href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@46223@[email protected]#LETTER_XXIV" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">LETTER XXIV.

A rout ‘par excellence.’ English squeeze. Visit to Cobham. Lord D——’s birthday.
Mr. Child’s speech. Rochester Castle. The most natural camel. The downfall.
The water party. Return to London. The Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures.
The nursery-garden. ‘Apperçu’ of English fashionable society.

262

Departure from London. Cheltenham. English comfort. Mineral waters. Promenades.
Sources of the Thames. Lackington Hill. The village in the wood.
Ancient Roman villa. Tea-garden. Avenues. Master of the Ceremonies. Field
of Tewksbury. Worcester. Cathedral. King John. The Templar. Prince
Arthur’s tomb. Enjoyments of travelling. Picture in the mist. Vale of Llangollen.
Churchyard, and view from it. Mountain breakfast. Celebrated ladies.
Visit to them. Lofty mountains. Comparison with those of Silesia. The road.
The stone bishop. The indefatigable. Jest and Earnest. German titles. German
placemen. German nobles. Romances. Feudal opinions. English domestic architecture.
Penrhyn Castle. The slate quarry. Operations there. Reflections
of a pious soul of Sandomir, or Sandomich. Conversions. Missions. Extracts from
Berlin journals.

272

Bangor. Welsh driving. Lake of Llanberris. Fish-hunting dogs. Storm. Shelter
in the old castle. Hut, and its inhabitants. Ascent of Snowdon. Mountain poney
and sheep. Veiled summit and my double. Libation. Rocky path. View. Region
of birds of prey. Return on the lake. Caernarvon Castle. Edward’s birth. King’s
stratagem. Origin of the English Motto. Contrast in the ruins. Eagle Tower.
Sea-bath. Billiard table. Weather and eating. The Hebe of Caernarvon. Extracts
from the “Lammszeitung.” Intolerance of Berlin Saints. Church and King sole
guides of faith. Duties of rich and poor contrasted. Promenade round Bangor.
Bath at Bangor. Beaumaris. The castle. Craig y don. Menai Straits. Chain
bridge over the sea.

293

Plague of flies. Project for a Park. Plas Newydd. Cromlechs. Druid’s cottage.
New kaleidescope. Journey into the interior of the mountains. Unworthy views of
Providence. Protestant Jesuits. Destinies of man. Cars. Lake of Idwal. Path
at the foot of the Trivaen. Welsh guide. Wearisome ascent. Rose-coloured light.
Valley of Rocks. The eagle. “The bad pass.” Bog. Capel Cerig. Valley of
Gwynant. Elysium. Dinas Emris. Merlin’s rock. Dangers. Pleasant inn at
Bedgellert. The blind harper and his blind dog. The Devil’s bridge. Tan y
Bwlch. Beautiful Park. Gigantic dam. Tremadoc. Reminiscences of sand, dirt,
and father-land. Evening fancies. Crumbs of philosophy. Possessor of Penrhyn
Castle. Road over Penman Mawr. Conway Castle with fifty-two towers. “Contentment”
villa. The Queen’s closet. Hooke and his forty-one sons. Gothic mania.
Truly respectable Englishman. Fashion-hunting.

303

‘Vie de Château.’ Cathedral at St. Asaph. Tabernacle. True faith. Denbigh Castle.
Meeting of Harpers. Romantic Valley. Pretty Fanny. Her dairy and aviary.
Paradise of fowls. Ride through romantic country. Short stay at Craig y Don.
Newspaper article. Irish dinner. Happy condition of the middle classes. Opinions
on England. The Isle of Anglesea. Paris mines. Copper smelting. New inventions.
Holyhead. Light-house. Terrific rocks. Sea-birds. Hanging bridge. Stormy
passage to Ireland. First Impression of the country. Dublin. Exhibition of fruits
and flowers. Walk in the city. Sight-seeing. Palace of the Lord Lieutenant, and
modern Gothic chapel. University. My Cicerone. Organ of the Armada. Archimedes’
burning glass. Portraits of Swift and Burke. Battle of Navarino. Phœnix
Park. Characteristics of the people. Lady B——. The meaning of “character”
in England. The Liffy. W—— Park. Charming entrance. “The Three Rocks.”
Beautiful view. Irish peasant women. Wooden Capuchin. The Dandy. Comfortable
arrangements for the English aristocracy. Country visit. First interview
with Lady M——. Unfortunate end of a ride. Further particulars concerning the
Muse of Ireland.

317

Ride on horseback into the county Wicklow. Bray. Student’s equipment. English
piety. Kilruddery. Glen of the Downs. Summer-house. Vale of Durwan. The
giant. The Devil’s Glen. Küleborn. Rural repast in Rosanna. The tourists.
Avondale, an Eden by moonlight. Avoca Inn. The meeting of the Waters. Castle
Howard. Beautiful portrait of Mary Stuart. Bally Arthur. The ha-ha. My horse
at blind-man’s buff. Shelton Abbey. The negro porter. Loss of my pocket-book.
What is a gentleman? Valley of Glenmalure. Lead mines. Military road. The
sun behind black masses of clouds. The seven churches. Mysterious tower without
an entrance. The black lake of St. Kevin. The giant Fian M’Cumhal. The
enamoured Princess. Her tragical end, and the saint’s excessive rigour. Irish toilet.
Walter Scott and Moore in the mouth of a peasant. Morass and will-o’-the-wisp.
A night upon straw. Hedge of Mist. First peep of sun over the lake and valley
of Luggelaw. Romantic solitude. The statue of rock. P—— Park. Intolerance,
cant, and abuse of the Sunday. Sugar-loaf. Rich country. Repose by the brook.
Lord Byron.

331