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tried the same experiment, but was unable (on account of the
tree's growth) to embrace it by three inches. This beautiful
"son of the forest" is not of above sixty years standing;
its bole is about forty-five feet high, perfectly straight
and clear of branch or knot; its head is a verdant
hemisphere, whose form is no farther broken than is
sufficient to make it picturesque, and its intrinsic value
is upwards of fifty pounds. I must remark, that among the
singularities of this vicinity, the ground being the
property of one person, and the wood (in many places) of
another, is worthy our notice: I must likewise add, that the
lands here are generally held by the curtesy of England,
which I am scarce lawyer enough to understand. If a woman is
possessed of any of these lands, and marries, the estate
becomes her husband's for life, whether she dies having
issue or not, even if he marries again. And if a man dies
possessed of such an estate, leaving a widow, the widow
holds the whole during her natural life, though she marries
again. This was an act of the Queen Elizabeth, as the title
deeds set forth, but on what occasion I cannot find.
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If the traveller wishes to return by way of Penrith, it may
be done from Ambleside, the distance is 23 miles; two miles
and three quarters of which, from Ambleside, is very steep,
though carriages may travel upon it without much difficulty.
Before we come to the top of Kirkstone, we see on the
right hand, at a small distance, several cairns, one of them
remarkably large, but upon what occasion they were raised we
have no tradition; the place where they are situated is
called Woundale, but what is the signification or
derivation of that name I am unable to determine. Having
reached the top of Kirkstone, we again enter
Patterdale; here is a curious view (of the bird's-eye kind,)
down a Glen or Gulph of great depth, eight or
nine miles. The road is down this Glen, very pleasant
and good, between amazing high mountains, which strike the
traveller with more awe than any he will as yet have seen;
their sides are more perpendicular and rugged than any other
I have seen of equal height, and under them we are obliged
to travel, as both sides are alike. Here are rock upon rock,
precipice above precipice, some fixed, others like to tumble
down on each side of you; there is no where more than the
breadth of the road between them, sometimes not so much, as
it now and then takes the side of the mountains, accompanied
by a rivulet which runs rapidly down its uneven bed, foaming
and bounding from place to place: This brook, being
augmented by several little springs, forms a pretty large
runner before it falls into Broadwater, called by
some Brotherwater, a lake, about half a mile long,
and near as much broad, close on the side of which we pass.
The traveller when coming down Kirkstone will be surprised
to find trout in the brook to the very top of it; and indeed
I am astonished how the fishes can spring from a pool up a
rock five feet high, into another bason above, and so on,
from pool to pool; but that they do so is certain, always
endeavouring to get as near the head of a stream as they can
to lay their spawn; and in the fence months, (or spawning
time,) I have seen them throw themselves up against the
rock, tumble down again, try again, fall upon the dry
ground, sometimes regain the water, and sometimes perish in
the attempt. At that time of the year you likewise see more
kites and other birds of prey, fly about these brooks than
any other, as I suppose to seize the fish that have missed
their leap and fallen on the banks of the stream, and unable
to regain their element. - Oh, Nature! what a desire in thee
to propagate thy species, even to hazarding of life! Trout
and salmon only wish to lay their spawn as near the head of
a stream as they possibly can. Salmon come to the foot of
Ulswater to spawn, but never enter it. Grey trout and others
leave Ulswater and come to the foot of this Lake, but never
enter it. Salmon never enter Derwentwater, but pass the foot
of it, and leave Keswick several miles, following the
streams in a flood as far as they can, and return with
another flood.
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A little above the Lake, on the other side, is Hartsop-hall,
a farm house of Earl Lonsdale, who hath a small manor here
called Hartsop, it is part of the barony of Kendale.
In Broadwater, or Brotherwater, two young men,
(brothers) were drowned together in December 1785, by the
ice breaking under them. The inhabitants have a tradition
that
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