property and place of residence of the Strickland family. For some years it has been the abode of D. Crewdson, Esq., in whom the old

CHIMNEY-PIECE IN DRAWING-ROOM, SIZERGH HALL.

building has had a worthy and careful keeper. There is a moat in front of the house. This place was visited by the poet Gay, when on his tour to the Lakes, in 1769, and its fine situation and antique appearance seem to have made a powerful impression on his mind.

From the Hall two avenues diverge to the highway, one towards Kendal, and the other southward, in the direction of Levens, Milnthorpe, and Lancaster. The gardens are on the southern end of the

terrace, and contain, in addition to the usual flowering plants, some fine old trees.

As we proceed towards Kendal by the railway, we begin by degrees to see the low hills replaced by hills of greater elevation, and those by others which deserve the name of mountains. The elevated ridge which forms the eastern margin of Westmoreland and the western margin of Yorkshire, bounds the view on the right for many miles, and forms the background to a scene studded in the mid-distance with many hills of smaller elevation. When the sun is near the horizon, either in morning or in evening, the shadows and varied tints of light, thrown on those hills, are often very beautiful; and a pretty contrast is afforded by the green fields and the whitish stone houses and fence-walls.

From the part of Lancashire which borders on the sands, the railway diverges somewhat farther inland, keeping for the most part somewhat above the general level of the ground, but passing occasionally in a cutting, wholly avoiding tunnels. Passing near the small towns of Borwick, Burton, Beetham, and Milnthorpe, it approaches at Leven's Park, near to the river Ken, and to the Lancaster and Kendal Canal; and all three then keep company along a pretty valley to the town of Kendal. Here, at about two miles from Kendal, we part from the main line and enter upon

THE KENDAL AND WINDERMERE BRANCH,

hich passes through Kendal on its way to the Lake, and forms a portion of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. The Kendal and Windermere Railway was incorporated by 8th and 9th Victoria, cap. 32 (1845) for a line from the Lancaster and Carlisle rail at Oxenholme to Birthwaite, near Windermere Lake, 10 miles. It was opened on the 21st of April, 1847. After

several disputes with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Company, it has been arranged that the Kendal line should. be leased in perpetuity to the Company, and that the shareholders of the latter receive one-twenty-eighth part of the earnings of the two lines.

The accounts of the half-year ending 31st December last, show that £228,126 had been received on capital account, and £228,757 expended, leaving a balance against the Company of £631. By the revenue account, £6799 had been received on the ten miles of railway, and £2,000 expended in working the traffic, £1,390 paid for interest on loans, and £1,190 dividend on preference shares, leaving a balance of £2,200. To this sum was added £1,798, reserved profits, making £3,999. Deducting £558 for dividend, and £324, estimated depreciation of 10 per cent. per annum on engines and carriages, left £3117. The floating balance of the Company's loans is under £20,000.

It is obvious to a traveller on these twenty miles of railway, northward of Lancaster, that the engineer has not had to contend against such difficulties as those which meet him further north. It generally happens, that the grandeur of scenery and the difficulties of engineering go hand in hand through the same district; and in the case now before us, there is just enough of both these elements to give a foretaste of greater things further on.

The Windermere Railway crosses one or two of the main streets of Kendal by a viaduct; and if the visitor can spare time to walk through this chief of the Westmoreland towns, he will find many picturesque spots to engage his attention in the environs, while there are evidences of busy interest in the town itself. The Ken flows past the town with a sufficient descent of stream to give the river a rippled, and sparkling, cheerful aspect. It is true, that a walk along the banks, within the precincts of the town itself, brings into view more dyed and tanned hides than green fields, or trees, or flowers; but we must bear in mind, that Kendal is the Halifax of Westmoreland. In days long gone by, "Kendal green" took rank among the noted varieties of woollen manufacture; and there are still linseys, and serges, and druggets produced there in considerable quantities. The rapid Ken is a common washhouse for all their manufacturers, who cleanse their dyed hanks of worsted yard in the stream; and as the tanners hang up their hides and skins, and the laundresses their snowy-white linen, on plots of ground on either bank, the whole assumes a remarkable appearance. There is very little smoke to give a murky atmosphere, and the river flows so rapidly as quickly to carry off all impurities.

Kendal is a clean and well-built town, of considerable trade, with a

population of 11,829. It is situate at the junction of the Carlisle road, by Penrith, with the Whitehaven road, by Ambleside, Keswick, and Cockermouth. Besides its manufactures of woollen goods and fancy waistcoats, it has several other branches of trade, which give a business air to it, such as the working and polishing of the linestone of the country, &c. The remains of an ancient castle stand upon a verdant hill, on the east side of the town, which commands an extensive view over the river, the town, and adjacent country, bounded by noble ranges of mountains. On an eminence on the other side of the town, is an obelisk to commemorate the Revolution of 1688.

The tourist, if bent upon a pedestrian excursion, will find many points of great interest to visit, in the environs of Kendal. Hawes Water is an attractive spot, and there are various mountain passes by which it may be approached. In planning pleasure trips, however, it will be necessary to consider several things, as what kind of conveyance the road will admit of; how that conveyance is to be supplied, and at what places refreshments may be obtained.

Long Steddale is a charming valley, possessing all the requisites of meadows, woods, mountains, rocks, and waterfalls. The road over Gatescarth, between Branstree and Harter Fell, is steep on both sides, yet such as a horse may be ridden, and from the highest part there is an extensive view towards the sea. The way from Kentmere, over Nan Bield, between Harter Fell and High Street, is still more difficult. Mardale Green, to which the road descends, is about fifteen miles from Kendal, and the same from Penrith; it is bounded by the mountains Branstree, Harter Fell, and High Street, from the last of which a narrow ledge, called Long Stile, projects so far as to seclude it from the other part of the valley; and beyond this, rises the apex of Kidsey Pike. The visitor may proceed to Hawes Water by Shap, four miles before reaching which, a road turns off to Shap Wells, at the distance of a mile. This is stated to be a saline spring, nearly allied in its sanative properties to those of Leamington.

Pursuing our route by the railway, we find that a few hundred yards suffice to open to us the lovely basin in which Windermere is situated. Even while at Kendal, the gracefully rounded hills which bound the lake on the east meet the view; and in the valleys between them we catch a glimpse of the hills on the other side of the lake, so that, without

seeing the lake itself, we have good means of knowing where it lies. If we would know what kind of geological formation lies beneath us, we need only glance at the sides of the cuttings through which the railway is carried; slate meets the view on all sides in huge blocks, whose clearage planes bear a general parallelism one to another; even the stations, too, tiny as they are when compared with those of the busy southern counties, show how plentiful slate is in this district; for they are built mainly of blocks of slate, wholly irregular in shape, but cemented into a very durable, and, if we may use the term, a very countrified-looking wall.

The Kendal and Windermere Railway terminates near the shores of the lake at Birthwaite, about a mile to the north of Bowness. On the arrival of the trains, coaches leave the station at Windermere for Ambleside and Keswick and other parts of the lake district.

It may be useful to refresh the memory of some tourists by observing that the mountainous district in which the English lakes are situated extends into three counties, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire, which form their junction at a point denoted by three shire stones upon the mountain Wrynose, near the road side. Lancashire is separated from Cumberland by the river Duddon, from Westmoreland by the stream running through Little Langdale, and by Elterwater and Windermere, until south of Storr's Hall, after which the river Winster forms the boundary until it enters the sands near Methop. Westmoreland is parted from Cumberland by the mountain ridge leading over Bowfell to Dunmael Raise, and from thence over the top of Helvellyn; then by the stream of Glencoin to Ullswater, and by the river Eamont till it enters the Eden.

Windermere Lake* is said to belong to Westmoreland, at least its islands are claimed by that county, although the whole of its western and part of its eastern shores belong to Lancashire. A visit to this beautiful spot can never be forgotten. Christopher North has entitled one of his vigorous sketches, "A Day at Windermere," and in it he has dashed off, with the splendid daring of genius, brilliant representations of many of the most characteristic and striking features of the

* Before this country became so much the resort of strangers, the word lake was little known to the native inhabitants; but the ancient termination mere, water, was usually superadded, as Windermere Water, Grasmere Water, &c.