangor, a journey of nine miles con- ducts the traveller to Caernarvon [Hotels: “Royal” (late “ Uxbridge Arms ”), “Sportsman,” “Queen’s,” “ Prince of Wales,” and “ Castle ”], as its name implies, is a “fortified town in the district op- posite Mon ” — i. e. Anglesea. The Roman town Segontium stood within half a mile of Caernarvon, on a conical hill, surrounded by a wall, of which there are considerable remains. A Roman villa and baths, and some very rare coins, have been lately discovered. The principal object of interest at Caernarvon, however, will always be the Castle. The founda- tion of the Castle by Edward I., the birth in it of his son, and a general outline of its historical associations, are familiar to all ; but that such an immense structure could have been built in a few years, as is popularly supposed, seems impossible. The external walls, which are lofty, and about ten feet thick, have 2 1 6 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. galleries running through them, and are defended by thirteen pentagonal, hexagonal, and octagonal towers. At the main Gothic entrance is a mutilated statue of Edward I. Several dungeons may still be seen : among them the one in which Prynne, the celebrated author of Uistriom astrix, was confined by Charles I. A small steamer plies from Caernarvon to the southern shore of Anglesea, affording the tourist opportunities of visiting Newborough and its neighbourhood. From Caernarvon the ascent of Snowdon (3,571 feet) is easily made, by taking the train to Llanberis. CAERNARVON TO BEDDGELERT AND TREMADOC [by Coach). During the summer months there are coaches to Beddgelert. Six miles from Caernarvon we reach Nant Mill, a favourite spot for the painter, the mill, with its pretty cascades and surrounding scenery, having employed the artist’s pencil times innumerable. The celebrated painter, David Cox, A.R.A., made a beautiful drawing of this spot, which sold in 1867 for the largest amount ever paid for one of his pictures. Ilyn Cwellyn. This lake is situated about six miles and a half from Caernarvon, towards Beddgelert. It is noted for a species of char, Salmo alpinus (Lin.), called, in Welsh, torgoch , “red-belly,” found formerly in Llyn Peris, and in some lakes of Switzerland. These fish seldom wander beyond the limits of the lake. In the frost and rigour of December they sport near the margin of the lake, but in the heat of summer they confine themselves to the deeps. At the upper end of this beautiful lake stood the residence of the Qwellyns, a family now extinct, who took their name from the place. At the south end of the pool that part of Mynydd Mawr, called Castell Cidwm, “ the Wolfs Castle,” forms a bold and striking feature, seeming to overhang its base. Tradition states that it was at one time the stronghold of a renowned gigantic warrior, or rather robber chief, named Cidwm. Beddgelert. [Hotels : f ‘ Royal Goat ” and ^5,530, the three last figures, ^530, being the cost of the land, etc. The line is now continued upon the Ditton Viaduct, which is carried upon forty- nine arches over a length of ground of 36^ chains. Its cost for works was ^54,800, and for land and compensation £ 6,000 , making a total of ^60,800. The Ditton embankment, containing 380,000 cubic feet of earth, constructed for ;£i 3,650, which sum includes ^1,350 paid away for land and compensation, finishes this magnificent viaduct, carrying the trains of the London and North- Western Railway over the low lands on the banks and over the waters of the busy Mersey. The total cost of this structure was ^422, 400— ^380,600 for works and ^41,800 for land, com- pensation, etc. We give an engraving of Runcorn Bridge. One of the interesting features connected with the building of this bridge was a successful hoax played upon the trustful archaeological public by an anonymous writer in the Liverpool Mercury. While the foundations of the pier were being dug, an account appeared in that paper of the discovery of some valuable . Roman antiquities, of which the dates and other characters were ( carefully and fully detailed. It was even stated that those in- terested in archeological research could view the collection in one of the houses in the neighbourhood. Extended publicity to this statement was given in the London dailies, and a num- ber of archaeologists from various parts of the kingdom applied at the house named, and found, to their vexation and chagrin, that the whole was a fabrication from beginning to end, BEESTON—CRE WE. 233 Having crossed Ditton Viaduct and embankment, the tourist quickly reaches Ditton Junction, from whence the line is con- tinued through Halewood, Speke, Allerton, Mossley Hill, Wavertree, and Edge Hill stations, to the Lime Street terminus of the London and North-Western Railway, in Liver- pool. SECTION XVIII. CHESTER TO CREWE. L EAVING Chester, the train passes the unimportant stations of Waverton and Tattenhall, and arrives at Beeston, where are the ruins of an old castle, built in 1220 by Ralph Blundell, sixth Earl of Chester, upon his return from the Cru- sades. It stands upon the slope and sides of a high sandstone rock, very precipitous on one side. The whole structure covers a space of about five acres. The walls are of extraordinary thickness, the castle being one of the strongest built during a period of tumultuous foreign and civil wars. It was further strengthened by a deep ditch surrounding the keep, and cut with immense labour into the solid rock. The walls Avere defended by several round towers : two guarded the drawbridge by which the keep was entered. These may now be seen in a very fair state of preservation. A well, bored through the foundation rock to a depth of over 230 feet, made the garrison of this remarkable fortress independent of external supplies of water. Richard II. found Beeston Castle a place of safe keeping for his treasure during his visit to Ireland in 1309. The castle was subject to many vicissitudes during the civil war in the middle of the seventeenth century. It was besieged, taken, and re-taken several times by the Royalist and Parliamentary forces, and \yas finally dismantled in 1646 after the fall of Chester. The ruins are well worth a visit, Renewing the journey, the t\yo stations, Calveley and Worleston, are found between Boston and the im- portant station and junction of Crewe, on the main line of the London and North-Western Railway. 234 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . SECTION XIX. LIVERPOOL. [Hotels: “London and North-Western,” Lime Street; “Washington,” Lime Street; “Adelphi,” “Waterloo,” “ Queen’s,” “ Victoria,” “Stork,” “Angel,” and “Compton.”] T HE interest attaching to this huge mart is very different from what has hitherto been aroused by many of the scenes through which we have carried our tourist — lake and mountain scenery, hoary mins, antiquarian relics, and historical places associated with the bygone life of the nation. In Liverpool we find ourselves in a new world, as it were. If the tastes of our tourists run .in the same channel as those of Dr. Johnson, this is the place for enjoying himself. The doctor’s favourite “walk down Fleet Street,” which he prized far above the most delightful of Arcadian retreats that the fervid imaginations of poets ever conceived, is not to be compared for life and bustle with Castle Street and Old Hall Street in Liverpool. The history of the town is comparatively but of yesterday. It is not even mentioned in Domesday Book. In 1644 it was called a ‘ 4 mere crow’s nest,” by Prince Rupert ; and it was not until the close of the seventeenth century that it became a bond fide corporate town, managed by its own burgesses. I11 1561 its population was 690, in 1861 it was 462,749, and by the census of 1871 the population numbered no less than 493,405, not to mention the additional twenty or twenty- five thousand seamen in the port ! The value of the exports in 1857 was ^55, 173,756 ; while that of London was only ^27, 832,348. Although the importance of Liverpool is of quite recent date, being contemporaneous with the upspringing of England’s greatest industry — the cotton manufacture. The streets, now spacious and decorated with handsome structures, have seen more changes than those of many older cities. The rapidity of its progress is one of the most remarkable instances of prosperity the world has ever seen in ancient and modern times, and reminds one of the so- called mushroom growth of some of the western American grain-marts. It is stated that Liverpool has for more than a century and a quarter invariably doubled its population, town and dock dues, imports and exports, customs, receipts, and pay- ments, every sixteen years. There is scarcely a public building in the town, not even its older churches, with one or two excep- tions, seventy years old ; for no sooner was a building erected for municipal or commercial purposes than in a few years it was f. ’ c ' ' , LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN HOTEL AND RAILWAY-STATION, LIVERPOOL. LIVERPOOL: 235 found inadequate to the increased wants of the town. The same may be said of the streets. In the town proper not a single instance occurs of a building retaining its original form. Many of them could not be finished as they were commenced, trade requiring the buildings, the foundations of which -were laid for private residences. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the streets of Liverpool were narrow and ill built ; now the town has wide thoroughfares, embellished with a number of public edifices, which together enable Liverpool to compare favourably with any other town in the empire. The public buildings of Liverpool are the Town Hall, tlieEx- change Buildings, the Custom House, St. George’s Hall, Brown’s Free Public Library and Museum, the Walker Art Gallery, and the Municipal Offices. There are over seventy places of worship in Liverpool connected with the Church of England, and nearly two hundred Dissenting and Roman Catholic chapels. With most of these are connected numerous Sunday and day schools, besides the other scholastic institutions of which Liverpool justly boasts. These are — the Liverpool College, the Liverpool Institute, Queen’s College, Royal Institution Schools, and the magnificent schools of the Liverpool School Board. The city also supports many charities — medical, provident, and religious. Though the principal business of Liverpool is connected with the im- port and export trade, its manufactures are on a large scale, including wood and iron sliip-building, foundries, steel-works, anchor and chain cable founderies, roperies, chemical w^orks, and large sugar refineries. The markets of Liverpool are ten in number, and commensurate with its size. Since the corporation of this important seaport bestirred itself to provide for the needs of an increasing population, £ 300,000 has been spent in mural and sanitary improvements ; but in spite of all this, owing to its situation and the large influx of a foreign dissolute population, its death rate at times is higher than any elsewhere in Great Britain. The corporation property is valued at £3, 000, 000. The Dock Estate has an income approaching half a million. Liverpool is favoured with five public parks : the principal are the Stanley, and the Sefton. Having made these few general remarks about Liverpool, we purpose conducting the visitor through the town in such a manner as shall give the best opportunity of viewing all the more prominent features of the city. But before doing so, we would give the following information, which will be of use in our route : — Hackney Carriage Rates. — For one or more passengers, is. per mile, and 6d. for each additional half-mile or lesser por- portion thereof. From midnight until 6 a.m., is. 6d. per mile, 236 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . tion thereof. By time, 6d. for every fifteen minutes, or lesser and 9d. for each additional half-mile, or lesser portion thereof. These rates are inclusive of all charges for luggage, not exceed- ing 2 cwt. Messengers and Luggage Porters. — i. Licences to be registered with the town clerk, and numbered. 2. Porters to wear badges with numbers (which must be visible while plying for hire) and a distinguishing dress. 3. Messengers and luggage porters to be licensed (under 40s. penalty) and to wear a numbered badge. There are very moderate rates fixed, more than which they dare not demand. The Places of Public Amusement in Liverpool are : — The Alexandra Theatre, 3, Lime Street ; Amphitheatre (Royal), 15, Great Charlotte Street; Concert Hall, 17, Lord Nelson Street ; Queen’s Hall, 65, Bold Street ; St. James’s Hall, 60 to 72, Lime Street ; Star Music Hall, 12, Williamson Square ; Theatre Royal, 12, Williamson Square; Gaiety Theatre, Cam- den Street ; Prince of Wales, Clayton Square ; and the Rotunda, Scotland Road. We will suppose that “our visiting friends” have entered Liverpool by either of the routes we have described, and have decided on making The London and North-Western Hotel their head-quarters during their stay in the town. This monster building is connected with the railway terminus, in Lime Street, and was erected by the London and North-Western Railway Company for the accommodation of travellers. It was opened on March 1st, 1871, having occupied two years in building. The style of architecture is French Renaissance, producing something between a baronial hall and a French chateau. Its length in front is 317 feet, and its height to the top of the main cornice (above which are rooms under the lofty roof) is eighty-one feet three inches. In the centre of the building are two towers, sur- mounted by ornamental iron-work, each angle terminating in a slender pinnacle. These towers are seventy-six feet above the cornice, making a total height from the ground of 157 feet, At the north and south ends are similar towers, sixty-one feet high. The internal arrangements of this hotel are well worthy of remark. The coffee-room, a handsome apartment, is 65 feet long by 29 feet wide. On the same floor is also a well-fitted reading-room, a smoking-room, and a well-furnished billiard- room. A wide, noble staircase leads to the upper floors. The corridors and stairs are of stone, and, as a special safeguard against fire, each corridor is furnished with three fire-cocks, fitted st. George’s hall, Liverpool. LIVERPOOL. 237 with about 200 feet of hose. The corridors are 300 feet long, and are, besides the security against fire, well supplied with hot and cold water. A distinct set of servants wait upon each floor. On the second and third floors are fourteen sitting-rooms, with bedrooms attached. There are in all 208 bedrooms. Each storey can be reached by lifts, available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., that used by visitors being worked by hydraulic power, and that for luggage by steam. The convenience afforded by this arrangement of lifts is a special feature of the London and North- Western Hotel. Ladies can retire to private dressing-rooms between the first and second floors without the trouble of mounting to their bedrooms ; it is also of great use to delicate or infirm persons, who can thus avoid the exertion of walking up flights of stairs. Large doors open directly from the central hall of the hotel upon the paved and roofed platforms of the Lime Street terminus of the London and North-Western Railway. An immense glass screen cuts off the upper portion of the hotel from the roofed space enclosed by the station, reducing the noise of the railway traffic to a minimum. The hotel is warmed by steam, independently of fires in various parts of the building. Porters in livery attend the trains and remove luggage to and from the hotel, free of charge. A post and telegraph office will be found under the front of the building. This monstre hotel has been beautifully decorated, and the rooms have been furnished in a sumptuous and substantial manner. The charges are very moderate. Suites of rooms on the first floor range from 10s. 6d. upwards, on the second floor from 8s. 6d. Single beds are as follows : — First floor, 4s. ; second floor, 3s. 6d. ; third floor, 3s. ; fourth floor, 2s. 6d. A bedroom occupied by two persons is charged is. extra. When two beds are in the same room, the charges are : — Third floor, 5s. ; fourth and fifth floors, 4s. Vehicles belonging to the hotel are charged 2s. 6d. per hour for one-horse broughams ; carriages and pair as per arrangement. The charge for breakfast is from 2s. to 3s. ; for luncheon, from 2s. to 2s. 6d. ; for dinner, from 2s. 6d. to 4s. ; and for tea, from is. 6d. to 3s. Immediately opposite the hotel is St. George’s Hall and Assize Courts, founded 28th of June, 1838, the Corona- tion Day of her Majesty, and opened at the close of the year 1851. Externally, the building is both grand and beautiful ; and internally is fitted up so as to fulfil a multitude of offices, for in it are the two assize courts, an immense hall for public meetings, and a concert hall. It is built of a warm tinted stone, and raised on a platform, 238 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. which is approached by a fine sweep of well-proportioned steps, flanked by simple basements. Its general form varies in aspect, according to the points from which the building is surveyed ; from every point, however, at which a view can be obtained, its lines and masses combine in admirable groups. The general aspect from the south is that of an oblong Corinthian temple, with projections on the east and west sides. The projection on the eastern fafade (Lime Street) forms a prostylar colonnade, 200 feet long, with sixteen fluted Corinthian columns, and un- decorated entablature ; the projection on the opposite side has no steps, and the columns are plain and square. The portico on the south is the gem of the whole structure. It surmounts a pedestal of noble steps, 150 feet wide, terminating in a pediment of graceful angle, the tympanum of which is enriched by a group of sculpture of Caen stone, in alto-relievo, representing Britannia offering the olive branch, with the lion at her side, and the Mersey flowing by her feet. On her other side is Mercury, leading to her Asia, Europe, and America, the sword of power in her right hand, and raising with her left Africa, ‘ ‘ who is represented in a posture of gratitude and humility, with her sons in her arms, the breaking of whose chains is the work of Britannia, . to whom she points.” Beyond is Bacchus, the panther, and the wine vase. The other foreign products are represented by two figures, drawing to land their several cargoes. On the right of Britannia are the English Arts and Products advancing to meet Apollo. Science holds the lighted torch and guides her car, and Agriculture is at her side. Behind are the plough, the spindle, and the beehive, the peasant and his child forming a group, to represent the domesticity of England. Beyond is Metallurgy, forging the anchor, and engaged in the fabric of arms and machinery, which she knows so well how to use. The Great Hall is 169 feet by 80, and 82 feet in height from the floor to the highest part of the arched ornamented ceiling. A row of polished granite columns runs along at either side. The great organ, one of the largest in the world, has 108 stops and 8,000 pipes. The bellows are worked by a steam-engine in the vaults beneath. From the south end of the hall a flight of steps leads to the Crown Court, through bronzed doors of elaborate workmanship, and at the opposite end is the Civil Court, over which is the Con- cert Hall, calculated to accommodate 1,400 persons. While standing on the elevated eastern colonnade of St. George’s Hall we have an excellent opportunity of glancing at many objects of interest in the magnificent area which stretches out before us on our right and left. In front rises the massive North-Western Hotel, which dwarfs most effectually the four LIVERPOOL, 239 guardian lions at the principal entrance to the area, between the hall and Lime Street. Then there is the Alexandra Theatre, a little to our left, having a brick front of very elaborate workman- ship, facing Lime Street. The foundation-stone was laid by Mademoiselle Titiens in 1866. Descending the steps we have before us, on the right, the equestrian statue of the Prince Consort, a bronze statue on a granite pedestal. Near by is the companion statue of her Majesty. Both are by Thornycroft, and cost £ 6 , 000. Crossing the road to the left from the statues we come to the Wellington Monument. The base of this monument consists of three granite steps, above which rises the square pedestal, to the height of ten feet from the base, and terminating in a chaste cornice. On the north side of the pedestal is inscribed the single but inspiriting word, “Wel- lington.” On the east and west sides are inscribed the names of the Duke’s most celebrated actions ; while on the south side is a bas-relief in bronze, representing the Iron Duke leading his guards on to the final charge at Waterloo. This spirited and well-executed group was designed by G. A. Lawson, Esq. At each angle of the pedestal is an eagle, and between each eagle is the wreath of victory. Out of a chaste torus rises a fluted shaft, 132 feet high, leading the eye of the spectator upwards to a smaller pedestal, on which is placed the statue of the Duke. The statue represents the Duke standing in an easy position, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, while the figure is draped in a martial cloak. It is cast from cannon taken at Waterloo, given by the Government for this express purpose, and is fourteen feet high. A little to the north of St. George’s Ilall (and facing William Brown Street) is The Free Public Library and Museum, better known as Brown’s Free Public Library and Museum. For the history and a more complete description of this important public building the reader should refer to Shaw’s Shilling Guide to Liverpool. A free public library (called the Union News Room) was first founded in Liverpool in the year 1800, and was housed in a building in Duke Street, at an expense of ,£11,000. The building, now occupied by the Library, and the noble collections conveyed to the public of Liverpool by the late Earl of Derby and Mr. Joseph Mayer, of Lord Street, was built at the expense of the late Sir William Brown, Bart., upon ground granted by the corporation, at a cost estimated as not less than ^40,000. This noble benefactor of his race laid 240 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . the foundation-stone upon the 15th of April, 1857. and, with imposing ceremonies, handed the completed structure over to the safe keeping and use of the town of Liverpool on the 18th of October, i860. The collection of stuffed animals which forms so large a portion of the museum was given to the public of Liverpool on October 18th, 1852, and was thrown open to the public on March 3rd of the following year. Perhaps the more remarkable and unique collection was that made by Mr. Joseph Mayer at the cost of about ,£70,000, and now valued at upwards of £ 120,000. This collection was given to the corporation of Liverpool on the 6th February, 1867, and thrown open to the public on the following 10th of June. The collection of coins presented by Mr. Jackson, and some excellent sculptures and cases of objects on loan, comprise the chief attractions of this museum. We can afford room for only a slight glance at the more remark- able objects. The library and reading-room, being the oldest institution in connection with this building, will demand our first attention. The library contains upwards of 50,000 volumes, which are yearly increasing. The average number' of works consulted each day is about 2,220. The library department contains a splendid reading-room, which will accommodate 600 persons. It is free to all respectable persons, and is open from 10 a.m. to iop.111. A separate department is provided for literary men and students, and another room for females. These rooms are supplemented by a lecture-hall and board-room. A school of science and art is also provided for in the building. The central hall contains, among other objects, many pieces of sculpture bequeathed by the late Mr. Spence. The natural his- tory rooms contain a large collection of the objects usually found therein, including, in the bird- rooms, rapacious animals, conders, eagles, owls, hawks, etc., tropical birds, with showy plumage, humming-birds, birds of paradise, British birds, in great variety, the cassowary, ostrich, etc., etc. The central cases of these rooms are occupied by collections of sponges, corals, sea- weeds, shells, crabs, lobsters, etc. There are also fish, reptiles, mammalia, monkey, and British fauna rooms, each of which contains an interesting collection of natural objects. It is more important to notice the collections made by Mr. Mayer. The basement floor is chiefly occupied with Assyrian and Egyptian antiquities. These include Canoptic and other vases, and objects covered with hieroglyphics. Also a collection of Greek and Etruscan vases. The bottom of one case is occu- pied by a beautiful sarcophagus, surmounted by a female figure, and containing vases, etc. Mummies and mummy cases may also be seen. A collection of models and objects used in every- LIVERPOOL. 241 day life, illustrate the manners and customs of several foreign nations. In another case may be observed a grand array of the personal ornaments of Egyptian and Latin women of rank, consisting of rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc., made of gold, precious stones, etc. , glass, silver, gems, and corals. In the same case may be seen intaglios, cameos, Mexican deities in pure gold, Babylonish and Persian cylindrical seals, gems, and coins, Roman and Greek glass, dating 500 b.c. Plowever, it would take too much room to thoroughly describe this collection. As we leave the museum, the Walker Art Gallery and the Picton Reading Room (now in course of erection) present them- selves to view on our left, while, directly opposite, St. John’s Church occupies a prominent position. It is a somewhat ugly building. Passing it, we proceed, via St. John’s Lane and Great Charlotte Street, to St. John’s Market, the eastern side of which forms one side of Great Charlotte Street ; the southern end is in Elliot Street, and the northern in Roe Street. It is a brick structure, with stone dressings, rather sparingly used. Its length is 549 feet, and 135 feet broad. The roof is supported by 116 cast-iron pillars, each twenty-five feet high, and disposed in four parallel rows, reaching from end to end, thus dividing the interior into five longitudinal parallelo- grams. The whole interior circuit of the walls is occupied as shops. In the avenues are placed 350 yards of tabling, which are rented from the Markets Committee, and paid for according to their position. The lateral avenues are occupied chiefly by pork-butchers, dealers in game, butter, bacon, cheese, rabbits, poultry, flowers, etc., while in the central avenue are to be seen at all times a glorious display of the various English and foreign fruits, as they come successively into season. This building is lighted by 136 windows ; it has six side entrances and six other entrances, three at each end. It is paved with stone, regularly swept and washed by corporative servants, and kept strictly in order. Leaving the market by Queen’s Square, we make our way through Manchester Street, to Dale Street, and visit The Central Police Station, a square, massive, and substantial, but unadorned pile. It con- tains the offices and court of the stipendiary magistrate (Mr. Raffles), the court of the borough coroner, and the offices of the detective police. At its rear, facing Hatton Garden, are oiie of the police-stations and the head-quarters of the fire police. A number of fire-engines are kept here, and men are in attendance night and day. The station of the salvage corps is directly opposite 16 242 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . The Municipal Offices are on the other side of Dale Street. They are located in a quadrangular building, having a stone fa9ade to Crosshall Street, Sir Thomas’s Buildings, and to Dale Street, which latter is the principal front. From its centre rises a tower and spire (moderately ornamented) to the height of 210 feet, termi- nating in a floral head, from which rises ornamental ironwork. In this tower is an excellent four-dialled clock, which rings the Canterbury chimes every quarter. Each of the angles of the building partakes of the character of a tower, and is terminated by a pavilion roof, which is further ornamented by light ironwork on the top. The eastern and western sides are lighted up by forty-six windows, and ornamented by four circular three- quarter columns, and six square pilasters. The north front, in Dale Street, is lighted by fifty-six windows, and adorned by ten circular three-quarter columns, eight square pilasters, and six circular columns : the latter, projecting considerably, produce an elegant porch, protecting the principal entrance, which is reached by an easy flight of steps. Above a handsome cornice stands a series of statues, representing Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Commerce, and the Fine Arts. From Sir Thomas’s Buildings to the venerable Town Hall, Dale Street, is an assemblage of hotels, offices, and shops, among which we mention, as worthy of notice, on our right, the Alex- andra Hotel, the Royal Hotel, the George Hotel, and Rigby’s Buildings (the lower portion being vaults and waiting-rooms for ’bus passengers) ; the Queen’s Buildings, the London and Liver- pool Chambers, and the Town Hall. On our left are the follow- ing Colonial Buildings, the Temple, Royal Insurance Buildings, the Angel Hotel, Queen’s Insurance Buildings, and the North- Western Bank. Dale Street is of moderate width throughout, and measures 703 yards in length, from the Town Hall to Byrom Street, where it ends. It contains a pair of rails, used by the tramway ’buses, from the Town Hall to the top of Manchester Street. The Town Hall was commenced in 1748, and opened for business in 1 754> had many additions and improvements made before it reached its present state. The portico and rustic arcade, which were added in 1 8 1 1, were much wanted. The design is Grecian ; the 4 ‘sky blotch ” is bold and unsatisfactory ; while the detail of column, pilaster, cornice, window, etc., etc., is perfectly harmonious. On its walls various representations of Commerce and the Arts are richly and artistically combined, and executed by a master hand. \ ' V •' 4 / EXCHANGE BUILDINGS, LIVERPOOL- LIVERPOOL. 243 The dome forms an elegant lantern, admitting light to the grand staircase, and is both supported and adorned by richly- carved Corinthian columns, and is further rendered useful by the insertion of a valuable clock, having four dials. From the floor of the entrance-hall there is an uninterrupted view to the dome above, a height of 106 feet, and there are some fine rooms, a few good portraits, and a bust, in pure Carrara marble, of the late John Gibson, R. A. , all of which are worthy of notice. Leaving the civic palace, we wend our way northwards, and find ourselves on The Exchange Flags. Here we are attracted by a busy crowd of gentlemen, and notice salutations, sometimes cordial, others business-like. Here a soli- tary individual in deep thought, there an animated group ; again, yonder, they seem paired off, and are conversing on some important topic ; but one and all evidently bent on business. Gentle reader, these are the men whom with pride we call “ merchant princes ” — these are the men who keep the wheels of the mercantile machine in motion — these are the men who buy and sell by the tens of thousands of pounds in one transaction, many of them doing business to the amount of a million of money annually. Another point of attraction is the bronze statue of Nelson, placed in the centre of this area of commerce. It was cast by Westmacott, from designs by M. C. Wyatt, and may thus be described : — A circular pedestal is divided into four compartments by emblematical figures, who by their chains declare that they are captives, and from their contortions prove that they are suffering under mental anguish. Between each of these four figures are bas-reliefs, representing Nelson in some of his most spirited engagements ; while on the cornice are the well-known words, “England expects every man to do his duty. 5 ’ The main group represents the hero with his sword raised on high, on which Fame is placing the fourth wreath of victory, while the victor is treading under his feet the debris of war — dead bodies, broken artillery, blocks, cordage, etc. It is just at this auspicious moment that grim Death steals out of the ruins, and places his hand upon the hero’s heart. Britannia is seen weeping over the sad fate of her bravest son ; while a tar approaches, with an aspect of determination and a weapon in his hand, . to have vengeance upon the foe that has done this murderous deed. Other groups of statuary may be more elaborate, but few can be more truly termed works of art. The Liverpool Exchange. This building is situated in the rear of the Town Hall, and occu 244 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . pies fully two acres of land. The news room is one of the most spacious and magnificent rooms in Europe ; it is seventy-five feet high, lighted by a large central dome of stained glass, and contains, with its accessories, 1,500 square yards. The roof is vaulted, and has no intermediate supports ; consequently the whole area is free of obstruction. The floor is of oak, pine, and teak, laid in geometrical forms. The pilasters are of Irish red marble, the plinth and dado of Bardilla marble. The interior of the walls are of Caen stone, and in the arches are a series of emblematic groups of high artistic merit. On the exterior of the building some of the stone from the old Exchange is used, the remainder being supplied from the Hollington and Grinsill quarries. The arcades which surround three sides of the Flags add both beauty and convenience to the building, and have given a glorious opportunity for the introduction of statuary, which, from present appearances, will not be neglected, the , statues of Columbus, Drake, Galileo, Mercator, Raleigh, and Cook being already in position. The cellarage capacity beneath the building and the Flags must be seen to be understood. The style is French Renaissance, which is light and cheerful. As we leave the Flags, and pass down Exchange Street West, we observe a magnificent range of offices, with two colossal figures at the entrance door: this is “Brown’s Buildings,” erected by the late Sir William Brown, M. P., the donor of the Free Fibrary and Museum. St. Nicholas Church is worthy of notice, as being the only object of antiquity in this enormous mushroom-growth of a city. It is familiarly known as the “Old Church.” Tradition points to the site as having been held sacred from time immemorial. The original chapel was supposed to have been built in the reign of the Conqueror. It was subsequently rebuilt as a chapel-of-ease to Walton, in which parish Liverpool was included. The statue of St. Nicho- las, patron of mariners, stood in the churchyard, which was then washed by the flowing tide on the west, and was ultimately enclosed by a row of houses on the north. I11 A. D. 1699 Fiver- pool was created a distinct parish, on condition of paying a small fee to Walton. In 1755 six new bells were set up in the tower of the old edifice. The old illuminated roof was removed, and the body rebuilt in 1774. On Sunday morning, nth of February, 1810, the old tower and spire fell upon the roof, and, breaking through, buried a number of the worshippers, killing twenty-eight, and injuring others. The foundation-stone of the present tower was laid in 1811. It was completed in August, 1815. The tower is 120 feet high, and the lantern sixty, making LIVERPOOL . 245 a total of 180 feet. The outside measurement is 102 feet by seventy* The Tower, which faces the south side of the church, was erected as one ©f a series of signal towers. The system of telegraphing vessels off Holyhead to Liverpool was of so much importance that a line of five semaphore stations was established and kept up before the introduction of the electric telegraph. When the late Admiral Fitzroy instituted his code of storm-signals this tower was used as a station, and the drum, or the cone, was fre- quently suspended at the top, to warn mariners of the approach of foul weather. Leaving St. Nicholas Church, and following the roadway recently constructed on the site of George’s Basin, we find our- selves in the line of docks, an inspection of which forcibly recalls the lines of the poet, — “ Behold, the crowded port. Whose rising masts an endless prospect yield, With labour burns, and echoes to the shout Of hurried sailors, as they hearty wave Their last adieu, and loosening every sail, Resign the speeding vessel to the wind.” To get a general idea of the extent of The Docks we should advise* the tourist to take an outside seat upon the tramway ’bus that runs upon the line of rails along the dock property north and south. The system of docks which line the Mersey begins at the Herculaneum Graving Dock, at the extreme south end of the town. From the southern point of the Hercu- laneum Dock to the northern part of the Carriers Dock, at the other end of the system, the distance is about six miles. The whole intermediate space is filled with docks and quays, in some cases two deep, in one case three deep. The original of all the spacious docks which now receive the shipping of Liverpool was the Pool, a sheet of water filling the space now occupied by the Custom House. In 1 700 this Pool was opened under the name of “The Dock,” now spoken of as the “Old Dock.” It maybe of historical interest to mention that the 4 ‘Marlborough ” was the first vessel docked in Liverpool. The “Old Dock” was closed and filled up in 1826. The older of the existing docks were opened at the following dates ; — Canning Dock Salthouse ,, . . *7 J 7 • • *734 Queen’s Dock Brunswick Dock ) 1796 1811 George’s ,, . . 1771 Queen’s Basin ) Prince’s Half-Tide Basin King’s ,, . . 1788 1816 ( 246 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. At the Herculaneum Graving Docks, at the south end of Liverpool, is a wet basin and hydraulic tower, and two dry basins, that will receive six ships at one time for repairs. Abutting on this are the premises of the Liverpool Ship- building Company (Limited), which employs a thousand men. Proceeding northward, on the left is an unenclosed space, covered with piles of timber to the amount of tens of thousands of tons, chiefly deal, from North America and the Baltic. Men may be seen actively engaged in unloading vessels through holes pierced in the cut-water. This was formerly the only spot for the timber trade, now the Canada Dock at the north end of Liverpool is almost exclusively engaged in this business. Proceeding northward, the tourist passes the Brunswick Docks, which have a quay space of 1,577 yards, observing, after passing the Coburg Docks, that the business of the Queen’s is chiefly in cotton, corn, and dyewoods. The Wap- ping warehouses now claim notice. Standing near to a dock of the same name, they store cotton, jute, and a variety of other commercial substances. Nearer the Mersey, but hidden from sight, is the King’s Dock and warehouses, in which are stored and bonded immense quantities of leaf-tobacco and cigars. On the 7th February, 1844, these warehouses con- tained 15,808 hogsheads, 1,368 bales, 1,313 small casks and cases of unmanufactured tobacco, besides many tons of cigars. This is the only dock in which the tobacco trade is allowed. The warehouses are let to the Government by the Dock Board, at an annual rental of £4,000. The whole is vigilantly guarded by the officers of the Inland Revenue department. Formerly, all tobacco on which the duty was not paid by the importer was burnt in the “King’s Tobacco-pipe,” a huge kiln built for the purpose. It is now utilised for commercial purposes. The Salthouse Dock is so called because salt works formerly existed on the site. They were removed to Garston. The Albert Dock lies between the Salthouse and the river, and is surrounded by a splendid set of warehouses. This dock was opened by H. R. H. Prince Albert, in 1845, and cost the sum of ,£499,882 15s. 9d. net. It is used for general shipping purposes. Passing, on the right, the block of buildings occupied by the Custom Llouse and Inland Revenue staffs, and on the left the Canning Dock, Half-Tide Dock and Graving Dock, the tourist is shortly abreast of the George’s Dock. This dock, opened in 1771, was rebuilt and widened from 1822 to 1825, when it was again opened. On the south side, the visitor will observe a small building, known as the Seamen’s Bethel. It is used as a church for mariners, in place of an old hulk, formerly an 18-gun sloop of LIVERPOOL, 247 war, which was moored near the spot. On the east side are imported goods of various kinds ; on the north and west, manu- factured goods for exportation. Passing the site of George’s basin, now filled up to allow the junction of the two landing-stages, the tourist enters an enclosed space, and will observe Prince’s Dock on the left. This dock was completed in the year 1821, at a cost of ^56, 1 59- Vessels from South America, North America, and China, use this dock. Entering it at the northern end, a long vista of vessels will be observed on the right, lying close alongside the quay, with beams and planks of wood lashed firmly together, forming gangways to the decks of the vessels. Among the multitude of goods being shipped may be noticed bags of nails, spades, shovels, forks, railway bars, wheels and axles of railway carriages, coils of iron wire, heaps of cast-iron three-legged pots, immense cast-iron cauldrons, from three feet to twenty feet in diameter, bar-iron and sheet-iron of all shapes and sizes, chains, anchors, roofs, doors, cushions, and all sorts of fittings for railway carriages, packed up in cases, immeasurable bales and boxes of goods from Manchester, boxes of wines, spirits, and casks of Bass’s East V India pale ale, machinery, and iron fittings without end. On ^ all sides the clash of iron, the tramp of horses, the shouts of sailors are to be heard. The scene at the south end is much the same, but as soon as the west sheds are entered the character changes. Here they are discharging the cargoes of wheat, rye, dye woods, hides, cotton, jute, and other raw material, the food of our manufacturing mills. Sugar, too, in its unrefined state, and Indian corn, flour, etc. , are often discharged here. Passing the Prince’s Half-Tide Dock, the tourist may next enter the Waterloo Dock, and will notice three immense fire and rat proof blocks of warehouses, quite new. They are built of brick, with stone, iron, and composite fittings ; the floors are of cement. They are four storeys high, and supported on stone arches, and range round three sides of the Waterloo Dock East. In the centre of the central block is to be seen a horizontal steam- engine of 370 horse-power, from the works of Sir John Arm- strong, Newcastle-on-Tyne. It is used for driving elaborate machinery by which corn is lifted into the highest floor, and then carried by immense revolving gutta-percha bands to any part of the warehouse. At the entrance to the Prince’s Half- tide Basin is the dock-master’s house and an hydraulic tower. The water, pumped into this tower by steam, affords a pressure of 7oolbs. to the square inch. With this pressure and the assistance of machinery, the dock gate-man can, by moving a handle, open or shut the immense flood-gates of the dock. The next dock northward is the Victoria, and then follow 248 LONDON AND N OR TH* WESTERN GUIDE. the Trafalgar and Clarence Docks, both much frequented by steamboats, the latter by the Waterford, Belfast, and Dublin boats. The Clarence Graving Dock has two basins, each capable of accommodating three vessels of large tonnage. The Salisbury, Collingwood, and Stanley Docks lie one behind the other, the first being nearest the river Mersey. A clock -tower marks the entrance. A chain of five locks connects the Stanley Dock with the Leeds Canal. The Nelson Dock, opened 1848, communicates with the Salisbury and Bramley-Moore Docks, and is used by steamships for the West Indies and Pacific, the Mediterranean, and also by the Cork Steamship Company’s boats for Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg. The Bramley-Moore Dock is frequented by steamships trading to the Brazils, River Plate, China, etc. An arched causeway extends along the east side of this dock, and also of the Welling- ton Dock. Small steamers and sailing ships, which take coals for cargo, come alongside — to be loaded by huge iron cranes, able to lift a truck load off the rails, lower it into the hold of the ship, raise it, and place it on its carriage, the whole being done in the space of five minutes. The Wellington Dock accommo- dates the steamships of the National and Montreal Companies. On the east side of the Sandon Docks steamships of large burden unload their cargoes ; the west and north sides are used for vessels refitting and repairing. A monster steam crane is stationed on the east side, and used for lifting boilers and large pieces of machinery in and out of vessels. The Graving Dock contains six basins, lined with granite, the dimensions of each basin being as follows : — Length, 565ft. ; width, from 45ft. to 70ft. ; depth, 25ft. Northward of, and opening from the Sandon Basin, is the Pluskisson Dock. It affords lineal quay space of 939 yards ; while it has two branches, running in an easterly direction, for 910 yards and 890 yards respectively. The total quay space afforded by the dock is thus 2, 739 yards. Its branches are sufficiently spacious to accommodate the largest steamers. At the north-westerly corner of the Huskisson Dock is the New Battery, mounting very heavy artillery, and, with the Rock Battery on the opposite side of the Mersey, commanding the entrance of the river. Still further northward of the dock last referred to, and in double communi- cation with it, and also by independent gates with the Mersey, is the Canada Dock, one of the most recent triumphs of the shipping enterprise of Liverpool. It has a water area of 17 acres, 4,043 yards. The passages which connect it with the Huskisson Docks are respectively eighty feet and fifty feet wide. Northward is the Canada Lock, by which the dock is in direct communication with the sea. Landward of this sheet of water is LIVERPOOL. 249 the Canada Half-Tide Dock, with a water area of 4 acres 84 yards. Still further to the eastward from the Half-Tide Dock are two long narrow clocks, 180 yards long, used for the carrying trade. These are respectively 140 and 100 feet wide. The Half-Tide Dock is also in communication with the Canada Dock. The latter has on its eastern side a sloping quay, for the convenience of the large timber trade done on this dock. Again to the northward of the Carrier Docks is a large area, en- closed as a dockyard, beyond which is a timber yard, with a width of 700 feet. To the west of this space and between it and the sea- wall is an area of 65 acres, to be used as a floating timber dock. By two subterranean approaches from Edge Hill, burrowing under the busiest parts of Liverpool, the London and North- Western Railway is able by its Waterloo and Crosbie Street sta- tions to both feed and be fed by the system of enormous docks which line the Mersey. The Waterloo station finds an exit in the Waterloo Road, adjoining the Victoria and Waterloo Docks. The Crosbie Street station impinges on the Wapping Dock. At both of these are extensive and convenient warehouses for heavy goods. The tunnel by which the latter is connected with other parts of the system is 2,250 yards in length, 22 feet in breadth, and 16 feet in height. Cattle trains are loaded by means of an inclined plane at the St. James Street end of the station yard. Thus these two Liverpool goods stations are splendidly situated, and are able to command, as no other railway can, the extensive and wide-reaching business which flows through the port of Liverpool. A few statistics may present the accommodation which Liver- pool presents for the transaction of business in a more striking form : — Miles. Yards. Total quay space of Liverpool docks . . 17 1,053 ,, ,, Liverpool basins . . 1 653 Total 18 1,706 Acres. Yards. Feet. Total water area of Liverpool docks . . . 267 1,367 o Total length of floor of Liverpool graving docks o 9,825 o Water area of the Corporation dock and others .11 170 o Closely connected with commercial prosperity of Liverpool, are the landing-stages about to be described. George’s Landing-Stage. This commodious and important part of the commercial arrangements of Liverpool, together with the much larger Prince’s Landing-Stage, with which it was being connected, was almost completely destroyed by a disastrous fire. Active steps were, however, taken to replace these necessary additions George’s Landing-Stage, Liverpool. LIVERPOOL . 251 to this flourishing port, and the whole has now resumed its normal appearance of ceaseless activity. Here the stranger could behold the ships of all nations, designs, and sizes, from the Atlantic steamer, so beautifully and perfectly constructed, to the poor barge, a not yet extinct vestige of a past age. Looking across the river he sees Birkenhead, “the city of the future, ” pregnant with life and energy. The landing-stage was erected from the design of Sir William Cubitt, at a cost of £ 60 , 000 , and opened for traffic on 1st of June, 1847. It was about 500 feet long and seventy feet wide, running parallel with George’s Pier, at a distance of 1 50 feet, and crossed by two swing bridges, north and south. It was moored on a number of transverse pon- toons, and surrounded by chains, the object of which was to afford succour to the drowning. It afforded accommodation for several thousand persons, and, as it rose and fell with the tide, the bridges by which it is connected with the pier head obeyed its motion. Eight river steamers could discharge their passengers at the same time. A covered portion gave protection from in- clement weather, and waiting and refreshment rooms provided for the wants of passengers at the north and south end of the stage. We have already cursorily mentioned the Custom House and General Post Office, at the junction of Strand Street and Wapping. In it are comprised the several Government offices of customs, stamps and excise, the post office, and the offices of the dock com- mittee. The old Custom House, pulled down in 1837, occupied a site now built over by the Goree Piazza. The foundation of the present structure was laid in 1828. Of its design, which is severe Classical Greek, Mr. Picton, an architect, says, “ Each front, except the one on which the sun shines, has an advanced portico, with a pediment ; each wing has a recessed portico ; pilasters, or antse, break round the angles ; and these arrangements, with windows few and far between, constitute the design. It is a double cross, foot to foot, the extreme length of which, from east to west, is 466 feet seven inches, the central portion being 252 feet six inches. The breadth of the centre is ninety-five feet, and the depth of the wings is ninety-four feet four inches, the area of the building being 6,700 square yards.” In the centre is a noble dome, the windows of which admit light into the long room, a spacious apartment, measuring 146 feet long, seventy feet wide, and forty-five feet in height. Below this building are extensive vaults for the storing of goods in bond, under the supervision of Government officials. The edifice stands in Canning Place, and to its east is 252 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . The Sailors’ Home, a red sandstone structure, in the Elizabethan style. Its foundation-stone was laid July 31st, 1846, by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, on which occasion there were great rejoicings. It was built by Tomkinson, from designs by Cunningham, at a cost of ^30,000, and was opened in December, 1850. The interior hall measures ninety-two feet long by thirty-two feet wide at one end, and nine feet six inches at the other. The whole building is now constructed of iron, brick, and stone, with a slight sprinkling of wood. On the night of April 29th, i860, it was gutted completely by fire, and the stone-work on the north-west angle slightly damaged. The insurance on the building at that time amounted only to ^10,000. The interior was refitted with ornamental ironwork, and the building re- opened April 2 1st, 1862. The central hall is lighted by a glass roof, seventy feet above the floor, and on looking upward four galleries are to be seen, reaching all round the building. The sailors’ cabins or bunks are reached by means of flights of stairs communicating with these galleries, and are arranged in blocks of four, eight feet by five feet, and seven feet high. There are hydraulic lifts for conveying the sailors’ chests, etc., to the various galleries. There are offices for signing articles and for being paid off. There is the common hall in which the men can read, smoke, and play chess or draughts. There is also a read- ing-room, a bank of deposit, and another bank established by the Board of Trade. All moneys deposited here have an interest of three per cent., and can be drawn at any port free of cost. There is a school for the study of navigation, daily, morning, and evening prayers, and services on Sunday, conducted by the chaplain. The Local Marine Board has its offices here. Leaving the Home, and journeying by Hanover Street and Ranelagli Street, we enter Lime Street, through Ranelagh Place, and arrive at our hotel after a good day’s work at sight- seeing. Among the other objects of interest in Liverpool are the following. The list does not include any of the numerous places of worship, our limits precluding even an enumeration of them ; and in the subjoined catalogue we have merely noticed the more prominent buildings, etc., and made no attempt at classifying them. We have arranged them alphabetically for the con- venience of reference. Tourists wishing further information will do well to consult Shaw’s Shilling Guide, already referred to : — The Blue-Coat Hospital and {School was founded in 1709, through the exertions ot Bryan Blundell, Esq. It is a large LIVERPOOL . 253 building of brick, with stone dressings, and has two large pro- jecting wings. At first, it only accommodated fifty, but now 350 children — 100 girls and 250 boys — are fed, clothed, and educated gratuitously. The children are admitted — orphans at eight, and fatherless at nine years of age — and maintained until the boys are fourteen, when they are provided with a trade or situation in which they can get a living. The girls remain in until they are sixteen, and are then placed in situations. Ans- dell, the celebrated animal painter, received his education here ; his scene of the board-room has been engraved. Many of the former scholars are now prosperous merchants. The Botanic Gardens, in Edge Lane, near the Edge- Hill rail- way station, are well worth visiting. A day may be pleasantly and profitably spent in strolling about them and admiring the various productions of nature which abound there. The gardens are the property of the corporation, and are open free at all times. The greenhouses and library, too, are free, under certain conditions, which may be learned from the authorities. The Branch Bank of England, a handsome Doric edifice of stone, is in Castle Street. Payments to and from London are effected without charge. The Collegiate Institution, situate in Shaw Street, is an im- posing structure of red sandstone. It 'was built from designs of the late Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, the architect of St. George’s Hall. The late Earl of Derby, when Lord Stanley, laid the foundation-stone, October, 1840, and the inaugural address was delivered by the Right Honourable W. E. Gladstone, January, 1843, in the presence of an immense concourse, the Bishop of Chester in the chair. The edifice cost upwards of ^20,000, and has a frontage of 280 feet, the style being Tudor. There are appliances in this institution for the education of 1,500 boys, and several university exhibitions are open to its scholars. The Corn Exchange, in Brunswick Street, is a commodious, substantial, and elegant building, erected in 1808, and re-erected and enlarged in 1853 from designs by J. C. Picton, F.S.A. Its extent may be judged by the following figures : — Length 100 feit; breadth, 98 feet ; height, 35 feet. The cost of the building, not including the site, was £ 1 1,000. Much energy, intellect, and capital is invested in the corn-trade of this port. Some idea of the immense business done may be gleaned by a visit to the Waterloo Dock, where may be seen the vast warehouses erected by the Dock Board and leased to the Port of Liverpool Corn and Grain Warehousing Company. They are capable of storing 165,000 quarters of corn, and the machinery will lift from the ves- sels and put into its destination 350 tons weight of corn per hour. The Corporation Baths are located in a chaste plain building 254 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. on the quay. The walls are rusticated, and the roof projects so as to form two piazzas. The swimming-bath for gentlemen, at the northern end of the building, measures 46 feet by 27 feet ; that for ladies, at the opposite extremity, is 39 feet by 27 feet. Cold, warm, and tepid baths, with elegant appointments, are always ready. An illuminated clock, in a tower over the centre of the building, is a conspicuous object. Compton House, in Church Street, is a gigantic palace of commerce, erected in the Classical Italian style, by Messrs. Haigh and Co.; it cost ,£250,000. A portion of the building is now used as an hotel. Everton Hill is noted for that toothsome sweet, Everton toffee, to which it gives its name. Close to it are the stupendous reservoirs, erected by the Liverpool corporation to supplement the water supply. The tops of the reservoirs form an agreeable walk. Everton Church is a commodious edifice, built in 1814 ; from its tower most extended views can be obtained, embracing the hills of Derbyshire, Shropshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, West- moreland, Cumberland, and Yorkshire. On a fine evening, the hills of the Isle of Man can be made out. Kirkdale Gaol has accommodation for five hundred prisoners, and, with the Model Gaol at Walton, is worthy of special notice from those who desire to turn their visit to practical account. The Kirkdale Industrial Bagged School, built in 1861, pro- vides education and employment for 550 boys and girls ; 120 children are clothed and fed. Knowsley Hall, the magnificent seat of the Earl of Derby, should be visited by the tourist. Till lately it contained an exceedingly valuable museum of natural history and a menagerie, collected principally by Dr. Thomas Whitfield during a long residence at Sierra Leone. Part of the menagerie and the stuffed collection of animals was bequeathed to Liverpool ; some of the animals, especially the elands, were removed to the Zoological Gardens, London. The Stanley portraits are here, from the first earl, Plenry VII. ’s father-in-law. Liverpool Institute and Queen’s College, in Mount Street, was opened by Thomas Wyse, Esq., M.P., on September 15th, 1837, its first stone having been laid by Lord Brougham, on July 20th, 1835. Its theatre is used for lectures upon philosophi- cal, scentific, and literary subjects ; the library includes many thousand volumes ; and the schools for boys are probably among the most extensive unsectarian educational establishments in the kingdom. Queen’s College, founded in 1857, is in connection with the London University. The National Bank of Liverpool is a new building of white freestone, at the junction of Castle Street and James’s Street. Its LIVERPOOL. 255 style is Romanesque, of a very florid description ; and it forms a most pleasing object from every point of view. Newsham Park, on the road to West Derby, was purchased by the corporation in 1846. The ornamental water and round pond, for sailing model boats, are attractive features of the grounds, which on fine summer evenings are crowded with pleasure-seekers. The Parochial Industrial Schools are a magnificent pile of buildings, in Kirkdale. They were erected in 1845, % the select vestry, with a view of teaching the children of paupers, not only reading, writing, and arithmetic, but useful industry, to enable them to raise themselves above pauperism. The premises occupy eighteen acres of land, part of which is cultivated as a kitchen garden by the elder boys. Twelve hundred children, between the ages of three and fourteen years, find here a healthy and a happy home. The boys are taught various trades, and the girls are trained to domestic duties. Strangers are not admitted, except by an order from the parochial authorities. The Philharmonic Hall, a concert room in Hope Street, is a noble and commodious building, in the Italian style of architec- ture. Its internal arrangements are Grecian ; and it is admirably adapted for the purpose for which it was intended. The cost of the building was about ^30,000. There is accommodation for more than two thousand persons. The orchestra is at the east end ; it will contain three hundred performers. Prince’s Park was formerly a portion of the Royal Toxteth Park ; it passed from the Crown into the hands of the Earl of Derby, and still later belonged to the Earl of Sefton. Mr. Gates purchased this portion from the latter nobleman for ^50,000 and presented it to the corporation. An obelisk of red granite, near the entrance to the park, perpetuates his memory. Earl Sefton contributed ^1,000 to the cost of laying out the grounds, which are adorned with lakes, well stocked with water-fowl, bridges, flower-beds, etc. The Royal Infirmary, with the Lock Hospital and Lunatic Asylum attached, occupies a noble Grecian structure in Daulbry Street. It cost ^27,800, and alterations and additions from time to time have swelled that sum to ,£35,000. The institution, which dates from 1749, and formerly occupied the site of St. George’s Hall, is a model one in every respect. The Royal Institution in Colquit Street was commenced in 1814 and opened in 18 1 7. A royal charter was obtained in 1822. There are many objects of interest and curiosity, tastefully arranged in the interior, and the museum is well worthy of inspection. Stanley Park belongs to the corporation. This body is said to have laid out the sum of 150,000 in purchasing the land, 256 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . planting shrubs and trees, erecting bridges, lodges, etc. It was opened in 1870. An ornamental piece of water, flower-beds, grass-plots, and walks, and drives are the features which make this a very beautiful park, conjoined with the extensive views to be obtained from it of the sea and the hills of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Yorkshire. The St. James’s Cemetery demands a short notice. Formerly a stone quarry, and granted by the corporation for this purpose, but little trace of such an origin can be discovered in this now tasteful and silent abode of the dead. It was fitted for its pur- pose at an expense of ^20, 000. Memorial art is seen on all hands. The object which more particularly attracts the attention of the traveller is the Mausoleum of Huskisson. This lamented politician died by an accident, which unfortunately occurred whilst present at the opening ceremonies of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The case is of white freestone, and the light is admitted through the dome that protects the statue. This dome is supported by fluted Corinthian columns, and is surm ounted by a cross. The entrance doors are panelled with plate-glass, through which the statue can be very well seen. The statue is by Gibson. The Oratory is another object worth notice ; it is a piece of Greek, in pure style. The mound cast up in 1 766 on the west side and planted with trees, at the ex- pense of the corporation, is a pleasant promenade. St. James’s Market was erected by the corporation at a cost of £13, 662, and contains 3,000 square yards. It is quiet and respectable, and not so animated as St. John’s (see page^ ). « Sefton Park, adjoining Prince’s Park, contains 400 acres, purchased at a cost of ,£450,000 from Earl Sefton. It contains an extensive lake, of bold and picturesque design. This lake is fed by a stream proceeding from an artificial rockery and cascade. Sefton Park is the largest belonging to the town, and is a favourite place of public resort and recreation. Shiel Park, in West Derby Road, is laid out in clumps of dwarf woods and evergreens, with a spacious area of grass for public recreation. Wavertree Park adjoins the Botanic Gardens. It is a large open space of ground, belonging to the corporation, and is ornamented with a fountain and lake, etc. The Workhouse, on Brownlow Hill, is a brick structure in the Elizabethan style. Since its original erection in 1770, it has undergone repeated alterations and enlargements, and is now the largest building of the kind in the kingdom ; it will accom- modate between three and four thousand paupers. The Parish Offices facing it were completed in 1850. Any respectable per- son can inspect the workhouse, on application to the governor. EGREMONT—NEW BRIGHTON. 257 EXCURSION VIII. LIVERPOOL TO NEW BRIGHTON, EGREMONT, Etc. T HE tourist should not leave Liverpool without visiting New Brighton, the Gravesend of the port. The excursion is commenced at the George’s Landing-stage, by taking a seat on board one of the commodious New Brighton ferry-boats. Steaming down towards the mouth of the river, the objects of interest which attract us are manifold. The view on both sides of the river will interest the visitor. That on the Lan- cashire side includes docks, warehouses, shipping, etc. on the Cheshire side, pretty residences, beautifully situated and nicely kept. Arriving at Egremont, a marine village lying about two miles to the N.N.W. of Bir- kenhead, the abodes of many Liverpool merchants will attract the eye. Passing the Masked Battery, the steamer lands pas- sengers at the New Brighton Pier and Promenade, an iron structure 560 feet long, which cost £27,000 to erect. The height from the water to the main deck is fifty feet at the east end, and twenty feet at the west end. The tower is sixty feet above the main deck, which is seventy-five feet wide, but at the larger recess 130 feet. The saloon is ninety feet long, by eighteen feet wide, and thirteen feet six inches high. The saloon, with the ladies’ retiring room, and the first and second class refreshment rooms, measure 180 feet in length. In addition to these there are two wind screens, panelled with plate-glass, giving protection and freedom of sight at the same time. The deck is lighted by seventy lamps and decorated with 160 flags. The upper promenade is 180 feet long and twenty feet wide, above which is a smaller deck or look-out, fifteen feet long and the same in width. The view from the second and third deck is very extensive and varied. Ships twenty miles out at sea can be distinctly discerned. Formby Point and lighthouse, Crosby, Waterloo, Bootle, the whole line of the Liverpool docks, and the Overton Hills, all pass before us like a grand panoramic view. The whole structure is sup- ported by 200 circular iron columns, let into the solid rock and firmly braced together, offering little resistence to the tide. There is seat accommodation for over 2,000 persons on the pier. 1 / 258 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . A band discourses sweet sounds every day but Sunday from 1 1 a.m to 8 p.m. Another object which calls for attention is the Rock Battery, a massive structure of red sandstone, covering a space of nearly 4,000 yards, and mounting sixteen large cannon, besides others in the embrasures of the towers. A drawbridge connects it with the mainland ; it being surrounded by water at high-tide. The Rock Lighthouse close by is worth a visit. The reflectors and lights revolve once every minute by clockwork, which may be examined by the tourist. Three miles to the westward are the Red Rocks. A charming view of the country may be obtained from the roof of Leasowe Castle, the residence of Colonel Sir Edward Cust. The castle is a fine old building, situated between the rivers Dee and Mersey. It was once the seat of the Egerton family. About a quarter of a mile from the eastle is a lighthouse, showing a fixed bright light. Leaving Leasowe, a fine prospect may be obtained by return- ing over Bidston Hill, upon which is erected a lighthouse and observatory. Here may be seen the wide estuaries of the Dee and the Mersey. Birkenhead lies at the foot of the hill. We have a front view of Liverpool, and can easily distinguish its prominent buildings. To the west can be seen the counties of Flintshire and Denbighshire, and many of the Welsh hills. The lighthouse, erected in 1771, burns a fixed bright light. Descend- ing the hill, and passing the Halfpenny Bridge at the end of Wallasey Pool, Birkenhead is reached, from whence Liverpool can be gained by the ferry. EXCURSION IX. LIVERPOOL TO EASTHAM. I N making the excursion to Eastham, by the excellent ferry steamers, the traveller will have an opportunity of passing in review the many objects of interest which present themselves when starting from the George’s Landing-stage for a trip up the river. The view is very extensive, bringing before the eye EASTHAM. 259 scenery embracing Garston, Runcorn, and the Overton Hills. Passing the guard-ship, the Conway , a training ship for young gentlemen about to make the mercantile marine service a profession, the A liar and the Clarence , training ships for poor lads, and the Indefatigable , a training ship for the sons of sailors, two powder hulks and a vast number of flats, schooners, brigs, brigantines, ships, tug-boats, and other craft navigating the wide waters of the Sloyne, as the Mersey in its widest parts is called, we reach Eastham. The sloping woods hanging over the waters of the Mersey have a most pleasing appearance ; all at once the picturesque ferry, the end of the trip, bursts into view, with the charm of a fairy scene. The hotel, the lawns, the flower-beds at the ferry, the monkeys, the arbours, the woods, ferns, and beautiful glimpses of the Mersey, here at its widest, make Eastham one of the pleasantest of the pleasure resorts of Liverpool. A promenade runs from the pier to the Rock Ferry Pier, a most agreeable walk. SECTION XX. LIVERPOOL TO LONDON, via CREWE, STAFFORD, BIR- MINGHAM, COVENTRY, RUGBY, AND WATFORD. H AVING thus noticed the principal objects of interest in Liverpool and its immediate neighbourhood, we now purpose sketching the route to London which heads this section. It may not be necessary to inform the tourist that this is not the direct mail line, as followed by the mail and express trains from Liverpool. The old main line left the present route at Stafford, and touching at Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and intermediate stations, again joined the existing main line at Rugby. The Trent Valley Line, connecting with the old route at Stafford and Rugby, is now the line pursued by quick through trains to and from Holy- head, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Scotland, and London. The tourist wishing to proceed direct from Liverpool to London, a run the average length of which is five hours, will conse- quently not pass through much of the district described in this section, but will leave the route as indicated in the heading at .Stafford and again join it at Rugby. The tourist, desiring to pursue the route described in this section, will do well to book to Birmingham, when leaving Liverpool. We start from the 260 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Lime Street Station, the terminus of the original Liverpool and Manchester line. It was found necessary in 1865 to enlarge this station, and the work was carried on in such a manner that the constant stream of traffic was neither hindered nor imperilled. Upwards of a hundred yards of the solid rock had to be cut away from the original mouth of the tunnel by which access is gained to the station ; Gloucester Street had to be materially altered, a large number of houses to be taken down, and a church (St. Simon’s) removed and re- built. Four capacious platforms were constructed — two for the up and two for the down trains. The roof is formed of twenty principals, stretching across the station in one span of 223 feet ; the height from its apex to the rails is seventy-five feet, and its entire length is 385 feet. With one exception, it is the largest of a single span in the world. It is covered with very substan- tial glass, giving light and cheerfulness to the whole, while ven- tilation and the escape of steam and gas have been amply pro- vided for. To enable our readers to judge of the enormous traffic accommodated by this station, we may add that there are two hundred and ten trains in and out daily, while the number of passengers is estimated at between eleven and twelve thousand. Already the increase of the traffic has been so considerable as to render a still further enlargement of the station indispensable. The necessary works are in progress ; when they are completed, the station will afford nearly double the accommodation it does at the present time. The tunnel already alluded to, through which we pass imme- diately on leaving Lime Street station, is a mile and a quarter in length ; it is twenty feet wide and sixteen feet high. Imme- diately at its western mouth is Edge Hill, the first station on the line. Over the tunnel are the thickly- inhabited streets of Liverpool. Two other tunnels convey goods to and from the Waterloo Street and Wapping stations, abut- ting on the system of docks which line the Mersey, already alluded to on pages 245-9. A third line, to the most northernly docks, puts the London and North-Western Railway in a position to carry goods to and from all the docks in Liverpool. Passing several smaller stations, including Allerton and Halewood, and following the line of the north sh©re of the Mersey, we arrive at Ditton, where are situated many alkali and other important chemical works. The line now curves towards the famous and majesti: RUNCORN— WINSFORD AND NOR THWICH. 261 Runcorn Viaduct, a structure already described on pages 232-3, which the traveller traverses in gaining the southern shore of the Mersey at Runcorn, an inland port with a population of close upon 12,443. By this important bridge over the Mersey the distance between Liver- pool and London is shortened by nine miles. From hence to Crewe, the line passes through an important part of the great salt mining districts of Cheshire, a most interesting, though, as far its external aspects are concerned, not very inviting district. The principal seats of the manufacture of salt are Winsford and Northwich, which produce most of the salt for home; consumption and foreign exportation. Some idea may be gathered relative to the trade in this condiment from the following official figures During five years, from 1842 to 1846, more than a million tons and a half were exported ; between 1852 and 1856 the quantity rose to nearly three million tons ; while between 1867 and 1871 no less than 4,01 1,659 tons were exported. At the same time the home consumption is proportionably large, and it is estimated that the total quantity of salt sent from the Cheshire districts alone is over 1,500,000 tons annually. Manufactured salt — that is, all other salt but rock salt, which is quarried like coal — is produced from brine or salt water, obtained by the flowing of fresh water through the underlying beds of rock salt. When these salt springs are found, the brine is pumped up by steam-power, and conveyed by pumps into large shallow iron pans, varying from 40ft. to 100ft. in length, and from 1 oft. to 30ft. wide, and about 18 inches deep. It is there subjected to heat varying from ioo° Fah. to 225 0 boiling point, the former producing large grained salt, the latter that used for table purposes. The long-continued action of fresh water upon the beds of salt has thinned the deposits to such an extent that in some districts landslips and subsidences of the earth are common occurrences. In the valley of what was once Witton Mill and the River Weaver a large mere or lake has been formed ; its progress can be easily traced from time to time by referring to maps of the dis- trict published at different periods. At Winsford, this action of the salt springs has been sudden and surprising. For about two miles and a half in length, by one mile in breadth, the surface is gradually sinking. The canal near the front of the landslip has already gone down ten feet, and at the Winsford end the subsidence 262 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . is backing down to the town. The Winsford docks have already gone down about ten feet, and the bridge over the Weaver has been more than once raised to give passage to boats. The buildings in all towns and villages in the salt districts suffer more or less from the subsidence of the land, but in no place is this more curiously shown than in Northwich. This little Cheshire town has a somewhat doleful aspect. Almost everything is out of the perpendicular or horizontal, as the case may be. A sober visitor, as he walks along the streets, might almost fancy he was suffering from some ocular delusion ; and indeed it would only be to a person in a state of inebriety that the place would look natural. The houses and buildings themselves look inebriated, and appear to be tumbling about like a set of drunken men. One is leaning forward and threatens to tumble into the street, while another is reeling backwards and suggests the possibility of its eventually falling into the back garden. Then you may see two houses, once divided by a narrow passage, which have subsided sideways towards each other, and both are apparently kept from falling by the mutual support they receive from the meeting of each other’s roof ; or two others, which once were in amicable and perpendicular relation to each other, apparently endeavouring, in a hostile spirit, to make the gap between them as wide as possible. In more than one place a main street has become widened by some feet, the line of houses having gradually and modestly withdrawn themselves some dis- tance from the road and pathway. A few years ago a steam- engine and eight men were swallowed up, and scarce a trace of the accident left, except the depression of the earth. A cottage and some women were similarly entombed, and where the building once stood there is now a pond, in which ducks swim happily. Accidents, however, involving loss of life very rarely happen. After leaving Runcorn, the tourist passes through Sutton Weaver and Acton, where the line to Warrington forms a junc- tion with that on which he is travelling, to Hartford, a village two miles from Northwich. The next station is Winsford, on either side of which the line passes through very fine scenery, much of which is lost to the traveller in consequence of the deep cuttings. Between this station and Minshull Vernon, we gain a sight, if the weather be clear, of the Derbyshire Hills, and, further on, of the hills of Cheshire. Continuing the journey, the country becomes less interesting; but on the right the Welsh mountains may often be seen. Passing through a flat district, we at length arrive at CREWE— STAFFORD. 263 Crewe [Hotels : “ Crewe Arms ” and “ Royal ”], a most important station on the London and North-Western system, and a junction where centre many great branches of the main line. From hence the trains running to Preston. Carlisle, and the north are despatched, vid Warrington. To the north-west runs a branch serving Chester, the north of Wales, Holyhead, and the large Irish traffic which flows through that town. A branch running in a north-easternly direction serves Stockport, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, York, and the north-east, a most extensive manufacturing district. To the south- west, a line tends to Shrewsbury, and serves the east and south of Wales ; whilst a short line running in almost a direct easternly course connects Crewe at Kidsgrove junction with the district of the Staffordshire Potteries, which centre at Burslem and Stoke. At Crewe station, the heavily-freighted mail and express trains which leave Euston Square are divided and despatched upon their several ways. Here also are situated stupendous and vast- reaching workshops, in which are constructed the company’s engines and other plant ; the works are described at length on pages 19 to 42. Leaving Crewe, the line passes through pleasantly-wooded scenery to the next station, Betley Road. Crewe Hall, the seat of Lord Crewe, is seen overtopping the woods on the left. Be- tween Crewe and Stafford, we see four sets of rail in course of construction, the traffic having overgrown the facilities afforded by the original two lines. Between Betley Road and Madeley, we pass through the boundary of the counties Cheshire and Staf- fordshire, the latter being the seat of some of the most impor- tant manufactures of England. Before reaching Madeley, the line passes by a cutting through Bunker’s Hill, and, nearer, through most delightful scenery. Continuing the journey, Whit- more and Standon Bridge are passed before reaching Norton Bridge. Between the two latter stations is Eccleshall, the seat of the bishops of Lichfield since the thirteenth century. It was here that Margaret of Anjou sought refuge after her flight from Blore Heath in 1459. The next stage of the journey is Stafford [Hotel: “North-Western”], an important junction and station. Here commences the Trent Valley loop line, now a part of the main line, which again joins our route, after passing Lichfield and Nuneaton, at Rugby. A line to the west puts Stafford in direct connection with Shrews- 264 LONDON AND NORTH-JVESTERN GUIDE. bury and Wales, via Newport and Wellington. A short line to the north-east connects this station with Uttoxeter. The population of Stafford is nearly 16,000 ; they chiefly occupy themselves in the manufacture of boots and shoes. Stafford Castle, the seat of Lord Stafford, is about one mile and a half distant; near it maybe seen the remains of the keep of an ancient castle built by Elfleda, Alfred’s daughter, in the year 9 13, but afterwards improved by the Normans. The castle contains many ancient pieces of armour, chairs of Queen Bess, Charles II. ’s bed, etc., and oil paint- ings of those two royal personages. It was in the Town Hall of Stafford that Judge Talfourd, who was born near the town, died while addressing the grand jury during the spring assizes of 1854. The notorious William Palmer was executed at Stafford County Gaol, a large building in the northern suburb, built 1 793 » an d recently enlarged. The County Asylum, near the town, occupies thirty acres of land. Coton Hill Institution, an asylum for the better class of insane persons, is a fine building about one mile to the east of Stafford. Izaak Walton, the father of angling, was born here in 1593- Leaving the direct line of route, the Trent Valley line, on our left, we pass to the right to visit Wolverhampton and Bir- mingham. The village ot Penkridge [Hotel : “ Lyttelton Arms at which we first arrive, has a population of 3,058. It has a large and handsome church, of curious black and white construction, in the market-place ; and Teddesley Park, the seat of Lord Hatlierton, is about two miles to the north-east. Nothing of especial interest is seen until the train reaches the capital of the “ Black Country,” Wolverhampton. [Hotels : “ Swan ” “ Star and Garter,” and {t Alliance.”] This important centre of the iron trade, with a busy population of nearly 70,000 inhabitants, is healthily situated on high ground. It is a town of considerable antiquity, and received its name from a monastery, founded by Wulfrana, sister to one of the Saxon kings. No traces of its ancient monastery can now be found. Its most venerable building is the collegiate church of St. Peter’s, a remarkable structure of ancient Gothic character. In it, amongst others, is a monument of Colonel Lane, who, with his sister, assisted in the escape of Charles II., after the battle of Worcester, 1651. In the church are also some ancient brasses, a curious font, ana a stone pulpit, some 800 years old. In the churchyard may BIRMINGHAM. 265 be seen a rudely-carved ancient cross 20 feet high. Among the special manufactures of Wolverhampton are tin plate goods, Japan ware, papier-mache, hinges, bolts, screws, etc. The most impor- tant is perhaps the manufacture of locks, of which 1,500,000 dozens are made in Wolverhampton annually. The district lying between this and Birmingham (about twelve miles) teems with innumerable iron-works, blast fur- naces, coal and iron mines. If the journey be made by night, the tourist will observe thousands of twinkling points of fire, indicating the spots where industrious artisans are engaged in fashioning the mineral products of the district. For miles around it is the same, so that the appearance presented from the elevation of the railway is that of a vast city of forges. From Wolverhampton the line to Birmingham takes the tourist past stations the vicinities of which are of strong local character, but little general interest, including Deepfields, Tipton (where are large chemical works), Dudley Port, a busy junction, Oldbury, Spoil Lane (where the glass for Sir Joseph Paxton’s triumph, the Hyde Park exhibition of 1851, was made), and Smethwick. Birmingham. [Hotels : t( North-Western/’ “ Queen’s,” and “ Hen and Chickens.”] This, like most of the large manufacturing towns, has figured prominently in the domestic history of England, the inhabi- tants always ranging themselves on the side of civil and religious liberty. The number of its inhabitants at present is estimated at from 360,000 to 370,000, so that Birmingham is the fourth town in point of population in the kingdom. There is little to note in the history of Birmingham prior to the battle of Evesham, in the reign of Henry III., when the town sent a contingent to swell the force of the barons in the fight for liberty. In the later Civil War of 1641, Birmingham was consistently on the side of the Roundheads, supplied the Par- liamentary forces with arms, and despoiled Charles I. of his royal plate and furniture, which he left behind him when he marched to London. Prince Rupert, the following year, revenged this act by plundering the town and setting fire to it in several places. The Priestley riots of 1791 marked an eventful period in European history, when the mob of Birmingham visited upon the head of Dr. Priestley their disapproval of the principles of the French revolution. Birmingham has only done justice to the memory of one of her greatest sons, eminent as a man of science (the discoverer of oxygen gas) and philanthropist, by recently erecting a statue of Dr. Priestley. The Reform Bill of 1832 gave Birmingham a right to send representatives to the House of Commons. From its geographical position it has 266 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . been called the “heart of England;” but its title of Bir- mingham is variously derived from Bromwicham, a com- pound of broni y heath, wych , village, and ham , home ; and from Bvemenium, a Roman station situated on Icknield Street, one of the great Roman roads that intersected the country. From the earliest times the townsmen have been celebrated as manufacturers of various kinds. Tradition makes it the depot from which the ancient Britons drew their supplies of arms ; but the first authentic notice is found in the work of Leland, who says that “there be many smithes in the towne, that use to make knives and all manner of cutting tooles, and many lorimers that make bittes, and a great many naylors ; so that a great part of the towne is maintained by smithes.” A few years later Camden wrote, “ Bremicham, swarming with inhabitants, and echoing with the noise of anvils, for here are a great number of smiths.” In the Civil War, 15,000 swords were furnished by Birmingham alone to the Parliamentary army ; though at the time of the Revolution it was still a small place, containing only 4,000 inhabitants. At that time there was no building in the town distinguished for architectural beauty. As the historian Hutton quaintly remarks, “ She was com- paratively small in her size, homely in her person, and coarse in her dress ; her ornaments wholly of iron from her own forge.” One hundred years ago Birmingham was not even on the mail-coach route, and letters were directed to the town as near Coleshill, a place of only 2,000 inhabitants, but having the advantage at that time of a position on the mail road. But such a description is no longer correct ; for the Birmingham of to-day will compare favourably with many towns, though of course the general appearance will always be that of a manufacturing town, and the chief attractions of Birmingham her various products in the iron, steel, brass, papier-mack^ and jewellery trades. A great impetus was given to the trade of Birmingham when Boulton erected the famous Soho factory, and Watts made it one of the sights of Europe by the invention and elaboration of the steam-engine. Birmingham has felt as much as any town the impetus given to trade and manufactures by the new motive power. Its population has largely increased, overflowing into Staffordshire and Worcestershire. Scarcely a street is without a manufactory and steam-engine, and the whole town is honey- combed with workshops, where artizans carry on the multifarious trades in metals for which Birmingham is famous. Its general appearance is mean, notwithstanding that several handsome public structures give evidence of its prosperity. One pleasant feature which will strike the tourist is the comfortable character of the houses inhabited by the working classes. BIRMINGHAM. 267 A visit to the different manufactories, in Birmingham, forms the greatest attraction to the stranger. But even a close inspection of these will give but a poor idea of the amount of work done, because the majority of the Birming- ham workmen execute their tasks at home, or in small work- shops ; for steam machinery is but an auxiliary to skilled labour in the great proportion of “ Brummagem ” manufac- tures. Nearly everything that can be made of metal is made at Birmingham. It may be safely said that almost every human being in the world supplies some of his wants out of the industrial hive which Burke not inaptly styled the “ toy-shop of Europe.” The principal branches of business consist inthemanfacture of plate and plated ware, ornamented steel goods, jewellery, japannery, papier-mach'e , cut glass ornaments, steel-pens, buckles and but- tons, cast-iron vehicles, guns and pistols, steam-engines, toys, etc., The brass trade has of late years become one of the most important. in the town, giving employment to upwards of 10,000 men. To form an idea of the different processes the tourist should visit the Cambridge Street works of Messrs. Winfield, and for ecclesiastical metal work the establishment of Messrs. Hardman and Co. Messrs. Elkington and Co.’s electro-plate works in New Hall Street should also be visited by the tourist desirous of obtaining information on the manufactures of Birmingham. These extensive premises are approached by an elaborately de- corated staircase, where at intervals are placed bronze statues, copies or replicas of those in the House of Lords. The show- rooms are large and commodious, and, like the staircase, are highly decorated. Works of art are here everywhere displayed — statues, trophies, vases, etc., in gold, silver, bronze, and electro- plate — the combined effect of which on entering is extremely brilliant and dazzling. Proceeding from thence through the studios, where artists are engaged in their various compartments, designing and modelling, the extensive and well-adapted work- shops are at length reached, which, being furnished with most approved and unique machinery, are extremely interesting. The Big Stamp, worked by steam, and an adaptation of the Nasmyth steam-hammer, in three blows executes as much work as it formerly took a workman a whole day to do ; yet, although it can strike a blow equal to twenty tons, the force can be so regu- lated that the shell of a nut can be cracked with it without injur- ing the kernel within. Smaller stamps are worked by manual power, and are used for lesser objects, such as handles, etc. Pas- sing from the stamps, the separate members are subjected to a hot soldering blast of gas. The plating rooms, which occupy a very important position in the works, are remarkably interesting. 268 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . In one of these rooms is a huge galvanic battery, powerful enough to destroy a regiment of soldiers at one shock. The enamelling, a comparatively new process, is borrowed from the Japanese, but greatly developed by French artists, the work executed being exceedingly beautiful. The vase or other object is first fashioned in copper. The design is then worked in it in much the same way as in stained glass, each colour having its separate compart- ment ; it is then fired, and the process is repeated till the work is finished. A visit should also be paid to Messrs. Gillott’s Steel-Pen Works, which occupy a large space fronting Graham Street. The process of making steel-pens, briefly stated, is as follows : — The steel from which the pens are made comes from Sheffield, in large sheets, and on arriving at Birmingham it is cut into strips about four inches wide, which, after being dipped in oil, are rolled again, until they acquire the requisite thinness and con- sistency. The pen-making machines are much the same in every case — stamps worked either by the foot or by hand. By division of labour, the work is passed from hand to hand, different opera- tives undertaking the cutting out from the sheet of steel of the blanks, the making of the holes, the slits, and the grinding, for which a most ingenious machine is used, invented by Mr. Gillott, for grinding the pens transversely and longitudinally ; most of the grinding, however, is done by girls. Then follows the process of annealing : the pens, being enclosed in little boxes, are exposed to great heat, after which they are plunged in cold water. Next comes the bronzing, a process which looks very much like that of coffee-roasting; and lastly, the selecting the “magnum bonums,” school-pens, etc., and all the infinite variety. There are also at work in the rooms a beautiful set of machines for making pen- holders, by the way, a not unimportant branch of Messrs. Gillotts’ immense business. The Mint, too, which belongs to Messrs. Heaton, is worth inspection. The manufacture of glass, though but lately introduced, has become a most important trade. Messrs. Osier’s establishment, where the famous crystal glass cande- labra in Ibrahim Pasha’s palace at Cairo were made, is the most interesting, though the window and optical glass manu- factory of Messrs. Chance, the largest in the kingdom, will also repay the trouble of a visit. This trade gives employment to about 1,500 hands. The button trade, which is worked by 6,000 artisans, is best seen in the workshops of Messrs. Hammond and Turner. The gun and sword-making trades form a great feature in the assemblage of Birmingham manu- factories. Sword-making, as we have already seen, dates from the reign of Charles I., at the least, though to produce 15.000 BIRMINGHAM. 269 swords, within a short period, as it did for Cromwell’s forces, the trade must already have been in a flourishing condition. Gun- making rose into great importance during the French wars of 1798 to 1815, and it is stated on trustworthy authority that a gun was produced every minute during a large portion of that interval. During eleven years, at the beginning of the present century, Birmingham turned out 1,743,382 arms. One of the most interesting features of the gun and pistol-making manufac- tures is the proofing. Before a gun or pistol barrel can be sent into the market it must have passed the ordeal and received the stamp of the proof house. As the barrels are made they are taken to this institution, charged with powder, far in excess to any with which they are likely to be loaded, and the charge exploded. Should they stand the test, they receive the proof house stamp ; while, on the other hand, the damaged barrels are returned to the respective makers as unfit for service. The proof house may be seen before entering the south tunnel. The manufacture of small arms has been greatly developed of late years. Between December, 1854, and the spring of 1857 t ^ ie English Government were furnished with 231,800 stands of arms, and upwards of 1,000,000 were supplied to general customers and foreign powers. Gold and silver plate and ornamental articles are extensively manufactured, 3,000 ounces of gold, and fourteen times that amount of silver, being the average weight of the precious metals tested in the assay office for the Birmingham manu- facturers. The annual consumption of gold and silver is valued at £1,000,000, apart from the precious stones, the value of which might be set down at £240,000 to £250,000 more. The number of workmen engaged in the various departments of the jewellery trade is estimated at from 7,000 to 8,000. Among the public buildings of Birmingham, the Town Hall, placed at the top of New Street, stands first. The exterior is designed on the model of a Greek temple, with a foundation of rustic masonry, arcaded throughout. The outline is that of an oblong parallelogram, with eight columns at either end and thirteen at each side. The ceiling of the great hall is supported by Corinthian pilasters, with decorated capitals and cornice, and the room is capable of holding seven thousand persons (standing). At one end is a famous organ, by Hill, containing four thousand pipes, acted on by four beds of keys. Here are held the celebrated triennial musical festivals, for which Birmingham is famous, when the highest class of music is per- formed by aid of the best artistes of the day. It is particularly memorable for the introduction to the world of the oratorio, 270 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Elijah , in 1846, under the baton of the composer, Mendelssohn, whose bust may be seen in the hall. Mona marble is the material used in the construction of the hall, which was completed in 1850 ; it was opened to the public some sixteen years before. Oppo- site the Town Hall, is a colossal statue in bronze of the late Sir R. Peel, by Peter Hollins ; while hard by, the new Corporation Offices, facing Ann Street, are making satisfactory progress. The style of the building is Corinthian, in harmony with that of the Town Hall. The new Post Office, at the corner of Hill Street and Paradise Street, is an extensive building, containing very complete arrangements, and every facility for conducting the postal business of Birmingham and the suburbs with despatch and reguarity. The Market Hall, in High Street, is also of Grecian design, with arched entrance, and supported by Doric columns. It is 365 feet long, 108 feet wide, sixty feet high, and is fitted with six hundred stalls. Opposite this building is a statue of Nelson, by Westmacott. The Exchange, a hand- some pile of brick and stone, with a fa5ade in Stevenson Place 186 feet long, was opened to the business men of Birmingham in 1865. The principal front consists of arcades of arched win- dows, four stories in height. The spire is 100 feet high; the. exchange room 186 feet long. The Birmingham and Midland Institute is a noble pile of buildings adjoining the Town Hall. It is in the Italian style ; the foundation-stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1855. The Queen’s College, an imposing Gothic structure in Paradise Street, was founded by Mr. Sands Cox in 1843. Its design is to provide instruction for young men who intend to engage in the learned professions. Some of the several professorships were endowed by Dr. Warneford. But King Edward VI. ’s Free Grammar School, dating from 1552, though the present building is of this century, i£ the most cele- brated educational institution in the town. It is a handsome Gothic structure, 174 feet by 125 feet, and sixty feet in height, built by Sir Edward Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. The king endowed it with twenty pounds’ worth of land, now worth to the school nearly ^11,000 a year — an indirect testimony to the prosperity of Birmingham. In the classical and English schools, there are about six hundred pupils, but besides these there are four branch schools in different parts of the town, accommodating about five hundred boys and five hundred girls, all supported out of this foundation. Another educational institution is the Blue-Coat Hospital, situated in St. Philip’s Churchyard. It is an extensive building, maintaining and educating by voluntary contribution about two hundred boys and girls. The School Board has already obtained sites for several elementary schools ; and among the other educational appliances BIRMINGHAM. 271 of the town are the various medical and theological colleges, the School of Design, and the Mason Scientific College, in Con- greve Street, at the back of the Town Hall. The site was presented and the college founded by Sir Josiah Mason, of Erdington, the donor of the extensive orphanage and alms- houses, near his seat. Springhill College is a Nonconformist school, in connection with the University of London. The General Hospital, in the interest of which the triennial festivals are held, is in Summer Lane. It was founded in 1769 by Dr. Ash. When Birmingham demonstrates on a large scale, Bingley Hall is the scene of operations selected. It is an immense shed, covering nearly two acres of land, put up to give accommodation to the Midland cattle and poultry shows, held annually in De- cember. Among other buildings of note are the Society of Artists’ Institution, the Borough Gaol, the Lunatic Asylum, Queen’s Hospital, Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Blind Asylum, Lying-in- Hospital, Infirmary, Magdalen Asylum, Ragged and Industrial School and Reformatory, the Union Club, the banks, Wholesale Fishmarket, etc. St. Martin’s Church was the oldest ecclesiastical building ; but it has recently been pulled down and rebuilt. The original church was built in the Bull’s Ring in the thirteenth century, and con- tained the tombs of the Berminghams. St. Philip’s Church is, from its fine central position and the large open space round it, one of the most conspicuous objects in the town. It was built after the design of Sir T. Archer, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, and is a fair example of the style of the latter famous architect. It is a large building, 140 feet by seventy feet broad. At the west end is a well designed tower, crowned with a dome and lantern. The stone of which it is built is unfortunately crumbling away under exposure to the atmosphere, a decay which gives it a fictitious appearance of great age. St. Chad is supposed by some to be the finest ecclesiastical building in Bir- mingham. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral, built about thirty years ago, after the designs of the late Augustus Pugin. It is a large and exceedingly plain, but nevertheless picturesque, brick structure, in one of the dirtiest parts of the town. The interior is very fine. Two rows of pointed arches, nearly fifty feet high, divide the nave from the aisles ; there is no clerestory, and the whole is covered with an open timber roof. The furniture is exceedingly rich. A veiy elaborate and beautiful rood screen divides the choir from the nave. The high altar has a “baldac- chino ” over it, beneath which is a shrine, containing the bones of St. Chad, Bishop of Lichfield. The body of this bishop appears to have been concealed by some of the old Roman Catholic families from the time of the Reformation until some 272 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. thirty years ago, when it was placed in this church. The church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Aston, is an interesting structure, and dates from the time of Edward II., with the exception of the lofty and well-proportioned tower and spire, which was erected in the reign of Plenry VI. There are some fine old stalls in the chancel. St. George’s Church was built after Rickman in the style of Decorated Early English. The following is the number of places of worship within the boundary of the borough : — Church of England, 50 ; Roman Catholic, 9 ; Congregationalist, 11 ; Baptist, 15; Wesleyan Methodist, 17; Primitive Metho- dist, 9; Methodist New Connection, 5 ; United Methodist, 4; Wesleyan Reformers, 2 ; Unitarians, 6 ; New Jerusalemites, 2; Jews, 1 ; other denominations, 9. There are in the town ninety-one clergymen of the Established Church, twenty- two Roman Catholic priests, and sixty-four Dissenting ministers, be- sides thirty-eight lay agents of the Church of England and twelve town missionaries. Birmingham possesses four public parks. The finest of these is Aston Park, in which is situated Aston Hall, a noble edifice in the Elizabethan style, with a fine avenue of trees in front and sheltered on all sides. It was originally erected by Sir Thomas Holte, in 1620; he entertained Charles I. here previous to the battle of Edge Hill. Later, James Watt, the inventor of the steam-engine, occupied it. The estate for- merly covered an area of 350 acres. Forty acres were bought by the people of Birmingham at a cost of ^35, 000. The park became a place of recreation for the public, while the hall was utilised as a museum. Queen Victoria opened the park in person on the 15th June, 1858. This piece of land thus happily secured to the public is a beautiful area of undulating ground, commanding a fine prospect of hill, and dale, and stream. The remainder of this beautiful demesne has unfortunately been parcelled out and let on building leases. Adderley Park, at Salt- ley, consists of about twelve acres ; and Calthorpe Park, Pershore Road, of about thirty acres. Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston Lane, more than sixty acres in extent, was the gift of Miss Ryland, of Barford, who not only presented the site to the cor- poration, but laid it out and enclosed it, at her own expense, providing a bathing place, a pool for boating, cricket and croquet grounds, and other appliances. The value of the gift in its entirety is estimated at at least ^60,000. The Botanical Gardens, at Edgbaston, are worthy of a passing notice. They are open to the public at a charge of one shilling, reduced to a penny on Mondays. Excursions may be made from Birmingham to Dudley Castle and Caves, Leasowes (Shenstone’s seat), and Hagley Park, near COVENTRY. 273 Hales Owen, the fine country round Kidderminster and Stourport on the Severn. Proceeding on our route from Birmingham, we pass S tech- ford, Marston Green, Hampton (in Arden), Berkswell, Tile Hill, and arrive at Coventry [[Hotels : "Castle,” " Craven Arms,” " King's Head,” and ‘‘Red Lion”], which has 41,348 inhabitants, and was formerly the third city of the realm. It is filled with stately buildings of great antiquity, and is full of associations of regal state, chivalry, and high events. Space will not allow us to do more than notice the story of its enfranchisement by the Saxon Earl Leofric. His wife, the Lady Godiva, had often besought her lord to emancipate the burghers ; but he always turned a deaf ear to her solicitations, until, wearied at last by her pertinacity, he told her he would grant her request, "if she would ride naked through the town.” Leofric intended thus to put an end to her intercessions by imposing what he believed would be an impossible condition. Lady Godiva, however, took him at his word, and carried out his infamous proposal to the full, thus winning her request. This forms the subject of one of Tennyson’s best poems. The tailor, " low churl, compact of thankless earth," therein mentioned, has been elevated to a " bad eminence " in the upper story of a house at the corner of Hertford Street, where "Peeping Tom" is still to be seen. The chief architectural beauties of Coventry are St. Michael’s Church, with a tower and spire rising to the height of 303 feet ; Trinity Church, remarkable for its ancient stone fountain ; and St. Mary’s Hall, which has been justly pronounced the richest, and in every way completest, specimen of English architecture of the fifteenth century. Notice in particular the great window, and the ancient tapestry in the interior, mea- suring thirty feet by ten. Coventry is the great seat of watch- making, and of the coloured-ribbon manufacture. These two trades of Coventry are illustrations of the indirect benefits accruing to England from its enlightened policy in ex- tending a sanctuary to political exiles. A number of refugees driven out of France by the fierce persecutions of the seventeenth century settled in Coventry, and introduced the manufacture of the two classes of goods which are now its staple productions. The making of watches and the associated trades employ up- wards of 2 000 hands ; a more considerable number, 30,000, 1 8 274 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. find employment in silk weaving and throwing, and the weaving and dyeing of ribbons. Steam has lately been much more largely employed in this manufacture, and very considerable steam factories have been erected. One built by Mr. Hart, and employing 1,000 hands, is capable of holding 300 large looms. Many women and children are employed in the various branches of the ribbon trade. The making of Coventry frillings is another productive trade of this town. Passing Brandon, we next reach Rugby [Hotels : “Three Horse Shoes” and “George”], in Warwickshire (population 8,385). Here is situated one of the most famous schools of England. It was founded by a London tradesman, Lawrence Sheriff, a native of Brownsover, in 1567, who endowed it with property now worth about ^7,000 a year. Many distinguished men have filled the chair of head master of the school ; the most noted and revered was the late Dr. Arnold, whose efforts raised its status to alevel with the best in England. The head master is assisted by about a dozen lfiasters, some of whom, according to seniority, increase their emoluments by keeping boarding-houses for the scholars. A pension, varying from £ 100 to ^300, is given by the governing board to retiring masters after ten years’ service. There are sixty scholars upon the foundation, who have the preference for the twenty-one exhibitions of the value of £60 per annum for seven years. These exhibitions are available at either Oxford or Cam- bridge. Beside the foundation scholars, the schools educate 260 boys who pay for their tuition. The schools were rebuilt in the Tudor style, after designs by Hakewell, in 1808. The front is 220 feet long. Easter Wednesday is the great day at Rugby. Prize poems are recited in the great room, a very lofty and spacious apartment. One of these prizes, established by the Queen, is given in honour of Dr. Arnold’s memory, to whom also a monument has been erected in the chapel attached to the schools. The town of Rugby is about one mile distant from the station. It stands on a rise of the ground near the river Avon, close also to the ancient Watling Street. There is an old Gothic church in the town. As previously mentioned, Rugby is the station at which the new main line route, vid Trent valley (see page 289), joins the old line, vid Birmingham and Coventry. Leaving Rugby we pass through Kilsby Tunnel, carried through a portion of the high ground which separates WEEDON— BLISWORTH JUNCTION, ETC . 275 the waters of the Avon from those of the Ouse and Nene, and separates the counties of Warwick and Northampton. The tunnel is 2,435 yards long, 24 feet wide, and 22 feet in height above the rails. The walls are two feet thick ; they are built with Roman cement. The great difficulty arising from the running sand, through which the tunnel had to be constructed, baffled several engineers, and the company took up the work themselves. Seven hundred men were engaged in constructing the tunnel, which cost about ^300, 000. Passing Crick, we arrive at Weedon [Hotels : “ Globe ” and “ New Inn ”], a first class military depot, capable of containing 240,000 stand of small arms. It contains very extensive military powder magazines. There are large smelting furnaces in the neighbourhood. The noted shoe-manufacturing town, Daventry, is about four miles west of Weedon. In it are the ruins of a priory given to Cardi- nal Wolsey by Henry VIII.; near are the remains of a Roman encampment. In 1871, the population of Weedon was 1,861. From Blisworth Junction a line runs to the east, passing through Northampton to Peter- borough, and another line, branching to the west, goes to Strat- ford-on-Avon (fully described in section xxvi. ), via Towcester, from which town a line runs, via Brackley, to Banbury. We next come to Roade, and the next station of interest is Wolverton, where are situated the extensive carriage building works of the London and North-Western Railway, which we have noticed more fully on pages 43 to 52. From Wolverton, a branch line, four miles long, diverges to Newport Pagnell [Hotels : “ Anchor” and “ Swan a market town, with a population of 3,824, It s built at the junction of the Ousel with the Ouse, which “ Now glitters in the sun, and now retires. As bashful, yet impatient to be seen. ” The trade of Newport Pagnell is chiefly confined to' paper and lace ; and an epitaph in the church, from the pen of Cow per, is an object of interest. A continuation of the line to 276 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Olney, five miles distant, has been commenced, with, however, but a poor chance of completion. Olney is celebrated for its con- nection with Cowper, the house in which he lived till 1786 being still shown to his admirers. Scott, the commentator, and John Newton were formerly curates of the parish ; the latter was associated with Cowper in the production of the well-known Olney Hymns . The population of Olney in 1871 was 2,730. Resuming the journey from Wolverton, Bletchley [Hotels : “ Station ” and “ Park ”] is reached. This is an important junction, \Hiere the traveller from the north must change for Oxford or Cambridge. From this station an extended view is obtained of the surrounding country, including Whaddon Chase and Hall, where Arthur Lord Grey entertained Elizabeth. From this station to London there are four lines of rail, an arrangement which expedites the transit of the immense traffic which is carried by the North-Western Com- pany to the metropolis. Through very pleasing country, the line is carried to Leighton Buzzard, a small town of about 4,600 inhabitants, chiefly occupied in making lace and straw plait. There is an ancient cross near the Market House, a genuine relic of early English work ; it was built in 1300, stands 34 feet high, on five steps, and is set off with pinnacles and niches. Leighton church is a good Gothic cross, with stalls and a tall spire, which, origin- ally 193 feet high, was struck with lightning and injured in 1852. Close to Leighton is Stewkley, containing a church, an excellent example of the Norman style. Aston Abbot’s House was the seat of Sir James Ross, the Polar navigator. From Leighton a branch line is carried to Dunstable and Luton (see pages 328-9). Continuing the journey, the line is carried across the vale of Aylesbury, past Cheddington Junction, where the traveller must change trains, should he desire to visit Aylesbury (see page 329), and, by a deep cutting through the Chiltern Hills, to Tring [Hotels : “Royal” and “Rose and Crown”]' (population 4,083). The tourist on leaving Tring will see on the right Tring Park, a well- wooded and beautiful domain, in the midst of which is a splendid mansion, built by Charles II. for Nell Gwynn, who induced that monarch to found Chelsea and BERKHAMPSTED. 277 rebuild Greenwich Hospitals. Proceeding onwards, the seat of Earl Brownlow, Ashridge Park, will be seen on the left. After passing through Northchurch tunnel (530 yards in length) and cutting, the next station reached is Berkhampsted (population 4083), noted as the birth-place (1731) of Cowper, the poet, whose father was rector. An Anglo-Saxon castle stood here at the time of the conquest, and in it William the Conqueror halted to receive a deputation of Saxon nobles, after the battle of Hastings. The present “old castle,” of which only a few broken walls remain, was built by Robert, Earl of Mortaigne, soon after the conquest, and among those who since lived there were Piers Gaveston (see Warwick, pages 284-7), Edward the Black Prince, and the Duchess of York, mother of Richard III. Under Richard II., Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet, was clerk of the works of Berkhamsted Castle. On the top 01 a hill near is a house built by Sir Edward Cary, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, who granted him a lease of the “old castle,” at the rent of a red rose every Midsummer Day. This house is now the residence of the Marquis of Hamilton, and is known as Berkhampsted Castle — in old documents, “House.” The church is a cruciform building, with chapels, chantries, and several interesting monumental brasses, besides three altar tombs, one to the memory of John Sayer, chief cook to Charles II. This chef also built some almshouses here. Near the church is an endowed grammar school. Berkhampsted St. Mary, or Northchurch (ij mile), contains in its graveyard the tomb of Peter the Wild Boy, of whom there is also a likeness, engraved in brass, on the wall of the church. In the neighbourhood of Berkhampsted is Ashridge, the residence of Earl Brownlow and of the Bridgewater family. It was founded as a college by Edmund, son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans, and was richly endowed, and presented by the founder with part of a drop of the Saviour’s blood, pro- cured by Edmund in Saxony, after much difficulty. The park contains some fine drives. Passing on by train from Berkhampsted towards Boxmoor, Broadway Farm, the residence of Peter the Wild Boy, is seen. Then Boxmoor (noted for its water-cresses), and farther on, King’s Langley, with an ancient church and some remains of a castle, said to have been built by King John, and inhabited by Richard III., who, to revenge himself upon an old widow there, who called him “Hunchback,” ordained that in this parish no widow should receive her “ thirds.” 278 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . We next pass through Watford Tunnel, i, 725 yards in length. It runs through the chalk formation, which makes its appearance, in situ , for the last time before reaching London. The “ potholes,” or infdtrations of gravel, which abound here, considerably impeded the operations of the miners. A new double tunnel, required for the quadruple line to Bletchley, has recently been constructed. Emerging from the tunnel the train reaches Watford [Hotels : “ Clarendon,” “ Malden,” “ Verulam,” and “ Essex Arms”], a double junction station and a busy thriving town, situated on the banks of the River Colne. Near to is Cassiobury Park, the seat of the Earl of Essex, and Grove Park, the property of the Earl of Clarendon, in which is a noble gallery of por- traits, formed by the great Lord Chancellor Clarendon. Popula- tion 7,461. The London Orphan Asylum is situated immediately to the north-east of the London and North-Western Railway at Wat- ford. It was instituted in the year 1813, for the maintenance and education of fatherless children of either sex and from any locality, who are of respectable parentage and destitute of the means of support. Five hundred and thirty orphans are edu- cated in the asylum. Orphans are retained until they arrive at the age of fifteen, and are provided, for the most part, with situa- tions — the boys in counting-houses, warehouses, and retail shops, the girls as pupil teachers in national or private schools, in private families, or as nursery governesses. Children are eligible between the ages of seven and eleven, and are elected by the votes of the whole body of the subscribers. The ordinary ex- penditure of the asylum is about ^15,000 per annum. The buildings, which are in the Victorian style, were erected under the superintendence of Mr. Henry Dawson, M.R.J.Bd. of Fins- bury place, and were opened in July, 1871. They consist of administrative offices, dining-hall, girls’ quadrangle, infirmary, and seven houses each occupied by fifty boys, and each house being in charge of a matron. The houses are separated into two quadrangles, for junior and senior boys, with a school-room for the use of each respectively. The chapel, designed with great taste, was the gift of an old scholar, and cost ^5 j 000 * The institution is mainly supported by annual and life subscrip- tions, conferring votes at the elections. An annual subscrip- tion of ios.6d. and a life subscription of ^5 5s. respectively give HA RRO IV- ON- THE -HILL, , ETC. 279 one vote at each election ; a proportionate increase of the sub- scription giving a proportionate increase of votes. The office of the institution is at 1, Saint Helen’s Place, London, E.C. Leaving Watford, we pass Bushey and Pinner, close to which, the Commercial Travellers’ Schools, a handsome block of build- ings, is seen on the left-hand side of the line. It is a charitable institution, capable of accommodating upwards of three hundred boys and girls, the children of needy or the orphans of commer- cial travellers. The next station is Harrow-on-the-Hill [Hotels : “ King’s Head ” and “Three Horse Shoes ”], a town with a population of over 4,999. From the summit of Harrow Hill, a most extensive prospect is gained of the surround- ing country. The hill, with the church and school on one side, and the old churchyard sloping on the other, forms in itself a continuation of objects inexpressibly attractive and picturesque ; but when the eye ranges over the vast expanse, and the landscape is lit up with the gorgeous and glowing sunset of a summer’s eve, the prospect becomes extremely fascinating. It commands a delightful view of the wide, rich valley through which the Thames stretches its sinuous course ; on the west it embraces a view of the fertile portions of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire ; on the east, London, with St. Paul’s dome, and to the south, the towers of Windsor Castle and the undulations of the Surrey hills. Harrow School was founded by John Lyon in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and is one of the first in England. In the church is a memorial of Dr. Drury, by Westmacott, representing Sir R. Peel and Lord Byron at his feet. These, with Palmerston, were among the more distinguished of the modern students at Harrow. Byron’s visit to the school in after years gave rise to the well- known poem containing the lines — “Again, I beheld where for hours I had pondered. As reclining at eve on yon tombstone I lay ; Or round the steep brow of the churchyard I wandered. To catch the last glimpse of the sun’s setting ray.” The Vaughan Library, a handsome building erected in memory of Dr. Vaughan, after designs by Sir George Scott, is worthy of notice in connection with the schools. We next pass Sudbury, and reach Willesden Junction, an important outlying station of the London district. A glance at the map of the London district, and at the various :8o LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. services of trains which leave Willesden Junction, their frequency, and the important districts which they serve, will enable the tourist to gather an idea of the value of this station to the rail- way traffic of London. It is to the north what Clapham Junc- tion is to the south of London, an artery through which pants, rushes, and whirls, an endless stream of trains, hurrying to or con- nected with all parts of the kingdom. Nearly five hundred trains pass every day through this junction. With one or two excep- tions, all the main line trains stop at Willesden. Beside the five platforms which accommodate the traffic on the main line level, and which are unitedly of the length of nearly three quarters of a mile, the whole is crossed at right angles by two high level stations, which communicate by means of convenient stairways with the platforms below. By this station the London and North- Western Railway have a connection for goods traffic with the East and West India, the Victoria and other docks of the port of London. Every quarter of an hour trains leave for the Broad Street or City terminus, calling at, among other places, Kensal Green, Hampstead Heath, Camden Town, Islington, Dalston Junction, and Shoreditch. Trains leave every half-hour for Kensington (Addison Road) and stations on the District Railway, calling at South Kensington, Westminster, Charing Cross, Blackfriars, and the Mansion House, which gives the company another city terminus. Every hour trains start for the holiday districts of the west of London, Kew Gardens and Richmond, and every half-hour for Acton and Kew Bridge. Trains leave Willesden also for the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, vid Kensington and Clapham Junction. Not the least impor- tant of the services of trains from Willesden Junction are the express trains, which enable passengers going south of London by either the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway, or the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, to take the trains on those lines at Victoria, without passing through the thronged streets of London, or on the London and South-Western Railway at Waterloo. Resuming the route at Willesden Junction for the Euston terminus, the tourist will understand that he is now within the bounds of London. Passing quickly through Kilburn, close to which is the celebrated eemetery of Kensal Green, the last rest- ing place of many eminent persons, and Camden Town, the London goods depbtof the London and North-Western Railway, and also the junction with the North London Railway, a line having stations at Barnsbury, Islington, Dalston, Hackney, and Stratford, where is a connection with the North Woolwich Railway and the docks. The necessities of the heavy passenger and goods traffic of the important railway over which we have I i- i i KENILWORTH. 281 conducted the traveller have obliged the company to add to its carrying powers by laying down quadruple lines as far as Bletchley. The last steps are now being taken to complete this extra up and down line by piercing Primrose Hill through with another tunnel, by the side of the one originally made there. The tunnel referrred to (845 yards long) is the second from Willesden Junction, or the last before the tourist reaches the metropolitan terminus of the London and North-Western Rail- way at Euston Square, for description of which see page 8, EXCURSION X . COVENTRY TO KENILWORTH, LEAMINGTON, AND WARWICK. A LOOP, diverging from the main line at Coventry, conducts the tourist through Kenilworth, Leamington, and Warwick, to Rugby. The town of Kenilworth [Inns : “ King’s Arms,” “ Castle,” and “ Bowling Green”], is about midway between Coventry and Warwick, being five miles from either of those places, and about the same distance from Leamington. It is chiefly composed of one long street of neat and comfortable houses, and has a population of 3,335, but is remarkable only for its castle. Tradition refers the original fortress to the time of Arthur; but the present structure dates only from the reign of Henry I., who bestowed the manor on Geoffrey de Clinton. This Geoffrey, a man of mean parentage, but raised to the highest offices in the state by Henry, was the founder of the most ancient portion of the edifice — Cassar’s Tower. Soon after the death of Geoffrey, possession lapsed to the Crown, and we find the castle used as a prison in the time of Henry II. The third Henry granted it to the celebrated Simon de Montfort, who had married the king’s sister. The remnant of the insur- gent barons having taken refuge in the fortress, after the battle of Evesham, it was besieged and taken. It subse- quently underwent several sieges during the Wars of the Roses, but all damages were repaired by Henry VIII. Elizabeth bestowed it on her favourite, Dudley, Earl of Leicester. This 282 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE, nobleman spent ^60,000 in embellishing and adding to bis new acquisition ; but “Leicester’s Buildings” have a more ancient and ruined appearance than the other portions, owing to the friable nature of the stone. The following is Sir Walter Scott’s description of the castle as it then appeared : — “ The outer wall of this splendid and gigantic structure en- closed seven acres, a part of which was occupied by extensive stables and by a pleasure-garden, with its trim arbours and Kenilworth, in Elizabeth’s time. parterres, and the rest formed the large base court or outer yard of the noble castle. The lordly structure itself, which rose near the centre of this spacious enclosure, was composed of a huge pile of magnificent castellated buildings, of different ages, surrounding an inner court, and bearing, in the names attached to each portion of the magnificent mass, and in the armorial bearings which were there blazoned, the emblems of mighty chiefs who had long passed away, and whose history, could Ambition have lent ear to it, might have read a lesson to the haughty favourite who had now acquired and was aug- menting the fair domain. A large and massive keep, which formed the citadel of the castle, was of uncertain, though great, antiquity. It bore the name of Caesar, perhaps from KENILWORTH, 283 its resemblance to that in the Tower of London, so called. The external wall of this royal castle was on the south and west sides defended by a lake, partly artificial, across which Leicester had constructed a stately bridge, that Elizabeth might enter the castle by a path hitherto untrodden.” The appearance of Kenilworth in its present dilapidated state is picturesque in the extreme. Vast portions of the ancient pile are still standing, but they are now in a dis- mantled and ruinous condition. Much of it is overhung with ivy and other clinging shrubs, intermixing their evergreen beauty with the venerable tints of the mouldering stonework. The Great Gatehouse, Kenilworth. Strangers enter by the side of the great gatehouse, whose arched way has been walled up and divided into two modern rooms. One of them deserves a visit, as it is fitted up with an elegant chimney-piece and oak wainscoting, which happily escaped Cromwellian depredation, and was removed from one of the principal apartments in Leicester’s Buildings. The former splendid specimen of ancient art is of alabaster, finely sculptured with the bear and ragged staff— the crest of 284 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Leicester — and with the monograms of Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth. Fireplace, Kenilworth. The old church of St. Nicholas, with its picturesque steeple, and the remains of the monastery founded by Geoffrey de Clinton, are both situated close to the castle. The next place of importance on the route is Leamington [Hotels: “Regent,” “Clarendon,” “Manor House” “Crown,” “Bath,” and “ Angel ”], so called from the river Learn, which flows through the town to the Avon. It is a remarkably clean and well-built spa (with a population of 20,910), which has sprung up within the last half-century in consequence of the efficacy of its mineral waters, and has all the accompaniments of the modern fashion- able spa — good hotels, promenades, public gardens, and assembly-rooms. An analysis of the waters may be of interest. They are of two kinds, saline and sulphuretted saline. One hundred parts of an imperial pint of the saline springs yield LEAMINGTON. 285 the following amounts of salts in grains (without decimal fractions) : — Sulphate of soda Chloride of sodium Chloride of calcium 35 I 30 I 23 Silicia, peroxide of iron, iodine, and bromide of sodium, in minute quantities. Gases in cubic inches. Carbonic acid 3, oxygen and nitrogen in minute proportions. SULPHURETTED SALINE SPRINGS. Salts in grains. Sulphate of soda 1 Chloride of sodium I Chloride of calcium J Magnesium ^ 28 I 25 I 15 I 9 Peroxide of iron, iodine, and bromide of sodium, in minute quantities. Gases in cubic inches. Sulphuretted hydrogen I Carbonic acid I Oxygen I Nitrogen i’i44 I 3'*5 6 I ’° 2 5 I ’4 2 5 The most important building in connection with these waters is the Royal Pump Room and Baths, an extensive edifice erected in 1813, at a cost of ^25,000. It consists of a central block, 106 feet in length, and rising to an elevation of fifty feet, flanked by two extensive wings. The chief feature of the principal elevation is a massive colonnade, formed of duplicated pillars of the Doric order. The pump room is of noble proportions, the ornamental parts of the ceiling, the cornices, and all the interior embellishments being exceedingly chaste and elegant. The bathing establishment is considered one of the most complete and convenient in the kingdom. Opposite the Royal Pump Room is another one of the prime attractions of Leamington — the Jephson Gardens, occupying a delightful situation on the banks of the Learn. Gravel paths, flowers and ornamental shrubbery, an artificial lake, the flowing Learn, and beautiful views make these gardens an attractive promenade. A first- rate band plays in the gardens in summer time, another special feature being the cultivation of archery, a rural sport much practised in the neighbourhood ; a portion of the grounds being set apart for the use of its fashionable votaries. The winter season is enlivened by the frequent meets of a noted pack of foxhounds, whose kennels are about a mile from Leamington. As Leamington is very conveniently situated for visiting the numerous places of interest within a short distance of the town, we should recommend the tourist to make it his head- quarters during his stay in the locality. Chloride of magnesium 286 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. A pleasant level road, planted on either side with shady trees, affords access to the ancient town of Warwick [Hotels : “Warwick Arms,” “Globe,” and “Woolpack”], i.e. Waering-wick (the Town on the Mound), which is situated on rising ground near the Avon (population 10,986). Tradi- tion refers the foundation of the town to the British king Cymbeline, by whom it was called Caerleon. It. was then destroyed by the Piets, rebuilt by Caractacus, and soon after converted into a Roman station. Being again destroyed, it was restored, after the Roman evacuation, on two successive occasions by the British king Constantine and by Prince Gawayn, a cousin of Arthur. The first Earl of Warwick was Arthgal, a Knight of the Round Table. During the Saxon period Warwick was once^more all but demolished, and being rebuilt by Warremund, King of Mercia, is supposed by some authorities to have derived its title from him ; but our deriva- tion is supported by the evidence of the Saxon Chronicle and of a coin struck in the reign of Hardicanute. Of the long list of earls enumerated by Rous as ruling between this time and. the Conquest, we need only mention the redoubted Guy, whose armour is shown in the Porter’s Lodge. This hero was, ac- cording to the legendary stories which have come down to us, nine feet in height, and performed prodigies of valour, previous to becoming a palmer and ending his days in retirement at the cliff which bears his name. After the Conquest the castle was enlarged, and entrusted, together with the town, to Plenry de Newburgh, in whose family it continued for six generations. It thence passed to the Beauchamps, the most celebrated of whom was Richard, the fifth earl of this family, who was one of the most illustrious knights in Europe. On the death of his son without heirs, the earldom was conferred on the renowned Richard Nelville, Earl of Salisbury, the father-in-law and uncle of the deceased lord. This noble, celebrated in English history as the “ King-maker,” is said to have maintained no less than 30,000 persons in his different castles and manors, on the Salisbury and Warwick estates. He was the last of the barons who bid open defiance to the Crown, and with his fall, at the battle of Barnet, died out the baronial check on arbitrary government. Thenceforth it was by courting popular favour, and by disseminating and fostering a jealousy of the royal prerogative, that the nobles managed to uphold that balance of power between king and subject which has slowly, but surely, secured to the English people the enjoyment of their present rights and privileges. THE AVENUE, GUY’S CLIFF, WARWICKSHIRE. V. : - 4-' 1 PVARWICJv. 287 The King-maker’s two daughters — married respectively to George, Duke of Clarence, and to Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Henry VI. — were also unhappy in their deaths. No less unfortunate were their husbands, Edward being slain in cold blood by Richard of Gloucester, who subsequently married his widow; while Clarence was imprisoned in the Tower by his own brother, the reigning king, and drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine. The title was revived in the reign of Henry VIII., in favour of John Dudley, but again became extinct on the death of Ambrose Dudley, “ the good earl,” who was brother to Elizabeth’s favourite, the then owner of Kenilworth. Again revived by James I. in favour of Robert, Lord Rich, the title remained in his family till 1759, when it was conferred on the then possessor of the castle and estates, which had been alienated from the title since the death of the last Dudley : this was Francis Greville, of whom the present earl is a descendant. “ It is a rare consolation for the lover of his country’s monu- ments,” says Knight, “ to turn from castles made into prisons, and abbeys into stables, to such a glorious relic of Old, England as “ Warwick Castle.” This criticism is supported by the still stronger opinion of Sir Walter Scott, who said it “ is the finest monument of ancient and chivalrous splendour which remains uninjured by time.” After passing the Porter’s Lodge, the visitor proceeds by a broad road, quarried through solid rock, to the outer court. On the right is the tower called after the famous Guy, while the left end of the embattled wall which confronts the approach terminates in Caesar’s Tower, the oldest part of the castle. The arched and tower-flanked gateway is reached by a draw-bridge, passing which the visitor finds himself in the inner court, with the inhabited and castellated mansion and the chapel on his left, and, in front, the keep, exhibiting a battlemented moss-grown fa$ade with an iron-grating gate- way. But for details, we must refer to Shaw’s Shilling Guide to Leamington and this district. The churches in the town claim a visit. This is especially the case with St. Mary’s and the Beauchamp Chapel, a structure declared by Dugdale to be the finest specimen of Gothic architecture in the kingdom. The exterior is highly enriched with tracery and decorative appendages ; and the interior 288 LONDON AND NOD TIL- WESTERN GUIDE . which is lighted by three windows on each side, with one at the end, is a perfect model of beauty and splendour. The sepulchral Leicester’s Tomb. monuments are extremely gorgeous. That of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who founded the chapel, occupies the centre. He died in 1439. A splendid marble monument at the side of the chapel marks the resting-place of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the unfortunate favourite of Queen Elizabeth, with his third countess, Lettice. Both are represented beneath a superb SIR A TFORD-ON-A VON. 289 canopy of variegated marble, which rises to a height of fifteen feet. Leicester’s Hospital, a good specimen of ancient domestic architecture, and the veneiable and picturesque mansion of Guy’s Cliff should be seen. Guy’s Cliff is delightfully situated amongst typical English scenery, about one mile and a half from Warwick, on the Coventry road. Here St. Dubritius founded an oratory, and Guy, Earl of Warwick, retired from the pleasures of the world. The priests of the chantry, instituted by Richard Beauchamp, a later earl, found accommodation in caves which may still be seen, hewn out of the natural rock, and having subterranean communication with the chapel above. A number of fine paintings by Holbein, Lely, Spagnoletto, and Cuyp will attract the tourist’s attention. The famous avenue, of which we give a coloured illustration, may be seen from the road when about half way from Warwick. A pleasant drive of ten miles, affording glimpses of the Claverdon, Bearley, and Wilmccte estates, conducts us to A full notice of the town and its associations will be found in Section xxvi. AVING conducted the traveller over the company’s line from Liverpool to London, and visited almost all the principal tow ns and places of interest on the route, it yet remains to describe the various branches connecting the main line with the important towns removed from it at greater or less distances. We will commence wdth that portion of the line traversed by the quick through trains from Liverpool, the North, Manchester, Holy- head, Chester, etc., which begins at Stafford and ends at Rugby, known as the Trent Valley Loop Line. Stratford-on-Avon, ‘ Where his first infant lays sweet Shakespeare sung, Where the last accents falter’d on his tongue.” SECTION XXI. STAFFORD TO RUGBY. 19 290 COL l VIC II— T A M IVOR TH—A THE RS TONE . Leaving Stafford behind, the first station met with is Colwich, near to a church with a very handsome interior, standing in a village of the same name. Close to is Shugborough, the seat of the Earl of Lichfield. It is a beautifully- wooded estate, made memorable as having been, in 1697, the birthplace of Lord Anson, the circumnavigator of the globe. He was buried in Colwich church. The same edifice contains monuments to several of the Wolseley family, who have a seat at Wolseley Park. The next station is Rugeley, where lived the infamous Palmer, whose execution took place at Stafford gaol. Thence to Armitage, a town once celebrated for the manufacture of tobacco pipes. Beaudesert Park, the seat of the Marquis of Anglesea, is two miles distant. It is situated on Cannock Chase, an extensive tract .A bare hills, on which the autumn manoeuvres of 1873 took place. The district is rich in iron and coal. Farther on is Lichfield Junction, described in Section xxiii. A line leaving Lichfield on the left, in a north-easterly direction, passes, via Burton, to Derby, whilst another in exactly the contrary direction, on the right hand, connects Lichfield, via Walsall, with Birmingham. Re- suming the journey from this striking cathedral city, we arrive at Tamworth [Hotels : “ Castle" and “ Peel Arms "j station, a very handsome building. The town has a population of about 11,500, largely employed in the manufacture of woollen cloths, calicos, leather, and ale. Tamworth Castle, the property of the Marquis of Townshend, was built by Robert Marmion, a family which supplied a name to the hero of one of Scott’s most popular poems. The ancient church of Tamworth contains a monument of Peel, whose statue by Noble also stands in the market place. Still approaching London, we pass the stations of Polesworth and Atherstone [Hotels : “ Red T.ion," ‘"Angel,” and “ Three Tuns"], a town with a population of 3,667, doing a large business in the making of hats. 'The night before the battle of Bosworth Field, Richmond stayed at the Three Tuns Inn, and received the sacra- NUNEATON JUNCTION-TALK- U- TIP -HILL. 291 ment of Mass in the church, his army being encamped in a meadow north of the church. It was here that Lord Stanley had an interview with Richmond, and arranged the tactics which secured his victory. Nuneaton Junction, described on page 304, is the next station. A line, running in a general direction at right angles with the main line, connects the system with Leicester, on the east or left hand, and with Coventry, Leamington, and consequently Birmingham and Wolverhamp- ton, on the west or right hand. Still pursuing our way towards the metropolis, we rapidly pass Bulkington, Shilton, and Brinklow, unimportant stations, and arrive at Rugby, already described on page 274. At this station we join the main line from Wolverhampton and Birmingham. SECTION XXII. CREWE TO STAFFORD, via BURSLEM, STOKEUPON- TRENT, TRENTHAM, AND STONE. A SHORT branch line, constructed to accommodate the salt traffic of Cheshire, connects, by Radway Green and Alsager stations, the central station at Crewe with Burslem and Stoke-upon- Trent at Kidsgrove Junction. To the south of the junction is the mining village of Talk, or Talk-o’-th’-Hill, brought into prominent notice in 1866, through a disastrous col- liery explosion in a mine of the same name, which resulted in the loss of nearly a hundred lives. Near also to Kidsgrove Junction is the Harecastle tunnel of the Grand Trunk Canal, which pierces the high ground separating Cheshire and Staffordshire. The tunnel was surveyed by the famous engineer Brindley. It is 2,880 yards long, 9 feet wide, and 12 feet high. To accommodate the increased traffic a larger canal has been made, parallel to the first, under Telford. Passing Tunstall station, the tourist reaches 292 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. Burslem, a town with a population of nearly 26,000. It was formerly noted for its common yellow ware, and went by the name of “ Butter Pot,” in allusion to the colour. The clay used for this ware was dug near the town, and from it were manufactured coloured dishes, jugs, etc. Near Burslem, Josiah Wedgwood was born in 1730; in 1759 he began his first pottery works at Ivy Cottage. Under the impetus given by Wedgwood to the manufacture, Burslem has rapidly increased in importance and population. There are now in this well-built town about forty earthenware and pottery establishments, affording em- ployment to most of the inhabitants. Though he afterwards removed to Etruria, it was here Wedgwood brought the ware known under his name to the perfection it since reached. The finer sorts are largely made from china clay, felspar, soapstone, and flint, imported from the south. The foundation stone of the School of Art and Free Library, an Italian Gothic structure, built as a memorial to Josiah Wedgwood, was laid by Mr. Gladstone in 1863. The Town Hall is a handsome structure. To the east of Burslem are the remains of the abbey of Hulton, founded in 1223. Etruria, the next station on the route was founded by Wedgwood in 1769, when the works at Burslem became too limited for his increasing business. Here also he built Etruria Hall, a hand- some red brick building. In the cellars of this mansion Wedg- wood mixed the materials, which he alone possessed the secret of compounding, for the varieties of earthernware and porcelain which he introduced, and Flaxman modelled into shapes of great beauty and value. The population of Etruria is 3 000. The pottery works are still in the possession of the Wedgwood family ; Etruria Hall is occupied by W. S. Roden, Esq. Close to Etruria are the enormous bar-iron works of Lord Granville, employing about three thousand workmen. Leaving Etruria, the train conducts the traveller to Stoke-upon-Trent [Hotels : “ Railway ” and “ Wheatsheaf ”], a parliamentary borough (population 130,985), where the tourist will do well to alight to view the pottery and tile works of Messrs. Minton and Co. Stoke is the centre of the Staffordshire Potteries ; the stout low kilns peculiar to the district lie everywhere around, each the centre of a pottery establishment, for which a “ bank” s the local name. The railway station is a splendid structure, STONE— HANLEY. 293 built in the Tudor style at a cost of ;£i 50,000. Between the railway station and the hotel in the centre of Winton Square stands a fine bronze statue of Wedgwood, by Davis. St. Peter’s Church, noted for its handsome pinnacled tower, contains a monument to Wedgwood (the bust by Flaxman), memorials of the Spodes, and a brass to Minton. Stoke School of Science and Art is a memorial to Mr. Minton. Traces of the local industry will be seen about most of the public buildings of this town, Minton’s tiles being used in the church, the approaches of the railway stations, etc. Taking up the route again at Stoke, and passing Trentham and Barlaston stations, the tourist arrives at Stone, a town of 3, 732 inhabitants, who are chiefly occupied in the manufacture of shoes. From Stone the route takes the traveller through Sandon, the seat of the Earl of Harrowby, Hixon, and Weston, to Stafford. EXCURSION XL ETRURIA TO HANLEY. A SHORT branch leaves the above line at Etruria, and runs for the distance of a mile and a quarter to Hanley [Hotels : “ King’s Head,” and “ Saracen’s Head ”J, a centre of the pottery district of North Staffordshire, contain- ing a municipal population of 39,976. It is pleasingly situated on high land, but contains few buildings of note, except the Town Hall, Shelton Church, and the new Exchange, which was opened Jan. 6th, 1875, by Lord Wrottesley, lord lieu- tenant of Derbyshire. Dimmock and Company’s pottery works are worthy of remark. The town contains about twenty of these flourishing establishments. The last century has seen a wonderful development of this manufacture in the district of which Hanley is the centre. One of the peculiarities of this industry is that the materials used are wholly, with the exception of coal, brought from districts outside the Potteries. In 1871, as much as 155,933 tons of potters’ material were imported. 294 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Scattered through the district are 260 pottery works, employing more than 10,000 hands, besides those earning wages in branches of manufacture which depend upon this industry, such as clay, colour, bone, and flint-grinding, etc. “ Few industrial localities present a more vivid example of this rapid transformation than the Potteries, the scene of Wedgwood’s splendid triumphs, and the home of wedded art and handicraft. In this instance the ware of the Potteries has been a transforming spell, and by its power a district which a hundred years ago was described by the old chroniclers as ( a bleak and rugged landscape, very sparse of inhabitants/ now teems with active life, and occupies an honour- able place among the world’s great workshops/’ The district known as the Potteries, including, as it does, several considerable towns, is but ten miles in length, and not wider than one mile and a half. The whole of this ground is covered by the kilns, the workshops, or the dwellings of the work-people. Of the 260 manufactories, 134 produce earthenware, sixty china, twenty-six Parian, and forty a general class of goods. A great portion of the materiel used comes from Cornwall and other districts in the south, arriving by sea at Runcorn, and being there transhipped, and conveyed to the Potteries by the Grand Trunk Canal, the work of Wedgwood. EXCURSION XII STOKE-UPON-TRENT TO LONGTO N AND TO TRENTHAM HALL. p/ROM Stoke an excursion may be made by rail to Longton [Hotels : “ Crown and Anchor,” “ Eagle,” and “ Union ”], another town absorbed in the manufacture of different classes of pottery. It is inhabited by 19,748 persons, most of whom are engaged in the local industry ; brewing and brickmaking are subsidiary interests. The Town Hall is worthy of remark. The- lower part is the market ; the Athenaeum is accommodated in one of the wings. Longton Hall and Edensor (where there is a handsome new church) are in the neighbourhood, and should be noticed. Leaving Longton, we pass Blythe Bridge, Cresswell, P.nd Leigh stations, and reach UTTOXE TER — 7 RE * V T HAM, 295 Uttoxeter, a pleasant market town, with apopulation of 4,692, where there is a fine church, lately rebuilt, except the spire, which is 179 feet high, a free grammar school, and a curious six-arched stone bridge. From hence the tourist may reach Burton and Derby, described in the next section. Another excursion may be made by rail, but better by road, from Stoke to Trentham [Hotel : “ Sutherland Arms ”] (population 7^3), the chief feature of which is Trentham Hall, a mansion of the Duke of Sutherland. The site was first occu- pied by a nunnery, of which reference has been found in King Alfred’s time. It was elevated to the dignity of a priory in Henry I.’s reign ; but lost its estates at the time of the dissolu- tion of monasteries under Henry VIII., when the buildings passed into the occupancy of the Leveson’s, The present building took the place of the Old Hall early in the last century, but considera- ble additions and alterations have been made since, especially by the late Duke, by whom the whole front was reconstructed, and the fine central tower added from designs by Sir Charles Barry. It is built in the Italian style, and is now one of the finest mansions in the country. The tower rises to a height of 100 feet. Trentham Hall was visited by the Princess Victoria and the Duchess of Kent in 1832. It contains a large picture gallery. The park, which has an area of 500 acres, contains a deer chase, beautifully wooded, and magnificent pleasure-grounds and flower- gardens, containing upwards of sixty-five acres. The Trent has been spread out into a fine lake; the trees, shrubberies, etc., were planted after plans by Brown, the landscape artist of the last century. The most attractive parts of the gardens are the Italian gardens, the trellis walk, the terrace garden, the par- terre, the nursery, and the rainbow walk. Trentham Church was completely restored by the Duke of Sutherland in 1844. Some parts of the structure now standing are of great age : the Norman piers are said to have been built by Ranulf, Earl of Chester. A finely-carved oak screen divides the chancel from the nave and aisles. It contains also a beautiful memorial to Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland. The inscription is by Mr. Gladstone. 296 LONDON AND NORTII-IVESTERN GUIDE , . SECTION XXIII. BIRMINGHAM TO DUDLEY, WEDNESBURY, WALSALL, LICHFIELD, BURTON-ON-TRENT, AND DERBY. R ETRACING the journey from Birmingham to Dudley Port Junction (already described on page 265), the tourist can reach Dudley by the South Staffordshire branch, which runs from that town through Walsall to Lichfield, and crossing the Trent Valley line, connects Burton-on-Trent and Derby with the “ toy-sh^p of the world.” Dudley [Hotels : “ Dudley Arms” and “ Bush ”] is a busy manufacturing town, with a population in 1871 of 43,782. It is seated in the midst of a fine tract of country, somewhat disfigured by the mining operations carried on in th e neighbourhood. The district is rich in coal and iron-stone; and the view from the passing train, after the shades of evening have closed o’er the scene, strikingly reminds the traveller of Homer’s description of Vulcan’s smithy. The town received its name from Dud or Dodo, a celebrated Saxon chief, Who in the year 750 built a castle on the site. At the Conquest, William bestowed it on William FitzAns- culph, together with forty-four manors within a circuit of eight miles, and forty-seven others in different parts of the county. That nobleman rebuilt the fortress as a means of protection to his new and extensive possessions. The castle was demolished in the reign of Henry II. It was subsequently rebuilt ; and after playing its part in the various squabbles and feuds by which the kingdom was rent during the succeeding centuries, was finally dismantled during the civil wars of the time of Charles I. It then underwent a siege of three weeks’ duration. It was destroyed by fire in 1750. The disaster was supposed to originate in the operations of a gang of coiners concealed in the edifice. Its ruins are considered the finest in the county of Stafford — for though Dudley is in Worcestershire, the castle and grounds are in Staffordshire. An ancestor of Earl Dudley, to whom the property belongs, built contiguous to them a mansion. The present earl is one of the largest ironmasters in the kingdom. Dudley was incorporated in 1865, an d now sends one member to the House of Commons ; its parliamentary limits greatly WALSALL. 297 exceed the boundary of the muncipality, the district repre- sented by the iC discreet burgess” having in 1871 a population of 82,249 souls, nearly double the number of subjects owning allegiance to his Worship the Mayor. The town is well built ; it consists of a long main street, surrounded by a network of smaller ones, occupying the sides of a hill. Its principal buildings are the Town Hall, the Court House, and St. Thomas’s Church, a handsome building in the Early English style of architecture. The local Geological Society is pos- sessed of a museum, which includes a rich collection of trilobites and corals ; and in the centre of the market place is a superb fountain, presented to the town by Lord Dudley in 1867. It cost £ 5,000 , and was designed by Forsyth. The ruins of Dudley Priory, founded in the twelfth century by Gervase, grandson of William FitzAnsculph, stand about a mile to the west of the castle. They are clad with ivy and justly considered interesting. Leaving Dudley, we pass through Dudley Port Junction by the low level line, and reach Great Bridge and Wednesbury, the latter a junction station for Darlaston and Tipton, and a place of considerable importance in the iron tnde. The next station is Walsall [Hotel : “ George ”], a borough town, with a population of 46,447 within the limits of its municipality, and 49,018 in its parliamentary boundary, for it returns one representative to the Commons House of Parliament. It was a town of some note in Saxon times, and played a prominent part in the subsequent history of the country, belonging at one time to “king-making Warwick.” All traces of antiquity have, however, long since disappeared. At an early period, it became a thriving business town, on account of the facilities which it possessed for obtaining an abundant supply of iron and steel. For upwards of a century it has been the seat of the saddlery and harness trades, and at the present time it is the head-quarters of the makers of saddlers’ ironmongery, nine-tenths of the bits and stirrups used n the kingdom being made here. Many of its public buildings are handsome and attractive. The parish church has a beautiful spire, which is a conspicuous object in the landscape on account of its situation on a lofty hill ; its west window of stained glass is especially worthy of notice. The church was almost entirely rebuilt in 1821, and now contains no trace of the ancient monuments for which it was formerly noted. The Grammar School, founded by Queen 298 LONDON AND N 0 RTIIAVES 1 ERN GUIDE . Mary, numbered Lord Somers and Bishop Hough among its scholars. The old Town Hall and Harpur’s Almshouses are among the other noteworthy edifices. A useful clock, with a trophy of cannons taken during the Crimean war at its foot, is a noteworthy feature of the square in front cf the Town Hall. At Bushall, the next station, is an old Manor House, the seat of the Harpur family, whose arms may yet be seen over the gate- way. In its churchyard is a quaint epitaph, “ Within this tomb Charles White doth lie : He was six feet and full six inches high ; In his proportion Nature had been kind : His symmetry so just, no fault could find.” Pelsall, Brownhills, and Hammerwich — the next stations — - are all contiguous to Cannock Chase. Though once a forest in which the Mercian and Norman kings had a hunting seat and castle, the timber has nowall but disappeared, and the district is covered with bare heath. The Chase covers an area of thirty- six thousand acres, and is rich in coal beds. It was the scene of the autumn manoeuvres of the British army in 1873. Leaving Hammerwich, we pass Wall, the Eiocetum of the Romans, where many Roman memorials have been brought to light ; among them are coins of the time of Nero and Domitian, pavements, bricks, tiles, and pottery. According to Garner, “a trench dug northwards through the foundations of the wall from which the place is named, and which formerly, in the memory of the inhabitants, existed breast high, brought to light the base of a square apartment, with walls of strong masonry, and a floor of plaster laid on extremely hard concrete. This apartment had been plastered and coloured in red, green, yellow, and white, with well made stripes.” A run of a few miles brings the tourist to Lichfield [Hotels : “ George,” “ Swan,” and “ Three Crowns ”], a quiet cathedral town, with no manufactures of any con- sequence. Its position in the centre of England, on the two great roads to Liverpool and Holyhead, formerly made it a place of importance to travellers; and the fact of its now being near a junction between the main line of the London and North-Western Railway and the branch which connects Birmingham and the “ black country ” with Burton and Derby has to some extent contributed to a retention of this source cf this profit and animation. The city sends one member to LICHFIELD. 299 Parliament, and contains 7,347 inhabitants. Dr. Johnson gives the following derivation of its name : — “Lichfield, ‘the field of the dead,’ a city of Staffordshire, so named from murdered Chris- tians. Salve magna parens.” The massacre thus perpetuated took place in the reign of Diocletian. The arms of the corpora- tion, consisting of the dead bodies of three men, armed and crowned, are supposed to refer to the event. The most remarkable building in Lichfield is the far-famed Cathedral, dedicated to St, Chad, and well marked on approach- ing the city by its three magnificent and lofty spires. It was founded in 665, but the present building was not finished till 1296. In 1643, when the Puritans under Lord Brooke captured the town, the cathedral was much injured. At the restoration it was re- paired by Bishop Hacket at a cost of ^20,000. It is 410 feet long, the central steeple 260 feet high, and the other two over the west front 190 feet. At the west front are also the great wheel window and many large figures of Biblical characters. The decorated English porches and the choir are worthy of notice. The monuments of note are of Bishop Langton and Hacket, one of the Stanleys, Johnson, Garrick, Lady Wortley Montague, and Mrs. Robinson’s Sleeping Children, ascribed to Chantrey, Bishop Ryder, by Chantrey, Bishop Lonsdale, Dean Howard, Admiral Sir William Parker (one of Nelson’s captains), Major Hodson, of Delhi notoriety, etc. During the Civil War, Lichfield Cathedral v/as three times be- seiged. A tablet of white marble let into the wall of a house in Dam Street marks the spot where Lord Brooke fell during the first seige. Sir Walter Scott, in Marmion , thus commemorates his lordship’s death : — “ Fanatic Brooke The fair cathedral stormed and took ; But, thanks to God and good St. Chad, A guerdon meet the spoiler had. ” St. Chad’s Church, at Stowe, is in the vicinity of the cell of that pious hermit, whose remains, once buried in this church, were removed to Lichfield Cathedral, secreted by private persons during and after the time of the Commonwealth, and are now resting in the Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Chad at Birmingham, The Free Library and Museum is a handsome structure in the Italian style. St.John’s Hospital, built in 1495, is a curious specimen of construction, having chimneys projecting like buttresses. An institution for the relief of the widows and orphans of clergymen, founded by a townsman, named Newton, is located in the Cathedral Close. A monument by Westmacott, to Mr. Newton’s memory, in the south transept of the cathedral, 300 LONDON AND NOR TIL- WESTERN GUIDE . contains an inscription recording his other acts of munificence, and especially referring to this, which, it justly adds, “renders any other monument unnecessary. ” The great Dr. Samuel Johnson was born in 1709, at his father’s house, a bookseller’s shop, built on a piece of land belonging to the corporation at the corner of Sadler Street. It is a high house, resting on two pillars, with pilasters at the corners, and a projecting cornice. His statue stands in the market-place, fronting the house. In the church of St. Mary, opposite, may be seen the register of baptism of the famous doctor. He was trained in Edward VI. ’s Grammar School, in which Addison, Garrick, Bishop Newton, of the Prophecies , Salt, the traveller, and other eminent men were also taught. Leaving this interesting city, the tourist arrives at the junction station, locally known as Trent Valley, to distinguish it from the City station. He next reaches Alrewas, the first station on the route, a small town in the vicinity of Need wood Forest belonging to the duchy of Lancaster. Oak trees principally form its wood ; the Swilcar Oak, a very ancient tree, is 21 feet in girth. Egginton Heath, on which Sir J. Gill defeated the Royalists in 1644, is in the neighbourhood, as is also Tutbury Castle, on the Dove. The next station is Wichnor, near which is Wichnor Manor, an estate once held by Sir P. de Somerville, under the Earl of Lancaster, the conditions binding him to present a flitch of bacon to every married couple who, after being married a year and a day, should make oath that they had never quarrelled or wished themselves unmarried. Passing Barton and Walton station, the tourist arrives at Burton-on-Trent [Hotels : “ Queen’s,” “ George,” and “ White Hart”], a town of 20,378 inhabitants, once famous for its alabaster work, situated on the Staffordshire side of the Trent, was formerly con- nected with the opposite side of the river by an old straggling bridge of thirty-seven arches and 1,545 feet in length. It has, however, given place to an elegant modern structure, and its stones have been utilised in laying out the recreation ground, which extends for a considerable distance along the Derbyshire bank of the Trent. The cemetery is near the recreation ground ; it occupies the side of a hill, and contains the usual chapels, very prettily designed, and some tasteful monuments. The public baths, B UR TON- ON- TRENT. 30 1 nearer the town, were presented to the governing bodv by Messrs. Ratcliffe. There are four churches in Burton. The mother church, dedicated to St. Modwena, occupies the site of an ancient edifice and stands in a pretty retired churchyard, sloping down to the banks of the Trent. The others are : Trinity Church, whose west window, of singularly beautiful tracery, is filled with good painted glass ; St. Paul’s ; and St. John’s, erected and endowed by Mr. Bass, who has recently built a commodious vicarage. Burton Abbey, founded by an Earl of Mercia in 1002, was formerly of some extent, and so wealthy as to be considered by the turbulent barons of former days “a howlet’s nest worth the harrying.” Only a portion of its gateway is now to be seen. An old mill occupies the site of one mentioned in the Domesday Book, founded in 1004. Burton has long been famed for its ales, so much so that Henry d’Avranches, poet laureate to Henry III., wrote, “Of this strange drink, so like the Stygian lake (Men call it ale), I know not what to make.” This description, however, is not at all applicable to the celebrated pale ales, manufactured at the extensive breweries of Messrs. Bass, Allsopp, Worthington, and many others. They are drinks much sought after, whose popularity increases year after year, while extensive areas of land may be seen covered with the casks, empty or full, employed in their storage. There are about twenty-five brewing firms, who together occupy several hundred acres of land. The breweries, cooperages, and malting offices are enormous buildings, solid, bold, and well constructed. Over twenty miles of railways cross and recross the streets of Burton to convey thither the materials of which the ale is manufactured, and to take it away, when made. Almost all the inhabitants are engaged in some measure in these vast establishments. Bass and Co. employ upon their works, which cover an area of a hundred and thirty acres, upwards of 2,000 persons ; they have seven miles of private railway, and use in the business 600,000 casks, consuming not less than 250,000 quarters of malt. Cotton goods and hardware are also manufactured here. Five miles to the north-west of this town is the gate and other remains of Tutbury Castle, overhanging the Dove, from which the military chest of the Earl of Lancaster was fished up in 1831 ; it was supposed to have been dropped by him when flying from his sovereign. Here John of Gaunt kept his court, and appointed a king of the minstrels, whose successors retain office to the present day. Mary, Queen of Scots, was a prisoner in Tutbury Castle for some years. Leaving Burton we pass Willington station, and arrive at 302 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Derby. [Hotels: “ Royal,” “County," “York,” “ Derwent," and “ St. James’s."] Derby is a very ancient town, although but few signs of its antiquity are left for observation. It was probably in existence before the invasion of the Romans, and the Roman station, Derventia % was in its neighbourhood. It was inhabited by the Danes, and was the theatre of contests between the Danes and the Saxons. The town was a royal borough in the time of Edward the Confessor, in the tenth century. Derventia was on the site of Little Chester, a hamlet immediately beyond the borough, on the other side of the river; and Dr. Stukely, in the early part of last century, was able to trace its wall quite round, and to ascertain that the enclosure had been oblong, and contained five or six acres. Coins of brass, silver, and gold have been found from time to time. Other ancient remains are occasionally met with. Foundations of buildings are sometimes laid bare ; and there are the vestiges of a Roman bridge over the Derwent at this point, which may be seen when the water is clear. The name is thought, by some antiquarians, to be derived from the Danish Deorby (the Town on the Water). Others contend for the derivation Deertown, which is partially supported by the fact of the borough arms con- taining. the representation of a deer. The town contains nearly 62,000 inhabitants. Prince Charles Edward penetrated as far as Derby in his adventurous march upon London during the rebellion of 1745. Here the leaders of the expedition lost all hope of success ; and though the advanced guard occupied Swarkestone-Bridge, the retreat of the main body of 5,000 men — a retreat which ended so disastrously for the adherents of Charles Edward — commenced from this ancient borough. Few antiquities are to be found in Derby. The first silk-mill in England was erected in Derby by Lombe, in 1718; and the town has since maintained her supremacy in the manufacture of that fabric. The old mill in which John Lombe set up his machinery for the spinning or “ throwing” silk still stands in Bag Lane. It is now the pro perty of the corporation ; it cost Lombe in the first instance £30,000. The machinery used was not an English invention, but was obtained surreptitiously from the Italian manufacturers. This enterprising man entered into their employment as a common workman and, at the risk of his life, made drawings of the machi- nery employed and bribed Italian workmen to accompany him to England. He is said to have been the victim of a poisoner sent for the purpose from Italy. The topographer, Hutton, DERBY . 303 worked in Lombe’s silk-mill. In Derby, also, was the first calico mill built by Arkwright in 1773. Old Derby china is much sought after by collectors. The town has also a good reputation for hosiery, cotton, and agricultural machinery. The municipal population is 49.793 J ^e parliamentary, 61,358. From an architectural point of view, All Saints’ Church was, according to Hutton, the local historian, “ the chief excellence, the pride of the place.” This can now be said of the pinnacled tower only, which dates from the reign of Henry VII. The body of the church was rebuilt in the last century, in the Italian style, with the worst possible taste. With its mean-looking windows, plain entablature and cornice, and long, low, horizontal outline, it is singularly out of place beneath the magnificent buttressed and pinnacled tower, which is built in the Decorated Gothic style, with its cano- pied and ground niches, its recessed doorway, quatrefoiled panelling, and elegant windows with crocketed tracery. The most interesting portion of the interior is the Cavendish chapel, in the south aisle of the chancel, wherein are many curious tombs of members of that illustrious family. The other churches of note are St. Alkmund’s, a new church, the Gothic spire of which is 205 feet high ; St. Peter’s, a venerable ivy-mantled edifice, in the Perpendicular style ; St. Andrew’s ; and the Roman Catholic chapel of St. Mary, one of the best of Pugin’s designs. The Town Hall is good of its kind; it has an elegant clock and bell-tower, supported on arches of massive design, beneath which is an entrance to the new market and municipal hall. This and the Athenaeum are the chief secular buildings. The latter is a very fine structure, comprising within its entire front- age the Royal Hotel, from which there is an entrance by fold- ing doors. The Arboretum, presented to the town by Joseph Strutt, Esq., the brother of Lord Belper, is a plot of ground of sixteen acres, tastefully laid out in flower-beds, ai hours, shrubberies, and pleasant grass-bordered walks. There are also the Free Baths and Recreation Ground, presented by M. T. Bass, Esq., M.P. The new Post Office is a fine build- ing; next to it is the Free Library and Museum. The Royal Drill Hall contains a fine organ. In addition to the celebrated men already mentioned, Derby was the native place of Richardson, the novelist ; Dethick, the herald ; Joseph Wright, the painter ; and Fox, the machinist. 304 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION XXIV. NUNEATON TO LEICESTER. Nuneaton. [Hotels : “ Bull ” and “ Newdegate arms.”] N UNEATON is a considerable station on the Trent Valley main line, the town containing a population of 7,399. The chief objects of interest in the neighbourhood are the remains of a Priory dating from King Stephen’s time, an old Gothic Church, and the Grammar School. Leaving Nuneaton station, we pass Hinckley, a town with a population of 6,902, chiefly engaged in the manu- facture of cotton stockings. A stocking-frame was introduced into Hinckley as early as 1640 by William Uiffe, at a cost of . ;£6o, which was kept going night and day. St. Mary’s church, dating from the reign of the first Edward, is adorned with a fine lofty tower and spire, and is, beside, interesting for its oaken roof. Four miles to the north lies the scene of the Battle of Bosworth Field, where the army of Richard III. was defeated and himself killed in an encounter with Richmond, on August 22nd, 1485. The night before the battle, Richard was encamped on Red Moor, Richmond on White Moor. Shakespeare describes the battle in Richard III., where Catesby exclaims describing Richard’s daring, — “ Rescue, my lord of Norfolk ; rescue, rescue ! The king enacts more wonders than a man. Daring an opposite at every danger ; His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights. Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death ; Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is lost ! ” King Richard’s well, where he refreshed himself, is pointed out on the field. From Hinckley the traveller will pass through Elmesthorpe, « and reach Narborough, which stands on a Roman fosseway. Enderby Hall, close to, belonged to the Nevilles. From thence, the tourist passes on to Blaby, near which is Aylestone. Aylestone Hall, at present occu- LEICESTER. 305 pied by the agent of the Duke of Rutland, was originally the residence of the Vernon family and the Earls of Rutland. From Blaby the line proceeds to Leicester [Hotels: ‘‘Wellington,” “Railway,” “Lion and Lamb,” “Bell,” “Blue Lion,” “White Hart,” “George” “Stag and Pheasant”], a town with a population of 95,220, situated as nearly as possible in the middle of England, of much historical and archaeological interest. It was said to be founded in 844 B.c. by King Lear. The Romans had a station here, called Rate, of which many interesting remains are preserved. John of Gaunt rebuilt the old castle, which afterwards became the seat of Simond de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. This castle stood on twenty-six acres of land ; only the great hall, now used as the Assize Hall, remains. The Mount, or Castle View, and the Newarke formed part of the castle enclosure. Another interesting relic consists of the walls and gateway of the famous abbey, built by Robert- le-Bossu, or Hunchback, in the meadows by the River Soar, in which Cardinal Wolsey died. “ An old man, broken with the cares of state. Is come to lay his weary bones among ye ; Give him a little earth for charity.” In 1173, William Rufus, as a punishment of Hugh de Grent- maisnell, Earl of Leicester, for a revolt in favour of Robert, demolished the castle, the adjoining church, and a great part of the town. The Barons of England met in Leicester in 1201 and 1224. In 1426 the Parliament of Bats, so called from the mem- bers being armed with wooden weapons in lieu of swords, was held in this town. Richard III. slept at Leicester before the battle of Bosworth at the Blue Boar Inn, since demolished. He was brought to the town to be buried ; one of the houses bears the inscription, “Here lie the remains of Richard III., King of England.” The stone coffin in which his body was interred for some time formed the horse-trough at the inn. In 1644, 10,000 troops of King Charles I. invested Leicester. After a siege stubbornly resisted by the townspeople in the interest of the Parliament, it was finally taken by assault. The town was given up to pillage, 700 persons were killed, and 140 wagon loads of spoils were taken to Newark. The most -curious object of antiquity found in Leicester is the Jewry wall, one of the most perfect relics of the period of thd Roman occupation found in Great Britain. Its name is traced to the time of Jewish persecutions, when Jews were forbidden to 306 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . live in any other part of Leicester than the neighbourhood of this wall. It is composed of rubble, forest stone, and occa- sional courses of thin Roman brick. Its eastern front consists of four solid arches, or recesses, with an intermediate niche of brickwork. The western face is unfortunately hidden by a manu- factory. In this portion are two other vaulted recesses. These are said to be the remains of the crypt of the temple of Janus, and the burying-place of King Lear, The city gates were very near ; in fact, the remains of an immense block of buildings have been discovered in the vicinity, forming the chief public edifices of a Roman town. Amongst the relics found near have been ancient flues and other masonry, bone hair-pins, coins of Vespasian, and bricks, variously figured with impressions of human feet, and the feet of cows, sheep, wolves, wild boars, etc. In 1793 the great Roman cloaca , or underground watercourse of the town, was discovered between the Jewry wall and the river. St. Nicholas Church, built of the materials of the Roman wall, is the oldest of the churches in Leicester. What remains of the first structure, including the tower, the north wall of the nave, and one of the south doors, is in the Tudor style. The arches are made of the thin Roman bricks. All Saints Church dates from the eleventh century. In the west front there is a curious clock, having two figures which strike the hours with hammers. The Church of St. Mary de Castro is distinguished by its tall spire and half Norman character of architecture. It has a fine timber roof. It was in this church that Henry VI. passed the night according to usage previous to being knighted by his uncle, the Duke of Bedford. In it are memorials of Simon de Montfort, John of Gaunt, Chaucer, and Wyclifle. There are several other churches of interest in Leicester. A very fine collection of Roman antiquities may be seen in the town museum. The hospitals are, some of them, of very ancient foundation. Trinity Hospital was founded in 1331 ; Wigg estone Hospital in 1513 — the latter is a very wealthy corporation. The Town Hall contains, besides some old paintings, the c town library, a collection originally attached to St. Martin’s hurch, containing some literary curio- sities. It is open to strangers. A handsome clock tower, noar the Market-Place perpetuates the memory of four of Leicester’s worthies — Simon de Montfort, Sir Thomas White, William of Wiggestone, and Alderman Newton. The manufacture of hosiery is the staple trade of Leicester, affording sustenance to about 50,000 souls. Hand-knitting was practised from a very early period. The invention of the stocking- frame is attributed to the Rev. W. Lee, about the end of the six- teenth century. It is said that he was deeply in love with a LEICESTER. 307 young townswoman and courted her for a wife ; but experienced such an aversion to knitting by hand, in consequence of the lady being more mindful of her work than of the addresses of her admirer, that he determined to contrive a machine that should turn out work enough to render the common knitting a gainless employment. With this incentive, he produced the first stocking- frame, in 1589. He laid his invention before the courts of Eliza- beth and James I. ; but getting no royal favour, betook himself, his workmen, and his frames to Rouen, but finally died in great want. Machinery was applied to the stocking-frame by Jcdcdiah Strutt ; and to him the great development of this manufacture is due. The stocking- frame was introduced into Leicester under great difficulties and persecutions by one Allsop, who began business in North-gate Street in 1670. At present about 12,000 frames are in use in Leicester weaving stockings. These frames do not belong to the workmen, as a rule, but are let out at a weekly rental by the manufacturers or independent persons. The making of elastic web is another staple industry ol Leicester ; it is of but recent introduction, dating only about thirty years back. The raw material, caoutchouc, is first dissolved and made into sheets and then cut with surprising precision into threads ; these are covered with silk, cotton, etc. Vul- canised india-rubber, a preparation of caoutchouc and sulphur, by which the material is made elastic at all temperatures, was intro- duced a few years after and led to the great development of this trade. In 1850 the weekly production of “gusset webs ” for the sides of boots and shoes was little over 100 yards ; now several manufacturers make many thousands of yards per day. Another business which has progressed side by side with the elastic web trade is the manufacture of boots and shoes. This was begun in Leicester with the employment of about a sccre of hands in making children’s strap shoes. The trade was afterwards enlarged by the introduction of pegged boots, and now it is estimated that upwards of 20,000 hands in and around this town are thus employed. One house alone produces from 2,500 to 3,000 pairs of boots and shoes per day. The objects of note around Leicester include : — Baggrave Hall ; Kirkby Mallory, where the Noels are buried ; Bradgate House and Park, the seat of the Earl of Stamford ; Rothley Temple, once the seat of a preceptory of the Templars ; Quorndon House, the seat of the Farnhams ; and Quorndon Hall, where the famous Quorn hounds were kennelled. At Sixhill, or Segshill, the fosse- way, high and paved, is plainly distinguishable. 308 LONDON AND NORTLI-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION XXV. RUGBY TO STAMFORD. ^PHIS branch for nearly the whole of its course traverses the line of boundary dividing the counties of Leicester and Rutland from Northampton. Leaving the important junction, Rugby, already described on page 274, the tourist passes Clifton Mill station and arrives at Lilbourne, the ancient Tripontium , where Watling Street crossed the Avon. On the road to Welford, Stanford Hall, the seat of Baroness Braye, of the Cave family, is passed. About four miles and a half to the east is Naseby Hall, near to the place where Crom- well defeated Charles I. and Prince Rupert. Passing Yelvertoft, Welford, Theddingworth, and Lubenham stations, Market Harborough. [Hotels : “ Angel,” “ Three Swans,” “ George Inn,” and “ Hind Inn ”] is reached. This is a town of 2,362 inhabitants, where Charles I. fixed his head quarters immediately before the battle of Naseby. Thzre is still shown an old house, now divided into three, in which that ill fated monarch slept. Close by is the Grammar School, an old foundation dating from 1613, endowed by one Robert Smyth, of London. Below the house is a space used as a butter market, the building being supported on pillars. St. Dionysius’ Church is a beautiful structure, in perpendicular Gothic, with a notable tower and spire. The church consists of two distinct portions : one, the chancel and tower of the fourteenth century, and the other, the nave and aisles of the fifteenth century. In either aisle is a window of the fourteenth century, probably preserved from the old structure ; and the pitch of the old nave is still visible in the tower. Two chambers over porches on the south and north sides are said to have been the abodes of anchorites. Market Harborough was harried by Prince Rupert during the Civil War. The Nonconformists of the town, at the Restoration, showed con- siderable hardihood in maintaining their religious views. Their meetings were held at night, the minister and congregation standing for hours in the water, under Chain Bridge, to elude the vigilance of informers. The town is thought to be of Roman origin, and there are traces of a Reman camp in the neighbour- hood. Antique pottery has been found in considerable quantities MEDBOURNE BRIDGE , ETC.— STAMFORD. 309 in the church of St. Mary’s, now used as a mortuary chapel. The neighbourhood abounds in pasture land of a very superior quality, the metropolitan and other cattle markets deriving a considerable portion of their supply from thence. Market Har- borough was formerly the seat of an extensive manufactory of woollen goods and carpets, but now its only industry is the con- struction of stays and corsets. It is, however, much frequented by the followers of Nimrod. Medbourne Bridge is the next station ; it occupies the site of an old Roman post on the Via Devana from Colchester to Chester. Coins have been found in the surrounding fields. Three miles to the north-east of Medbourne Bridge, at Nevill Holt, are large beds of volitic iron ore, blasting furnaces, and a noted chalybeate spring. The next stage on the route is Rockingham. Hotel : “ Sondes Arms.”] At Rockingham Castle, formerly the seat of the late Lord Sondes, are seen the remains of a fortress built by the Con- queror. In the Civil War it was garrisoned for the King, and suffered considerably. Rockingham Forest was about thirty miles long. About four miles to the east is Deane Park, the seat of the Cardigan family. The possessor of the title before the late Earl was the hero of the famous charge of the light cavalry at Balaclava. He was killed in 1868 by a fall from his horse. The line passes the stations of Seaton and Luffenham, and arrives at Stamford [Hotels ; “ George ” and “ Stamford ”], an ancient borough town of about 8,000 inhabitants, in the county of Lincoln. This town is of considerable archaeological interest and is of a remarkably picturesque appearance. The Church of St. Martin’s contains the remains of Richard Cecil and his wife, the parents of Lord Burleigh. There is a splendid monument to William Cecil, Baron Burleigh. St. Mary’s, St. John’s, St. George’s, and All Saints Churches are worthy of observation. Here Hengist routed the Piets, and Alfred allowed the Danes to live. The town suffered greatly during the wars of the Roses. Burleigh House, the seat of the Marquis of Exeter, is in the neighbourhood. 3io LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION XXVI. BLISWOETH TO STRATFORD-ON-AVON. IIE pilgrim who desires to visit the birthplace and tomb of “sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy’s child,” who “was not of an age, but for all time,” may utilise a little railway, some twenty-six miles in length, running from Blisworth, along a pleasing and fertile country, to Stratford-on-Avon. There is little of interest on the way. has some pretensions to antiquity, having remmants of old walls, and ancient coins having been found there. A line to Banbury and Buckingham (see pages 327-8) branches off at this station. Blakesley, Morton Pinkney, Byfield, and Fenny Compton are altogether devoid of any feature calling for special mention ; while the next station, was once a place of note, pleasantly situated on the banks of a stream which falls into the Avon. It derived its name from a market for the sale of kine, or black cattle, formerly held at the town ; and w T as the site of a castle where King John held his court, a neighbouring spring still rejoicing in the name of King John’s Well But any interest which may accrue from such matters is dwarfed into nothingness by the attractions of the town, which will be the bourne of many a traveller’s journey till time shall be no more. After passing Ettington, we reach Stratford-on-Avon [Hotels : “ Shakespeare,” “ Red Horse,” and “ Falcon*’], Stratford is a perfect model of an English country town — a quiet sunny place, on the banks of the Avon. The inhabitants number 7,343. It has an ancient and honourable history, dating from the Saxon era, and obtained a charter of incor- poration from Edward VI. It was, too, the site of a monastery. It had its fairs and markets, and its feast upon the festival of Holy Trinity ; and records of great fires which occurred in its bounds are extant. But all this is quite lost sight of beside Towcester Kine ton, Where his first infant lays sweet Shakespeare sung, Where his last accents faltered on his tongue.” I a USE, STRATFORQ-ON-AVCN- STRA TFORD- ON- A VON. 3 1 1 the paramount interest attaching to it as the birth and burial-place of “ gentle Master Shakespeare,” a title given by the learned and accurate Ben Jonson, which shows that Shakespeare was considered to rank as a gentleman. The house in which the “sweet Swan of Avon ” drew his first Interior of Shakespeare’s House breath is a beautiful old half-timbered building in Henley Street. It has, however, undergone many changes since the time when the immortal bard may be imagined as a school- boy, With his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like a snail Unwillingly to school.” 312 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. It has been a butcher’s shop and a public-house, has been in danger of disappearing piecemeal at the hands of relic-hunting Vandals, and had a narrow escape of being transported entire to America by a speculative showman. Happily for the honour of the country, the house was bought in at the auction by a committee of gentlemen. It consists of three apartments on the ground floor, the first of which was the butcher’s shop when purchased in 1847. On one side is a small room, and beyond it the old kitchen. Passing up a winding wooden staircase, the room in which Shakespeare was horn is entered. The walls are completely covered with names and inscriptions, in every language, by pilgrims of all nations, ranks, and conditions, from the prince to the peasant, and present a simple but striking instance of the spontaneous and universal homage of mankind to the great poet of nature. Many of the signatures are appended to verses, good and bad — especially bad. Among the most noticeable names on the walls, the glass of the windows, and in the visitors’ book, are those of Byron, Scott, Washington Irving, George IV., William IV., the Prince of Orange, the Duke of Wellington, Tom Moore, Mrs. Remans, Jane Porter, and Charles Dickens. In the room off the bedchamber is a fine oil-colour portrait of the poet ; it is considered a true likeness of the greatest of all artists who “ held the mirror up to nature.” From the birth-place of Shakespeare the tourist will proceed to the Grammar School, near which is the site of the house in which he died. This and the famous mulberry-tree, which the poet planted with his own hand in the garden, no longer exist, thanks to the Rev. Francis Gastrell, whose name would scarcely have descended to posterity were it not for the infamous act of Vandalism by which he first cut down the tree and subsequently razed the house to the ground. The assigned reason for the former act was that he was, “pestered” by visitors, and for the latter that the place was “ too highly assessed.” The tree was sold to a jeweller, who manufactured various articles out of it ; if one may judge from the number and variety of those articles, the tree must have been an unusually large one. The Town Hall, which is also in this part of the town, was dedicated in 1769 to the memory of the bard at the “ Shake- speare Jubilee.” Within a niche on the north side is a statue presented by Garrick; on the pedestal are the lines from Hamlet — “ Take him for all in all, We shall not look upon his like again.” Last, but not least, comes Stratford Church, a large and STRA 7 FORD- ON- A VON, 313 venerable cruciform structure, consisting of a nave with side aisles, a transept, a chancel, and square battlemented tower. The church is charmingly situated on the river bank; and though, owing to alterations at different periods, it consists of various styles, there is no incongruity in the tout ensemble. But, as Irving says, “ The mind refuses to dwell on anything Shakespeare’s Monument. that is not connected with Shakespeare. This idea pervades the place ; the whole pile seems but as his mausoleum. The feelings, no longer checked and thwarted by doubt, here indulge in perfect confidence ; other traces of him may be false or dubious, but here is palpable evidence and absolute certainty.” Shakespeare’s monument adorns the doorway on the left of the chancel. He is represented writing upon a cushion, and a Corinthian pillar on either side supports a tablet bearing his coat of arms and the figures of two children. Underneath are inscribed, in Latin and English, 314 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. “ IVDICIO PYLIVM, GENIO SOCRATEM, ARTE MARONEM, TERRA TEGIT, POPVLVS MCERET, OLYMPVS HABET.” “stay PASSENGER : WHY goest thov by so fast? READ IF TIIOV CANST, WHOM ENVIOVS DEATH HATH PLAST WITHIN THIS MONVMENT I SHAKSPEARE, WITH WHOME qvick natvre dide ; whose name doth deck: ys tombe FAR MORE THAN COST I SITH ALL YT HE HATH WRITT LEAVES LIVING ART BVT PAGE TO SERVE HIS WITT. “Obiit. Ano. Doi. 1616: “iEtatis 53. Die 23 Ap.” The bust was originally painted to resemble life. The eyes were of a light hazel, the hair and beard auburn, the doublet scarlet, and the sleeveless gown black. But Malone, one of Shakespeare’s numerous editors, having obtained permission .0 take a cast of the bust, injured it, and was then allowed to paint it white. Referring to this, a justly indignant pilgrim wrote in the visitors’ album, “ Stranger, to whom this monument is shown, Invoke the poet’s curse upon Malone, Whose meddling zeal his barbarous taste betrays. And daubs his tombstone as he mars his plays ! ” “ The poet’s curse ” is that engraved on the plain flagstone which covers his last resting-place : — “Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare To digg the dvst encloased heare : Blest be ye man yt spares thes stones. And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.” Of late years, the bust has been restored to its original condition. The tourist should also visit the neighbouring village of Shottery, to see the cottage in which Shakespeare wooed and won Ann Hathaway, his wife ; and Charlecote, the seat of the Lucy family. The then owner, Sir Thomas Lucy, may be accredited, in a great measure, with setting the bard on the road to fortune, for, being implicated in a raid upon the good knight’s game, he was spoken harshly to by Sir Thomas. The future poet, resenting this, wrote and attached to Charle- cote gate a lampoon, in consequence of which Stratford became too hot for him and he had to escape to London. That he did not lightly forget his fancied wrong, however, is proved by his subsequent satire on the knight in the Merry Wives of Windsor , where Sir Thomas is immortalized as Justice Shallow. O11 leaving Stratford, the tourist for the north can enjoy a delightful drive of some nine or ten miles to Warwick, and after visiting that town and the fashionable inland watering-place of Leamington (see pages 281-9) can continue his journey, via STRATFORD- OAT- A VON— NORTHAMPTON. 315 Birmingham and Stafford. Bidding farewell to Stratford, at a distance of about a mile, Welcombe Lodge, which takes its name from the hills by which it is surrounded, presents itself to view. The old lodge, where in Shakespeare’s day the Combe family resided, and where it is said the poet was a frequent visitor, has long been dismantled, and on its site a mansion in the Eliza- bethan style has been erected. The Welcombe Hills were for- merly the scene of fierce contests between the Britons and Saxons, and the extensive entrenchments known as the “Dingles” are easily traceable, surrounding a large mound, which probably served as a place of encampment. Longbridge House, the ancestral mansion of the Stauntons, is the next object of interest by the main road, while a more circuitous route takes the tra- veller through Charlecote, Hampton Lucy, Wasperton, and Barford. Should the tourist desire further information on the subject, he will do well to consult Shaw’s Shilling Guide to the district. It may, however, be well to state that Shakespeare’s birthplace is open on week-days from nine in the morning till seven in the evening, during summer ; it closes at dusk in the winter. On Sundays the house is open from nine to ten a.m., and from two to three p. m. Admission sixpence. SECTION XXVII. BLISV/ORTH, via NORTHAMPTON, TO PETERBOROUGH L EAVING Blisworth, by a branch running in an easterly direction, the tourist arrives at Northampton [Hotels : “ Angel," “ George,” and “ Peacock”], the seat of the boot and shoe manufactures, containing a popu- lation of from 40,000 to 50,000, chiefly engaged in this trade. It is one of the principal towns of the midland district, and of great interest to the student of history. It was an important centre in the time of the Conqueror, and is the Noxth-hampton of the Domesday Book. From the twelfth to the fourteenth century twenty parliaments were held in this town. At one of them, held in 1 179, burgesses were ordered to be sent from the towns, constituting the germ of the present House of Commons, hive years earlier the clergy were made subject, 3 1 6 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. in another parliament, to the civil law. The university was transferred to Northampton from Oxford on one occasion, in consequence of disputes in the latter city. The castle was built by Simon de St. Liz, at the Conquest, and was held by the tenure of shoeing the king’s horses. De Montford defended the castle against Henry II., who took it by stratagem. With the exception of a round tower, it was entirely demolished in 1662. The Hospital of St. John, in St. John’s Lane, was founded by the St. Liz family, late in the twelfth century. Another old hospital, founded in honour of Thomas a Becket in the middle of the fifteenth century, is situated near South Gate. A large modern hospital, recently enlarged, stands on the east side of the town and overlooks the valley and Peterborough branch and Delapre Abbey. A noted lunatic asylum overlooks the same valley. The beautiful St. Sepulchre Church, lately restored, is one of the most interesting in Northampton. It was built by the Knights Templars on the plan of the sepulchre at Jerusalem, that is, with a round body which becomes octagonal above the massive columns. In the chancel and aisles are additions in the Early and Later English styles. St. Sepulchre is one of. the four existing churches in England, built by this celebrated order; Other notable churches are St. Giles’s ; All Saints, restored 1866; St. Peter’s, within the castle precincts, about which are some grotesque heads and carvings ; and a Roman Catholic chapel, built by Pugin in 1844, called St. Felix. There are several important public edifices worthy of note. These include the Town Hall, a Gothic edifice built in 1863; the Shire Hall, containing portraits of the sovereigns from William III. ; the Corn Exchange, built in 1851 ; the Town Gaol and County Gaol ; and the Grammar School. Many celebrated men are connected with the history of North- ampton, Spencer Perceval, who was assassinated in 1812 in the lobby of the House of Commons, once lived here. His statue, by Chantrey, may be seen in All Saints Church, and a portrait by Joseph in the Town Hall. Doddridge once kept an academy here. Hervey, author of Meditations among the Tombs , was educated in the Grammar School. Dr. Ryland was minister for thirty years in a chapel in College Street. Near the town is a famous race-course. The race ground, an area of 1 1 7 acres, is used in summer by the cricket club. The neighbourhood of Northampton is of great interest. A series of Saxon and Danish camps occupied the hill tops around. Delapre Abbey, the seat of the Bouverie family, is in Harding- stone parish ; near to is one of the many memorials built by Edward I. at every spot where the body of his wife rested on its way to Westminister. The Queen Eleanor’s Cross is a three CASTLE ASHBY, ETC,— PETERBOROUGH. 31 7 storied, octangular Gothic structure ; it was repaired about a cen- tury ago. Near to this relic Henry VI. was defeated and made prisoner by Warwick in 1460. At A1 thorp Park, the seat of Earl Spencer, is a famous library and picture gallery. Many other noblemen’s seats are scattered around this impor- tant centre, leaving which the train passes through Billing Road station to Castle Ashby, where is the seat of the Marquis of Northampton, a structure dating from 1625, but built on the site of an older castle. Many valuable oil paintings are collected in the picture gallery. The Yardley Chase domain belonging to it is twenty-seven miles round. The next station, Wellingborough [Hotels : “Angel” and “Hind”], is near a town of the same name, containing 9,385 inhabi- tants. It is noted for its medicinal springs, which induced Charles I. and his queen, Henrietta, to reside in the town for a whole season in order to drink its waters. The manufactures of boots, shoes, and lace form the principal industries. Passing Ditchford station, we reach Higham Ferrers (population 1,232), the birthplace of Archbishop Chicheley, founder of All Souls’ College, Oxford, and a seat of the manu- facture of boots and shoes. From thence pass through Ring- stead, Thrapston, Thorpe, and Barnewell stations to Oundle [Hotels : “ Dolphin ” and “ Talbot ”], a town within three miles of Fotheringay Castle, built in the reign of William I. by Simon de St. Liz. Here Richard III. was born, and the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots was tried and executed in 1580. The castle was subsequently demolished by her son, James I.; a mound alone now marks its site. The population of Oundle is 2,829. Passing Elton, Wansford, Castor, and Overton stations, we reach the cathedral city of Peterborough [Hotels : “ Angel” and “ Crown ”], containing a population of 17,434, is situated on the River Nene. The principal object of interest is the Cathedral. An abbey was founded here in about 660 by the Mercian kings. It was rebuilt .318 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . after the Norman Conquest and dedicated to St. Peter, whence the name of die town. Its length is 464 feet, the height of the tower is 150 feet. The choir, transept, nave, and abbey gate were built before I2CO. The west front, 160 feet broad, is of later date, and is comprised of three lofty Early English recessed arches. The lady or east chapel was erected in 1518. Becket’s chapel is in the middle of the front. Catharine of Arragon, one of the wives of Henry VIII., was buried here ; as was also Mary Queen of Scots, but the latter was removed to Westminster by James I. A pilgrimage to the shrine of Peter- borough was at one time considered equal to one to Rome. The cloisters cover a space of 130 to 140 feet square. There are numerous effigies and portraits of abbots, etc., in the church, and many of the windows are of stained glass. Dr. Paley was born at Peterborough in 1743. The surrounding country is flat and uninteresting, but many noblemen’s seats are in the neighbourhood. Among these are Milton Abbey, the seat of Earl Fitzwilliam. Blatherwycke, Elton Hall, Thorpe Hall, the residence of the Marquis of Huntley at Overton-Longeville, etc. ♦ SECTION XXVIII. BLETCHLEY, via BEDFORD, TO CAMBRIDGE. . O N page 276 we have already alluded to Bletchley, leaving which station we reach Fenny Stratford, where the Watling Street, or old Roman Way, crosses the Ouse. At Stony Stratford, near to this place, Richard III. seized his nephew Edward V. The next station is Woburn Sands. [Hotel : “ Bedford Arms.”] In the neighbourhood is Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Bedford, built upon the site of a Cistercian foundation. When the old buildings were taken down to make way for the present structure, human remains, enclosed in stone coffins, were found in a state of remarkable preservation. Royalty twice paid the abbey visits — Elizabeth, in 1572, and Charles I., 1645. Picture and sculpture galleries are attractive points in this mansion. The park is twelve miles in circuit and is noted AMFTHILL— BEDFORD. 3 1 9 for its large herds of deer. The population of Woburn Sands is 1,605. Passing Ridgmont and Lidlington stations, Ampthill [Hotels : “ King’s Arms,” “ King’s Head,” and “White Hart”] is reached ; the town has a population of over 2,300. Ampthill Park was formerly the seat of Lord Holland ; latterly it was the seat of Baron Park, Lord Wensleydale, whose widow now lives there. Ampthill Castle was the residence of Queen Catherine after her divorce from Henry VIII. A cross in memory of the wrongs done to Catherine now occupies the site of the castle. The following lines, written by Horace Walpole, occur on the monument : — “ In days of old, here Ampthill’s towers were seen, The mournful refuge of an injured Queen ; Here flowed her pure but unavailing tears ; Here blinded zeal sustained her sinking years. Yet Freedom here her radiant banner waved, And Love avenged a realm by priests enslaved, From Catherine’s wrongs a nation’s bliss w r as spread, And Luther’s light from Henry’s lawless bed.” Leaving this station we reach Bedford [Hotels : “ Swan,” “ George,” “ Rose,” and “ Red Lion ”], situate on a ford of the Ouse, whence its name — “ the Town on the Ford ” (population 16,850). From its important position Bedford was exposed to all the vicissitudes attendant on England’s many changes of masters. The ford of the river was formerly guarded by a strong castle, which was destroyed in the reign of Henry III. The Swan Inn occupies a portion of the site, and a bowling-green has been constructed out of the ancient keep. Bedford has six churches, of which the principal are St. Paul’s (containing an effigy of one of the Beauchamps, who held the castle after the Conquest, and a monument of Sir William Harpur, the founder of the many charities for which the town is celebrated), and St. Peter’s, with its noble Norman entrance and stained-glass windows. But for many, perhaps, the chair of John Bunyan, the illustrious tinker, in Bunyan Meeting (Mill Street), will have pre-eminence over every other attraction in this old city. The Pilgrim's Pro- gress was composed during Bunyan’s twelve years' imprison- ment in Bedford Gaol, where he wrote, in his moments of leisure, and made tag laces for the support of his family. His birth- place was Elstow, about a mile from Bedford. Here his cottage 320 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. and forge are still pointed out. The Duke of Bedford recently presented to the town a statue of this, the greatest preacher and most original genius of his age. It was uncovered by Dean Stanley, and is the work of Mr. Boehm. The figure is in bronze, cast from cannon and bells brought from China. Bunyan is represented preaching, holding in his hands the Bible. The pedestal is embellished with three scenes from the Pilgrim's Progress. The statue stands on St. Peter’s Green. The other memorials of Bunyan, to be found in the meeting house, with the chair, are his will and a cabinet and jug. In the town library is the copy of Eoxe' s Book of Martyrs which he had in prison with him. Bedford is also noted for its connection with the philan- thropist Howard, who was born at Cardington, about two miles from the town ; and with Earl Russell, who, at the last general election before the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832, was rejected as one of its representatives, after a poll which lasted for upwards of a week. The splendid schools founded by Sir William Harpur have given Bedford a wide-spread celebrity ; they are among the greatest educational establishments of the land. There are numerous remains of religious houses and some Roman and Saxon antiquities in the town. The agricultural machinery works of Messrs. Howard, whose inventions have revolutionized farming processes, form one of the sights of Bedford. The Brittannia Iron Works cover an area of twenty acres, and form a vast manufactory and storehouse of valuable implements. The Bedfordshire Middle Class School educates three hundred boys in a spacious building close to the line. The George Inn, a house of the fifteenth century, is worth seeing. Leaving Bedford, the line passes through Blunham station, and reaches Sandy, formerly a military station, and anciently known as Salina. Coesar’s Camp, an immense hill to the north-east, is supposed to be the spot where the Conqueror encamped after sailing up the river Ivel from Lyne. Passing Potton, Gamlingay, Old North Road, and Lord’s Bridge, we arrive at Cambridge. [Hotels : “ University Arms,” “ Red Lion,” “ Bull,” “ Hoop,” “ Castle,” and “ Bird-Bolt.”] The university buildings, and many associations with the great names of yore, must ever invest this town with peculiar * CAMBRIDGE. 321 interest. A foundation, dating back from 630, is claimed for the university, but the oldest college, St. Peter’s, or Peterhouse, as it is usually called, in Trumpington Street, can only be referred to 1257. The place, however, had obtained a high reputation as a seat of learning even in the first years of that century, Cambridge is situated on the banks of the Cam, a branch of the river Nene. The ground on which it stands is flat ; indeed it is a part of the great Fen Level which stretches across Cambridgeshire, Norfolkshire, and a part of Lincolnshire. The houses are constructed of brick. During its early history it was twice ravaged by the Danes, the second time in 10 10. Seventy-eight years after Roger de Montgomery fell upon the town to revenge an insult placed upon him by the Second Wil- liam. Once more it fell into the hands of spoilers in 1214, when the Barons ravaged it. In the reign of Elizabeth the seventeen colleges were constituted an university. During the Civil War Cambridge took the royal side, and sen its plate to be melted for the use of the army. In 1630 the university was temporarily closed in consequence of the ravages of the plague, which took off 400 persons. The present population is 33,996, including 700 persons attached to the university. There are seventeen colleges, the principal of which are — Trinity College, founded by Henry VIII., which contains three fine courts, a noble Tudor hall, gardens, and a library, in which are busts of Newton and Bacon, by Roubiliac, a statue of Byron, Newton’s telescope, some of Milton’s MSS., and other interesting objects. Bacon, Newton, Barrow, Porson, Bentley, Dryden, and Byron were students here. Gonville and Caius College, founded partly in 1384, by Edward Gonville, and partly by Queen Mary’s physician, Dr. Caius, in 1557, had the honour of educating the eloquent and amiable Jeremy Taylor. It has been rebuilt within the last few years, and is now one of the handsomest edifices in Cambridge. Christ’s College, in St. Andrew’s Street, founded in 1442, contains a court rebuilt by Inigo Jones, and fine gardens, in which is Milton’s mulberry-tree. Here Milton “scorned delights and lived laborious days ” in close study. Edward King, the subject of Lycidas, was also a student here. Emmanuel College, in the same street, was founded in 1584. Archbishop Sancroft, whose books are in the library, was a student. Jesus College and its chapel are worth visiting. Cranmer, Sterne, and Coleridge were among those whose names are honourably associated with this college. Corpus Christi, in Trumpington Street, was BishopJLatimer’s college ; it contains some good portraits, especially thSse of Sir 21 322 -LONDON AND NOR TIL WESTERN GUIDE . Thomas More, Wolsey, Erasmus, and John Foxe, the author of the Book of Martyrs. Erasmus and Thomas Fuller were students of Queen’s College, founded by Margaret, Queen of Ilenry VI., and Elizabeth Wood- ville, Queen of Edward IV. King’s College, founded by Henry VI., is the college par excellence from an architectural point of view. Notice especially the interior of the chapel, so much admired by Wren. The roof, which is entirely unsupported by pillars, contains twelve divisions of exquisitely fine tracery in carved stone ; and the windows, twenty-four in number, and each nearly fifty feet in height, are filled with beautifully stained glass. The music on Sundays attracts many visitors, and the singing is especially fine. St. John’s, founded by Margaret, mother of Henry VII., is the college most distinguished for mathematical honours. Among the long list of bygone celebrities who studied here we may mention Ben Jonson, Prior, Wordsworth, Bishop Beveridge, William Wilberforce, the great opponent of the slave trade, and the unfortunate Henry Kirke White, to whom a memorial tablet with a handsome medallion, by Chantrey, was raised in All Saints’ Church, by Francis Boot, Esq., of Boston, U.S. The inscription by Professor Smyth concludes thus : — “Far o’er the Atlantic wave A wanderer came, and sought the poet’s grave ; On yon low stone he saw his lonely name, And raised this fond memorial to his fame.” The remaining colleges are St. Katharine’s, Clare, Downing, Pembroke, Sidney Sussex (of which Cromwell was a graduate), Magdalene, and Trinity Hall. The University Buildings (in- cluding the library), the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Town Hall, the Shire Hall, on the site of the ancient castle of William the Conqueror, and the town churches, are also worth seeing. Perhaps the greatest beauty of Cambridge is the part called the Backs. The name is derived from the fact that in this place several of the college gardens slope down to the river bank, which is lined with trees, the stream being crossed by several handsome bridges. The present population of the town is 34,000. The Town Hall, in the Market Place, was built by the eccentric Hobson, a carrier and job-master, whose mode of doing business gave origin to the famous saying, “ Hobson’s choice, this or none.” Applicants for horses were not allowed to take the animal of their choice, but must take the horse whose turn it was to go out, or have none at all. The Shire Hall and Prison occupy the site of a structure erected by William the Con- queror, to overawe the Saxon defenders of the Isle of Ely. 6 WANBOURNE— WINSLOW— ISL1P* SECTION XXIX, SLETC H ta L E Y TO OXFORD. B LETCHLEY is also the junction of a line running to Oxford, so that, though but a small place, it forms the connecting link between the sister universities and the North-Western system. Leaving the junction, the line passes through the station of Swanbourne, close to which is Whaddon Hall, where Spencer, the poet, resided for some time in the capacity of secretary to Arthur, Lord Grey ; and serves Winslow [Hotels : “ Bell ” and “ George ”] (population 1,826), an old market town, given in 794 by King Offa to the abbey of St. Alban’s. The church is a venerable structure, in the later English style, with a square embattled tower. The town was at one time celebrated for the successful cultivation of the white poppy, from which opium is manufac- tured. The train is divided here for Buckingham and Banbury, the branch for which towns leaves the line at Verney Junction, whence a short line runs, via Quainton Road, to Aylesbury (see page 329). Claydon, the seat of the Verney family, and Launton, a manor bestowed upon the chapter of Westminster by Edward the Confessor, but recently transferred to the Ecclesiastical Com- missioners, are passed ; and Bicester [Hotels : “ King’s Arms ” and “ Crown ”] is the next station. Here are the remains of a priory dedicated to St. Eadburg, and founded in 1182, and also a well which, under the name of the same saint, was reputed to possess miraculous properties. It has a population of 3,330. The town is known for its ale and pillow-lace. At Islip, the next station, Edward the Confessor was born, in the palace of his father, Ethelred II. No traces of this building remain. The font used at the^baptism of the former monarch is now in the garden of the rectory. 324 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Leaving Islip, the traveller reaches the great seat of classic learning in England, Oxford. [Hotels: “ Angel,” “Clarendon,” “ Golden Cross,” “King’s Arms,” “Mitre,” “Roebuck,” “Randolph,” “Star,” “ Three Cups,” “Three Goats,” and “ Wheatsheaf.”J The city stands in a fine extent of level country, termi- nating northwards in a range of hills. Its main portion lies between the Cherwell and a portion of the Thames, here called the Isis. It contains a population of 34,482. The ap- pearance of the place from a distance, on account of the number of venerable structures in every style of architecture, with their domes and spires, is one of great magnificence; nor does it lose its imposing aspect on a nearer approach. The number, stateliness, and beauty of the buildings, together with their look of antiquity and repose, combine to produce a feeling of admiration and a certain amount of awe that will not fail to fix the remembrance of Oxford in the mind as a thing not to be forgotten. Tradition marks Oxford as the seat of a university from the time of Alfred, and it is certain that it was the abode of learning even previous to that date. The original town, however, was demolished by the Danes, so that the absence of all traces of this legendary establishment may easily be accounted for. The monasteries founded here after the Conquest were famed far and wide for their learning ; and, among other alumni , had the honour of instilling into Henry I. those seeds of learning which earned for him the title of Beauclerc. The most characteristic feature of Oxford’s history has been its Conservatism, which has always induced it to link its fortunes with those of the Crown. The plan of the city is that much favoured by the ancient Romans — four great streets, converging at a central point from the four cardinal points. The central point in Oxford is called Carfax, a corruption of Quatre-faccs or Quatre-voies. The entrance from Magdalen Bridge (east end) affords the finest prospect of the city. The public buildings, exclusive of the ecclesiastical and university edifices, comprise the Town Hall, the County Gaol, near the old tower of the castle, and the New Museum, a splendid building inside, though not particu- larly striking in external appearance. Christchurch Cathedral forms part of the college of the same name, and stands on the site of St. Frideswide’s Abbey. It was commenced in 1120, but converted into a college in 1525 by Wolsey. The Norman doorway, the cloisters, of Gothic architecture, and the spire, in height 144 feet, said to be the OXFORD. 325 oldest in England, all command attention. The Church of St. Mary is also worthy of notice ; it is an ancient foundation. A new aisle, dedicated to the martyrs, Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, has been recently added to the church. Close by is the Martyrs’ Cross, seventy-three feet in height, containing niches filled by those celebrated bishops. There are numerous other churches, claiming notice for their elegance, as well as on the scores of antiquity and associations ; but we must pass on to the colleges, of which there are nineteen, together with five halls. University College was founded, according to tradition, by King Alfred, but it dates historically only from 1280, when the bequest of Durham, Archbishop of Rouen, given to the university in 1249, was assigned as an emolument to the college, thenceforward styled University College, instead of Alfred’s Hall. Bishop Ridley and Sir William Jones, the celebrated oriental scholar, poet, and legislator, were students. Merton can claim seniority, being founded by Merton, Chan- cellor of England, in 1264. It also contains the oldest college library (1349) ; among its past members we may mention Duns Scotus, Massinger, Sir Richard Steele, and Bodley, the founder of the famous Bodleian Library. The tower of the chapel is massive and very beautiful. Baliol was founded in 1281, by the widow of John Baliol (father of the Scottish king). Wycliffe was once master and warden of this college; and John Evelyn, the first scientific gardener, and author of a most amusing and historically valu- able diary, was a member of it. Oriel (1324) was founded by Edward II. There is a gold cup which belonged to that unfortunate king preserved in the college. Sir Walter Raleigh, Butler (author of the Ana- logy), Joseph Warton, Dr. Arnold, Whateley, Dr. Newman, and Keble (author of the Christian Year and Professor of Poetry) were of this college. Adjoining is St. Mary’s Hall. New College (1379). The great window was designed by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Philpot, the martyr, and Sir Henry Wotton, the poet and politician in the reigns of Elizabeth and James, and author of that witty definition of an ambassador, “an honest gentleman, sent to lie abroad for the good of his country,” were of this foundation. Christchurch (1525) includes the cathedral already noticed. The tower contains “Big Tom,” one of the largest bells in England ; it is twice the size of the largest in St. Paul’s. There is a statue of Wolsey, the founder, in the quadrangle, and “ Wolsey’s Hall” contains some fine paintings. Sri Thomas More, Atterbury, Robert Boyle, Sir Philip Sydney, 326 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Camden, Locke, Ben Jonson, Canning, Peel, and Gladstone were educated here. Magdalen (pronounced Maudlen) dates from 1448, and has an elegant campanile tower, on the top of which a Latin hymn is sung annually, on May morning, by the choir. Wol- sey, Bishop Latimer, John Hampden, Collins (author of the Ode on the Passions), Gibbon, the historian, and Addison (after whom the walk by the Cherwell is called), belonged to this college. All Souls’ (1437) had the celebrated Jeremy Taylor as a fellow. Brazenose (1509) has the names of Bishop Heber, Fox (the author of the Book of Martyrs), and Whittaker, the historian, on its books. Corpus Christi (1516) was founded by Bishop Fox, of Win- chester, who brought about the marriage which united the claims of the York and Lancastrian houses to the Crown, and thus ended the Wars of the Roses. Pembroke (1724) was the college favoured by Samuel John- son, but he was compelled through poverty to leave before he could take a degree. His LL.D. was subsequently bestowed honoris cansd by the Dublin university, and Oxford followed the good example shortly after. Queen’s (1340) was so called in honour of Philippa, the wife of Edward III. Jeremy Bentham, the eminent writer on morals and jurisprudence, was its greatest student. Trinity (1555) contains a court built by Sir Christopher Wren, and has the honour of having nurtured the faculties of Thomas Warton, the poet, and William Pitt, the greatest of English statesmen — greatest as being the destroyer of the corrupt practices of the House of Commons, and first English statesman who rose to and wielded power by the popular voice. Wadham (1613) was under the wardenship, during the Pro- tectorate, of Bishop Wilkins, one of the principal founders of the Royal Society. The names of the remaining colleges are Exeter, Jesus, Lincoln, St. John’s, and Worcester, in addition to which may be mentioned the “ Schools,” close to the University Buildings, which contain the Arundelian marbles. In the University Galleries, in St. Giles Street, maybe seen the Pomfret statues, and numerous original sketches by Raffaelle and Michael Angelo. The University Buildings form a splendid square round the Radcliffe Library, in Broad Street. St. Mary’s Church encloses the south, Brazenose College and Chapel the west, OXFORD— BUCKINGHAM. 327 All Souls’ the east, while fronting Broad Street are the Ashmolean Museum, the Theatre, and Clarendon Buildings. The centre of the square is occupied by the Radcliffe Library, or Camera Bodleiana , as it is now called. The Bodleian Library is one of the finest in the world, containing nearly 300,000 volumes ; it includes some of the scarcest books and MSS. The nucleus was formed in 1602, by Sir Thomas Bodley, who obtained a grant, entitling the library to a copy of every book entered at Stationers’ Hall. This was supple- mented by a bequest from Dr. Radcliffe of ,£40,000. Oxford was the favourite residence of Henry II., and in that city were born his sons, Richard Cceur de Lion and John. During a stay in Oxford, no one should lose the opportunity of visiting Woodstock Park, in the immediate vicinity, cn account of its historical associations. Nuneham Park is also a favourite excursion, and antiquarians should walk ever to Iffiey, a distance of about a mile, the parish church of which has one of the finest Norman doorways in existence. SECTION XXX. BLETCHLEY, via BUCKINGHAM AND BANBURY, TO BUS WORTH. BRANCH from Bletchley, diverging from the Oxford line at Verney Junction (see page 323), communicates with Buckingham and {vid Brackley and Farthinghoe) Banbury. The carriages for this branch are detached from the Oxford train at Winslow. The most prominent object seen on approaching this town is the spire, 1 50 feet high, of a church built upon the site of an old castle in the year 1780. It has a population of 7,545, chiefly connected with agricultural pursuits, or engaged in the manu- facture of machinery and lace. Two miles from Buckingham is Stowe, a magnificent structure, lately a part of the estates of the Duke of Buckingham. It contained a library of 10,000 volumes, a collection of MSS., and was splendidly decorated and furnished. Buckingham. [Hotels : “White Hart ” and “ Swan.”] 328 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. The line next serves Brackley, an ancient borough with 2,154 inhabitants, engaged in lace and shoe manufacture \ Farthinghoe ; and Banbury [Hotels : “ Bear,” “ Red Lion,” Talbot,” and “ White Lion ”], in which is the restored cross, celebrated in nursery legends. In it are still sold the famous Banbury cakes. It formerly possessed a castle, the residence of bishops of Oxford, a structure destroyed during the later Civil War. A battle was fought at Danesmere in 1469, during the struggle between the factions of the White and Red Roses. Cheese and ale are also the well known products of Banbury. It contains also a large agricultural implement factory, and some interesting old houses ; its inhabitants number 4, 122. Banbury is also connected with Blisworth (see page 274) by rail, vid Brackley, Farthinghoe, Helmdon, Wappingham, and Towcester, (see page 308), whose inhabitants (numbering 2,465) are princi- pally engaged in the shoe and lace trade. The town takes its name from the river Tow, on which it stands. The Roman Watling Street runs through the place, and the Talbot Inn is- ancient. A Town Hall and Corn Exchange, built of stone in the Classic style, was opened in 1867. Easton Neston, Earl Pomfret’s seat, is in the immediate neighbourhood ; its erection was commenced by Wren. SECTION XXXI. LEIGHTON TO LUTON. F ROM Leighton a branch line of seven miles in length, pass- ing the small station of Stanbridge Ford, conducts the traveller to Dunstable [Hotels: “ Sugar Loaf,” “ Red Lion,” and “ Saracen’s Head ’], a municipal borough with a population of nearly 4, 558, celebrated for the manufacture of straw-plait bonnets and hats, and for the number and size of the larks sent thence to London. It is situated at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, on the site of a Roman station on Watling Street. The church is an ancient and interesting structure, a part of it having been formerly attached to a cele- L UTON—A YLESB UR Y. brated priory in the time of Henry I. Many of the houses have an antiquated appearance. The town inns are famous buildings ; Charles I. slept at the Red Lion Inn on his way to Naseby. From thence the traveller is conducted to Luton [Hotels: “ George,” “ Cock,” “ Queen,” “Red Lion,” and “Bell”], a considerable town, with a population of 17,317, chiefly devoted to the manufacture of straw-plait. Luton church, built of chalk and flints, is noted for a fine embattled tower and curious font, its monuments, a chapel founded in the reign of Henry VI., and a window representing St. George and the Dragon. Luton Hoo is a fine mansion, the seat of the Leigh family. Luton is situated at the source of the Lea River, from which it takes its name, Luton meaning Lea-Town, — - SECTION XXXII. CH EDDINGTON TO AYLESBURY. F ROM Cheddington Junction a short line conducts the tra- veller past Marston Gate station to Aylesbury [Hotels: “George,” “Crown,” “King’s Head,” and “Bell”], a town of great antiquity, delightfully situated on an eminence in the fertile tract of country called the Vale of Aylesbury, noted for the extent and richness of its pasture land. Chalk hills bound it on the north and south. This town figures prominently in early English history as a stronghold of the Ancient British. It was subdued by Cuthwolf, brother of Cealwin, king of the West Saxons, in the year 571. Aylesbury was a Saxon manor, granted by the Conqueror to a follower on the tenure of finding straw for his bed, three eels, and three green geese. Law proceedings, flowing out of the corruption of the burgesses of this borough, led to a constitutional struggle between the Houses of Lords and Commons in 1702. The population is now 6,962. The church, built in the Decorated Gothic style, in the form of a cross, is situated in a large churchyard ; its low tower can be seen from most parts of the vale. There is a carved pulpit in 330 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. the church, and tombs of the Lees of Quarendon. A few years ago the remains of nearly 300 human bodies were discovered in a field on the London road near to Aylesbury ; they are sup- posed to have been the remains of those who perished in a fight between the followers of Prince Rupert, the Royalist leader, and Sir W. Balfour, the Parliamentary General, on March 21st, 1643. Lace and straw-plait are the prominent manufactures. The inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood rear a great number of early ducklings for the London Christmas market. The ducks are kept from laying till about October or November, when they are fed with abundance of stimulating food, and hens employed to sit on the eggs. The young brood, being hatched, are nursed with great care. The vale of Aylesbury sends as many as three quarters of a million ducks annually to London. The works of Messrs. Watson and Llazell, printers, of Hatton Garden, London, give employment to upwards of 150 persons in their important printing establishment. This book was printed at Aylesbury at the works of this firm. The town is supplied with spring water from the Chiltern Hills (softened by Clarke’s process) by a company formed in 1867. The supply is being carried to the contiguous villages. Near Aylesbury is Wootton Underwood, made memorable by the poet Cowper, who, while living here with Lady Hesketh, his cousin, near Throckmorton’s old seat, produced his Homer . His house is still standing. HIS short branch line of seven miles in length, after leaving Watford, passes through pleasing scenery to the stations of Bricket Wood and Park Street, before reaching [Hotels : “ Peahen,” “ Woolpack,” and “ George and Dragon an interesting cathedral town, with a population of 8,298. The town, previously known as Verulam, received its name from an abbey founded by Offa, king of Mercia, in honour of the English martyr, St. Alban. The fine old abbey church (now the cathedral) and a large square gateway are the only remains of the abbey. The church was made parochial in the reign of Edward VI. It is a magnificent Norman edifice, the nave being SECTION XXXIII. WATFORD TO ST. ALBANS. St. Alban’s bt. ai Dan’s Abbey 332 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. longer than that of any other church in the country. The lady chapel is also singularly fine. The whole edifice is, at present, undergoing restoration, in the course of which the original shrine of the patron saint has been discovered ; it is now placed in its proper position. Amongst other interesting monuments are the tombs of Matthew Paris, the chronicler, and of Humphrey, the good Duke of Gloucester ; and the Abbey Gate, a large building near the church, and formerly used as a gaol, is now the Grammar School. St. Alban’s is the seat of the new bishopric, created in 1875, t0 ease the labours of the Bishops of London and Winchester. St. Alban’s was the scene of two “battles of the Roses,” and numbers of the slain were buried in the abbey church. The Roman city of Verulamium was in the immediate vicinity, and some portions of the city wall are now standing. SECTION XXXIV. LONDON. Hotels: “Euston” and “Victoria,” “Langham,” “Charing Cross,” “ Metropolitan,” “ Cannon Street,” “ Grosvenor,” “ Buckingham Palace,” “ Tavistock,” “ St. James’s,” “ Drummond,” and innumerable others of greater or less excellence and celebrity.] “ 'T'HE spot on which London is built,” says Knight, “ or at least that on which the first buildings were probably erected, was pointed out by nature as the site for a city.” Ac- cordingly we find it so occupied from time immemorial. If we are to believe Geoffrey of Monmouth, the foundation was laid 1008 years before Christ, and, after being ruled over by fifty- eight kings, the city was walled in by Lud, whence the title of Ludgate Hill, the city thoroughfare leading up to St. Paul’s from Fleet Street and Temple Bar. All is but vague tradition, however, until the arrival of the Roman pioneers of civilization. Shortly after this, Londinium, first so called by Tacitus, became a Roman station, was rebuilt, and encircled by a line of walls. Though taken and sacked by the natives under Boadicea, the city continued to increase in importance down to the fourth century. In the Itinerary of Antoninus mention is made of seven great roads diverging from London, which was then comprised within the present limits of the “ City.” With reference to the wonderful growth of the English LONDON . 333 metropolis, it may be noticed that, though its area and popu- lation increased largely and steadily from this period, still it has been only in comparatively recent times that the increase has become so marvellously rapid. Little more than two centuries ago, Charing Cross was but a village, and St. Mar- tin’s-in-the-Fields and St. Giles-in-the-Fields literally fulfilled the conditions implied by their titles. It is only within the last hundred years that the circuit of London has expanded to its present enormous limits and absorbed the outlying villages on every side. It now, according to the Registrar-General, reaches north and south from Hampstead to Norwood and east and west from Woolwich to Hammersmith — an area of 8o,oco acres, or 122 square miles. The oopulation of this great tract of land was 3,251,804, in 1871. In 1851, it was 2,363,141, and in 1861, 2,803,034 ; so that, allowing for a similar increase, the population of 1871 will now be exceeded by nearly three hundred thousand. The annual rental of the metropolis amounts to the enormous sum of from ^20,000,000 to ^25, 000,000 ; and this does not include the extensive suburbs by which it is surrounded, and which are so closely connected with London as to be almost a part of it. They are, in fact, a continuation of its lines of streets. It is estimated that, besides hotels and boarding-houses, there are nearly 5,000 public-houses and 2,000 beerhouses ; and that their fronts would, if placed side by side, reach from Charing Cross to Portsmouth, a distance of seventy - three miles. London contains nearly 3,000 bakers, 2,000 butchers, 3,000 tea- dealers and grocers, about 1,600 coffee-rooms, nearly 1,700 dairymen, and about 1,800 tobacconists, while in 1874, upwards of 300 photographic studios were in existence in the metropolis. There are more than 2,000 physicians and surgeons, about 4,000 boot and shoemakers, and some 3,000 tailors ; linendrapers, mil- liners, and dressmakers making together, roughly calculated, a total of 2,000. The places of worship number about 1,200. General View of the Principal Streets and Thoroughfares. From west to east, London on the northern side of the Thames may be said to be traversed by three main arteries : — The first of these great thoroughfares, and the most southerly, commences at the Fulham Road in the west, and passing through Brompton (Brompton Road) and Knightsbridge, the southern boundary of Hide Park, assumes the title of Piccadilly. Then turning to the right, down Regent Street, it resumes its easterly course along Pall Mall East, past Trafalgar Square, to the 3 34 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Strand. At Temple Bar, we enter Fleet Street and the “City” at the same time. From Fleet Street, we pass up Ludgate Hill, and skirt St. Paul’s, whence Cannon Street leads to London Bridge. From London Bridge, Lower Thames Street leads past Billingsgate to the Tower, whence East Smithfield and St. George’s Street conduct to the Docks. The second great road, west and east, commences at the Uxbridge or Bayswater Road, and runs along to the north of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, at the termination of which it becomes Oxford Street. Oxford Street runs into Holborn, and Holborn over the Viaduct into Newgate Street, Cheapside, and the Poultry, then past the Mansion House, Bank of England, and Royal Exchange to Cornhill and Leaden- hall Street, whence a continued route, formed by the White- chapel and Mile End Roads, runs past Aldgate to the open country in Essex. The third main line of intersection, west and east, is that once called the New Road, but now subdivided into the Maryle- bone, Euston, Pentonville, and City Roads. This thoroughfare runs from Paddington, past the London and North-Western, Midland, and Great Northern railway-stations, at Euston, St. Pancras, and King's Cross respectively. It then, under the name of the Pentonville Road, leads up to the Angel Inn, after passing which, and assuming the title of the City Road, it takes a south-easterly direction to Moorgate Street and the Bank. The chief thoroughfares running north and south are — First, the Edgware Road, running from Kilburn in a south- easterly direction to the Marble Arch entrance to Hyde Park. The line of road is continued by Park Lane, at the ex- tremity of which, turning to the right along Piccadilly, as far as Hyde Park Corner and the Wellington Statue, it once more, at Grosvenor Place, extends to the Victoria Station at Pimlico, whence Vauxhall Bridge Road leads over the Thames to Kennington. Secondly, Langham Place and Regent Street, the latter of which, curving through the Quadrant, is continued to the York Column, where it turns sharply to the east, by way of Pall Mall, and thence to the south, through Cockspur Street, into Whitehall and Parliament Street ; Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament being, to a certain extent, the finish of this thoroughfare. Thirdly, the road from Hampstead, down Haverstock Hill, through Camden Town into Tottenham Court Road, at the termination of which it meets the great traffic of Oxford Street, being farther continued, in a partial degree, through the St. Giles’s district and St. Martin’s Lane into Trafalgar Square. LONDON. 335 farther east of these three great arteries we come to Gray’s Inn Road and Aldersgate Street, each of them large thorough- fares, but not of the same importance as those just epitomized. The Finsbury avenue of communication has been already noticed, being a portion of the City Road, which, turning south, is a continuation of the New Road. It should, however, be indicated, at this place, that the City Road traffic receives a great feeder from Islington down the New North Road, as also from Dalston, Highbury, and the extreme northern districts. One more large and important road remains to be mentioned. This, known in its beginning as the Kingsland Road, is con- tinued with Shoreditch, through Bishopsgate Street and Gracechurch Street, over London Bridge into Southwark ; the principal roads of which part of the Metropolis we may now consider. A reference to the map will enable the reader to perceive that the chief roads of Southwark and the adjacent districts are, for the most part, connected with and controlled by the roads of the northern division of London, the bridges over the Thames being the links of communication. Commencing eastward for the first great artery, we, on the other side of London Bridge, reach Wellington Street in the Borough, which is continued on through High Street, past the Elephant and Castle Inn, to Kennington, and thence to Clapham, Brixton, etc. All the roads “over the water,” in fact, convergent the Elephant and Castle Inn, whence they radiate again to all the outlying districts south of the Metropolis. The Thames may be also mentioned under this category of thoroughfares, for while its barges perform the part of the great drays, which thunder along the pavemented streets, to the inconvenience and often terror of pedestrians, its penny and express steamboats with equal fitness fulfil the roles of the four- wheeler and hansom cabs. Indeed, in the summer months, the river is a favourite route to and from the City ; and the tourist, after viewing the thoroughfares already mentioned, from the driver’s seat of the omnibuses, will have a far more delightful treat in store — the water route, say from Richmond (which place may be reached by means of the London and North-Western Railway, vid Willesden) to Greenwich. Leaving behind us the lovely scenery of Richmond, Twicken- ham, Kew, Mortlake, Barnes, and Chiswick, let us commence our observations at Hammersmith, where a handsome suspen- sion bridge connects Middlesex with Surrey. From this point 336 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. the river widens into the fine reach of Hammersmith and Putney, and takes its course nearly south to Fulham, Putney being opposite, on the Surrey shore. At Fulham is the Bishop of London’s palace, a handsome building of a semi-castellated character, situated on a wooded lawn, with a fine background of lofty trees stretching inland. Fulham Church is close to the palace. Here we pass under an aqueduct, and, a few yards further on, under Putney Bridge, a picturesque old wooden structure and one of the last of the kind left standing. From this point, for about a mile, the course of the Thames is due east, the banks, notably that of Middlesex, being pretty and sometimes well-wooded. The stream now turns to the north- east, passing Wandsworth, in Surrey, until.it reaches Chelsea, where another timber bridge connects Chelsea with Battersea: a new bridge, the Albert Suspension Bridge, a light hand- some structure, opened in 1874, spans the Thames at some little distance nearer London. We now pass the quaint old parish church of Chelsea, and farther on notice the fine esplanade, with its grand old trees, known as Cheyne Walk, the houses of which, though belonging to a past age, and therefore, as to modern tastes, unfashionable, are among the handsomest and best-built in the Metropolis. Amongst them is Tudor House, where Queen Elizabeth, when Princess, was detained by her sister Mary in the custody of Sir Henry Bedingfield. In the garden is a magnificent mulberry-tree, still known as Queen Elizabeth’s Tree. Tudor House is now in the occupation of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, one of our greatest painters, and, moreover, a poet of some merit. Cheyne Walk is rich in memorials both ancient and modern. Our noble painter, Turner, resided there for years, and at the present time the illustrious writer, Carlyle, lives in this row. A massive embankment of noble proportions, with a broad roadway, and a portion laid out in greensward and flower-beds, was opened in 1874 by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. It traverses the Middlesex side of the river from Old Battersea Bridge to Chelsea Hospital. After Chelsea we notice, on the Surrey side, Battersea Park (which has elaborate plantations and tasteful flower-beds), and approach, on the opposite side, the new embankment and the river front of Chelsea Hospital, presently passing under Chelsea Suspension Bridge. This is a very ornate structure, connecting Chelsea with Battersea Park and its vicinity. Close by is another bridge, the Pimlico Railway Bridge, a fine massive combination of stone and iron, over which, by separate lines of rail, the London and Brighton, the Chatham and Dover, and the Crystal Palace trains proceed to their respective destinations. LONDON. 337 The river now widens as we enter Chelsea Reach, and the shores exhibit greater and greater signs of population and commerce. After passing the Chelsea Waterworks, we arrive at Vauxhall Bridge, a plain iron structure of nine arches, all of equal span. This bridge connects Vauxhall, in Surrey, with Millbank. It belongs to a private company, who charge a toll of a halfpenny for foot-passengers, and twopence for every horse. The stone piers are founded in caissons. A little below this bridge commences the Surrey or Albert Embankment of the river Thames, a magnificent structure, similar in most respects to the embankment on the Middlesex shore, of which we shall presently speak. It extends from Lambeth to Westminster Bridge. The river front is of granite, the roadway fifty feet wide, and the entire length 4,300 feet. On this embankment, stand the handsome new buildings of St. Thomas’s Hospital, facing which are the Houses of Parliament, or New Palace of Westminster, perhaps the finest modern Gothic pile in the world. It covers an area of about eight acres, and is said to contain two miles of passages and corridors. Close to the clock-tower of the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Bridge, a richly elaborated iron structure on stone piers, built from the design of Mr. Wm. Page, in the years 1856-62. It is 1,160 feet in length, and has a breadth of eighty-five feet. It consists of seven iron arches, the centre one being 120 feet span and twenty-two feet above high water. The rise of the roadway to the centre is very slight, and the bridge is one of the most spacious and valuable means of transit in the whole metropolis; in addition to this it affords one of the finest views possible in London. We are now in full view of London. The principal objects of interest are, with but few exceptions, on the north side of the river. On the east of Westminster Bridge commences that great work the Victoria Embankment. In 1864, the Metropolitan Board of Works decided to amend the unsightly aspect of the river banks, by the erection of a quay of solid masonry, which should be worthy of the great Metropolis ; and the result of this resolve is in the highest degree successful, the Victoria Embankment being in truth a noble work. It was commenced in 1865, and finished in 1870, when it was opened by her Majesty. It extends from Westminster Bridge to Blackfriars, and is 7,000 feet in length. Below the roadway is the tunnel of the District Railway, which follows the new route as far as Cannon Street. The granite river wall is and forty feet high : the width of the roadway eight feet thick is 100 feet. In the construction of this quay great spaces were 22 338 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. gained from the Thames ; and public gardens occupy a large portion of the ground so reclaimed. When wholly completed as to its approaches and some minor details, the cost of the Victoria Embankment will not be less than ,£2,000,000. From Westminster Bridge, passing the Duke of Buccleuch’s fine mansion, Whitehall Gardens, and other handsome re- sidences, we arrive at Charing Cross Bridge, built in 1863 by the South-Eastern Railway Company, in order to carry their traffic into the centre of West London. Here formerly stood the Hungerford Suspension Bridge, which was bought by the Clifton Suspension Bridge Company, and by them, with certain modifications, thrown over the Avon. The present Hungerford or Charing Cross Bridge rests on iron cylinders and two brick piers. It is about 700 feet in length, and has four lines of rail. There is a footway (for the use of which a toll of one halfpenny is levied on pedestrians) on each side of the railroad. The spacious station of the South-Eastern Com- pany, into which the lines on the bridge run, is a prominent object from the river. Attached to the pier at the northern end of the bridge is the first of the Thames floating swimming baths. From this point, passing the gardens of the Victoria Embank- ment and the busy shores of Lambeth, with the Lion Brewery and the lofty tower of the Shot Factory well in the foreground, we arrive at Waterloo Bridge. This was begun by a public company in 1811, the engineer being John Rennie, and was finished in 1817, being opened on the 18th of June, the second anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, whence its name. It consists of nifie equal elliptical arches of 120 feet span. The piers of these arches are twenty feet wide and thirty-five feethigh. The bridge is 1,380 feet in length, with an uniformly level roadway of forty-three feet in width. The first object that strikes the visitor after passing the bridge is Somerset House, on the left, with its noble and imposing facade, 600 feet in length. It is so called as occupying the site of the palace of the cele- brated Protector Somerset, and is Crown property, appro- priated to the purpose of Government offices. A little further down, on the same side, are the Middle and Inner Temple. Here were the head-quarters of that once powerful body, the Knights Templars, from 1184 to their sup- pression in the fourteenth century. After this the buildings were mostly occupied by students of law, until 1608, when James I. formally presented them to the benchers of the two Inns of Court. We next approach Blackfriars Bridge. It consists of five arches, the central one of which has a span of 185 feet. It is LONDON. 339 1,272 feet long, including the abutments, and seventy feet wide. The arches are of iron, the piers of granite, built on iron piles. The terminations of the piers are pillars of polished red granite, surmounted by richly carved capitals in white stone, the effect of which is singularly striking. It would be difficult to imagine a more elegant combination of ironwork and masonry than that presented by this handsome bridge ; but its effect eastward, and to a certain extent westward, is almost wholly marred by the unsightly iron bridge of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company. Blackfriars Bridge cost but £320,000, a remarkably moderate sum for so beautiful a structure. Passing under it, a splendid view is afforded of St. Paul’s Cathedral, whose superb dome and great golden cross tower above the city. The handsome steeple of Bow Church also forms a special ar c! picturesque feature in the prospect from the river. We now arrive at Southwark Bridge, which consists of three arches, the central one 402 feet span, and cost £800,000. Mid- way between this and London Bridge is the South-Eastern Railway Viaduct. London Bridge, which has the reputation of being one of the finest granite constructions of the kind in the world, was finished in 1831, at a cost of £2,000,000, including the approaches. It consists of five arches, with a central span of 152 feet, is 928 feet in length, and fifty-four in width. The prospect from the bridge embraces, on the northern shore, Billingsgate Fish-market, the Coal Exchange, the Custom House, the Tower, and the quays, hemmed in with row upon row of ships ; while on the south side, between Tooley Street and the river, the vast pile of warehouses built after the terrible conflagration in 1861, by which £2,000,000 worth of property was destroyed, confront the more ambitious, but not more important, structures of the opposite shore. Westward of the bridge, on the Surrey side, are St. Saviour’s and St. Olave’s Churches and Barclay and Perkins’ Brewery. For taking a general view of the City, we should recommend the tourist to make the open space in front of the Exchange his starting-point. Here omnibuses can be had for every district in London ; in fact more of those vehicles assemble at this spot than anywhere else in the world. Next to this, Charing Cross is the best rendezvous ; and, where ladies are not of the party, the roofs and drivers’ seats of the omnibuses are the cheapest and best locomotive “ coigns of ’vantage” of which the tourist can avail himself for forming an idea of the beauty and extent of this great city. Supposing the tourist to have reached our starting-point at the 340 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Exchange, we shall briefly refer to the public buildings which surround him, and then take him to those in the more remote districts. The Royal Exchange is a quadrangular structure, with its principal fa5ade facing west- ward towards Cheapside and the Poultry. Between these two points stands the Wellington equestrian statute, erected at a cost of .£11,500. At the opposite end of the building is the statue of the late George P&ibody, the American millionaire, Avho gave the munificent sum of ^500,000 to be spent in build- ings for the English poor. The Exchange contains, among other public offices, “ Lloyd’s,” the most celebrated underwriters and marine insurers in the world. On the south of the area in front of the Exchange is The Mansion House, a dark and somewhat gloomy-looking pile, with a front consist- ing of a rustic basement surmounted by a portico of six Corin- thian columns. The state rooms are open to the public, and are gorgeously, if not tastefully, fitted up. Opposite to the Exchange stands The Bank of England, generally known as “the Bank.” It covers an area of eight acres, employs upwards of a thousand clerks, porters, and mes- sengers, and pays about ,£220,000 per annum in salaries. The buildings comprised are not lofty, and are massive rather than beautiful. The teller’s room, open to the public, presents a bustling and interesting scene ; but for the bullion office and note- printing office, which will well repa)' a visit, an order must be obtained from one of the governors. In the former there is generally stored about sixteen millions in bullion, the weighing of which by machinery is a most curious and astonishing process. Next to the Bank is The Stock Exchange, where all business in funded stock, Exchequer Bills, etc., is con- ducted. It is not open to the public. Proceeding westward from this, past the Bank, to Cheapside, and turning to the right up King Street, the tourist will reach The Guildhall, an old building, with a new and rather peculiar Gothic front. The principal hall, 153 feet by forty-eight, and nearly sixty feet high, contains two colossal figures of those mythic personages, Gog and Magog, said to watch over the welfare of the City, and ST, PAUL’S CATHEDRAL. LONDON. 34i some fine statues of the Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, the Earl of Chatham, William Pitt, the younger, Lord Mayor Beck- ford, and George III., together with two paintings depicting the “Siege of Gibraltar ” and “Wat Tyler slain by Lord Mayor Walworth.” Notice also the stained glass windows, and the armorial bearings of the twelve City companies. The Library and Museum deserve a visit. Before going westward from Cheapside the tourist should visit Bow Church, built by Sir Christopher Wren after the great fire. The steeple is one of Wren’s happiest efforts, and though often imitated, has never been equalled. Beneath is a clock projecting over the pathway of the street ; and the tower contains a peal of bells, which dub as “Cockney” all who are born within the sound of their chimes. Proceeding to the west end of Cheapside, and turning to the right up St. Martin’s-le-Grand, the tourist will behold The General Post Office, a spacious structure in the Ionic style. The main entrance is under a lofty portico, which gives ingress to the various depart- ments. The postal service gives employment to upwards of 20,000 clerks and letter-carriers, but to this number must be added the staff of the telegraph service, which is now under the management of the Post Office officials. Statistics show that the average annual number of letters passing through the Post Office is 600,000,000 ; to this add 80,000,000 newspapers, and 12,000,000 book-parcels, giving a total of 692,000,000 parcels, and an inadequate idea may be formed of the peculiar efficiency of this department of the public service. On the opposite side of the road are the new buildings, used principally for telegraph business, and to relieve the strain upon the old offices, owing to the vast extension of the general business of the Post Office. Retracing our steps from St. Martin’s-le-Grand, we reach St. Paul’s Churchyard and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Four churches successively occupied this site before the erection of the present noble edifice. The first was a Christian church, during the early Roman period. This being destroyed later on, when Christianity was no longer tolerated, a second church was built in the time of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor. The pagan Saxons demolished this after the departure of the Romans, but it was rebuilt about four centuries before the Nor- man Conquest, and, with occasional renovations and additions, survived until the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present structure was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and was finished 342 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . within thirty-five years after the foundation stone was laid. It is of the usual cruciform plan, with the principal facade looking westward to Ludgate Hill, and is the only cathedral in the United Kingdom that is not of the Gothic order of architecture. The portico consists of twelve Corinthian pillars, supporting a second order, surmounted by the pediment ;* and conspicuous over all towers the dome, with a lofty belfry tower on either side. There are also entrances at the south and north sides, the latter being the one commonly used. Entering through this, the tourist will be much more struck by the interior of the building than he was by its external aspect. Having passed the portal, the real vastness and magni- ficence of the dome begin to grow on one, and its full dimensions can be appreciated. The exact height is 350 feet above the marble pavement on which the visitor stands, and 370 feet from the level of the churchyard. There are a great many statues, monuments, some good carving, and a few paintings ; but the ornaments of this nature are decidedly insufficient for so stupen- dous a construction, and much remains to be done. The paint- ings ha^e reference to the life of the patron saint, and the chief statues and monuments are those of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir John Moore, Nelson, Abercrombie, Howe, Rodney, Cornwallis, Bishop Heber, Picton, and Ponsonby. In the crypt are the tombs of Wren — “ the architect,” says the Latin Inscription, “of this church and city, who lived for more than ninety years, not for himself alone, but for the public. Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you ! ” — Wellington, Nelson, Picton, Reynolds, Lawrence, Fuseli, Turner, Rennie, and others. The body of the building is open to the [public, but charges varying from 6d. to is. 6d. are made for viewing the whis- pering and outside galleries, the great ball crowning the dome, the clock and crypt, and for admission to the library, great bell, geometrical staircase (which seems to hang without any sup- port), and the model-room (containing the architect’s original model, and a model of St. Peter’s at Rome). The last public oc- casion in connection with this, the metropolitan cathedral, was on the 27th of February, 1872, when the Queen and the Royal Family attended a public thanksgiving for the recovery of the Prince of Wales from an almost fatal illness, after a royal pro- cession through the streets. 12,000 persons occupied the build- ing, which was illuminated beautifully in the evening. Tourists desiring more detailed particulars respecting the Cathedral, will do well to consult Shaw’s Shilling Guide to London. The thoroughfare round the Cathedral is known as St. Paul’s Churchyard, and contains St. Paul’s School and some fine silk- mercers’ establishments. From the churchyard the tourist will LONDON. 343 pass down Ludgate Hill into Fleet Street, beneath the viaduct of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway. Looking to the right up Farringdon Street, the Holborn Viaduct may be seen in the distance ; close by are the Ludgate Hill Terminus, the Waithman Monument, the Wilkes Obelisk, and to the left new Blackfriars Bridge. Holborn Viaduct is a magnificent bridge, constructed to connect Newgate Street with Holborn Hill, so as to do away with the steep ascent from the valley between them, which unmercifully taxed the strength of the horses. The roadway is carried over Farringdon Street, and is ornamented with some exceedingly ornate buildings, among which is the City Temple (Rev. Dr. Parker). The Dead Meat Market is in Smithfiekl. It is a large and handsome edifice, erected on the former site of the Metropolitan Cattle Market, famous as the scene of the martyrdoms in the reign of Mary. The Congregational Memorial Hall has been built on the site of the Fleet Prison, where so many Nonconformists were confined, in the years immediately succeed- ing the passing of the Uniformity Act. We now enter Fleet Street, the literary and historical associa- tions of which would fill a large volume, and, passing under Temple Bar, at the western end, leave the City, and reach the Strand. Before doing so the tourist should turn to the left through the Temple gateway, and visit the head-quarters of the legal and literary fraternity. Most of the buildings have interest- ing associations, but we can here only call attention to the fact, and mention that the Temple Church, the beautiful Elizabethan Middle Temple Hall, the Libraries, and the Temple Gardens are all admirable of their kind. The Strand was the grassy bank of the river down to the reign of Henry VIII. , and even at a much later date it was nothing more than a country roadway leading from London to Westminster, between which and the river the noblemen began to erect their mansions, which now give names to the various streets leading from the Strand to the river-side. All these streets are famed for private hotels and lodging-houses, where visitors, studying economy combined with a central position, resort. The only buildings in the Strand of architectural note are Somerset House and Charing Cross station and hotel. On the right-hand side, before reaching the former, 344 LONDON AND NORTIDWESTERN GUIDE. is a large open space, upon which the new law courts are being erected. Passing the churches of vSt. Clement Danes and St. Mary-le-Strand (the latter on the spot where stood the famous May-pole) and the offices of Messrs. H. Gaze and Son, tourist agents (No. 142), we arrive at Somerset House, on our left-hand side. The eastern quadrangle is set apart foi the use of the King’s College ; but this portion is not remarkable for any architectural beauty. Next comes Wellington Street, at the extremity of which may be seen Waterloo Bridge, and, with Exeter Hall on the right, and the Chapel of St. Mary-le-Savoy towards the river on the left, we arrive at Adam Street, turning down which the tourist can visit the abode of the Society of Arts. The meeting-room contains some tolerable pictures. Returning to the Strand, we proceed to the Charing Cross station and hotel, in front of which is a reproduction of Queen Eleanor’s cross, from which the locality takes its name of Charing Cross. We are now confronted by Nelson’s Monument, and the foun- tains and statues occupying Trafalgar Square. On the south stood Northumberland House, the ancestral town residence of the Percys, now removed to make way for a new approach to the Victoria embankment ; on the east is the Church of St. Martin’s- in-the-Fields, and on the north The National Gallery. The gallery was, from its opening in 1838 until 1869, jointly occupied by the Royal Academy pictures and the nucleus of the national collection ; but the Academy has lately removed to Bur- lington House, Piccadilly. The external appearance of the building is certainly not what might be expected ; but the collec- tion adorning the walls of the interior, though begun late, is yearly receiving valuable additions, and bids fair to become one of the finest in the world. The gallery is open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Crossing to the opposite side of the square, we shall now suppose the tourist to proceed to Westminster. At the head of Parliament Street is the famous statue of Charles I., which was buried during the Civil War and Protectorate by the brazier to whom it was sold by the Long Parliament for old metal. On the left is Whitehall, a royal residence from the time of Henry VIII. to that of Wil- liam III., in whose reign it was reduced to ashes, with ; the ex- ception of the banqueting hall. This noble room was commenced by James I. under the direction of Inigo Jones, and the ceiling THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. LONDON ; 345 was painted by Rubens. It was in front of this building that Charles I. was beheaded. On the opposite side of this street are this Horse Guards, Admiralty, and a grand pile of buildings forming the Foreign Offices, built after designs by Sir G. Scott, and giving another proof of the genius of that great architect. We shall now pass on to The Houses of Parliament. The foundation of this magnificent structure was laid in 1840. Up to i860, ^2, 107,000 had been spent on its building and em- bellishment. Entering through St. Stephen’s Porch, we reach the corridor of the same name. Westminster Hall communi- cates with the porch by a flight of steps. A corridor running northwards from the central hall leads to the 4 ‘lobby” and House of Commons, another running south conducts to the House of Peers. Beyond the latter are the Queen’s Robing- room, Victoria Hall, and the Royal Gallery. The House of Lords is ninety-seven feet by forty-five, and forty-five in height. It is richly painted and gilded throughout, and the windows are all of stained glass. The fresco paintings are by Dyce, Cope, Maclise, and Horseley. The throne occupies the southern end. At the opposite end is the strangers’ gallery ; and the galleries at the sides are respectively for peeresses and reporters. The stuatues between the windows are those of the eighteen barons who signed the Magna Charta. The House of Commons is of equal height and width, but only sixty-two feet long. It is not so profusely gilded and decorated as the Upper House. The Speaker’s chair is at the north end, behind which is the gallery for reporters. Above this are the ladies’ galleries, and strangers’ galleries are at the sides and other end. The floor above is principally occupied by the different committee-rooms of both houses. At the south-west angle rises the Victoria Tower to the height of 340 feet ; it is seventy-five feet square. The lofty and elegant arch at the base is the royal state entrance. At the opposite end of the pile stands the clock-tower, forty feet square and 320 in height. There is a dial in each face of the tower, with a minute-hand sixteen feet long, whose point de- scribes a circle of seventy-two feet circumference every hour. The clock has four chime bells and a great hour bell. The latter measures 9ft. at the mouth ; its height is 7 ft. 6in., and its thickness 8f in. ; it weighs more than thirteen tons and a half. Both houses are open to the public on Saturdays, by order, to be obtained at the Lord Chamberlain’s Office ; but admission to the debates is 6nly to be had by an order from a member. ;46 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Westminster Hall, though made to form part of the present design, is the old ban- queting-hall of the original palace, and was built by William Rufus. It is 290 feet by sixty-eight, and. the roof, which is no feet above the floor, is one of our best specimens of carved wood ceilings. The ball is entirely unsupported by pillars, and is, we believe, the largest room in the world so constructed. The doors on the east side conduct to the Lower House, and those on the west to the Courts of Queen’s Bench, Chancery, Common Pleas, and Exchequer. Opposite the hail is Westminster Abbey, the view of which is rather obstructed on the south, but the remaining sides are well displayed. The site was originally an insulated piece of land, round which the Thames flowed, and was occupied by a monastic institution shortly after the arrival of the first preachers of Christianity. The abbey was built in the reign of Edward the Confessor, on the site of the earlier edifice, which by that time had fallen into ruin. This new church rapidly grew in beauty and importance. It was selected by William the Conqueror for his coronation, was enlarged and embellished by Henry III. and Edward I., and in Henry VII. ’s time received the addition of the chapel named after that monarch — a perfect gem of its kind. The antique pile was somewhat roughly handled in the reign of Henry VIII., and again by the Puritans, who occupied it as barracks. Still, in “Bluff King Hal’s ” time, though injured in appearance, it received an acces- sion of dignity, being constituted a cathedral. It was restored by Sir Christopher Wren, who added the incongruous towers at the western entrance. The ground-plan is of the usual cruciform de- sign, and measures 416 feet in length, 203 in width at the tran- sept, and 103 at the nave. The height of the towers is 225 feet. Entering between those towers, a magnificent vista stretches away, in front, between the great ranges of marble columns to the vaulted arch at the eastern end, adjoining the chapels of Edward the Confessor and Henry VII. The great west window is enriched with full-length representations or Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; Moses, Aaron, and the patriarchs ; and the arms of the Saxon King Sebert (the original founder), of Edward the Confessor, Elizabeth, and George II. The rose window in the north transept depicts Scriptural incidents, as does also the mari- gold window in the south transept. This transept is commonly known as the “Poet’s Corner,” from the number of celebrated poets either buried or having monuments there. The principal are Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Milton, Dry- • * / LONDON , ; 347 den, Butler, Cowley, Gay, Thomson, Gray, Goldsmith, Rowe, Handel, Addison, Sheridan, Campbell, and Macaulay ; Garrick, the eminent statesman Lord Palmerston, and Charles Dickens, are also interred in this classic spot. Notice, too, the elegant monumental group of John, Duke of Argyle. In the north transept the most interesting monuments are those of Lord Mansfield, Lord Chatham (his son, William Pitt, has a statue over the western entrance), General Wolfe, the hero of Quebec, Sir Isaac Newton, Earl Stanhope, etc. There are also nume- rous monuments in the aisles, one of which contains specimens of ancient art on the tombs of Aymer de Valence and Edmund Crou^hback. The Domesday Book used to be kept in the abbey, but has been removed to the Record Office, in Fetter Lane. The chapels of Edward the Confessor and Henry VII. are situated at the eastern end of the choir. The former is the most ancient, and in some respects the most interesting portion of the entire edifice. The most striking objects here are the mosaic shrine of the Confessor, containing his remains ; the handsome screen, on the frieze of which are represented the principal inci- dents in the life of the sainted king ; the monuments of Richard II. and his Queen, Henry III., Henry V., Edward III., and Queen Eleanor, and the Coronation Chair, containing the famous Scone stone. Henry VII. ’s Chapel, a beautiful specimen of Pointed Gothic, is entered by steps of black marble through brazen gates of the most exquisite workmanship. The roof is wrought with devices in stonework ; and the oak stalls, with their Gothic canopies, the armorial bearings of the Knights of the Order of the Bath, and the banners suspended overhead, form surroundings in complete harmony with the magnificent tomb of Henry and his wife, with its encircling brass chantry, exhibiting devices emblematic of the union of the Roses, or rival Houses of York and Lancaster. There are nine or ten other chapels, each and all containing noteworthy objects ; but we can only refer to the leading features, and must leave the tourist to gather further information from Shaw’s Shilling Guide to London. On the south-west of the abbey stands Westminster School, one of the most celebrated of the English foundation schools. Hard by, on the north, is St. Margaret’s Church and burial- ground : in the latter are interred Caxton, the father of English printing, and Sir Walter Raleigh. About a mile up the northern bank of the river is situated the famous Millbank Penitentiary, a prison built after the design of that prince of legal reformers, Jeremy Bentham. Should time permit, the tourist might visit Chelsea Hospital, about another mile farther on, and crossing over Chelsea Bridge, enter Battersea Park, before mentioned, and return by 343 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Lambeth Palace to Westminster. Lambeth Palace is the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and is a venerable pile of various styles of architecture. The old chapel, dating from 1196, the Lollards’ Tower, so named from having been the prison-house of the Lollards, or followers of Wycliffe, and the library, are the chief points of interest in the palace, to which admission is ob- tained by order from the Archbishop. This will be, perhaps, more than sufficient for one day’s sight- seeing. On another occasion we will suppose the starting-point to be Charing Cross. Walking thence up St. Martin’s Lane, and turning to the right down Garrick Street, past the offices of Messrs. Norton and Shaw, we reach King Street, leading into Covent Garden Market, the great mart for flowers, fruit, and early vegetables. The quadrangle of the market occupies the site of the former convent garden of Westminster Abbey. The busiest time is in the morn- ing, from six to eleven o’clock. Market days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays of each week, when a most interesting sight may be witnessed from two till eight o’clock a.m., the surrounding avenues being crowded with the vehicles of retail dealers and the utmost animation pervading the whole. At the north-west corner of the market is Evans’s Supper- rooms, cele- brated for excellent part-singing. From Covent Garden, we proceed to Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Lincoln’s Inn, one of the oldest of the Inns of Court. The hall contains a fresco by G. F. Watts, R.A., unsurpassed in modern times, and a paint- ing of “St. Paul before Agrippa and Festus,” by Hogarth. There are also works by the latter artist in the Soane Museum, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Here is the College of Surgeons, whose anatomical museum is one of the best in London. Crossing now into Holborn, we may visit Gray’s Inn. The hall dates from 1357, and has a fine old-fashioned oak roof. In the garden, noted for its fine elm-avenue and rookery, is a tree planted by Lord Bacon, who was a member of the inn. Southey and Gascoigne, the poets, were also members. Walking westward to Museum Street, we reach The British Museum. A full view of the imposing facade, 370 feet in length, is afforded as we reach the corner of Museum Street. The building is of Grecian design, presenting a range of forty-four columns, with LONDON. 349 a Doric portico and sculptured pediment in the centre. The museum is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and, from May to August, on Saturday afternoons, on which days also permission is given to view the reading-room and library. The latter contains somewhat more than 900,000 volumes, besides a splendid collection of the rarest MSS., pur- chased at enormous prices. Tickets can easily be procured for using the reading-room : it is a circular hall, with a dome-shaped roof, 160 feet high, and is some 450 feet in circumference. The collection of ancient sculpture, including the Egyptian, Lycian, Assyrian, Grecian, Roman, etc., and the zoological collection, are the finest in the world, and we doubt if the antiquities are surpassed. Amongst the Egyptian antiquities, notice the Rosetta Stone, taken from the French after the surrender of Alexandria, which, containing inscriptions in Greek and in the two forms of Egyptian hieroglyphics (i.e . 9 in hieroglyphics proper, and in demotic), furnished the clue to the deciphering of those charac- ters which so long set at nought the ingenuity of antiquarians. Amongst the ancient sculpture may be seen the Elgin, Phe- galean, yEgina, Halicarnassus, and Farnese marbles. In the natural history galleries is a stuffed gorilla ; and the King’s Library, to the right of the reading-room, contains a choice selection of Italian, Flemish, and German engravings and drawings. Days might be profitably and pleasantly passed in examining the different departments ; but, if time be an object, the tourist should proceed at once to Regent’s Park and the Zoological Gardens. The former consists of about 470 acres, laid out in lakes, shrub- beries, flower-beds, and plantations, all on the modern plan of landscape-gardening, which is likewise the guiding principle in the arrangement of the Zoological Gardens. These latter are, as is well known, the finest of the kind anywhere to be found. An omnibus can be taken from the park to Regent Circus, whence a short walk along Oxford Street leads to the Marble Arch entrance to Hyde Park, passing on the right Plolles Street, the birth-place of Byron. The circuit of Hyde Park, an inspection of Kensington Palace and Gardens, and the walk eastwards through the “ Ladies’ Mile,” the Serpentine, and Rotten Row (best time between four and six p.m.), brings us to the main south-eastern entrance, at which stands the colossal bronze statue of Achilles, made of cannon taken at the battles of Waterloo and Salamanca, and “erected to the Duke of Wellington and his companions-in- arms by their countrywomen.” Near the entrance stands Apsley House, the residence of the “ Iron Duke,” and facing us is the triumphal arch, surmounted by his effigy. 350 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. Kensington Palace is a large brick edifice, of no architectural beauty externally, in which the Princess Mary and her husband, the Duke of Teck, reside. Our present Queen was born in this palace, in 1819. Kensington Gardens are beautifully laid out, and are always open to the public. Notice especially the new gardens, with flower-beds and statuary in the Italian style. Near the entrance to the park at this end is The Albert Memorial, a striking Gothic structure, 175 feet high, richly gilt, containing under the canopy a statue of the late Prince Consort, with sculp- tured groups at the base, emblematical of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Crossing Piccadilly from the Achilles Statue, we enter the Green Park, at the south-eastern corner of which, or rather at the west end of the adjoining park, St. James’s, is Buckingham Palace, the town residence of the Queen. It is a large quadrangular pile, but by no means a model of architectural beauty. The state room, library, picture-gallery, and gardens, admission to which can be procured at the Lord Chamberlain’s office, are worth visiting. Among the paintings are some by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vandyck, Cuyp, Teniers, Reynolds, and Wilkie ; and the hand- some pavilion in the gardens contains frescoes by Maclise, East- lake, Stanfield, and Landseer. St. James’s Park is about ninety acres in extent, and contains a fine sheet of orna- mental water, with islands for the numerous water-fowl. At the eastern end is the Parade, on which the Body Guard troops are mustered every morning at ten o’clock. The park is bounded on the north by the Mall, a long avenue leading to St. James’s Palace, a picturesque but unpretending brick building. On the east of St. James’s Palace is Marlborough House, the town residence of the Prince of Wales. It was built for the hero of Blenheim by Sir Christopher Wren, and purchased by the Crown in 1817 for the princess Charlotte and her husband, the King of the Belgians. From Pall Mall, which these buildings face, and which is cer- tainly the handsomest street in London, on account of its splendid LONDON. 35i club-houses, the tourist can cross through St. James’s Square to Burlington House, Piccadilly, where The Royal Academy holds its annual exhibition of paintings and sculpture. The Aca- demy has now been established for more than a century. Before the erection of the National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square, its meet- ings were held in a few small rooms in Somerset House. It then held its exhibitions in the eastern wing of the National Gallery ; but, six years since, removed to Burlington House, where up- wards of ^60,000 is annually taken at the doors during the exhi- bition months of May, June, and July. The Academy consists of forty Royal Academicians (R.A.’s, as they are called), an un- limited number of associates, a president, secretary, and six associate engravers. Students are taught gratuitously, on showing evidence of skill in preliminary study. While in this neighbourhood, the tourist may walk through the different West End squares. The principal of these are St. James’s, already mentioned; Hanover, in which are St. George’s Church and the Hanover Square Rooms, where fashionable balls and concerts are held, also the Arts Club, Oriental Club, and the Zoological and RoyalAgricultural Societies ; Cavendish, in which the celebrated Lady Mary Wortley Montagu resided ; Portman, and Manchester — most of which are north of Oxford Street. But perhaps the most celebrated of all is Belgrave Square, which gives the name of Belgravia to its vicinity. Stafford House, near St. James’s Palace, the residence of the Duke of Sutherland ; Bridgewater House, near the Green Park, the residence of Lord Ellesmere, containing perhaps the finest private collection of paintings in the kingdom ; Devonshire House, in Piccadilly ; Lansdowne House, Berkeley Square ; Grosvenor House, near Grosvenor Square, the residence of the Marquis of Westminster; Apsley House, already mentioned; Montague House, in Whitehall Gardens ; and the mansion ot Baron Rothschild are worth visiting. Some of the very best ancient and modern pictures are contained in them. Permission to view Bridgewater House is readily given, and may be obtained by a written application. Leicester Square, situated north of Trafalgar Square and east of Piccadilly, is the great resort of Continental refugees, and the neighbourhood is full of French cafes, restaurants, and hotels. John Hunter, the great anatomist, and Hogarth, lived at the eastern side of the square. Sir Joshua Reynolds resided, up to his death, at No. 47. The Sabloniere Hotel occupies a portion of the site of Leicester 352 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . House, in which dwelt Elizabeth of Bohemia, George, Prince of Wales, afterwards George II., and his son Frederick, who pre-deceased his father ; the remaining portion of the site is covered by the Alhambra Music PI all. The square itself, through the munificence of Albert Grant, Esq., is now one of the choicest spots in London, adorned in the centre with a statue of Shakes- peare, fountains, and the busts of four of the most notable of the former inhabitants of the square. In St. Martin’s Street, at the south of the square, may still be seen the house in which Sir Isaac Newton lived. Having now reviewed the principal objects of note west of the Mansion House, we shall take our tourist eastward of that point. The chief attraction is, of course, the Tower ; but let us first turn down towards Billingsgate and the river — “ Where London’s column, pointing to the skies, Like a tall bully, lifts its head and lies.” Pope’s couplet was quite just, for an inscription on the plinth of the monument attributed the Great Fire of 1666, which it com- memorates, to “ ye treachery and malice of ye Popish faction,” an assertion unfounded in fact. This inscription was, howevever, obliterated in 1831. The column is fluted after the Doric style, with gilded finial, meant to represent flames. There is a charge of threepence for ascending to the summit, which commands an extensive prospect of the Metropolis. Passing along Thames Street, at the back of Billingsgate Fish-market, we soon reach The Tower of London, which covers an area of about twelve acres. It was founded by William the Conqueror, in 1066, to overawe the inhabitants of London, and was subsequently much extended by William Rufus, Hemy I., and Henry III., while in later times it was greatly improved by Janies I., Charles II., and William III. There are four entrances : the Traitors’ Gate, at the end of a sort of canal which ran from the river into the heart of the fortress — so called because state prisoners used to be conducted by water, after their trial at Westminster, to the safe keeping of the Tower, and always entered here ; the Lion Gate, Iron Gate, and Water Gate. The principal entrance now is the Lion Gate, at the western end. Near this is the Lion Tower. Other towers are the White Tower, the most ancient of the buildings, and con- taining a good sample of the early Norman chapel ; the Middle Tower ; the Bloody Tower, opposite the Traitors’ Gate, in which Richard III. murdered his nephews ; the Bowyer Tower, in which George, Duke of Clarence, was drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine, by order of his brother ; the Brick Tower, in LONDON, 353 which the accomplished but unfortunate Lady Jane Grey was confined ; and the Beauchamp Tower, into which Anne Boleyn was thrown when she had incurred the suspicion of her capricious husband. The Tower was occupied as a royal residence down to the reign of Elizabeth, and the crown jewels are still kept theret Among these, besides the present Queen’s crown, valued a. 1 00,000, is the famous Kohinoor diamond, formerly belonging to Runjeet Singh. The “beef-eaters,” or warders, in the cos- tume of the sixteenth century, conduct visitors to the Armoury of Elizabeth, containing, principally, relics of the destruction of the Spanish Armada ; and to the Horse Armoury, where stuffed figures of horses and men, fully caparisoned, will enable the visitor to picture to his imagination the knights- errant and tour- naments of the age of chivalry. Here, also, is the dungeon in which Sir Walter Raleigh was confined, with his autograph scratched on the wall. The Tower is open free to the public two days — Monday and Saturday — every week. Tower Hill, immediately behind the fortress, was the place of execution for State prisoners. The last decapitation which took place here was that of Lord Lovat, in 1747. Close by is the entrance to the Thames Subway, crossing beneath the river to Tooley Street. It was opened for tramway traffic in April, 1870, but the cars did not pay, and it is now confined to pedestrians, on whom a toll of one halfpenny is levied. It consists of an iron tube, seven feet in diameter, and 1,225 feet i n length. An older and more celebrated construction, of similar description, is The Thames Tunnel. This difficult undertaking was commenced in 1825, and, after numerous mishaps, was at length completed in 1843, at a total cost of ,£468,000. It is formed of brickwork, and is thirty- seven feet wide and twenty- two in height ; through it run two archways, somewhat over sixteen feet in width each. Having failed as a route across stream for foot-passengers and carriages, it has been purchased by the East London Railway Company, who run upwards of forty trains through it daily. The Docks may now be visited. They are open to the public between the hours of eight and four o’clock every day ; but ladies are not admitted to the wine-vaults after one o’clock. These, with the tobacco warehouses, should not fail to be seen. Admission to the latter will be readily obtained by writing and enclosing a card to the Dock Secretary, New Bank Buildings. To view the former a tasting-order must be obtained from some wine-mer- chant. There is storage-room for upwards of 70,000 pipes of wines and spirits in these cellars, one of which alone occupies 23 354 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. an area of seven acres, and the warehouses have accommodation for 24,000 hogsheads of tobacco. Besides the London Docks, there are the St. Katherine’s, which cost nearly two millions of money; the East and West India, the Victoria, and, on the opposite side of the river, the Commercial and Grand Surrey Docks. Returning townwards, visit The Mint, which is situated to the north-east of the Tower. Admission can be obtained by written application to the Deputy Master. The yearly coinage averages six millions sterling, and the different processes of assaying the bullion, alloying, melting, casting in- gots, stamping, etc., are very interesting. Another day, or, if possible, more than one, should be devoted to visiting The South Kensington Museum, The Museum is divided into two divisions, the Art Depart- ment (including the National Portrait Gallery) and the Science Department, comprising illustrations of the different manufac- tures and mechanical arts, models of inventions, jewels, porcelain, carvings in ivory, wood, and stone, etc. The paintings in the Fine Arts Department include, besides the unequalled cartoons of Raffaelle, some of the best pieces by Maclise, Reynolds, Land- seer, Hogarth, Turner, Gainsborough, Wilkie, Webster, etc. There is free admission on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays, from ten a.m. to ten p.m. On other days a charge„of 6d. is made to all, except students. Behind the Museum stand the Exhibition Buildings and the Royal Albert Hall. The Horticultural Gardens are comprised within the circuit of the Exhibition Buildings, and cover an area of about twenty cares of most artistically and tastefully laid-out grounds. On the north towers the vast cupola of the Royal Albert Hall, at the opening of which, in the year 1871, 8,000 persons were accommodated with sitting-room ; and still farther north is the Albert Memorial, already mentioned. Though we have noticed but a few of the most remarkable buildings and places of interest in the Metropolis, we must now pass on to short excursions in the neighbourhood, for it would be impossible to give an exhaustive description within the limits of this hand-book. For further details, we must refer our readers to Shaw’s Shilling Guide to London and its Environs. KE W— RICHMOND. EXCURSION XIII. TO KEW, RICHMOND, HAMPTON COURT, AND WINDSOR CASTLE K EW and Richmond can be reached by train, omnibus, or by the river. We recommend the last route when prac- ticable ; but generally there is not sufficient water in the river at ebb tide to permit the steamers to reach Richmond. In that case the tourist had better take the omnibus. The great attrac- tion at Kew, are the Botanic Gardens, containing, perhaps, the most splendid collection of plants in the wofld. The gardens are about seventy- five acres in extent ; but, adding the adjoining pleasure-grounds, the entire extent is 240 acres. The great palm-house, 360 feet long and ninety in width, together with the new conservatory, are, after the Crystal Palace, the largest glass houses in the world. The former contains many exotics sixty feet in height. Several new hot-houses and a “temperate-house” have lately been added ; and an artificial lake has been constructed, which is fed through a subterranean passage, by the waters of the Thames. The gardens and grounds are open to the public every day (Sundays inclusive). The church and palace are worthy of inspection. Richmond. Richmond is situated further up the river, on the south bank, which rises behind the town to the acclivity known as Richmond Hill. The summit commands most bewitching prospects of meadows, woods, and the banks of the river, stretching away towards Hampton and Windsor. On the way to the top of the hill, the tourist will pass the old parish church, containing the tombs of Dr. Moore, author of Zeluco and father of Sir John Moore, the subject of Wolfe’s Elegy , Mrs. Yates and Charles Kean, the celebrated actors, and Thomson, the author of the Caslle of Indolence , who lived hard by, in a house, now used as the Richmond Infirmary. Richmond was the site of a royal palace, of which now only the gateway and a cluster of buildings remain. Many of our sovereigns held their courts here ; and two, Edward III. and and Elizabeth, died in the palace. The courts of law were re- moved to Richmond during the plague in 1625. Beyond the Star and Garter Hotel, famed for fashionable gather- 356 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE, ings, stretches the eight miles’ circuit of the handsomely-wooded Richmond Park, containing 2,000 acres. It is one of the largest public parks in or near the metropolis ; it is open to the public, and, with the far-famed Richmond Hill, is esteemed by foreigners as the most beautiful spot in the neighbourhood of London. On the other side of the Thames is Twickenham, the classic spot into which Pope retired with his aged mother, and which he delighted in beautifying. The poet’s house, how- ever, has been taken down to make way for a larger edifice ; and the grounds, which were his especial care, and so tastefully planned as to revolutionize the then existing Dutch style of gar- dening, have been much altered for the worse. Pope’s tomb is in the parish church. Strawberry Hill, the residence of the famous statesman and man of letters, Horace Walpole, is also in the vicinity. Hampton Court. Plampton Court is situated about eight miles farther up the river. The palace, now given up as a residence to court pensioners, was originally built by Cardinal Wolsey. The northern quadrangle, containing the great hall, dates from that period. Henry VIII. having appropriated the mansion on the fall of his favourite, it became a royal residence, and courts were held here from time to time until the reign of George II. The greater portion of the structure, as it at present appears, was built in the reign of William III. by Sir C. Wren, and consists of red brick with stone facings. The ceilings and pannelling were painted by Antonio Verrio, and the state apartments con- tain a series of the beauties of Charles II. ’s court, by Sir Peter Lely ; Vandyke’s Charles I., the best portrait extant of that unfortunate king ; and pieces by Titian, Giulio Romano, Holbein, Sebastiano del Piombo, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Durer, and Kneller, to the the number of 1,000. There are also a fine series of cartoons by Andrea Mantegna. The garden and park, the former containing a vinery in which is the largest vine in Europe, and a maze, are alone worthy of a visit. The palace and garden are open free to the public on every day, except Friday. From Hampton Court the tourist ought to drive through Bushey Park to Kingston-on-Thames, formerly a Roman station, and the coronation-place of the Saxon kings. The stone on which they were crowned is preserved with religious care in the principal thoroughfare. Bushey WINDSOR CASTLE. 357 Park, which is open to carriages, horses, and omnibuses, as well as to pedestrians, contains about 1,100 acres of land, and an avenue of lime and horse-chestnut trees, unsurpassed in the entire kingdom. At the time when this avenue is in full blossom, the first week in May usually, it presents a very beautiful appearance, and is one of the favourite sights of Londoners, who drive down in hundreds to see it. Windsor Castle. Trains run from both Hampton and Kingston to Windsor Castle, the most magnificent royal residence in the country. The castle was founded by William the Conqueror, but the site was previously occupied by a palace of the Saxon kings ; so that it has been the chief home of royalty for more than nine centuries. It stands on rising ground overlooking the Thames. There are two extensive courts, and between them is the round tower, or keep, where the governor of the castle resides, and in which formerly the accomplished James I. of Scotland w’as confined. It was here that the poet-king wrote his King's Qu/iair , a poem in celebration of the charms of the Lady Jane Beaufort, whom he afterwards married. Besides the keep, the Gothic chapel in the lower court, and the state apartments in the upper, together with the northern terrace and royal mews, are the chief points of attraction to the stranger. In the chapel many of the English kings and their wives are interred. The Prince Consort’s mausoleum at Frogmore is yearly visited by the Queen on the anniversary of his death, when a solemn service is performed. The Knights of the Garter (an order established by Edward III., in consequence of an incident at a reception, when the King picked up a garter which had been accidentally dropped by one of the ladk s of the court) are installed in this chapel. ‘ ‘ Honi soit qui mal v pense ,” his reproof of the courtiers, who by their looks insinuated that “more was meant than met the eye,” was made the motto of the order. The state rooms, to which admission is allowed by tickets obtainable gratis at Messrs. Colnaghi’s, 14, Pall Mall East, and elsewhere, are open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from eleven till six : they are richly embellished with paintings, sculpture, and tapestries. The bronzes, arms, and emblems are also very fine. Of course, the rooms are not open when her Majesty resides at the castle, a fact indicated by the hoisting of the royal standard on the round tower. The Home Park is closed, but the Great Park, free to the public, and com- prising upwards of 4,000 acres, is rich in beautiful scenery. Notice especially the “ Long Walk,” Iderne’s Oak, and Virginia Water, with its imitation ruins. Beautifully situated on the opposite side of the river is 358 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. founded by Henry VI. The view from this point gave rise to one of Gray’s finest odes. Eton is the best and most aristo- cratic public school in the kingdom, and has had the moulding of England’s greatest literary and political minds. Stoke Pogis, close to Eton, was the residence of Gray, the author of the well- known Elegy ; he was buried in the churchyard described in the poem. TO GREENWICH, WOOLWICH, AND GRAVESEND. HE next excursion should be made down the river to Green- wich, Woolwich, and Gravesend. They maybe reached by train, but the steamer is by far the pleasanter mode of conveyance. Leaving London Bridge, and passing St. Catherine’s and the London Docks, Regent’s Canal, with the steam-engine and iron ship-building yards on the northern side, and the Grand Surrey, Commercial, and Deptford Docks on the southern, the steamer calls at Greenwich pier, nearly in front of the hospital, and close by the Trafalgar and other whitebait-dinner hotels, for which Greenwich is famed. Greenwich, formerly the site of a palace, was celebrated as the birthplace of Henry VIII. and Queens Mary and Elizabeth, and is now for its hospital, park, and royal observatory. Leland has left us a curious picture of the old palace : — “ How bright this lofty seat appears, Like Jove’s great palace, paved with stars ! What roofs, what windows, charm the eye ! What turrets, rivals of the sky, What constant springs, what smiling meads ! Here Flora’s self in state resides, And all around her doth dispense Her gifts and pleasing influence.” The hospital was commenced in the reign of Charles II., after the design of Inigo Jones. A second quadrangle was added by Sir Christopher Wren, and two more by subsequent architects. It thus consists of four distinct structures, but has the appearance of one, and constitutes one of the finest piles of buildings in or near the Eton College, EXCURSION XIV ; Greenwich. GREENWICH, \ 359 metropolis. It is built entirely of Portland stone, with two of the four quadrangles facing the river, and two overlooking the park in a southern direction. Nearly all the frontages contain massive colonnades of the Doric order, and the hall and chapel are sur- mounted by dome towers. It was granted as a hospital for disabled seamen by William and Mary, and some 14,000 pensioners, of all grades, from that of admiral downwards, were constantly main- tained here and allowed a certain amount, according to rank, for pocket-money. In 1865, however, a new arrangement was made, by which most of the pensioners left for the homes of their friends, a larger sum being allowed to each of them. Internally, the painted hall, the chapel, and the collection of naval models, removed from South Kensington, are the chief things to be noticed. The former has an elaborately decorated ceiling, painted by Sir James Thornhill, who, from the length of time during which he was daily lying on his back in the execution of his task, was never afterwards able to sit upright. The room is also hung with portraits and other paintings, by Sir Peter Lely, Sir God- frey Kneller, and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Notice especially in the vestibule a portrait, by Dance, of Captain Cook, the circumnavi- gator. Among the naval relics are models of the older ships of war in which Englishmen gained their reputation, the coat worn by Nelson at the battle of the Nile, the astrolabe of Sir Francis Drake, and the funeral car of Nelson, besides some relics relating to the unfortunate expedition’of Sir J. Franklin. The chapel con- tains the “Shipwreck of St. Paul” by West and other paintings. Greenwich Park extends southward behind the hospital. Its most elevated spot is occupied by the Royal Observatory. The park has an area of nearly 200 acres, and is a great holiday resort during the summer. The observatory was founded by Charles II. The longitude of all British maps and charts is computed from the Greenwich meridian, and Greenwich time is the standard by which mariners set their chronometers. To facilitate this a large ball of wood is raised on the flagstaff at the top of the observa- tory a few minutes before one o’clock every day, and is dropped by electricity exactly at that hour ; and there is an electric clock near the entrance gateway for the use of the public. A fine view of the river and the Metropolis is afforded from this elevated point. Leaving Greenwich, we shall now proceed to Woolwich, pass- ing, on the opposite shore, the ship-building yard of Messrs. Scott Russell, where the Great Eastern steamer was built, and the North Woolwich Gardens, Hotel, and Pier. Charlton House and village will be seen on the right. The former is a richly decorated mansion, dating from the reign of James I. 360. LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Woolwicli. At Woolwich the tourist should visit the Royal Arsenal, Artil- lery Barracks, and the Laboratory for the construction of bombs, cartridges, grenades, shot, and shells. The arsenal is open on Tuesdays and Fridays, but an order of admission must be ob- tained from the War Office for viewing the laboratory. The Royal Military Academy is situated some distance to the south, on the edge of Woolwich Common. Taking steamer again, the tourist may proceed to Gravesend, a watering-place, marking the extreme limit of the port of London. Gravesend is an ancient and picturesque town, from the upper portion of which, on Windmill Hill, the course of the Thames can be followed for forty miles. In the neighbourhood are Cob- ham Hall, of which the chief portion was built by Inigo Jones, Shorne Church, and Cobham College and Church, all replete with most interesting antiquarian remains, and of a high standard of architectural beauty. In the hall are preserved many fine pictures. Not far from Gravesend are the Rosherville Gardens, where the tourist can spend a pleasant evening, and return to town by train. EXCURSION XV. TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE. O UR next excursion, which in importance, perhaps, ranks first of all, will be to one of the modern wonders of the world — the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham. It is, in fact, the Great Exhibition building of 1851, transported from its site in Hyde Park. Together with the grounds it cost a million and a half of money. It can be reached by trains from Willesden Junction, Victoria, Charing Cross, Waterloo, Ludgate Hill, or London Bridge stations. We cannot hope to give an adequate sketch of the wonders and beauties of this gigantic fairy castle, and shall therefore con- fine ourselves to the merest general outline. The building is some 1,600 feet in length, 380 feet in width, and the centre transept upwards of 200 feet high. It is built almost entirely of glass and iron. The grounds are as extensive as they are beauti- CRYSTAL PALACE, SYDENHAM. THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 361 ful ; and to those who like a preponderance of artificial, and at the same time tasteful, decoration in landscapes, more than the solitary ruggedness of “untamed nature,” the Crystal Palace, with its 200 acres of parterres, intersected by neat gravel walks and varied by every description of plant and flower, with its water-towers and magnificent fountains, must inevitably appear one of the loveliest spots in existence. In connection with the fountains and artificial cascades, upwards of 6,000,000 gal- lons of water are, on gala days, pumped up the two huge water- towers, and used for obtaining the enormous pressure required. There are 12,000 jets playing on these occasions, one of which, in the central basin, rises to the height of 250 feet. Besides their beauty, the grounds afford opportunities for archery, boat- ing, cricket, and athletics of all kinds, while within the palace there is every facility for studying and enjoying the fine arts; nor is the taste of the botanist, palaeontologist, or geologist unpro- vided for. The tourist about to proceed to the Continent will find a visit to this repertoire of marvels peculiarly advantageous, as the merest tyro in architectural knowledge can, with a very little attention, become thoroughly acquainted with the pecu- liarities, beauties, and defects of the different styles, from the earliest extant Egyptian specimens, dating some seventeen cen- turies before the Christian era, down to the latest times. The specimens are arranged in courts, of which we may mention the Egyptian, Grecian, Roman, Saracenic, Assyrian, Byzantine, with the English, French, German, and Italian Mediseval, the Eliza- bethan, and the Renaissance. The illustrations are all correct copies ; so that even should the tourist be disinclined or unable to visit the ancient remains of continental countries, a most accurate idea of them can be here formed. The courts illustrating the mechanical and industrial arts include cutlery, porcelain, encaustic tiles, and machinery in motion. In the galleries are collections of paintings, photographs, and medallion casts, bazaars, Indian collections, a museum of raw produce, and a refreshment depart- ment. The grand central nave is adorned with marble fountains at either end, and with plants and statues throughout. Close to the centre transept are the two concert-rooms, where are to be heard in their turn the most famous vocalists and instrumentalists of the world. There is also in the building a marine aquarium, containing many interesting specimens. The ordinary charge for admission is but one shilling, and tickets can be had at any of the railway stations above named, including train fare and the entree of the palace. 362 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . SECTION XXXV. LIVERPOOL TO MANCHESTER. B IDDING farewell to the Metropolis and its vicinity, we would now return to Liverpool, and undertake an imagi- nary journey from west to east across Lancashire and Yorkshire. Leaving Lime Street station, the train passes up the Edge Hill tunnel, and at once enters upon one of the most interesting, historically speaking, portions of the London and North-Western system. See pages 2 and 3. After leaving Edge Hill, the train touches at the stations of Broad Green, Roby, Huyton, Huyton Quarry, Rainhill, and Lea Green, passing which station the tourist will observe Rainhill lunatic asylum, a fine pile of buildings, which occupies the same position in the persiflage of a Manchester man as does Bethlehem Hospital in the conversation of a Cockney. Passing Lea Green, the train conveys the tourist to St. Helens Junction, where he must change carriages to reach the town of the same name, and its immediate neighbourhood. St. Helen’s [Hotels ; “Raven,” “ Fleece,” “ Wellington,” and “ Royal Alfred”], with a population of 45,134, is celebrated for the manufacture o^ plate and crown glass ; indeed, the works of the Union Plate Glass Company would well repay a visit. It also contains nume- rous alkali, lead, soap, and rope works, besides large foundries. Passing Collins Green, we reach Earlestown Junction, where are situated the waggon-building works of the London and North- Western Railway, covering some thirty-five acres of land, and turning out a new waggon every thirty minutes. See page 53. The next station is Newton Bridge, where the Highlanders were defeated in 1648. The printing works of M‘Corquodale and Co. are well worth a visit. At Parkside, the traveller will see a tablet, recording the death of Huskisson, President of the Board of Trade, who was struck down and killed by the * ‘ Rocket” engine, while conversing with the Duke of Wellington, upon the occasion of the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the germ of the London and North- BARTON MOSS — PA TRICROFT— MANCHESTER, 363 Western Railway. Next follow Kenyon Junction, Bury Lane, Astley, and m Barton Moss stations. It was on this portion of the route that the greatest engineering difficulty was encountered in crossing an enormous bog, called Chat Moss, which comprised an area of twelve square miles, varying in depth from 10ft. to 35ft., and consisting of 6,000,000 tons of vegetable matter, of so soft and spongy a character that cattle could not walk over it. At the next station, Patricroft, is Nasmyth’s celebrated foundry, one of the largest in England. The route is continued through Eccles, a prettily-situated little village, Weaste, Cross Lane, and Ordsal Lane stations to Manchester. [Hotels: “Queen's,” “Brunswick,” “White Bear,” “Waterloo,” and “Albion,” in Piccadilly; “Palatine,” Huntsbank ; “Star ” and “Bush,” Deansgate ; “Clarence,” Spring Gardens; “Royal,” Mosley Street; and “ Thatched House” and “ Old Swan,” Market Street.] The city of Manchester, including under that name the twin borough of Salford, stands on the river Irwell, the two parts being connected by numerous bridges. The joint population is 504,175, of which Salford claims 124,801. The city of Man- chester returns three, and the borough of Salford two members to the House of Commons. The united towns cover a surface of about nine square miles, including the suburbs of Hough, Pendleton, Broughton, Cheetham, Smedley, Newton, Miles- Platting, Beswick, Ardwick, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Hulme, etc. Although a considerable distance from the sea, Manchester is a port, though, practically, Liverpool, distant thirty-one and a half miles, is its harbour. The sudden development of the cotton and other manufactures of which Manchester is the centre, during the last decades of the eighteenth and throughout the present century, drawing the raw materials from all parts of the world through Liverpool, and again returning the same, but in the form of manufactured articles, to every country of the earth, has led to the present prosperous state of the sea-port last-mentioned. Originally Manchester stood pre-eminent as a cotton-manufac- turing city ; it is still the seat of a vast cotton industry, but of late years a change has crept over the character of the trans- actions. The dearth of sites, or their high value, in the city of Manchester, and the facilities for rapid transit afforded by the 364 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . elaborate railway system which centres there, have led to the erection of factories and mills in the outlying districts, embracing an area of from ten to thirty miles. Within ten miles of Man- chester are such towns as Stockport, Patricroft, Hyde, Staley- Bridge, Ashton, Radcliffe, Middleton, Oldham, Hey wood, Mottram, Bury, and Bolton. In Oldham, Ashton, and Bolton are some of the largest factories. Within a distance of thirty miles from Manchester is another cluster of industrial hives, in- cluding Rochdale, Glossop, Macclesfield, Leigh, Rawtenstall, Haslingden, Todmorden, Wigan, Darwin, Warrington, Bacup, Blackburn, Congleton, Huddersfield, Penistone, St. Helen’s, Burnley, Hebden, and Preston. For many of the manufactures of these cities Manchester is the exchange, the commercial metro- polis. Huge ranges of warehouses are rising in place of the mills and factories. The streets and shops are in their turn undergoing reconstruction, and in place of close, unwholesome, and ugly streets are rising thoroughfares which will favourably compare with any in Europe. Like London, instead of being the seat of one trade or branch of trade, overmastering all others in importance, a vast variety of trades, handicrafts, and businesses are carried on in this commercial emporium. To enumerate the occupations which employ the dwellers in Manchester would occupy more room than can be afforded in this work ; their mis- cellaneous character may be gleaned from the following. First come articles made of cotton, of wool, linen, and silk, and the mixture of these materials, including worsted stuffs, flannel, blankets, ribbons, silks for dresses, embroidered articles, velvets, table linen, counterpanes, quilts, crapes, bombazines, jeans, nankeens, shawls, and mantles. Other industries send to the markets umbrellas, ‘parasols, hats, caps, india-rubber and elastic webbing, water and air proof textures. Iron and steel manufactures are numerous, embracing steam-engines, locomo- tives, and boilers ; and all the branches connected with the manufactory of machinery used in the iron trade — tools, railway carriages, waggons, rails, stoves, grates, bolts, screens, wire, etc., etc. The commercial superiority of Manchester is due to the inventive genius of its sons, the introduction of machinery and the factory system, the supply of fuel from the coal ’beds close at hand, the invention of the steam-engine, and the elaborate rail- way system connecting it with all parts of the United Kingdom and with its ports. The improvements of the city as a habitable town dates from the year 1838, when it was incorporated, and more especially from the year 1845, when the corporation bought the manorial rights from Sir Oswald Mosley for ^200,000. The revenue from this source and the profits from the gas and water supply which have fallen into the hands of the city magnates, MANCHESTER. 365 give the corporation a considerable income, from which large sums have been and are devoted to the improvement of Man- chester. The gas-works alone in the year 1865-6 yielded a profit of ,£52,553, and more than a third of the revenue thus obtained is annually placed at the disposal of the public improvement depart- ment. The water supply of Manchester is obtained from two sources, Prestwich and Woodhead, where are huge reservoirs of pure water. The large storage grounds, obtained by the cor- poration in 1867 among the Prestwich Hills, supply the northern and higher districts of Manchester. The reservoirs at Wood- head supply on a daily average twenty-five million gallons. The storage capacity exceeds 61 1 million cubic feet, or 3,828 million gallons. The works were acquired in the year 1866 for the sum of ;£i, 500,000 ; the revenue derived from the sale of the water is about ,£58,000 annually. The annual rental in 1867 of Manchester, exclusive of Salford, was ;£i, 768,614, of the lattei town £430, 648. Manchester is well off for places of public worship. It contains upwards of eighty churches, many having been built in recent years. The Wesleyan bodies are well represented with about ninety places of worship, the Congregationalists muster thirty-three, the Presbyterians and Unitarians each nine, the Roman Catholics eighteen, Baptists eleven, while the Friends, Bible Christians, Jews, New Jerusalem, Catholic Apostolic Church, and other communions worship in more than twelve edifices. Manchester and Salford are connected by seven bridges, five of which are free. The river Irwell, which flows beneath these bridges, is subject, owing to its sources being among the hills, to sudden flushes of water, which have often been disastrous in their consequences. In 1866 a flood lay the Tower parts of Salford under water, drowning some people in their houses and doing a great amount of damage to hundreds of dwellings. According to Mr. Whitaker, the historian, “The parish of Manchester was originally a wild unfrequented track of woodland, inhabited merely by the boar, the wolf, and the bull, and tra- versed only by the hunters of the neighbouring county. In the first visit of the Romans to Britain, under Julius Ccesar, it does not appear that the invaders penetrated as far north as Lancashire, and it is not till the time of Agricola (a.d. 79) that Manchester passed under the Roman yoke. At that period the tumults of war were introduced amongst the peaceable inhabitants, and Manchester was occupied by levies from the banks of the Tiber. A Roman station was constructed in the Castlefield, near the confluence of the Medlock with the Irwell, and another establishment about a mile to the north of it, at the confluence of the Irk with the same river, received a colony of inhabitants 366 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . who made it their summer residence. ” As late as 1 700 remains of the ancient castle of Manchester were found by Dr. Stukeley, in a yard behind Bridgewater Street. Other Roman remains have been found in a place called Castlefield, between Deansgate and the Irwell. The Romans called the town Mancunium ; later it was called by the Saxons, Mancestre. Manchester was one of the thirty-seven towns appointed in England to coin money by Canute. The Romans had disappeared about the year 426, and three years after the town was plundered by the Piets and Scots. In the year 446, Manchester became a parish. In 620 King Edwin, having subdued the town, placed it under a lord or theyn, who ruled the town from his “ baron’s hall,” on the site of the Roman summer camp. In 627 a Roman missionary, called Paulinus, converted the natives to Christianity by his preaching. The Danes fell upon the town in the year 870, and so prostrated it that Salford obtained the precedence and gave its name to the hundred when Alfred divided England into counties and hundreds. Robert de Gresley, Baron of Manchester, was one of the Barons who at Run- nemede demanded John’s signature to the Magna Charta, June 1 2th, 1215. A later baron, Thomas de Gresley, granted the great charter by which Manchester became a free borough. Little further is known of Manchester till the time of the Tudors, when Leland described it in his topographical survey as the most populous town in the county, and noted for its woollen goods (even then called the cottons), a manufacture introduced by the Flemings into England in the reign of Edward III. Camden described Manchester as ‘ ‘ beyond the neighbouring towns in elegance and populousness ; ” this was at a period near the close of Elizabeth’s reign. The historian further says, “Here is a woollen manufacture, church, market, and college, founded by Thomas Lord de la Warre, who took orders, and was the last male heir of his family, in the time of Henry V. He was descended from the Gresleys, who are said to be the ancient lords of the town. In the last age it was much more famous for stuffs, called Manchester cottons, and the privilege of sanctuary, which the Parliament, under Henry VIII., transferred to Chester.” Later on, Dr. Stukeley visited the town and described and published his impressions in his Itinerarium Curiosum , 1724. “It is,” he says, “the largest, most rich, populous, and busy village in England. There are about 2,400 families. Their trade, which is incredibly large, consists much in fustians, girth- webs, tickings, tapes, etc. , which are dispersed all over the kingdom, and to foreign parts. They have looms which work twenty-four laces at a time, which were stolen from the Dutch. There is a free school here, maintained by a mill upon the river, which raises ;£ioo per annum. And on the same river, for the space of three miles upwards, there are no less than MANCHESTER. 3 6 7 sixty water-mills. ” The writer then proceeds to describe their man- ners and customs thus : “ The inhabitants have been very indus- trious, and applied themselves closely to their respective businesses, always contriving and inventing something new, to improve or set off their goods, and having not much followed the extravagance which prevails in other places — as in dress, servants, equipage, wine, entertainments, etc. By these means they have acquired, very many of them, very handsome fortunes, and live thereupon in a plain, useful, and regular manner, after the custom of their forefathers ; though it must be confessed that of late they have departed rather too much, some of them of the younger sort, from that simplicity, neatness, and frugality which their ances- tors valued themselves for, and with very good reason. ” Manchester was closely associated with the troubles which fell upon the nation during the Civil War, when it vigorously espoused the side of the Parliamentarians. Here the first blow was struck between the royal forces and those of the common- wealth. The town was attacked by the troops of King Charles, led by James, Lord Strange, son of the Earl of Derby, on the 5th of July, 1642. It was resolutely defended by the Puritans, and the Royalists were compelled to retreat with a loss of twenty-seven men, the town losing twelve men. On the 25th of September following the Royalists brought a larger force, consisting of 4,000 foot, 200 dragoons, 100 light horse, and seven pieces of cannon, against the town. This attack, lasting several days, was even more unsuccessful, the besiegers having 200 killed. The town lost only four. An army again appeared before Manchester in the following year, under the command of the Earl of Newcastle, but the town being now fortified with four pieces of brass cannon and showing an equally brave front, that leader thought it wise not to attempt the assault. As an ac- knowledgment of its bravery, Manchester sent a member to the Parliament called by the Protector Cromwell, a privilege it lost at the Restoration. The Stuart dynasty had many friends in Lancashire, who took an active part in the abortive attempts of 1715 and 1 745 of that family to repossess themselves of the throne. Several of their adherents were executed in Manchester in the year 1716, follow- ing the fight at Preston. On the 29th of November, 1745, Prince Charles Edward entered Manchester, and was proclaimed under the title of James III. While in the town he made the house of Mr. Dickenson, of Market-street Lane, his residence. The house was afterwards known as the Palace Inn, but its site is now covered with warehouses. A regiment of three hundred men joined the standard of the Prince, and shared the disasters of the unfortunate expedition. The equivocal bearing of many 368 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. of the inhabitants of Manchester at this time is admirably ex- pressed in the famous lines of Dr. Byrom, a local Jacobite, — NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION XLVII. PRESTON TO LYTHAM, BLACKPOOL, AND FLEETWOOD. F ROM Preston (page 430) a branch line runs through a rich agricultural district, passing Lea Road and Sal wick stations Kirkham [Hotels : “ Black Horse,” “ Railway,” and “ Gun Tavern a small town with a population of 3,593, chiefly interested in the manufacture of cotton, linen, sacking, and sailcloth. There are the remains of an old Norman church. Passing Wray Green, Moss Side, and Warton stations, the tourist arrives by a branch railway of four miles at Lytham [Hotels : “ Clifton Arms ” and “ Queen’s ”], a small port and watering-place, situated at the mouth of the Ribble, with a population of about 3,25 7 > engaged in fishing. A pier of 900 feet long by about 20 feet broad, supported by cylindrical iron pillars, with an asphalted footway, has conferred an impetus to Lytham since 1865, the date of its opening. A line seven and a half miles long traverses the coast, passing Lytham Lighthouse, St. Annes*by-the-sea, and South Shore, to Blackpool [Hotels : “ Imperial,” “ Bailey’s,” ‘‘Clifton Arms,” “Pier,” Lane End,” “ Beach,” “Royal,” “Victoria,” and “Brewer’s”], a rapidly increasing and much frequented bathing-place, situated along a range of cliffs in front of a fine sandy beach. A new pier and promenade was opened in 1863. Since then an ad- ditional pier has been erected, and extensive improvements in the town have been made, the most important being a public carriage drive and promenade, of about three miles in length, extending from South Shore to the “Gynn,” and giving an un- interrupted view of the Irish Sea, the coast of North Wales, the Cumberland and Westmoreland hills, and, in fine weather, the Isle of Man. During the “ season ” steamers ply from the two piers to Llandudno, Southport, Morecambe, and Piel, for Barrow and the Lake District, the Isle of Man, and other places of resort. In 1861 the population of Blackpool and the adjoining village B LA CKPO OL—FLEE TWO OD—MORE CA MB E. 437 of South Shore was about 4,000 ; but in 1871 it had increased to upwards of 7,500. It is still being rapidly augmented. The encroachments of the sea at South Shore and Blackpool, have been prevented by solid walls of masonry, to form and pro- tect the carriage drive, but beyond this the sea gains fast upon the land. About a quarter of a mile from the shore is the Penny Stone, three miles and a quarter to the north of Black- pool, on which there once stood a small inn, the only vestige left by the ocean of the village of Singleton Thorpe. Return- ing by a short branch to the Fleetwood and Preston direct railway, we pass through Poulton-le-Fylde to Fleetwood [Hotels: “Crown,” “Royal,” and “Victoria”], a new watering-place at the mouth of the ‘ * Wyre,” commanding a very extensive and magnificent view of Morecambe Bay, and the hills in the Lake District. A daily steamboat connection with Belfast forms a favourite route for travellers to the north of Ire- land. Forty years ago Fleetwood was a rabbit warren. It is now a thriving seaport, with a fleet of upwards of one hundred fishing boats ; the vessels hailing from the port are valued at not less than a quarter of a million pounds sterling. The quay is 1,300 feet long, and a large and commodious dock will be opened shortly. The population, at the last census 4,428, is now sup- posed to be nearly 6,000. Fleetwood is a military station, with accommodation for a thousand men. + SECTION XLVIII. LANCASTER TO MORECAMBE, FURNESS ABBEY, Etc. A SHORT line of three miles’ length conducts the tourist from Lancaster (page 431), through Bare Lane, to Morecambe [Hotels: “North-Western,” “King’s Arms,” “West View,” and “ Queens ”], from whence excellent views may be obtained of the bay and lake mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland. There are two spacious promenades, together extending over two miles. 438 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . At the end of an excellent pier is a good aquarium. The beauti- ful sands furnish splendid bathing facilities . Morecambe Bay is a fine sheet of water, eight or ten miles wide when the tide is up ; but twice a day, at low tide, the sands, to the extent of several miles, are left perfectly dry, except in the channel of the rivers Kent and Leven, and may be crossed by vehicles of every description. Guides, employed by Govern- ment, are stationed at the places where the rivers flow, to conduct travellers across in safety. On the opposite side is South or Lower Furness, where the beautiful remains of the abbey may be seen. In the season steamers sail from More- cambe to Biel. Returning from Morecambe, another line rejoins the main line at Hest Bank (page 424). Passing Bolton-le- Sands, and again leav- ing the main line at Carnforth junction, we travel by the “ over- sands” route, to Furness, “the key to the Lakes.” Crossing the river Kent, we pass Silverdale and Arnside, obtaining from the latter station a fine view of the estuary of the Kent, with the tops of the Westmoreland mountains in the distance. Crossing a viaduct over the estuary, with the waves of the sea lashing its iron pillars and embankment, we reach the fashionable watering- place of Grange, very picturesquely situated at the mouth of the Kent, on the Furness side of Morecambe Bay. Its climate is said to resemble Matlock, Buxton, and Torquay; while the vicinity of Winder- mere and Arnside enables tourists to visit the numerous objects of interest in this delightful neighbourhood. There is a large hotel in the village, while a causeway connects it with Holme Island, which is well worthy of a visit. Castle Head, once a Roman station, is within easy walking distance, and an omnibus runs daily to Newby Bridge and Lakeside. The houses and terraced gardens of Grange, nestling around its pretty Gothic church, form a charming panorama. Kents Bank, a mile further on our route, from whence the huge unwieldy form of Plumphrey Head is visible, and Cark (three miles from Kents Bank), the station for Flookburgh and Cartmel, are passed ; and crossing another viaduct over an inlet of Morecambe Bay, we reach [ inversion [Hotels : fi Sun,” “ Braddyll's Arms,” and “ Temperance”], a town and port with a population of 9,186 souls, supposed to derive its name from Ulph, a Saxon lord of the olden time. Its houses, of gray stone, are snugly ensconced in the slopes or at ULVERSTON— FURNESS ABBEY, . 439 the base of the hills which protect the town from the north and east winds ; and it contains two churches, besides Independent, Wesleyan, and Roman Catholic chapels. St. Mary’s Church, the chief religious edifice, has an old Norman door, and several stained glass windows ; it was rebuilt in 1804. A model cottage hospital, with fourteen beds, was erected in 1873. The Hill of Hoad, on which stands a monument to Sir John Barrow, Bart., formerly Secretary to the Admiralty, is a prominent object ; and pleasant excursions may be made to various places of interest in the neighbourhood. Among these are Chapel Island, Carris- head Priory, Swarthmoor Hall (formerly the residence of George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends), the first meeting house built by him (where is preserved his Bible), the charming village of Bardsea, etc. A branch line runs from Ulverston to Windermere. Leaving Ulverston, the line passes the village of Pennington, where a large mound, called Ella Barrow, is supposed to be an ancient Saxon tumulus ; while near, on the hillside, are the remains of a British or Saxon fortification. Lindal, the next station, is at the entrance to the mining district of Furness, whose beds of iron ore yield 600,000 tons annually. Dalton, the ancient capital of Furness, was formerly a place of impor- tance, and is now increasing. This is owing to the neighbour- hood of m Furness Abbey. Among the vast number of monastic ruins in the kingdom there are few more imposing in their appearance, or affecting in their decay, than this noble ecclesiastical edifice. There is an admirably- conducted hotel near the station— a modern building, but fitted up inside to harmonize with the antiquity of the scene. Leaving the station, the tourist is but a few paces from the abbot’s private chapel, 48 feet by 20 feet. Over the doorway is a pretty niche for a statue, with a trefoil head ; but passing on farther and coming to a turnstile, a full view of the church is presented. This is a cruciform building, with various subdivisions, 300 feet in depth and 65 in breadth — “a noble wreck, in ruinous perfection,” with its richly ornamented doorways, short but beautifully moulded pillars, and groined arches. Lichens of various hues cover the walls, besides ivy, grass, and ferns, adding picturesquc- ness to the venerable pile. The abbey was founded in 1127, by Stephen, Earl of Moreton and Boulogne, afterwards king. On the outside of the eastern window of the chancel, supporting the mouldings at each side, are two crowned heads, representing Stephen and his wife, Maud. For further details, we must refer the tourist to Shaw’s Shilling Guide to the district. Furness Abbey. FURA T ESS ABBEY— BIEL. 441 Chapter House, Furness Abbey. At Furness is a kind of ‘ 1 four-cross roads” junction of the railway system. We have travelled thus far by the first “ road.” A second runs to Piel, from whence an excellent view is obtained ot the gloomy ruins of the pile of Fouldrey. The walls of this ancient strong- hold exhibit few traces of exterior ornament. They enclose a large space surrounded by a moat, but the action of the waves has eaten away the hill, on which the structure stands, to the very base 442 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. of the building. It is in the Anglo-Norman style, and has no archi- tectural beauties; but hanging, as it does, over the waters, with its massive battlements, it is an impressive sight. The castle formerly belonged to the Abbots of Furness. It was at Piel that Lambert Simnel, who personated the young prince murdered in the tower by Richard III., landed, in the reign of Henry VII. Steamers run during the season from the pier at Roe Island to Fleetwood and Morecambe and to the' Isle of Man. Another branch runs to Barrow-in-Furness [Inns ; “ Royal Oak/' and “ Red Lion"], a thriving corporate town of upwards of 40,000 inhabitants, situated on the Barrow Rock, but yesterday reclaimed from the sea; while a fourth runs along the coast to Whitehaven, described in page 451. • ^ SECTION XLIX. OXENHOLME JUNCTION TO WINDERMERE. T HE rail from Oxenholme Junction to Windermere affords an easy and delightful means of access to the lake district, from the London and North-Western system of railways. From the platform of Oxenholme station a fine view is obtained of Kendal [Hotels : “ King’s Arms," “ Commercial Inn," and “ Crown "], the largest town in Westmoreland, containing a population of 13,446, chiefly engaged in the carpet, woollen, linsey, worsted, clog, and other minor works. The woollen manufacture was founded here by some Flemish weavers, who settled in Kendal early in the fourteenth century at the invitation of Edward III. The barony of Kendal was granted by the Conqueror to one of his followers, Ivo de Taillebois ; it now belongs in part to the Earl of Lonsdale and in part to the Hon. Mrs. Howard. The church of Holy Trinity had four chantries, and contains many tombs and brasses, besides curious inscriptions. The ruins of an old castle, in which Queen Catherine Parr, who survived Henry VIII., was born, crown the summit of a steep elevation on the east of the town. WINDERMERE, FROM NEAR NEWBY BRIDGE. WINDERMERE— TROUTBECK—THE LAKES. 443 Passing Burneside and Staveley stations, a short distance beyond the latter of which, from Orrest Head, the grandest and most extended view of the lake is obtained, we reach the town of Windermere, .where the tourist will be able to rest and refresh himself after his journey, at a commodious hotel, which “ Overlooks the bed of the Windermere, Like a vast river, stretching in the sun. With exultation here the tourist sees Lake, islands, promontories, gleaming bays, An universe of Nature’s fairest forms, Proudly revealed, with instantaneous burst, Magnificent, and beautiful, and gay.” Before the introduction of the railway into the district, there was not a house on the site of this flourishing village. Thanks, however, to the beauties of the spot, numerous houses have sprung- up in the parish, which includes within its bounds the hamlets of Applethwaite and Troutbeck, and portions of Ambleside and Underwelbeck. The population in 1871 was 4,787. The church, a modern edifice, has been twice enlarged to meet the require- ments of the inhabitants ; and there is a good circulating library and other conveniences in the place. From the summit of the hill behind the hotel, a magnificent view of the surrounding country may be obtained. The walks in the neighbourhood are numerous and pleasant ; one of the best of them leads, through scenery of the finest description, to Troutbeck, a hamlet somewhat remarkable for its cottage architecture. The signboard of its inn (“The Mortal Man”) is quite a curiosity It depicts the portraits of two w r ell-known characters in the vale — one of them rubicund and jolly, with a nose giving unmistake- able evidence of a love for the bottle ; the other with a visage remarkable for the longitude of its outline, and its cadaverous hue. Beneath are the lines — “ ‘ Oh ! mortal man, that liv’st on bread, How comes thy nose to be so red ? ' * Thou silly ass, that looks so pale, It is with drinking Birkett’s ale/ ” In describing a tour through the Lake district, v^e shall assume that the traveller starts on his journey on a lake steamer from the southern extremity of the lake, at Lake Side. The Lakes. The exquisite beauty of this district, its variety of colouring, and its endless charms, have been so often described by the eloquence of the poets of the Lake school, not to speak of the 444 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . host of less distinguished admirers whom the attractions of the place have inspired, that we shall merely give the outlines of the several routes, and enumerate the best excursions to be made from the different stand-points. For a descriptive guide to the Lakes we advise the tourist to provide himself with Shaw’s Shilling Guide to the English Lakes, and pocket editions of Wordsworth, Wilson, Coleridge, and Southey. There is not a spot of interest in the district which has not its poetic “ Guide ” from the pen of one of those writers, or in the poetic prose of De Quincey. If any adequate idea be gained from books of this lovely scenery, it will only be from the inspired outpourings of those lovers of nature. Windermere is only a mile in breadth, and, being eleven in length, has many features of a broad river. It is fed by numerous streams, and is in many places upwards of forty fathoms deep. The first few miles after leaving the Lake Side pier are the least beautiful of the journey. Then the steamer approaches the island of Silver Holme, and soon after on the same side, Gras Holme and Ling Holme. Among the stately mansions decorating the hill-sides on either hand, we must call the attention of the tourist to Storr’s Hall. It occupies a peninsular rising ground, on the right hand side, and overlooking, as it does, the upper and lower portions of the lake, which narrows considerably, is the most enviable residence imaginable. We now pass Berkshire Island, and reach the Ferry Hotel. Rounding the point on which the hotel stands, we are in the midst of a cluster of islands. Of these Belle Isle, or Curwen’s Island, is the largest. On the west of this are the Lily of the Valley Islands, on which that sweet flower grows wild in great luxuriance. After this the lake expands once more, and the character of scenery becomes very different. Along the western side a range of rocky hills (or fells, as they are called) overhangs the water, varied by ravines, where “ The primrose pale, and violet flower, Find in each cliff a narrow bower.” Away on the right-hand shore is the neat village of Bowness [Hotels : “ Royal,” “ Old England,” and “ Crown ”]. It is about a mile and a half from Windermere railway station, and is situate 435) an ancient one, and, apart from its associations in connection with the poet, contains some interesting antiquities, amongst which may be mentioned the monastery erected -by Devorgilla, the mother of John Baliol, in which Robert Bruce murdered the Red Comyn. Near the monastery is the bridge, built at the same time, which is supposed to be the oldest in Scotland. The number of the arches was originally thirteen : of these only six remain. The structure, however, is still used as a foot- bridge. The grave of Bums is in old St. Michael’s Churchyard. He was originally buried in the north corner, but in the year 1815 his body was removed to a vault beneath a handsome monument, which was erected by public subscription at a cost of .£1,450. The marble group by Turnerelli, contained within, shows the Genius of Scotland enrobing the poetic husbandman, who stands by his plough, in the mantle of inspiration. The text of this design is the passage in one of the poet’s dedications in which he says, “ The poetic genius of my country found mo, 468 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . as the prophet' bard Elijah did Elisha, at the plough, and threw her inspiring mantle over me.” The church pew, on which Burns had cut his initials during 6 1 wearying sermonizing,” has been lately removed. The unpretending house in which he died, however, is still to be seen, in Burns Street. Many ot Burns’s best poems were composed in the grounds of Lincluden Abbey, the residence of Major Young, and at Ellisland, where he resided for some time as tenant of Patrick Millar, the pro- jector of the steamboat. The vicinity of Dumfries is interesting. Visits may be made to many places, the scenery of which is graphically depicted by Scott in his Guy Mannering and Red Gauntlet ; to the ruins of New Abbey, erected in the twelfth century, and Creffell, with its cloud-capped summit, 1,831 feet above the level of the sea ; and to other places. Leaving Dumfries station, and travelling by the Ayr line, Holywood station is soon reached. The place derives its name from the grove of sacred Druid oaks that grew by the parish church. The train continues its course from this station along the banks of the Nith. On the right is Queensberry Hill (2,140 feet), skirting which we come to Closeburn, where Sir James Stuart Menteath formerly resided. Closeburn, ■ the next station, is near the castle of that name. Closeburn j Castle, the former seat of the Kirkpatricks, is in a good state of preservation. This family, descended from the Kirkpatrick, who completed the murder of Comyn after Bruce had smitten him in the church, is closely connected with that of the ex- i Empress of the French. In the neighbourhood is the cascade, 90 feet in height, known as Crichup Linn, or the “ Grey Mare’s fail,” of which the Old Statistical Account says, “ Nothing can be more striking than the appearance of this linn from the bottom. The darkness of the place, upon which the sun never shines ; the rugged rocks, rising over one’s head, and seeming to meet at the top, with here and there a blasted tree, seeming to burst from the crevices ; the rumbling of the water falling from rock to rock, and forming deep pools, together with some degree of danger to the spectator whilst he surveys the striking objects that present themselves to his view— all naturally tend to work upon the imagination.” Leaving Closeburn, Borjorg Tower may be seen on the opposite bank of the river; then passing into Niths- dale, THORNHILL— SANQUHAR— NEW CUMNOCK. 469 Thornhill [Hotel : “ Queensberry Arms ”] is reached, a remarkably clean village, in the centre of which rises a pillared cross, surmounted by a winged Pegasus. Outside the village, on rising ground, is the magnificent pile of Drum- lanrig Castle, belonging to the Duke of Buccleugh. An excursion may be made from Thornhill (eight miles) to Minihive, embracing sights of Tynron Doon, a conical hill fort, Maxwellton Braes (the home of “Annie Laurie”), and Craigenputtock, the former residence of Thomas Carlyle. Leaving Thornhill, and passing Carron Bridge, the train runs through a tunnel under the grounds of Drumlanrig, and then affords some splendid prospects as it approaches Sanquhar (population 1,324). Overlooking the town is the castle of the same name, the ancient residence of the Crichtons ; and Elliock House, a mile from the castle, is pointed out as the birthplace of the celebrated “Admirable Crichton.” Sanquhar is intimately connected with the history of the Covenanters. It was here that Richard Cameron, with twenty-one associates, fixed to the market cross the document in which they renounced their allegiance to Charles, and which is known as the “ Sanquhar Declaration.” The train from this place runs westward towards Kirkconnell, the “parish of fifty streams ” (amongst which are two mineral springs). Between Kirkconnell and New Cumnock, on the right-hand side, Glenarry Hill is descried ; behind it stands the Three-shire Stone, marking the spot where Dumfries, Lanark, and Ayrshire join their borders. As we advance, the country becomes more and more undulating, until, approaching New Cumnock [Hotel: “ Crown”]. the hills rise on every side. Amongst the streams which take their rise amid these hills is the Afton, the subject of one of Burns’s songs. We are now in the land consecrated by the muse of the “ Ayrshire ploughman.” Near Old Cumnock the train crosses the Lugar River by a very handsome viaduct, 756 feet in length and 150 feet above the level of the river. The hurried glimpses allowed, as the train speeds, of this fine structure, are as beautiful as they are brief. To the south are seen Blackcraig and the Afton Braes — “ Far mark’d with the courses of clear winding rills.” 470 LONDON AND NOR TIL WESTERN- GUIDE . On the right-hand rise Cairntable, Cairns Muir, and Wardlow, while in front stretches the beautiful estate of the Marquis of Bute, with Auchinleck and the river Ayr, and the ocean in the distance. The residence of the Marquis is called Dumfries House. In it are some fine Louis Quatorze tapestries, presented by the “ Grand Monarque h himself to one of the Earls of Dumfries. The ruins of Terringzean Castle, the ancient seat of the Loudon family, are in the demesne, which extends its fine plantations across the river Lugar. In the graveyard at Cumnock (once the place of execution) Alexander Peden, the celebrated covenanting preacher, and Thomas Richard, another martyr to the cause, are buried. In the vicinity of the viaduct is a small cottage, famous as the birth- place of William Murdoch, the inventor of lighting by gas. Two miles farther is Auchinleck [Hotel : “ Railway ”] (pronounced Affleck), the residence of Sir James Boswell, the biographer of Dr. Johnson. From Auchinleck there is a branch line (nine’miles long) across Aird’s Moss, to Muirkirk, [Hotel: “ Black Bull”], where Richard Cameron and his followers were cut off. This spot is marked by “ Cameron’s Stone.” This was also the scene of the execution of John Browne, the “ Christian Carrier,” over whose grave is the following curious inscription : — “ Here lies the body of John Browne, martyr, who was murdered in this place by Graham of Claverhouse, for his testimony to the covenant and work of Reformation, and because he did not own the authority of the then tyrant, destroying the same ; who died the last of May, a.d. 1685 ; and of his age 58. “ In death’s cold bed the dusty part here lies Of one who did the earth as dust despise ; Here, in this spot, from earth he took departure ; Now he hath got the garland of the martyr. Butcher’d by Claverhouse and his bloody band. Raging most ravenously over all the land, Only for owning Christ’s supremacy, Wickedly wrong’d by encroaching tyranny, Nothing, how dear so ever, he too good Esteem’d, nor dear for any truth his blood.” The ironworks at Muirkirk are worthy of a visit. Resuming our journey on the main route, we now cross the Ballochmyle Viaduct, which spans the Ayr at a height of 95 feet, with a single magnificent arch of 100 feet span. MUIRICIRK—MA UCHLINE— KILMARNOCK. 47 1 Sorn Castle, a very ancient edifice overlooking the rivulet of Bank Burn, the villages of Sorn and Catrine, and the cascades of Cleugh Burn, are also in the neighbourhood. Catrine is a place of considerable manufacturing industry, and is supposed to resemble the Lowell factories in the United States. The works were originally begun by Claud Alexander, Esq., of Ballochmyle, and David Dale, of Glasgow, merchant, in the year 1786. Where Catrine stands there were then only two families, those of the miller and the blacksmith ; but the place soon became populous, its chief support being derived from ex- tensive cotton and bleaching works. The scenes of several of his poems were laid by Burns in this charming vicinity. Here he'was a frequent visitor at the house of Professor Dugald Stewart and his wife, of whom the poet said, “ Learning and worth in equal measures trode From simple Catrine, their long-loved abode.” In the Braes of Ballochmyle too, which stretch from Catrine along the river to Haughford Bridge, are the subject of one of his most exquisite pieces. The Lass of Ballochmyle is an- other lyric referring to this place, elicited by a romantic episode in which Miss Alexander, the “bonny lass, 55 was startled at the sudden appearance of the poet in a lonely part of the Catrine wood. Having crossed the viaduct, the train now enters the Mauchline [Hotels : “ Loudonn ” and Black Bull ”] station. This village is also much celebrated in the bard’s songs ; for his farm of Mossgiel was situated only a mile from Mauchline. Here he was married to Jean Armour ; here is the field where his plough turned up the “mouse’s nest 55 and bruised the “daisy; 55 and here is Poosie Nancy’s cottage, where the “Jolly Beggars ” met, opposite to the church whose rector the poet satirized as “ Daddy Auld.’ 5 Wishart preached in Mauch- line church (lately rebuilt) in 1544, and the Royalists were defeated on the moor in 1647. A stone on the Green records the martyrdom of five persons in 1685. From Mauchline the line lies near Loudon Castle and Kirk, along the valley by Galston, and thence to the junction at Kilmarnock [Hotels : “ George,” “ Black Bull,” and “ Turf”J, where the poet’s first volume was published in 1786. The town at present carries on an extensive trade, and is celebrated for its woollen manufactory. The population in 1871 was 22,963. 472 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Kilmarnock was the birthplace of the eminent Sir James Shaw, of whom a colossal statue stands at the end of King Street. At Riccarton, not far from the town, the greatest of the Scotch heroes — William Wallace — was educated by his uncle Richard. The tourist will now take the branch line to “ Auld Ayr, whom ne’er a toun surpasses For honest men and bonnie lasses,” via Troon, Monkton, and Prestwick. Passing Troon, we have the sea on the right, in front the Heads of Ayr, and on the left Fullerton House, the seat of the Duke of Portland. From the Monkton station the steeples of Ayr can be seen ; and now passing Prestwick, a town of mean appearance, where the magistrates can imprison, but not lock the prison door, we enter the station at Ayr — a spacious building in the Elizabethan style. The river must be crossed by the “new brig ” ere we reach Ayr [Hotels : “ King’s Arrns,” “ Queen’s,” and “Ayr Arms”J, proper, which has a population of 17,851. The “auld brig” is about 200 yards higher up the river, and both still exhibit the features so quaintly sketched by the poet : — “ New brig was buskit in a braw new coat. That he at Lunon frae ane Adam gat. In’s hand five taper stanes as smooth’s a bead, Wi’ birls and whirly-gigums at the head. “ Auld brig appear’d o’ ancient Pictish race, 1 The vera wrinkles Gothic in his face. He seem’d as he wi’ time had wrastled lang, Yet teughly doune, he bade an unco bang.” There are many fine public buildings in Ayr : among these may be mentioned the Court House, County Hall and Assembly- room, at the farthest end of Wellington Square, as one ap- proaches from the new brig ; and the Gothic structure called Wallace Tower, in High Street. It contains the “dungeon clock ” and bells, alluded to in the poem above quoted, and a lofty niche at the front presents to view a colossal statue of William Wallace. There is another statue of the Scottish hero at the corner of New Market Street, occupying a niche in the house wherein Wallace found shelter on one occasion. “The Fort,” erected by Cromwell in 1652, around the old parish church of St. John, which he converted into an armoury, stands a little to the left of the river as you walk towards the harbour from Wellington Square. The ancient castle and palace of Ayr is supposed to have occupied the same site. The old tower, which formed a part of the church, is now fitted up as a AYR. 473 residence. To obtain a general view of the town the tourist should ascend Brown Carrick Hill. It commands views of the Burns Monument, the New Bridge of Doon, Doon Brae Cot- tage, Alloway Kirk, Burns’s own cottage, and the town, with the Island of Arran and the Firth of Clyde in the distance. On the left are Castle Newark, and the ruins of Greenan Castle impending over the sea from a high cliff. An excursion along this portion of the coast (south of Ayr) will repay the tourist. About five miles below William the Bold’s castle of Greenan is Dunure Castle ; while three miles beyond this Culzean is reached — a magnificent Gothic pile, erected by the Earl of Cassilis in 1777, containing a splendid collection of paintings, ancient armour, and curious works of art, and surrounded by four acres of most delightful pleasure-grounds. Beneath the castle the ceaseless action of the waves has formed fine caverns, and to crown these attractions it is in the immediate vicinity of Kirkoswald, where Burns went to school, and where the im- mortal Tam O’Shanter and Souter Johnny lie buried. The place is also mentioned in Hallowe'en : “ Upon that night, when fairies light On Cassilis’ Downans dance, Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze, On sprightly coursers prance ; Or for Culzean the route is ta’en Beneath the moon’s pale beams i There up the cove to stray and rove Amang the rocks and streams.’ It was at Turnberry Head in this neighbourhood that Robert Bruce landed, when he commenced the gallant struggle for his throne which culminated in his victory at Bannockburn. About ten miles out to sea, Ailsa Crag, belonging to the Marquis of Ailsa, rises abruptly from the waves to the height of 1,103 feet. On its summit stands the ruin of an old tower — the whole form- ing a striking object when seen from the shore of the mainland. We shall now take our tourist to visit the birthplace and monument of the Ayrshire bard — a distance of two miles only. Proceeding by the road, on the right from High Street, we pass the site of the “Barns of Ayr,” into which the English entrapped Richard Wallace and other Scotch nobles on pretence of a friendly feast, but hanged them in pairs as they arrived. The fearful vengeance wreaked by William Wallace was long remembered with terror by his enemies. In the midst of the carousals, in which the English rejoiced over their act of treachery, he fired the barns, and upwards of 500 perished in the flames. Continuing to advance, we pass many of the stages in Tam O’Shanter’s flight before we reach “ Alloway’s auld haunted kirk.” These, how- 474 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . ever, give precedence to the “ clay bigging ” in which the poet drew his first breath, 25th January, 1759. It stands a little to the left of the magnificent residence of Roselle, on a small farm of seven acres which was rented by William Burns, the poet’s father. It is now let as a public house by the Corporation ot .Shoemakers in Ayr, to whom William sold it on removing to Lochlee. A recess in the kitchen is still pointed out as the spot wherein Robert was born. The little bedstead which occupied the nook was purchased at a public sale by a stable-boy, who afterwards resold it for ,£20. About a mile to the south-east of this cottage is Mount Oliphant, the farm subsequently rented by Burns’s father. Proceeding on our way to the monument, we now pass Doonholm on the left, and reach the kirk. It is now a roofless ruin ; but the walls are still in a good state of preserva- tion, and the bell occupies its old place at the gable end. Near the gate of the churchyard is the grave of the poet’s father, formerly marked by a stone with the following epitaph from his son’s pen : — “ O ye whose cheek the tear of pity stains, Draw near with pious reverence and attend. Here lie the loving husband’s dear remains, The tender father and the generous friend, The pitying heart that felt for human woe, The dauntless breast that fear’d no human pride, The friend of man — to vice alone a foe ; For e’en his failings leant to virtue’s side ! ” To the left of the church rises the monument, directly over the new bridge of Doon. It is of a composite style, partly Grecian, partly Roman, containing a circular apartment on the ground floor, in which are some relics of the poet, and amongst them the Bible given by Burns to Highland Mary in the “ Hallow’d grove "Where by the winding Ayr we met, To live one day of parting love.” This interesting relic, having been taken to America by the person to whom it had descended, was purchased by a few gentlemen in Montreal for ^25, and presented to the founders of the monument. At the other side of the church are the grounds of Doon Brae Cottage and the “aukl brig of Doon,” over which Tam urged his grey mare Meg to escape Cuttysark and the witches. It may interest the visitor to know that the original of the hero of Burns’s poem was a certain Douglas Graham, of Shanter Farm, near Kirkoswald. On his tombstone in the cemetery of that village he is designated by his fictitious name. But we must leave the tourist to ramble through the rest of this locality alone : our space will not permit us to give more details. IR VINE — KIL WINNING— DALE Y. 47 5 Resuming the route which we have already described as far as Ayr, and passing Troon once more, the train now approaches Irvine, leaving, on the right, the Hill of Dundonald, where stand the ruins of the castle in which King Robert Stuart wooed and won his bride. Irvine is interesting as the town where Burns endeavoured to establish himself as a flax-dresser. Leaving Irvine, the train enters the grounds of Eglinton Castle, one of the most magnificent mansions in the kingdom. Apart from its architectural beauty and the tasteful manner in which the ancient and modern are blended in the internal fittings, the castle is remarkable for the celebrated Eglinton tournament, which came off in 1839. Among those who entered the lists was Louis Napoleon, afterwards Emperor of the French, who died in exile at Chiselhurst, in Kent, January, 1873. The train now wheels into the old town of Kilwinning [Hotel : “ Eglinton Arms ”], celebrated in the Freemasonry world as having one of the oldest lodges in the United Kingdom, its foundation being coeval with that of the abbey, viz. 1107. The south transept of this abbey 5 till remains, a remarkably handsome specimen of the First Pointed style. Kilwinning is also famous for its Archers’ Com- pany and their “popinjay” target — so well described in Sir Walter’s Scott’s Old Mortality. We now pass the Kilmarnock Junction, and follow the course of the Dusk to Dairy. [Hotels : “ King’s Arms ” and “ Blair Arms.”] In the wooded valley of the Dusk is a remarkable limestone cave, with natural columns, resembling a fretted Gothic arch. Being regarded with superstitious awe by the people, it afforded a safe refuge to the hunted Covenanter in the reign of Charles II. Dairy is the seat of the Blair Ironworks. Outside the station, Kersland Castle is passed on the right ; it was formerly the abode of a famous Covenanter whose castle was always open to the unfortunate of his sect. Near it is Caerwinning Hill, on which the Scots encamped previous to the battle of Largs ; the traces of their fortifications are still apparent. Kilbirnie station and loch are now left behind, while we pass on the left the ancient Castle of Glengarnock, belonging to the Earl of Glasgow, and the ruins of Hazlehead and Giffen Castle. Beith next comes in view, and soon after Lochwinnoch, beauti- 476 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. fully situated on the steep declivity of Mistylaw (1,246 feet above), at the opposite shore of the picturesque Lake of Castle Sempill. The lake contains three islets, on one of which stand the ruins of an ancient fortalice. The ascent of Mistyalw is worth making, twelve counties being visible from its summit. After leaving Milliken Park station the train passes, on the right, the ruins of Elliston Tower, the former residence of the Sempill family ; and on the left may be seen the exquisite gardens, conservatories, and wooded lawn of the castle. The line now lies through a cutting, emerging from which it traverses the valley of the Cart, passing the rising town of Johnstone. Near to this is Elderslie, the reputed birthplace of Sir William Wallace. Here is pointed out the trunk of an old oak which sheltered the hero on one occasion when closely beset by the English soldiers. Farther away in the same direction Stanelie Castle and Wood display themselves, with the Braes of Glennifer in the background. . The train is now carried on a high level to Paisley station, from the elevation of which a square pile of buildings, contain- ing the court-house and gaol, and abbey ruins, is beheld. The town of Paisley [Hotels : “ County ” and “ George ”], anciently Passaleth, stands on the site of a Roman fortified camp. f It contains a population, principally manufacturing, of 48,257, and some fine churches and public buildings. Special mention I deserves to be made of the Free Library, which, with the “ Foun- tain Gardens,” was the munificent gift to the town of Sir Peter Coats. Paisley produces a very large quantity of manufactured j cottons, silks, and velvets, the trade having first begun about 1 700, by the making of linen thread. The ground and buildings surrounding the abbey are owned by the Duke of Abercorn, who is the present representative of Claud Hamilton, the last abbot. The burial vault of the family is in the Echoing Vault at the south side of the building, which also contains the tomb of Mar- jory Bruce, who married Walter Stuart, the founder of the abbey (1163), and died from the effects of a fall from her horse, leaving behind one son, Robert, who was delivered by the Caesarean operation after her death. This Robert Stuart was the first of that “royal line of kings,” nearly all of whom died violent deaths, until the union of the two crowns, and who subsequently to that event kept up their character of a doomed race until their alleged extinction in the early part of the present century. The chancel and the window of the north transept are all that now remain of this ancient abbey church : but a fair idea of its origi- PA ISLE F— TIN IV A LA i 4 77 nal grandeur may be derived even from these. Entering by the great western pointed door, which is recessed in deep mouldings of a rich character, and surmounted by three splendid windows superbly traced, the visitor is at once struck by the great altitude of the vaulted roof. There are three distinct semicircular tiers of arches, with pointed arches formed within them. Besides Marjory Bruce, two Scottish queens are buried in the abbey. Paisley was the birthplace of Professor Wilson, and of his equally well-known namesake, the celebrated American ornitho- logist ; also of Tannahill, Motherwell, and other literary cele- brities. As we proceed to Glasgow, now but seven miles distant, we see, on the left, before entering the Arkleston tunnel, the top of Teetotal Tower, a Chinese-looking structure, erected by an eccentric advocate of total abstinence. On the right, at the other extremity of the tunnel, the ruins of Cruickston Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots, spent her honeymoon with Darn- ley, display themselves on the wooded bank of the White Cart River. Also on the right, as we draw near the Paisley Canal, we pass Ibrox House, and on the left have a distant peep at the handsome spire of Govan Church. We are now in the midst of the Glasgow manufactories, with a view in front of the house- covered Hill of Garnett, and on the left the harbour, and stop at the Bridge Street station in Glasgow. ♦ SECTION LV. CARLISLE, via DUMFRIES, TO STRANRAER. A T'HIS route is becoming very popular on account of the access it affords to the north of Ireland with a short sea passage. The line to Dumfries has been described in the last section (see page 467). _ At Dumfries junction, the line to Stranraer leaves the main line to Glasgow. It passes Tinwala , 1 celebrated as the birthplace of Patterson, the founder of the Bank of England. In the neighbourhood is Locher Moss (twelve miles long), at one time the site of a forest. The ruins of a castle and of two camps at Torthorwold should also be visited. 478 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. The next station is Maxwelltcwn, situated about a mile and three quarters from Dumfries, of which it forms a fashionable suburb. Helen Walker, the original of Sir Walter Scott’s “Jeanie Deans,” in the Heart of Midlothian, was born here, and on a monument erected to her memory will be found an inscription by the celebrated author. Lochanhead, Killywhan, Kirkgunzeon (near which are the re- mains of three Roman camps), Southwick, and Dalbeattie are passed, and the tourist reaches Castle Douglas [Hotels: “ Douglas Arms,” “ Commercial,” and “ King’s Arms”], a neat and well-built town of growing importance, with a population of 2,274. In its vicinity is Carlingwark Loch, covering 100 acres, and studded with picturesque little islands. On a small island in the Dee, about a mile to the west, is Threave Castle, an old stronghold of the Douglasses. It was rebuilt about the close of the fourteenth century by Archibald the Grim, a natural son of Earl James, who fell at Otterburn, and was the scene of many of his acts of cruelty and oppression. Above the main gateway may be observed a projecting block of granite, called “the hanging stone,” of which the eighth Earl of Douglas boasted that “ the gallows knot of Threave had not wanted a tassel for the last fifty years.” It was at Threave this savage baron put to death Sir John Herries, of Terregles, and Sir Patrick Maclellan, the sheriff of Kirkcudbright, with circum- stances of aggravated cruelty, which afterwards led to his own murder at Stirling Castle. A short distance to the south is Gelston Castle, a modern building, erected by the late Sir W. Douglas. Passing Crossmichael and Parton stations, we reach New Galloway, standing on the river Ken. Near this town is Kenmure Castle, a place famous in history as the seat of Lord Kenmure, who took part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. From thence the railway runs, through Dromore, to Newton Stewart [Hotels : “ Galloway Arms,” “ Grapes,” “ Queen’s Arms,” and tf Crown”], a town with a population of 2,873, principally engaged in the manufacture of leather. It possesses a noble bridge of five arches over the River Cree, on which the town is situated. CREE TO \YN— STRANRAER— PORTP A TRICK, 479 Cairnmuir, 2,000 feet high, towers among other hills to the north. The next station on the route is Palnure, after which Creetown is reached. I11 the neighbourhood are many valuable granite quarries, from some of which was furnished the limestone of which the Liverpool docks were built. The place is memorable as being the scene of much of the action in Sir Waiter Scott’s novel, Guy Manner ing, Dirk Hatteraick’s cave is pointed out to visitors, as well as the Gauger’s Leap, over which the smugglers threw Mark Kennedy. Passing in succession the stations of Kirkcowan, Glenluce, Dunragit, and Castle Kennedy, we reach Stranraer [Hotels : “ King’s Arms,” “George,” and “ Commercial ”], a port which has lately acquired considerable importance from its close proximity to the Irish coast, between which, at Larne, and Stranraer there is a daily service of commodious steampackets, making the passage in about three hours, having also communi- cation with Ayr and Glasgow by steamer, and by coach with Whithorn and Wigtown. Stanraer is situated at the head of Loch Ryan, and is accessible to vessels of large tonnage. The town, which had a population in 1871 of 5,939, is not attractive, but the neighbourhood is interesting. Four miles distant are the ruins of Castle Kennedy, the property of the Earl of Stair, but formerly the seat of the powerful Earls of Cassilis. It was burnt down in an accidental fire in 1715. The grounds are laid out in the old style of landscape gardening, and are open to the public every clay, except Sunday. They are kept in excellent condition ; the grassy terraces iorm an excellent promenade, the pinetum is interest- ing, and on one of the neighbouring lochs a heronry is situated. Culhorn and Lochnaw Castle are also in the neighbourhood, the seats respectively of the Earl of Stair and Sir Andrew Agnew, Bart. ; while on the western shore of Loch Ryan, in a beautiful situation, stands Loch Ryan House, the seat of Sir William Wallace, Bart. Leaving Stranraer, the line runs through Colfin station to Porfcpatrick, situated on a very rocky coast, with extensive sea views. Port- patrick is a small village, whose few inhabitants are engaged for the most part either m fishing or weaving. 480 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION LVI. GLASGOW. [Hotels : “ Queen’s,” “ Carrlck’s,” “ Royal,” “ George,” u Crown,” “ Cla- rence,” “North British,’ and “Victoria.”] Tramways. — An excellent system of tramways exists in Glasgow, by which easy conveyance to all the leading points of interest is obtained. Cab Fares. — Not exceeding one mile, is. each. Additional half-mile or part, 6d. each. Half fare returning. T HIS is the chief city in Lanarkshire, and, from a commercial point of view, in Scotland (population 477, 144). In respect * to wealth, population, and trade, Glasgow ranks next to London and Liverpool. Like the last-named city, its rise has been as- t tonishingly rapid, and, in the same way as its English rival, it < owes its progress to the energies and industry of its citizens. “ Let Glasgow flourish by the word And might of every merchant lord. And institutions which afford Good homes the poor to nourish,” sang Andrew Park, and it is thus that Glasgow has risen from the miserable fishing-hamlet of olden time. The portion of the t ( city occupying the northern bank of the Clyde is girt in on the < north-east and north-west by the ranges of hills, named respec- | fively Kirkpatrick and Campsie. The river, which is navigable up to the city by ships of 2,000 tons, owing to the enormous : sums lavished in deepening and widening it, is spanned by five bridges, from the largest of which, Glasgow Bridge, a fine view is commanded of the Broomielaw, or harbour, at once the cause and effect of Glasgow’s prosperity. Upwards of ^2,000,000 has been expended on this gigantic work. It is 400 feet wide, and extends down the stream for a mile and a half, walled on either side by superb ranges of quays. In the beginning of the present century the Clyde was here scarcely more than a third of its present width, with green banks, and a depth of water of barely five feet flowing between : now ships drawing twenty-one feet of water may come up at full tide. Looking up the stream, the course of the river can be followed for some distance, affording a good view of the Custom House on the northern bank. Previous to the Declaration of Independence, tobacco was the chief import < in which the Glasgow merchants embarked their capital. They j then began to cultivate the sugar and cotton trades, in which still greater fortunes were made than by the “tobacco lords,” while ! ' GLASGOW CATHEDRAL — ARCHES IN THE GLASGOW. 481 of late years, the iron and ship-building trades have bid fair to excel either of the already-mentioned sources of Glasgow’s wealth. In fact, the ship-building yards of the Clyde have now become the most celebrated in Europe. This celebrity is deserved, not only from the excellence of the vessels launched, but from the fact that here was constructed the first steamer worthy of the name that was ever built in Europe. Mr. Miller’s experiment at Dalswinton preceded the launch of the Comet in poind: of time, but could hardly be compared with the Glas'gow steamer in any other respect. This little vessel was built by Mr. Henry Bell, in the year 1812, more than four years later than Fulton’s successful application of steam as a motive power for vessels. Assuming the tourist to have put up at one of the hotels in George Square or the vicinity, we shall now proceed to point out the principal objects of interest in the city. This square, our starting-point, contains several monuments. Of these the chief is that to Sir Walter Scott — a fluted Doric column, rising from the central garden-plot to the height of eighty feet, and surrounded by a colossal statue of the poet and novelist. The > sculptor was, we presume, a Lowlander, seeing that he has put the shepherd’s plaid over the wrong ^houlder. Opposite the Post Office, on the southern side of tffe square, are statues of Sir John Moore (the subject of Wolfe’s Elegy) and of Lord Clyde, who were both natives of Glasgow. Proceeding west- . ward from those, we come to the very fine bronze figure of James Watt, by Chantrey. Besides these, there are a statue of Sir Robert Peel and equestrian statues of the Queen and the late Prince Consort. In the immediate vicinity of the square are the North British Railway Station, the Athenaeum High School, and the Andersonian University, with an attendance of about 1,700 students. Proceeding from George Square, en route for the Cathedral, the tourist will ascend the upper part of High Street, known as the “Bell of Brae,” where, according to Blind Harry, Sir William Wallace defeated Percy and his English forces. Reaching the top we have on our left Rotten Row, or the “ Street of Processions,” which marks the boundary of the ancient cathedral city. On the right is the former site of the Duke of Montrose’s castle, and the house in which Queen Mary nursed Darnley through the small-pox, just before his murder at Edinburgh by the infamous Bothwell. We now approach The Cathedral, the finest specimen of Gothic architecture in Scotland ; in the year 1579, it was saved by the. citizens from the fury of the Reformers. It was founded in the reign of David I., 1123, by Bishop Achaius, and built by Murdo, the famous architect 3 ! 482 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. of the other gigantic structures mentioned in the following inscrip- tion on his tomb : — “ Iohn Murdo sum tym callit was I, And born in Parysse certainly ; And had in keping al mason werk, Of Sanct Androys, ye high kirk Of Glasgu, Metros, and Paslay, Of Nyddysdayll, and of. Galway, Pray to God and Mari baith. And sweet Sanct John, to keep This haly kirk fra skaith/’ It does not appear, however, to have been finished till 1197? this being the date on the dedication stone. The plan is cruciform, and extends in length 230 feet, across the walls ; in breadth, sixty-three ; in height, within the walls, ninety. There are two square towers, one of which has a pointed octangular spire, rising to the height of 225 feet. Three churches, with their respective clergy, were originally comprised in the one building. Of these the crypt, used as the church of the Barony parish, is thus described in Rob Roy : “An extensive range of low-browed, dark, and twilight vaults, such as are used for sepulchres in other countries, and had long been dedicated to the same purpose in this, a portion of which was seated with pews, and used as a church. The part of the vaults thus occupied, though capable of containing a congregation of many hundreds, bore a small proportion to the dark and more extensive caverns which yawned around what may be termed the inhabited space. In those waste regions of oblivion, dusky banners, and tattered escutcheons indi- cated the graves of those who were once, doubtless, ‘ princes in Israel.’ Inscriptions, which could only be read by the painful antiquary, in language as obsolete as the act of devotional charity which they implored, invited the passengers to pray for the souls of those whose bodies rested beneath.” This portion of the building extends beneath the choir. The most modern additions which have been made to Glasgow Cathedral are eighty-one stained glass windows, inserted within the last half-century, partly by Government grants, and partly by the liberal contributions of the nobles and gentry. Most of them were executed in Munich, at the Royal Establishment of Glass Painting ; some are in the first style of art. The names of the particular artists and the subjects depicted will be found in a little descriptive catalogue sold on the premises for a few pence. The Cathedral is bounded on the east by the Molendinar Burn, across which the “ Bridge of Sighs ” leads to GLASGOW. 483 The Necropolis, which was opened in the year 1830, upon an eminence, rising abruptly to the height of 250 feet, and commanding almost the only general view to be obtained of Glasgow. This city of the dead is tastefully laid out, and teems with monumental erections of every description, from the statue-crowned Doric column of Knox to the “frail memorials,” “ With uncouth rhyme and shapeless sculpture deck’d,” which “ implore the passing tribute of a sigh ” for the sleepers beneath the turf. The prospect from here is very fine. To the south and west the city’s maze of streets spreads out, diversified by the various church steeples and the larger public buildings. Due south at the foot of the hill are the mineral spring of Lady- well, and the Bridewell, or Gaol. On the north-west towers the St. Rollox chimney, which draws off the poisonous effluvia of the largest chemical works in the world, and vomits them towards the clouds into the pure air at a height of 468 feet. The diameter of this huge chimney varies from thirty-six feet at the base to fourteen feet at the summit. Glancine round towards the south once more, Nelson’s Monument is seen ; and nearer, almost at our feet, the Hunterian Museum and College, now converted into the Coatbridge railway station. The company have shown much taste, by sparing the more antique portions of the old structure, in the necessary alterations which have been made. The Museum, however, had to be demolished, and the fine collection of books, coins, paintings, etc. valued at ^130,000, has been removed to the new University buildings. Passing down High Street, on our return from the Necropolis, we reach The Saltmarket, which readers of Rob Roy will remember as the abode of Bailie Nicol Jarvie. This and Bridge-gate, nearer the river, where Cromwell lodged, were formerly the principal streets of the city, but are now inhabited by the very poorest classes. After this we pass Gaol Square and the city Court-houses, and enter Glasgow Green, the people’s park — which is divided into three portions, called High Green, Low Green, and King’s Park. In High Green stands Nelson Obelisk, 143 feet high. From this the tourist will do well to proceed to the south side to Queen’s Park, which has an area of 100 acres. The south end of this park was the battle-field of Langside, where Mary’s forces were defeated by the Regent 484 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Murray, as she was on her way to Dumbarton Castle. Mary, who had watched the varying phases of the struggle from Cath- cart Castle (not Cruickston Castle, as Scott wrongly represents in The Abbot), after witnessing the defeat of her adherents, fled to the borders, and thence to the fatal shelter of Elizabeth’s dominions. Returning to the north side, vid the splendid thoroughfares of Eglinton and Bridge Streets, we proceed to view the west end of the town. We reach Argyle Street, which runs almost parallel with the course of the river for a distance of three miles, if we include the Trongate, as its eastern extremity, finishing at the Cross, is called. Here stands the statue of William III., and the Tontine Buildings, formerly the centre of Glasgow’s commer- cial industry. The down Hall buildings are also to be seen here. The portraits, however, have been removed from the hall, and the piazza of the Tontine has been converted into shops. Nearly all the principal streets run horizontally north and south from Argyle Street. Close by the point reached in coming from the bridge is Buchanan Street, the site of the best shops, most of which are very elegant structures. The south-western corner of the block of buildings between Bucha- nan and Queen Streets is cut off by the Arcade, a favourite promenade. At the north end of the same block is The Royal Exchange, the finest building in Glasgow. It is of the Corinthian order of architecture, and cost ^50,000. The news-room, 130 feet by sixty, is beautifully decorated, and has a remarkably handsome arched ceiling, supported by fluted columns. It is free to the public. In front of the Exchange a colossal equestrian statue of Wellington has been erected, at a cost of ^10,000. The pedestal contains representations of the duke’s various victories in alto- relievo. Behind the Exchange stands the Royal Bank. Walking down Gordon Street, from the Exchange, and turning to the right, we reach Sauchiehall Street, in which are situated the Corporation Galleries, containing the late Archibald McLellan’s fine collection of ancient paintings, the marble statue of Pitt, by Chantrey, from the Old Town Hall, besides other art treasures. The entire district from this westward to the park contains numerous churches and chapels of great elegance, and, as we approach the park gate, the handsome residences of the Glasgow aristocracy. Kelvin Grove Park, or the West End Park, as it is now called, situated on the western bank of the Kelvin, has cost the corporation upwards of ^100,000, and, considering its situation and the manner in which it is laid cut, well deserves the estimation in which it is held by GLASGO W— RUTHERGLEN 485 all Glasgow men. A short distance north of the park are the Botanic Gardens, which cannot fail to please. They are admira- bly laid out, have a fine collection of native and foreign plants, and are most picturesquely situated on the banks of the Kelvin. The Observatory stands at the southern extremity, commanding views of the New University, of the opposite bank of the stream, and of the city. The founda- tion of the university was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1868, and £260,000 has been already expended on its erection ; but the central tower is not yet quite completed, nor are the great hall and hospital. Its style is of the Early English character, and its area, exclusive of the grounds, six acres. The buildings, which are fitted up with all the latest improvements in regard to heating and ventilation, were formally opened on the 7th Novem- ber, 1870. The principal railway stations are the Bridge Street station (Glasgow, South-Western, and Greenock Railways), a gloomy looking structure near the Broomielaw Bridge ; the Caledonian South-side station (for Bothwell and Hamilton) ; the Edinburgh and Glasgow station, in Dundas Street ; and the Caledonian, in Port Dundas Road. EXCURSION XVIII HAMILTON AND BOTHWELL CASTLE. T HE tourist will book at the Caledonian South-side station, which can be reached by omnibus. During the run from the South-side station to Rutherglen, a fine view is obtained by look- ing back over the river towards the Green, and its backgrounds of stores and factories. Rutherglen (pronounced Ruglen) is a quiet, rustic-looking town, except during the carnival at the annual horse-fair. Rutherglen Castle, once a famous stronghold, is now a complete ruin. The battle- field of Langside is quite close, and it was here, and not at Renfrew, as stated by Sir Walter Scott, that poor Mary was stopped in her flight, after witnessing the discomfiture of the 486 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Hamiltons and her other supporters. The church of Rutherglen is remarkable as the place where Wallace concluded a truce with the English in 1297, and where his betrayal was subse- quently arranged by Monteith. On the right of the line stands Castlewick House, where Mary slept the night before Langside. Approaching Cambuslang, the next station, of which town Loudon, the naturalist, was a native, we have the Clyde on our left. The village church, whose steeple forms a conspicuous object, was the scene of the great religious revivals in 1742. Soon after passing Cambuslang, the train takes the Hamilton branch-line, and, passing Blantyre Priory and bleaching-fields, draws near the suburbs of Hamilton [Hotels : “ Commercial,” “ Douglas,” and “ Clydesdale ”] (population 11,498). We are now in the midst of the iron and coal district, which at night has the appearance of a country on fire, in consequence of the number and magnitude of its foundries. Hamilton Palace, with its grounds, covers a very considerable area between the town and the river. The old palace was a simple structure, but the new front, 264 feet eight inches in length, consists of a projecting Corinthian portico, with two rows of columns : these columns are of Dalserf freestone, each of a single block, notwithstanding that they are twenty-five feet in height, and three feet three inches in diameter. The magni- ficence of the interior corresponds to the appearance of this noble front. The number of art treasures, consisting of paint- ings, statues, etc., is so great that printed catalogues are laid in each room. Among the chefs-a’ceuvre may be mentioned Van- dyck’s “ Charles I.,” besides many family portraits by the same distinguished artist ; portraits by Hamilton, Reynolds, Lely, Mytens, and others ; the “Entombment of Christ,” by Poussin, also one by Titian on the same subject ; Correggio’s “ Dying Madonna;” Snyder’s “Stag-hunt; ” together with a host of mis- cellaneous works by Rembrandt, Carlo Dolci, Guido, the Caracci, Salvator Rosa, Rubens, and Spagnoletto, amounting in all to 2,000 pieces. Among the other objects of interest we may mention the travelling chest of Napoleon, a cabinet presented by the late Emperor of Prussia, and the cabinet and jewel-case of Mary Queen of Scots. But an attempt to exhaust the attrac- tions of the palace would fill a moderate-sized volume. We can only add that the furnishing of this magnificent residence will surpass the highest anticipations of visitors. Within the BOTHWELL BRIDGE AND CASTLE. 487 grounds are the handsome mausoleum, with its richly-decorated octagonal chapel, and the ruins of Cadzow Castle, at the /l h\- Norton & S/n Garden.. KC EDINBURGH. 507 views, handsome buildings, or picturesque site. It is situated within two miles of the Firth of Forth. On the east it is overlooked by Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat ; on the south-west by the Hills of Braid, Blackford, and Pentland ; and on the north-west by the Hill of Corstorphine. From the last, wooded to the top, are seen some most enchanting views of the town. The city is built upon a series of ridges or hills, giving to it a remarkably undulating appearance. The first and highest hill, crowned by the castle, gradually declines eastward towards Holyrood Palace, on which ridge and its slopes is built the Old Town of Edinburgh. The second, commencing to the south-west of the castle, is of smaller elevation, and runs in a south-east line to the foot of Salisbury Crags ; while to the north, again, is the third ridge, upon which nearly all the New Town is built: this runs nearly due east and west, terminating at the Calton Hill, and slopes gradually on the north side towards the Firth of Forth. Strangers are much struck by the view of the Old from the New Town, the houses towering one above the other, in con- sequence of the inequalities of the ground, which imparts to the ancient city a picturesque diversity of outline, and the piles of massive old masonry, forming the range of buildings from the valley up to the High Street, which covers the entire side and summit of the hill from the castle to Holyrood. The ramparts of the castle, the Calton Hill, and the footpath on Salisbury Crags will be found the best points for viewing the city and surrounding country, from either of which the Old and New Town are seen in beautiful contrast to one another. Some of the more distant views are no less celebrated. In Marmion Sir Walter Scott has chosen that from Blackford Hill. We ourselves prefer the summit of Craiglockhart. But perhaps the most popular is that from “Rest and be thankful,” a stone seat on the eastern side of the Hill of Corstorphine, placing the distant architecture of the city, with its castle, crags, and church spires, beneath the eye in minute and miniature exactness. The old part of the town — from the castle down to the head of the Canongate, and known by the names of the Lawn- market and the High Street — was originally the only part surrounded by the city wall, afterwards extended, of which remains may still be seen in Drummond Street, Bristo, and the Vennel in Lauriston, where as a boundary wall of the Heriot’s Hospital grounds a considerable portion remains, including what is nowhere else seen, one of the watch-towers which existed at fixed distances round the whole original wall : this one is in a very good state of preservation. In the 5o8 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . fifteenth century, and up to the time of the Union, many of the nobility lived in the High Street and Canongate ; but after the removal of the Government to London, they soon deserted these localities. Towards the middle of last century the New Town was begun, and has gradually grown into the extensive range of streets and squares which now meets the eye of the spectator. The population of Edinburgh and Leith, according to the census of 1871, was 240,777. In a central position between the Old and New Town, in the East Princes Street Garden, stands the Scott Monument, which we propose making our starting-point in the four walks through the city. This picturesque structure is in the shape of an open spire, 200 feet in height. An in- terior staircase ascends to a gallery a few feet from the top, which affords a most pleasing bird’s-eye view of the city. Under the lower ground-arch is the statue of Sir Walter Scott with his favourite dog Maida, by Steell, in grey Carrara marble. The five figures occupying the niches above the arches are, Prince Charles Edward, Meg Merrilees, the Last Minstrel, the Lady of the Lake, and George Heriot. It is proposed to fill all the niches with figures, illustrating charac- ters from the works of Scott ; and a lofty room above the first arch is to be used to contain relics of the poet, and a collection of every edition of his writings which can be obtained. The architect — Mr. George M. Kemp, a self-taught genius — was originally an operative mason. Plis natural aptitude for architectural pursuits was raised into enthusiasm by an early visit to Roslin Chapel ; he subsequently travelled on foot over a large portion of Great Britain and part of the Continent, supported only by his mechanical industry, and visiting, in the course of his journeyings, all places containing cathedrals or other Gothic structures. On returning to his own country, he carried off the palm in a competition of plans for a Gothic monument to the memory of Scott, but died from the effects of an accident, before the monument was completed. This was done in 1844, at a cost of ^15,650. Admission to the galleries, from which a series of the finest views of the city can be obtained, is obtained on a payment of two pence. The gardens in which it stands, called the East Princes Street Gardens, are elegantly laid out. Unrestricted access is afforded to the public; and there are no public gardens in the United Kingdom better preserved from injury. Proceeding west along Princes Street, on the same side, EDINBURGH. 509 and in a line with the Scott Monument, is a full-length bronze statue, by S‘.eell, of Professor Wilson, the celebrated “ Christopher North,” of Blackwood's Magazine , author of The Isle of Palms and other well-known works. It was erected in March, 1865, by public subscription, and, while excellent as a likeness, is considered one of the finest pieces of statuary in the kingdom. We next come to the Royal Institution, at the foet of the Mound. This elegant Doric structure was erected from a design by W. H. Playfair. Over the pediment is placed a colossal statue of her Majesty, by Steell, excellent for the truthfulness of the likeness at the date when it was made. Within are the apartments of the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts (which enjoys the administration of the Spalding fund for the support of aged and decayed artists), as also those of the Board of Trustees for the Improvement of Manufactures and Fisheries in Scot- land. There is also a fine statue gallery, with casts from the antique and the Elgin Marbles, to which the public have access on Wednesdays and Fridays, from ten to four, admission six- pence, and on Saturdays, from ten to four, free. The Royal Society of Edinburgh occupies the whole western wing, where they have a fine library, museum, and collection of portraits of eminent men of science. The Scottish Antiquarian Museum, rich in Scottish antiquities, occupies a portion of the building: admission to this may be obtained on Thursdays and Fridays, from ten till four, on payment of sixpence ; and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, from ten till four, and from seven till nine in the evening (of Saturdays only), free. On the other side, at the north-eastern corner of the West Princes Street Gardens, is a statue, in white marble, of Allan Ramsay, the author of “ The Gentle Shepherd.” The National Gallery. The building for the National Gallery, together with a suite of rooms for the Exhibitions of the Royal Scottish Academy, stands also on the Mound, above and a little to the southward of the Royal Institution. The foundation-stone was laid in August, 1850, by H.R.H. the late Prince Consort, and the design is also by Mr. Playfair. It is in the Ionic order, and has porticoes of six pillars on the east and west fronts, with antae or pilasters extending along the sides, and two smaller porticoes, consisting of four pillars, on each of the south and north fronts. The rooms 5io LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . occupied by the Royal Scottish Academy form the east division, entering by a door on the north front, and consist of five octagonal apartments for the annual exhibition of pictures and sculpture by the modern masters, together with a library and council-room for the Academy. The whole is lighted by cupolas in the roof. The National Gallery occupies a similar suite of apartments on the west side. It is open free to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, from ten till four, and also from seven till nine on Saturday evenings : on Thursdays and Fridays sixpence is charged for admission. A fine collection both of old and of modern paint- ings is contained in the Gallery. The site of the Royal Institution and National Gallery, the value of which was estimated at ^30,000, was given by the Town Council. It forms part of The Mound, an accumulation of earth, collected chiefly from the founda- tions of houses built in the town at various periods. Per- mission was granted for depositing the earth in the valley called the North Loch, now Princes Street Gardens ; and, as the accumulation increased, the possibility of a communica- tion by such means became apparent, and consequently a systematic plan was acted upon, and in course of time this very convenient passage between the old and new parts of the city was completed. At the head of the Mound stands The Free Church College, an elegant Elizabethan structure, with fine towers and crocketed finials. The eastern part of the building is used as the Free High Church. On a portion of the ground occupied by this building stood the palace of the Regent Mary of Guise, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. The edifice was erected from de- signs by W. H. Playfair. Immediately adjoining the Free Church College, on our right, are the National Security Savings Bank Buildings. A portion of the adjoining ancient buildings was restored after their destruction by fire in the autumn of 1857, anc * was rebuilt in the Scottish Baronial style. The immense pile of buildings on the east side of the bank, towering ten stories in height, was at no distant period oc- cupied by the elite of Edinburgh society. David Hume, the EDINBURGH. 51 1 historian, at one time occupied one of the upper flats ; and Boswell here entertained Dr. Johnson on his visit to Scotland. These tenements still remain, as examples of the lofty piles of buildings almost peculiar to this city. A little farther on, at the foot of Bank Street, stands The Bank of Scotland, a large massive building, with well-proportioned Corinthian columns, and having its front adorned with the arms of its chartered company. This is the oldest banking establishment in Scotland, having been incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1695. The original building was erected nearly seventy years ago, at an expense of ^75,000, and was by no means a very sightly structure. In 1865 two wings on either side of the part looking towards Bank Street were commenced ; these (now completed) are flanked by piers and Corinthian pillars — with campaniles ninety feet high from the level of Bank Street, forming a group with the central cupola, 112 feet high from the same level. These campaniles consist of four clusters of shafts, joined by arches and covered by stone domes, each having on its apex a single allegorical figure. From the north (Princes Street), while this building presents an imposing mass, it is too distant to give effect to the handsome detail existing upon that frontage. Adjoining the eastern wing of this building, towards Bank Street, will be found a new street, having its opening opposite St. Giles’s Church, made by the Bank of Scotland. This, called St. Giles’s Street, is built in the Baronial style, with a width of from thirty-eight to forty-eight feet. By passing the Bank front into this street, a charming view of the New Town is obtained through the railed space enclosing the ground adjoining the Bank on the east, while a very convenient access to the Waverley bridge will be found by an open staircase in the corner. Returning to and proceeding up Bank Street, and turning to the right, the Lawnmarket is entered, the picturesque and quaint-looking old buildings of which, many of great antiquity, will be sure to attract the attention of the visitor. Right in front, in the centre of the street, is Victoria Hall. The opening to the right, up the Castle Hill, is Ramsay Lane, on the one side of which is the great reservoir of the Edinburgh Water Trust Works, capable of containing 1,800,000 gallons ; on the other the very interesting establishment of the Original Ragged Schools, founded by the late Rev. Dr. Guthrie. Ramsay Lane takes its name from the house of Ramsay, the poet, which is situated to the north of the Water Trust Reservoir, on the north side of Castle Hill. A little further up is 512 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. The Castle. From the Castle Esplanade, on either side, singularly attrac- tive views may be had. The colossal statue on the north side is that of the Duke of York, by Campbell. The handsome Runic cross on the right was erected by the officers and privates of the 78th Highland Regiment, to the memory of their companions-in-arms who fell during the Indian mutiny of 1857. Passing the outward barrier of the castle, we arrive at a strong palisade with a dry ditch underneath, crossed by a drawbridge, and defended by a gate with two small flanking batteries. The roadway passes through two other gates to the right, beyond the first of which are situated the Artillery Stores and Argyle Battery. The Armoury is on the west of the Castle Rock, containing 30,000 stand of arms, beautifully arranged, and a bomb-proof powder magazine. On the highest platform of the castle, 383 feet above the level of the sea, stands the monster gun Mons Meg. On the carriage of the gun is an inscription which states that it was made at Mons, in Brittany, i486. After having been employed at the siege of Norham Castle, it burst on being fired in 1682, on the visit of the Duke of York; it was removed to the Tower of London in 1684, but restored to the Castle of Edinburgh by George IV. in 1829, and welcomed by the citizens with great demonstrations of joy, as a national relic. The highest habi- table part of the castle is occupied by a small quadrangle of 100 feet square, west of the Half-moon Battery, the houses in which are principally used as hospitals and barracks. The eastern side was once a royal residence : to this gratuitous access, with the services of an attendant, are liberally afforded, to inspect the small room at the south-east corner, in which James VI., the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, was born, 19th June, 1546. Tradition asserts that the child was subse- quently let down the face of the high precipice over which the window of this small closet opens to the foot of the Castle Rock, in a basket, and conveyed for safety to Stirling Castle. The roof is decorated with the initials M. R., a crown sur- rounded by thistles, and some verses of a quaint description in black letter, of which copies are to be had on the spot ; and the little window has been agreeably filled with beautifully sta'ned glass by Mr. Ballantine. Situated on the higher part of the Castle Rock, close to the Mons Meg Battery, is St. Margaret’s Chapel, dedicated to the sainted queen of Malcolm Canmore. This miniature oratory has been restored at the expense of her present Majesty, after a long period of neglect, and is now used on the occasion of the baptism of any child L EDINBURGH CASTLE, FROM THE GRASSMARKET. 1 ; EDINBURGH \ 5i3 born in the castle. Hard by, on the east side of the quad- rangle, is the Crown Room, wherein are deposited The Begalia, to which admission is free. The Scottish Regalia consist of a crown, sceptre, sword of state, and other crown jewels, and along with them are exhibited some valuable jewels bequeathed by the Cardinal York, the brother of Prince Charles Edward, to George IV., and sent to Edinburgh Castle in 1830 ; viz., the golden collar of the Garter conferred by Queen Elizabeth on James VI., with the George and Dragon, the badge of the order, believed to be the most superb jewel of the kind existing. The whole are secured within a strong iron cage, and shown by lamplight. In the same apartment is exhibited the oak chest in which the Regalia were deposited at the Union, and in which they lay lost until the year 1817, when they were discovered by Sir Walter Scott. Retracing our steps down the Castle Hill the visitor will notice the antique small houses on either side, which, with their numerous flats and small windows, render this street one of the most picturesque in Europe. On the right will be seen the Victoria Hall, a building finished in the year 1844, for the meetings of the General Assembly or Convocation of the Church of Scotland ; the tower and spire are 241 feet in height. On the south of Victoria Hall is St. John’s Free Church, built at the disruption for that celebrated preacher the late Dr. Guthrie. Turning to the right we pass St. Columba’s, an Episcopal Church, and next to it is the Normal Seminary of the Church of Scotland; a little beyond is a small block of buildings, erected for the married soldiers of the garrison. Looking up to the castle from this point, the small window is pointed out from which tradition states that James VI. was let down, in a basket, not to the road on which the visitor stands, but farther down still, to The Grassmarket, on our left, to which we now descend by a flight of steps. This square has an interest of' a peculiar kind : here the Covenanters suffered death. The common gallows stood for a long time at the east end of the Market, and the spot is now distinguished by paving-stones arranged in the form of a St. Andrew’s cross. The description of Porteous’ death in the Heart of Midlothian will give an idea of the scene this place presented in those troublous times. A Corn Exchange 33 5 H LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . was erected here in 1841, the interior of which is worthy of a visit ; before the Crystal Palace was seen, it afforded Edin- burgh some foretaste of what light, space, and glass could effect in imparting airy elegance within doors. It is 152 feet long, and ninety-eight broad, and is roofed with glass. The fa9ade to the front is in the Italian style, with a campanile at the west end. At the east end of the Grassmarket is the West Bow, lead- ing to George IV. Bridge, at the corner of which stands the Highland and Agricultural Society’s Museum. Opposite the Museum, on the east side of George IV. Bridge, is the New Sheriff Court, a building in the Italian style, beyond which, in the Byzantine style, is the Congregational Church of St. Augustine. , At the south end of the bridge is Greyfriars’ Churchyard, anciently the garden of the Franciscan monastery which stood in the Grassmarket. It contains many interesting monu- ments well worth inspection ; among others those of George Buchanan, Dr. Robertson, the historian, Dr. Black, the chemist, M‘Laurin, the mathematician, Allan Ramsay, the poet, Sir George Mackenzie, Adam, the architect, Dr. Hugh Blair, and M’Crie, the biographer of Knox. Here is also the tombstone on which the Solemn League and Covenant was signed, on the * 1st of March, 1638, by the excited multitude, many of whom i drew blood from their arms and inscribed their names with it \ in lieu of ink. Leaving Greyfriars’ Churchyard, and turning to the right, we enter the Forest Road, a new and elegant connection | between George IV. bridge and the meadows. In the centre of this street, on the left, stands the Oddfellows’ Hall, erected by that body in 1873 : it contains, amongst other conveniences, a fine lecture-hall and concert room. Further along, on the right-hand side, a large gate gives entrance to the Volunteer Drill Hall, a spacious erection occupying the whole rear space of this side of the street, having an arched glass roof in one span, under which are drilled the men of the Edinburgh battalions. It also possesses numerous other apartments and conveniences for the use of the officers and men. This little street is a good specimen of the renovated Scot- j tisli style of domestic architecture, the quaint cross-stepped I gables facing the street, and bearing in many cases mono- grams and the ornaments of the thistle, fleur-de-lys, and rose — to be seen in the old buildings of the High Street, Canongate, etc. The south end of the street enters Lauriston Street, turning into EDINBURGH. 5i5 which by our right, and proceeding a few yards westward, we arrive at the grounds in which stands Heriot’s Hospital, endowed by George Heriot, goldsmith to James VI., and opened for the admission of boys in 1659. The plan is ascribed to Inigo Jones. The number of boys admitted is 180, the fatherless sons of freemen having a preference. They must not be under the age of seven, and not above ten, and they generally leave at fourteen. If any are found advanced scholars at the termination of their studies in the hospital, and feel desirous of following some learned profes- sion, they have an allowance of £30 for four years at the University. The treasurer of the hospital issues tickets of admission at his office in the Royal Exchange, free to any stranger, every day, with the exception of Saturday. Crossing the road opposite Heriot’s Hospital entrance gate, and returning in the direction of Forest Road, we pass the front of the Surgical Hospital, forming the frontage of a large square, in the centre of which formerly stood Watson’s Hos- pital — an institution for the education of the sons of decayed merchants, now absorbed among several large new blocks of building containing the Medical Hospital and administrative departments, which together constitute, as a whole, the New Royal Infirmary Buildings. We have now arrived at the head of the Central Meadow Walk, the entrance to which is here indicated by two hand- some pillars, surmounted by two unicorns, holding shields, on which are engraved on one side the arms of Scotland, and on the other those of the city. Before proceeding, it is worth mention that it is intended to erect upon the space at present occupied by Teviot Row and Park Place, situate to the left of this entrance, complete class- rooms, theatres, laboratories, and museums, with the latest scientific improvements, for the medical faculty of the Uni- versity of Edinburgh. A University Hall will also be built here, and used for the conferring of degrees, the holding cf examinations, and for all public academical ceremonials. The estimated cost of these buildings is -£100,000, a sum which it is proposed to raise by voluntary subscription ; the buildings will be additionally useful in consequence of their close proximity to the Mew Royal Infirmary. The Meadows. The “ Meadow Walk,” which we now enter, is bounded on the right by the Infirmary buildings, and on the left by 5 16 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. George Square afterwards alluded to. To the right, at the first intersecting walk, are the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Merchant Company’s Boys’ School, which latter has to some extent taken the place of Watson’s Hos- pital, in so far as that the “ foundationers” of the latter institu- tion are here educated. The Meadows are about a mile and a half in circumference. The walks round this promenade are well sheltered with trees on each side. At their east end, called Hope Park, is the Archers’ Hall, and at the west end of this meadow, adjoining the central promenade, or Meadow Walk, are placed the butts for the exercise of the Royal Company of Archers, who are the Queen’s body-guard in Scotland. A handsome roadway for carriages, the Melville Drive, has been constructed around the southern side of the Meadows, while some very handsome ranges of houses will be found at the western end, facing the park on one side and Bruntsfield Links on the other. At the western end of the Meadows is the open space of ground — the remnant of the Borough Muir — on which Sir Walter Scott, in Marmion , describes the troops of Scotland as mustering for the march to Flodden. Half-way between the brow of the Hill of Morningside and the church on the declivity may still be seen on the roadside the “ Bore Stane,” on which James IV. fixed his standard in 1513. South of the Meadows are the Bruntsfield Links, principally devoted to the games of golf and cricket; also Barclay Church, with its tall spire, Gillespie’s Hospital, and Merchiston Castle, the birth-place and residence of Napier of Merchiston, the inventor of logarithms. Walking round the Links, along the path by the wall, we reach Warrender Park — destined shortly to be laid out in a series of handsome squares and crescents, already designed — the seat of Sir John Warrender of Lochend, Bart. ; a little beyond which is St. Margaret’s Nunnery. Turning, hence towards the new suburb of Grange, the “ Land of Canaan ” is reached ; it is studded with beautiful villas and gardens, and the House of Grange, the seat of Sir John Dick Lauder, Bart., of Fountainhall. This house was formerly the residence of Kirkcaldy, one of the murderers of Cardinal Beatoun, after- wards the champion and last adherent of the cause of Mary, Queen of Scots. It was from this house that Lady Grange was kidnapped by the celebrated Rob Roy, and carried, first to Balquhidder, and afterwards to St. Kilda. It is alleged that this outrage was perpetrated at the instigation of her husband, Lord Grange, who was one of the Lords of Session, and brother to the Earl of Mar, lest his lady should reveal to EDINBURGH. 5i7 the Government the secret of the insurrection then organizing, and which broke out in 1715. Here, too, Hume, the historian, and Dr. Blair resided ; and here Dr. Robertson died, in 1793. Returning by the Grange Cemeter}", where several celebrities are interred, and Chalmers’s Memorial Church, we reach George Square, the only large square in the southern districts, the residence of the aristocracy of a former generation. In No. 25, on the west side, Scott spent his boyhood. To the north- east of this place, in Nicholson Street, is the Royal College of Surgeons, the portico of which is supported by six fluted Ionic columns. Still farther north stands The University. It began about the time of the Reformation, and was estab- lished as a place of education by King James VI. in 1582. The apartments, becoming too small for the concourse of students, and the whole building being considered mean and incom- modious. the foundation-stone of the present University build- ings was laid by Lord Napier, a descendant of the great dis- coverer of logarithms, on the 16th November, 1780. Want of funds, and various causes, for a long while retarded the com- pletion of the structure. At length, in 1815, a Parliamentary grant was obtained, in yearly instalments of ^10,000, until 1822, when the quadrangle may be said to have been com- pleted. The handsome portico has been much and justly admired. The pillars, of the Roman Doric order, twenty-six feet in height, are each of one solid stone. The quadrangle is 358 feet long by 255 feet wide, and contains a statue of the late Sir David Brewster. There is an excellent anatomical museum, and the library is most tastefully fitted up, and in admirable order; it contains about 130,000 volumes, with 700 valuable and curious MSS., among which is the beautifully illuminated missal of St. Katherine. The splendid hall may be visited on producing an order from any of the patrons, the Town Council of Edinburgh. Next to the University, on the same side, is the Industrial Museum, in the Venetian Renaissance style, and built throughout of the grey sandstone of the neighbourhood, the shafts of the smaller columns being in Melrose red sandstone. It consists of two projecting wings, containing the lecture-room and offices; in the rear is the Museum proper, consisting of a series of courts opening into a great hall, 260 feet long by seventy feet wide, and seventy feet high. The Museum is I 5 iS LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . well worthy of a visit, having one of the finest and most com- plete collections of birds in the world. There is also a pretty good collection of animals, and some very interesting fossil remains, with minerals, shells, corals, insects, fishes, serpents, and various natural productions. The whole are arranged in the most beautiful order, and are in excellent preservation. It is open to the public on Wednesdays from ten till four, and on Saturdays from ten till ten. An extension of this building, in completion of the original design, is now in progress of con- struction, to find room for which two squares of some antiquity have been demolished. A fine open frontage has been obtained for both the In- dustrial Museum and the north side of the University, by the formation of Chambers Street, a handsome wide new thoroughfare, intended to connect the South and George IV. Bridges. The structures to be erected on the yet unbuilt side will be subject to conditions of style which will not detract from the opposite buildings. As a specimen, the Watt Institution and School of Arts, nearly opposite the centre of the Industrial Museum, furnishes a good guarantee. This institution formerly existed in a square, demolished in the construction of this street, and has been rebuilt at a cost of about ^g,ooo. It is in the mixed Italian style. Over the doorway is placed the monument of James Watt, which formerly occupied a pedestal in the centre of Adam Square. The institution, founded in 1821, possesses some interest from its being among the earliest efforts in Scot- land to provide evening classes for the advanced education of mechanics. Returning to the Scott Monument, a second walk may be undertaken next day, eastwards along Princes Street, past the North British Railway Terminus, and the Register House, an institution for the registration of mortgages and sales of landed and household property, in which are also contained the ancient historical muniments of Scotland. In front of this building is a bronze equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, erected in 1852 at a cost of ^10,000, and opposite, at the foot of the North Bridge, is The General Post Office. The foundation-stone of this stately structure was laid by II.R.H. the late Prince Consort, on the 23rd October, 1861 ; it was one of the last public acts he performed. The build- ing was opened for business on the 7th May, 1866. The front to Princes Street is 137 feet in length, and the fagade to the EDINBURGH. 519 North Bridge is 178 feet long. The building consists of three stories, being sixty-six feet in height in Princes Street, and upwards of 100 feet at the south side. The northern corners are considerably higher, giving them the appearance of massive towers. The principal floor is decorated by numerous Corin- thian columns. Crossing the bridge, we arrive at The Royal Exchange, on the right-hand side of High Street, which was built in 1761. Within the quadrangle are the City Chambers and various other offices connected with the city. In the High Street, almost opposite to the entrance to the Exchange, stood the Cross, the site of which is indicated by a circle of pave- ment. Here royal proclamations are made by the heralds and pursuivants, with all the pomp that usually accompanies such acts. Continuing our walk up the High Street, we come to The High Church, or Cathedral of St. Giles, at the entrance to the Parliament Square. St. Giles was the tutelary saint of Edinburgh, and the legend concerning him mentions that he was of illustrious parentage, and born in Greece. In the reign of James II. (1437 — 1460), Preston of Gorton got possession of an arm- bone of the saint, which he bequeathed to this cathedral, where it was kept amongst the treasures of the church till the Reformation. Forty altars, it is said, once stood in the church, so greatly was it esteemed as a religious establishment. James III. in 1466 erected it into a collegiate church. At the Reformation the sacred utensils were seized and sold by the magistrates, and the money, after repairing the church, went to augment the funds of the corporation. The building, which was entirely renovated in the exterior in 1832, contains three places of worship. The division called the High Church has a gallery, with a throne and canopy for the Sovereign, which is used by the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly when attending divine service during the sitting of that body, and has latety undergone restoration at consider- able cost. Right and left of the throne are pews appropriated to the magistrates of the city and the judges of the Court of Session, who attend church on Sunday in their robes. The tower or spire of the cathedral, the only part that has not undergone the process of restoration, consists of an imperial crown, and is seen with fine effect from various points both within and without the city. The church is a beautiful 520 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Gothic building, 206 feet long, no in breadth at the west end, 129 in the centre, and only seventy-six at the east end. It stands on a considerable elevation, and the spire is 161 feet high. It was in this church that, in 1637, Charles I., endeavouring to establish the Episcopalian service and disci- pline, created such a ferment among the people as to prevent any further attempt at making it the established religion of the country. Within the cathedral are interred the bodies of the Regent Murray, who was shot at Linlithgow in 1570, and the great Marquis of Montrose, who was hanged in 1650. The monu- mental brass commemorative of “ the good Regent,” with a Latin inscription from the pen of George Buchanan, was in possession of Lord James Stuart of Donibristle (the seat of the Earl of Moray), and has been handed over to the Society of Antiquaries. On the outer wall facing the High Street is a tablet, pointing cut the family burying-ground of Napier of 1 Merchiston. Nearly in front of this, at the north-east corner { of the cathedral, stands the old City Cross, which, in 1756, was removed from the High Street, and re-erected in the park of Lord Somerville’s house of Drum, three miles from Edin- burgh. In the spring of 1866 it was restored to the city, and placed where it now stands. Behind the church is the Parliament Square, in the centre of which is an equestrian statue oT Charles II. Here were interred the remains of John Knox, the Scottish Reformer, < the neighbouring ground in former times having been the St. Giles’s Church-yard : the spot is marked by a metal plate inserted in thu roadway. The principal buildings are appro- ! priated to the Courts of Session, Justiciary, and Exchequer. On the east end of the square are the Police Office, the Union ' Bank, and the Exchequer Chambers. Farther to the right, or west, is The Parliament House. This is the oldest building in the Parliament Square. The others have been built within the past few years, and the Par- liament House faced anew, to harmonize with the rest. The ength of the building is 133 feet, and the breadth ninety-eight. The great hall in which the Scottish Parliaments were held is called the Outer House ; it is 122 feet long by forty-nine in breadth, with a fine oak roof and floor. At the north end is a beautiful statue of the first Lord Melville, by Sir Francis Chantrey, and at the south end, by the same eminent artist, one of President Blair; opposite is a recumbent figure of Lord President Dundas ; and again, near Melville’s statue, an ex- EDINBURGH . 52i quisite and highly characteristic one of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, another president, by Roubiliac; while on each side of the principal entrance are statues of the late Lord Presi- dent Boyle and Lord Jeffrey, by Steell. Some good por- traits of celebrities of the Scottish Bench and Bar adorn the walls, their names being printed on the portraits as well as on the statues themselves. The most striking is a full-length portrait of Lord Brougham, by Daniel Macnee, R.S.A. The building was much enriched, in 1870, by the insertion of hand- some stained-glass windows. Passing through a door leading from the Outer House, on the west side, we come to the Advocates’ Library, the histori- cal room of which is to connect the Outer House with the buildings proposed to be erected at the south of the County Hall, and to front the street leading along George IV. Bridge. The books of the library are deposited below the Parliament House, in various rooms and galleries. The library consists of about 260,000 volumes, and is exceedingly rich in MSS., two thousand in number, chiefly connected with Scottish history and literature. By the liberality of the Faculty, the library is, like that of the British Museum, free for literary consultation. A statue of Sir Walter Scott, by Greenshields, is shown in a room below, and over the lobby door is preserved a pennon which is said to have been carried by the Earl Marischal of Scotland at the battle of Flodden, in 1513. In the New Hall are shown the National Covenant of 1638 and the King’s Confession. The range of buildings extending between the Cathedral and the County Hall is called the Signet Library, and belongs to the Society of Writers to the Signet, a class of legal prac- titioners resembling the solicitors of London. The upper apartment of this library is a superb room, 140 feet long by forty-two in breadth. In the centre of the room is a cupola, with paintings in oil of Apollo and the Muses, together with the historians, poets, and learned men of all ages and nations. The library is a very fine one, and in admirable order; it consists of upwards of 60,000 volumes. At the head of the staircase and in other parts of the building are some fine por- traits and marble busts of Scottish worthies. Facing the entrance to the Parliament Square is the County Hall, the large fluted Ionic portico of which fronts the County Square, wherein stood the City Tolbooth, called the “Heart of Midlothian,” from which Scott took the title of his novel. The site of the building is marked by stones in the pavement, arranged in the shape of a heart. Passing the Tron Church, and proceeding down the High 522 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Street, we come to John Knox’s House, situated on the left, close by the Fountain Well. It is said to be the very oldest stone building in the locality. Here the Reformer resided, for a short time, in 1559, and again in 1563 ; here he narrowly escaped the shot of an assassin while engaged in the com- position of his History of the Reformation. A charge of six- pence is made for inspecting the curiosities in the house, many of which have recently been added, and may be seen on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 10 till 4. On the front of a house opposite are medallion heads, evi- dently Roman, of the Emperor Severus and his consort Julia. Here stood the old Netherbow Port. The church adjoining, on the north side of the street, called John Knox’s Church, is a modern Gothic edifice, belonging to the Free Church body. Just below it is Leith Wynd, where a portion of the old wall still remains ; the wynd was at one time a principal outlet from the city northwards. Opposite is St. Mary’s Street, leading south, lately widened f and rebuilt on one side by the Improvement Commission of the city. Passing on down the Canongate, which (in con- tinuation of High Street we have now entered), we have, a little lower on our left, another of the city improvements, in a street called Jeffrey Street. Here stands Trinity College Church. This building originally occupied a portion of the present North British railv/ay station. It was built about 1460, # by Mary of Gueldres, Queen of James II. of Scotland ; she was also buried in it, and on its demolition, which took place about 1843, her body was found and re-interred in Holyrood Abbey. The railway company bound themselves to save the stones and re-erect the building on a site chosen by the city. Proceeding down the Canongate, on the left, is the old Canongate Tolbooth, outside of which will be seen the pillory and whipping-post, a slight stone pillar raised upon steps. Adjoining is the Canongate Church, where the graves of Adam Smith, Dugald Stewart, and Dr. Gregory may be seen ; and close by Burns erected a tombstone over his brother poet Ferguson. Not far from this, between the Canongate and Queen’s Park, is The Palace of Holyrood. The palace is an elegant stone edifice of a quadrangular form. The length is about 230 feet from north to south, but somewhat less from east to west. The west front consists only of two stories, surmounted by a double balustrade ; and the portico in the centre is adorned with massive columns, ' ' •• **> •> ■ '> • * < *■ -< . ~r , - EDINBURGH, 523 which support a cupola, in the form of an imperial crown. The other three sides of the square are composed of three stories. The gallery contains a collection of the portraits of 106 Scottish kings, from the earliest times, painted chiefly by De Witt. Some of the portraits, especially of the earlier kings, were painted from the fancy of the artist, some were taken from old coins, and others of a later date were copied from private pictures. A picture supposed to have been the altar-piece of Trinity College Church, above referred to, has lately been restored to Holyrood, by order of her Majesty. The present palace has never been the residence of royalty, except during the visit of George IV., and occasionally of her Majesty Queen Victoria, in her progress to and from Balmoral. James V., in 1528, erected the north-west towers, which are more generally known by the name of Queen Mary’s apart- ments, and in which she resided. In these towers are the presence chambers, in which Queen Mary had the well-known interview with John Knox; the dressing-room, with the small apartment adjoining it, having a secret stair leading from the chapel to the palace, by which Darnley and his associates entered and murdered Rizzio ; and the bed-cham- ber, in which is still the Queen’s bed and some other relics of former days. The stains of Rizzio’s blood are said to be still visible on the floor. In 1793 apartments were fitted up for the Count d’Artois (afterwards Charles X. of France) and the Dues d’Angouleme and Berri. Prince Charles Edward Stuart held his court here in 1745, and George IV. in 1822. The Abbey Church, now in ruins, was founded by David I., 1128. This fine specimen of Gothic architecture has suffered much at different periods from barbarous hands ; but in 1816 means were resorted to for preventing ifs further decay. A charge of sixpence is made for seeing the palace and chapel, every day, except Saturday, on which day free admission is allowed. The abbey, and all within the abbey grounds, in- cluding the whole space on which stands Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Craigs, walled all round, and known by the title of the King’s, or, more recently, Queen’s Park, is a sanctuary for insolvent debtors, who procure apartments in the houses adjoining the palace. On leaving the palace by the south side, we enter the Queen’s Park, where will be seen, stretching to the right and left, the Queen’s Drive, one of the finest promenades about Edinburgh, affording an extraordinary range of panoramic prospects. Returning to Holyrood Palace, and turning to the right 524 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. towards the Calton Hill, weraach Burns’s Monument, contain- ing a collection of the poet’s MSS. and many interesting relics. The tine building opposite Burns’s Monument, nearly underneath Nelson’s Monument, is the High School of Edin- burgh, a justly admired Greek structure, and one of the greatest ornaments of the city. It is composed of a centre and two wings. The wings have abasement story; and the whole building, including the lodges, extends in length somewhat above 400 feet. The Doric columns of the centre block are above twenty-two feet in height ; those of the corridors, right and left, are about a third shorter. Opposite is the County Gaol, and a little farther on, is the stair leading to The Calton Hill. The first building at the top, on the left, is the monument to Dugald Stewart, professor of moral philosophy in the ' University of Edinburgh, who died in 1828. The monument ' is after Lysicrates’ choragic “Lantern of Demosthenes,” at Athens. Just above is the Old Observatory, on the top of which is an anemometer, placed there at the desire of the British Association, for the purpose of recording observations on the wind. Within the same enclosure is the New Observatory, ‘ erected in 1818. At the corner, next to Nelson’s Monument, is a / monument; to the memory of Professor Playfair, who filled the \ chair of natural philosophy in the university. To the right, in an unfinished state, is the national monument, designed 10 commemorate the gallant achievements of our countrymen ‘ during tne Peninsular war. The model of the building is the . Parthenon at Athens. Next to this is situated Nelson’s ' Monument, erected in 1815. Above the door is the crest of Nelson, cut in stone, and a carving of the stern of the “San Jose,” with an appropriate inscription. From the top of the monument, which is 102 feet in height, is seen one of the most splendid panoramic views in the world. The visitor has aiso access to the inspection of a variety of optical and scientific objects contained in the structure, for the whole of which there is a charge of is. In the apartments will be found the autograph of the hero, copies of addresses to him, and various other things connected with his name and actions. A time-ball has been erected for the purpose ol enabling captains of vessels to correct the time of their chronometers without the risk of bringing them ashore. It is lowered precisely at one o’clock, Greenwich time. In con- nection with this time-ball, there has been placed in the EDINBURGH. 525 Half-moon Battery at the Castle a time-gun, which is dis- charged by electricity at the same hour. Passing along the terrace, the stranger has, stretched out before him, the whole of the New Town of Edinburgh, the regularity of which is strongly contrasted with the seemingly confused masses of the Old Town. From this point the long avenue of Leith Walk may be seen, connecting Edinburgh with Leith in an almost unbroken line. Advancing still' farther, till the point is rounded, the whcla bay, or Leith roads, as it is commonly called, opens up before the spectator, and on a clear day presents a scene acknow- ledged to be only inferior to the Bay of Naples. The town of Leith lies right before the spectator; to the left is the village of Newhaven, and to the right the beautiful watering-place of Portobello. From the latter point several other towns are seen, situated on the bend of the coast, as it curves round on the one hand towards the Island of May, and on the other to the Bass Rock, which may be distinctly recognised in the ex- treme distance on the right. About midway in the water in front is the island of Inchkeith, on which a lighthouse with a revolving light is erected ; and up the river to the left are various islands diversifying the face of the Forth. On the opposite shore is the county of Fife, where may be seen the towns (beginningon the west or left hand) of Aberdour, Burnt- island, Kinghorn, and Kirkcaldy. The prospect is beautifully bounded by the Fife or Lomond Hills. Near to the base of Nelson’s Monument are the Bridewell and the County Prison ; below are the Political Martyrs’ monument and the tomb of David Hume, the historian ; the North Bridge and Princes Street lie to the west, and across the valley are seen the spires of the Tron Church, of St. Giles, and of Victoria Hall, the view being bounded by the Castle. After making the complete circuit of the hill, and descending the steps into Waterloo Place, on the right hand is the Calton Convening Room, and directly opposite the Calton Burying- ground. The roadway having been cut through the midst of this place of sepulture, it is ascended by a flight of steps. A circular monument to David Hume, and an obelisk to the memory of Muir, Palmer, and Gerald, designated “ The Martyrs’ Monument,” are placed in this ground, small por- tions of which, screened by a retaining wall with niches, occupy either side of the street. The tourist will now return to Scott’s Monument, passing on his way the Old General Post Office and the Office of Inland Revenue. Turning eastwards through St. Andrew’s Street, he will enter 526 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . St. Andrew Square, This square, the first built in the New Town, contains some of the finest ornaments of the city. The first building on the right is the National Bank of Scotland, with a somewhat plain exterior, and immediately adjoining is the British Linen Com- pany’s Bank. In the adjoining recess stands the Royal Bank of Scotland, in front of which is a statue of the Earl of Plope- toun: the telling-rcom of this bank is well worthy of a visit. On the other side of the recess is Slaney’s Douglas Hotel, where the ex-Empress of the French, the Prince and Princess of Wales, etc., resided during their visits to Edinburgh. In the centre of the garden in the midst of the square a tall fluted column, 136 feet high, after that of Trajan at Rome, sustains a statue of Henry, P : irst Viscount Melville, fourteen feet in height. The other buildings of note are the various insur- ance offices. It may be interesting to many to mention that the gifted statesman and orator, Lord Brougham, was born at a house on the west side of the square. From this side we enter George Street, the second finest street in Edinburgh. On the right stands the Standard Insur- ance Office, with a sculptured pediment, on which are repre- sented the Ten Virgins. A little farther on is St. Andrew’s Church, with a handsome portico of four Corinthian columns, and a beautiful tapering spire 168 feet in height, containing a peal of eight bells. On the opposite side of the street are the Commercial and Clydesdale Banks, and in the centre is a bronze statue of George IV. Farther down, at the corner of Frederick Street, is a statue of William Pitt. Proceeding westward, the next intersecting street is Castle Street, where, at the central crossing point in George Street, it is intended to erect a monument to Dr. Cnalmers. Sir Walter Scott lived for a long period in Castle Street, at No. 39, a few doors north of George Street. At the western ex- tremity of George Street, we enter Charlotte Square, the first portion of the New Town of Edinburgh, designed upon a uniform plan. It is the work of Adam, and presents six fa5ades, the eastern and western sides being divided in the middle, and the north and south entire — each fagade being thus a counterpart of that opposite, and composed of elegant centres and wings. On a space occupying the middle of the western side, equal to the width of George Street, stands St. George’s Church, a miniature of St. Paul’s in London; with its dome, it closes the EDINBURGH. 527 view from the east or St. Andrew’s Square end of George Street. An octagonal garden fills the middle of the square, in the centre of which stands The Prince Albert Memorial, Of this the pedestal alone is erected ; it is a handsome square mass of polished granite, and has cost about ^1,600. At each corner are extended bases, while on the four sides are compart- ments ; on the former will stand bronze figures, while the latter will be filled in with bas-reliefs of the same material. The statue of the Prince, which will surmount this pedestal, is an equestrian one (now in course of preparation), and will form the most successful and ambitious of all the previous efforts of the eminent sculptor, Steell, to whom the work has been entrusted. The entire cost will be about £15, 000. The access to the monument is by a broad walk, entering the gar- den opposite George Street. Passing to the western side of the square, and proceeding down Hope Street to Princes Street, we are confronted by St. John’s Church, a building in the florid. Gothic style, by Burn. It is a copy of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. The stained glass window above the altar is by Egglington, of Bristol. The church, which is externally graced by embossed gothic orna- ments, has a well-proportioned western tower, and elegant entrance-door. Opposite this, on the right, is the terminus of the Caledonian Railway. Turning down the Lothian Road, the tall handsome spire of St. Cuthbert’s, or the West Kirk, appears. The body of the structure is not equal to the spire, and has nothing worthy of notice, save the ef- efifective monument to its late pastor, Dr. Dickson. Leaving this we reach the basin of the Union Canal, which connects Glasgow with Edinburgh. Between the Lothian Road and the Castle is St. Mark’s Chapel, the only Unitarian place of worship in the city. Proceeding hence towards the Hay- market station, we pass some of the finest of the modern residences, and come to the handsomest of the Edinburgh hospitals, Donaldson’s Hospital, built in the Elizabethan style. Its length from east to west is 270 feet, and from south to north 257 feet, enclosing a quad- rangle 176 by 154 feet. There are four square towers at each angle, ninety-two feet in height, and four octagonal towers in the centie of the principal front, 120 feet high ; there are also three octagonal towers in the quadrangle, each about 528 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE. ninety feet high, and several smaller turrets of various heights. The interior is admirably fitted up with culinary and bathing apparatus, etc. , is beautifully painted, and the chapel windows are filled with magnificent stained glass. Strangers can get the address of some director from any bookseller, and receive an order of admission by a written application. Proceeding on to Coltbridge, and turning to the right, we reach the Orphan Hospital, a splendid building, with imposing centre and wings, raised upon a terrace, ascended by a broad flight of steps, and having an entrance portico of seven Tuscan columns, supporting a pediment with a clock. The building was finished in 1833, at a cost of ;£i6,ooo, and is calculated to accommodate about 200 children. A few paces farther on is the entrance to the Dean Cemetery, the beautiful situation of which, and the care with which it is kept, are worthy of all praise. A square-built monument, of simple and severe design, rising on steps, near the great over- hanging willows at the western wall, marks the spot where f the celebrated editor of the Edinburgh Review , Lord Jeffrey, lies interred. Immediately adjoining is Lord Rutherford’s monument, formed of Peterhead red granite. Here are like- wise interred Lords Moncrieff, Cockburn, and Cunningham, also Professors Wilson, Forbes, and Thomson, together with the celebrated painters, Sir William Allan and David Scott, and Playfair, the architect. { Leaving the cemetery, by the north gate, we pass on the left j the Dean Church, a little farther to the west of which is 5 Stewart’s Hospital, a fine Elizabethan structure, for the educa- tion of poor children. Turning towards Edinburgh, we re-enter by Clarendon ! Crescent and the Dean Bridge, consisting of four arches, each ninety-six feet in span — in all 447 feet long and thirty-nine wide, rising 106 feet above the wild and rocky section of strata laid bare in the bed of the stream below. It was finished in 1831, from a design by Thomas Telford, Esq., and has this peculiarity that it has double arches, the upper ones sup- porting the foot pavements being themselves supported by pilasters, based upon the piers. On the west side stands Trinity Episcopal Chapel, a minster- like structure, with crypts and tombs below. When viewed from the valley this chapel has a very picturesque appearance. To the east a handsome series of terraces and crescents covers the height opposite to the back of Moray Place, and the ground sloping towards the Water of Leith is terraced and laid out as a garden. On the other side of the bridge, looking down the ravine, an elegant temple is seen on the right bank ; this edi- EDINBURGH. 529 fice is called St. Bernard’s Well, and is much resorted to in the morning by invalids. The temple, which was erected by Lord Gardenstone, is adorned with a statue of Hygeia, a reference to the medicinal nature of the spring, which is considerably sulphureted. On the rising ground in the distance is Fettes Hospital and College, recently built on the Fettes grounds at Comely Bank. The hospital is in the French Gothic style, of the time of Francis I., and cost about £80, 000. It is intended for the maintenance, education, and outfit of fifty young persons whose parents have died poor, or are unable, from poverty, to give suitable education to their children. The trustees have adopted the plan of Rugby and other English public schools, and have made arrangements for the admission of day-scholars, for the accommodation of whom boarding-houses are erected in the vicinity of the college. The education given includes English, Greek, modern lan- guages, mathematics, and scientific and artistic instruction. Prizes in the form of scholarships, tenable during residence at the college, and exhibitions to be held at Edinburgh and other universities are awarded to the scholars. Leaving the bridge, and walking up Lynedoch Place, we reach Melville Street the centre of which is occupied by a bronze statue of Viscount Melville. An Episcopal cathedral is about being erected here, the necessary funds having been bequeathed by the late Miss Coates. Quitting this spot, en roiite for our starting-point, we arrive at Moray Place, which has long maintained its pre-eminence amongst the splendours of domestic architecture which have caused Edinburgh to be denominated a city of palaces. The houses are massive Doric structures, built upon Moray Park, the property of the Earl of Moray. From this issues Queen Street, once the fashionable promenade of Edinburgh. Proceeding eastward to Queen Street Hall, the Synod hall of the United Presbyterian Church, we pass the Physicians’ Hall, which has a handsome projecting portico, supporting statues of zEsculapius, Hippocrates, and Hygeia. Next to the Queen Street Hall is the Philosophical Institution, comprising a reading-room and library, besides the lecture-rooms. Turning down St. David Street, on the right, we once more reach the Scott Monument. Setting out from the monument for the fourth time, the tourist will proceed eastwards to Leith Street and Catherine Street, from which a fine view is gained of Leith Walk and the town of Leith. On the left is the Theatre Royal, and adjoining it St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Chapel. To the north, in York Place, is St. Paul’s Church. Thence, proceeding by 34 530 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Broughton Street, Mansfield Place, and Bellevue Crescent, we reach St. Mary’s Church, with a spire 185 feet high, and a Corinthian portico, with fine capitals. To the left lies the Royal Gymnasium. A little farther down is Canonmills Bridge, close to which, on the left we see Tanfield Hall, now a wool store, but likely to be long remembered as being the place prepared for the reception of the ministers, who, on the 18th May, 1843, constituted themselves into an independent body, under the name of the Free Church of Scotland. In this hall also took place the union between the United Secession and Relief Churches, on the 13th of May, 1847. Proceeding a short distance along Inverleith Row we arrive » at the Caledonian Horticultural Society’s Experimental Gar- dens, which are laid out with very great taste. Strangers are admitted free at any time, except on exhibition days, when a , charge of is. is generally made. A little farther on, on the same side, are The Royal Botanic Gardens, containing fourteen acres of ground. The superintendent’s house is situated on the right-hand side of the entrance, immediately adjoining which is the class-room of the Pro- { fessor of Botany. The garden presents every facility for the study of botany. A grant of ^6,000 was received lately from Government to rebuild the palm-houses, which were formerly very insufficient. The public are admitted to the grounds at any t me, but to the palm-houses and hot-houses on Saturday only. The tourist may return by the North British station of the Granton Railway, Granton is now an independent port, and a place of importance, on account of its piers, the property of the Duke of Buccleuch, by whom they and the adjacent breakwaters were built. Here the London, Aberdeen, Stir- ling, and Fife steamers arrive, and from hence they depart. The Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee Railway extends along the east side of the pier, conveying passengers to the sides of the steamers. To the east is the Chain Pier, now almost exclu- sively used for bathing purposes. Beyond this is the fishing village of Newhaven, the inhabitants of which form a distinct community, seldom intermarrying with any other class. About a mile along the coast is Leith Fort, the head-quarters of the Royal Artillery in Scotland, containing accommoda- tion for 350 men. The town of LEITH. 531 LEITH (population 44,227), the seaport of Edinburgh, is situated about two miles from the centre of the metropolis, yet, in reality, joined with it by Leith Walk. Leith is divided by the river into two portions, called North and South Leith ; they are connected by two drawbridges and an elegant stone bridge. The old part of the town is built very irregularly, the streets being narrow and crowded ; but the new streets to the south and east are spacious and cleanly. Until the passing of the Burghs Reform Bill, in 1833, Leith was under the control of the magistrates of Edinburgh, but since then its civic affairs have been managed by a pro- vost and bailies, a treasurer and council. The chief attrac- tions for such as may visit Leith are the harbour, docks, and extensive shipping. The public buildings worthy of notice are the Exchange Buildings, a spacious Grecian structure, at the bottom of Constitution Street, and fronting Bernard Street, comprising the assembly-rooms, public reading-rooms, and the post-office ; the Custom House, also in the Grecian style ; the Trinity House, in the Kirkgate, founded in 1555, and rebuilt in 1817; the High School, on the south side of the Links; the Corn Exchange, Bernard Street; and the Town Hall, comprising police-office, ceils for prisoners, and court- rooms for the sheriff and other authorities. The piers also are well worthy of a visit ; they project seaward consider- ably more than a mile, extending past the Martello tower, and form fine evening promenades. On the way to the piers we pass, on the south side of the harbour, the Prince of Wales Graving Dock, much used by the Hamburg and New York Shipping Company, who refit all their fleet here. Adjoining this dock a floating dock, covering nearly thirteen acres, has been recently constructed, with a depth of water at the dock gates, in spring tides, of twenty-seven feet. An excellent view of Edinburgh and Leith may be had from the end of either pier. Leith, together with Musselburgh, Portobello, and Newhaven, returns a member to Parliament. The trade of the port lies chiefly in corn, wine, and timber, while a large traffic by screw steamers is carried on with Hamburg, Rotter- dam, Christiana, London, Hull, Newcastle, and other ports. After seeing everything of importance, we should recom- mend the visitor to take one of the tramway cars plying between Edinburgh and Leith, every five minutes, which will conduct him to the place whence he started. 532 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. EXCURSION XX. EDINBURGH TO ROSLIN, HAWTHORNDEN, Etc. O NE of the pleasantest summer excursions in the vicinity of Edinburgh is to Roslin and Hawthornden ; it is one which no stranger should neglect. Roslin may be reached by the coach running daily during the season at n a.m. ; it is about seven miles from Edinburgh, the road leading through the suburb of Newington and the small village of Liberton. Or the trip may be made by the Peebles Railway, from Waverley Bridge station to Hawthornden and Roslin stations. At Roslin will be found a commodious hotel, recently erected. Roslin Chapel was founded by William St. Clair, of Roslin, Prince of Orkney, in 1446. The chief object of interest is the Apprentice’s Pillar, respecting which a romantic legend is related by the guide. The florid Gothic tracery, the astonishingly elaborate sculptures, and the profuse and beautiful ornamentation of the j pillars, cornices, etc., would occupy pages of detail. It sus- tained a good deal of injury at the period of the Revolution of 1688, but has lately undergone the process of restoration, and is now used as an Episcopal place of worship. Roslin Castle was built by the same nobleman who founded the chapel. In 1554 it was burned by the English under the command of the 1 Earl of Hertford, and it was taken by Monk in 1650. The i more ancient parts of the castle are indicated by the huge masses of fragments. The modern part was rebuilt in 1652. What remains shows it to have been once a place of great strength, moated and only accessible by a drawbridge. The situation is uncommonly romantic, being on a steep promon- tory of rock overhanging the bed of the river, which sweeps round two sides of it, the opposite side being so flat as to be occupied by an extensive bleach-field. At the point of this peninsula the bed of the stream is contracted by a large mass of reddish sandstone, over which it falls, forming when the the river is in flood a beautiful cascade, or linn. This linn is said to have given name to the place. The banks below the castle become extremely precipitous, and are covered with natural wood ; and, for more than a mile below, the stream is confined on both sides by high perpendicular walls of sand- stone, which in many places have been worn into unusually ROSLIN—HA WTHORNDEN. 533 picturesque and fantastic shapes by the action of the water. The castle is separated from the country on the land side by a deep ravine, over which the only access is by a strong bridge, which remains entire. Roslin is celebrated in history for three successive victories obtained in one day (the 24th February, 1303), by Sir Simon Fraser and Sir John Comyn, with 10,000 men, over 30,000 English invaders, under the command of John de Seagrave. The tourist, if in a cab or coach, will find it advisable to send it round to Lasswade, and to descend the valley of the Esk by the footpath on the bank to that village : by this arrangement he will enjoy a delightful stroll among the woods. Hawthornden was the residence of Drummond, the historian and poet, a descendant of whom now resides there. The house and old castle stand on the edge of a lofty precipice of freestone rock, at the foot of which is the river, and midway, in the side of the rock, are hewn out some extraordinary caverns. Tradition assigns their construction to the Pictish monarchs, and has called one the King’s Gallery, another the Guard- room, and a third the King’s Bed-chamber. It seems more probable that they owe their origin to the destructive wars between the Scots and the English ; and it appears to be tolerably certain that they served as a hiding place for Sir Alexander Ramsay and his bold companions, during the contest of Bruce and Baliol. Besides the above-mentioned three caves, there is a fourth, a smaller one, called the Cypress Grove, where Drummond is said to have composed many of his poems and prose compositions. To obviate complaints made by parties visiting Hawthornden, access is now given by tickets, allowing the bearers to pass through the grounds.* A short way farther on is the village of Lasswade, a thriving, busy, snug retreat, in which Sir Walter Scott resided for some years after his marriage. It is supposed that he had Lasswade in his mind when he drew the picture of Gandercleuch in the Tales of My Landlord. Here also Professor Tennant, the erudite author of Anster Fair , taught the village school be- fore his great philological attainments were known. The manufacture of paper is the principal business carried on along the river Esk; there are no less than five large mills within a short distance of each other. Indeed, in this district there is more paper made than in any other part of Scotland, and great quantities of it are sent to London. * Admission is given on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, entering from the Hawthornden gate only. 534 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . The tourist, if desirous, can now reach Edinburgh by railway or the Lasswade road, but it would be advisable to visit Mel- ville Castle, the beautifully situated seat of Lord Melville. About a mile and a half east of this is Dalkeith Palace, the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, situated close to the town of Dalkeith. The house stands on the site of an older building of great strength, which had stood several sieges. For some centuries it was the principal residence of the family of Morton, from whom it was purchased, in 1642, by the ancestors of the present noble proprietor. Dalkeith Palace was built by Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch and Monmouth, about the beginning of the last century. The park in which it stands is about 800 acres in extent, and completely surrounded by a wall of stone and lime, eight or nine feet high. Charles II. resided here for a short time, and entirely furnished an apartment on the occa- sion of the marriage of the Duke of Monmouth with the heiress of the house. George IV. also resided here, in 1822 ; and here her Majesty Queen Victoria held her first receptions in Scot- land, in 1843. Dalkeith Palace is adorned with some fine old paintings. The grounds and gardens are exceedingly beautiful. Wednesday and Saturday are the days for admission to the palace in the absence of the family, although strangers coming from a distance are often admitted at other times, when they cannot take advantage of the days set apart. About a mile from Dalkeith is Newbattle Abbey, the seat of the Marquis of Lothian. The house is modern, and built on the site of a Cistercian abbey, founded by David I. Some curious stone relics of antiquity are still treasured round it. In the library are Some beautiful and valuable illuminated manuscripts, which formerly belonged to the abbey, and some fine pictures, among which are a half-length portrait of Darnley and a beautiful head of Mary of Guise, the mother of Queen Mary. The house is surrounded by a fine wooded lawn, about thirty acres in extent. Several trees of enormous size are to be seen in the park, which is a favourite resort of pic-nic parties. About two miles farther south, on the Esk, is Dalhousie Castle, the seat of the Earl of Dalhousie, a short way from which stood the mansion of “the Laird of Cockpen.” Some beau- tiiul walks are to be found along the steep and woody banks of the river. A short way beyond Dalhousie, near the inn at BORTHWICK CASTLE— CRICHTON CASTLE. 535 Fushie Bridge, is Borthwick Hall, the residence of Charles Lawson, Esq., late lord provost of Edinburgh. Borthwick Castle was built about the year 1430, by Sir William de Borthwick, by licence of James I. of Scotland. It is one of the largest and best-preserved of the old buildings remaining in this country, and stands with imposing grandeur in the centre of a small, but beautiful valley watered by the Gore. Its form is nearly square, being about seventy-four by sixty-eight feet within the walls, which are of hewn stone within and without, and are near the bottom thirteen feet, and at the top six feet thick. From the ground to the battlements, it is ninety feet high, and including the roof, which is arched and covered with flagstones, the whole is about no feet. The castle is sur- rounded on three sides by water and steep banks ; and at equal distances from the base are square and round towers, which, before the use of artillery, must have been impregnable. Queen Mary retired hither for some time with the Earl of Bothwell, before her final separation from him at Carbeiy. Cromwell bent his cannon against it exactly at the weakest part, where there was a chimney. By ascending the height on the east about a couple of miles, Crichton Castle (originally the seat of the celebrated Chancellor Crichton) is reached. This castle was levelled to the ground, during the minority of James II., by William Earl of Douglas, in con- sequence of some feud he had with the Chancellor ; but in the reign of James IV., having become the property of the Hep- burns, Lords of Bothwell, it was rebuilt with increased mag- nificence. It is now the property of William Burn Callander, Esq., of Preston Hall. Crichton Church, a Gothic building near the castle, was founded in 1449 by the Chancellor. The tourist may now return to Edinburgh, either by the Hawick Railway — one of the stations of which is at Tynehead, near Crichton Castle, another at Dalhousie, near Newbattle, and a third at Eskbank, by Dalkeith — or follow on by the village of Pathhead to Oxenford Castle (the Earl of Stair) and Preston Hall — both places well worthy of a visit — and thence by Carbery Hill, where Queen Mary was separated from Bcth- well, and where she held her conference with Kirkcaldy of Grange, the top of the hill being still called the Queen’s seat. On arrival at the Musselburgh station, the tourist should visit Pinkie House, a fine specimen of the Scottish manor-house of 536 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . the sixteenth century, and the adjacent grounds, which are beautiful. This building deserves special interest from its having afforded a lodging to Prince Charles Edward on the night after his victory at Prestonpans ; he also spent a night there when on his march into England. Musselburgh is only six miles from Edinburgh ; its ancient Roman bridge spanning the Esk is an object of antiquarian, historical, and architectural interest. We next reach (population 5,481), which has long been a favourite watering- place, owing to its fine sands and the convenience of access from the city. Connected by very frequent trains and omnibus traffic with Edinburgh, this has almost become a suburb of that city; while a handsome promenade of nearly a mile along its beach, and a pier of 1,250 feet, with seats capable of accom- modating two thousand persons, render it well worthy of a visit. The return to Edinburgh may be made by rail. A little beyond are the cavalry barracks at Piershill, and the railway workshops at St. Margaret’s. On the left, after passing through below the arch, is the Queen’s station, where her Majesty always alights on her way to Holyrood ; and shortly afterwards the train arrives at Edinburgh, where the exit from the railway platform to the Waverley Bridge is close to the Scott Monument. SECTION LIX. GLASGOW TO GREENOCK, DOWN THE CLYDE, THROUGH THE CRINAN CANAL TO OBAN, Etc. E A V IN G the wharf at the Broomielaw, by the steamer Iona, which usually leaves Glasgow at seven every morning, the boat paddles through the lines of sailing and steam vessels, often two and three deep, which crowd the quays on either side. The northern shore is the starting point for the fleets of steamers which ply be- tween Glasgow and almost every port of the United Kingdom. Here, too, below Napier’s Docks, lie the ocean steamships of the Anchor and Allan lines. The southern line of quays is generally the rendezvous for the larger sailing-ships. The first break in this continuous line is on the right-hand side, where the river Kelvin, celebrated in Lyle’s ballad of Kelvin Grove empties itself into the Clyde. The boat stops here, at Partick. Opposite is Portobello, GO VAN—RENFRE W—KILPA TRICK. 537 Govan, which bears a striking resemblance to Stratford-on-Avon, a resemblance which has been heightened by the lately-erected spire of the parish church, designed on the model of that at Stratford. Some fine seats are now passed on both banks of the river, until the steamer reaches Renfrew, on the left hand. This ancient burgh gives the title of baron to the Prince of Wales. The site of Renfrew Castle, in which the Stuarts resided ere coming to the throne, is now occupied by soap-works, which were partly built from the materials of the castle. Below Renfrew, on the same side, where the united streams of the Cart and Gryfe flow under Inchinnan Bridge to the Clyde, a large block of stone marks the spot where the Earl of Argyle was wounded and captured in 1685. The man- sion, a little lower down, is Erskine House, belonging to Lord Blantyre. The neighbouring obelisk was erected in commemo- ration of a former lord, who was accidentally shot in the Brussels riots of 1830. The river expands, as Bowling Bay, on the right, is approached. The hills forming the background of the bay are called Kilpatrick, being, according to Scottish tradition, the birthplace of St. Patrick. The legend relates that the holy man was much beset by minions of Satan, from whom at last he was compelled to fly, setting sail in a small boat to Ireland. Disappointed in their objects, his Satanic Majesty’s satellites, or their leader, snatched up a huge boulder from the hill-side, and flung it after the fugitive. This of course fell short of the mark, and is now called Dumbarton Rock ! Landing at Bowling Pier, en route for the celebrated fortress which has been erected on this magical rock, the tourist passes Dunglass Point and Castle. The latter is supposed to have been a Roman station, ter- minating the Great Wall of Antoninus, which was erected across the breadth of Scotland as a defence against the Piets of the north, and the remains of which are still to be traced at Bowling. Near by stands the monument to Henry Bell, whom we have already mentioned as the builder of the first steamer that was ever launched on the Clyde. The reader will find Dumbarton the next point of interest down the Clyde, described on page 495. Following the course of the stream, he arrives at 538 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Greenock [Hotels : “ Tontine/’ “ White Hart,” “ Royal,” and “ Buck’s Head”], (population 57,138), a seaport which at present ranks second to few in the kingdom. Its shipbuilding yards, from which some of the largest ocean steamers have been launched, are well worth a visit. Here is buried “ Highland Mary,” the object of Burns’s purest and most fervent love. Her untimely death tinged the whole of the poet’s life, and, had she lived, there can be little doubt that her pure affection would have prevented the excesses which have stained the character of her lover. The deep pathos of all his poems in reference to Mary comes with an unmistak- able ring from the heart. Galt, the novelist, well known to lovers of Scottish humour by his Ayrshire Legatees , is also interred in Greenock. The town itself possesses little worthy of note from an architectural point of view, if we except the monument erected to the memory of James Watt, the perfecter of the steam-engine in Great Britain, who was a native of the place, being born here in the year 1736. Passing next toGourock Bay, the headquarters of the Northern Yacht Club’s fleets of pleasure boats — the lighthouse on the left is the “ Cloch,” one of the chief lights on the Clyde — we cross the Firth of Clyde to Dunoon, already described on page 502. Pursuing her course from Dunoon, the Iona hugs the shore of the Cowal peninsula, on which Dunoon is situated, passing ( the village of Inellan on the right. Cowal terminates at Toward j Point, on which a lighthouse has been erected. Rounding this, J on our right we see Toward Castle, the residence of A. S. Fin- lay, Esq., and open Rothesay Bay in the Island of Bute. Rothesay [Hotels : “ Star,” “ Queen’s,” “ Victoria,” “ Bute Arms,” and “ Victoria Royal ”], the county town of Bute, occupies the centre point of this semicir- cular bay, and must be of considerable antiquity, as the castle was built in 1 100. Robert II., the first of the Stewarts, created his son Duke of Rothesay, a title now born bythe heir apparent to the Crown, The ruins of the castle consist of a circular court, about 500 feet in circumference, environed by massive walls, and strengthened by five towers, the whole surrounded by a fosse and terrace- vvalk. The temperature is so equable that Rothesay has been frequently styled the “Montpelier of Scotland,” and is a favourite resort of consumptive invalids. The Island of Bute is eighteen miles in length, and from three to five broad. Mount Stuart, the seat of the Marquis of Bute, lies on the eastern coast, about five miles from Rothesay. But the steamer ROTHES A Y—LOCH TYNE. 539 keeps the northern shore to the Kyles of Bute, as the sound between Cowal and the island is called. On the right-hand side two lochs are passed ; they run into the mainland, and exhibit some very wild and beautiful scenery. They are named Striven and Ridden, respectively. On the peninsula between them is situated Mr. Campbell’s beautiful seat of South Hall, on the declivity of the mountain range of Argyle, which terminates here in a succession of circular cones. The trees to the west of the house are planted in two rows, to represent the positions of the French and English at Waterloo. The French are above, and charging the English below. Upon the right centre is an oblong clump, intended to represent the square of the 42nd, in which regiment the owner’s father served as an officer at Waterloo. On the left hand, after leaving the bay, Port Bannatyne and Kaimes Castle may be seen on the island just before entering the narrow and charming windings of the Kyles. Between Colin- traive pier and the second of the lochs the sound is further narrowed by four small islets, called the Burnt Islands. A fort stands on one, which was erected by Argyle, in 1685, at the time of the Monmouth invasion. Dr. McCulloch says, “It is only* by the fall and the rise of the tide, and the appearance of the seaweeds on the rocks, that we are led to suspect the maritime nature of this channel, since it is so far removed from the sea, and so involved in all that class of ornament and scenery which we are accustomed to associate with fresh water, that it is scarcely possible to divest ourselves of. the idea of being in an inland lake. At the same time it is no less beautiful than extra- ordinary, the land rising suddenly and high from the water ofter, into lofty cliffs, interspersed and varied with wood, the trees growing from the fissures of the rocks even at the very margin of the sea, and aiding, with the narrowness of the strait and the height of the land, to produce a sober green, shadowy tone of forest scenery, which adds much to the romantic effect of this fairy-like sea.” The Kyles end as the steamer approaches the comparatively open space between Lamont Point and Ettrick Bay, in Bute. Before rounding the point, Kaimes powder mills are seen on the right, and the island of Inchmarnock on the left, with the re- mains of a chapel. A stoppage is made at Tignabruaich pier, after which, rounding Lamont Point, we find ourselves in Loch Fyne. Here on the right is Aird Lamont House, the residence of the Lamont family. As the Iona steams up this fine basin, the hills of Knapdale extend north and south on the left, while those of Cowal limit the prospect on the right ; 540 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . away to the south lies Goatfell, the loftiest of Arran’s granitic and grotesquely-shaped mountains. We now approach the village and harbour of East Tarbert, the head-quarters of the famous Loch Fyne herring fishery. The little harbour, which is overlooked by an old castle built by Bruce in 1326, is so locked in by rugged cliffs, and the entrance to its sheltering bosom is so narrow, that the steamer usually disembarks her passengers at a temporary pier erected outside the haven. Passing Barmore, the seat of Mr. Campbell, and Inverneil Kirk, we reach Ardrishaig [Hotel : “ Ardrishaig ”], the eastern terminus of the Crinan Canal. This canal extends nine miles in length from Loch Fyne, or rather Loch Gilp, as the armlet on which the villages of Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead stand is called, to the Western Ocean, converting the Mull of Cantire into an island. It was constructed to save the circuitous passage round the Mull, a distance of seventy miles. There are fifteen locks to the canal, and the canal boat, for which the Iona is changed at Ardrishaig, makes the passage in about two hours. During the summer months, coaches ply between Ardrishaig and Ford on the shore of Loch Awe, whence a steamer runs to the head of the loch. There the coach is taken for Oban. For the first two miles the canal boat is drawn along the shore of Loch Gilp to the village of Lochgilphead, opposite which is Kilmory Castle, and its umbrageous grounds. On the left we now pass the mansion of Auchindarroch, the chapel and palace of the Bishop of Argyle, and the Argyleshire lunatic asylum. The canal now begins to descend to the Atlantic, and is here joined by the river Ard. Passing Poltalloch House, the old village of Crinan may be observed, crowning a rocky eminence, which becomes insulated at high water. Crinan stands near the extremity of the canal, opposite to the Castle of Duntroon and the picturesque island-studded Loch Craignish, on the right-hand side. The tourist here embarks once more in a steamer (on board of which dinner is served), and passes through what has been called a miniature Archipelago. The channel between Craignish Point and one of the chain of islands by which the loch is intersected is called the Dorishtmsohr, or Great Gate. On the left is the large island of Jura, with its three domed -shaped mountains, the “ Paps,” between which and Scarba, a little to the north-west, is the famous whirlpool of CGRRIE BHREACHAN. 54i Corrie Bhreachan (pronounced Corrivrechan), celebrated in the songs of Scott, Campbell, and Leyden. The whirlpool is caused by a sunken pyramidal rock, obstructing the tidal wave in its passage through the otherwise deep sound between the islands. As a matter of course, the whirlpool is the scene of a romantic legend, the most acceptable version of which runs as follows : — A certain Prince of Denmark, named Bhreachan, loved the King of Scotland’s daugh- ter, but her father insisted upon a proof of his love, and it was de- cided that he should anchor his ship for three days and three nights in the whirlpool which now bears his name. This he unhesitatingly did, using, by the advice of a wizard, three cables, one of hemp, one of silk, and one of maidens’ hair. The women of Denmark gave their hair to help the handsome prince, but one of them was not a maiden. On the first night, and the second, the hempen cable and the silken broke, but the ship rode safely till the dawn of the third day. Then the hair of the frail one snapped, and all the cable parted, so that the prince and his men went down in their ship ; and the place was called 4 4 Corrie Bhreachan,” or Bhreachan’s Cauldron. When the whirlpool is at its strongest the roar may be heard for miles, and it is averred that the shrieks of the ill-starred crew may yet be heard above the voice of the angry waters ; at flood-tide, with a strong south-westerly wind blowing, the effect is sublime. Groups of islands, called the Slate Islands, are scattered on every side throughout the rest of the passage to Oban. Approaching the Sound of Kerrera, which terminates in the Bay of Oban, we pass between Luing and Scarba, and then between Easdale and Seil, at the former of which the steamer usually stops. One of the slate quarries in this island descends to the depth of 120 feet beneath the sea. The disposition of land and water on this coast suggests the idea that the Western Highlands, from the line in the interior, whence the river descends to the Atlantic, with the islands beyond to the outer Hebrides, are all parts of one great mountainous plain, inclined slantways into the sea. First, the long withdrawing valleys of the mainland, with their brown, mossy streams, change their character as they dip beneath the sea-level, and become sea- water lochs. The lines of hills that rise over them jut out as promontories, till cut off by some transverse valley, lowered still more deeply into the brine, and that exists as a kyle , minch , or sound, swept twice every day by powerful currents. The sea deepens as the plain slopes down- ward ; mountain-chains stand up out of the water as large islands, single mountains as smaller ones, lower eminences as mere groups of. pointed rocks, till at length, as we pass outwards, all 542 LONDON AND NORTH- WESTERN GUIDE . trace of the submerged land disappears, and the wide ocean stretches out and away its unfathomable depths. At the entrance of Kerrera Sound, a beautiful vista extends in front ; it is closed on the one hand by the lofty cliffs of the island, on which stand the ruins of Gylen Castle, in which Alexander II. died, and on the other by Ben Cruachan, and the rocky shore of the mainland, which, from Loch Feochan and Ardincaple Point, is protected from the fury of the Atlantic by the island, which acts as a natural breakwater. Oban. [Hotels : “Alexandra,” “Great Western,” “Imperial,” “Caledonian,” “ Queen's,” and “ King’s Arms,” etc.] The steamer now enters the beautiful “ White Bay ” of Oban, which affords one of the safest anchorages in the kingdom. The town (population 2,413), with its white- walled houses (whence the name), extends along the graceful sweep of the bay, and is ! overhung from behind by an amphitheatre of green ivy-clad mountain cliffs. Steamers leave every morning for Fort Wil- liam, en route for the Caledonian Canal and Inverness ; four times a week for Iona, Staffa, and the circuit of Mull ; and daily for Ballachulish and Glencoe. There is also coach communication with Ardrishaig, Loch Lomond (via Taynuilt, Dalmally, and Inverarnan), Loch Awe, Inverary, and Fort William. Bunolly Castls stands on a rugged promontory about half a mile north } of the town. It belongs at present to Admiral St. John ■ McDougall, the representative of the ancient lords of Lorn, who opposed the passage of Bruce after the battle of Methven. 1 The brooch torn from the King’s cloak in the struggle is still preserved by the McDougalls, and is known as the “Brooch of Lorn.” Visitors to the ruins are admitted through the lodge gate on certain days, but the castle can be reached at any time by water. “The principal part which remains,” says Scott, “is the donjon or keep, but fragments of other buildings, overgrown with ivy, attest that it had once been a place of importance, as large, apparently, as Ardtornish or Dunstaffnage. These frag- ments enclose a courtyard, of which the keep probably formed one side, the entrance being by a steep ascent from the neck of the isthmus, formerly cut across by a moat, and defended, doubt- less, by out-works and a drawbridge. Beneath the castle stands the present mansion of the family, having on the one hand Loch Etive, with its islands and mountains, on the other two romantic eminences tufted with copsewood. There are other accompani- ments suited to the scene ; in particular, a huge upright pillar or DUNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE. 543 detached fragment of the sort of rock called plum-pudding stone, upon the shore, about a quarter of a mile from the castle. It is called Clach-na-choin, or the Dog’s Pillar, because Fingal is said to have used it as a stake to which he bound his celebrated dog Bran. Others say that when the Lord of the Isles came upon a visit to the Lord of Lorn, the dogs brought for his sport were kept beside this pillar. Upon the whole, a more delightful and romantic spot can scarce be conceived.” Bunstaffnage Castle is situate about three miles north of Oban, on the southern promontory at Loch Etive’s mouth, and facing the fertile slopes of the island of Lismore — i. e. the “Great Garden.” It is not historically certain when this royal pile was erected ; but there can be no doubt that it was the residence of the Dalriadic kings, and the seat of government from the year 500 to the period of the Pictish invasion. Here was preserved the famous coronation stone, until removed by Kenneth II. to Scone in 842, whence it was conveyed to London by Edward I., after his subjugation of the country. It is now in Westminster Abbey, set in Edward the Confessor’s chair of oak. An old prophecy, supposed to have been engraved on the groove at the bottom of the stone, ran thus : — - “ Ni falleat fatum, Scoti, quocunque Iocatum Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem.' and has been rendered — “Unless old prophecies and words are vain, Where’er this stone is found the Scots shall reign.” This prophecy was fulfilled when James VI. of Scotland became also James I. of England. It has been removed from West- minster Abbey but once since it was deposited there, on the installation of Cromwell, in Westminster Hall, as Lord Pro- tector. The castle appears to have been quadrangular, with circular towers at the corners. About 150 yards off are the roof- less ruins of an old chapel, exhibiting some remains of tasteful Gothic architecture. The view from the battlements of Dun- staffnage is delightful, and will probably tempt the tourist to visit the salt-water fall at Connell Ferry, on Loch Etive, the noise of which can be heard at the ruins.' Tourists wishing for a more detailed description will do well to consult Shaw’s Shilling Guide to the district. • 144 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. EXCURSION XXL OBAN TO STAFFA AND IONA. S TEAMERS leave Oban every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, to make the tour of the island of Mull, stop- ping at the islands of Staffa and Iona long enough to allow an inspection of their natural and artificial wonders. The voyage ' occupies about eleven hours in calm weather ; when it is other- wise we should not recommend tourists to make the excursion, unless they are good sailors. Leaving Oban, the steamer crosses the mouth of Loch Linnhe, passing Lismore on the right, and J keeping Mull on the left. On the former will be seen the ruins of Achinduin Castle, crowning the apex of a high rock at the north-western shore. The “Lady’s Rock,” near at hand, is , visible only at low water. Here Maclean of Duart, whose castle appears on our left, exposed his wife, that she might be carrried away by the flowing tide. The story is finely worked up in Joanna Baillie’s tragedy of the Family Legend. At the eastern headland, guarding the mouth of Loch Aline, which runs up into Ossian’s country of Morven, stand the ruins of Ardtornish Castle. In this ancient stronghold of the Lord of the Isles, John of the Isles, the then lord, concluded the treaty * by which he bound himself to support Edward IV. of England j against the Scottish king. Loch Aline House occupies the pro- t montory on the other side of the loch, and on the opposite shore the steamer now reaches Aros Bay, the village of Salen, and Aros Castle. From this point a view is obtained of the saddle- i shaped summit of Bentallach (2,800 feet), and the still loftier ridge of Benmore (3,000 feet), in the interior of Mull. The coast of the island now becomes much bolder and more precipitous, and is generally well wooded. Meantime, on the Morven coast, we are passing the Roman Catholic Chapel lately erected on the site of Drimnin House ; and close by may be seen the remains of Killundine Castle. Tobermory. [Hotel: “ Royal.”] Turning to the left, we enter the harbour of Tobermory, or the “Well of Mary,” so called from a “holy well” near the town. This is the capital of Mull ; and if its size cannot command respect, its surroundings, of sylvan beauty and maritime grandeur, must extort our admiration. The little harbour is land- locked by the verdant island of Coloe, or Colay ; it has high, FINGALS CAVF, STAFFA. SUNEPOL HOUSE— TRESNISH ISLES— STAFFA. 545 rocky, wooded banks, forming a sheltering margin inside. One of the vessels o f the Spanish Armada was captured and sunk op- posite the harbou r by Maclean of Duart, and several of her guns have lately been recovered. It was here that Dr. Johnson and Boswell landed when visiting Mull during their Hebridean tour. Two miles north of Tobermory, on the left, we pass Bloody Bay, so called as being the scene of a naval battle between two clans. Hard by is the lighthouse of Runa-Gal, warning strangers of the dangers of this part of the rocky coast. Opposite, on the right, is Loch Sunart, and, farther out, the point of Ardnamurchan, the most westerly cape of Scotland. Between the loch and the point is the Castle of Mingarry, erected on the summit of a per- pendicularly scarped rock. The steamer is now on the broad Atlantic, and steers, in a southerly direction, towards Staffa. Before rounding Callioch Point, Sunepol House is seen on the beach ; here the poet Campbell lived as a tutor in his youth, and here he composed his Exile of Erin and much of the Pleasures of Hope. From Callioch Point he could behold thirteen islands, and, in his Elegy written in Mull, has told us how much his romantic imagination was fed by the ‘ ‘ White wave foaming to the sky, . . . The dark blue rocks in barren grandeur piled.” The steamer now approaches the Tresnish Isles, a ridge extending for five miles in a north-easterly direction, and in some degree forming a breakwater, towards the north-west, for the island of Staffa and the bay of Loch Tua, in Mull. The group consists of four principal islands — Cairnburg (really two distinct islands), Fladda, Linga, and Bach — in addition to a number of intervening rocks. We next pass the columnar island of Geometray, — ‘‘ And Ulva dark, and Colonsay, And all the group of islets gay That guard famed Staffa round.” Rather closer to the shore of Mull is a little uninhabited island, called Inchkenneth, where the chief of the Macleans formerly resided, and hospitably entertained Dr. Johnson. Staffa. At length we reach Staffa, at a distance of about eight miles from the west coast of Mull. It is nearly oval in shape, and 3 5 546 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. rather more than a mile in circumference. The highest point lies to the south-west, and is about 144 feet above the sea. The islet is covered with luxuriant grass, which affords pasture for a few cattle. The entire fafade of the island, the arches, and the floorings of the caves, strangely resemble architectural designs and are frequently described by terms borrowed from the tech- nical vocabulary of the art. Even the surface of the summit of the island, presenting at several points the ends of small columns projecting from the irregular basalt, may aptly be compared to a tesselated pavement. The caves are so numerous that the whole circuit of the island is perforated with them ; but the marvels of Staffa are found on the eastern side, where those scenes are dis- played which for so many years have been the theme of poets and the inspiration of artists. The steamer usually disembarks her passengers on the eastern side, as it is more accessible than the others. Here, landing in a small boat, the tourist will visit the Clam, or Scallop-shell Cave, and the Buachaille, or Herdsman, which is separated from the main island by a narrow channel, through which the transparent sea-water dashes impetuously. “This lesser isle,” says Wilson, “is in itself a perfect gem in respect to its beauty of basaltic structure, being composed entirely of the most symmetrical columnar forms, several of them bent in a peculiar manner, and the generality lying on their sides.” From the Herdsman the tourist proceeds to FingaPs Cave, thus described by the geologist McCulloch : “The sides of this cave are, like the front, columnar, and, in a general sense, per- pendicular. The columns are frequently broken, and irregularly grouped, so as to catch a variety of direct and reflected tints, mixed with unexpected shadows, that produce a picturesque effect which no regularity could have given. The ceiling is various in different parts of the cave. The surfaces of the columns above are sometimes distinguished from each other by the infiltration of carbonate of lime into their interstices. It would be no less presumptuous than useless to attempt the description of the picturesque effect of that to which the pencil itself is inadequate. But even if this cave were destitute of that order and symmetry, that richness, arising from multiplicity of parts, which it possesses, still the prolonged depth, the twilight gloom, half concealing the playful and varying effects of reflected light, the echo of the measured surge as it rises and falls, the transparent green of the water, and the profound and fairy soli- tude of the whole scene, could not fail strongly to impress a mind gifted with any sense of beauty in art or in nature.” The arched ■ IONA. IONA. 547 opening of Fingal’s Cave is nearly seventy feet in height, and supports a mass of about thirty feet more ; the chasm attains a length of some 230 feet. The remaining portions of the island comprise the Boat Cave, the Great Colonnade, and Mackinnon’s, or the Cormorant’s Cave. Iona. [Hotel : “ St. Columba Returning to the steamer we now proceed to Iona, which lies about nine miles to the south. In any other situation the remains of Iona would be consigned to neglect and oblivion ; but con- nected as they are with an age distinguished by the ferocity of its manners and its independence of regular government — standing a solitary monument of religion and literature — the mind imper- ceptibly returns to the time when this island w"es the “light of the western world,” a gem in the ocean, and is led to contem- plate with veneration its silent and ruined structures. The island is variously called Iona, a corruption of Ithona the Island of the Waves), and Icolmkill (the Isle of St. Columba’s Cell). Its sur- face is low, in comparison with the other islands, and it is but two miles and a half in length by one in breadth. It has no harbour, and only a very rude pier. Visitors must therefore land by means of small boats ; but few will be deterred by this drawback from treading the sacred ground of the “ blessed isle.” “ That man,” says Dr. Johnson, “is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona ! ” The village consists of a row of about fifty cottages, which form what is called the “street:” one of these has been con- stituted an hotel. St. Columba took up his abode on the island in the year 563, bringing the light of learning from Ireland, and it soon became famous for its saints. Shortly after another seed of fame was sown, by its being selected as a place of sepul- ture by the Scottish kings, who thought thus to save their remains from the fate awaiting those buried in less-favoured spots ; for it was foretold that, “ Seven years before that awful day When time shall be no more, A watery deluge will o’er-sweep Hibernia’s mossy shore. The green-clad Isla, too, shall sink, While, with the great and good ; Columba’s happy isle shall rear Her towers above the flood.” Nothing now remains of the nunnery but the chapel, which is in the Norman style : the chancel, nave, and portions of a vaulted 54$ LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . roof can still be seen. Inside is the tomb of the Prioress Anna, with a Latin inscription. From the nunnery the tourist is gene- rally conducted to Reilig Orain, the burial-ground, passing on the way Maclean’s Cross, one of the only two remaining entire out of 360. The carving on the cross is of scroll-work, and is a very fine specimen of pristine workmanship. In the cemetery lie buried forty kings of Scotland (the last being Macbeth), two Irish and one French king, besides innumerable princes, chieftains, and monks. St. Oran’s Chapel is within the boundaries of the cemetery, and is the oldest ruin on the island. It is forty feet by twenty-two, and is supposed to have been partly erected late in the eleventh century, by St. Margaret, queen of Malcolm Canmore, upon the site of the original cell. The triple arch in the interior is of a later date. This arch seems to have formed a canopy to the tomb of St. Oran, at least the place is pointed out as such ; but the graves have been so often rifled that it is a matter of doubt whether the saint’s remains are on the island at all. Notice also the mutilated cross of Abbot Mackinnon, and other monumental stones, exhibiting every description of workmanship, from the most exquisite tracery to the rudest of attempts at sculptured figures. Among them is the tomb of Angus Macdonald, Scott’s * ‘ Lord of the Isles,” and here lies one of the Argyle family, the only Campbell buried on the island. The Runic cross of St. Martin stands in front of the cathedral church of St. Mary. It is cut out of a solid block of red granite, and is fourteen feet high, and eighteen inches broad. Its proportions and the Runic sculpture are very much admired. The cathedral is of the usual cruciform design, 160 feet by twenty-four, but built in so many different styles of architecture that we must suppose additions and alterations to have been made from time to time, down to the sixteenth century. The square tower, at the intersection of the nave and transept, rises upwards of seventy feet in height, and is supported by four arches, and plain cylindrical columns with grotesquely sculptured capitals. The cloisters, the bishop’s house, and the alleged burying-place of St. Columba are also pointed out. After leaving the Blessed Isle, the steamer hugs the southern shore of the Ross of Mull, passing the Corsaig Arches and the ivy-clad castle of Moy at Loch Buy, where Dr. Johnson was so hospitably entertained by the Macleans. The steamer now crosses from Mull towards the Sound of Kerrera, which she enters at the mouth, already de- scribed in our account of the voyage from Crinan. GLENCOE. 549 SECTION LX. OBAN, via BALLACHTJLISH AND GLENCOE, TO FOKT WILLIAM. A VERY pleasant voyage may be made from Oban, to Balla- chulish and Glencoe, where the clan Macdonald were so foully massacred in 1692. This incident, an ineffaceable blot on the reign of William III., is too well known to need a detailed description. William himself wrote, after the issuing of the “Proclamation of Indemnity: 5 ’ “As for the clan Mclan of Glencoe, and that tribe, if they can be well distin- guished from the rest of the Highlanders, it will be proper, for vindication of public justice, to extirpate that set of thieves.” The warrant was signed and countersigned in the king’s own handwriting, and was executed under circumstances of the foulest treachery. Campbell of Glenlyon, who commanded the band of murderers, was uncle to young Macdonald’s wife. He and his men were received as friends, and lived for a fortnight on the hospitality of their intended victims, till, on the night of the 13th February, they were joined by more soldiers, and, falling upon their entertainers, massacred them under circumstances of the most hideous brutality. Macaulay says : “ How many old men, how many women with babes in their arms, sank down and slept their last night in the snow ; how many, having crawled, spent with toil and hunger, into nooks among the precipices, died in those dark holes, and were picked to the bone by mountain ravens — can never be known. But it is probable that those who perished by cold, weariness, and want were not less numerous than those who were slain by the assassins.” The excursion can be made by steamer, any day but Sunday, returning to Oban the same evening. Or the tourist, en route for Inverness, can stop at the Ballachulish Hotel, and proceed next day through the Caledonian Canal. The steamer generally leaves at six in the morning, and, steaming past Dunolly and Dunstaffnage Castles, enters the sound between Lismore and the mainland. Approach- ing the northern extremity of Lismore, Eriska Island, blocking up the mouth of Loch Creran, is passed on the right, and soon after the steamer enters the Sound of Shuna, between the island of that name on the left, and Castle Stalker on the mainland. This castle was built by Stuart of Appin for the accommodation of James IV. The clan Stuart were among the most devoted ad- herents of the royal house of Stuart, and many relics of that ill-fated family are in possession of Stuart of Appin. 550 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . The steamer is now fairly on the waters of Loch Linnhe, the first of that series of inland lochs by which the water com- munication is maintained between Fort William and Inverness. Passengers are landed at Ballachulish, at the mouth of Loch Leven. The scenery approaching this point is very grand ; the hills, ranging from 2,000 feet downwards, and the Pass of Glencoe, with Ben Nevis over-topping all on the north, forming most picturesque adjuncts to the scenery. Ballachulish is remarkable for its enormous quarries of roofing-slate. From Ballachulish the tourists are conveyed by coach to Glencoe. Sufficient time is allowed for visitors to make a superficial inspection of the glen. The chief points of interest are Ossian’s Cave, a hole in the mountain-side inaccessible to any but good climbers, a small waterfall known as Ossian’s Bath, and the beautiful little river Cona, so celebrated in the magnificent poems of the ancient bard of the Highlands. When the tourist returns to the steamer he is once more carried along the waters of Loch Linnhe to Loch Eil. At the head of this loch is situated the district of the Camerons, and the Vale of Glenfinnan, where Prince Charles Edward unfurled his standard in 1745. Fort William. Hotels: “Caledonian,” “Temperance,” and “Queen’s.”] Fort William is situated on the eastern shore of Loch Eil, where it bends eastward to Prince Charles’s monument and Glen- finnan. On the right of the fort rises Ben Nevis, the highest of the Highland mountains, to the altitude of 4,406 feet. The present fort was built in the reign of William and Mary, on the site of an older edifice, erected by General Monk to overawe Cameron of Loch Eil into submission to the Protectorate. The little town which has sprung up near the fort has three hotels, and has been built with some pretensions to regularity. Inverlochy Castle, which, according to tradition, belonged in succession to all the great personages, mythical and otherwise, of ancient Scotland, stands at the mouth of the river Lundie, a little north of the fort. It consists of four circular towers joined by a wall some twenty feet high, forming a quadrangle of considerable dimensions, and must have been a far more im- portant fortress than Fort William. On the neighbouring plain was fought the bloody battle of Inverlochy, in which Montrose defeated the Argyles and the Campbells in 1645. From Mary- burgh, where she lands passengers for Fort William, the steamer proceeds to Corpach, on the northern shore of Loch Eil and the entrance to the Caledonian Canal. THE CALEDONIAN CANAL. 551 SECTION LXI. FORT WILLIAM TO INVERNESS, via CALEDONIAN CANAL. r PHE entrance has now been reached of the Caledonian Canal. A This great undertaking has cost the nation £1, 200,000. It is sixty miles in length, thirty-eight miles of which are made up by the waters of Lochs Lochy, Oich, and Ness, the remaining twenty- two miles being cut ; its depth is twenty feet. There are twenty-eight locks, each about 180 feet long, and forty in breadth. The Lochiel Hotel is about a mile from Corpach Pier. Plere tourists usually put up if they mean to make a stay in order to ascend Ben Nevis and visit the vitrified fort and the parallel roads of Glenroy. Between Corpach and Banavie there are eight locks, appropriately called “ Neptune’s Stair- case,” by which the canal makes its ascent across the rising country. To avoid the delay of such ascent, the tourist usually embarks at Banavie, which can be reached by omnibus. The canal steamboat now commences the voyage up to Inverness. On the right stand the ruins of Tor Castle, of which nothing certain is known, except that it belonged to the chief of the Mackintoshes. The ascent to the waters of Loch Lochy is made by two locks. This sheet of water is ten miles in length ; its first portion is known as the “ Dark Mile.” Here is Achnacarry Blouse, the seat of the chief of the Cameron clan, and, hard by, the ruins of the old residence, burned by the Duke of Cumberland after the battle of Culloden. Behind this, on the left, stretches the beautiful and romantic Loch Arkaig, containing the island burial-place of Locheil. Loch Oich is about three miles and a half 1 ong, and much varied in outline. On the left, where the river Garry discharges the waters of the loch of that name into Loch Oich, are the ruins of Invergarry Castle. The Vv r ell of the Seven Pleads, on the roadside near the ruins, is surmounted by a monument commemorating the summary execution of seven brothers who murdered two of their kinsmen in order to enjoy their estate. The monument was erected by the eccentric Colonel MacDonald, of Glengarry, who is supposed to have been the original of Scott’s Fergus Mclvor in Waver ley. At Aber- chalder, on the north-western extremity of Loch Oich, where Prince Charles assemoled his forces before proceeding south, the descent to Loch Ness begins. The cutting is two miles in length, and, as the steamer takes an hour and a half to pass the seven locks, tourists generally walk, and may visit the vitrified fort of Torduin. Loch Ness is twenty-four miles long, one and a half in breadth, 552 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . and in many places nearly 800 feet deep, for which reason it is never frozen over. The scenery of Loch Ness was much admired by Dr. Johnson ; and though that lover of town life cannot be upheld as an authority on such a point, still there is much that is agreeable in the wooded sides of the valley. About six miles from Fort Augustus, there is a pier, and a comfortable hotel at Invermoriston, on the left. But the greatest attraction of this loch is not reached for six miles farther, when the steamer stops at the pier of Foyers, to afford an opportunity of visiting the celebrated falls of that name. Time is allowed only to visit the lower fall, but this is by far the grandest, descending through a narrow gap over a precipice ninety feet in height. The height of the three leaps united is 200 feet. Having viewed this, the finest cascade in the kingdom, the tourist re-embarks and resumes his journey down Loch Ness. On the opposite shore to the falls he soon reaches Urquhart Castle, standing on a promontory of a little bay at the base of the Maolfourvinie mountain. In the beginning of the tenth century, it fell into the hands of the chief of the Grant clan (Earl of Seafield), and has since continued to belong to that family. It was taken in 1303 by Edward I. The next object of interest, at the north-eastern extremity of the lake, is Aldaurnie House, the birth-place of Sir James Mackintosh, historian and philosopher. Loch Dochfoir is now entered, through a narrow channel, near which are traces of a Roman encampment and the splendid seat of Dochfoir House. Here the steamer enters the cutting once more, and proceeds to Muirtown, the north-eastern terminus of the canal. About a mile south of this is the city of Inverness. Inverness. [Hotels: “ Station,” “Railway,” “Caledonian,” “ Union,” “ Royal,” and “ Queen’s.”] This city (population 14,463), the capital of the Highlands, is finely situated on the right bank of the river Ness. The streets are regularly built, and, though of great antiquity, the city having been created into a royal burgh by David I., present quite a modern appearance. The Town Hall, in High Street, contains some pictures and the “Stone of the Tubs” (so called from its having been used at one time as a resting-place for their vessels by persons drawing water from the river), which has been pre- served with the greatest care since Ronald of the Isles burnt the town on his way to the battle of Harlaw, in 1411. The old cross of Inverness is built into the wall, where it may be seen, surmounted by the arms of the town and those of the kingdom. The Castle was one of the strongholds of Macbeth, and is traditionally the place in which Duncan the Meek was INVERNESS— DING WALE 553 murdered. This, however, is open to much doubt. It was razed to the ground by Duncan’s son, Malcolm, who built on its site another castle, which was destroyed by Montrose in 1646. Two bastions and part of a curtain are all that now remain. The new cathedral stands on the opposite side of the river ; it is in the Gothic style and highly decorated, with some very fine stained-glass windows. Outside the town, near the firth, stood Cromwell’s fort, which was razed after the Restoration. A mile away on the opposite side of the town is Craig Phadric, (the hill of Patrick) a hill on which stands a vitrified fort. An excursion should be made to Culloden Moor. The train brings the tourists within a mile of the battle-field. Here Prince Charles Edward fought Lis last battle for the crown of his fore- fathers, on the 16th April, 1746. The moor is a gloomy tract, and the rising ground where the hottest of the fight raged is covered by a spruce-fir plantation. The cruelties practised by the Duke of Cumberland after the battle are still remembered with execration by the inhabitants. About a mile south, across the river Nairn, is the plain of Clava, on which are some stone circles and cairns. EXCURSION XXII. INVERNESS TO ISLE OF SKYE AND BACK. To Skye, by Rail, via Dingwall. T HE railway communication between Dingwall and Strome Ferry for Skye has only been established since September, 1870, and affords the greatest advantages to the tourists. . Leaving Inverness, the line runs along the shore of Beauly Firth, and passing through parts of the Bunelerew and Lovat Estates, crosses the river Beauly, famed for its scenery. From Beauly the train runs due north to Dingwall, across the peninsula formed by the firths of Moray and Cromarty, and called the Black Isle. Dingwall. [Hotels : “Caledonian” and “National.”] Dingwall (population 2,125) is the county town of Rosshire, and is rising into importance now that the railway has made ingress and egress an easy matter. Proceeding westward from the town the Castle of Tulloch is seen on the north, with its beautifully wooded park stretching away to the base of snowclad 554 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Ben Wyvis. On the south is Druimchat, or the Cat’s Back, on the summit of which stands the largest and best preserved speci- men of the vitrified forts, constructed by the Piets — this bears the name of Knockfarrel. We now cross the Peffery and com- mence the ascent of the steep incline to Strath peffer station (four miles and a half from Dingwall), about a mile and a half from which is a spa, little known until it became accessible by rail, but now yearly becoming more fashionable. Some interest- ing excursions can be made in the neighbourhood, and it is decidedly the best starting-point for the ascent of Ben Wyvis, the “Mountain of Storms.” The falls of Rogie, in a picturesque surrounding of bircli-clad mountains, are distant about five miles. Approaching Garve, the next station, the line crosses the Blackwater close to some falls, and then follows the sweep of the northern shore of Loch Luichart, * affording glimpses of some charming scenery. With occasional views of the lake and Kinloch-Luichart lodge, the train at length crosses the i Carron by a fine iron girder bridge of ioo feet span, and skirts the rapids of Grudie before reaching the margin of Loch Cullin. Achanault is the next station, and here the tourist will notice the change in the character of the scenery, the verdure becoming greener and the mountains more picturesque in out- line. Six miles and a half beyond this we reach Achna- sheen, where travellers can stop to make an excursion to Loch Maree and the ruggedly grotesque mountains between it and Gairloch. After Achnasheen is left behind, the railway follows ' the windings of the Led Gowan River to Loch Gowan. Soon after the Ault Gargan is crossed, the last stream running east- * ward, and marking the vicinity of the watershed of the country. The train now descends by the banks of the Carron to Strath- 1 Carron station, whence the Udale, a stream running out of Glen Udale, is crossed ; and the line for the remaining eight miles fol- lows the line of the southern shore of Loch Carron, stopping at Strome Ferry. The steamer leaves for Skye soon after the arrival of the first train from Dingwall. Opening the mouth of Loch Carron we get a view of Skye and the Cuchullin Hills. Steaming along- shore for Broadford, in the middle of a bay of the same name, the little green island of Pabba is passed, described by Hugh Miller as like “a little bit of flat, fertile England, laid down, as if for contrast’s sake, amid the wild rough Hebrides.” It is a rich gleaning ground for the geologist, and may be reached in a small sailing boat from Broadford, which latter village is often made a centre for excursions, as it contains a convenient hotel Leaving Broadford the vessel passes the island of Scalpa, Lochs Ainort and Sligachan, divided from each other by one STRA7HC AKRON, LOCH CARRON IN THE DISTANCE. PORTREE. 555 mile and a half of coast line, with the fine peak of Glamaig showing at the head of the latter. Passing through Rasay Sound, with Rasay or Raasay Island on the right, the steamer makes for the singularly majestic entrance to Loch Portree, des- cribed by Hugh Miller as “a palace gateway, erected in front of some homely suburb that occupies the place which the palace itself should have occupied.” Portree [Hotels : c< Portree,” “ Royal, ’ and “Caledonian ”] is situated on rising ground on the right hand of the loch, and is usually reached about eight o’clock in the evening. The 679 inhabitants do a large fishing trade during the herring season. The island of Skye is the largest of the group, termed the “ Inner Hebrides.” In length about fifty miles, it varies in breadth from four to twenty-four miles. Its whole coast is indented with so many inlets and lochs that scarce one spot is more than four miles from the sea. It is a rich ground for the geologist, abounding in fossil remains, with specimens of columnar basalt, as in its “StorrRock” and “Quiraing,” the crowning point of interest being the stupendous peaks of Amygdaloidal Trap, of the Cuchullin Range. Portree is an excellent centre from whence to visit many spots of interest : Prince Charles’s Cave, where the prince found shelter after his ill-fated attempt to regain the throne of his fathers ; Storr Rock, a rugged, grand mountain, with a perpendicular cliff descending 500 feet from the summit ; the Quiraing, nearly 1,800 feet high, consisting on the north-east side of precipitous columnar basalt and fluted rocks, sloping on the west, the summit a turf-covered platform, surrounded by pinnacled peaks and columns ; and Loch Coruisk, the finest in the island. Its situation is singularly wild and grandly picturesque, surrounded by the Cuchullin Hills, full of the most grotesque, pinnacled and rugged forms. The tourist may return to Broadford from Loch Coruisk, and thence to Inverness, or start on the re- turn trip from Portree. Should the tourist wish to journey further north, he may return to Dingwall, from whence the railway (passing Dunrobin, the princely seat of the Duke of Sutherland, cn route) runs along the northern shores of the Moray Firth to Helmsdale, and inland to Halkirk, whence the line branches to Wick and Thurso. From the latter port, a visit may be paid to the Orkney and Shetland islands, rendered classic by Scott in his Pirate. At Kirkwall, the ancient cathedral of St. Magnus, founded in 1138, and the ruins of the adjoining palaces, are among the objects worthy of note. 556 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. SECTION LXII. INVERNESS, via TORRES AND HIGHLAND RAILWAY, TO PERTH AND STIRLING. T URNING his face southward once more, the tourist has the choice of two routes, the one by the Highland Railway, running through the heart of the country to Perth ; while the other, by Elgin, Aberdeen, and Forfar, runs to the same point, — ! for a great part of the way, by the sea coast. Leaving Inverness by the first-mentioned line, the train runs ! past Culloden Moor (page 553) to Dalcross, with its old castle. To the left is Fort George, erected after the suppression of the rebellion of 1 745» * n order to keep the Highlanders in check. The fortifications cover about fifteen English acres, and there is accommodation for nearly two thousand men. The fort, which ' is built on the plan of the principal European fortresses, is situated on a sandy promontory running northwards into the Moray Firth, at the extremity of which is Campbeltown, a small fishing village, named after the Campbells of Cawdor. Two miles further on we reach Nairn .(population 4,220), an ancient royal burgh, and has lately risen into some importance as a fashionable watering-place. / In the vicinity, at distances of a mile and a half and five miles respectively, are the ruins of Rait Castle, a stronghold of the ’ Mackintoshes, and Cawdor Castle ; the latter is interesting from an architectural point of view, as well as from its picturesqueness ‘ of situation and the curious legend of its foundation. The Thane of Cawdor, having received license from King James II., in *454> to erect a fortified castle, consulted a proficient in the black art as to the best site for his intended residence, and havino- been diiected to laise the walls round the third hawthorn-tree at which mi ass laden with gold should stop, he did so. The tree may still be seen in a room on the basement floor of the tower, where it has remained ever since. Leaving Nairn station, the train is carried over the river of that name by a handsome stone viaduct of four arches of ninety feet span each ; and passing through Sir J. Dunbar’s estate of Boath, where Montrose defeated the Covenanters in 1645, reaches Hard- moor, the blasted heath — where the three witches respectively hailed Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King. 1 he clump of dark pines on a rising ground to the right of the line is pointed out as the identical spot where Banquo and Macbeth FORRES. 557 met the weird sisters. On the same side of the line, about two miles distant, is Darnaway Castle, the seat of the Earl of Moray. In the vale of Findhorn, on the left of the line, are the beautiful seats of Dalvey House and Brodie House, the former of which is famed for its exquisite flower-gardens. The river Findhorn is now crossed by an iron tubular bridge 450 feet in length, and the train reaches Ferres. [Hotels : " Fraser’s” and “ Railway.”] This town (population 3,959), which was created into a royal burgh in the reign of William the Lion, is built on a gravel bank at the mouth of the Findhorn, and consists almost entirely of one long street, the houses of which exhibit the pointed gables and low doorways of the Saxon period. The town cross is in the decorated Gothic style, and there are two conspicuous monu- ments : one to Dr. Thomson, who lost his own life through his devoted care of the wounded in the Crimea, is on a mound which in former times was successively occupied as a site by a Roman fortress and a baronial castle ; the second, or Nelson’s Tower, stands on a hill to the south of the town. The castle, of which all traces have disappeared, was the destination of Macbeth and Banquo when confronted by the witches. About a mile and a half east of the town is the famous “ Sweno’s Stone,” a pillar about twenty feet high, carved over with figures of warriors, mounted and on foot, besides birds, animals, and Runic knots, all cut in alto relievo. Antiquarians are at variance as to the date and cause of its erection, but it is generally believed to re- cord the final defeat of the Danes, in 1014. The scenery of the Forres district is very highly eulogized in Wild Sports of the West , by Mr. St. John. Leaving this richly-cultivated region, the line lies over the Rafford embankment and through a deep cutting, whence it issues to the banks of the Altyre Burn, and through a portion of the demesne of Altyre, the seat of Sir Gordon Cumming, Bart., on to Dunphail, on approaching which views are had of the receding Moray Firth and the Mountains of Ross, Inverness, and even (in fine weather) of Sutherland and Caithness. Leav- ing Dunphail, the Divie viaduct, a handsome structure of seven arches, the span of which is forty-five feet, and the height 106 feet, is crossed. Passing through a long cutting the train now makes the ascent towards Achanlochan. Loch-an-Dorb, two miles on the right of the line, contains an islet with an area of an acre, the whole of which is covered by a quadrangular for- tress of the Comyns, which Edward I. was at great pains to take. Passing Dava station, the line enters on the Earl of Sea 558 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . field s lands, and descends from Brae Moray through a rocky defile, whose sides are covered with birch and hr, to Grant Castle, at the entrance of the glen, whence several deep cuttings and long embankments lead to Grantown. The “ Haughs of Crom- dale,” in the neighbourhood, were the scene of a bloody conflict between King William’s troops and the Jacobite adherents, in 1690. ^ The line now crosses the Allan Water and Dulnain, and passes Broomhill station on to the Boat of Garten Junction, whence it runs over an undulating gravel plain above the Spey, and then through a fir wood to the cultivated plain on which the Aviemore station is situated. Some delightful excursions can be made from this spot to Loch Aan, Loch-an-Eilan Castle, Glenmore, and the Grampian Hills, of which Ben Muich Dhui rises to the height of 4,295 feet. About a mile from here the tourist may see a wall running down the mountain-side from the north. I his is the boundary between Strathspey and Badenoch, and the border-line between the counties of Inverness and Elgin, or Moray. The train now passes from the Earl of Seafield’s estates to those of the Duke of Richmond. On the right are the cliffs of Craigellachie, which have given to the Clan Grant the slogan, “Stand fast, Craigellachie,” and on the left is the isolated hill of Tor of Alvie, upon which is a cairn to the memory of the Highlanders who fell at Waterloo, as well as a monument to the last Duke of Gordon. On the other side of the line are the charming little loch and the parish church of Alvie. The tra- veller next passes through the wooded estate of Kinrara, and reaches the Boat of Insh station. From this to Kingussie the Grampians limit the view on the left, with Loch Insh intervening. Farther on, on the same side, Belleville House (Colonel Brewster Macpherson) is seen, occupying the site of Raits Castle, an ancient stronghold of the Corny ns, fabled to have been built by Ossian. Near to Raits is an artificial cave of supposed Pictish origin. On the opposite side is the village of Lynchatt, near which, on rising ground, may be seen a monument to Macpherson, to whom is attributable the honour of having rescued from oblivion the poems of Ossian. We now enter the Kingussie station, to the right of which are the principal buildings of the little town, with the ruins of a chapel and a site of an old monastery. Beyond the village, on the left, to the south of the Spey, are the ruins of Ruthven, a residence of the Comyns, Lords of Badenoch. It was here that the Highland clans rallied and reassembled two days after their disastrous defeat at Culloden, and were subsequently dismissed to their respective homes by Prince Charles Edward, there to FORRES— BLAIR A THOLE. 559 await the tender mercies of Cumberland. Coaches run daily from Kingussie to Fort William. After passing Newtonmore, the next station, we cross the Spey over an eight-arched timber bridge, pass Ettridge Bridge on the left, and reach Dalwhinnie station, from which a glimpse is had of Loch Ericht, near which Prince Charles Edward found shelter. We next arrive at Dalnaspidal, where General Cope had an army to oppose the prince’s progress southwards. The general, however, marching onward, the clans declined battle, and, availing themselyes of the unguarded pass, pushed down southwards through the Lowlands and over the borders as far as Derby, to the terror and consternation of the English. There can be little doubt that, if the march had been con- tinued, London would have fallen into the prince’s hands without his having to lire a single shot. The opportunity, however, was not seized, and “the tide in the affairs” of the Stuart dynasty, not being “taken at the flood,” the currrent set against them. On the right of the line, Loch Garry may be seen. The train is now on the watershed of the country, from which it quickly descends to Calvine, or Struan station, crossing > the river Garry by a fine three-arched stone bridge. Beneath the centre arch of eighty feet, an older structure spans the river, exhibiting a most peculiar appearance. Soon after, the Bruar Water is crossed — a stream which rushes headlong down its narrow rocky bed over ledges which form three distinct groups of falls, varying from thirty-five to five feet in height. The banks, which were bare, are now clothed with fir, ash, and shrubs, in compliance with the Humble Petition of Bruar Water , written by Burns after visiting the falls in their original state. We are now skirting Blair Athole [Hotel : “ Athole Arms on our left. At the opening of Glen Tilt stands the Castle, with many historical associations, but no architectural beauty. An amusing story is told of the old place by Sir Walter Scott. When besieged by the prince’s army in 1746, Sir Andrew Agnew was governor and made a resolute defence. Hunger was beginning to do its work on the garrison, when a few of the officers, unknown to Sir Andrew, tried the effect of the follow- ing ruse. Having procured a suit of the stern old commander’s uniform, they skilfully stuffed it with straw so as to impose on the besiegers. This guy they placed in a window in the tower, telescope in hand, as if reconnoitring. “The apparition,” says Sir Walter Scott, “did not escape the hawk’s eyes of the High- landers, who continued to pour their fire on the turret window, 560 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. without producing an adequate result. The best deer-stalkers of Athole and Badenoch persevered, nevertheless, and wasted their ammunition in vain on this impassable commander. This prank is said not to have been without a salutary effect : the clansmen, already predisposed to regard the sheriff with a superstitious awe, now found their surmises as to his in- vulnerability so thoroughly confirmed that henceforth they became hopeless of success and eventually retired.” Near to the castle are the ruins of the old church of Blair, where Viscount Dundee was buried. Besides the falls at Bruar Water, already mentioned, we have in this neighbourhood a whole series of most beautiful cascades in Glen Tilt, formed by the Fender and another tributary. The pedestrian tour from Blair Athole through this glen to Braemar on the Dee (pages 568-9) (a dis- tance of thirty miles), is very popular. Here also are the battle- field of Killiecrankie, Loch Tummel, and the Falls of Tummel and Rannoch, so that the inducements to make a short stay in the vicinity are of a most varied character. The Athole estates, too, are beautifully wooded, one duke alone having planted as many as twenty-seven millions of larch, besides other trees. There are, it is supposed, upwards of 10,000 deer within 100 square miles of these ducal territories. Leaving Blair Athole station the train crosses the Tilt by a fine viaduct of 100 feet span, and, after a run of three miles, reaches Killiecrankie, contiguous to the famous pass through which (27th July, 1689) General Mackay came, with 4,000 of King William’s troops, un- molested, until they reached the platform at the mouth of the glen, where he was allowed by his chivalrous opponent to form his troops. Lord Dundee now drew up his own forces, number- ing 1,800 Highlanders and 300 Irish, on the Hill of Lude, and poured down in full force, with such irresistible fury that the Lowlanders were annihilated at the first onset, the whole con- flict not lasting a quarter of an hour. But the victory was dearly bought, at the cost of the life of John Grahame of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee ! Leaving Killiecrankie station, the train enters a short tunnel, four miles farther reaches the Pitlochrie station, passes on the right the old inn of Moulinearn, celebrated for its Athole brose (a mixture of honey and whiskey), and arrives at Ballinluig, the junction for Aberfeldy. A short way before entering the station, a monumental Celtic cross to the Duke of Athole may be seen ; it stands on the former site of an old royal castle. Passing Guay and Dalguise we now reach Birnam, the station for DUNKELD . 56i Dunkeld. [Hotels : “ Birnam,” “ Duke of Athole’s Arms/’ and “ Royal.”] Birnam Hill, which rises to the height of 1,580 feet close to the station, was once covered with a forest; but, as Mr. Pen- nant wittily remarked, it has never recovered the march to Dunsinane, and is now comparatively bare. The cathedral, at the west end of the town, is the object of most interest in Dunkeld, and is a venerable old structure, exhibiting features partly Norman and partly of the First Pointed period. The nave is in ruins, but the choir is still used as the parish church. This cathedral is supposed to have had its origin in a Culdee cell; a regular establishment was founded about 729, and the place was created into an episcopal see by David I. in the beginning of the twelfth century. The tower, ninety feet in height, and some very ancient tombs, together with two larch- trees in the church-yard, supposed to be the oldest in the kingdom, complete the attractions. Amongst the tombs notice those of Bishop Sinclair, who led the Scots against Edward IPs. forces, and inflicted a crushing defeat on them at Doni- bristle, and the monumental statue of the “Wolf of Badenoch,” son of Robert II. and Elizabeth Muir. Dunkeld is famed, too, as having been the see of Gavin Douglas, the first translator of Virgil into Scottish verse. There is a fine cascade in the magnificent grounds of Athole House, which until lately was most picturesquely seen from “ Ossian’s Hall,” a mirrored pavilion erected over the fall, maliciously destroyed in 1869, From Dunkeld were commenced, in 1729, the roads under, the supervision of General Wade, which now afford such facilities to Highland tourists. Leaving Dunkeld, the train skirts Birnam Hill and enters a short tunnel, emerging whence, the Malakoff Arch is seen on the right. This arch was designed and commenced as an en- trance to Murthly Castle, which now may be seen on the left. Near it is the old castle of Murthly, and a small but very elegant Roman Catholic chapel with stained-glass windows. The train now leaves the Tay, and, passing the wooded estate of Murthly, reaches Murthly station and Stanley Junction, where again the Tay’s broad stream is seen. Four miles farther the train passes Luncarty. Here a great battle was fought in 990 between the Scots and Danes, in which the latter were de- feated. We are now distant but four miles from the “ fair city of Perth,” to reach which we pass on the right the en- trance to Glen Almond, where “Bessie Bell and Mary Gray” lie buried. Over their grave at Dronach Haugh, near Lyne- 36 562 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . doch Cottage, is the simple inscription — telling their romantic friendship : — “ They lived, they lo’ed, they died. They were twa bonnie lasses ; They biggit their bower on yon burn brae, They theekit it ower wi’ rashes ; They theekit it ower wi’ rashes green. They theekit it ower wi* heather ; But the pest came from the burrows toun. And kill’d them both together.” On the left, at the opposite side of the Tay, lies Scone Palace, two miles and a half from Perth. It is at present the seat of the Earl of Mansfield, by whose family it has been rebuilt in modern times. It has characteristics of architectural beauty, and contains numerous relics of the old structure, especially a bed worked by Mary, Queen of Scots. It was from here that Edward I. removed the famous coronation stone, now in Westminster Abbey. There is no admission to the house or grounds. Perth [Hotels : “ Royal George,” “ Pople’s British,” and “ Queen's ”], a town eminent for the beauty of its situation, a place of great antiquity, and traditionally said to have been a Roman founda- tion. That victorious nation pretended to recognise the Tiber in the much more magnificent and navigable Tay, and to trace in the large level space known by the name of the North Inch a near resemblance to the Campus Martius. It was upon this same North Inch that the fight described in Scott’s Fair Maid of Perth took place. The population of Perth was 25,580 in 1871. One of the most beautiful points of view which Britain, or perhaps the world, can afford is the prospect from a spot called the Wicks of Baiglie, from which the traveller beholds, stretching beneath him, the vale of the Tay, traversed by its ample and lordly stream ; the town of Perth, with its two large meadows, or inches, its steeples and its towers ; the hills of Moncrieff and Kinnoul, finally rising into picturesque rocks, partly clothed with woods ; the rich margin of the river, studded with elegant mansions ; and the distant view of the Grampians. The principal objects of interest now extant are the old church of St. John, from which Perth was once known as St. Johnstone; the County Buildings, with a portico of twelve fluted columns, facing the river, and containing some fine pictures; the Lunatic Asylum, and the statues of Scott and Burns.. PERTH— ELGIN. 563 Excursions should be made to the Moncrieff and Kinnoul Hills, the view from which is called by Pennant “ the glory of Scotland ; ” to the Wicks of Baiglie ; to Dupplin Castle and the Birks of Invermay, at both of which last-named places are fine old sculptured stones. Abernethy, eight miles and a half from Perth by railway, where there is a fine specimen of the round towers, built after the same manner as those in Ireland, should also be visited. Another interesting excursion by rail can be made to Crieff, vid Methven. At the latter place was fought a great battle, in 1306, when Bruce was defeated. Two miles to the north of Methven is Trinity College, for the education of the clergy, and in the neighbourhood are several pretty country seats. From Crieff a pleasant trip can be taken along the Almond Water to the traditionary tomb of Ossian. ^ SECTION LXIII. INVERNESS, via ELGIN AND ABERDEEN, TO PERTH AND STIRLING. r X"'HE route follows the same line as described in the last sec- X tion, until we arrive at Forres, already described on page 557, whence it takes a north-easterly direction to Kinloss, Alves, and, at twelve miles’ distance, Elgin [Hotels : “Station,” “ Star,” and “ Gordon Arms”], a venerable, elegantly built town of 7,339 inhabitants, situ- ated on the river Lossie, about five miles from the sea. It contains some remarkable old houses and streets, and one of the finest ruins in Scotland, namely, the Cathedral. This noble pile was founded by Bishop Moray in 1223, but, having been burned down by the “Wolf of Badenoch,” was not rebuilt until the fifteenth century. A graphic description of the building and the neighbouring scenery is given in Sir Thomas Lauder’s Wolf of Badenoch. The style of archi- tecture is the First Pointed order, of which it is the best specimen in Scotland. Its maximum length is 289 feet, and breadth eighty-seven ; the western towers are eighty-four, 564 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . and the eastern sixty-four feet, in height, and though much defaced by “ godless hands,” it is still a splendid relic of archi- tectural taste. The stone coffin of King Duncan may be seen near the south gate, for the victim of Macbeth was interred here previous to the removal of his remains to “ Iona’s sacred isle ; ” and equally deserving of attention are the Apprentices’ Aisle and the beautiful octagonal chapter-house. About six miles southwards from the town stand the ivy-mantled remains of Pluscarden Priory, founded by Alexander II. in the thirteenth century. This structure was Gothic, but externally nothing can be seen save its picturesque garment of foliage; within, however, the traces of its ancient beauty can be followed, and there are some mural paintings still extant. In the neigh- bourhood, and worthy of a visit, are Duffus Castle, an old stronghold of the lords of Moray, and the rocks and caves of Covesea, where are some curious ancient carvings. After Elgin no station of importance is reached until we arrive at Aberdeen [Hotels: “Douglas, 5 ’ “Queen’s,” “Imperial,” “Northern,” “St Nicholas,” “ City,” and “ Forsyth’s Temperance ”], the third city of Scotland in point of size, having a population in 1871 of 88,125. There is an Old Aberdeen and a New Aberdeen : the former is situated about a mile to the north of the latter, near the mouth of the Don ; and the so-called new town on the Dee, whence its name. Both towns are of great antiquity, dating from the year 893, though historic records seldom mention the name until the twelfth century : the title “ New” means nothing more than that the town on the Dee has increased in size and beauty, whereas its contemporary on the Don has decayed. Near the “ auld town” is the “ Brig o’ Don,” with its one arch and its black deep salmon stream beneath. Byron says that he used to pause before crossing it, and yet lean over it with a childish delight, being an only son by the mother’s side. These commingled feelings were caused by an old proverb : — “ Brig o’ Balgounie, black’s your wa’ ; Wi’ a wife’s ae son, and a mear’s ae foal, Doun ye shall fa’ ! ” When Edward I. overran Scotland Aberdeen fell with the other strongholds, but the English garrison was shortly afterwards expelled by the inhabitants, who rallied with the watchword “ Bon-accord ! ” This cry has ever since been the motto on the town arms. The salmon-fishery of the Dee is very valuable, and returns a large revenue to the ABERDEEN— MONTROSE— FORFAR. 565 Town Commissioners, upon whom the right was conferred by Robert the Bruce. In New Aberdeen the handsome streets, the houses of which are almost without exception built of granite, and the numerous public buildings, deserve every attention. Union Street, Castle Street, and King Street are especially worthy of notice. The first contains some excellent architecture and a bronze statue of the late Prince Consort, and extends about a mile in length, a portion being carried over the Denburn Valley by an angle-arched viaduct of granite, with a span of 130 feet. Here are the East and West Churches, the Trades Hall, and the Town and County Bank, with a statue of her present Majesty. Castle Street contains the Market Cross, an octagonal Gothic building, embellished with medallions and the coats of arms of the Scottish kings, a statue of the Duke of Gordon, and the Town House, a notice- able structure with a tower 200 feet high, and a three-dialled clock. This edifice contains some portraits and an armoury. The buildings of Marischal College also stand in the New Town. King Street leads to Old Aberdeen, where are St. Machar’s Cathedral, the University of King’s College, and the “ Brig of Balgounie,” mentioned by Byron in Don yuan. Byron lived in Broad Street during his youth, at No. 68, which house still retains his name. Before departing from the Granite City the tourist should visit the docks and ship-building yards. The former cover an area of thirty-four acres, and have an entrance seventy feet wide : they are still in course of improvement. The latter send out sailing-vessels that rival in speed and beauty the famous American clippers. Leaving Aberdeen, the line borders on the sea- coast as far as Forfar, the most important place passed being Stonehaven, a considerable fishing port, close to which are the hoary ruins of Dunotter Castle. From Dubton, a branch runs to Montrose [Hotels : “ Star/’ “ Queen’s,” and “ Crown ”] (population 14,548), a somewhat extensive port. Here is one of Sir S. Brown’s suspension bridges, 432 feet long and lying on towers 72 feet high. But the town is chiefly noted from the fact that Joseph Hume and the great Marquis of Montrose were born in the place ; while another local event of historic import- ance was the embarkation here of Douglas (“the good Lord James ”), with the heart of Bruce for the Holy Land. Forfar [Hotels : “ County Arms,” “ Commercial,” and “ Union ”] is a town of considerable antiquity, whose population (11,031) is 566 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. principally engaged in the shoe and weaving trades. It has been latterly much improved, and has now many good public buildings. In the town house may be seen the bridle with which people were harnessed in the “good old times,” previous to being burnt in the “Witches’ Howe.” In the neighbour- hood are Restenet Priory and Finhaven Castle, at which the Earl of Crawford received James II. Leaving Forfar, the tourist has the choice of two routes. The one (with branches to places of importance in the interior) goes vid Stanley junction direct to Perth. The other (more circuitous) runs along the sea-coast to the same town, and affords the traveller an opportunity of visiting Arbroath and Dundee. Arbroath Hotels : “ White Heart/’ “ Royal,” and George ”] has a population of 19,974. The proper name of the town, or Aberbrothock, signifies its situation at the mouth of the Bro- thock. It was formerly noted for a rich mitred abbey, founded in 1178 by William the Lion, who was buried in it. All that now remains is a ruined church, 770 feet long, with its cloisters and fine east window. The chapter house, the great gate, and prison are also in existence. The Bell Rock is about ten miles south-east ; it is the Inch- gate rock of Southey’s well-known lines. The lighthouse was under the special care of the abbots, one of whom placed a bell there, so that (i When the rock was hid by the tempest’s swell, The mariners heard the warning bell ; And then they knew the perilous rock, And blessed the Abbot of Aberbrothock.” The present lighthouse was built by Stevenson, its height being 1 15 feet. Dundee [Hotels : “ Royal George,” “ Salutation,” “ Star,” “ British,” “ Queen’s,” and “ City ”] is the capital of Forfarshire, and the third largest town in Scot- land, its population in 1871 being 118,974. Dundee Law, in the immediate neighbourhood, is 525 feet high ; it was there that Montrose sat while his troops sacked the town in 1645. During the present century the harbour has been greatly im- proved, and about 50,000 tons of shipping now belong to the port. Spinning and weaving flax are extensively carried on in the town. Queen Victoria visited Dundee in 1844, and a triumphal arch near the harbour commemorates the event. DUNDEE, 567 There are twenty places of worship in the town. Three churches stand together, on the site of one founded by William the Lion (the hero of Scott’s Talisman ), in pursuance of a vow at sea on returning from the Crusades ; he also built a castle here, which figured prominently in the wars of independence under Wallace and Bruce, the former of whom was educated at the priory of the town. Many of the natives of the place have attained eminence, and Graham of Claverhouse was created Viscount of Dundee by James II. Sir David Baxter presented a splendid park to the corporation. The seats of several noble- men are in the neighbourhood. From Perth (already described on page 562) a run of thirty- five miles, past spots we have already noticed in our trip to the Trossachs (pages 488, etc.)> brings the tourist to Stirling. EXCURSION XXIII ; ABERDEEN TO BALMORAL AND BLAIR ATHOLE. M ANY pleasant excursions might be made by the numerous branches from the lines the route of which we have just sketched. Thus a detour might be made from the main line of the Great Northern of Scotland at Grange to Banff, the seat of the Earl of Fife, a descendant of the Macduff who fought Mac- beth and revenged the death of Duncan, and whose eldest son still bears the title of Viscount Macduff. From Banff, another branch, vid Turriff, rejoins the main line at Inveramsay. Another trip might be made from the Dyce junction to the ports of Fraserburgh and Peterhead, the latter famous for its beautifully coloured granite. But the favourite excursion is that from Aberdeen along Deeside to her Majesty’s Highland home at Balmoral, and thence by a journey on 4 4 shanks’s ponies,” to Blair Athole, on the Highland railway. Leaving Aberdeen, the train runs along the side of the Dee, through splendid scenery, which a royal personage is reported to have pronounced 44 De-cide-dly among the finest in Scotland.” It passes Culter, near the site of the Roman Devana , and many historic country seats, ancient battle-fields between rival clans, and Lumphanan, the scene of Macbeth’s death, where a cairn 120 feet high is pointed out as his grave. Drum House, Crathes Castle, and Aboyne Castle, the seat of the Marquis of Huntly, are specially worthy of notice. Though an extension of the line past Balmoral to Braemar has been often discussed, S6S LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Ballater [Hotel: “ Monaltrie Arms”] is at present its terminus. It is a fashionable watering-place, close to the Pannanich Springs. Thence a coach runs to Braemar, passing Balmoral Castle, a full view of which is afforded from the road. Admission can only be obtained during her Majesty’s absence, and the Queen usually resides there in the tourist season. The castle is located in a dell formed by a noble range of hills on the south side of the Dee, nearly opposite Crathie, the parish church of which her Majesty attends when she resides at her Highland retreat. The site of the castle is a slightly elevated plateau at the foot of the Craigan-Gowan hill, commanding an extensive and picturesque view of the Dee and its valley. The palace was built from de- signs by Mr. William Smith, of Aberdeen, on the site of an older castle, purchased from the Earl of Fife. It is in the Scottish baronial style of architecture, and comprises two blocks of build- ings, with connecting wings, bartisan turrets, and a projecting tower, 80 feet high. The royal farm lies in a valley a little to the west of the castle. Abergeldie, the Highland residence of the Prince of Wales, is romantically situated on the banks of the river Dee. The word Abergeldie, in the Gaelic, signifies the spot where the burn of Geldie falls into the Dee, just as Aberdeen signifies the place where the Dee falls into the sea. Approached by the high road from Aberdeen, Abergeldie seems, as it were, closed in by the mountains at the foot of which it rests, and thus appears to be isolated, though, in fact, it stands in the midst of the valley and may be seen from the private grounds of Balmoral, almost buried in the deep masses of the woodlands which intervene. There is a rough, simple grandeur in the building itself — massive, as the original walls amply testify — while the large square clock tower, mounted on another no less strong, but circular in its form, the deep set windows, and the material of which it is composed, give it, as is due, an antique and romantic appearance. Built for another age and for less peaceful times, it is still in keeping with the craggy mountain sides ; but when we ‘ ‘ think what is now and what hath been,” it is neither with disappointment nor ill-will that we see cultivation creeping almost in at its doors, while the corn and cattle rest secure from those predatory excursions, at one time not uncommon, to gratify the pleasure or revenge, as the case might be, of some powerful chief with no very distinct idea of meam and tuum as regarded his neighbours’ property or his CASTLE TON OF BRAE MAR. 569 own. Abergeldie was formerly the property of the Duchess of Kent, who bought it in order to be near her illustrious daughter. It has always been celebrated for its birch trees, whose fame furnished the theme of the well-known song, ‘‘The birks of Abergeldie.” Castleton of Braemar [Hotels : “ Invercauld Arms ” and “ Fife Arms ”] is an old Highland village, from whence excursions may be made in the neighbourhood. It is situated at the southern extremity of Aberdeenshire, in the heart of those Grampian Hills where the supposed father of young Norval fed his flocks. The castle of Braemar, which stands in the midst of the glen, is a picturesque object. It is said to have been built by Malcolm Canmore for a hunting-seat, and is the scene of the “ Stag Hunt ” in Waverley, where the standard of rebellion was raised in I 7 1 5. Invercauld, where the Braemar gathering takes place annually, is a noble mansion, the seat of the chief of the Farquharson clan. It is situated on a rising ground, which forms the southern terrace of Craig Heik, a finely- wooded mountain that rises about 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. Byron frequently resided at the farmhouse of Ballatruh, and has celebrated the neighbouring scenery in his noble tribute to the beauties of Loch-na-gar, the ascent of which (about twelve miles) opens to the traveller the best general view of the surrounding scenery. From Braemar the route will lie through Glen Tilt to Blair Athole (a distance of about thirty miles), as already noticed on page 560. SECTION LXIV. STIRLING TO EDINBURGH AND CARLISLE, via MEL- ROSE AND ABBOTSFORD. S TIRLING is connected with Edinburgh by a line running vid Greenhill junction. The two towns are thirty-six miles apart, and the line runs along the south coast of the Firth of Forth. Leaving Edinburgh by the North British station, the train dashes through a tunnel under Calton Hill, on emerging from which some picturesque views of the environs of the northern capital are obtained ; these include the Abbey and Palace of Holyrood, the steep-cut cliffs, called Salisbury Crags, with St. Anthony’s 570 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Chapel, a small ruin perched on the verge of the next precipice, Arthur’s Seat, and Dunsappie llill, all comprised in the Queen’s Park. Portobello, Millerhill, and Eskbank are passed; and we reach Dalhousie, Beneath the embankment of the station nestles the village of Newbattle, and Newbattle Abbey, the residence of the Marquis of Lothian, is seen standing on its sheltered lawn by the bank of the Esk. The line crosses the valley on a viaduct at Dalhousie, so that a most enchanting view is afforded of the Esk. The houses of Harden Green and Dalhousie Mains are passed, and the Modern Gothic church of Cockpen. Overhanging the Esk, on the right, is the massive circular tower of Dalhousie Castle, the seat of the Marquis of Dalhousie. Near the next station, Gorebridge, may be seen the ruins of Newbyres Castle, with Borthwick Castle on the right, and onwards on the left the massive remains of Crichton Castle. In the manse of Borthwick was born Dr. Robertson, the historian of Scotland. Continuing along the valley of the Gore, we pass Fushiebridge and enter the valley of Gala Water, celebrated by Burns in the song, “ Braw, braw lads of Gala Water.” We pass Tyne Head, Heriot, Fountainhall, Stow, and Bowland, and reach Galashiels [Hotels : “ Commercial,” “ Abbotsford,” “ Railway ”], which means literally “the Shepherds’ Huts on the Gala.” It is a manufacturing town of about 9,678 inhabitants. The scenery derives its beauty from the wood abounding on the banks and slopes of the vicinity. The Tweed is beautifully disclosed from point to point of its progress till lost among the project- ing hills above Drygrange, whilst the villas and residences studding the river banks greatly enhance the charm of the view. A short branch line runs from Galashiels to Selkirk (population 4,640), which in olden times gloried in her shoe- making citizens. Many of the old ballads celebrate her sturdy followers in St. Crispin’s art, who appear to have been as brave in the field as they were unequalled in their trade. • A chain of forts, connected by a deep fosse and double ram- part, supposed to be the work of the ancient Britons, is met with a little west of Galashiels, from which point it extends to the Cumberland Mountains. MELROSE— MELROSE ABBEY. 571 Leaving Galashiels, the line curves along the beautiful serpen- tine head of the Gala. It is then carried on the summit of an embankment, from whence a most charming view of the town, the Tweed, and its rich valley may be obtained, towards the pretty village of Darnick, and over the Tweed by a viaduct of five fine arches. The plain is here environed on all sides by woods and water : to the south, embosomed in the woods planted by Sir W. Scott, lies Abbotsford. We now reach Melrose. [Hotels : “ George,” “ King’s Arms,” “Abbey,” and “Commercial.”] The station is in admirable harmony with the romantic region which surrounds it ; and though the town is not large, it presents a pretty and not unimposing aspect. It is situated at the base of three remarkable conical peaks, known as the Eildon Hills, and long renowned in song and story from the days of Thomas of Ercildoune. The cross, twenty feet high, in the centre of the market-place (whence the streets diverge in the form of a Saint Andrew’s cross) is of great antiquity : it bears the usual figure of the unicorn and arms of Scotland. The summit level of the eastern peak of the Eildons (the Trimontium of Tacitus), on which are the remains of a vast encampment a mile and a half in circumference, affords an extensive prospect of the windings of the Tweed, and the numerous scenes of Border battle. The beautiful suburb of Gattonside, a region of gardens and orchards, is connected with Melrose by an iron bridge. A walk of five minutes brings us from the station to Melrose Abbey, which, independently of all the poetry and romance with which it has become associated, is one of the finest relics of the palmy days of Gothic architecture. Founded in 1136 by David I., and dedicated to the Virgin, it was colonized by Cistercian monks. The ground plan of the abbey church is in the shape of a Latin cross, turned towards the east. The western side of the central square tower, eighty-four feet in height, by which the church was surmounted, remains based on a lofty, pointed arch, terminating at its summit in a tall balus- trade of stone, elegantly formed, with pierced quatre-foiled rails and roses underneath them in. bas-relief. The English in 1321 injured and plundered the abbey ; but four years afterwards it was restored at the cost of King Robert the Bruce. Richard II. burned it in 1384; Sir Ralph Evers and Sir Bryan Latoun plundered it in 1545, on which occasion a bloody conflict ensued, when the “ raiders ” were overtaken at Lilliard’s Edge ; 572 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . and it was pillaged later in the same year by another party of English. Shortly afterwards the Scottish retainers of the Lords of Congregation, in their zeal for reformation, initiated a course of demolition which was effectually completed by the bombardment of Cromwell from Gattonside. A popular satire, perpetuated by Sir Walter Scott, declares that “ The monks of Melrose made fat kail On Fridays when they fasted ; And neither wanted beef nor ale, So long as their neighbours’ lasted.” This was probably one cause of the vengeance of the reformers. That there was good ground for the satire is shown by the fact that in 1533 the general chapter of the order found it necessary to send a commissioner to visit and reform the j abbey, as the monks there, in common with their brethren at Newbattle and Balmorino, had grievously transgressed their rule. i “The buildings within the convent.” says the Rev. Adam Milne, in his account of the parish of Melrose (1730), “ for the residence and service of the abbots and monks, with garden and other conveniences, were once enclosed with a high wall, about a mile in circuit.” The other abbey buildings being razed, the church alone, whose ruins extend in length, from east to west, 258 feet, by 137 feet in breadth, remains to indicate by-gone splendour. Entering the principal doorway remaining ■ on the south — the way to which is through the passage in the church — it is found to be composed of recessed mouldings of ; great delicacy, beauty, and variety, filleted with foliage, and supported on light, finely-proportioned pilasters. The foliage, emanating from two finely-sculptured busts, terminates in a \ grotesque Gothic head, immediately surmounting a gracefully- canopied niche, in which the figure of the Saviour formerly stood, Rich-tabernacled projections protrude on either side. Tabernacled spires also terminate the cornices supported on the angular buttresses at this end of the building. The but- tresses themselves are niched for the reception of images, two niches in each : the brackets are supported by monks. Two of these are perfect, with long flowing beards, one holding in his extended hand a fillet, inscribed, “ Rassus est quia ipse voluit and the other, “ Cum venit jesus cessabit umbra.” Eight niches (in some of which mutilated figures yet remain), de- creasing in size according to the altitudes at which they are placed and ornamented with floral garlands, also surmount the entrance arch, and descend gradually on either side of it. The arms of Scotland occupy a central compartment over the arch, surmounted by a full-length figure of St. John the Bap- A BB 0 TSFORD . 573 tist, enveloped in clouds, with heavenward gaze, and hearings fillet on his breast with the words, “ Ecce Filius DeiF Over this entrance-door, a window of great magnificence, twenty-four feet by sixteen, whose tracery is yet entire, rises gracefully in interlacing curves into a wheel of seven compartments, and terminates in a pointed arch, with four dividing bars. The great east window, generally known as “ the apprentice’s win- dow ” (from a legend that it was the work of an apprentice during the absence of his master, who, on his return, was so envious of his success that he murdered him), has been thus described no less poetically than just : — “ Thou would’st have thought some fairy’s hand, ’Twixt poplars straight the osier wand, In many a freakish knot had twined ; Then framed a spell when the work was done, And changed the willow wreaths to stone.” For a detailed description of the whole structure and its historical associations we must refer the tourist to Shaw’s Shilling “Guide to Abbotsford, Melrose, and the Scottish Border,” as the exigencies of space compel us to hasten on to Abbotsford, the abode of the mighty novelist and poet, Sir Walter Scott, and now the property of James R. Hope Scott, Esq., Q.C., which is about three miles distant from Melrose, and is finely situated on the Tweed, above the spot where the Gala empties its waters into that river. It overlooks the fine sweep of the river and the beautiful meadow on the opposite bank, which almost seems as if contrived to form part of the estate. Nothing is more apt to give a full conception of the extent to which the merit of creating Abbotsford belonged to the poet than the fact that its site was formerly occupied by a small farmstead- ing, rejoicing in the designation of Clarty-hole. Thus the heart of the romancer clung, as he said, to the place he had created, for there was not a tree that did not owe its being to him. He made the place before the evil days of his destiny set in, and there the finest of his novels were written. The Abbotsford property extends chiefly southward ; it in- cludes within its bounds Cauldshield’s Loch, whence emanates a rivulet running through the Rhymer’s Glen, the traditionary rendezvous of True Thomas with his elfin love, the Fairy Queen. For miles along the banks of the Tweed gigantic forest trees fling their shadows over its white and silvery surface and bright bordering sward ; and the woods are pene- trated in all directions by winding walks planned by Sir Walter himself, and once pruned and tended by his own hand. The 574 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. bouse is approached by a lofty gateway, leading to an open space of about half an acre in extent. At the gateway the visitor will observe the jougs , implements of torture or restraint, formerly employed by the Douglases (with whom Scott claimed to be connected) at Thrieve Castle, their ancient seat in Gallo- way. Opposite the gateway, in a stone screen with open Gothic arches, a handsome iron fretwork affords a glimpse of the garden. The house front, too, is visible, extending 160 feet in length. Sculptured stones from all parts of the country are inserted in the building. Among these may be noticed one from the old Tolbooth of Edinburgh, half-way up the wall, with a Scriptural device ; and a stone on the east side of the mansion from the burgh of Selkirk, inscribed, “ Up with ye sutors of Selkirk.” In fact, the entire composition of the edifice is made up of quaint and curious fragments of the antique, with modern imitations, woven into an indescribably picturesque assemblage of masonry. The fantastic groups of chimneys, gables, pro- jecting windows, turrets, and balconies are combined in a manner which it would be impossible to reduce to order, method, or consecutiveness ; but the general effect is at once pleasing and surprising. Almost every celebrated antiquarian building throughout Scotland has contributed something to Abbotsford. Even the palaces of Holyrood, Dunfermline, and Linlithgow, and the churches of Melrose and Roslin, have furnished their share. The projecting porch by which the house is entered is copied from the palace at Linlithgow, and the doorway is surmounted by a magnificent pair of antlers. The hall, forty feet in length, is filled with curiosities, and its walls are tastefully decorated with old armour and panels filled with the armorial bearings of the house of Scott and its col- lateral branches. Inside the hall is an arched room, with stained-glass windows, containing relics, principally arms, of Rob Roy, Montrose, Claverhouse, Napoleon, Hofer, James VI., etc. The drawing room is fitted up with antique ebony furni- ture given by George IV. ; and the library, the largest room in the house, contains 20,000 volumes, some chairs, the gift of the Pope, a writing-desk presented by George III., and a silver urn presented by Byron. The little study in which Scott used to write adjoins the library. It contains a few pictures, cabinets, old claymores, and the clothes worn by Sir Walter just previous to his death. From Melrose an excursion may be made up the Leader Water to Earlston, four miles distant. A BBOTSI*ORD, FROM THE TWEKB. EARLS TON, ETC.—DRYBURGH ABBEY 575 Earlston, anciently Ercildoun, the residence of Thomas the Rhymer, is situated at the base of the Black Hill, about two miles from Dry- grange Bridge, where the old abbots of Melrose had their chief granary. A small part of the Rhymer’s dwelling of Learmont Tower is still remaining, and on a stone in the front wall of Earlston Church is inscribed, “ Auld Rhymer’s race lies in this place.” The line continues along the course of the Tweed, passing close to the south of the secluded village of Newstead, a place which seems to have arisen under the shadow of Red- stead Abbey, a large and splendid religious house, like Melrose, the foundations of which have not yet totally disappeared. The number and variety of Roman coins and spears (some of which are preserved at Abbotsford) found here seem to indi- cate that the Romans had been prior occupants of the spot. We next reach St. Boswell’s, 1 on the way to which a fine prospect is afforded of the Eildon Hills on the one hand, and of the Black Hill, with Earlston, on the other, while the foreground of the picture is made up of the vale of Leader and Ravenswood. The village of old Mel- rose may, too, be seen in the distance, occupying a site on a flat peninsula formed by a sudden bend of the Tweed. St. Boswell’s is a convenient railway centre for visiting the famous abbeys of Dryburgh ancl Jedburgh. The former may be reached by a walk of two miles along the tortuous Tweed. Dryburgh Abbey is situated on a richly wooded peninsula, encircled by a bold sweep of the Tweed. Here, among fruit trees and flowering shrubs, itself completely covered with the foliage of creeping | plants, the picturesque old structure is seen in the vicinity ol* ! the Earl of Buchan’s mansion. The ruins are those of a Saxon monastery founded in 1 150, but the site is believed to have been previously a place of Druidical worship. The western gable of the nave, - the ends of the transept, with part of the choir and domestic buildings of the abbey, are all that remain. A semi- circular arch of four single shafts distinguishes the western d©or, and the southern part of the transept contains a large ;i window divided by four mullions. But the most beautiful a well as the most interesting part of the ruin is St. Mary’s aisle, with its splendidly arched roof springing from clustered columns. Here are the burial-places of the Halyburtons, 1 Erskines, and Haigs, and the grave of Scott. 576 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . On a brow of the hill behind the abbey is a colossal statue of Sir Wm. Wallace ; and a bust of Thomson, the poet, sur- mounts a neat model of the Temple of the Muses. From St. Boswell’s the route to Jedburgh is vici Maxton, where, at Mutown House, Sir Walter Scott wrote Marmion and several other of his works ; Rutherford, to Roxburgh, where the traveller takes the branch line train to Jedburgh, passing first Old Ormiston, and next arrives at Nisbet, to the left of which are the remains of the celebrated fortress of Cessford, noted in the early Scottish wars ; while in the vicinity of More- battle, a neighbouring village, are the ruins of Luton Tower, a gift from William the Lion to the Somervilles. A mile and a half beyond Nisbet we reach Jedfoot Bridge, near which, amongst other interesting remains, are traces of the t Roman Watling Street, paved with whinstone, and in a state of tolerable preservation. After another drive of a mile and a half we reach t Jedburgh [Hotels : “ Spread Eagle,” “ Royal Exchange,” and “ Black Bull ”] (population 3,322). This picturesquely situated town, with its grand monastic ruins crowning a ridge overlooking the streets, produces a pleasing effect from whatever side it is ap- proached. As the chief-town of the Middle Marches, it was of course the great scene of the border frays, and its royal ■ castle was alternately held by the English and the Scots, i The sturdy burghers of Jedburgh acquired great fame for l their use of the “ Jethart staff ” in these encounters, and their war cry, “ Jethart’s here ! ” struck terror over many a field. The only part of the abbey now standing is the church. , The eastern end of the choir is gone, and so are the cloisters, but the walls of the nave, central tower, and choir remain, though exhibiting many traces of the cannon’s work in 1544. What has been spared is sufficient to indicate the ancient magnificence of the abbey. The tracery of the window in the north transept — the two splendid Norman doors, and the combination of three or four different styles of architecture in the choir and nave, would alone deserve a visit, apart from the attractions offered by the glorious view from the lofty square tower. This panorama comprehends the Valley of the Jed, whose banks are frequently overhung by ruins of towers, castles, and abbeys, and the hills dividing England from Scotland. Leaving St. Boswell’s, we pass New Belses station, and reach Ha&sendean, or Hazeldean, famous in Border song as the resi- dence of Jock-o’-Hazeldean. From thence the line approaches the thriving manufacturing town of HA WICK—NE W A CASTLE TON. 577 Hawick Hotels : “ Tower,” “ Crown,” “White Hart,” and “ Commercial ”], situated at the confluence of the Teviot and Slitrig (population JI »35h). Branksome Tower, the scene of the Lay of the Last Minstrel , lies within two miles and a half, an early residence of the Barons of Buccleuch. General Simpson, a hero of the Crimean War, was a native of Hawick. The tourist next arrives at Stobbs, near which is Stobbs Castle, the seat of Sir W. F. Elliot and the birthplace of General Lord Heathfield. The line next passes Shankend and Riccarton junction, from whence a run of three miles and a half brings us to Steele Road, near which is Hermitage Castle, said to be haunted. It stands on the banks of Hermitage Water, and was the seat of the Lords Soulis, and afterwards of the Douglasses, Lords of Liddesdale. William de Soulis, a reputed sorcerer, is said to have been boiled to death in obedience to the careless words of Robert Bruce, at the Nine-Stane Rig, a Druidical circle near Hermitage water, five stones of which are still visible ; two are pointed out as those on which the cauldron rested. The castle is still very entire. Leaving Steele Road, the train crosses the Cheviot Hills to New Castleton, a village of 886 inhabitants. Just after leaving the station the train passes the ruins of Mangerton Tower, an old stronghold of the Armstrongs. A cross on the opposite side of the Liddel commemorates one of the Armstrongs of Mangerton who had been murdered at Hermitage. At Kershope Foot, the line crosses from Scotland into England, and running along the side of the romantic Liddel, at the base of the Cheviot Hills, we pass Redding Junction and Scotch Dyke, and next come to Longton, on the east bank of the noble river Esk (whence there is a short branch to Gretna Green). Next come West Linton and Harker stations, and reaching the central station at Carlisle, we terminate our circular tour through the northern kingdom of Great Britain. 37 TO THE CONTINENT. 4, SECTION L X V. CHOICE OF ROUTES. W E have thus conducted the tourist, from point to point, through the northern and most striking portions of the British Isles. No place possessing general interest, upon the line of the London and North-Western Railway, or which can be approached upon its connections (and there are few which cannot), has been passed without mention. At the same time we have been enabled to give a complete account of the economy of this line ; and yet have abstained from unnecessary digression, so as to suit the requirements of travellers whose time may be limited. We will now presume that our friend will proceed to the Continent, which may be easily reached from any point we have noticed in the preceding pages. There is an abundant choice of steamers between most parts of Great Britain and the rest of Europe, good sea boats running between Newcastle and Ham- burg ; Hull and Hamburg ; Harwich and Rotterdam ; Harwich and Antwerp ; Southampton and St. Malo [via the Channel Islands, which, should time permit, would amply repay the trouble of a visit to their charming shores) ; Southampton and Cherbourg ; Southampton and Havre ; Newhaven and Dieppe ; London and Hamburg ; London and Antwerp ; London and Ostend ; London and Calais ; and Folkestone and Boulogne. It is, however, customary for the tourist to travel to the Con- tinent, via London ; and while in the metropolis he cannot do better than call at the offices of Messrs. Gaze and Son, 142, ? Strand* (or of their agents, Messrs. Norton and Shaw, 7 * Messrs. Gaze have also a branch office at 4, Parker Street, Liverpool, where the tourist may secure his ticket immediately on landing in England. LONDON TO BOULOGNE AND CALAIS. \ 579 Garrick Street, and West Entrance Lodge, Euston Square), where he can obtain tickets and every necessary information for continental travelling. There are five routes, with each of which the London and North-Western Railway Company have through booking arrangements. These routes are : — 1. By the South-Eastern Railway, via Folkestone and Boulogne, or by Dover and Calais, a route which will enable the tourist to visit Tunbridge Wells and Hastings. 2. By the London, Chatham, and Dover line, via Chatham, Canterbury, Dover, and Calais. 3. By the London, Brighton, and South Coast Line, via Brighton, Newhaven, and Dieppe ; and by Littlehampton and Honfleur. In addition to the above-named places, Eastbourne, Chichester, and Portsmouth may be reached by this line. 4. By the London and South-Western Railway, via Southamp- ton ancl Havre. Among the chief places of interest served by the South-Western are Winchester, Salisbury, Portsmouth, Exeter, Plymouth, Portland, etc. 5. By the Great Eastern line, via Colchester and Plarwich, and Antwerp and Rotterdam. We will briefly describe each route. SECTION LXVI. LONDON, via FOLKESTONE, TO BOULOGNE ; or via DOVER, TO CALAIS. ET us begin with the route most commonly used, as being the most direct and having the shortest sea passage — that via Dover and Calais — a route to which additional interest has been lately attached by the fact of Captain Webb having gal- lantly swam across the Channel between the two points. The head-quarters of the South-Eastern Railway, at London Bridge, are joined by the recently-constructed continuation of the line with Cannon Street, Waterloo, and Charing Cross. This short railway crosses the Thames by two magnificent bridges, affording facilities for local traffic between the portions of the metropolis through which it runs which are largely utilized, and giving the tourist about to proceed to' the Continent a choice of stations from which to take his departure. The company, too, possesses a number of suburban lines which have proved of great advantage to business men. Passing London Bridge station, the train 580 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. speeds along by New Cross and Lewisham, affording views, first of a forest of chimney-pots, and then of the Surrey Hills and Penge Hill, with the Crystal Palace. Eleven miles from London the train passes Chislehurst, a quarter of a mile from which station is Camden Place, the residence of the Empress Eugenie and of the Prince Imperial, and the scene of the death of Napoleon III. Passing several unimportant stations, we arrive at Tunbridge, situated nearly midway on the line from Red Hill to Ashford, one of the straightest pieces of railway in the kingdom. From Tunbridge Junction a loop line runs, via Tunbridge Wells, Battle, St. Leonards, Hastings, &c., rejoining the main line at Ashford. Tunbridge Wells [Hotels : “ Calverley,” “ Kentish Royal,” and “ Royal Sussex ”] is a fashionable inland watering-place, with a resident population of 19,410. It owes its prosperity to a visit of Dudley Lord North, a young nobleman attached to the court of James I. The place was a favourite resort of the queen of Charles II., Queen Anne, and the late Dowager Queen of France. It contains some good shops and a market-place, in addition to the spa, the public baths, the parade, and the usual proportion of places of worship, hotels, theatres, etc. Running past some half-dozen small stations, the tourist reaches Battle [Hotels: “ George” and “Star”] (population, 3,495), the scene of the celebrated battle which placed William the Norman on the throne of England. After the struggle, William erected, on the spot where Harold fell, the abbey of Battle, in which prayers were to be perpetually offered up for the souls of those who had fallen. The remains of this once magnificent structure, still extant, are quite sufficient to attest its former grandeur. The old Norman church, with its embattled tower, fine peal of bells, and ancient monuments and brasses, should also be seen. Passing the junction with the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway, and running through the “ Bo-Peep ” tunnel, the train next draws up at St. Leonard’s-on-Sea [Hotels : “ Royal Victoria,” “ Royal Saxon,” and “ Bo-Peep”], a town, sixty-two miles from London, which has been built and incorporated within the last forty-five years and has a population HASTINGS. 58i of 2,737. ^ enjoys the advantages of a delightful situation and most equable climate, in addition to all the late improvements in domestic architecture. It was to the Marine Hotel here that the Empress Eugenie came, after a brief sojourn in Ryde, on her flight from Paris. Close by stands Pelham Cottage, where Eouis Napoleon resided before his eventful landing at Boulogne. One mile further on, we reach Hastings [Hotels: “ Queen’s, ’ “Marine,” “Albion,” “Swan,” “Castle,” and “ Royal Oak ”], which has a population of 26,554. There is not a more interest- ing spot in England than Hastings. Nearly a thousand years ago money, specimens of which are still to be seen, was coined here ; and how long previously the site may have been occupied by the Saxons, we need not attempt to settle. There was a castle here before William the Conqueror came to fight Harold ; but William enlarged it, and part of his work (or that of the Earl Robert, who received the castle from him) is still standing. The area of the castle is now laid out as a flower-garden ; it is in the form of a triangle with rounded corners. The base near the sea was built on the edge of the cliff, which rises per- pendicularly to the height of 250 feet. The view commanded is only excelled by that from the neighbouring Fairlight Downs. The entire vicinity teems with the most bewitching umbrageous nooks, extensive views, and fashionable sea-side promenades. Of these last the Esplanade, reaching nearly the entire way from the Marine Parade to the Marina at St. Leonard’s, a dis- tance of about two and a half miles, is unequalled in the king- dom. The line now takes a northerly course, the next stations being Winchelsea, Rye, Appledore, Ham Street, and Ashford (popu- lation, 8,458), the junction for Hastings, Folkestone and Dover, and Ramsgate, vid Canterbury (see pages 583-4). Ashford has sprung into commercial importance since it has become the great depot of the South-Eastern Railway Company. Leaving Ashford, our course lies in an easterly direction. At Westenhanger, a short branch runs to Hythe (noteworthy as being the head-quarters of the school of musketry) and Sand- gate, a delightful place of resort for those in search of health or pleasure. Shorncliffe, the next station past Westenhanger, is the site of a permanent camp of instruction for artillery, cavalry, and infantry, with accommodation for from three to five thousand men. Running over a viaduct, spanning the Ford Valley and 758 feet long, having nineteen arches, some of them a hundred feet high, we at length reach 582 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Folkestone [Hotels : “ Pavilion ” and “ Clarendon ”} (population, 13,698), where the tourist will find good accommo- dation. The town (of which Harvey, the discoverer of the circu- lation of the blood, was a native) is ill-built ; it is more retired than Dover, Ramsgate, or Margate. It is, however, rapidly becoming a fashionable watering-place. Folkestone Harbour is connected with the town by a short branch, and from thence steamers run to Boulogne in about two hours. The line is continued to Dover (described in the following sec- tion), passing under three tunnels — the Martello tunnel, 636 yards long; Abbott’s Cliff tunnel, the largest on the line, 1,940 yards long; and Shakespeare’s Cliff tunnel, 1,393 yards long. This latter consists of two tubes, thirty feet high, and ventilated by means of seven shafts sunk from the surface of the hill, rendered famous by the pen of the immortal Shakespeare. SECTION LX VI I. LONDON, via DOVER, TO CALAIS. T OURISTS to the Continent, via Dover and Calais, have an alternative route before them — that by the London. Chat- ham, and Dover Railway. The London termini of this line are at Holborn Viaduct and Victoria, and the company have also large stations at Ludgate Hill and Blackfriars, as well as quite an extensive system of metropolitan railways. Leaving either of the above-named stations, the tourist, after passing the junction of Swanley (for Sevenoaks and Maid- stone), in due time arrives at Rochester [Hotels : “Bull Inn and Victoria,” “ Crown,” “ Silver Oar,” and “ King's Head ”] (population, 18,352). The view from the bridge of its fine old Norman castle, with the river laving the base of the keep, is very charming. It occupies the site of a Roman station, and the spot has probably been fortified ever since ; but the main portion of the present structure was raised by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, the natural brother of William the Conqueror. The keep or “ Gundulph’s Tower,” so called because built by the CHA THAM—CANTERBUR Y. 583 bishop of that name, is the most striking object from every point of view. It is about 75 feet square and 105 feet in height, with massive walls. The Cathedral was among the first erected by the Saxons on their conversion to Christianity, and Rochester is the oldest bishopric in England. The original edifice suffered much in the disturbed times of the Saxon era, but was recon- structed with great magnificence by Bishop Gundulph, in 1080. The Town Hall, the Free School, St. Katherine’s Hospital, and Watts’s Almshouses are the other public buildings in Rochester worthy of note. The next station is Chatham [Hotels: “Mitre, “Sun,” “Chert Arms,” “Ship,” “Gibraltar,” “Queen’s Head,” and “ Navy and Army”], a military depot, forming one town with Rochester. It was a mere hamlet until the establishment of the great naval dockyard. It is now, however, a parliamentary borough of 45,792 inhabi- tants. The old church of St. Mary contains' the tomb of Stephen Borough, the discoverer of the passage to Archangel. The arsenal, dockyard, and barracks should certainly be visited. There is free admission at ten in the morning and two in the afternoon. The dockyard, originally of very limited dimensions, was founded in the reign of Elizabeth, now extends upwards of two miles and a half along the Medway. The best time for visiting these important works and Sheerness fort and dockyard, on Sheppey Island, at the mouth of the Medway, is during the ‘ ‘ siege operations, ” carried on during a considerable portion of the summer. Resuming the journey, the train passes one or two unimportant places and reaches Sittingbourne (population 6,148), the junc- tion for Sheerness, another naval station with 13,956 inhabitants, whose dockyard covers about sixty acres, where the ships of the royal navy are laid up in ordinary. Sittingbourne and Faversham are important centres of the hop-growing district. Hop gardens are here to be seen in all directions, and the various operations connected with the culture of the vine, whose fruit forms a prin- cipal ingredient in the manufacture of Old England’s ‘ ‘ nut- brown ale,” may be watched with interest from the carriage window. Passing Faversham and Selling, the train next reaches Canterbury [Hotels : “ Rose,'* “ Fountain,” “ Fleur-de-Lis ”] (population, 20,962), which town is the seat of the primacy of England. During its occupation by the Romans it was called Durovernum. The Saxons named it Ca nt-waru-byrig, or “the city of the men of Kent.” This was subsequently contracted 584 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. into Cantuaria , from whence its present name. The city con- tains many buildings of importance, the chief of which is The Cathedral built in the form of a double cross, having two transepts, with two steeples at the west end, the outer walls of which are richly embellished with statues of sovereigns and archbishops from the time of Queen Bertha to that of Queen Victoria. The edifice contains several tombs of kings and princes, martyrs and bishops, and was formerly noted for the shrine of Thomas a Becket, situated on the end of the choir, in the ascent to the chapel of the Blessed Trinity, formerly called by a Becket’s name. The pavement, it will be seen, is worn away by the knees of the countless myriads who, in ages gone by, sought to gain the martyr’s intercession for the forgiveness of their transgressions. The tomb of Edward, the Black Prince, son of Edward III., and called by Shakespeare “that young Mars of men,” is in close proximity to that of a Becket. The archbishop’s throne and the carving and ancient glass in the choir are worthy of notice. St. Augustine’s Monastery was commenced in the year 521, and was originally dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. It was considerably enlarged by St. Dunstan, who re-dedicated the building to its founder. It gradually increased in wealth until the time of Henry VIII., who seized it and converted it into a palace for his own use. Its remains were sold by auction in 1844, and were purchased by Mr. Henry Beresford Hope, who restored the great gateway, and built within its walls a college for the education of missionaries. St. Martin’s Church stands on the rising ground near the monastery. It is venerable from its antiquity, and from the fact that it was the first place of worship used by the British after their conversion to Christianity. No station of importance is met with between Canterbury and Dover [Hotels : “ Lord Warden,” “ Ship,” “Imperial,” and “ Dover Castle ”] (population, 28,506), chiefly remarkable for its ancient castle, and as being the principal port of landing from, and embarka- tion for, the French coast. The English Channel is here twenty- one miles broad, and the passage is made in an hour and twenty minutes. Besides the Castle and Shakspeare’s Cliff, as it is called, from the celebrated speech of Edgar, in King Lear , notice the Town Hall, formerly the Maison Dieu. It was built in the reign of John, for the harbouring of pilgrims on their way to and from the Ploly Land. The Castle stands on the cliff protecting the south-east side of the valley of the Dour, in which the old town has been built. LONDON TO DIEPPE AND HONFLEUR. 585 This curious old pile occupies an area of about thirty-two acres, and has incorporated in its old walls the workmanship of the successive nations that overran and occupied the country — Roman, Saxon, and Norman — as well as architecture of a more modern date. The principal points to be noticed are the Roman pharos, or lighthouse — built about the year 43 — and a temple ; the subterranean barrack accommodation ; the keep built in the reign of' Henry III. ; the towers, of various dates from Earl Godwin’s time downwards ; and the different modern erections. Notice also “Queen Elizabeth’s Pocket-pistol,” a piece of Dutch ordnance, twenty-four feet long, presented by the States to the Queen of that name ; it at one time bore the lines, — “ Polish me bright, and keep me clean, I'll send a ball to Calais Green.” The infantry barracks crown the height over the town, to which there is communication by a shaft from Snargate Street. Dover is now the principal of the once-famed Cinque Ports. The Admiralty Pier is still unfinished ; it will form one side of the harbour of refuge, and be the landing-place for the mail- packets. It is constructed of huge blocks of granite, and is being built with so much care that only a few yards are completed each year. This harbour, when finished, will enclose 400 acres, and will have two entrances, the one 150 and the other 700 feet wide. SECTION LXVIII. LONDON, via BRIGHTON AND NEWHAVEN, TO DIEPPE, ROUEN, AND PARIS ; AND via LITTLEHAMPTON TO HONFLEUR. L IKE most of the railways south of the Thames, the London, Brighton, and South Coast Company (by whose line the tourist will travel on this route to the Continent) possesses more than one terminus in the metropolis. Their three great London stations are situated at Kensington, Victoria, and London Bridge ; and passengers are booked at Wapping by the East London line, which joins the system at New Cross. Their network of local lines gives access to a number of the most populous southern suburbs, and has proved a profitable source of revenue to the shareholders. The chief places of attraction in the immediate neighbourhood of London are the Crystal Palace (see pages 360-1), and 586 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Epsom [Hotels : “ King’s Head ” and “ Spread Eagle ”] (population, 6,276), eighteen miles from London. The Epsom course is the site of the Derby, the annual struggle for the blue ribbon of the turf, when from the grand stand may be seen one j of the most extensive gatherings of people from all parts of the j country. It is estimated that upwards of a hundred thousand per- sons assemble every year to see the Derby run, and witness what William IV. termed “the noble sport of a free country.” Epsom is also celebrated for a mineral spring, whose waters are of a highly aperient nature, and, being distilled, yield the homely j medicine known as Epsom salts. . One of the chief places of interest on the railway, situated at ' the point where the line branches out east and west, is Brighton. [Hotels: “Grand,” “Bedford,” “Albion,” “Norfolk,” “Royal,” “York,” “Bristol,” “Old Ship,” “Terminus,” “Pier,” “Clarence,” etc.] This is the most celebrated of the English marine watering- places, (population, go, on). It is a modern town, having first become the resort of fashion on the building of the Pavilion 1 by George IV. Plere is the New Pier, which surpasses the celebrated Chain Pier, both in beauty of design and in accom- modation for promenaders. It is 1,115 feet in length, and is ' constructed of ornamental iron work. The principal public ’ buildings are the Market Hall; the New Town Hall; St. Peter’s Church, built by Sir C. Barry, the architect of the new Houses of Parliament ; the old parish church of St. Nicholas, crowning the hill to the north-west of the town; ; the theatre in the New Road, etc. Next to the Devil’s Dyke — a hill, with Roman remains, a few miles off, commanding a lovely bird’s-eye view westward to the Isle of Wight, and eastward of Beachy Head and the sea as far as the Downs — the best view may be had from the hill on which the parish church stands. But the principal attraction of Brighton is the new Aquarium, built at the foot of the Marine Parade, close to the Chain Pier. Here may be seen a superb collection of fishes and other denizens of the sea, sporting in vast tanks. At one end is a charming fernery, with a fall of fresh water. Leaving Brighton, after a short run of about eight miles, passing Falmer station, the train arrives at Lewes [Hotels : “ White Hart,” “ Star,” “ Crown,” and “ Bear ”], an important junction with the direct line from London to NE WHA VEN— EASTBOURNE— PE VENSE Y. 587 Newhaven. Lewes is one of the most ancient boroughs in the county of Sussex (population 10,753). It is situated on the Ouse, about seven miles from the sea, and surrounded by an amphitheatre of chalk hills. Newhaven [Hotels : “ London and Paris,” “ Old Bridge,” “ Bidden,” and “ White Hart ”] (population, 2,549), an old-fashioned fishing town at the mouth of the Ouse, is rapidly increasing in importance, on account of its steamboat traffic with Dieppe (sixty-four miles distant) and Paris. It was here that Louis Philippe landed after his flight from Paris in 1848. An obelisk on the coast records the wreck of the ship Brazen. Bishopstone village (one mile) and Seaford (three miles) are reached by a short branch from Newhaven. The latter is a rising watering-place, commanding extensive views of Seaford Bay, and well sheltered from the north and east winds. Returning to Lewes, a run of about a dozen miles lands the tourist at Eastbourne [Hotels : “ Cavendish,” “ Burlington,” and “ Sussex ”] (population, 10,361), a town supposed to have been the Roman Anderida , which has of late years become a fashionable and thriving watering-place. Situate about three miles east of Beachy Head, the grandest cliff along this part of the coast, and 564 feet in perpendicular height, its sands are a favourite resort for promenading and bathing purposes ; while from its pier head may be enjoyed a magnificent view of Pevensey Bay, as far as St. Leonards and Hastings, to which towns and to Beachy Head water excursions are frequently made. From Eastbourne the line runs through Pevensey and Bexhill, to St. Leonards and Hastings (all- dy noticed on pages 580-1). Pevensey [Hotels: “ Royal Oak,” and “ Corporation Arms ”], now a ghost of its former self, possesses many attractions for the antiquary, not the least of which is to be found in the fact that William the Conqueror is supposed to have landed on its shores previous to the battle of Hastings. The southern walls of the castle were formerly washed by the waves ; but the sea has now retired fora distance of fully two miles. The area within the outer walls is about seven acres, and at the eastern end of this enclosure stands a moated keep, of qua- drangular form, with round towers. 588 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Returning to Brighton, a run of nineteen and a half miles brings us to Ford Junction, where the more direct Mid Sussex Railway from London (via Three Bridges and Horsham) joins the coast line. Ashort branch from hence conducts the tourist to Littlehampton [Hotels: “Norfolk,” “Beach,” and “George”] (P?P^ at ^ on > 3 > 2 7 2 )> a retired watering-place, whose sands afford excellent sea-bathing. The railway company have lecently established a system of steam communication with Honfleur, on the opposite side of the Channel, and distant 102 miles. In the summer, steamers run to Jersey and Brittany. Littlehampton, though now an independent place, was formerly the port for Arundel [Hotels : “ Norfolk Arms ” and “ Railway ”], a ^ ma11 * ovvn w . ith a P°P lllation of 2,956 souls, chiefly remark- able for its ancient church and castle. The chancel contains several fine monuments of the Fitzalances, and the latter is said to have been founded by Alfred the Great. The keep, with its flagstaff, visible from the railway, is all that now remains of it. Arundel is a seat of the Duke of Norfolk, to whose family it gives a second title. Leaving Ford Junction and passing Barnham, the junction for Bognor, we reach Drayton, which, in July each year, presents a busy scene, in consequence of the proximity of the Duke of Richmond’s seat, Goodwood, only three miles distant. Here the Goodwood Cup and other prizes are run for, when thousands of the highest and fairest of the land flock to see the most aristocratic race-meetino- of the season. The train next stops at Chichester [Hotels: “Dolphin,” “Globe,” “ Wheatsheaf,” “Fleece.” and “Anchor”], which, as its name imports, was a Roman station. The town (population, 7,825) is built on the usual plan of two long streets intersecting each other at right angles, and having a gate at each end, leading through the walls to the four cardinal points. At the point of intersection stands PORTSMOUTH. a Market Cross, of very fine execution. The walls at pre- sent afford an enjoyable walk round the town, sheltered by broad elms. The Grammar School, founded in the fifteenth century, matured the youthful faculties of John Alden the e 1 min ^, nt historian, antiquary, and statesman of the time of the Great Civil War, and William Collins, author of the Passions and other exquisite odes. Notice also St. Mary’s Hospital, the hall and church of which date from the thirteenth century, and the Cathedral, a cruciform structure of the twelfth century, partly Norman and partly Early English, with a hand- some octagonal spire lately restored. The Lady Chapel con- tains a library of old and scarce books ; and there are also some paintings, besides monuments to Collins, the poet Huskisson, the statesman, and Chillingworth, the celebrated controversialist and divine. Portsmouth [Hotels: ^Queen’s, ’’ “Fountain,” “Blue Posts,” “Pier,” “York” Wellington,” “ Sussex,” 'and a host of others] (population, nearly 120,000), the first in rank of the English ports as a naval station, is about sixteen miles distant from Chichester, and is the western terminus of the South Coast system. The old town is the great naval arsenal of the king- dom; on this account it was till recently fortified in the old- fashioned style, with walls, ravelins, ramparts, bastions, and wet ditches. But as the chain of forts on Portsdown Hill, and those in the Solent, erected on the plan adopted by the late | Palmerston, have rendered them unnecessary, the ram- parts have been, on sanitary grounds, to a great extent re- moved, and the moats filled up. The harbour is narrow at the mouth, but opens immediately within into an extensive basin, which affords the best anchorage in the kingdom, being suffi- ciently deep to float the largest vessels at low tide and large enough to accommodate the entire British navy. The all- absorbing attractions of Portsmouth are the navy, the dock- yard, and the fortifications. These last-named have hitherto been considered impregnable ; they include the chain of forts on Portsdown Hill, to which reference has already been made. This hill or chalk cliff is nearly 500 feet in height, and commands the entire port and roadstead in front. At the foot of the hill is Porchester, the original naval station founded by the Romans {Partus Magnus). The massive walls erected by them, in some places twelve feet thick, were supplemented by a great keep and other fortifications by different kings down to the reign of Henry VIII., in whose time Porchester was the only naval arsenal of England. 590 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . The receding of the sea necessitating some change, the dockyard on Southsea Island, commenced by Henry VII., was now extended, and has gradually expanded to its present dimensions, a total area of 117 acres, and a water front nearly a mile in length. Admission can be obtained by application at the gate, but foreigners must obtain orders from the Admiralty. In the harbour may be seen the Victory , the favourite flagship of the mighty Nelson. A brass plate on the quarter-deck maiks the spot where the hero fell. The Duke 0/ Wellington , which figured conspicuously in the late Russian war, is also anchored in the harbour ; it is the flag- ship of the port admiral. A buoy in the roadstead marks the spot where the Royal George foundered at her moorings, in 1782, when Admiral Kempenfeldt and three hundred seamen were drowned, besides a crowd of civilians and women. The terminus at Portsmouth is connected with Southsea pier by a tramway, and steamboats start frequently from the pier for The Isle of Wight, a distance of six miles, and land passengers at Ryde. This delightful island has deservedly earned the title of the “ Garden of England,” on account both of its beautiful and varied scenery and its surprisingly equable and salubrious climate, which make it the favourite resort of consumptive invalids. The average annual mortality at Ventnor, on the south-east * of the island, is the lowest in the kingdom. But for the story i of this “ beautiful isle of the sea,” of its battles, victories, and l defeats ; of its chines, cliffs, and coves ; bays, harbours, and piers; downs, heaths, sands, and shingles ; castles, churches, , and priories, and the thousand and one beauties of fair Vectis, j we must refer our readers to Shaw’s Shilling Guide to the Island. * 4 SECTION LXIX. LONDON, via SOUTHAMPTON, TO HAVRE. A 'pHE fourth route by which the traveller may leave England J- for the Continent is that adopted by the London and South-Western Railway, one of the oldest of the transpontine railway companies, and perhaps the most extensive of any of the lines south of the river Thames. Its terminus is at Waterloo station, near that “ bridge of sighs” of which Hood wrote so WIMBL ED ON— GUILDFORD. 59i pathetically ; but it also possesses a branch line connecting it with Ludgate Hill station, with running powers over a portion of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, by which means it has access to most of the suburbs of the metropolis. A short line running to Willesden Junction, too, connects it with the London and North-Western system and all the principal towns and cities of the kingdom. Leaving Waterloo station, the train reaches Vauxhall, at one time famous for its pleasure gardens, near to which is Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, already noticed on page 348. We next come to Clapham Junc- tion, where there is an interchange of traffic with most of the leading railway companies, and where a branch (that to Windsor) communicates with Richmond and the other places, fully de- scribed in Excursion XIII. (pages 355-8). A run of about four miles conducts the tourist to Wimbledon, pronounced by Mrs. S. C. Hall to be “the most interesting of all the manors that environ the metropolis. ” Wimbledon Common was formerly celebrated for “affairs of honour,” and notorious as the resort of highwaymen. Now the meetings of the Rifle Association are held here yearly, when the crack marksmen of the kingdom engage in 4 £ affairs of honour ” of a different kind, and its highwaymen are those who voluntarily undergo forced marches along the highways and byeways of “ Merrie England,” in order to qualify themselves for the defence of their hearths and homes, should occasion for their services ever arise. Esher, two stations further on, is noteworthy from its proximity to Claremont, the scene of the last days of Louis Philippe and his queen, Marie Amelie. They were both buried in a Roman Catholic chapel near Weybridge. At Woking, celebrated for its cemetery, The Direct Line to Portsmouth (a town already noticed on pages 589-90) branches off. The only town of any importance is Guildford [Hotels: “White Hart” and “White Lion”] (population, 8,020), a borough town situated on the river Wey. It has several parish and other churches and chapels, a county hall, assize court (in which the Surrey assizes are held, alter- nately with Kingston and Croydon), and other public buildings. Guildford is the seat of several important manufactories, and there is a good racecourse about two miles from the town. 592 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Leaving Woking, the first place of interest reached is Salisbury. [Hotels : “ White Hart,” “Red Lion,” and “ Three Swans.”] This town (population, 12,903) is also known by the name of New Sarum. It sprang up around the cathedral, founded in 1219, when Richard le Poor transferred the see from Old Sarum. The cathedral was not, however, finished till the beginning of the fourteenth century, when the topstone was placed on its magnificent steeple, believed to be the highest in the kingdom. The entire structure is built in the Early English style. It would be impossible for us to enumerate the countless beautiful features of this glorious edifice ; but perhaps the following couplets convey as much as any lengthy but inadequate description : — “As many days as in one year there be. So many windows in this church we see. As many marble pillars here appear ! As there are hours throughout the fleeting year. As many gates as moons one year doth view ; j Strange tale to tell, yet not more strange than true.” Stonehenge, a Druidical temple on Salisbury Plain. It appears to have • originally consisted of two circles and two ovals, composed of 1 huge upright blocks of stone, with others laid across the top. j The outer circle is about a hundred feet in diameter, and was j composed of about thirty upright stones, surmounted by imposts, { and forming a kind of architrave ; a part of this circle, having j the opening between the two inner uprights wider than those j between the others, is supposed to have been the entrance to the temple. Within this greater circle, at a distance of eight feet from it, runs another, of small stones of irregular shape, perhaps part of a much older temple. Within these circles stand two ovals, the outer of which is formed of triliths of various heights, increasing from east to west, the tallest left standing being more than twenty feet in altitude. The inner oval consists of small pillar-stones ; and a slab of micaceous sandstone, lying within this, is pointed out as the altar stone. It is about fifteen feet long, and does not appear to have been much raised above the ground. The whole temple is surrounded by a low earthen wall and by a ditch about 479 yards in circumference. Leaving Salisbury, the line passes a number of smaller stations, including Yeovil, a municipal borough, with a population of 8,527, whose charter dates from an early age. At a distance of eighty-eight miles from the former place, and 171^ from London, the tourist reaches EXE TER— PL YMO UTIL 593 Exeter [Hotels : “ Clarence” and “ New London ”]j where the main line proper may be said to terminate. Exeter is a cathedral city, with a population of 34, 650, agreeably situated on a rising ground on the eastern bank of the river Exe, from which it takes its name. The river is navigable up to the town, which gives the title of Marquis to the family of Cecil. The principal buildings are: — The Sessions House, with its fine elm walk, adorned with statues of Ackland and Denham ; the Guildhall, an antiquated looking edifice, containing several interesting portraits ; the Pic- ture Gallery ; the Albert Memorial Museum, etc. But rising above all is the Cathedral, founded in the eleventh century, but not completed for nearly a century and a half afterwards. Its uniformity of design has not, however, suffered on this account, as the original plan was preserved in the later additions. The building consists of a nave with two side-aisles, two short transepts, a chapter- house, a choir with two side- aisles, ten chapels or oratories, and a room, called the consistory court. From Exeter a branch line runs to Exmouth, its port, a water- ing-place first brought into notice by a judge of the circuit having received great benefit from sea-bathing and the salubrity of the air, when in a very precarious state of health. Sidmouth and Seaton, two other watering-places, are reached by short branches which leave the main line before reaching Exeter. From the cathedral city the line runs round a curve to Yeoford Junction, where it divides, one fork running to Plymouth and the other to Ilfracombe and Torrington, situated at the mouth of the Bristol Channel, viti Barnstaple Junction. Plymouth [Hotels: “Royal,” “ Chubb’s Commercial,” “Duke of Cornwall,” “Harvey’s,” “Globe,” and “Albion”] is one of the finest and strongest ports in the kingdom ; it possesses a naval dockyard and a stupendous breakwater. The town (population, 68,758) derives its name from the river Plym, at the mouth of which it stands. The Batten and Edge- combe Hills protect the roadstead on either hand ; Hoe Cliffe, on which the Citadel stands, shelters it from behind ; while across the north stretches the gigantic breakwater, composed of 2,500,000 tons of stone. It is almost a mile in length, with a slight curve inward at either end, allowing a passage for shipping. The average width of the base is seventy-five yards, and from this grand foundation it slopes upwards to about an average width of eleven yards along the top. A lighthouse marks the western and a fort the eastern extremity. The principal buildings are the naval and military hospital, the 38 594 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. marine barracks, and the commissariat department, which cost the nation upwards of ,£1,500,000. On the opposite side of the Tamar estuary, or Hamoaze, as it is called, stands Devonport [Hotel : “ Royal a parliamentary borough of 64,034 inhabitants^ municipal population, 49,449, The most striking feature of the town is the naval dockyard, which, with the gun-wharf, has an area of seventy-five acres. The usual building-slips, storehouses, and manufactories are to be seen there ; but the steam docks at Keyham, connected with Devonport by a floating bridge, are still more interesting. The fortification of Plymouth Sound was commenced at the time of the Spanish Armada, and it was in this roadstead that Drake, Howard, and Hawkins collected their fleet, mostly composed of merchantmen hastily equipped, which scattered the vast armament of Philip, and laid the founda- tion of British supremacy on the seas. About ten miles off the port of Plymouth The Eddystone Lighthouse, one of the greatest triumphs of marine architecture, stands on an insulated rock, the scene of numerous disasters. Two successive structures had already been demolished, when John Smeaton, the celebrated engineer, was consulted. He made the trunk of the oak tree his model, as it seemed to him to possess the greatest power of resistance to external violence. Tourists wishing to visit the Land’s End, the most western point of England, can book for Penzance and Truro by the Cornwall Railway ; but as the South-Western line terminates at Plymouth and Devonport, we must now retrace our steps to Basingstoke, where the Southampton trains leave the main line. Basingstoke is a municipal borough with a population of 5,574; its parish church is interesting. The edifice is said to have been built by Bishop Fox, about 1520, and its windows contain some fine modern painted glass, as well as portions of the glass removed from the ancient chapel of the Holy Ghost, the ruins of which should be visited. Winchester [Hotels : “ George,” “ Black Swan,” and “ White Swan ”] (population, 16,366) is a city of great antiquity, having been the capital of the ancient Belgoe, a Roman station, and sub- SO UTHAMPTON. 595 sequently the chief town of the West Saxons anterior to the Conquest. After that event it continued to be an occasional royal residence down to the reign of Henry VIII. In the Town Hall is preserved to this day the original “ Winchester bushel” given by King Edgar, and which remained until 1826 the standard English measure. A palace, erected by Charles II., occupies the site of the old castle. It is now used as barracks for the Rifle Brigade, but its chapel has been con- verted into a shire hall. At the east end of this hangs King Arthur’s “Round Table,” dating from the reign of Stephen. It contains portraits of the knights, with their respective names. The tourist should not omit seeing the venerable Hospital of St. Cross, founded by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, and brother to King Stephen, for thirteen poor men, and also to pro- vide relief for a hundred poor men of the city. The establish- ment now is much reduced both as regards indoor and outdoor relief, but a quantity of bread and cheese and beer is supplied to the porter for all wayfarers who choose to knqck at the door and demand it. Dr. Lingard was a native of Winchester, and here, in 1851, Mr. Andrews entertained the Hungarian patriot, Kossuth. The Cathedral, in which was preserved the Domesday Book, previous to its transference to Westminster Abbey, is worth visiting. The construction of the building is somewhat unique. It exhibits specimens of almost the entire series of styles which have been fashionable in England from the Anglo-Saxon period, and exceeds in length all the cathedrals of the kingdom, being 518 feet from east to west. The bishopric of Winchester is said to be the richest in the kingdom. Passing Bishopstoke, the junction for Portsmouth, the tourist arrives at Southampton [Hotels: “ Imperial,” “ Royal,” —Dolphin,” “ Radley’s,” “Star,” and Crown ”], the chief mail-packet station in England. The Peninsular and Oriental, the Royal Mail Steampacket (for South America, West Indies, and Vancouver’s Island), the Union Steamship (for Madeira and West Coast of Africa), and the North German Lloyd Steamship (for Bremen and Antwerp, from North America and Plavannah) companies, all make Southampton their entrepot. The town stands on an estuary of the combined waters of the Teet and Itchen, and contains 53,741 inhabitants. The only attraction for the tourist will probably be an excur- sion to Lyndhurst and Stony Cross, in the New Forest, which has recently attracted attention from its connection with “the Shakers.” At the latter place stood the famous Canterton Oak 596 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. off which Tyrell’s arrow glanced and killed William Rufus, in noo. The spot is now marked by an inscribed stone. Notice also, on the Itchen, the^ Military Hospital, founded in 1856, for the instruction of the army and navy medical officers. It is built of red brick, pointed with stone, and presents a very handsome fa$ade a quarter of a mile in length. About three miles distant, in the same direction as the hospital, stands Netley Abbey, of which Horace Walpole gives a description. Christchurch, Bournemouth, and other fashionable watering- places may be visited by a continuation of the line which runs from Southampton to Dorchester, Weymouth, and Portland, celebrated for its convict prison and its breakwater. The latter is a massive stone causeway, a mile and a half long and a 100 feet high above its wide rubble base. Intended as a harbour of refuge, near the bend in the middle an opening is left for the entrance of ships, at a point protected by a strong fort. The history of the breakwater (justly considered as one of the crown- ing glories of the reign of Queen Victoria) is briefly epitomised by the inscriptions on its foundation and terminal stones : — “From this spot, on the 25th of July, 1840, Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, sank the First Stone of the break- water.” “Upon the same spot, on the 10th of August, 1872, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, laid the Last Stone, and declared the work completed.’ * * SECTION LXX. LONDON, via COLCHESTER AND HARWICH, TO ANTWERP AND ROTTERDAM. T HIS, the fifth route to the Continent, is in connection with the line belonging to the Great Eastern Railway Company, who enjoy the monopoly of serving the towns in the eastern counties, from which fact the system was formerly known as the Eastern Counties Railway. Of late years, however, its large development has fully justified the change made in its title. The head-quarters of the system are at the new and splendid Liverpool Street terminus, in constructing the lines to which the company conferred a boon on the inhabitants of the metropolis by the destruction of the nests of hovels in and about Long Alley STRATFORD JUNCTION— COLCHESTER. 597 and its neighbourhood. The position of this station is such as to afford a much-needed connecting link between the northern and southern railway systems, by connection with the Metropolitan line, whose Bishopsgate station is contiguous. From it radiate a number of branch lines, which run to most of the northern and eastern suburbs, having their termini at Woolwich, Ongar, Ching- ford, Buntingford, Hertford, and Enfield ; whilst the main lines make the circuit of the district the railway was designed to serve, with “ grid-iron ” branches to all its chief places of interest. Leaving the Liverpool Street station, the line crosses Bishops- gate Street and reaches Shoreditch station, formerly its metro- politan terminus. Stratford Junction connects the main lines to Cambridge and to Colchester (by the latter of which we suppose our tourist to be travelling), and the branches for Loughton and Ongar, for Woolwich, and for Victoria Park, and with the North London line. Here the company have their works. Romford (noted for its ales), Brentwood (formerly a place of rest for pilgrims to the shrine of Thomas-a-Becket), and other stations are passed, and the tourist reaches Chelmsford [Hotels : “ Saracen’s Head,” “White Hart,” and “ Bell] (population 9,318), the county town of Essex, where the assizes and quarter sessions are held. The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, the shire hall, Edward VI. ’s Grammar School, the theatre, gaol, etc., are among its chief attractions. The ancient conduit, quadrangular in form, is 15 feet high and built of stone and brick. The purest of water is perpetually flowing from it, and the quantity discharged is considerable. Near the conduit is a monument to Lord Chief Justice Tindal, a native of the town, and formerly a pupil at the Grammar School. Nothing of moment greets the eye until, at a distance of fifty- one miles from London, the train reaches Colchester^ [Hotels : “Three Cups,” “ Fleece,” “ Red Lion,” and “ George ”], on the river Colne, supposed to be the Camelodunum of the Romans (population, 26,343). Here reigned Cymbeline and Caractacus, the famous British kings ; and here, according to some authorities, the Emperor Constantine the Great was born. There are remains of a Norman abbey, built in the reign of the Conqueror, consisting of an ancient gateway, and St. Botolph’s Church, of which the west front is still standing. There are traces also of the ancient walls, and several very 598 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . old houses, dating from the fifteenth century downwards. Col- chester manufactures silk and velvet, and has been a military station of some importance since the Russian war, when a train- ing camp was established in the neighbourhood. Journeying from Colchester, we leave the main line at Man- ningtree, eight miles further on, and in due time reach Harwich, [Hotels : “ Great Eastern,” “ Three Cups,” and the “ Cliff Hotel ” at Dovercourt.] This seaport (population, 6,079) stands near the junction of the Stour and Orwell rivers, which here, blending their waters, form a fine estuary, that expands into an inlet capable of affording anchorage to a large fleet. These advantages have made Harwich the packet-station for the steamers plying daily to Rotterdam (120 miles). There is also a line to Antwerp (140 miles), run- ning thrice a week, and affording a short route to Germany. The town itself, especially on approaching it from the sea, presents a very picturesque appearance, with its breakwater, lighthouses, fort, and esplanade, crowned by the church, which occupies a prominent position in the centre of the view. The neighbour- hood, too, has considerable attractions. Not the least of these is Dovercourt, with its handsome church, rebuilt during the pre- sent century, an agreeable suburban watering-place. Returning to Manningtree, the next place of interest is Ipswich [Hotels : “ Crown and Anchor,” “ Golden Lion,” “ White Hart,” and “ White Horse ”J, the county town of Suffolk. It is a very old town, and exhibits traces of its antiquity. Ipswich was the birthplace of Cardinal Wolsey, whose father was a butcher here ; the house in which Wolsey first saw the light is still shown to the curious. The town boasts of a public park and arboretum, and contains 42, 947 inhabitants. It derives its principal celebrity at the present day from the extensive works of Messrs. Ransom and Sims, agricul- tural implement makers. Lowestoft [Hotels : “ Royal,” “ Suffolk,” and “ Crown ”] (population, 15,246) is a seaport, built on a sandy cliff overlooking the German Ocean, remarkable as being the landing-place of the first American ambassador, Adams, in 1784. George III. had the good grace to receive him cordially, and to endeavour in some measure to blot out the remembrance of his past cruelty GREA T YARMO UTH—NOR WICH—EL V. 599 and obstinacy. The Duke of York defeated the Dutch in a naval engagement off the port, in 1685. Lowestoft possesses two good harbours, and does a considerable trade with Denmark. Great Yarmouth [Hotels : “ Royal,” “ Victoria,” “Angel,” and “ Bath ”] is an ancient and extensive seaport and watering-place, with a fine sandy beach, at the mouth of the river Yare. Its popula- tion in 1871 was 41,819. It is principally known for its trade in fish, 4 4 Yarmouth bloaters ” being of universal celebrity. It was formerly surrounded by a wall, portions of which may yet be traced ; the wall had ten gates and sixteen towers. The Town Hall, the parish church, and the new fishmarket are its only noteworthy buildings ; the quay, the beach, and the marine drive are enjoyable places for exercise. Caister Castle, erected by Henry VIII., and Brough Castle, a well-preserved Roman camp, are within easy excursion limits. Norwich [Hotels : “ Royal,” “ Norfolk,” “ Maid’s Head,” and ct Castle ”], the county town of Norfolk, occupies an imposing site on the banks of the Wensum, which intersects the town. The greater part stands on the south of the river, on the sides and summit of a hill, which is crowned by the ancient castle. This fea- ture, together with the cathedral towers and the spires of the different churches, gives a most picturesque appearance to the town, and the numerous open spaces laid out as gardens and squares, and planted with trees, confirm the good impres- sion made by a distant view. Norwich (population, 80,386) is the centre of a flourishing trade in woollen manufactured goods, mohair, silk, and worsted. The Cathedral is situated on low ground, which detracts considerably from its appear- ance. Originally the structure was of wood, but this material was gradually replaced by stone during the four centuries succeeding its foundation in 1096. The dates of the different erections are not fixed with certainty, and several styles are exhibited ; but Anglo-Norman characteristics predominate. Ely [Hotels : “ Lamb ” and “ Bell ” ] is another cathedral city, with a population of 8,166. It is situated on an island, round which the river Ouse flows, and which gives its name to the city. The cathedral was founded in 1109, when the bishop was first consecrated ; but the nave, the oldest portion of the present edifice, was not completed till 1174 6oo LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . It is one of the largest, and in many respects the handsomest, of our English cathedrals. Peterborough (see pages 317-8) and Cambridge (pages 320-2) have been already noticed. Newmarket, the “ turf metropolis, ” is situated on the borders of the counties of Cambridge and Suffolk. It owes its origin to the hunting seat erected here by James I., and to the partiality of his suc- cessors to the spot, a partiality which well-nigh caused Charles II. to lose his life at the hands of the Rye House conspirators. Bury St. Edmunds, the next station of any importance, stands upon the slope of a hill, and is a borough of great antiquity (population, 14,928). Edmund, king of East Anglia, was buried here, and the town owes its importance to an abbey founded by Canute, to com- memorate Edmund’s martyrdom. From Bury the tourist may reach Harwich, via Ipswich and Manningtree, or via Melford, Colchester, and Manningtree. * ! O UR welcome task is now complete. We have accompanied ' the tourist to every spot worth visiting in the British Isles, now traversing the plain, and then wandering by the seashore ; now journeying through the lovely vales of the interior of the country, and now climbing the mountains or standing on the ' summit of its ocean cliffs from whence “ The ravished eye Sees earth with heaven, and heaven With ocean vie ; ” and now we would lay down our pen, yet, ere doing so, would bid those who have accompanied us thus far, “ Adieu,” and “Bon Voyage. INDEX. A. Abbotsford, 573-4 Aber, 206 Aberchalder, 551 Aberdeen, 564-5 Aberdovey, 225 Aberfeldy, 560 Aberfoyle, 505 Abergavenny, 457 Abergavenny Junction, 457 Abergeldie, 568-9 Abergele, 208 Abernethy, 563 Aberystwith, 225-6, 418 Abington, 461 Achanasheen, 554 Achanault, 554 Achanlochan, 557 Achill Island, 152 Acton (Cheshire), 262 Acton Bridge, 428 Adare Castle, 135 Admaston, 419 Afon-Wen, 219 Aghadoe, Ruins of, 125 Ailsa Crag, 473 Alderley, 415 Alexandria, 503 Allerton (Lancashire), 233, 260 Allerton (Yorkshire), 405 Aire was, 300 Alsager, 291 Alton Towers, 395-7 Alves, 563 Ambleside, 445-8 Ampthill, 319 Annan, 467 Antrim, 169 Arbroath, 566 Ardnamurchan, 545 Ardrishaig, 540 Ardwick, 363 Arkleston Tunnel, 477 Armer’s Hole, 178 Armitage, 290 Arnside, 438 Aros Bay, 544 Arran Isles, 146 Arundel, 588 Ashperton, 423 Ashton-under-Lyne, 399 Astley, 363 Aston Abbott’s House, 275 Athenry, 142 Atherstone, 290 Athlone, 141, 156 Aylesbury, 329-30 Ayr. 472-3 B. Baberton, 506 Bagillt, 210 Bala, 227 Balbriggan, 183 Balia, 156 Ballachulish, 549 Ballater, 568 Ballatruh, 569 Ballina, 153 Ballinamallard, 183 Ballinasloe, 142 Ballingan, 180 Ballinluig, 560 Balloch, 502 Ballochmyle Viaduct, 470 Ballybay, 184 Ballybrack, 192 Ballycarry, 168 Ballycastle, 166-7 Ballyhaunis, 156 602 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Ballyhoole}' - , 108 Ben Voirlich, 501 Ballymena, 169 Ben Wyvis, 554 Ballymoe, 156 Berkhampsted, 277 Ballymoney, 169 Berkshire Island, 444 Ballymote, 156 Berkswell, 273 Bally murry, 156 Berrington, 421 Ballynahinch, 149 Beswick, 363 Ballyshannon, 157 Betley Road, 263 Ballysodare, 153, 156 Bettisfield, 418 Bally vauglian, 139 Bettws-y-Coed, 207, 219 Balmaha, 500 Bewdley, 421, 423 Balmoral, 568 Bexhill, 587 Banbridge, 174 Bicester, 323 Banbury, 328 Billing Road, 317 Bangor, 205 Birkenhead, 230 Bannockburn, 489-90 Birmingham, 265-273, 296, 427 Ban try Bay, 112 Birnam, 560 Bare Lane, 437 Birstall, 401 Barford, 315 Bishop Briggs, 488 Barlaston, 293 Bishopstoke; 595 Barmouth Junction, 225 Bishopstone, 587 Barnewell, 317 Blaby, 305 Barnham Junction, 588 Blackpool, 436-7 Barton Hill, 410 Blackrock Castle, 91 Barton Moss, 363 Blackrock (Dublin), 191 Barton and Walton, 300 Blackwater, 101 Barrow-in-Furness, 442 Blaenavon, 458 Basingstoke, 594 Blair Athole, 559-60 Bassenthwaite, 451 Blakesley, 310 Batley, 401 Blarney Castle, 96-9 Battle, 580 Blarney Stone, 96 Bay Horse, 432 Blencow, 451 Bealach-nam-Bo, 496 Bletchley, 296, 318, 323, 327 Beattock, 460, 462 Blisworth, 275, 310, 315, 322, 328 Beaufort, 458 Blunham, 320 Beauly Firth, 553 Blythe Bridge, 294 Beaumaris, 205 Boat of Insh, 558 Bebington, 229 Bodorgan, 203 Beddgelert, 216 Bolton-le-Sands, 432, 438 Bedford, 319-20 Bonnington, 466 Beech wood 'Funnel, 6, 7 Bo-Peep Tunnel, 580 Beeston, 233 Borth, 225 Begelly, 456 Bothwell Bridge, 487 Belfast, 169-72 Bothwell Castle, 487-8, 535 Bellaghy, 169 Bournemouth, 596 Belleek, 157 Bowland, 570 Bellside, 506 Bowling Bay, 537. Ben An, 501 Bowness, 444-5 Ben Lomond, 498, 500 Bow Street, 225 Ben Venue, 496, 497 Boxmoor, 277 INDEX. IND EX. 603 Boyle, 156 Brackley, 328 Bradley, 401 Braemar, 560, 568 Braidwood, 461 Braithwaite, 451 Brandon, 274 Bransford Road, 425 Bray, 192 Brecon, 454 Breich, 506 Bricket Wood, 330 Bridge of Allan, 492 Bridlington Quay, 414 Brig o’Don, 564 Brigham, 451 Brighton, 586 Brinklow, 291 Brittania Tubular Bridge, 204 Broadford, 554 Broad Green, 362 Brock, 432 Bromborough, 229-30 Bromfield, 420 Broome, 453 Broomhill, 558 Broughton, 432 Broughton Cross, 451 Brownhills, 298 Bruar Water, 559 Bruree, 134 Brynmawr, 458 Brynn, 430 Buckingham, 327 Bucklvvie, 505 Bucknell, 453 Builth, 453 Builth Road, 453 Bulkington, 291 Bundoran, 157, 183 Burlington, 414 Burneside, 443 Burns’ Monument, 467-8 Burslem, 292 Burton (Westmoreland), 433 Burton-on-Trent, 295, 300-1 Bury Lane, 363 Bury St. Edmunds, 600 Bush, 180 Bushey, 279 Bute, 538 Buttennere, 450 Buttevant, 129 Buttington, 419 Buxton, 380-6 By field, 310 C. Cader Idris, 227 Caermarthen, 420, 435-6 Caernarvon, 215 Cahirciveen, 127 Caledonian Canal, 551 Callander, 493-5 Callioch Point, 545 Calth waite, 435 Calveley, 233 Calvine, 559 Cambridge, 320-2 Cambuskenneth Abbey, 504 Cambuslang, 486 Camden Town, 280 Camerton, 451 Campsie, 488 Canals, List of, 13 Canterbury, 579 Capenhurst, 229 Capital, etc., of the Company, 12 Cappoquin, 102 Cardiff, 458 Cark, 438 Carlingford Lough, 179 Carlisle, 435, 452, 459, 467, 477 Carluke, 461 Carndonagh, 160 Carn forth, 432, 438 Carran Tual, 123-5 . Carriage Works, Wolverton, 43- 52 Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, 165-6 Carrickfergus, 168 Carrickmines, 195 Carron Bridge, 469, 554 Carstairs 461, 465 Cartlane Crags, 466 Cartmel, 438 Cashel, Rock of, 130 Castle Ashby, 317 Castlebar, 153, 156 Castleblaney, 184 604 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Castlecart, 489 Castle Campbell, 504 Castleconnel, 135 Castle Douglas, 478 Castle Howard (Wicklow), 199 Castle Howard (Yorkshire), 410 Castle Kennedy, 479 Castlereagh, 156 Castlerock, 16 1 Castleton (Derbyshire), 386-8 Castleton of Braemar, 569 Castletownroche, 108 Castor, 317 Catrine, 471 Cattail, 405 Cavan, 141 Chapel-en-le-Frith, 379-80 Chapelhope, 463-4 Charlecote, 315 Charleville, 129 Chatham, $583 Chat Moss, 3, 363 Chatsworth House, 388-90 Cheadle Hulme, 415 Cheddington Junction, 276, 329 Cheetham, 363 Chelford, 415 Chelmsford, 597 Chester, 210-5, 22 9 Chichester, 588-9 Chislehurst, 580 Christchurch, 596 Chorlton-upon-Medlock, 363 Churchill, 427 Church Stretton, 420 Churwell, 402 Cilmery, 454 Clapham Junction, 591 Claremorris, 156 Claydon, 323 Clayton Bridge, 399 Cleaton, 451 Cleland, 506 Cleobury Mortimer, 423 Clifden, 150 Cliffs of Moher, 139 Clifton, 433 Clifton Mill, 308 Clifton Tunnel, 6, 7 Clondalkin, 133 Clones, 184 Clonsilla, 140 Clontarf Castle, 189 Closeburn, 468 Cloyne, 90 Coatbridge, 506 Cockermouth, 451 Colchester, 597-8 Coleraine, 160, 168 Colfin, 479 Colintraive Pier, 539 Collins Green, 362 Collooney, 156 Coloe, 544 Colwall, 424 Colwich, 290 Comber, 176 Colwyn Station, 208 Commercial Traveller’s Schools, 279 Condover, 417, 420 Cong, 147-8 Connemara, 146 Conway, 206 Cookstown Junction, 169 Coppull, 430 Cork, 92 Drives in its Vicinity, 94 Cork and Limerick Direct Rail- way, 129 Corpach, 550 Corra Linn, 465 Corrie Bhreachan, 541 Corwen, 209, 227 Coventry, 273-4, 281 Cowal, 538 Cowlairs, 488 Cradley, 427 Craigieburn Wood, 462 Craig Phadric, 553 Craven Arms, 420, 453 Creetown, 479 Cresswell, 294 Crewe, 233, 263, 291, 409, 416, 427 Crewe Mechanics’ Institution, 41 Crewe Works, 19-42 Deviation Works, 37 Engine Works, 40 History of, 19 INDEX. 605 Crewe Works, continued — Dewsbury, 401 Old Works, 21 Diggle, 400 Rail Works, 38 Dingwall, 553-4 Steel Works, 28 Dinmore, 421 Workmen’s Houses, 40 Dinwoodie, 460 Criccieth, 219 Directors, List of, 10, 12 Crick, 275 Disley, 379 Crieff, 563 Ditchford, 317 Crinan Canal, 540 Ditton, 260 Croom, 134 Ditton Junction, 233 Crosby Street Station (Liver- Ditton Viaduct, 233 pool), 249 Dolau, 453 Cross Lane, 363 Dolgelly, 226 Crossmichael, 478 Dollar, 504 Croy, 489 Donaghadee, 172 Crystal Palace, 360-1 Donnington, 419 Culloden Moor, 553, 556 Donnybrook, 195 Culloville, 184 Dorrington, 420 Culter, 567 Douglas, 466 Cummertrees, 467 Doune, 493 Curragh of Kildare, 132 Dovedale, 398 Currie, 506 Dove Holes, 380 Curwen’s Island, 444 Dover, 584-5 Cushendall, 167 Dowlais, 458 Cwmbran, 457 Downpatrick, 176 Cynghordy, 454 Dowth, 182 Drayton, 588 D. Drogheda, 18 1 Dalbeattie, 478 Droitwich, 421, 423, 426 Dalcross, 556 Dromore (Connemara), 153, 174 Dalguise, 560 Dromore (Scotland), 478 Dalhousie, 570 Droylsden, 399 Dalkeith Palace, 534 Drumlanrig Castle, 469 Dalkey, 192 Dryburgh Abbey, 575 Dalnaspidal, 559 Dublin, 184-9 Dalreoch, 503 Dubton, 565 Dairy, 475 Dudley, 296 Dalton, 439 Dudley Port, 265, 297 Dalwhinnie, 559 Duffws, 220, 223 Darlaston, 297 Dumbarton, 503, 537 Dava, 557 Dumfries, 467-8, 477 Davenport, 379 Dunamon, 156 Deepfields, 265 Dunblane, 492 Delphi, 151 Duncraggan’s Huts, 495 Denbigh, 209 Dundalk, 179, 184 Denbigh Hall, 5 Dundee, 566-7 Derby, 295, 302-3 Dundrum, 195 Derwydd Road, 454 Dundrum Station, 130 Devil’s Bridge, 2^6 Dunglass Castle, 537 Devonport, 594 Dunham Hill, 231 6o6 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Dunkeld, 561 Etruria, 292 Dunmore, 494 Euston Station, 1, 8-1 1, 281 Dunmiirry, 173 Euxton, 430 Dunolly Castle, 542 Exeter, 593 Dunoon, 502, 538 Extent of the System, 12 Dunphail, 557 Eyam, 387 Dunragit, 479 Eye, 421 Dunrobin, 555 Dunseverick Castle, 165 F. Dunstable, 328 Fairhead Cliffs, 166 Dunstaffnage Castle, 542 Farrington, 430 Dutton Viaduct, 428 Farthinghoe, 328 Dyce Junction, 567 Fauldhouse, 506 E. Fearnslock, 141 Fenn's Bank, 418 Earlston, 574-5 Fenny Compton, 310 Earlestown Junction Waggon Fenny Stratford, 312 Works, 53, 362, 429 Fermoy, 108 Eastbourne, 587 Ffestiniog, 223-4 Eastham, 258-9 Ffestiniog Railway, 220-4 East Tarbert, 540 Ffordd Helen, 224 Ebbw Vale, 458 Fingal’s Cave, 546-7 Ecclefechan, 460 Firth of Forth, 569 Eccles, 363 Flaxton, 410 Eccleshall, 263 Fleetwood, 437 Edge Hill, 233, 260, 362, Flimby, 452 Edinburgh, 506-30, 532, 569 Flint, 210 Eddystone Lighthouse, 594 Flookburgh, 438 Eglington Castle, 475 Floriston, 460 Egremont (Cumberland), 451 Folkestone, 582 Egremont (Lancashire), 257 Ford Bridge, 421 Elgin, 563-4 Ford Junction, 587 Ellen's Isle, 497 Forfar, 565-6 Ellesmere, 418 Forres, 557, 563 Ellesmere Canal, 418 Fort Augustus, 551-2 Ellesmere Port, 229 Fort George, 556 Elmesthorpe, 305 Fort William, 550-1 Elton, 317 Fota Island, 91 El van foot, 460 Fountainhall, 570 Ely, 599, 600 Foxford, 153, 156 Embleton, 451 Foyers, 552 Engine Works, Crewe, 19 Foynes, 136 Ennis, 140 Frankton, 418 Enniskillen, 158, 183 Frodsham, 231 Epsom, 586 Furness Abbey, 439-41 Eriska Island, 549 Furness Vale, 379 Erriff River, 151 Fushiebridge, 570 Eskbank, 570 Eton College, 358 G. Ettington, 310 Galashiels, 570, 571 INDEX. 607 Galgate, 432 Gresford, 228 Galway, 143-6 Gretna Green, 460, 467 Galway Bay, 145 Grey Mare’s Tail, 462-3 Gamlingay, 320 Greystones, 195 Gap of Dunloe, 139 Groeslon, 219 Garnkirk, 506 Guay, 560 Garstang Junction, 432 Guildford, 591 Gars wood, 430 Gartcosh, 506 Guy’s Cliff, 289 Garth, 454 H. Gartsherrie, 506 H addon Hall, 390-4 Carve, 554 Hadle)', 419 Giant’s Causeway, 161-4 Hadlow Road, 229 Gilford, 174 Hadnall, 416 Glandovey, 225 Hagley, 427 Glanrliyd, 454 Halewood, 233, 260 Glasgow, 480-5, 488, 506, 536 Halfway-House, 148 Glenarm, 167 Halkirk, 555 Glenbrook, 91 Hamilton, 486-7 Glencoe, 549, 550 Hammer ton, -405 Glendalough (Connemara), 148- Hammerwich, 298 150 Hampton Court, 356 Glendalough (Wicklow), 197 Hampton in Arden, 273 Glenfinlas, 495 Hampton Lucy, 315 Glengariffe, 112-5 Handforth, 415 Glenluce, 479 Hanley, 293-4 Hanwood, 419 Gnosal, 419 Golborne, 429 Harker, 5 77 Golcar, 400 Harlech, 224 Gookl’s Cross, 130 Harrington, 452 Goragh Wood, 174 Harrogate, 405 Gorebridge, 570 Harrow, 279 Gormanstown, 182 Hartford, 262, 427 Gougaune-Barra, in Hartlebury Junction, 423, 426 Gourock Bay, 538 Harwich, 598 Go van, 537 Hastings, 581 Grange, 438 Hathersage, 388 Granton, 530 Haughton, 419 Grasmere, 447 Hawick, 577 Gravesend, 360 Hawthornden, 533 Grayrigg, 433 Haxby, 410 Great Bridge, 297 Hazeldean, 576 Great Malvern, 424-5 Hazel Grove, 579 Great Yarmouth, 599 Hazle-Hatch, 133 Greencastle, 160 Headford, 129 Greenfield, 399 Heaton Chapel, 378 Greenhill Junction, 489, 569 Heaton Norris, 378 Greenock, 538 Helmdon, 328 Greenore, 18, 179,-180 Helmsdale, 555 Greenwich, 358-9 Helsby, 229, 231 6o8 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Hen Holrrle', 445 Henwick, 425 Hereford, 421-2, 423, 457 Heriot, 570 Hermitage Castle, 576 Hessay, 405 Hest Bank, 432, 438 Higham Ferrers, 317 Hillsborough, 174 Hilltown, 175 Hinckley, 304 History of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 2 History of the London and Bir- mingham Railway, 3 History of the London and North-Western Railway, 1 History of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, 5 Hobb’s Point, 456 Hockley, 420 Holme, 433 Holme Island, 438 Holmes Chapel, 415 Holyhead, 202-3 Holy town, 506 Holywell, 210 Holywood, 468 Hooton, 229 Hopton Heath, 453 Hough, 363 Howth, Excursion to, 189-90 Huddersfield, 401 Huddersfield Tunnel, 6, 7, 400 Hulme, 363 Huskisson, 3, 256 Huy ton, 362, 430 Hythe, 581 I. Ilfracombe, 455 Ince, 229 Inch Calliach, 498 Inchigeela, in Inchmahome Island, 505 Inchmarnock, 539 Ingleton, 433 Inismore, 146 Innisfallen Island, 126 Inniskeen, 184 Invercauld, 569 Inverness, 552-3, 556, 563 Inversnaid, 597 Iona, 547-8 Ipswich, 598 Irvine, 475 Islip, 323 Isle of Wight, 590 Ivinghoe, 5 j. Jardine Hall, 460 j edburgh, 576 ewry Wall, 305 John Brown’s Grave, 470 Jura Island, 540 K. Kaimes Castle, 539 Kanturk, 129 Kendal, 442 Kenilworth, 281 Kenmare, 115 Kensal Green Cemetery, 280 Kensal Green Tunnel, 6 Kents Bank, 438 Kenyon Junction, 363 Kenyon Tunnel, 6, 7 Kerrera Sound, 541-2 Kershope Foot, 577 Kesh, 158 Keswick, 448, 451 Kew, 355 Kidderminster, 427 Kidsgrove Junction, 291 Kilbirnie, 475 Kilburn, 280 Kilcock, 141 Kildare, 132 Kilearn, 488 Kilgetty, 456 Kilkee, 137-9 Kilkeel, 175, 178 Killala Bay, 153 Killarney, 116 Killiecrankie, 560 Killywhan, 478 Kilmallock, 129 Kilmarnock, 471 Kilpatrick, 537 INDEX. 609 Kilroot, 168 Kilrush, 136-7 Kilsby Tunnel, 4, 6, 274-5 Kilwinning, 475 Kineton, 310 Kingsknowe, 506 King's Langley, 277 Kingston-on-Thames, 356-7 Kingstown, 191 Kingussie, 558 Kinloss, 563 Kirkby Lonsdale, 433 Kirkconnell, 469 Kirkcowan, 479 Kirkgunzeon, 478 Kirkham (Lancashire), 436 Kirkham (Yorkshire), 410 Kirkpatrick, 460 Kirkwall, 555 Kirtlebridge, 460 Knaresborough, 405 Knighton, 453 Knockcroghery, 156 Knocklong, 130 Knucklas, 453 Kylemore Pass, 150 Kyles of Bute, 539 L. Lady Holme, 445 Lady’s Rock, The, 544 Lake Side, 443 Lakes, The, 443-4 Lakes of Killarney, 117-8 Lamington, 461 Lamphey, 456 Lanark, 465 Lancaster, 432, 437 Land of Scott, 461 Larbert, 489 Larne, 167-8 Lasswade, 533-4 Lay town, 182 Lea Green, 362 Lea Hurst, 398 Leamington, 284-5 Lea Road, 436 Leasowe, 258, 272 Ledbury, 423 Ledsham, 229 Leebotwood, 420 Leeds, 402-5 Leenane, 151 Leicester, 305-7 Leigh, 294 Leighton, 328 Leighton Buzzard, 276 Leith, 531 Lenzie Junction, 489 Leominster, 421 Levenshulme, 378 Lewes, 586-7 Leyland, 430 Lichfield, 298-300 Lichfield Junction, 290, 300 Lidlington, 319 Lifford, 158 Lilbourne, 308 Lily of the Valley Islands, 444 Limerick, 134-5 Limerick Junction, 130 Lime Street Station, 260, 362, 430 Lime Street Tunnel, 6, 7, 260, 362 Lindal, 439 Linslade Tunnel, 4, 6 Lisbellaw, 184 Lisburn, 174 Lisdoonvarna, 139 Lismore (Ireland), 107-8 Lismore (Scotland), 549 Lisnaskea, 184 Littlehampton, 588 Little Malvern, 424^5 Liverpool, 234-256 Llanberis, 217 Llanbister Road, 45 3\ Llandebie, 454 Llandilo, 454 Llandovery, 420, 454 Llandrindod, 453 Llandudno, 206 Llanelly, 454 Llanfihangel, 225, 457 Llangadock, 454 Llangammarch, 454 Llangollen, 227 Llangunllo, 453 Llanrhaidr, 209 39 6io LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Llanrwst, 207 Llamvnda, 219 Llanwrda, 454 Llanwrtyd Wells, 454 Llyn Coron, 203 Llyn C welly n, 216 Lochanhead, 478 Loch Aline, 544 -an-Dorb, 557 Ard, 505 Arkaig, 551 Carron, 554 Coruisk, 555 Creran, 549 Dochfoir, 552 Eil, 5150 Fyne, 539 Go wan, 554 Katrine, 496-7 Leven, 505, 550 Linnhe, 544, 550 Loehy, 551 Lomond, 494, 498 Long, 501 Menteith, 505 Ness, 551-2 of the Lowes, 455 Oich, 551 Portree, 555 Skene, 463 Sunart, 545 Tay, 196-7 Vennachar, 494, 495 Loch Leven Castle, 505 Lockerbie, 460 Lodore Cascade, 449 London, 332-54 Londonderry, 159-60 London Orphan Asylum, 278 Longford, 156 Longsight, 378 Longton (Stafford), 294 Long wood, 400 Lord's Bridge, 320 Lough Ballynahinch, 149 Bohn, 149 Corrib, 146-7 Dan, 196-7 Derg, 157 Derryclare, 149 Lough Erne, 158 Foyle, 160 Gill, 154-5 Glendalough, 149 Inagh, 149 Mask, 148 Neagh, 172-3 Swilly, 160 Lower Lake, Killarney, 127 Lowestoft, 598-9 Low Gill Junction, 433 Lowtherstown, 158 Lubenham, 308 Lucan, 133, 140 Ludlow, 420-1 Luffenham, 309 Lurgan, 174 Luss, 500 Luton, 329 Lye, 427 Lytham, 436 M. Maam, 148 Macclesfield, 415 Macclesfield Tunnel, 6, 7 Machynlleth, 225, 418 Macroom, no-n Madeley, 263 Magilligan, 16 1 Maguire’s Bridge, 184 Mail Department, 63-76 Malahide, 183 Mallow, 108-9 Mallow (Junction) 129 Malvern, Great, 424-5 Malvern Link, 424-5 Malvern Wells, 424-5 Manchester, 363-78, 399, 415 Mangerton, 122 Manorbier, 456 Manulla Junction, 156 Market Harborough, 308-9 Marron, 451 Marsden, 400 Marsh Brook, 420 Marston Gate, 329 Marston Green, 273 Maston, 405 Maryborough, 13 1 INDEX. 61 1 Maryburgh, 550 Moss Side, 436 Maryport, 452 Mostyn, 210 Matlock Bath, 394 Mount Melleray Abbey, 102-6 Mauchline, 471 Moyne Abbey, 153 Maxton, 576 Muckross Abbey, 120 Maxwelltown, 478 Muirkirk, 470 Maynooth, 141 Muirtown, 552 Meanwood, 404 Mull, 544-5 Medbourne Bridge, 309 Mullingar, 141, 156 Meeting of the Waters, 199 Multyfarnham, 156 Mellifont Abbey, 182 Murthly, 561 Melrose, 571 Musselburgh, 535-6 Melrose Abbey, 571 Menai Suspension Bridge, 204 Myrtle Grove, 100 Merchandise Department, 82-4 N. Merthyr Tydfil, 458 Nairn, 556-7 Methven, 563 Nantlle, 219 Midcalder, 506 Nant Mill, 216 Middleton, 419 Nantwich, 416 Miles Platting, 399 Nant-y-Bwch, 458 Millerhill, 570 Nantyderry, 457 Milliken, Park, 476 Narberth, 456 Mill Street, 129 Narborough, 304 Milltown Malbey, 138 Navan, 182 Milnthorpe, 433 Neath, 454 Minfford, 220 Neen Sollars, 423 Minshull Vernon, 262, 427 Neston, 229 Minsterley, 419 Nethercleugh, 460 Mirfield, 401 Newarthill, 506 Mistylaw, 476 Newbattle Abbey, 534, 570 Moffat, 460, 462 New Belses, 576 Moher, Cliffs of, 139 Newbliss, 184 Moira, 174 Newbridge, 132 Mollington, 229 New Brighton, 257 Monaghan Road, 184 Newcastle, 175, 176-8 Monasterevan, 132 New Castleton, 577 Monkton, 471 New Cumnock, 469 Monkstown, 90 New Galloway, 478 Monte, 141 Newhaven, 587 Montrose, 565 Newmains, 506 Moore, 428 Newmarket, 600 Morcutt Tunnel, 6, 7 New Mills, 379 Morecambe, 437-8 Newnham Bridge, 423 Moreton, 421 New Park, 506 Morley, 401 Newport (Salop), 419 Morley Tunnel, 6, 7, 402 Newport (Mon.), 457-8 Morningside, 506 Newport Pagnell, 275 Morton Pinkney, 310 Newry, 174-5 Mossley, 399 Newspaper Department, 75-80 Mossley Hill, 233 News lead, 575 6i 2 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . Newton, 363 Newton Bridge, 362 Newtonmore, 559 Newton Stewart, 478 Newtown Butler, 184 Newtown Stewart, 183 Nine Stane Rig, 577 Nisbet, 576 Northampton, 315-7 Northchurch Tunnel, 4, 6, 277 Norton Bridge, 263 Northwich, 261 Norwich, 599 Novelty , The, 3 Nuneaton, 291, 304 O. Oban, 542, 544, 549 Officials, Chief, List of, 12 Oldbury, 265, 427 Old Cumnock, 469 Oldham, 400 Old North Road, 320 Old Ormiston, 576 Olney, 276 Omagh, 158, 183 Onibury, 420 Ordsal Lane, 363 Oswestry, 418 Oundle, 317 Overton, 317 Overtown, 461 Owen Riff River, 148 Oxenholme, 433, 442 Oxford, 324-7 Oystermouth, 455 P. Pabba, 554 Paisley, 476-7 Palnure, 479 Pandy, 457 Pantyffynnon, 454 Parcel Department, 81-2 Park, 399 Parkgate, 229 Parkside, 3, 362 Park Street, 330 Parsonstown Junction, 131 Partick, 536 Parton (Cumberland), 452, Parton (Scotland), 478 Passage, 91 Pass of Kimaneigh, 111-2 Patrick’s Well, 134 Patricroft, 363 Peak Cavern, 380 Peebles, 461 Pelsall, 298 Pembroke, 456 Pembroke Dock, 456 Penally, 456 Pendleton, 363 Penkridge, 264 Penmaen Mawr, 206 Pennington, 439 Penny Stone, The, 437 Penpergwwn, 457 Penrith, 435, 431 Penruddock, 451 Pensarn, 208 Penybont, 453 Penygroes, 219 Permanent Way, 14-17 Perth, 562 Peterborough, 317-8 Pettigoe, 157 Pevensey, 587 Piel, 441-2 Pitlochrie, 560 Pinner, 279 Pleaskin Head, 164 Plumpton, 435 Plymouth, 593-4 Pneumatic Despatch Company, 82 Points, Signals, & Telegraphs, 54-62 Polesworth, 290 Pont Aberglaslyn, 217 Pontardulais, 454 Pontnewydd, 457 Pontrilas, 457 Pontypool, 457 Pont-y-Cysylltan, 228 Poppleton, 405 Portadowm, 174 Portarlington, 13 1 Port Bannatyne, 539 INDEX. 613 Portland, 596 Portmadoc, 219 Port Menteith, 505 Portobello, 536, 570 Portpatrick, 479 Portree, 555 Portrush, 161 Portsmouth, 589-90 Port Stewart, 161, 168 Potton, 320 Poulton-le-Fylde, 437 Powerscourt, 193-4 Poyntzpass, 174 Prees, 416 Prescot, 430 Prestbury Tunnel, 6, 7 Preston, 430-32, 436 Preston Brook, 428 Preston Brook Tunnel, 6, 7, 428 Prestwick, 471 Primrose Hill Tunnel, 4, 6, 7, 281 Prince Charles’s Cave, 555 Q. Quainton Road, 323 Queen’s Bridge, 172 Queenstown, 71, 74, 89 R. Racks, 467 Rad way Green, 291 Railway Clearing House, 85-8 Rainhill, 362 Raits Castle, 556 Rasay, 555 Rathdrum, 199 Rathfryland, 175 Rathlin, 166 Rathnew, 196 Redding Junction, 577 Renfrew, 537 Renton, 503 Rhewl, 209 Rhuddlan, 208 Rhyl, 208 Rhymney Bridge, 458 Riccarton Junction, 577 Richmond, 355-6 Ridgmont, 319 Ringstead, 317 Ripon Cathedral, 405 River Kelty, 494 River Moy, 153 Roade, 275 Roade Cutting, 5 Rob Roy's Rock, 501 Roby, 362 Rochester, 582-3 Rock Battery, 258 Rockcliffe, 459 Rocket , The, 3, 25 Rockingham, 309 Rock Lighthouse, 258 Rock of Cashel, 130 Romford, 59 7 Roscommon, 156 Rosliii, 532-3 Rossett, 228 Ross Island, 126 Rosstemple, 134 Rosstrevor, 175, 180 Rothesay, 538-9 Rough Holme, 445 Routes to the Continent, 578-9 Royal Observatory, 359 Ruabon, 228 Rugby, 274, 291, 308 Rugeley, 290 Rumbling Brig, 504-5 Runcorn, 261 Runcorn Bridge, 232, 261 Rush, 183 Rushall, 298 Rutherford, 576 Rutherglen, 485-6 Ruthin, 209 Ruthven, 558 Ruthwell, 467 Rutland Street, 455 Rydal Mount, 445 S. SADDLEWORTH, 400 St. Alban’s, 330-2 St. Anne’s Hill, 99 St. Asaph, 209 St. Boswell's, 574-5, 576 St. Catherine, 456 St. Clear’s, 456 St. Devereux, 457 614 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE . St. Helen’s, 362, 430 St. Helen’s junction, 362 St.John’s Vale, 449 St. Kevin’s Kitchen, 197-8 St. Leonard’s-on-Sea, 580 St. Margaret's 536 St. Mary’s Loch, 463 St. Morgore, 456 St. Ninian’s, 490 St. Oran’s Chapel, 548 St. Winifred’s Well, 210 Salford, 363, 365 Sallins, 133 Salisbury, 592 Saltney, 210 Salwick, 436 Sandbach, 415 Sandy, 320 Sanquhar, 469 Saundersfoot, 456 Scalpa, 554 Scarborough, 410-13 Scarvagh, 174 Scorton, 432 Scotch Dyke, 577 Seaton, 309 Sedburgh, 433 Selkirk, 464, 570 Shankend, 577 Shap, 433 Sheerness, 583 Sherriffmuir, 492 Shilton, 291 Sliinnagh, 129 Shorncliffe, 581 Shotts, 506 Shrewsbury, 416-7-419, 420, 453 Shugborougli Tunnel, 6, 7 Silverdale, 438 Silver Holme, 444 Skye, 553, 555 Slaith waite, 400 Slateford, 506 Slate Islands, 541 Sleeping Saloon Carriage, 47-9 Sligo, 154 Smedley, 363 Smethwick, 265, 427 Snowdon, 218-9 Solway, The, 459 Sorn, 471 Sorn Castle, 471 South Hall, 539 Southampton, 595-6 South Shore, 436 South Stack Lighthouse, 202-3 Southwaite, 435 Southwick, 478 Speke, 233, 260 Spital, 229 Spon Lane, 265 Staffa, 545-6 Stafford, 263, 264, 290, 419 Staleybridge, 399 Staleybridge Tunnels, 6, 7 Stamford, 310 Stanbridge Ford, 328 Standedge Tunnel, 6, 7, 400 Standish, 430 Standon Bridge, 263 Stanley Junction, 561, 566 Staveley, 443 Steamers, List of, 18 Stechford, 273 Steele Road, 577 Stepps Road, 506 Stevenson, George, 2, 3 Stewkley, 276 Stirling, 490-2, 496, 567, 569 Stobbs, 477 Stockport, 378-9 Stockport Tunnel, 6, 7 Stoke Edith, 423 Stoke Pogis, 358 Stoke-upon-Trent, 292-3 Stone, 293 Stonehenge, 592 Stonyhurst College, 432 Stony Stratford, 318 Stourbridge, 427 Stourport, 421 Stow, 570 Stowhill Tunnel, 4, 6 Strabane, 158, 183 Straffan, 133 Stranraer, 479 Stratford Junction, 597 Stratford-on-Avon, 289, 310-15 Strath Carron, 554 Strensall, 410 INDEX . 615 Strome Ferrv, 553 Tremadoc, 219 Stronachlachar Pier, 497-8 Trench, 419 Struan, 559 Trentham, 293, 295 St ud ley Royal, 405 Trent Valley Loop Line, 289 Sudbury, 279 Tresnish Isles, 545 Sunepol House, 545 Trevil, 458 Sutton, 229 Trevithick's Steam-Coach, 1 Sutton Weaver, 262 Tri-composite Carriage, 49 Swanbourne, 323 Tring, 276-7 Swansea, 420, 454-5 Tring Cutting, 5 Sweno’s Stone, 557 Troon, 471, 475 Symington, 461 Trossachs, 495-6 T. Troutbeck, 443 Trummery, 174 Tadcaster, 405 Tunbridge, 580 Talk-o’-th’-Hill, 291 Tunbridge Wells, 580 Talla Island, 505 Tunnels, Length of, etc., 6-7 Talley Road, 454 Tunstall, 291 Tam worth, 290 Turriff, 567 Tandragee, 174 Turnberry Head, 473 Tan-y-Bwlch, 220 Tweed, The, 570, 571, 573 Tan-y-Grisian, 220 Twickenham, 356 Tara, Hill of, 182 Tyne Head, 570 Tarbert, 136 Tarbet, 501 u. Tattenhall, 233 Uddingstone, 488 Tebay Junction, 433 Ullswater, 448, 451 Templemore, 13 1 Ulverston, 438-9 Tenbury, 421, 422 Underwelbeck, 443 Tenby, 456 Upton Magna, 419 Thatto Heath, 430 Uriconium, 417 Theddingworth, 308 Uttoxeter, 295 Threlkeld, 451 Thirlmere Lake, 450 V. Thornhill, 469 Valentia, 127-9 Thorpe, 317 Vauxhall, 591 Thrapston, 317 Verney Junction, 323, 327 Three Bridges, 588 Voyage from Dublin to Holy- Threlkeld, 451 head, 200 Thurles, 130 Thurso, 555 W. Tile Hill, 273 Waggon Works, Earlestown Tinwala, 477 Junction, 53 Tipton, 265, 297 Walcot, 419 Tobermory, 544 Wall, 298 Towcester, 310, 328 Wallace’s Cave, 4 66 Towyn, 224 Wallace’s Leap, 465 Tram Inn, 457 Wallace’s Seat, 503 Tredegar, 458 Wall of Antoninus, 489, 537 Trefnant, 209 | Walsall, 297-8 6i6 LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN GUIDE. Wamphray, 460, 464 Wansford, 317 Wansford Tunnel, 6, 7 Wapping (Liverpool), 260 Wappingham, 328 Warrenpoint, 175 Warrington, 428-9 Warton, 436 Warwick, 286-9 Wasperton, 315 Waterhead, 445-6 Waterloo Station (Liverpool) 249, 260 Watford, 278, 330 Watford Tunnel, 4, 6, 278 Waverton, 233 Waverton Tunnel, 6, 7, Wavertree, 233 Weaste, 363 Wednesbury, 297 Wednesfield Heath Tunnel, 6, 7 Weedon, 275 Welford, 308 Wellingborough, 317 Wellington (Shropshire), 419 Welshampton, 418 Welshpool, 418, 419 Wem, 416 Westbury, 419 Westcalder, 506 Weston, 293 Westhanger, 581 West Linton, 577 Westport, 151-3 Whaley Bridge, 379 Whifflet, 506 Whitby, 413-4 Whitchurch, 416, 418 Whitehaven, 452 Whitland, 456 Whitmore, 263 Whittington, 418 Wichnor, 300 Wick, 555 Wicklow, Tour through, 190-9 Wigan, 429, 430 Willaston, 416 Willesden Junction, 279-81 WilliUgton, 301 Wilmslow, 415 Wimbledon, 591 Winchelsea, 581 Winchester, 594-5 Winchnor, 300 Windermere, 443 Windsor Castle, 357 Winsford, 261, 262, 427 Winslow, 323, 327 Winwick, 429 Wishaw, 461 Withington, 423 Woking, 591 Woburn Sands, 318 Wolvercott Tunnel, 6, 7 Wolverhampton, 264 Wolverton, 275 Wolverton Carriage Works, 43 Wooden Bridge, 199 Woodlawn, 142 Woofferton, 421, 422 Woolwich, 360 Worcester, 425-6 Wooton Underwood, 330 Workington, 451-2 Workington Bridge, 451 Worleston, 233 Wort ley, 402 Wray Green, 436 Wreay, 435 Wrenbury, 416 Wrexham, 228 Wroxeter, 417 Wyre Forest, 423 Y. Yardley Chase, 317 Yelvertoft, 308 Yeoford Junction, 593 Ynys-las, 225 Yockleton, 419 York, 405-10 Yorton, 416 Youghal, 99, 100 Hazell, Watson, and Viney, Printers, London and Aylesbury. J INDEX TO ADVERTISEMENTS. Hotels PAGE Hotels, continued PAGE Bangor . 636 Kilkee • 645 Belfast • 637 Killarney . . 642 Bethesda . . 636 Leamington 645=6-7 Bedclgelert . • 639 Liverpool . 632-4S Bettws-y-Coed . . 638 Llanberis . . 648 Buxton --637, J^ndudno. • 649 Caernarvon 639-p London 65:, 650 Chester . 841 1 * NeWry • • . , ' - , ' Vv‘* 6 ’ 5 p’>\ Colwyn Bay .641-2 Oxford , . • 650 j Conway . 641 Portrush L . 65O Cork . • 6 b » t \ L Rosstrevor Quay.. 635 Dublin • 643-4 S t r a 1 fo i l d - oix - A, vcn . -b\ 6 s< Glasgow . . 638 Warrington . 651 Greenore . • 634 Warwick . . 651 Holyhead . • 633 Miscellaneous, on coloured pages, and . . 628, 630, 652-6 Railway Companies . . 626-30 Steamboat Arrangements . . 618-28 Tourist Agents . • f • • • • • 657-8-9 40 6i8 AD VERTISEMENTS. Shortest, Quickest, and Safest Route to America. a GUION LINE” UNITED STATES MAIL STEAMERS FOR NEW YORK, Forwarding Passengers to all parts of the UNITED STATES and CANADA, at Low Rates. The Liverpool and Great Western Company’s full-powered Steamers. Idaho Nevada .. Wisconsin Wyoming Nebraska Utah 3,131 tons. 3,200 ,, 3,000 ,, 3,000 ,, 3 , 3 2 6 , Manhattan Minnesota Montana Dakota . . California 3,400 tons 2,869 tons. 2,887 „ 3.500 „ 3.500 „ 3,300 „ ^af/ipg froin Live’-pco' fc^ery Wednesday, calling at Queenstown the , ; ( following day fcr Passengers. 'CABIN PARAGE TO NEW YORK.— Fifteen, Seven- teen, and Twenty Guineas each Berth, according to the size, situation, and accommodation of the, State-rooms, all having the same privileges in the Saloon in regard to meals and attendance. , CPiUUefe under* twelve year£ Halt-fare, and Infants Free. fteturnHitk 6 cS issued as low as by any other first-class line. Saloon, and all Cabin Sleeping Berths, are on the main deck, and not below, which makes them very desirable for travellers. Some of the Steamers have a limited number of Berths for Intermediate, at £9 9s. Steerage Passage to New York, Boston, Portland, Baltimore, or Quebec, Six Guineas, including an unlimited supply of provisions, cooked and served up by the company’s servants. An experienced Surgeon is attached to each Steamer ; also Cabin and Steerage Stewardesses. Drafts for^Ji and upwards issued on Williams and Guion, 29, Broadway, New York ; also Tickets for Passages from New York to Liverpool. Apply, in New York, to Williams and Guion ; in Paris, to J. M. Currie, 7, Rue Scribe ; in London, to Norton and Shaw, 7, Garrick Street, W.C. and Euston Square, N.W.; in Belfast, to William Langtry, 52, Waring Street ; in Dublin, to Wells and Holohan, or Peter Jones and Sons, Eden Quay ; in Cork, to MacDonnel Brothers ; in Queenstown, to James Scott and Co. ; and in LIVERPOOL to GUION AND CO., 25, WATER STREET, 115, WATERLOO ROAD, and 11, RUMFORD STREET, P.S. Agents of this Line will be found in almost every town in the kingdom. AD VER TISE ME NTS. 619 ALLAN ROYAL MAIL LINE. SHORTEST OCEAN PASSAGE TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, SS. Sardinian. SS. Circassian. SS. Canadian. SS. Polynesian. SS. Sarmatian. SS. Caspian. SS. Scandinavian. SS. Prussian. SS. Austrian. SS. Nestorian. SS. Peruvian. SS. Mpravian. SS. Hibernian. SS. Nova Scotian. SS. North American. SS. Corinthian. SS. Manitoban. SS. Phoenician. SS. Waldensian. SS. Saint Patrick. One of the above full-powered Mail Steamers will be despatched from LIVERPOOL TO QUEBEC Every Tuesday and Thursday in Summer, LIVERPOOL TO PORTLAND Every Tuesday and Thursday in Winter, LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX, NORFOLK, AND BALTIMORE, Every alternate Tuesday, forwarding Passengers on easy terms to all parts of CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES. The Steamers of this Line are replete with every comfort and modern appliance. For further particulars apply to Allan, Brothers, and Co., Alexandra Buildings, James Street, Liverpool, or to any of the authorised agrnts of this well-known and favourite line, to be found in almost every town and village in the kingdom, from whom intending passengers are advised to buy passage tickets. 620 AD VER TISEMENTS. H NMAN ROYAL MAIL STEAMERS. City of Antwerp City of Berlin City of Bristol City of Brooklyn City of Brussels City of Chester City of Durham City of Limerick City of London City of Montreal City of New York City of Paris City of Richmond [The Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia Steamship Company’s Royal Mail Steamers are appointed to sail from Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from NEW YORK TO LIVERPOOL Thursdays and Saturdays, Calling at Queenstown (Ireland) to land and embark her Majesty’s Mails and Passengers. KATES OF PASSAGE AND GENERAL INFORMATION. SALiOONT PASSAGE I Twelve Guineas, Fifteen Guineas, and Eight- een Guineas, according to the accommodation, all enjoying equal privileges. STEERAGE PASSAGE to New York includes an unlimited supply of cooked provisions, served out by the Company’s Stewards. Passengers booked to all parts of the United States and Dominion of Canada at low rates. Passengers by this line can also be forwarded to S3.11 Francisco (California), India, China, and Japan, by Great Pacific Railway and Mail Steamship Com- pany, at through rates. . An experienced Surgeon is attached to each steamer. No charge for medi- cine or attendance. The steamers of this old-established line are fitted and replete with every comfort : ladies’ boudoirs, gentlemen’s smoking-rooms, bath-rooms, etc., for the comfort and convenience of passengers. The state-rooms are light and airy. They afford the best accommodation for all classes of passengers, and are amongst the largest and fastest steamers afloat. Every Information given and Tickets issued by the following Agents of the Company : — New York, John G. Dale, at the Company’s Offices, 15, Broadway ; Bos- ton, M. S. Creagh, at the Company’s Offices, 102, State Street ; Philadel- phia, O’Donnell and Faulk, at the Company’s Offices, 411, Chesnut Street; Chicago, F. C. Brown, at the Company’s Offices, 86, South Market Street ; Paris, H. Keene, at the Company’s Offices, 9, Rue Scribe ; London, Eives and Allen, 61, King William Street ; Manchester, A. W. Wilson, at the Company’s Offices, 38, Fountain Street ; Glasgow, Alexander Malcolm , Jun., at the Company’s Offices, 40, St. Enoch Square ; Queenstown, C. and W. D. Seymour and Co. ; Belfast, John McKee, 42 and 43, Donegal Quay ; or by WILLIAM INMAN, At the Plead Offices of the Company, 62, 63, 64, and 65, Tower Buildings South, 22, Water Street, LIVERPOOL. t ADVERTISEMENTS. 621 CTJNARD LINE. . With the view of diminishing the chances of collision, the steamers of this line take a specified course for all seasons of the year. On the outward passage from Queenstown to New York or Boston, cross- ing meridian of 50 at 43 Lat. , or northing to the north of 43. On the homeward passage crossing the meridian 50 at 42 Lat., or northing to the north of 42. THE BRITISH & NORTH AMERICAN ROYAL MAIL STEAMERS, Appointed by her Majesty’s Postmaster-General to sail every Saturday for New York, direct, and every Tuesday for New York and (or) Boston. Rates of Cabin Passage-Money : 15 Guineas, 17 Guineas, and 21 Guineas, according to the accommodation. Return Tickets (available for Six Months) 30 Guineas. Rates of Passage-money by the Steamers carrying no Steerage Passengers: Chief Cabin, Twenty-six Pounds; Second Cabin, Eighteen Pounds. Return Tickets (available for Six Months) : Chief Cabin, Forty-five Pounds. Children between two and twelve years half-fare. These rates include stewards’ fee and provisions, but without wines or liquors, which can be obtained on board. Passengers booked through to San Francisco, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, and Australia, by Pacific Railway and Mail Steamers. DOGS not taken on any terms. To prevent disappointment or difficulty, passengers are respectfully in- formed that packages of merchandise will not be allowed to be shipped as luggage, or with their luggage. All cabin passengers are allowed twenty cubic feet of personal luggage, free of freight, but the agents do not guarantee to reserve room for more than that quantity ; and passengers will be charged freight on their personal luggage, when it exceeds half a ton measurement. The passengers and goods for New York are intended to be landed at Jersey City, within the jurisdiction of the Custom-house of New York. Drafts issued on New York for sums not exceeding £ 10 , free of charge. Apply at the Company’s Office, New York, to Charles G. Franck lyn. Agent ; at the Company’s Office, Boston, to James Alexander, Agent ; in Havre, to Burns and MacIver, Quai d’Orleans ; in Paris, to Burns and MacIver, 12, Place de la Bourse ; in London, to William Cunard, 6, St. Helen’s Place, Bishopsgate Street, and 28, Pall Mall, S.W. ; in Dundee, to G. and J. Burns, ii, Panmure Street ; in Glasgow, to G. and J. Burns, 30, Jamaica Street ; in Belfast, to A. G. S. McCulloch and Son ; in Queens- town, to D. and C. MacIver; or in Liverpool to D. and C. MacIver, 8, Water Street. 622 AD VER T 1 SF.MENTS. NATIONAL LINE TO NEW YORK. NOTICE. This company takes the risk of insurance (up to ;£ioo,ooo) on each of its vessels, thus giving passengers the best possible guarantee for safety and avoidance of danger at sea. The most southerly route has always been adopted by this company to avoid ice and headlands. LARGEST STEAMERS AFLOAT. One of the magnificent full-powered Iron Screw Steamships, Steamships. Tons. Egypt 5,064 Spain 4,900: Italy 4,302 France 3,571 Canada 3,500 Greece 3,500 Steamships. Tons. England ., The Queen 4 , 44 i Holland .......... Erin Helvetia Denmark 3,723 Will sail from Liverpool to New York every Wednesday, from Queenstown every Thursday, and from London every Wednesday. The Saloon accommodation is unsurpassed — the state-rooms being un- usually large, and open off the saloons situated in poop on deck. Rate of Passage, 12, 15, and 17 Guineas, according to accommodation in state-room — all having same privilege in saloon. Return Tickets, twenty- four Guineas. The COMFORT of STEERAGE PASSENGERS specially considered — the accommodation being unequalled for space, light, and ventilation. Rates of Passage — on reduced terms— include abundance of fresh pro- visions served up, cooked by company’s servants. Medical attendance free. Stewardesses in attendance on female steerage passengers. Steerage passengers forwarded t'o Quebec, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, and all the inland towns of United States and Canada on favourable terms. Passengers booked through to Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. For freight or passage apply to THE NATIONAL STEAMSHIP COMPANY (Limited), 33, Water Street, Liverpool, or to their Agents, N. and J. Cummins and Bros., Queenstown. F. W. J. Hurst, 69, Broadway, New York. Smith, Sundius, and Co., 33, Gracechurch Street, London. W. S. Rowland, 57, Charing Cross, London. Express and Agency Co, (Limited), 5, Rue Scribe, Paris. G. Odinet and Co., Havre. ADVERTISEMENTS. 623 WHITE STAR LINE. UNITED Tons. Oceanic - 3,707 Baltic- - 3,707 Republic - 3,707 Adriatic - 3,888 Celtic - 3*888 The first-class, from Liverpool for New York every Thursday, calling at Queenstown on Friday, returning From New York every Saturday, carrying the United States mails. These splendid steamships, new and uniform in model and arrangements, have been specially designed to attain the highest possible regularity and speed, and to insure the utmost comfort and convenience to passengers. The cabin accommodation — comprising ladies’ private saloons, com- modious smoke rooms, extensive libraries, pianos, bath rooms, instant communication with the stewards by means of electric bells, etc. — is unsur- passed for elegance, completeness, and comfort. The saloons will be found to afford unusual space, the whole breadth of the ships being devoted to this purpose ; they are light, lofty, well ventilated, and handsomely furnished, whilst the comfort of passengers in the colder ortions of the year is amply provided for by an extensive arrangement of ot water pipes and capacious fire grates. Being placed amidships, the saloons are removed from the noise and motion, experienced in the after part of the vessel. These vessels are fitted to carry, a limited number of steerage passengers, the accommodation being of the very highest order, and the lighting, ven- tilating, warming, and sanitary arrangements are unsurpassed in any vessel afloat. The vessels are constructed in seven water-tight compartments, and every precaution is taken to insure safety. For full particulars of passages, rates, etc., etc., apply to ISM AY, IMRIE, AND CO., 34, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C., 10, Water Street, Liverpool. New York Office, 19, Broadway, R. J. Cortis, Agent; Chicago Office, 96, South Clarke Street, Alfred Lagergren, Agent. STATES MAIL STEAMERS. Captains. J. W. Jennings. H. W. Hewitt. B. Gleadell. Hamilton Perry. W. W. Kiddle. Tons. Gaelic. - 2,651 Belgic - 2,651 Britannic 5,004 Germanic 5,004 Captains. H. Parsed. J. Metcalfe. W. H. Thompson, C. W. Kennedy. full-powered, Iron Screw Steamships of this Line sail 624 AD VER TISE ME NTS. “ANCHOR” LINE. REGULAR STEAM COMMUNICATION BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED! STATES, NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVA SCOTIA, FRANCE, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, ITALY, SICILY, EGYPT, AND THE ADRIATIC, ATLANTIC SERVICE. Steamers leave Glasgow forNEw York (calling at Moville, Lough Foyle, to embark Passengers only) every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. From New York for Glasgow every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. From Glasgow, Liverpool, and London, for Halifax, N.S., and S t. John, N.B., once a month from March till October. Rates of Passage for New York — Saloon Cabin, Saturday’s Steamers, £16 16s. and £17 17s. ; Thursday’s Steamers, £12 12s. and £13 13s., ac- cording to accommodation and situation of berths. Return Tickets, Twenty- Two and Twenty-Four Guineas. For Halifax, N.S., and St. John, N.13. — Saloon cabin, £13 13s., and Tuesday’s Steamers, £14 14s. and £15 15s. MEDITERRANEAN SERVICE. Steamers leave Glasgow about every Ten Days for Lisbon, Gibraltar, Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina, and Palermo; Fortnightly for Trieste and Venice ; and Monthly for Algiers, Tunis, Malta, and Alexandria. Cabin Fares to Lisbon, £ 6 6s. ; Gibraltar, £8 8s. ; Genoa, £12 12s. ; Leghorn, £13 13s. ; Naples, Messina, Catania, and Palermo, .£14 14s. ; Trieste and Venice, £16 16s. ; Algiers, £10 10s. ; Tunis and Malta, £12 12s. ; Alexandria, £15 15s. Passengers are found in a liberal table, and all necessaries, except wine and liquors, which can be had on board at moderate prices. No steward’s fee. MEDITERRANEAN AND ATLANTIC SERVICE. Steamers are despatched from Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina, Palermo, Marseilles, and Gibraltar, for New York, once a fort- night ; and from Trieste and Venice, for New York, once a month. Steamers also leave Malaga, Almeria, Valencia, and Denia, for New York, as inducement offers. Fares from Gibraltar, £16 16s. ; from Mar- seilles, Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina, Palermo, Trieste, and Venice, £21 ; from Malaga, Almeria, Valencia, and Denia, £18 18s. Passengers are found in a liberal table, and all necessaries, except wine and liquors, which can be had on board at moderate prices. No steward’s fee. Apply, to HENDERSON BROTHERS, Queenstown, Londonderry, 7, Bowling Green, New-York ; Chicago; Union Bank Buildings, Dundee; Drontheim, and Christiania, Norway; Gothenburg, Sweden; 17, Water Street, Liverpool ; 5, East India Avenue, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C. ; Steinmann and Ludwig, Antwerp; Morris and Co., and A. Behrens, Ham- burg; C. Clark and Co., Bordeaux; Rosenkilde Brothers, Christianssand; Lowe Brothers, Civita Vecchia ; William Miller, Florence and Leg- horn ; Charles Figoli, Genoa; James Glasgow and Co., Gibraltar; Mascarenhas and Co., Lisbon ; Thomas MacCulloch and Son, Malaga ; Wm. Jaffray, Almeria ; Dart and Co., Valencia and Denia ; O. F. Goll- cher, Malta; Jos. Kuhlman, Algiers; Cesar Foa, Tunis ; Fleming and Co., Alexandria; Jules Frisch, Marseilles; Henry John Ross and F. Tagliavia and Co., Messina; Holme and Co., Naples; Peter Tagliavia, Palermo ; MacBean and Co., Rome ; S. R. Forbes, Rome ; C. H. Vander- hoof, Rome ; De Waal and Voorrips, Rotterdam ; Greenham and Al- Lon, Trieste ; Charles D. Milesi, Venice ; or to HENDERSON BROTHERS, Union Street, Glasgow. AD VERTISEMENTS . 625 FLEETWOOD TO BELFAST AND THE NORTH OF IRELAND, EVERY EVENING (SUNDAYS EXCEPTED), In connection with the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North-Western Railways. THE NORTH LANCASHIRE STEAM NAVIGA- I TION COMPANY’S Royal Mail Steam Ships “Thomas Dugdale” (new steamer), “Princess of Wales,” “Prince Arthur,” or “ Royal Consort,” leave FLEETWOOD FOR BELFAST every evening (Sundays excepted), at or after 7.30 p.m. after arrival of trains from London, Birmingham, Hull, Newcastle, Bradford, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, and all parts of the kingdom, returning from BELFAST TO FLEETWOOD every evening (Sundays excepted), at 7.45 pm., arriving in Fleetwood in time for early morning trains to the above places. When the packet is late on arrival at Fleetwood special trains are despatched to Preston, Manchester, Liverpool, etc., for the accommodation of the passengers. FARES.— Saloon, 12s. 6d. ; Steerage, 5s.; Return Tickets (available for One Month), Saloon, 21s. ; Steerage, 8s. 6d. Through Tickets, Single and Return, are also issued from all the principal stations of the London and North-Western, Lancashire and Yorkshire, North-Eastern, Great Western, Great Northern, and Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Companies, to Belfast, and vice versa. Return Tickets are available for one month. SPECIAL TOURISTS' TICKETS are issued during the Summer Season, vid the Fleetwood Route, whereby Tourists may visit all places of interest in the North of Ire- land and Dublin. For particulars see the Company’s Book of Tourists’ Arrangements. At Fleetwood the railway trains run alongside the steamers, and passengers’ luggage is carried from the train at the quay on board free of charge. Fleetwood is unrivalled as a steam packet station for the north of Ireland, and the unexampled regularity with which the Belfast Line of Steamers have made the passage between the two ports for more than thirty years, without the loss of a single life, is probably without a parallel in steamboat service, and has made this route the most popular, as it is certainly the MOST EXPEDITIOUS AND DESIRABLE, for Passengers, Goods, and Merchandise, between the great centres of commerce in England and the North and North-West of Ireland. For further information see Bradshaw’s Guide, page 304 ; or apply at any of the stations of the Railway Companies before named ; HENDERSON and CO., Belfast ; or to TPIOS. H. CARR, Fleetwood. 626 ADVERTISEMENTS. SHORTEST SEA ROUTE BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRE.LAND, Vid LARNE AND STRANRAER. Daily Sailings (Sundays excepted). SEA AND LOCH PASSAGE UNDER THREE HOURS. Trains go alongside the Steamers at Lame and Stranraer. Through Tickets issued at Belfast, Lame, Londonderry, etc., to the principal Stations in England and Scotland, and vice versa . For full particulars as to fares, etc., see the London and North-Western and Caledonian Railway Companies’ Guides and Tourist Programmes, Bradshaw, and other Guides ; or apply to Edward J. Cotton, General Manager, Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, Belfast. BELFAST & NORTHERN COUNTIES R AILWAY. ©I ANT’S CAUSEWAY AND NORTH OF IRELAND SCENERY. Tourist Arrangements for Londonderry, Portrush, Giant's Causeway, Antrim Coast, Shane's Castle on Lough Neagh, Antrim (for. round tower, the most perfect in Ireland), Lame, and Belfast; For information as to tourist fares and arrangements from England and Scotland, see Programmes of the principal English and Scotch Railway Companies, or apply to Edward J. Cotton, General Manager, Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, Belfast. ADVERTISEMENTS. 627 Isle of ManSteam-Packet Company. SEASON ARRANGEMENTS, 1875. The Isle of Man Company’s Royal Mail Steamers “King Orry,” 1,028 tons, 550-horse power; “Tynwald,” 696 tons, 500-horse power; “Douglas,” 609 tons, 350-horse power; “Snaefell,” 607 tons, 350-horse power; or other first-class ves- sels, ply daily (Sundays excepted), from 23rd May to 30th Sep- tember, from Prince’s Landing-stage, Liverpool, to Douglas, at I afternoon ; returning from Douglas each week-day at 8 morning during July and August, and in June and September at 9 morning. During June, July, August, and September a steamer leaves Liverpool for Ramsey direct each Monday at noon, and vid Douglas every Friday at 1 afternoon, returning from Ramsey to Liverpool direct on Saturdays. Tourists’ Tickets can be obtained at any of the principal railway-stations in England. For further information, apply to Thomas Orford and Son, 22, Water Street, Liverpool ; or John J. Goldsmith, Douglas. Douglas, April, 1875. ISLE OF MAN RAILWAYS. The Isle of Man Railways offer the best and most convenient mode of access to all the principal places of interest and attraction in the Isle of Man. These Railways have been constructed Tor the express purpose of conveying the large number of excursionists who annually visit the Island. Trains run to and from Douglas to the undermentioned places daily, at short intervals, at cheap fares : Stations to Book to. Peel . • St. John's • Union Mills • Port Soderick Ballasalla • Castletown • Port St Mary Port Erin Places of A ttraction. t Peel Castle. 1 Nairbyl Bay. { Glenmaye Waterfall. ( Glen Helen. ( Rhenass Waterfall. Kirk Braddan Church. ( Port Soderick Bay. (Crogga Glen, j Rushen Abbey. ( Langness Point. { King William's College. Castletown. Castle Rushen. J Port St. Mary. 1 ( The Chasms. ( Port Erin. , Bradda Head. ( Calf of Man. 628 AD VER TISEMENTS. GLASGOW AND THE HIGHLANDS. Royal Route, via Crinan and Caledonian Canals. Steamers sail during the season for Oban, Fort William, Inverness, Stafifa, Iona, Glencoe, Tobermory, Portree, Gairloch, Ullapool, Lochinvar, and Stornoway ; affording tourists an opportunity of visiting the magnificent scenery of Glencoe, the Coolin Hills, Loch Coruisk, Lochmaree, and the famed Islands of Staffa and Iona. Time-bill, with map and tourist fares, free by post, on application to DAVID HUTCHESON and Co., 119, Hope Street, Glasgow. FFESTINIOG RAILWAY. Trains are run in connection with the Cambrian Railway at Minfford Junction ; by which arrangement passengers are able to go up the line, giving ample time to visit the slate quarries at the upper terminus, Duffws ; or to go on by the Ffestiniog and Blaenan Railway to the village of Ffestiniog, three miles distant ; and return in time to catch the Cambrian Railway at Minfford Junction for Barmouth, Dolgelly, and Aberystwyth, or Criccieth, Pwllheli, and Avonwen Junction for the London and North-Western Railway for Caernarvon. There are twelve trains run daily, six up and six down. First, second, and third class carriages are run by all trains, return tickets being issued for the same. Open first class carriages are run by every train, by which passengers are able to command an extensive view of some of the most beautiful scenery in North Wales. r' OUT and RHEUMATISM. — The excruciating vJ pain of gout or rheumatism is quickly relieved and cured in a few days by that celebrated medicine, BLAIR’S GOUT and RHEUMATIC PILLS. They require no restraint of diet or confinement during their use, and are certain to prevent the disease attacking any vital part. Sold by ail medicine venders, at is. i£d. and 2s. 9d. per box, or obtained through any chemist. B ILIOUS and Liver Complaints, Indigestion, Sick Headache, Loss of Appetite, Drowsiness, Giddiness, Spasms, and all Di sorders of the Stomach and Bowels are quickly removed by that well- kn own remedy, FRAMPTON’S PILLS OF HEALTH. They unite the recommendation of a mild operation with the most success- ful effect ; and where an aperient is required nothing can be better adapted. S old by all medicine vendors, at is. i^d. and 2s. 5d. per box, or obtained through any chemist. I ADVERTISEMENTS. 629 Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland. THE DIRECT ROUTE FROM DUBLIN TO THE WEST AND NORTH-WEST OF IRELAND, affording cheap and expeditious conveyance for PASSENGERS, PARCELS, AND GOODS to Athenry, Athlone, Ballina, Ballaghaderrin, Boyle, Bailie- borough, Ballinasloe, Ballinrobe, Castlebar, Carrick-on-Shannon, Clara, Clifden, Cavan, Claremorris, Crossdoney, Ennis, Gort, Galway, Lisdoon varna, Longford, Loughrea, Moate, Mullingar, Roscommon, Sligo, Swinford, Tuam, Westport, and other im- portant towns. Also forming connections with the following railways, viz. - At Athenry, with the Athenry and Ennis, and Athenry and Tuam Companies. At Athlone and Clara, with the Great Southern and Western Company. At Cavan, with the Irish North-Western and Ulster Companies. And at Navan, with the Northern Company. DURING THE SUMMER SEASON CHEAP CIRCULAR TOURIST TICKETS Are issued at the principal stations on the London and North- Western and other Railways in England and Scotland to Galway, Westport, Ballina, or Sligo ; also from Broad stone station, Dublin, enabling the holders to visit the romantic district of Connemara, the beautiful L^kes of Kylemore and Glen- dalough, Killery Bay, and Sal Ruck Pass ; the grand ocean cliffs of Achill and Erris ; the famed spas of Lisdoon- varna, and the popular watering-places of Kilkee and Miltown Malbay, on the coast of Clare ; and many other interesting localities in the neighbourhood of Sligo, Ballina, Westport, and Galway. *** Refer to ToTirist Programmes of the respective railway and steam companies, or apply to J. E. WARD, Manager. Broadstone, Terminus, Dublin, May 1875. 630 ADVERTISEMENTS. IRISH NORTH - WESTERN RAILWAY. THE ROYAL MAIL ROUTE Between Londonderry (the Maiden City) and Dublin, via Enniskillen, The Route for Lough Erne, Bundoran, Belleek, Sligo, the Donegal Highlands, etc. For particulars of Tourist Arrangements, see Programmes, which can be had on application at the various stations, or from HENRY PLEWS, Manager. Enniskillen. SPECIALITIES FOR TRA TELLERS AND OTHERS. EDW AED TANK’S PAPER COLLARS AND CUFFS Of the best make, for Ladies and Gentlemen. SAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATED PRICE LIST SENT FOR SIX STAMPS. EDWARD TANN, 308, High Holborn, W.C. ARMSTRONG & WEBSTER, WINE AND SPIRIT MERCHANTS, 75 , GREAT TOWER STREET, LONDON, E.C. Samples and Prices sent on application. Stores Shipped Free of Duty. ADVERTISEMENTS. 631 LONDON & NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY. •N These hotels are situated one on each side of the entrance to Euston station. The Porters attend the Arrival of the Trains . 632 ADVERTISEMENTS. LONDON & NORTH-WESTERN COMPANY. <2 £ ^ O v o 'rt bX) rs g 1/1 §1 Bathing, Billiards, Posting. J. PORTER, PROPRIETOR. KILLARNEY. LAKES OF KILLARNEY. By Her Most Gracious Majesty's Special Permission . THE ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL, Patronized by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales; by H.R.H. Prince Arthur, on his visit to Ireland ; and by the Royal Families of France and Belgium, &c. This hotel is situated on the Lower Lake, close to the water’s edge, within ten minutes’ drive of the railway station, and a short distance from the far-famed Gap of Dunloe. It is lighted with gas, and has a postal telegraph office attached. TABLE D’HOTE DURING THE SEASON. Boarding terms from November to May. THE BELTON HOTEE, 55 & 56, UPPER SACKVILLE STREET, DUBLIN, has been enlarged and newly furnished. The Bilton has been established upwards of fifty years, and is largely patronised by the nobility, gentry, and officers of both services and their families, for whom it is specially adapted. All communications to be addressed to the Proprietor. AD VERTISEMENTS. 643 COTTON’S IMPERIAL HOTEL, Pembroke Street. CORK, IRE LAND. P. CU RRY, Prop rietor. This long-established and well-known hotel is conducted on the most approved and modern system. It possesses every requisite to promote the comfort and convenience of Tourists. The hotel contains One Hundred and Ten Bedrooms, Ball-room, Two Coffee-rooms, Commercial Room, a Drawing Room for Ladies and Families, several Suites of Private Apartments, Smoking and Billiard Rooms, Bath Rooms, etc., etc. A TABLE D'HOTE DAILY. The hotel adjoins the General Post-Office, as also the Commercial Build- ing, where merchants meet on ’change, and the earliest telegraphic news is received, at the reading room, to which visitors to the hotel have free ac- cess. It has been patronized within the last few years by all the different sovereigns and royal families of Europe visiting Ireland, — by all the suc- cessive Lords-Lieutenant, — and has, every season, THE BEST AMERICAN PATRONAGE. THE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND MOST MODERATE. The Imperial omnibuses attend the arrival and departure of each train. P. CURRY, late “ Railway Hotel,” Killarney. THE SHELBOUBNE HOTEL, St. Stephen’s Green, DUBLI N, IRE LAND. JURY AND COTTON, Proprietors. This splendid hotel, one of the finest in Europe, was reopened in 1867, after having been rebuilt from the foundation, and all modern improvements added, including FIRE-ESCAPE and PATENT ELEVATOR, giving easy access to upper rooms. It contains, on the ground floor, a magnificent Coffee Room, a Ladies’ Coffee Room, Drawing Room, a Table d’Hote Room, and a General Reading Room. There are also a Smoking Room, a Billiard Room, a Hair-dressing Room , and a Telegraph Office. In addition to these there are six floors, containing One Hundred and Fifty Bedrooms, With Bath Rooms, and 24 first-class Sitting Rooms, arranged en suite for the convenience of families, whereby the privacy of home, with the complete- ness of a first-class establishment, is secured. The situation of the hotel is the most delightful in the city. Its aspect is southerly, and from each window a splendid view of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains is obtained, whilst it has the advantage of possessing, for the use of its visitors, the large and beautifully laid out pleasure-grounds of the Green. As respects the railways, the situation is also more central than that of any other hotel in Dublin. TABLE D'HOTE DAILY. Every arrangement for the comfort of A merican Visitors. 644 ADVERTISEMENTS. THE GRESHAM HOTEL, UPPER SACKVILLE STREET, DUBLIN. This magnificent establishment — admitted to be one of the best in Europe — patronized by the Imperial Family of France, and several of the reigning families of the Continent, ex-presi- dents of America, ambassadors, nobility, gentry, and the public from all parts of the world. It has been remodelled, elegantly furnished, and, with entire renovations, is now REPLETE WITH EVERY POSSIBLE MODERN IMPROVEMENT . It contains 120 Bed Rooms, 19 magnificent Drawing Rooms and Sitting Rooms, with spacious and elegant Coffee Rooms for Ladies and Gentlemen ; with several suites of rooms particularly adapted for families. A SUPERB BILLIARD & SMOKING ROOM. The proprietors, being determined not only to maintain the world-wide reputation of The Gresham Hotel, but to meet the advance of public opinion respecting the charges of first-class hotels, have decided upon a reduction of their tariff, now in operation, and to which they invite the attention of the nobility, gentry, tourists, and families. The Leading American Journals taken in. CONTINENTAL LANGUAGES SPOKEN. PROPRIETORS : THE GRESHAM HOTEL COMPANY (LIMITED). ADVERTISEMENTS. 645 LOWER S HANNON AND KILKEE. MOORE'S HOTEL, KILKEE. Tourists purposing to visit the delightful scenery of the western coast are respectfully informed that this establishment has been fitted up in a style that will insure them all the accommodation and comfort of a city hotel. A magnificent Public Drawing Room for Ladies, Billiard Room, and a Smoking Room. Every exertion is used by the proprietor to secure from each individual a confirmation of the character his house bears. Table d'Hote during the Season. Hotel Omnibus and Porter attend the Steamers. Kilkee has high recommendation as a route from Killarney to Connemara. The Midland Great Western Ticket, No. 6, is available from Broadstone for Kilkee, Circular Tour (see Prospectus). A car to and from Kilkee to Lisdoonvarna, via Cliffs of Moher, during season. MANOR HOUSE HOTEL, LEAMINGTON. FOR FAMILIES AND GENTLEMEN. Beautifully situated in its own grounds, within three minutes’ walk of North-Western and Great Western stations, and one minute’s walk from the post office. CHARGES VERY MODERATE. ELEGANT COFFEE BOOM FOB LADIES. Private Rooms en suite. Spacious Billiard Room and Croquet Lawn, Archery Ground, Pleasure Boats, &c. Special attention has been given to selection of the Wines, &c., quality and purity of which are guaranteed. Terms on application. There is excellent spring water on the premises. WILLIAM WALSH, Manager. “THE MIDUAJND” DINING ROOMS, SI, AND 53, LIME STREET, LIVERPOOL. Ladies and gentlemen, or commercial gentlemen travelling, will find the above rcoms replete with every accommodation and attention. JOHN HIND, Proprietor. 646 AD VEX TI SEME NTS. LEAMINGTON -REGENT HOTEL. A First-class Family and Hunting Establishment. Flys and Omnibus meet all the Great Western and London and North-Western Trains. Posting, &c. L. BISHOP, Proprietor. ADVERTISEMENTS. 647 LEAMINGTON.-CROWN HOTEL. For Families and Gentlemen. — Ladies’ Coffee Room. Situated close to the railway stations. Two minutes’ walk from the Post-office, 648 ADVERTISEMENTS. LLANBERIS. THE DOLBADARN HOTEL AND POSTING HOUSE. This hotel has, since last season, been completely renovated and con- siderably enlarged, in view of adding to the comfort of those who may favour it with their patronage. Guides and ponies to Snowdon at Reduced Charges. Boats on the Lake, &c. Coaches during the season to all parts of the Principality. R. ROBERTS, Proprietor. ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL, LLAMBEEIS. This hotel (which makes up more than sixty beds) is one of the best modern-built houses in the kingdom, and is beautifully situated at the junc- tion of the two splendid lakes at the foot of Snowdon. The ruins of Dolbardarn Castle are close to the hotel, which is within view of Mr. Assheton Smith’s far-famed slate quarries, and at the entrance to the beautiful Pass of Llanberis. The proprietor has spared no expense in rendering the hotel in every respect a first-class house— determined that it shall become celebrated for its comfort and accommodation, for the excellence of its wines, and for the attention and civility of its servants. An unusually large cellar of wines — Ports of the vintages of 1840, 1842, 1844, 1847. Posting in all its branches — respectable and experienced drivers. Well accustomed ponies, which, with ease and perfect safety, carry the visitors to the very summit of Snowdon {the easiest and shortest ascent being from the Llanberis side of the mountain). The principal guide has a good knowledge of the plants indigenous and peculiar to Snowdon. The lakes and streams of Llanberis are celebrated for the sport they afford the angler. Boats on the lakes, for visitors to the hotel only, with trustworthy attendants. Divine service in English on Sundays. The MISSES WILLIAMS, Proprietresses. LLANBERLS. PADARN VILLA HOTEL. This hotel is under new management, has been reently beautified, and will be found one of the most comfortable and best-conducted houses in the Principality. A new billiard room added. Posting in all its branches. Coaches during the season to and from Bettws-y-Coed, Capel Curig, Bedd- gelert, and thence per rail to all parts of the kingdom. Ponies and guides to Snowdon at reduced charges. MRS. GRIFFITHS, Proprietress. ' ADVERTISEMENTS. 649 LLANDUDNO. THE ROYAL HOTEL Is the oldest established in the town ; it has been recently much enlarged by the addition of a Splendid Coffee Room and Ladies’ Drawing Room. Its situation is elevated, and from its windows a fine view of the towi\, together with both Llandudno and Conway Bays, is obtained. Its furnishing will be found most complete. It is within two minutes’ walk of the beach. ALL ATTENDANCE CHARGED IN THE BILL. LLANDUDNO. 411 If HI SOT IS* CAPACIOUS AND ELEGANT COFFEE-ROOM AND DRAWING-ROOM, WITH SEA-VIEW. TABLE D’HOTE DAILY. A COMMODIOUS AND COMFORTABLE BILLIARD-ROOM. Stabling, Coach-house, and Loose Boxes* ®mnftu0 meets tfje Crams. Extract from John Bull, August 31st, 1871. Of Welsh hotels, we may mention with especial favour. . . . While ‘the Adelphi Hotel’ is far the best at Llandudno.” — Notes for Tourists. 8T. GEORGE'S HOTEL, LLANDUDNO. ISAIAH DAVIES, Proprietor. AN ELEGANT COFFEE ROOM FACING THE SEA. TABLE D’HOTE DAILY. Billiards. A New Croquet Ground. I An Omnibus Meets Every Train. 42 650 ADVERTISEMENTS. THE DRUMMOND HOTEL, EUSTON TERMINUS, LONDON. FOR FAMILIES AND GENTLEMEN. Reasonable and Comfortable. Conveniently situated for reaching all parts of London. A NIGHT PORTER. H. SIRKETT, Proprietor. VICTORIA HOTEL, MARGARET SQUARE, NEWRY. This hotel is situated in the principal street of the prosperous and busy borough town of Newry. It has been recently fitted up, and is admirably adapted to meet the requirements of Families and Commercial Gentlemen. M. McFEDRIES, Proprietress. Bus attends all Trains. Posting in all its Branches. THE ANTRIM ARMS HOTEL, PORTRUSH. The only first-class hotel facing the sea, with an uninterrupted view of the Atlantic. posting in all its branches. T. E. LINDEN, Proprrietor. ~ OXFORD. ROEBUCK HOTEL. WILLIAM PARK, Proprietor. This first-class hotel having recently been enlarged, visitors to Oxford will find it replete with every comfort ; and from its situation it is most convenient for Families, Boating Parties, and Commercial Gentlemen. Ladies’ Coffee Room. Billiards. AD VER TISEMENTS . 651 PATTEN ARMS HOTEL, WARRINGTON, FAMILY AND COMMERCIAL HOTEL, RAILWAY STATION. NIGHT PORTER. STRATFORD-ON-AVON. SHAKESPEARE HOTEL. This old established hotel is centrally situated, being next door to the Town Hall, a few minutes’ walk from the house where Shakespeare was born, five doors from where he died, and within five minutes’ walk from the grand old church where his remains lie buried. The hotel has recently been en- larged and re-decorated throughout, and contains every requisite for the comfort and accommodation of families and commercial gentlemen. Omni- buses and carriages bearing the name of the hotel meet all the trains. C. JUSTINS, Proprietor. WARWICK ARMS HOTEL, WARWICK. A FIRST-CLASS FAMILY HOTEL. Five minutes’ walk to the Castle. Central to all places of interest. Ladies’ coffee room. POSTING, etc. LEONARD BALDWIN, Proprietor. M. COOK, WOOLPACK, FAMILY AND COMMERCIAL HOTEL, MARKET SQUARE, 652 ADVERTISEMENTS. WILLIAM SUMNERS, 48 & 50, OLD HALL STREET, LIVERPOOL, FOR THIRTY YEARS A PRACTICAL BREECH-LOADING GUN AND RIFLE MANUFACTURER Of every description, with Barrels bored to shoot medium or very close and hard. Old Barrels can be re-bored on the new system, or new Barrels fitted. My Patent Wedge Fast Action Breech-Loader is the strongest in the world. Price from^io upwards. Ammunition of all kinds, wholesale and retail. JET ORNAMENTS, JOHN JACKSON, manufacturer of 3[et Ornaments To H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge, etc., ETC., 16, WESTBOROUGH STREET, SCARBOROUGH. A select assortment of Jet Ornaments in plain and ornamental designs always in stock, and a choice selection of fine Enamel Paintings, Cameos, Mosaics, Ammonites, Ivory, etc., set in Jet, as Brooches, Bracelets, etc A List of Prices Post Free. GOODS SENT SAFELY PACKED TO ALL PARTS. Established upwards of thirty yesai . ADVERTISEMENTS. 653 ROBERT JONES, GUN MANUFACTURER, 60, DALE STREET, LIVERPOOL. Special manufacturer of fine quality SPORTING GUNS and RIFLES. Inventor and patentee of JONES’S PATENT CENTRAL- FIRE BREECH-LOADING GUNS. Prize Medals have been awarded at Several Exhibitions . HARRIS, Juttratsm JONES, & SHINGLETON, 319, OXFORD STREET, LONDON (10 doors West of Regent Circus), AND AT 60, NEW BOND STREET. Newest and Best Goods at the most Moderate Prices. Patterns and Forms of Self-Measurement sent to all parts of the World. CHUBB’S PATENT SAFES Fire and Thief-Resisting, and PATENT DETECTOR LOCKS. Illustrated Price Lists gratis and Post free . CHUBB & SON, Makers to the Queen and the Bank of England ’ 57, St. Paul's Churchyard, London ; 28, Lord Street, Liverpool ; 68 { Cross Street, Manchester ; Horseley Fields, Wolver- hampton ; and 80, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 654 AD VER TISEMENTS. ESTABLISHED 1780. WILLIAMS AND POWELL, MANUFACTURERS OF FINE BREECH-LOADERS, Inventors and Sole Manufacturers of the Patent “SIMPLEX” BREECH-LOADER AND INDEPENDENT EXTRACTOR. This is the simplest and strongest action ; it consists of only two pieces, the lever and grip being one solid piece of steel. Can be used either with or without the spring. Pronounced the best Top Snap in the trade. The Independent Extractor does not weaken the Barrels, and can be removed at pleasure. It has great ad- vantages over all other extractors. Guns guaranteed to make patters of from 160 to 230 pellets of No. 6 shot at 40 yards in 30-inch circle. Drawings and illustrated catalogues on application. Address to office : SOUTH CASTLE STREET, LIVERPOOL. THE LEAMINGTON APNEUMATIC MINERAL WATERS. Under Royal Patronage. Kinmond and Co. beg to call the attention of dealers and consumers of mineral waters to the numerous spurious imitations of their manufactures which have been caused by the general excellence and purity of these waters, and to announce that all mineral waters made by them are how, and have been for some time, labelled “ Kinmond and Co.," late “ J. Daily and Co." (same as labels affixed), and none are genuine and are not made by the old firm of J. Daily and Co. which do not bear the names “ Kinmond and Co.," ate “ J. Daily and Co.," and our trade mark. LEAMINGTON SODA APNEUMATIC WATER. BRIGHTON SELTZER. Supplied to Her Majesty the Supplied to Her Majesty the Queen, 1858. Queen, 1858. H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, 1862. 1862. KINMOND & Co., (late J. DAILY & CO.), LEAMINGTON. AD VER T 7 SEMENTS. 655 IRON AND BRASS B EDSTEADS . PEYTON & TEDCASTLE Respectfully invite inspection of their extensive showrooms, which contain a stock of upwards of 3,000 IRON AND BRASS BEDSTEADS. P. & T. also wish to direct attention to their display of BEDROOM FURNITURE, Consisting of suites in mahogany, walnut, oak, American ash, satinwood, polished pine, plain and inlaid, by far the largest variety to be seen in Ireland. Please note, — PEYTON AND TEDCASTLE, Bedstead Manufacturers, Cabinet Makers, & Upholsterers 40, UPPER S ACKVILLE STR EET, DUBLIN. Manufactory — BORDESLEY WORKS, BIRMINGHAM. GREENSILL’S FAR-FAMED MONA BOUQUET. THE ORIGINAL AND ONLY GENUINE. The increasing popularity of this exquisite Perfume is a proof of its excellent quality. Introduced in 1852. T, S. GREENSILL, 78, Strand Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, bona-fide Proprietor and Inventor. AGENTS. — London : J. Sanger and Son ; S. Maw, Son, and Thompson; Wm. Edwards ; F. Newbury and Sons ; Wm. Mather ; Barclay and Sons; Whittaker and Grossmith. Liverpool : Evans, Sons, and Co. ; Clay, Dod, and Case ; R. Sumner and Co. ; Raimes and Co. Manchester : J. Wool- ley ; Jewsbury and Brown ; Lynch and Bateman. Edinburgh : Duncan and Flockhart ; Sang and Barker. Dublin : M ‘Master, Hodgson, and Co. York : Sutcliffe and Headley ; Clark, Bleasdale, and Co. Thirsk : Wm. Foggitt. Bristol : Ferris and Co. Leeds : Goodall, Blackhouse, and Co. REGISTERED TRADE MARK — TOWER OF REFUGE. 656 AD VER TISEMENTS. JOSEPH GILLOTT’S CELEBRATED ST EEL PE NS- SOLD BY ALL DEALERS THROU GHOU T THE WORLD. Every Packet bears the fac simile Signature MR. E. BALL, DENTIST, 4, BRIDGE STREET, SPRING GARDENS, BUXTON. 78, GROSVENOR STREET, OXFORD STREET, MANCHESTER. ADVERTISEMENTS. 657 NORTON & SHAW, tarist & (fomtam jJimim, HOTEL & TRAVELLING CONTRACTORS, &c., 7, GARRICK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. AND EUSTON SQUARE, N.W., LONDON ; 4, PARKER STREET, LIVERPOOL; 3 & 5, QUEEN’S SQUARE, BELFAST; 1 with Agents in all the Principal Towns in the United Kingdom. Passengers may now be booked to all the principal tourist districts in Great Britain and Ireland, the Continent of Europe, America, and Around the World. 6 5 8 AD VER TISEMENTS. SHAW'S CIRCULAR TOURS FOR TRAVELLING THROUGH THE PICTURESQUE LAKE AND MOUNTAIN DISTRICT AND CHIEF CITIES OF IRELAND are so arranged as to enable the tourist to travel by the SHORTEST AND QUICKEST ROUTES TO IRELAND, Via HOLYHEAD, AND THE ONLY THROUGH ROUTE FROM LONDON TO HOLYHEAD WITHOUT CHANGE OF CARRIAGE. SHAW’S HOTEL COUPONS are supplied to Tourists travelling with Norton and Shaw’s Tourist Tickets in Great Britain and Ireland, and may be ob- tained from Norton and Shaw, 7, Garrick Street, W.C., and Euston Square, N.W., London; 4, Parker Street, Liverpool; and Rostrevor Quay, County Down, Ireland ; and from their agents in Birmingham, Manchester, Dublin, Belfast, Queenstown, Londonderry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, &c. ADVERTISEMENTS . 659 HENRY GAZE k SON, Tourist Directors and Hotel Contractors. AGENTS FOR TOURIST TICKETS TO FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, THE RHINE, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, ITALY, AND ALL PARTS OF THE CONTINENT, By Short Sea Routes, vid Calais, Boulogne, and Ostend, TOURIST AGENTS FOR THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. CIRCULAR TOURS FOR ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND, AND WALES. SHAW’S CIRC DEAR TOURS IN IRELAND, GAZE’S POPULAR TOURS TO PALESTINE, EGYPT, GREECE, ETC., AND DAHABEAH TRIPS UP THE NILE. Agents for all the principal Atlantic Steamship Companies, and for Tourist and General Travel in THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. GAZE’S HOTEL COUPONS FOR SELECT HOTELS IN EUROPE AND THE EAST. GAZE’S TOURIST GAZETTE, 2d., post free 3d., to be obtained of H. Gaze and Son, Tourist Office, 142, Strand, or at the following Branch Offices : — Liverpool. — Norton and Shaw, Parker Street. Manchester, Abel Heywood and Son, Oldham Street, Birmingham, Mr. J. Mallinson, New Street, Station. Rome, Mr. S. R. Forbes, 79 & 80, Piazza di Spagna, Paris, 30, Boulevard des Italiens. Brussels, Mr. Suffell, 8, Montagne de la Gour. Geneva, Mr. Natural, 12, Grand Quai. Jaffa, Mr. P. Blattner (Chief Eastern Office). Jerusalem, Mr. Homstein, Mediterranean Hotel. Cairo, Mr. Friedmann, Hotel du Nil. Beyrout, Mr. Bassoul, Hotel d’Orient. And at New York, Auburn, and Toronto. Also at Messrs. Smith and Sons’ Railway Bookstalls, 66o AD VERTISEMENTS. LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY OF ENGLAND. ROYAL MAIL ROUTE. Passengers from the United States intending to visit Europe are informed that THROUGH TICKETS for the portion of the journey across England by the London and North-Western Rail- way (the direct route from Liverpool to London) are obtainable AT ANY OF THE OFFICES OF THE TRANS-ATLANTIC STEAMSHIP COMPANIES IN NEW YORK AND BOSTON. LIVERPOOL TERMINUS. At Liverpool (one of the termini of the line) arrangements of a most comp ete character have been made for dealing with passengers to and from America, as well as their bag- gage. On arrival at Liverpool, carts will be found in readiness to convey passengers’ baggage to the Lime Street station, the scale of charges in operation being regulated by a tariff laid down by the municipal authorities. The company have representatives appointed to meet the steam vessels on arrival at Liverpool, and to act on the instructions of the passengers with reference to the conveyance of their luggage. A magnificent hotel, “The North-Western,” containing upwards of two hundred bedrooms, with spacious coffee room available for ladies and gentlemen, and .replete with every accom- modation, adjoins this terminus. EXPRESS TRAINS, at frequent intervals, leave for London (which is reached in five hours), Manchester, Birmingham, and all parts of the kingdom. At Liverpool (Lime Street terminus) THROUGH TICKETS can be obtained for all parts of the United Kingdom, either for tours or single journeys. Passengers wishing to make arrangements for Continental journeys can obtain every information at Messrs. Gaze and Son’s branch offices at the Lime Street station, and No. 4, Parker Street ; or at the head office in London (142, Strand). Passengers desiring to obtain informa- tion in Liverpool respecting the London and North-Western Railway, should apply to Mr. James Shaw, the district superintendent at Lime Street station. IRISH MAIL. TO LONDON. The Cunard, Inman, and other lines of steamers put in at Queenstown, and by alighting at this place, American passengers can avail themselves of the Irish mail trains by the Great Southern and Western Railway to Dublin, and thence proceed to Kingstown, the port from which the magnificent steam vessels of the City of Dublin Company leave for Holyhead, where on landing the passengers can at once seat themselves in the splendidly-equipped carriages of the London and North-Western Company’s celebrated Irish mail train for London. The mail train completes the journey from Holyhead to London (264 miles) in sgven and a half hours, there being only three stoppages on the way. The engines are pro- vided with an apparatus by which they are enabled, as they travel, to take up water from horizontal troughs which are laid between the fails. Sleeping saloons are at- tached to the night mails both from and to London. KENILWORTH, WARWICK, STRATFORD ON-AVON. The Irish mail trains from Holyhead, and the express train from Liverpool, afford a rapid service to Birmingham. Kenilworth and Warwick are easily reached by the trains from New Street station, Birmingham. A new line of railway has been opened through from Stratford-on-Avon to London, via Blisworth, by which quick trains are run daily. LONDON TERMINUS. The London terminus of the London and North-Western Railway is at Euston Square, and there are two hotels for the accommodation of families and gentlemen, immediately adjoining the station — the “Victoria,” on the western side and the " Euston,” on the eastern side of the entrance. The London and North-Western Railway Company have central offices in Manchester and Birmingham, with complete arrangements for through bookings. The company’s superintendents will afford all information to visitors in those districts. For information respecting trains, fares, etc., apply to Mr. G. P. Neele, Superintendent of the Line, Euston Station. „ , .... The London and North-Western Railway Company have also through booking ar rangements for parcels and goods traffic from Liverpool and Holyhead, to all the prin- cipal towns in the kingdom and on the Continent. Full particulars as to merchandise can^be obtained of Mr. Thomas Kay, Chief Goods Manager, Euston station. GEORGE FINDLAY, Chief Traffic Manager . : f LONDON & NOR TH WESTERN RAILWAY AND ITS COMMUNICATIONS — THE LAKE DISTRICT.