W. Finden

“ Nothing can be more elegant and beautiful, as it appears lightly spanning the river, and suffering the eye to penetrate its net-like fabric, so as scarcely to offer an obstruction to the landscape which shines through it. The scenery at this point is exceedingly interesting, and presents the works of nature, and art, and human genius, in striking combination. ”

“ Previously to that epoch there was no spirit, no scope for commercial enterprise, and consequently no harbour, nor dock, nor warehouse. But now spacious harbours extend for several miles along the bank of the Mersey: on the bosom of the river stately merchantmen, outward or homeward bound, laden with the produce of every clime, are continually passing and repassing; while the usual embellishments which follow a train of successful industry are apparent at every step of our progress, adding ever varying features of beauty and animation to the landscape. ”

“ In many parts along this picturesque coast, the limestone rocks swell over a fine sandy beach into perpendicular cliffs of great boldness, exhibiting vast quantities of organic remains, and worn in many places into deep and lofty caverns. Built on a cliff of this description, and with all the necessary accessories of vigilance and security, it could have been hardly possible to have selected anything more eligible for a feudal keep, whose chiefs generally chose their fortalices as the eagle chooses his eyry,—to secure a wide field for himself, and exclude lesser birds of prey. ”

“ The castellated building seen in the engraving is a gentleman's seat, and is of modern erection, combining the interior comforts of modern civilization with the exterior grandeur of a baronial residence of the middle ages; but whether such a combination is lawful, admits of a doubt. Beheld from the sea, with its towers and battlements rising above the luxuriant plantations around it, has a fine and imposing effect. The grounds are extensive and well designed, possessing at once the scenery of a park and the cultivated beauty of a pleasure-ground. ”

“ The Port of London commences at London Bridge. The forest of masts which rises in direct view—thickening in perspective till it is lost in the distance—announces the vast extent of that Commerce which stretches its arms to the "uttermost parts of the globe." ”

“ This romantic village, which consists of only one irregular street, is much frequented as sea-bathing quarters, for which it has every accommodation, and, in respect to bold and picturesque scenery, has few rivals in the whole Principality. The sea-beach affords every facility for pedestrian exercise; the walks along the banks of the river are numerous, and command the most striking points of view; while regular assemblies, and some of the best Cambrian harps, promote social intercourse and hilarity among the visitors, and give a stir and animation to the whole neighbourhood. ”

“ Highly favoured by nature in a romantic point of view, the striking features of this locality have been duly taken advantage of in constructing a series of marine villas, all in harmony with the native landscape. These, with the most picturesque effects as viewed from a distance, combine every accommodation that can be desired,—either for families of distinction, or private individuals; while the air, which the invalid inhales from the atmosphere around him, produces a degree of vigour and exhilaration, which is rarely experienced in situations more inland or less elevated. ”

“ Washed by the crystal Derwent and finely wooded,—with rocks, and fountains, and precipices, scattered at random through the charming landscape,—the visitor is tempted to pass much of his time in the open air, which accelerates the cure the water has begun. ”

“ A range of sand banks run parallel with the coast for many miles, but several channels intervene, giving sufficient depth for vessels of the heaviest draught at high water, at which time the Mersey presents the most interesting and striking scene,—particularly when a westerly wind favours the arrival of the numerous fleets destined to this port, bearing the flags and freighted with the produce of all nations that have found a place in the chart of commercial enterprise. ”

“ The rapidity with which Hastings can be reached from the metropolis, while it has greatly increased the number of its visiters, has, perhaps, robbed it of part of that exclusiveness for which it was formerly distinguished. It is now the summer resort of a large and constantly-increasing number of the middle class, who derive a new stock of health from its genial breezes and bracing waves, while their expenditure forms the support of the large and constantly-increasing resident population. ”

“ A gateway on the south side of the Castle is called the Queen's Gate, from the circumstance of Queen Eleanor having entered the fortress through this gate, by a temporary bridge erected for the occasion.
Our limits do not permit us to indulge in more minute description of this vast and imposing fortress, which, from the state of repair in which it is still kept, may brave the changes of season and the fury of the elements for many generations to come. Externally it is still entire, and challenges the admiration of all who have the least taste for what is sublime and striking in architecture. ”

“ The houses are chiefly built of a kind of marble found in the vicinity, and are so scattered among the hills and dales as to command delightful views of the surrounding country. On the coast the rock scenery is truly magnificent, and from the heights the eye ranges over a wide extent of cultivated land, abounding in every variety of nature, and terminated by the distant outline of the mountain tops. ”

“ Commerce is the first step to empire, and, successfully prosecuted, never fails to consolidate the strength and independence of the state. To this important end no city in the kingdom has so amply contributed as Liverpool; none of our rivers, the Thames excepted, has wafted to our shores so many precious cargoes as the Mersey, nor exported so much of the produce of our native manufactures to all parts of the world. This great commercial city, rapid as its progress has been, is still advancing in the career of prosperity ”

“ The Town-pier—having superseded the old and unpleasant process of boating—is a structure of vast convenience as a landing place, and is besides of excellent design and execution. It consists of insulated columns, or piles of cast-iron, supporting a floor or stage, and extends into the river about fifty feet beyond low-water-mark. In summer this stage is covered with an awning, under which visitors can promenade, sheltered from sun or shower, and enjoy the entertainment furnished by an excellent band of music, which takes its daily station on the Pier. ”

“ Its form is that of a round tower, the foundation of which is a hundred and forty feet, and the light two hundred feet above the sea—so that it embraces within its sphere the whole bay of Caernarvon. The approach by water to this remarkable sanctuary of human life is well calculated to make a lasting impression upon every visitor, and should never be omitted where a favourable opportunity is presented by the state of the weather. It is here that the extremes of natural desolation and human industry are brought into juxtaposition ”

“ The shipping off Blackwall—the Docks—the vast traffic by which the river is continually agitated—the steamers passing and repassing, their decks crowded with company, and the bands of music occasionally striking up, as they pass the Royal Hospital, the national air of "Rule Britannia,"—all produce an effect upon the spectators, which, in point of animation, cannot be surpassed. ”

“ The trade of Bath, like that of most great watering-places, is greatly dependent on its visitors. Hotels and lodging-houses are numerous, elegant, commodious, and fitted for the accommodation of all classes of society. Property, nevertheless, has suffered much depreciation of late years, owing to various causes, and not a little to the preference given to those continental spas already alluded to, by which many of the streams which used to flow in upon Bath as a regular source of prosperity have been greatly diminished or entirely dried up. ”

“ It occupies a very elevated position; and from the windows of his apartment the visitor may enjoy enchanting views of the western part of Bristol, the Avon, and the numerous vessels that glide to and fro upon its waters. The plateau, which terminates a gradual ascent from the river, is covered with elegant buildings, that furnish excellent accommodation to the numerous visitors who annually resort to these salubrious fountains. ”

“ The village of Budleigh-Salterton lies about half-way between Sidmouth and Exmouth, and at a short distance to the westward of the mouth of the river Otter. It is pleasantly situated by the sea-shore; and the beauty of the country in its vicinity, and the convenience afforded for sea-bathing, have caused it of late years to be much frequented as a watering-place.
Of the many watering-places with which the requirements of fashion have sprinkled our southern coasts, there are few which can boast of a more delightful situation than the subject of our present engraving. ”

“ Furness Abbey is turned into a railway station, and the passing train thunders through the very centre of old, castellated Conway, reminding us, while it indeed scares away all romantic daydreams, of the happy change from feudal oppression and border warfare, to the fusion of jarring interests, and the progress of enlightened civilization. ”

“ The numerous walks, rides, and drives in the vicinity, all enhanced by their immediate and varied prospects of the sea, offer those facilities to health and enjoyment which cannot be too highly appreciated either by the tourist or resident. The city consists principally of one irregular street, fully a mile in length, with a fine vista towards the Menai—a name which the genius of Telford has rendered familiar to all the admirers of science and art. ”

“ The public buildings of Swansea—ancient and modern—are numerous in proportion to the population. The Town-hall, erected in 1829, is an elegant structure, approached by two flights of steps, and adorned with columns of the Doric order. The castle, situated nearly in the centre of the town, was originally a building of great extent, and of a strength well suited to the purposes of its erection. A massive tower, surmounted by a range of light arches which support a parapet, is the principal part now remaining of this once redoubtable fortress. ”

“ A very slight operation of nature is sufficient to paralyse the hand of ambition, and to strike the once productive landscape with sterility. Harbours, where our forefathers have counted the thickly crowded masts of stately merchantmen, are now deserted or forgotten. Many of the channels through which riches were once poured into this county, have been gradually dried up; while new ports and harbours have been opened on various parts of the coast, where commercial enterprise has fixed her abode. ”

“ The southern portion of the country is remarkably fertile, highly cultivated, and presents to the stranger a long succession of luxuriant corn-fields, verdant pastures, and animated pictures of rural happiness and independence. It would be difficult to find any tract of land in Great Britain that can surpass the Vale of Glamorgan in richness of soil, or in soft and graceful scenery. This favoured region extends the whole length of the county—from the base of the mountains on the north to the shore of the Bristol Channel on the south-west. ”

“ The church, which forms a prominent feature in the picture of Beaumaris, is a spacious and very elegant structure, having a lofty square tower, visible at a great distance, and presenting in all its proportions and compartments a fine specimen of ecclesiastical architecture. The other public buildings consist of the county-hall, the town-hall, the free-school, and the custom-house; each possessing, in an eminent degree, every ornament and accommodation befitting buildings of their class and destination. ”

“ For many years, the steam-boat companies monopolized the traffic from London to Gravesend, their superior vessels, rapid speed, and moderate fare, set every other species of conveyance at defiance; but they have been compelled to admit a formidable rival to their trade, in the all-absorbing railway, which now surpasses them in quickness, and places itself upon an equality in respect to price and accommodation. ”

“ The existence of a shoal, or the shifting of a sand-bank, may mar or diminish the prosperity of a city; and to the great local changes which this part of the Kentish coast has undergone, the decay of Sandwich, as a harbour, is chiefly to be ascribed. Where fleets of merchantmen once rode in safety; where the busy scenes of lading and unlading once offered pictures of maritime prosperity, the fishing-craft of the place can hardly find anchorage, and all the characteristics of a flourishing port have disappeared ”

“ To the invalid it is favourable from the same causes, offering few temptations to gaiety or indulgence, but affording every facility for retired and intellectual enjoyment. The sea-view is magnificent; and the numerous vessels which are constantly passing and repassing give a most agreeable animation to the waters in front, which are walled in by lofty cliffs, from which the visitor inhales the fresh sea-breeze, as it first strikes the land, and carries its invigorating influence through his frame. ”

“ The commercial importance which she acquired at so early a period of our history, and which gave her for a time so preponderating an influence over the other ports and harbours of the kingdom, has been sustained by her spirited citizens with a skill and industry rarely equalled and never surpassed. To the great facilities formerly enjoyed by the merchants of Bristol another advantage has been added by the construction of the Great Western Railway, which has opened a rapid channel of intercourse between the Thames and the Severn,—the London docks and the harbour of Bristol. ”