totlUS f ent Cife 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 Memoir of 
 
 < joRNELius Nicholson
 
 \^m
 
 Horn MAKLll 14, 1804, DIIiD JULY 5, l88q.
 
 A WELL-SPENT LIFE. 
 
 M E M O I R 
 
 OF 
 
 CORNELIUS NICHOLSON, 
 
 J P., D.L., F.G.S., F S.A. 
 
 WITH A SELECTION OF HIS LECTURES 
 AND LETTERS. 
 
 KENDAL: 
 Published by T. Wilson.
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, 
 
 WHO FOR 44 YEARS 
 
 ENCOURAGED MY FATHER IN HIS ACTIVE CAREER, 
 
 AND BRIGHTENED OUR HAPPY HOME, 
 
 THIS LABOUR OF LOVE IS DEDICATED BY HER 
 
 SORROWING DAUGHTER, 
 
 CORNELIA NICHOLSON. 
 
 ASHLEIGH, VeNTNOR, 
 
 March i^th, i8go. 
 
 ICSMGS
 
 MEMOIR OF CORNELIUS NICHOLSON. 
 
 " One man in his iintc plays many parts. 
 
 rpHE active and useful life of my father began in the 
 i- then quiet village of Ambleside ; near the head of 
 Windermere, in that beautiful valle}' which is guarded 
 by the " Brotherhood of Mountains," which Words- 
 worth loved so well ! 
 
 Cornelius Nicholson was born on March 14th, 1804. 
 His parents were in a humble position of life, but they 
 were highl}^ esteemed for uprightness of conduct. His 
 mother was beloved by all her neighbours, she held the 
 office of postmistress in Ambleside for 50 years. She 
 was a woman of strong native sense and sound judgment 
 which every one who came into communication with her 
 instantly recognised. As a proof of the high regard 
 in which Mrs. Nicholson was held, a large portrait of 
 her was presented to her daughters in 1 851 as a " tribute 
 of esteem from her friends in Ambleside." 
 
 In a letter of condolence, at her death, Harriett 
 Martineau closed with the following sentence : — " Nay, 
 not your mother only, but the mother of us all " (in 
 Ambleside), which graphically expressed the estimation 
 of her friends. In the funeral sermon preached in the 
 Parish Church, on the Sunday following her interment
 
 the vicar described her as a " Mother in Israel," and 
 this sentence forms the motto in a memorial window 
 of stained glass placed by my father in Ambleside 
 church. He often said that he owed all his powers of 
 mind and body to his mother ! But she was left a 
 widow at an early age, and had a large family to bring 
 up on slender means, so the struggle of life was hard, 
 and she could not afford to give her son Cornelius as 
 man}' advantages in education as he craved for. Pro- 
 bably it was well for his character that these early days 
 were full of difficulties, they stimulated his energy, 
 and increased his perseverance. It is as an incentive 
 to other young men, who may now be feeling discour- 
 aged in the battle of life, that this short memoir is 
 written. 
 
 My father early displayed an insatiable love of learn- 
 ing; being compelled to leave school before the age 
 when men at the present day begin their college career, 
 he determined to educate himself. With his small 
 earnings he bought books (not the yellow-backed novels 
 which poison the mind§ of young persons now), but 
 standard works, such as Paley's Evidences of Chris- 
 tianity, Plutarch's Lives, &c. These he devoured in his 
 leisure moments, sometimes wandering among his native 
 hills, and sometimes enjoying the beauties of the Lakes. 
 
 One day, he and Hartley Coleridge (who was one oi 
 his favorite companions), were together in a boat on 
 Windermere, my father was lazily holding the oars 
 while Hartley read aloud from Milton's Works; through 
 some accident the volume slipped from his hand into 
 the water, with an adroit movement Hartley Coleridge
 
 took off his hat and fished up the book out of the lake, 
 and then turning to my father made this clever speech, 
 " there's ' Paradise Lost ' regained " ! 
 
 At the age of 14 (that is to say in 1818), CorneHus 
 Nicholson removed to Kendal, and was apprenticed 
 to Richard Lough, proprietor of the Kendal Chronicle 
 newspaper. In the occupation of a compositor, the 
 appetite for knowledge grew upon what it fed. Passing 
 literature and passing criticisms came to him in his 
 daily work, and almost all his evenings were given to 
 books, as many as he could buy or borrow ; there was 
 no public circulating library in Kendal open to youths 
 in his station of life at that time, and it probably was 
 this personal need which suggested to him, and urged 
 him to found, the " Kendal Mechanics' and Apprentices' 
 Library," that was the title first given to the " Me- 
 chanics' Institute." The circumstances connected with 
 the initiation of this Institution were peculiarly interest- 
 ing ; they will be found minutely described in the pam- 
 phlet written for its Jubilee Festival in 1873. ^^ '"'^Y 
 be noted here that the Kendal Mechanics' Institute was 
 the first provincial Institute in England. The London 
 Institute had been originated by Dr. Birkbeck shortly 
 before this, but that was the only one that preceded 
 Kendal, which illustrates the discernment of its author 
 and promoter, who was then only ig years of age. His 
 official and active association with this Institution 
 brought him into prominence in the town. He was 
 made a member of the committee of the Anti-Slavery 
 Society, and in conjunction with some of the leaders of 
 philanthropy in the neighbourhood, he became a fellow- 
 worker in almost all the local charitable institutions.
 
 It was at about this period of his life that my dear 
 father's marvellous memory was first noticed. He was 
 living in Kendal with an aunt, and one Sunday evening 
 he talked to her of a fine sermon that he had heard 
 preached that day, by a stranger in the Parish Church ; 
 soon afterwards the vicar called, and mentioning this 
 striking sermon, he remarked that it was a great pity no 
 reporter had been present, as he should have liked that 
 discourse to have been printed ; to which the lady 
 replied, " I believe that my nephew can write it out for 
 you, he repeated a great many passages to me." She 
 requested my father to try what he could do, and the 
 next day he brought her a copy of the whole sermon, 
 which was afterwards shewn to the gifted preacher who 
 said, " these are not only my sentiments but my own 
 words, and I consider it a marvellous achievement for 
 so young a man who did not even take notes at the time 
 the sermon was delivered." 
 
 This gift of memory he afterwards cultivated to the 
 great enjoyment of his friends ; even to the last few 
 years of his life he was able to repeat long quotations 
 from eminent authors, such as Sheridan's Orations, 
 Coleridge's Hymn to Mont Blanc, Wordsworth's Pla- 
 tonic Ode, and Hood's Eugene Aram. All these were his 
 great favourites ; I have often heard my father say that 
 the Hymn to Mont Blanc was a second " Omnia Opera." 
 
 In September, 1825, Mr. Nicholson began business as 
 a bookseller and printer in conjunction with Mr. John 
 Hudson, under the firm of " Hudson & Nicholson, " 
 prior even to the expiration of his apprenticeship ; for 
 he had served his employer so well that his articles were 
 surrendered to him to enable liim to commence business,
 
 even in competition with that very master ! For more 
 than a year past he had been the incognito editor of the 
 newspaper, doing the double duties of compositor and 
 editor. 
 
 In 1830 and 1831 my father was Hving as a bachelor 
 in Kirkbarrow House, Kirkland, and it was here that he 
 projected and compiled the " Annals of Kendal." 
 
 The collection of the materials for this work .was a 
 great labour, there not having previously been even a 
 hand-book or a topographical sketch of any kind pub- 
 lished. All the facts in earliest history, and in com- 
 paratively recent times had to be hunted up after the 
 compiler's day's work was over ; it occupied the nights 
 of two winters, and I have heard him say that he not only 
 wrote the manuscript, but he made the paper on which 
 it was written, also the ink, and cut and prepared the 
 quill pen. 
 
 The first edition of "The Annals" was published in 
 April, 1832, by Hudson and Nicholson, and in 12 years 
 it was out of print. 
 
 The next task taken in hand by Mr. Nicholson was 
 the establishment of a Paper Manufactor}^ at Burne- 
 side. The accidental sight of a new paper machine in 
 the Isle of Man inspired him with the resolution of 
 erecting a similar one at Burneside ; the only difficulty 
 was the want of working capital, tfut he found a 
 generous friend in the late Mr. John Wakefield, the 
 banker, who never failed to hold out a helping hand to 
 those who had earned his confidence ; with his noble 
 assistance the imdertaking was begun, the manufac- 
 tory prospered, and thirteen years afterwards (in 1845) 
 my father sold the business to Mr. James Cropper.
 
 The following account of the farewell tea party from 
 a contemporary newspaper may be interesting and also 
 the address from the workpeople : — 
 
 TEA PARTY AT BURNESIDE. 
 
 On Tuesday evening, a most interesting and lively scene 
 was presented in therurallittle village of Burneside, when the 
 whole, of Mr. C. Nicholson's workpeople were invited by him 
 to a farewell tea-party, on occasion of his closing his long and 
 successful connection with the paper manufactories which are 
 carried on there and at Cowan Head. About 200 persons, in- 
 cluding the workpeople and many of Mr. Nicholson's personal 
 friends, were assembled together in a large room at the top of 
 the paper mill, which was most tastefully decorated with paper 
 and beautiful flowers. There were three tables placed length- 
 wise in the room, each covered wtth snow white paper table 
 covers, and the window curtains were also ingeniously formed 
 out of the same useful article. The room was decorated all 
 round the walls, rafters, &c. with banners, bearing appropriate 
 devices and mottoes relating to temperance and industry, all 
 cut out of paper likewise. The lady and gentlemen visitors 
 kindly presided at the different tea-trays, assisting Mrs. Nic- 
 holson in the distribution of the tea and cakes, of which we 
 need not say there was ample provision. The gentlemen 
 stewards had each a rosette composed of pink paper, and the 
 waiters one of white, so cleverly and tastefully formed, that any 
 one might have mistaken them for beautiful ribbons. There 
 was a band in attendance, who at intervals enlivened the com- 
 pany with their cheerful strains, both vocal and instrumental. 
 After the removal of the tea-things, Mr. Nicholson, labouring 
 under great emotion, addressed the company in a very pleasing 
 manner, saying farewell to his assembled workpeople, at the 
 same time introducing to them his successor, Mr. Janies 
 Cropper. He dwelt with much feeling upon the happiness he 
 had enjoyed, and the good faith he had always experienced
 
 from them, during the whole period of his connection, recom- 
 mending them to persevere in the same course which had been 
 productive of so much increased comfort in their homes and 
 families. Many were affected to tears during the delivery of 
 his address, evidently shewing the sincerest regret at the 
 breaking up of a connection which had been productive of so 
 much benefit to all parties. An address signed by all the work- 
 people, and expressive of their sorrow at parting, was then 
 presented to Mr. Nicholson, who was taken by surprise on 
 receiving it, and acknowledged it in feeling terms. The mutual 
 relations between the employer and the employed, and the 
 advantages of temperance and industry, were appropriately 
 dwelt upon by the several speakers who afterwards addressed 
 the meeting, including J. J. Wilson, Esq., Rev. Ed. Hawkes, 
 J. Whitwell, Esq., J. Cropper, Esq., of Liverpool. This gentle- 
 man, whose name has long been connected with the cause of 
 benevolence, and the father of the young gentleman who suc- 
 ceeds Mr. Nicholson, in speaking to the assembled workpeople, 
 affectionately requested them, on behalf of his son, to use the 
 same diligence they had hitherto done, and to assist him to 
 carry out his plans, which he was sure would always be formed 
 with a view to their improvement, as well as to his own 
 interest. The young gentleman seemed to make a very favour- 
 able impression on the company, though, as he said, he 
 laboured under the disadvantage of appearing before them at 
 a time when their hearts were filled with regret at parting with 
 a long-tried friend and master. The meeting commenced and 
 ended with the singing of a hymn, and all must have departed 
 to their homes better for having spent a few hours in such a 
 delightful intercourse, as we wish might be universal amongst 
 masters and workpeople, affording, as it does, the best guaran- 
 tee for the progress of improvement and right feeling.
 
 An address from the icork-people oj the Biiriieside and Cowan Head 
 Mills, to C. Nicholson, Esq., on his leaving these concerns. 
 
 Burneside, 15 July, 1845. 
 
 Sir, — We the work-people employed in Burneside and 
 Cowan Head Mills, respectfully address you on this occasion 
 of your leaving us and these concerns. 
 
 We beg leave to assure you, that you and your family have 
 our warmest wishes for the continuance of 5'our well-being, 
 prosperity, and general happiness. 
 
 Your general kindness to us on all occasions has commanded 
 our highest respect and esteem, our service in your employ 
 has been a pleasure, we have laboured in peace, and we have 
 been punctually rewarded by j'ou for our labour. 
 
 In all cases of sickness, or bereavements in our families, the 
 kind attention, sympathy, and assistance afforded by you and 
 Mrs. Nicholson in these cases, has been a source of consola- 
 tion and relief to us, in our family afflictions. 
 
 We have always been assisted by you in carrying out any 
 good cause in which we engaged, whether for the relief of the 
 distressed, the promotion of virtuous habits, or christian prin- 
 ciples, your benevolent efforts on behalf of Richard Walker, 
 your assistance in the Bible Societ}', and your kind indulgence 
 to us, in the promotion of the Temperance cause, are evidences 
 ol your assistance, and efforts to lessen the misery and promote 
 the happiness of those among whom you live. 
 
 It has been bj' your kind indulgence and assistance that we 
 have been privileged to promote the cause of sobriety in this 
 village, more than in any other village in this locality. 
 
 This room you have annually given us, for our Temperance 
 festivals, and allowed us to fit it up with your materials on all 
 those occasions as it is now seen. These festivals, you and 
 Mrs. Nicholson have countenanced by your presence, and here 
 among us you have often presided, approve), and commended 
 our efforts in the cause of sobriety.
 
 The recollection of your indulgences and kindness on these 
 and many other occasions call forth our grateful acknowledge- 
 ments and our sincere and heartfelt thanks at this time. 
 
 We know that you have pleasure in the expectation that Mr. 
 Cropper our present employer in all these things will equal, if 
 not exceed you, it is also a consolation to us to know, that your 
 place will in him be so well supplied. 
 
 Yet the recollection of the past binds us in affection to you. 
 
 And we pray that in all your future engagem-ents, you may 
 be successful and prosperous, that you may be happy yourself, 
 happy in your family, and happy in all your connections, and 
 may j'ou by the exercise of your abilities and influence, prove 
 a blessing to your country and to all around you as long as you 
 live. And may you so live that when you are called hence it 
 may be to enter into the joy of our Lord. 
 
 These expressions of our respect and esteem for you, and 
 our acknowledgements for your past favours and kindness w-e 
 most respectfully beg you accept from us. 
 
 Your respectful and obedient servants. 
 Herefolloiv the signatures. 
 
 Mr. John Cropper thus writes to my mother, from 
 Liverpool, his impressions of the affectionate farewell 
 from the workpeople at Burneside : — 
 
 Bay Cottage, 17th July, 1845. 
 
 My dear Mrs, Nicholson. — I have a note on business from 
 Mr, Nicholson to-day, in which he hopes that I enjoyed the 
 tea-party on Tuesday. 
 
 I assure you that I felt, and so does my daughter Sarah, 
 that it was a very interesting sight, and that I only imperfectly 
 expressed what I felt on the occasion, in the few confused and 
 unpremeditated remarks I was called on to make. 
 
 It is at all times truly gratifying to one's feelings to receive 
 expressions of affection, but especially so on such an occasion,
 
 lO 
 
 and I must say it has impressed me with a very increased in- 
 terest in the people, who so naturally, and so fully manifested 
 their feelings for both yourself and Mr. Nicholson, to whom 
 they owe so much. I had not expected such a display of kind 
 feeling, and I am therefore rejoiced to think that my son will 
 have such people about him, and 1 mean it not in the least 
 disparagingly, if I say, that I hope they will not find they have 
 made a change for the worse. 
 
 This note affords me the opportunity of conveying to you 
 and to Mr. Nicholson, and to your children, my most sincere 
 good wishes for your future success and happiness in life ; but 
 above all, that whilst you are enjoying the fruits of honest, 
 honourable industry, you may not lose sight of a far more 
 valuable inheritance " a house not made with hands, eternal 
 in the Heavens," purchased at no less a price than with the 
 precious Blood of Christ, and laid up for those who heartily 
 and unfeignedly believe. — Believe me, dear Madam, very sin- 
 cerely yours, 
 
 Jno. Cropper. 
 
 The story of my beloved parents' marriage must be 
 given in my father's own words : — " Some years before 
 this time I became attached and betrothed to the lady 
 who was to be the partner and solace of my life, Miss 
 Mary Anne Hudson ; but from prudential motives we 
 put off our marriage until my larger business concern, 
 the paper manufactory, was established. So on the 
 30th of May, 1833, our happiness was consummated in 
 the Parish Church, by the vicar of Kendal, the Revd. 
 John Hudson, who on account of his relationship to the 
 bride, not only married her, but gave her away ! . For 
 44 years we have been signally blessed and mutually 
 comforted. My dear wife passed away into the ' Arms 
 of Jesus ' on the 3rd March, 1877.
 
 " These dates shew to me what has not occurred to me 
 before, that in my case March is a notable month. I 
 was born in March, our elder daug-hter was born in 
 March, and in March I was cut off from my life-long 
 treasure ! We have had two very dear daughters given 
 to us, Mary Agnes, born 4th March, 1834, who is now 
 the wife of Mr. James Stuart, of Harrow ; and Cornelia, 
 born January 23rd, 1843." 
 
 My dear parents lived for two years at Burneside, 
 and in 1835 removed to Cowan Head, where they resi- 
 ded for ten years in a house near the mill. 
 
 In the year 1835 my father became a hfe-member of 
 the British Association for the advancement of Science ; 
 he attended many of their annual assemblies, and some- 
 times took part in the discussions in the geological 
 section, having already given attention to geological 
 investigations. 
 
 About this time a close friendship sprang up between 
 him and Mr. Thomas Gough, and they two projected 
 and founded the Kendal Natural History & Scientific 
 Society. Their first efforts were but coldl)' received, 
 they issued a printed circular inviting the attendance of 
 gentlemen and tradesmen at a meeting to be held in a 
 large room at the Commercial Hotel, to pass resolutions 
 for the establishment of the Society. The rules were 
 drawn up by my father, who became honorary secretary, 
 but the meeting was a complete failure ; only one gen- 
 tleman appeared, beside the two promoters, namely Mr. 
 W. D. Crewdson, of Helm Lodge. 
 
 Not to be daunted, however, the two young men 
 personally canvassed the town, and the next formal in- 
 vitation produced a good meeting. Mr. Gough took
 
 12 
 
 the office of curator of the Museum, and my father fre- 
 quently contributed essays and lectures, one of which, 
 on the " Roman Road over High Street," will be found 
 at the end of this memoir. 
 
 The report of a special general meeting held in Sep- 
 tember, 1836, maybe read with interest by the survivors 
 of those whose names are mentioned ; and the letter from 
 Professor Sedgwick is worthy of note. 
 
 KENDAL NATURAL HISTORY & SCIENTIFIC 
 SOCIETY. 
 
 The projectors and directors of the Kendal Natural History 
 and Scientific Society, have eminent reasons for congratulation 
 on the success of their undertaking. It is congratulatory also, 
 and complimentary to the public-spirited gentlemen of the town 
 and neighbourhood. We should doubt whether any institution 
 of a similar character — combining instruction with gratification, 
 alike honourable and elevating to the mind — ever made more 
 rapid advances in a comparatively small town. To illustrate 
 these remarks, it will only be necessary to give a bare statement 
 of the proceedings of the society since its establishment. 
 
 The first object of the committee was to obtain suitable 
 premises — comprising apartments for the Museum and Lib- 
 rary, and conveniences, as a residence, for the sub-curator 
 and librarian. The committee were peculiarly fortunate in 
 meeting with the premises in Lowther Street, which had been 
 temporarily occupied as the Bank of Westmorland, and which 
 they engaged on lease, for 21 years. The room for the Museum 
 is perhaps the most eligible of any room that could be found in 
 the town. It is approached bj' a staircase which conducts at 
 once from the entrance hall. It is well lighted at both ends ; 
 from the south-east by a large oriel window, which throws 
 light up both sides of the room. The furniture of the museum
 
 13 
 
 is elegant and well arranged, displaying the plumage of the 
 birds, and the beauties of the specimens generally, to great 
 advantage. The museum is ordered to be open to subscribers 
 and their friends, during the Winter, from ten till one, and 
 from two till four, daily (Sundays excepted). 
 
 At a special general meeting of the Society, held on the 
 22nd September, 1836, three important rules were added to the 
 code of laws which had previously been adopted for the 
 government of the Societ\' (and which were advertised in this 
 papers These rules were for the purpose of investing the 
 property of the .Society in four trustees, for the better security 
 of the said property to the use and benefit of the members. 
 The trustees appointed were, Edward Wilson, Esq., John 
 Richards, Esq., Isaac Braithwaite, Esq., and Mr. Samuel 
 Marshall. It was announced at this meeting, that the Earl of 
 Lonsdale accepted with pleasure the office of patron, and 
 kindly promised to promote, as far as he was able, the objects 
 of the Society. At this meeting also, the following persons 
 were elected honorary members of the Society : — 
 
 Right Hon. Lord Brougham and Vaux. 
 
 W. Wordsworth, Esq. 
 
 Dr. Dalton. 
 
 Dr. Holme, Manchester. 
 
 Dr. Birkbeck. 
 
 Dr. Southey. 
 
 Professor Sedgwick. 
 
 Professor Wilson, (Christopher North). 
 
 Gilpin Gorst, Esq. 
 
 There were, besides, /or/j' ordinary members elected, which 
 makes the present total number of members, 94 I Letters have 
 been received from Lord Brougham, Dr. Southey, W. Words- 
 worth, Esq., Dr. Holme, and Professor Sedgwick, severally 
 acknowledging their election as honorary members. The 
 letter of Professor Sedgwick rises so high above the formality 
 of the occasion, and seems at once so creditable to the writer
 
 14 
 
 and complimentary to the design of the institution, that we 
 cannot withhold its publication : — 
 
 To the Secretary of the Kendal Natural History and Scientific 
 Society. (C. Nicholson.) 
 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, Oct. 22, 1835. 
 Sir, — I have this moment, on my return to College, become 
 acquainted with the honor conferred upon me by the Kendal 
 Natural History and Scientific Society at their general meeting 
 on the 22nd of September last. A distinction like this, offered 
 by a set of independent men, united together for the promotion 
 of scientific inquiries, must ever be regarded by me with feel- 
 ings of honest pride; and I beg leave to assure your society 
 that my sentiments are increased tenfold by the thought that 
 I am now enrolled among gentlemen and fellow-labourers, who 
 live in the county of my birth, and with some of whom I have 
 long been on terms of cordial friendship. I am anxious that 
 you should consider this not merely as a formal letter of 
 thanks, but also as an expression of congratulation on the or- 
 ganization of your society, of good hopes for its future success, 
 and of my hearty willingness to co-operate with the working 
 portion of its members in any way in which I can make myself 
 of use to them. — I have the honor to be, Sir, your most faithful 
 servant, 
 
 A. Sedgwick. 
 
 The next public undertaking which Mr. Nicholson 
 projected was the reservoir in Kentmere, which was 
 accomplished with the aid of Mr. John Wakefield of 
 Sedgwick. The River Kent often had failed in the 
 summer months to supply the requisite motor to the 
 water wheels of the mills ; and in winter the super- 
 abundance was again an obstruction to work, so the 
 Kentmere reservoir was designed to regulate the flow
 
 15 
 
 of water, and it has answered fully and satisfactorily 
 the purpose for which it was formed. 
 
 The enterprise which called forth most prominentl}- 
 the energy and persistence of my father's mind, was 
 the introduction of Railways through Westmorland. 
 In the obituary notices of his life in the various news- 
 papers after his decease, he is almost invariabl}' styled 
 " one of the pioneers of Railways in the North '' ! 
 Many of his old friends have begged him several times 
 to write the history of their introduction into Westmor- 
 land and Cumberland, but he always refused, saying 
 he could not do so correctly without mentioning too 
 prominently his own share in the struggle. Now when 
 he has passed away, I shall not be blamed for recording 
 with pleasure, and with filial pride, the efforts which 
 he made for the public good, which eventually were 
 crowned with success. It will be noticed from the 
 quotations which I am enabled to give from the news- 
 papers of that period, how heartily these efforts were 
 recognised by the gentlemen who worked with him. 
 
 The battle began in 1836, and was continued till the 
 Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Act was obtained in May, 
 1844. There was a severe contest between the east 
 coast towns, Stockton, Newcastle, &c., the west towns, 
 Whitehaven, Maryport, &c., and the central towns, 
 Kendal and Carlisle, for the favour of the great trunk 
 line of railway to connect London with Edinburgh and 
 Glasgow ; Kendal took the lead in this contest, and my 
 father conducted the forces from first to last, almost 
 single-handed. There was no prospect, at that time, 
 that any more than one through line could pay between 
 the Metropolis and Scotland.
 
 i6 
 
 In 1837 he wrote and published a stirring pamphlet 
 which really originated the Lancaster and Carlisle Rail- 
 way, and the Caledonian Railway Companies ; it was en- 
 titled " The London and Glasgow Railway through 
 Westmorland and Cumberland : the interests of Kendal 
 considered," This appeal to the inhabitants of Kendal 
 woke them up to the conviction that unless they bestirred 
 themselves their manufactures would be stranded. 
 This pamphlet has been long out of print, but it seems 
 to me too important to be forgotten, it will be found 
 printed on a future page. 
 
 A railway committee was at length formed of which 
 Mr. Nicholson was appointed secretary ; he visited 
 Penrith and Carlisle personally, and procured the for- 
 mation of committees in these towns also. But the 
 greatest task consisted in raising the requisite amount 
 of capital, ;/^i,20o,ooo ! A.nd here the projector must 
 certainly have failed if he had not been able to persuade 
 the Railway companies already in operation between 
 London and Lancaster to subsidise the projected Lan- 
 caster and Carlisle' branch. In this, after repeated 
 efforts, he succeeded. The afore-mentioned companies 
 promised ;^5oo,ooo, and the remaining ;^75o,ooo was 
 raised by dint of personal canvassing in the district, 
 Fortunately the Bill was not opposed in Parliament, 
 else it must have been thrown out on standmg orders, 
 for so hastil3'were the plans prepared, that one portion of 
 them was copied out from the county map ! A contract 
 for the construction of the railway was formally exe- 
 cuted on the night before the Bill went to the chairman 
 of the committees, by Mr. C. Nicholson on the one part, 
 and by Messrs. Brassey, Mackenzie, & Co. on the other
 
 17 
 
 part, so the engineer had no difficulty in proving the 
 sufficiency of the capital. Two witnesses only were 
 called, Mr. Errington, the engineer (partner of Mr. 
 Joseph Locke), and my father, who proved the preamble 
 of the Bill, and the traffic tables which had been 
 prepared solely by himself. He turned the first sod of 
 the railway in Grayrigg, and the line was opened in 
 September, 1846. The following is the account of the 
 opening ceremonies from the " Kendal Mercury '" of 
 September 21st, 1846. 
 
 OPENING OF THE LANCASTER AND CARLISLE 
 RAILWAY TO KENDAL. 
 
 The formal opening of this railway, as far as Kendal, took 
 place on Monday, Sep. 21st, 1846. This event has long been 
 looked forward to by the inhabitants of this town and the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood with great interest ; and expectation was 
 the more eager, in consequence of the several delays that had 
 taken place, after it had been publicly understood that all was 
 ready for active operations. General Pasley, the Government 
 Superintendent of Railways, went over the line on Friday, 
 and gave his certificate of approval of one line, the eastern, 
 and the directors of the Lancaster and Carlisle, in conjunction 
 with those of the Windermere Railway, appointed Monday 
 for the active commencement of traffic. The day was beauti- 
 fully fine, and the proceedings throughout were everything that 
 could be wished. A short history of the line, with a glance at 
 the works upon it and the stations, will, we doubt not, be ac- 
 ceptable in this place to our readers. It must, however, be 
 understood that we speak only of that portion of it which has 
 been opened. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE LINE. 
 
 The subject of a railway communication to Kendal was 
 mooted as early as the year 1S37, ^Y ^^^- Nicholson, the present
 
 Mayor of the Borough, who published a pamphlet on " The 
 London and Glasgow Railway through Westmorland and Cum- 
 berland." Mr. Nicholson forcibly pointed out the injury that 
 Kendal would sustain if it were left isolated, and, to use the 
 words of Mr. Errington at the Whitehall Rooms, " it is a fact 
 notorious to the railway world," that the frightful pictures of 
 desolation which he presented, stimulated the energies of the 
 Kendal people, and the result is that the metropolis of West- 
 morland, so abundant in facilities both for manufactures and 
 agriculture, now possesses every required advantage for the 
 full development of its resources. 
 
 A western line to Scotland would, under any circumstances, 
 have been made ; but the route by Kendal was declared to be 
 impracticable ; and even if that town could be brought upon 
 the line, the passage over Shap Fells was pronounced to be out 
 of engineering possibility. The question, however, was one 
 that was worth agitating, and the most careful and diligent 
 surveys were instituted. A very good and direct line was traced 
 by Mr. Amsinck through Longsleddale by Bampton to Penrith, 
 but it was found that a tunnel would have to be made under- 
 neath the town of Lancaster, and the porphyritic mountain of 
 Gatescarth would have to be cut through for two miles and 21 
 chains, so that it became necessary to abandon the idea of a 
 communication in that direction. 
 
 In the meantime, a government commission had been ap- 
 pointed, consisting of Sir F. Smith, R.E., and Professor Barlow, 
 to inquire into the subject of Railway Communication between 
 London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow ; and those gentlemen, being 
 opposed to a line both on the eastern and western coast of the 
 island, pronounced in favour of a western line, and the claims 
 of Kendal came again into consideration. They condemned 
 at once the idea of a line across Morecambe Bay as visionary, 
 and gave an opinion in favour of a line up the Lune, by 
 Hornby, Kirkby Lonsdale, and Sedbergh, as per se the most 
 direct. Kendal would, however, have been removed at least 
 ten miles from the route of communication, and the Coramis-
 
 19 
 
 sioners (to quote their own words) feeling how desirable were 
 " the advantages of railway communication to the population of 
 the lower part of the valley uf the Kent, and to the thriving 
 town of Kendal in particular," suggested the possibility of dis- 
 covering an inland line, which, while it avoided the formidable 
 barrier of Gatescarth, might still approach the town. Such a 
 line was found at the foot of the Grayrigg Fells, and the 
 " amalgamation " of the rival inland lines takes place about 
 nine miles from Orton. The railway doss not approach Kendal 
 closer than Oxenholme ; but this is as near as it could be 
 brought, and the intervening space of about two miles is 
 supplied by the Kendal and Windermere line. 
 
 A company was accordingly formed to raise a capital of 
 ;{"i, 200,000, with power to increase their capital by the addi- 
 tional amount of /"4oo,ooo. But great difficulty was experienced 
 in getting the shares taken up and it was feared that the scheme 
 would be abortive, when the Grand Junction, seeing the im- 
 portance of promoting this line as a grand trunk line, of which 
 their own line would form an essential link, came to the rescue 
 and took shares to the amount of /■250,ooo. The Bill was im- 
 mediately brought into Parliament. It passed without any 
 considerable opposition in the session of 1844, and the works 
 were begun in the month of September of the same year. The 
 prospectus was for onl}' a single line of rails, but it was thought 
 advisable at once to enlarge the plan, and the proprietors 
 iiaving borrowed the additional amount, which their act em- 
 powered them to do, determined most judiciously that a double 
 line should be at once laid down. 
 
 THE WORKS ON THE LINE. 
 
 The engineers are Messrs. Locke and Errington, and the 
 contractors Messrs. Brassey and Stephenson. The contractors 
 undertook to have it open throughout in 18 months from the 
 commencement of the works; but circumstances, which they 
 could not control, have prevented the accomplishment of their 
 intentions, and it is no small proof of their vigour and energy.
 
 20 
 
 that they have been enabled to bring their task so near to com- 
 pletion as they have done. 
 
 The distance to Oxenholme from the Lancaster terminus in 
 Meeting House Lane is not quite 20 miles, which, with the two 
 miles of the Windermere Line, makes the whole length a little 
 less than the coach road. The line joins the Lancaster and 
 Preston about a mile south of the Penny Street Station in the 
 former town, and proceeds westward through a very deep cut- 
 ting, and it is thence carried by two great embankments of con- 
 siderable length to the river Lune. The second embankment 
 is ended by a row of eight stone and brick arches of 53 feet 
 span, leading to the viaduct over the Lune. This viaduct is a 
 stupendous construction, and it will greatly ornament the town, 
 as well as be useful in affording a foot passage along side, but 
 railed off from the lines. It consists of three arches, 120 feet 
 span, crossing the river, and of seven smaller arches on each 
 side. The height is 53 feet to the rails. The line, as originally 
 laid out, passed to the east of the town of Lancaster, crossing 
 the river above the town, and thus avoiding any interference 
 with the navigation. A petition was, however, presented to the 
 Company by the inhabitants of Lancaster, to alter the line so 
 as to pass nearer the town. This request was acceded to, and 
 the Company obtained a bill last year, authorising them to 
 make the Lancaster Deviation Line, which is the line now 
 constructed ; and it has been completed, including the viaduct 
 over the river Lune, in little more tlian a year. 
 
 The bridge over the Canal and the Aldcliffe Lane at Lan- 
 caster is a light and elegant structure, of two cast-iron arches 
 of 30 feet span. At the point where the line crosses the Miln- 
 thorpe turnpike road is a bridge of very peculiar construction, 
 being very much askew. It is built of freestone from the quar- 
 ries at Lancaster. The angle at which this bridge is built is 
 30 degrees. 
 
 The bridge over the Keer is the only timber bridge on the 
 line. It has been built of timber in order to ensure perfect 
 security in a soil, the treacherous nature of which is sufficiently
 
 21 
 
 shewn by the misshapen arch which carries the turnpike road 
 over the river close to this point. 
 
 The viaduct over the river Bela is a handsome bridge of two 
 arches, beautifully situated, and forming a pretty object in the 
 landscape. The bold and rugged limestone of which it is built 
 is procured from the adjacent hill of Farlton Knott and the 
 ridge above Beetham, which can be seen from this point. It is 
 very suitable for railway masonry, its massive, weather-beaten 
 appearance giving every security for its stability. This stone 
 has been employed on all the line from Carnforth to Kendal, 
 and even further north. Any visitor who will climb the hill to 
 visit the quarries where this stone is procured will be well re- 
 paid for his trouble. It is indeed an interesting sight to see so 
 many workmen engaged, some in hewing the stone to form 
 blocks on which the rails are laid, and others cutting it with 
 greater care and precision to the shapes required for the various 
 bridges. These quarries belong to Messrs. Waithman and 
 Davidson. 
 
 We must not omit the two very extensive cuttings on the 
 line, which are at Carnforth and Cinderbarrow, at each of 
 which places upwards of 150,000 cubic yards have been exca- 
 vated. The former of these cuttings is half a mile long and 
 averages fifty feet in depth, and the other is a mile long and 
 thirty feet deep. The cuttings through the limestone rock at 
 Natland Brow and Greenhead have been tedious and expensive 
 works. Near Bolton-le-Sands is an extensive embankment of 
 nearly 20 feet high, made over a peat-moss of 20 feet in depth, 
 which, as will be readily credited, swallowed an immense quan- 
 tity of earth ; but it is now perfectly consolidated. 
 
 There are twenty-four bridges over the railway along the line 
 from Lancaster to Kendal, and under it there are thirty-eight. 
 This is exclusive of cattle-gates. The amount of earthwork is 
 about a million and a half of cubic yards, or upwards of 70,000 
 per mile. The cost of constructing the line will be about 
 £17,000 per mile. The average number of men that have been 
 employed on the line is about 1,200.
 
 22 
 
 THE STATIONS. 
 
 The stations are five in number, and are from the designs of 
 Mr. Tite, who built the new Royal Exchange in London. The 
 station at Meeting House Lane, which will ultimately supersede 
 that in Penny Street, is a very beautiful building, of freestone, 
 in the Elizabethan style, and is built, as are the other stations, 
 under the direction of IMr. Hembrow, architect to the con- 
 tractors. We arrive next at Hest Bank station, which is 
 beautifully situated on the edge of Morecambe Bay. Hest Bank, 
 as we need not inform our readers, is a very favourite bathing 
 resort, and there is no doubt that it will be still more frequented 
 by visitors now that the railway renders access to it so easy. 
 The next station is at Carnforth ; after which comes the 
 station for Holme and Burton, which will also accommodate 
 the Yealands, Silverdale, and Beetham. The Miliithorpe station 
 is next, and this, it is expected, will be a leading station, as 
 being the nearest point to Ulverstone, and the southern portion 
 of the Lake District. The Kendal station, as we have before 
 mentioned, is at Longpool, and is on the Windermere line. The 
 building, which is temporary, is of wood, and we trust ere long 
 to see it replaced by an erection as imposing and commodious 
 as the station-house at Penrith. 
 
 THE EXCURSION. 
 
 But we must haste to speak of the more immediate business of 
 the day. Mr. Hasell, Major Maclean, Mr. Howard, and Mr. 
 Salkeld represented the directors of the Lancaster and Carlisle 
 Railway ; and the Windermere directors appeared in the 
 person of Mr. W. Whitwell, Mr. J. J. Wilson, Mr. Harrison, 
 Hundhow, and Mr. Cropper. It had been intended to leave the 
 Long Pool station in Kendal at half-past eleven o'clock ; but a 
 considerable delay took place in consequence of the carriages 
 not arriving from Lancaster so soon as was expected, and it 
 was not till i2h. 20m. that all was ready to start. There were 
 about 150 ladies and gentlemen in the train, which consisted of
 
 23 
 
 six carriages, and precisely at the time mentioned, the train was 
 put in motion, amid the hearty cheers of the vast assemblage 
 of spectators and the strains of a brass-band, which had been 
 engaged for the occasion. The train was drawn by the Daleinain, 
 a new engine belonging to the Lancaster and Carlisle Company, 
 and upon the engine were Mr. Errington and Mr. Worthington. 
 Oxenholme was reached in eight minutes, and Sedgwick by 
 I2h. 42m. Fourteen minutes more brought the train to Holme ; 
 Carnforth was neared at five minutes after one, where a stop- 
 page of three minutes took place to take in water, and where 
 the coach that had left Kendal at half-past eleven was passed ; 
 and the train arrived at the station in Meeting House Lane, at 
 Lancaster, precisely at 1.22, the distance between the two 
 termini being thus accomplished in six minutes within the 
 hour. We have travelled on many lines, and we can truly say 
 that we have never passed over a line where less rocking and 
 unsteadiness of motion were felt. A considerable delay took 
 place at Lancaster, where a fresh train, consisting of thirteen 
 carriages, was in waiting, into which the travellers from Kendal 
 were transferred. The train, thus enlarged, contained at least 
 400 individuals, and was drawn by the engine Bela, Mr. 
 Trevethick, superintendent of the locomotive department at 
 Crewe, — for the Grand Junction, or as it is now called the 
 " London and North Western Railway Company," on whose line 
 Crewe is an important station, furnished the working plant, — 
 taking charge of it. The return journey did not commence 
 till near two o'clock, and it was a fev/ minutes after three when 
 the Kendal terminus was reached. The Castle Hill, and every 
 other eminence from which a sight of the novel travelling 
 array could be obtained, was crowded with spectators, who 
 cheered most enthusiastically, and at the different stations, 
 particularly at Milnthorpe, the reception was equally animated 
 and vivacious. 
 
 The course of the line from the Viaduct is towards Hest 
 Bank ; Morecambe Bay on the left, with Black Combe, Coniston 
 Old Man, and other adjoining hills for a background, forming
 
 24 
 
 without exception one of the boldest and most picturesque 
 views we ever beheld. The sea being calm, the bay, almost 
 closed m by the hills, had all the appearance of an extensive 
 lake, and the scene was one which elicited general admiration. 
 Leaving Hest Bank in the rear, we are whisked past Bolton 
 on the right, with its church whose clock is famed as one of 
 the best in England ; and then we approach Carnforth. The 
 line thence passes east of Warton and west of Burton, reach- 
 ing Cinderbarrow. Two miles north of this is the Holme 
 station, where the line stretches along an embankment two 
 miles in length, crossing the river Beetha, and having on the 
 east Farleton Knot. It then proceeds to the Milnthorpe 
 station, which is in the course of erection, and to the Rowel 
 cut, passing Sedgwick, where there is a cutting half a mile 
 long and forty feet deep, and running along an embankment a 
 quarter of a mile long and sixty feet in depth. Passmg under 
 the Burton and Lancaster road, the line extends to Oxenholme, 
 at which point, as we have previously intimated, the Kendal 
 and Windermere line joins the Lancaster and Carlisle, the 
 gradient of the incline to Kendal being i in 80. 
 
 The coach-drive between Lancaster and Kendal, particularly 
 via Milnthorpe, is known to be one of the most delightful rides 
 in the kingdom. The railway, it will be seen, so far from de- 
 tracting from its picturesqueness of effect, has added greatly to 
 it, and many new views h^/e been opened out, which the poet 
 Gray would call " little unsuspected paradises." The view 
 which is presented of Kendal low down in the valley, just as 
 you approach the junction at Oxenholme, is most striking; 
 and, in fact, all those views with which the traveller has long 
 been familiar, gain much m effect from the commanding and 
 elevated situation from which you are enabled to survey them. 
 
 We have great pleasure in adding that not a single accident 
 or mischance of any description occurred, and it is impossible 
 that anything could have been more complete and satisfactor}', 
 whether in the arrangement or the details than the " opening- 
 day " of thC' Lancaster and Carlisle Railway.
 
 25 
 
 The day was celebrated as a holiday in Kendal, all the shops 
 being closed, and the grand event was looked upon as the dawn 
 of revived prosperity. 
 
 DEJEUNER AT THE WHITEHALL IN KENDAL. 
 
 Immediately on the return of the train from Lancaster, those 
 ladies and gentlemen to whom invitations had been sent by the 
 Directors of the Kendal and Windermere Railway, who gave 
 the entertainment, repaired to the Whitehall Buildings in New 
 Street, where a most splendid and recherche collation, prepared 
 by Mr. Fisher, of the Commercial Inn, was set out. The dejeuner 
 took place in the Assembly Room, and nearly 150 guests sat 
 down. C. Nicholson, Esq., the mayor of Kendal, presided. He 
 was supported on his left by Mr. Alderman Thompson, one of 
 the county members, and by E. W. Hasell, Esq., chairman of 
 the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, on his right. John Wake- 
 field, Esq., of Sedgwick, officiated as vice. Amongst the 
 guests present we observed the Rev. J. W. Barnes, vicar of 
 Kendal; Rev. J. F. Amos, the curate; W. Rotherham, Esq., 
 of Liverpool, one of the directors of the London and North 
 Western Railway; R. Garnett, Esq., Quernmore, near Lancas- 
 ter; J. Bryans, Esq., Bellefield, Bowness ; J. T. Clay, Esq., 
 Croft Lodge ; Joseph Salkeld, Esq., Penrith; Henry Howard, 
 Esq., of Greystoke; Major Maclean, Penrith; J. E. Errington, 
 Esq., J. B. Worthington, Esq., Wm. Robinson, Esq., Thomas 
 Swainson, Esq., Thomas Johnson, Esq., S. E. Bolden, Esq., 
 H.Baldwin, Esq., all of Lancaster ; Thomas Harrison, Esq., 
 Dr. Proudfoot, Wm. Longmire, Esq., James Noble, Esq., J. J. 
 Wilson, Esq., Wm. Whitwell, Esq., of Kendal ; Wm. Fothergill, 
 Esq., Bridge House, near Kendal ; John Harrison, Esq., 
 Hundhow ; Messrs. Stephenson and Mould, the contractors, 
 &c., &c., &c. 
 
 Grace was said before sitting down to the table by the Rev. 
 the vicar, and on the conclusion of the repast by the Rev. 
 J. F. Amos.
 
 26 
 
 Full justice having been done to the delicacies served up 
 from the cuisine of Mrs, Fisher, the chairman proceeded at 
 once to business, apologising for the apparent haste, as it was 
 necessary to return in a very short time to Lancaster. 
 
 The Mayor said he rose to give the company who had 
 honoured the Kendal and Windermere Railway Directors with 
 their presence, a hearty welcome. They had met in the room 
 later than was expected, but the delay was unavoidable. He 
 regretted it the more, as it would shorten the period they would 
 have to spend together, for it had been arranged that the train 
 should return shortly to Lancaster, where a dinner was to take 
 place. He begged, therefore, that they would do the eating 
 and drinking with speed, as they ought to do on occasion of 
 the opening of a railway (laughter). He had to apologise for 
 the absence, from ill health, of their respected chairman, 
 Mr. John Gan,dy, and it was on account of his absence that 
 the duty of presiding devolved on him (Mr. Nicholson), as 
 vice-chairman. There would be no time to spare from the 
 refreshment part of their duties, for speech making, and, 
 rtioreover, the principal part of the speaking would be reserved 
 for after dinner : but there were one or two toasts which it was 
 necessary to give, and these he should content himself with 
 proposing with all due brevity. He once more welcomed them 
 most cordially, and begged that they would enjoy themselves 
 as cheerfully as they could for an hour or so (cheers and 
 laughter). 
 
 The Chairman then gave " The Queen," " Prince Albert and 
 the rest of the Royal Family." 
 
 The Chairman said, in proposing "The Lord Lieutenant of 
 the County," he did not wish that the health of that nobleman 
 should be drunk as a mere matter of formality. He was en- 
 titled to the distinction partly from his connection with the 
 county, and pre-eminently so from the active share he had 
 taken in the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. He (the chair- 
 man) believed it was he who discovered the pass that unites 
 the valley of the Lune and the valley of the Kent in the iron
 
 27 
 
 bonds of a railway (cheers) ; and he was entitled for that service 
 to every honour that could be paid to him. He was also a 
 great friend of railwavs, independently of his connection with 
 the Lancaster and Carlisle ; and he was sure that they would 
 join in cordially drinking "the health of the Earl of Lonsdale, 
 the Lord Lieutenant of the County" (loud cheers). 
 
 The Chairman said he would give them " the Members of 
 the County.'' One of them he was happy to see among them 
 on that occasion, and he was sure that pressing engagements 
 only prevented the attendance of the other. Of Colonel Lowther, 
 it was needless to say that every one respected him who knew 
 him. Alderman Thompson, whom he had the pleasure of 
 seeing at his right hand, was one of those enterprising spirits 
 who did so much credit to the country ; and he had, by his 
 great talents and unwearied- industry, won his way to the 
 highest honours. He begged to give them " the Members of 
 the County." 
 
 Mr. ^Id. Thompson, on rising, was received with applause. 
 He said he begged to thank them on behalf of his gallant 
 colleague and himself, for the compliment that had been paid 
 to them. He also begged to return his sincere thanks to his 
 friend, the chairman, for the very flattering manner in which 
 he had been kind enough to introduce the names of the County 
 members. He was sure that the chairman had faithfully 
 accounted for the absence of his colleague. He (Mr. Aid. 
 Thompson) believed that he was in a distant part of the country, 
 and he felt sure that had he been within the limits of the 
 county, he would have been present to answer for himself. He 
 (Mr. Aid. Thompson) would not be unmindful of the hint that 
 had been given, that, as their stay in that room must be of 
 short duration, the speeches must be brief also. He believed 
 that fev/ people made shorter speeches than himself, and if he 
 were to make a long speech on that occasion, it would be the 
 first time he had done so (laughter) ; but he could not forego 
 the expression of his gratification at the event they were met 
 that day to celebrate. He reciprocated to the fullest extent
 
 28 
 
 those feelings of hopeful anticipation that the promoters of the 
 scheme entertained. He was himself a native of the county, 
 and he should be most unjust — nay, most ungrateful if he did 
 not take an interest in all that concerned its welfare (applause), 
 and no undertaking could tend more to the general prosperity 
 of the county than the railways which were in progress. It 
 was well known that the people of Westmorland were an in- 
 dustrious and persevering race, but the count}' was at a great 
 distance from the chief markets of the manufacturing districts. 
 Thanks, however, to the enterprise of the age, those markets 
 were now close to oiir doors (applause). It was impossible but 
 that great and signal advantages must accrue to all who were 
 connected with the soil from the facilities that were thus opened 
 out. With regard to the agricultural portion of the community, 
 he had always felt that they laboured under great disadvantages 
 in getting their produce into the best markets. A glance at 
 the difference of price that prevailed in the local markets and 
 the great towns to which he referred, would show at once, 
 and most convincingly, that the farmers of this county would 
 get a more remunerating price for their articles, and, at the 
 same time, the cost would be lowered to the consumer. It was 
 anomalous that the price of butter should only be gd. in the 
 Kendal market, while in Manchester it fetched as much as 
 i6d. the pound.'' There existed a mutuality between the re- 
 sidents of different districts, and what he had mentioned was 
 only a small portion of the blessings which he trusted the 
 Lancaster and Carlisle Railway would bring with it (applause). 
 But they were now in the town of Kendal, which used to be 
 one of the most considerable manufacturing towns in the 
 kingdom. The distinction had been lost from the want of an 
 outlet for its goods, and it had fallen m consequence behind 
 other towns. All those disadvantages were about to be re- 
 moved, and there would now be an easy access to Liverpool 
 
 *The worthy Alderman has here fallen into an error. Butter has been 
 for some time at a shilling a pound in Kendal market. — P.D. 1S4O.
 
 29 
 
 and other places, whence their manufactures might be exported. 
 He was afraid he was trespassing on their time, but there was 
 one circumstance to which he must advert. The line which 
 was partially opened that day, showed what science could 
 effect, and did the greatest credit to the engineer. A few years 
 ago, difficulties were thought to exist which it was impossible 
 to surmount. But the skill of the engineer, aided by the 
 enterprising capitalists who had supported his measures, had 
 overcome every obstacle, and the inhabitants of Kendal were 
 on the eve of a new era (cheers). He again thanked them'for 
 the honour they had done him in inviting him to that splendid 
 entertainment, and congratulated them on the brightening pros- 
 pects that were before them. 
 
 The Chairman rose to take advantage of the speech that had 
 just been delivered, and to make it the preface to the toast of 
 the afternoon, "Success to the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, 
 and health and happiness to its chairman Mr. Hasell" (loud 
 cheers). He (the chairman) would add but a single observa- 
 tion to what had fallen from the last speaker, and that was, 
 that the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was the best en- 
 gineered line in the kingdom. It was therefore the cheapest, 
 and passing through such a country as it did, it did the greatest 
 credit to the engineers, Messrs. Locke and Errington. He 
 begged to give the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, and the 
 health of the chairman, Mr. Hasell. 
 
 Mr. Hasell was received with loud applause. He said he 
 was very sorry that the first office which the mayor had to 
 perform was to interfere with one of those banners which spoke 
 of success to the Lancaster and Carlisle and the Windermere 
 Railways, but he trusted that it was no omen of ill success 
 (laughter and cheers). Long speeches were proscribed, if in- 
 deed under any circumstances they would be suitable to an 
 occasion like the presnt, and he was therefore glad that his 
 friend, the worthy member for Westmorland, had, by the obser- 
 vations that had fallen from him, done away with the necessity 
 of alluding further to the benefits which the Ime whose opening
 
 30 
 
 they had met to celebrate, would confer upou the town. Those 
 advantages were very great and very obvious, and the interest 
 which was manifested by their meeting together on that occa- 
 sion, proved that they were fully sensible of them. The 
 engineers had much difficulty in planning the line, and with 
 regard to the directors, the praise that had been bestowed upon 
 him was much more justly due to his brother directors than to 
 himself. This he might say, that if ever there was a body of men 
 anxious faithfully to discharge their duties, it was his brother 
 directors and himself. They had among them gentlemen 
 engaged in manufactures and gentlemen engaged in agriculture, 
 but all had acted unitedly together as one man, and he trusted 
 that, through the skill of their engineers, one of whom he was 
 happy to see present, the railway would be soon working with 
 great speed and safety. He (Mr. H.) felt assured that it would 
 prove of great advantage not only to the inhabitants of this 
 part of the country, but to the nation at large, for it was one of 
 the large trunk railways passing from London to Scotland. It 
 was no trifling object which the directors had under their care, 
 and most thankful should he be to Almighty Providence, if they 
 should be enabled to carry out their great work (cheers). The 
 progress thus far made was full}' satisfactor}', and when it was 
 remembered that they had that morning passed to Lancaster in 
 three-quarters of an hour, or at the rate of thirty miles an hour, 
 while with a much heavier train they had returned in an hour 
 and five minutes, or at the rate of twenty miles an hour, they 
 were not indulging unfounded hopes that in the course of six or 
 eight weeks there would be opened out to the public a line 
 surpassed by none in the kingdom. All that had been said at 
 the outset about difficult gradients had been shown to be un- 
 founded. The remarks which -he (Mr. Hasell) had made 
 applied principally to that railway which they had brought 
 nearly to completion, and which was to connect London with 
 Glasgow and even with Edinburgh, and forward to Johnny 
 Groat's House, and up into the Highlands as far as might be 
 found needful ; but it might be said the line you are describing
 
 31 
 
 is a mile from the town of Kendal, and the question would be 
 asked, how are you to get thither ? He (Mr. Hasell) would 
 therefore introduce to their notice a little railway, which a friend 
 of theirs had described as a geni of a railway (cheers). He 
 hoped it would introduce many gems from the south, and turn 
 out a glittering gem in the shape of money glittering in the 
 the pockets of the proprietors (applause). His friend, as a 
 director of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, had yielded to 
 none in diligence to push the interests of the main line, and 
 the Windermere line was a capital connecting link with it. 
 He begged to propose the health of the directors of the Kendal 
 and Windermere line, coupling with it the name of the chair- 
 man, whose services at the board of directors of the other rail- 
 way they had been very sorry to lose (loud cheers). 
 
 The Chairman, in responding, said he was firmly persuaded 
 that the Kendal and Windermere had j'et to prove what it was 
 capable of, and that it would confer on the town of Kendal ad- 
 vantages more than he dared to mention. It would also confer 
 on the inhabitants of the lake district benefits of which they 
 had no idea. It would be also signally useful to the working 
 classes, in drawing them away from the haunts of vice and in- 
 temperance, and open out to them the beauties of nature, by 
 which their minds would be enlarged and their hearts expanded. 
 With regard to the Lancaster and Carlisle, it might be pardon- 
 able in him to indulge in a feeling of pride, for he had ten years 
 ago written in its favour. To suppose that a railway could be 
 constructed through such a line of country was by many thought 
 to be impracticable ; and if it could be made, it was pronounced 
 that it could never reward the proprietors. But he would not 
 detain them with further observations on behalf of the Winder- 
 mere Railway directors : he thanked them for the compliment 
 that had been paid them. Before he sat down, he begged to 
 propose the health of his excellent friend, and their friend — as 
 he was sure of the friendship of all who knew him, — the vicar 
 of Kendal (loud cheers).
 
 32 
 
 The Vicar briefly responded. He feared the chairman in 
 speaking of him in the wa}' in which he had done, had caught 
 somewhat of the railway mania, and had gone too fast (laugh- 
 ter). He, however, cordially and sincerely thanked them for 
 the honour they had done him. 
 
 The Vice-Chairman briefly proposed the " Health of the 
 ladies who had honoured them with their presence," and Mr. 
 Hasell suggested that the name of the lady of the chairman 
 should be placed at the head of the list. 
 
 The Chairman appropriately acknowledged the compliment. 
 He also begged to' propose the " Healths of the Engineers, 
 Mr. Locke and Mr. Errington." It was impossible, he said, to 
 speak in terms of exaggeration of the ability with which the 
 line had been first laid down and carried out (loud cheers). 
 
 Mr. Errington rose to return thanks. He would willingly 
 have dispensed with the honour which had been paid to the 
 engineers, were it only for the purpose of saving time. For 
 his own part, he begged in the fewest words to thank them 
 most sincerely, not only for drinking their healths, but for the 
 good temper and patience which had been extended towards 
 them. His friend, Mr. Locke, he was sure, would feel that his 
 absence on that occasion was a great deprivation ; but he was 
 that moment engaged in opening another railway, or under 
 any other circumstances he would have been present. He 
 (Mr. Errington) hoped and trusted that what had been accom- 
 plished would be for the public good. Would they permit him, 
 on behalf of the railway authorities, to express the deep obliga- 
 tion which they felt, for the lively interest that had been mani- 
 fested by the public in the spiritual welfare of the railway 
 labourers ? This was a mark of benevolence which reflected 
 the highest credit on the men who had so exerted themselves. 
 Mr. E. continued, he should not be performing his duty if he 
 did not mention what was a fact notorious to all the railway 
 world, that their worthy chairman had had more to do with 
 bringing the line in that direction than any other individual. 
 In fact, it was he who had absolutely turned the railway
 
 33 
 
 towards Kendal (loud cheers). No one had exerted himself so 
 untiringly to secure the benefit of railway communication to 
 Kendal, and it was only due to their chairman to bear this 
 testimony in his behalf. 
 
 The Vice-Chairman gave the health of the contractors, 
 Messrs. Brassey and Stephenson. 
 
 Mr. Hasell bore testimony to the efforts of Mr. Stephenson, 
 and regretted that he had in his former address forgotten to 
 advert to them. 
 
 Mr. ErringtoxN had also omitted to do that justice to the 
 contractors which they deserved, in stating their earnest desire 
 to carry out the work. Notwithstanding the unfortunate acci- 
 dents that had occurred, it was impossible that greater care 
 and precaution could have been exercised. The contractors 
 had about thirty thousand men in their control and pay, and 
 that fact was itself the strongest proof that they were men of 
 great vigour and experience (loud cheers). 
 
 Mr. Stephenson appropriately responded. He said he had 
 long looked forward with pleasure to that day. He cordially 
 thanked them for the way in which the name of the contractors 
 had been mentioned. If the engineers and the directors had 
 not worked hand in hand with them, they could not have ac- 
 complished what they had done, and their labours would not 
 have been so near a happy close. He hoped that, in six or 
 eight weeks, the line would be opened throughout. They had 
 very cross-grained materials to deal with, but the directors 
 might be assured that everything should be done which lay 
 within the compass of human means (applause). 
 
 The Chairman said there was a stranger present, whose 
 name he begged to mtroduce to them. He meant Mr. R. 
 Garnett, who was largely connected with the London and Bir- 
 mingham Railway, and was also a director of the Lancaster 
 and Preston line. He proposed the health of Mr. Robt. Garnett 
 and the strangers present.
 
 34 
 
 Mr. Garnett, in responding, said, he must congratulate the 
 meeting on the auspicious occasion that had called them to- 
 gether. It was a most important occasion, and he trusted 
 that all the benefits would be realised to the town and th^ 
 country generally, which were anticipated. He trusted and 
 felt sure that the expectation of the engineers and contractors 
 would be realised to the fullest extent (applause). 
 
 Mr. Aid. Thompson said, the meeting must not separate 
 without an acknowledgment to his excellent friend at the 
 bottom of the table (Mr. Wakefield). Every one who knew 
 him, knew that not a public work was proposed which he did 
 not encourage and promote with all the activity in his power. 
 
 The Vice-Chairman believed he was the only one who 
 adhered to the rule laid down of making short speeches 
 (laughter). He cordially thanked them for the honour done 
 him. 
 
 The Chairman here rose, and the company dispersed, pre- 
 paratory to the starting of the next train for Lancaster. 
 
 THE RETURN TO LANCASTER. 
 
 Soon after Six the train was in movement on its return to 
 Lancaster, where it arrived shortly after seven, the distance 
 having been performed in a few minutes above the hour. About 
 half-past seven o'clock a party of upwards of forty gentlemen 
 sat down to dinner at the King's Arms, given in honour of the 
 occasion by the directors of the Lancaster and Carlisle Rail- 
 way Company, on which Mr. Pritt had lavished all his art, 
 and with the completest success. The table was replenished 
 with every delicacy of the season, and the wines, including 
 Johanisbergh, Claret, Champagne, &c., flowed in generous pro- 
 fusion in honour of the successful issue of the day's proceed- 
 ings. Mr. Hasell, chairman of the Company, most ably pre- 
 sided, and Mr. John Wakefield, deputy chairman, did the 
 duties of vice with his well known heartiness and good humour, 
 Mr. Barnes, the vicar of Kendal, who was among the guests, 
 said grace.
 
 35 
 
 " The Queen." 
 
 " Prince Albert, and the rest of the Royal Famih'." 
 
 The Chairman said the next toast was the " Armj' and 
 Navy." He did not know whether any member of the latter 
 profession was present, but he was happy to see that a gentle- 
 man who had been a very good and efficient army officer was 
 present, a gentleman who by his engineering knowledge had 
 done good service to the Railway company. He begged to 
 give the " Army and Navy, and the health of Major Maclean." 
 
 Major Maclean begged leave to return thanks for the 
 honour that had been done the army in drinking his health. 
 He was sorry there was no officer present belonging to the 
 naval service, but he might say for both professions, that they 
 looked for no better reward than the approbation of their fellow 
 citizens. They never ceased to look upon themselves as citizens, 
 and whether a shorter or a longer period of service elapsed, 
 they had no greater gratification than in diligently performing 
 their duty in private life, and could receive no higher reward 
 than the approbation of their fellow citizens. The chairman 
 had spoken of his services to the railway, but they had been 
 very slight, and he did not think that part of the chairman's 
 speech required from him any observation. 
 
 "The Members for the Borough, Messrs. Greene and 
 Marton." 
 
 The Chairman said the toast he was about to give was one 
 which, under ordinary circumstances, he would have given 
 without comment, he meant " The Members for the County : " 
 but it ought on that occasion to be mentioned that when their 
 bill was in the Commons, one of their members had materially 
 contributed to its successful progress. Nothing could be more 
 strenuous than the mode in which he conducted the passing of 
 the bill. He was sure they would most cordially respond, 
 when he called on them to drink the health of Mr. Patten with 
 very marked attention (cheers). The other member, Mr. Tal- 
 bot Clifton, was a young man, but he had no doubt his services 
 would be equally efficient as those of his colleague, should they
 
 36 
 
 have occasion to employ them in a similar manner. He was 
 sorry to hear that Mr. Patten was labouring under a very 
 severe domestic affliction. He would not further detain them 
 than by proposing the " Health of the County Members," 
 coupling with the sentiment their expression of sincere sym- 
 pathy for the loss which Mr. Patten had sustained. 
 
 (Mr. H. alluded to the loss of the wife of the hon. member 
 a few weeks ago). 
 
 "The Members for Westmorland." They had, said the 
 Chairman, great claims upon their notice. One of them. Col. 
 Lowther, was a very active director, and the other, Mr. Alder- 
 man Thompson, was a large proprietor. 
 
 The Chairman next gave " The Antient Borough of Lan- 
 caster," and he could not do so more appropriately than in 
 connecting with it the healths of the chief civil officer of the 
 town, and the members of the Corporation. He hoped that 
 the railway, so far from injuring, would be a great advantage 
 to the town. The object of the proprietors in carrying it out, 
 was not to ruin that antient and important borough, and he 
 had no doubt that it would would prove of great service to it. 
 He was sorry they were not favoured with the company of the 
 mayor of Lancaster. A card of invitation had been sent, but 
 whether mistake or mischance had occurred, he could not say. 
 He had been duly invited, and every wish had been felt to do 
 him due honour, as the head of the Corporation. He begged 
 to give " The Mayor and Corporation " (Applause). 
 
 Mr. Alderman Robinson joined in the regret that had been 
 expressed at the absence of the mayor on this interesting oc- 
 casion, whether by mistake or not he could not say. He 
 (Mr. R.) could say that the town generally felt the greatest in- 
 terest in the undertaking, and hoped it would answer the expec- 
 tations of those who had conducted it to so speedy an issue. 
 
 Mr. PuDSEY Dawson rose to propose the health of an old 
 schoolfellow, he meant the chairman, who presided also over 
 the undertaking which had that day been partially brought to 
 {1 completion. It was looked to in the town of Lancaster with
 
 37 
 
 peculiar interest, and though, as far as he was himself con- 
 cerned, he did not live within the verge of the borough, being 
 cut off from it by one little brook, he still felt an interest in it 
 and should be glad to be enabled in any way to promote its suc- 
 cess (cheers). He was himself concerned about a smaller rail- 
 way (the North NVestern), which might be considered as a 
 feeder of the Lancaster and Carlisle. The promoters of that 
 line wished every success to the Lancaster and Carlisle; and 
 he trusted that the two would mutually benefit each other. 
 The town of Lancaster, he also had no doubt, would regain 
 that consideration which it had once enjoyed ; but of which it 
 had been long deprived, partly from the access to it not being 
 made so convenient as the natural facilities of the place ren- 
 dered practicable ^cheers). He begged to give the health of 
 the chairman of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. 
 
 The Chairman, in responding, said, he must repeat the sen- 
 timent he had expressed at Kendal, which was, that the Lan- 
 caster and Carlisle Railway would be an advantag'e, not only 
 to that district through which it passed, but to the country at 
 large, as a great thoroughfare from London as far as the High- 
 lands of Scotland. He hoped also that he should see another 
 trunk line equally efficient constructed on the eastern side of 
 the island (cheers). He had no objection to competition, for 
 he felt assured that they could work as well and as cheaply as 
 the makers of any other line. He had no fear whatever for 
 the result. Whatever the amount of traffic that might be con- 
 veyed on the east side of the island, the western line would 
 have to supply the wants of Liverpool, Manchester, Birming- 
 ham, and the Potteries, with all their vast populations. In as 
 much as there must be a line cf railway through into Scotland, 
 to contend, as had been done, that no line should be made 
 through this part of the country was idle ; and he hoped that 
 those parties who had expressed such an opinion would be 
 taught a lesson, and would be compelled to confess that the 
 west line was as beneficial to the kingdom as their own, and 
 that it worked as well and was as lucrative to the proprietors
 
 3S 
 
 (cheers). It was not agreeable to speak of himself, but in as 
 much as his name had been singled out, he should feel he was 
 guilty of ingratitude, if he did not take that opportunity of stat- 
 ing that they owed the success of their undertaking, not to the 
 chairman, but to the board generally, every member of which 
 had done more than himself. He had had the honour of pre- 
 siding over the board two years, and though the management 
 of railway matters might be thought a difficult task, such was 
 the good sense and business skiil, which had been brought to 
 bear on their deliberations, that every impediment had been 
 overcome, and the result the}- felt was most complete and 
 satisfactory (applause). It was, however, well known the 
 labours of the directors were not over. A part of the line only 
 had been opened ; but the efforts of the directors would not be 
 relaxed. The train, in which they had travelled to Lancaster, 
 ran at the rate of thirty miles an hour ; there was no shaking 
 felt, but the motion was as easy as if they had been on an old 
 established line. They came back at the rate of twenty miles, 
 and this, he thought, was a beginning b}' no means unsatisfac- 
 tory (applause). When a line was green, it was necessary to 
 take great care in working it for the public. Such arrange- 
 ments would be made when it was opened to the public on the 
 following day, as would prevent accidents, as far as human 
 foresight could prevent their occurrence. At all events, he 
 begged to assure them that the directors would pay special at- 
 tention to that part of their duty. In providing for the safety 
 of the passengers to every possible extent, they were prepared 
 to encounter all imputations for slowness and delay — (hear, 
 hear) — and they meant to increase their speed, as the line was 
 consolidated (hear, hear). It may very likely be made a matter 
 of reproach against them, that they ran their line at only 
 twenty miles an hour, but they would much sooner do this 
 than incur any risk whatever (applause). When the line was 
 once fairly established, the same care would continue to be 
 exerted, but they would then be justified in using the same ex- 
 pedition that took place on other lines, and they did not mean
 
 39 
 
 to be excelled by any (applause). He wished it to be distinctly 
 understood that for the first six months, it was not intended to 
 travel so fast as on lines of long standing. Dut ultimately they 
 would travel as quickly as you liked (cheers). He thanked Mr. 
 Dawson for expressing so kind a wish for the prosperity of the 
 Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, and he hoped that an oppor- 
 tunity would at some future period bs afforded of repaying the 
 compliment. But there was a railway of longer standing 
 which they were called upon to notice first, and more 
 particularly was that obligation due from the very splendid 
 entertainment which had been given in Kendal to the pro- 
 prietors of Kendal and Lancaster Railway, over which the 
 mayor of the former town had presided so ably. The inhabi- 
 tants of Kendal had received them in the kindest and most 
 friendly manner, and had testified their great interest in their 
 railway. The reception that had been given was most enthu- 
 siastic ; they were greeted at the different stations as they ap- 
 proached the town with the liveliest cheers. The hills were 
 covered with people of all classes. The day was in itself most 
 delightful, and nothing could be more auspicious and encour- 
 aging than the opening-day of their line (loud cheers). He 
 was also glad to say that the line sustained the confidence 
 that was originally felt in it. He might, he was sure, venture 
 to question whether there was another line standing at so high 
 a premium as theirs had done from first to last, and that had 
 changed the holders so little. Many of those who took up 
 shares at the first, had never parted with a single share. He 
 was himself one of the number. This was a gratifying fact, 
 and he thought it was a fair indication that the line stood in 
 high repute (cheers). He would not detain them longer, but 
 in return for the hospitable manner in which the Directors of 
 the Windermere Railwaj'had received them, he begged to pro- 
 pose the " Health of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of that 
 Company,'' and prosperity to the town of Kendal, uniting with 
 the toast the name of the mayor of that Borough (loud cheers).
 
 40 
 
 Mr. Nicholson briefly responded to this toast, and concluded 
 by proposing the " Health of Mr. Swift, solicitor to the Lancas- 
 ter and Carlisle Railway," passing at the same time a very 
 high encomium on the professional services of that gentleman. 
 
 Mr. Swift humorously responded, stating that he had not 
 had a fair chance, as he had stated at the recent meeting at 
 Penrith, when he complained of the shamefully low sum that 
 appeared in the financial account for parliamentary expenses, 
 and he took that opportunity of repeating the hope he then 
 expressed, that the directors would turn over a new leaf 
 (laughter and cheers). Before he sat down, he begged permis- 
 sion to propose the health of a gentleman who was entitled to 
 their highest esteem, he meant Mr. J. Wakefield (cheers). In 
 a dispute in which they had been engaged with another party, 
 that gentleman, while he manifested every desire to support 
 the interests of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, had at the 
 same time evinced a due regard to the other company to which 
 he alluded. He felt that he should be wanting in his duty if 
 he omitted to propose his very good health (applause). 
 
 Mr. Wakefield said that they had all attempted to be 
 brief, but they had none of them succeeded (laughter). He 
 would not follow the example that had been set, for he would 
 simply thank them for the honor they had done him. Before 
 he sat down, he must propose the health of his friend, Mr. 
 Howard, who had been surpassed in anxiety by no man to pro- 
 mote the interests of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway 
 (cheers). 
 
 Mr. Howard briefly responded. He could claim only the 
 merit of a desire to do his duty. No man was more anxious 
 than himself for the success of the line, but Mr. Wakefield had 
 overpowered him by his eulogium, and he did not know another 
 instance of a short speech like his which contained so strong 
 a dose of praise (cheers and laughter). 
 
 Various other toasts were given, and the company shortly 
 afterwards separated.
 
 41 
 
 With our minds refreshed by these old records it will 
 be interesting to read a letter which my fatliCr wrote in 
 one of the local papers on March ii, 1889, on the sub- 
 ject of the contemplated diversion of the main line in 
 Westmorland ; it shews how keenly interested he was 
 in all that concerned the welfare of his native county, 
 and also how beautifully clear his mind remained even 
 to the last few months of his long life. 
 
 LANCASIXR AND CARLISLi: RAILWAY. 
 
 Sir, — The letter on this subject in your last paper by my 
 esteemed Iriend Charles Lloycl Braithwaite naturally attracts 
 my attention, as it opens a chapter of local history which still 
 remains to be written. 
 
 I beheve there are only three persons now living of those 
 who constituted the original Kendal Committee of the Lancas- 
 ter and Carlisle Railway. These are Mr. Charles Lloyd Brai- 
 thwaite, still resident ; Mr. W. Whitwell, non-resident ; and I, 
 who acted as honorary secretary from the year 1S37 till the 
 opening of the railway in 1846. 
 
 It is rumoured that a diversion of the main line is contemp- 
 lated by way of Staveley and Kentmere, to avoid the heav}' gra- 
 dient up Shap Fells, and Mr. Braithwaite's approval of this line 
 might indicate to casual readers the idea that this was the route 
 originally projected " to get the main line nearer Kendal." 
 It may be true that the line by Staveley was once a subject of 
 conversation merely, but no survey was ever made of that 
 route. It goes without saying that we all ardently desired the 
 Lancaster and Carlisle Railway to pass through Kendal, and 
 were grievously disappointed when we could not accomplish 
 it. My favourite project was to carry the railway, via Kendal, 
 up the Vale of Longsleddale with a tunnel under Gate Scarth 
 and thence by Askham to Penrith. I publicly, and very truly 
 described it as Linea Recta Brcvissima ! This was carefully
 
 42 
 
 surveyed by Mr, Job Bintley ; the length of the tunnel would 
 have been two miles seventeen chains, and the cost was esti- 
 mated at /"40 per lineal yard, — a trifling work compared with 
 many existing railway tunnels in England and the continent. 
 
 Amidst the discussion of competing schemes, I hurried off 
 to London, and through the influence of Lord Lowther, then 
 a member of Peel's Government, a Royal Commission was 
 appointed to investigate and report on the best through line 
 between London and Scotland. That Royal Commission 
 consisted of Sir Frederick Smith and another military engineer, 
 with Major Amsink as secretary. We had rivals to combat on 
 the east at Newcastle, and on the west at Whitehaven, but 
 these both went to the wall. 
 
 I accompanied the Royal Commissioners on a tour of inspec- 
 tion through Longsleddale and over Gate Scarth, urging every 
 argument in my power in favour of that line, but the tunnel 
 frightened the Commissioners. Tunnels were a greater bug- 
 bear then than they are now. The result was a carefully pre- 
 pared report which was laid before the Government in favour 
 of the Grayrigg and Shap Fells route, the Commissioners 
 expressing their regret that they could not suggest a line of 
 railway to pass through Kendal, which, they said, " is the only 
 enterprising town on the route." 
 
 If the heavy gradient over Shap Fells should ever compel a 
 deviation of the line in Westmorland, the Longsleddale route 
 will, in my opinion, be found to be the best ; and this question 
 may peradventure eventually assume sufficient importance to 
 decide the victory in the " battle of swift trains " between 
 London and Scotland. — Yours truly, 
 
 Cornelius Nicholson. 
 
 Ventnor, March 11, 1889. 
 
 In 1846, at the solicitation of a deputation of his 
 fellow-townsmen, Mr. Nicholson took up the question of 
 the supply of water to the houses in Kendal. Such
 
 43 
 
 supply as previously existed was rom private pumps, 
 and springing from limestone rocks, the water was hard 
 and not wholesome. He found a remedy in the sugges- 
 tion of buying up the old Gas Company, and establishing 
 in its place, the " Gas and Water Company," for the 
 combined supply of gas and water ; the water being 
 drawn from a reservoir on Benson Knot, on the east 
 side of the town, where the Silurian strata yielded soft 
 water. There was a shew of opposition, a petition 
 against the Bill was prepared and formally lodged in 
 the private Bill office, but no appearance was put in. 
 My father, who was the only witness for the Bill, had 
 taken with him to London a bottle of water from the 
 chosen source, and some amusement was created in 
 committee, when, filling a tumbler, he invited the chair- 
 man (Lord Devon) to take a drink, and satisfy himself 
 of the purity and sparkling brilliancy of the water! The 
 Act of Incorporation received the royal assent on June 
 26th, 1846. 
 
 In 1845-46 Mr. Nicholson served the office of mayor 
 of the Borough of Kendal, having been elected a coun- 
 cillor of the Corporation for the express purpose of 
 being appointed mayor. 
 
 There was at that time great excitement in the world 
 of politics on the subject of Free Trade. My father's 
 sympathies were always alive in the cause of benevolence, 
 and in the endeavour to redress any grievances of the 
 poorer classes, so he took up this subject with hearty 
 interest. In July, 1846, Mr. Warburton visited Kendal, 
 and there was an enthusiastic celebration in honour of 
 the Triumph of Free Trade ! Some extracts from a 
 report of this fete may not be without interest, especially
 
 44 
 
 to the survivors of those Sunday School children who 
 received the loaves from the front of the Ma3^or's house ! 
 
 TRIUMPH or FREE TRADE. — July 7, [S46. 
 
 The friends of Free Trade in Kendal having determined to 
 celebrate the triumph of that cause b}' a public demonstration, 
 Tuesday was the day appointed for the purpose. Mr. War- 
 burton, the distinguished member for the Borough, had inti- 
 mated his wish to congratulate his constituents in person on 
 the auspicious event, and he arrived from Town on the previous 
 evening. The mayor was waiting to receive him, and he took 
 up his abode, during the greater part of his staj- in the town, 
 at that gentleman's residence. 
 
 At an early hour on Tuesday, the church bells gave merr}' 
 note of the rejoicings that were forthcoming. The different 
 trades, at their own suggestion, proposed to walk in procession 
 and the committee appointed to conduct the demonstration, 
 gladly availed themselves of the opportunity thus offered, to 
 make the celebration as imposing as possible. We expressed 
 a hope, last Saturday, that the day might be observed as a 
 general holiday ; the mayor issued a handbill on Monday, 
 requesting the shopkeepers to close their shops, and we are 
 happy to say that the sugestion was responded to all but 
 unanimously, for we observed during our progress through the 
 town, only one shop that was opened, the shop of Mr. Parkin, 
 ironmonger. Before the house of the mayor, in Stricklandgate, 
 was erected a large platform and stage, on which was deposited 
 all the bread proposed to be given to the Sunday school child- 
 ren and poor men and women, and it will be easily conceived 
 that 2,500 loaves, amounting to very nearly three tons in 
 weight, -presented an image of abundance most gratifying to 
 behold, as it was the most appropriate emblem that could be 
 devised. 
 
 The Trades began to muster before ten o'clock, and shortly 
 after thj^t hour the procession was formed in front of thQ
 
 45 
 
 mayor's house. The mayor, in a carriage, with Mr. Warbur- 
 ton at his side, followed by other carriages containing other 
 members of the Corporation and various gentlemen of the 
 town, headed the cavalcade, which proceeded in the follow- 
 ing succession : — 
 
 Equestrian Marshal, Mr. Edward Burton. 
 
 Cavalry Band ; 
 
 Flag; 
 
 Two Mace Bearers ; 
 
 Sword Bearer ; 
 
 Mayor and Corporation, in Carriages ; 
 
 Auditors and Assessors and Borough Treasurer ; 
 
 Flag; 
 
 Gentlemen and Tradesmen of the Town, in Carriages ; 
 
 A Band ; 
 
 Fla" • 
 
 Trades in the folloicin^ rotation : 
 
 I. Printers, with Printing-Press on a Platform. 
 
 2. Shoemakers ; 
 
 3. Dyers; 
 
 4. Woolcombers ; 
 
 5. Coach Makers ; 
 
 6. Tobacconists ; 
 
 7. Joiners ; 
 
 8. Casuals; 
 
 9. Spinners; 
 
 10. Tailors ; 
 
 11. Nailors; 
 
 12. Weavers, generally ; 
 
 13. Masons ; 
 
 14. Twine Spinners ; 
 
 15. Carpet weavers ; 
 
 16. Mechanics ; 
 
 17. Painters ; 
 
 18. Cabinet Makers ; 
 
 19. Coopers.
 
 46 
 
 The following song, composed by H. H. Davis for the occa- 
 sion, together with a programme of the procession, was struck 
 off from the press during the perambulation of the town : — 
 
 Song — Tune, " Ye Gentlemen of England." 
 God bless the dawn of Liberty, 
 
 That brightens o'er our isle. 
 That makes our trade and commerce free. 
 
 Without the Strong Hand's guile. 
 God bless the honest hearts that fought 
 
 For Britain's truest weal. 
 
 And rejoice every voice 
 At the name of Robert Peel ! 
 To Scotia's wildest mountain glen. 
 
 To Erin's bleakest plain, 
 To England's crowded thoroughfare 
 
 Bring in the golden grain ! 
 The blessing of a plenteous board 
 
 Let every poor man feel. 
 
 And rejoice every voice 
 At the name of Robert Peel! 
 Oh ! many a household fire shall burn 
 
 More brightly from this da)' ; 
 And many a mourning heart shall turn 
 
 I'rom Hunger's grim array! 
 And many a thousand famish'd souls 
 
 Shall eat a cheerful meal, 
 
 As they bless and caress 
 The name of Robert Peel ! 
 Then courage ! all ye artizans. 
 
 And never be dismay'd ; 
 Free as the winds henceforth shall be 
 
 The benefits of trade I 
 The world will now employ us, 
 
 And we shall quickly feel 
 
 That our friend, at the end, 
 Is the brave Sir Robert Peel I 
 
 Most of the trades had banners with appropriate Free Trade 
 mottoes, as well as insignia indicative of their respective call- 
 ings. The procession took the following route : — After starting 
 from the maj'or's house, it went round by Union Street and 
 Cross Street, up Stricklandgate, and thence up Highgate, 
 through Kirkland to Netherbridge, and thence up Highgate 
 again and down New Street, along the New Road, up Stramon- 
 gate and Finklc Street to the mayor's house, where it dispersed.
 
 47 
 
 On the New Road, the children belonging to the different 
 Sunday Schools assembled, to the number of 2,000, attended 
 by their teachers and managers, each school having a little 
 flag with an appropriate inscription. They wailed in open file 
 the arrival of the procession, which passed through them, and 
 then bringing up the rear, they accompanied it during the re- 
 mainder of the route. So lengthy an array, we are sure, v/as 
 never before seen in Kendal, and we are sure we speak within 
 compass when we say that it was a mile, at least, in length. 
 The complicated movements of the vast congregation were 
 conducted with the utmost regularity, and this was mainly 
 attributable to the excellent and active management of Mr. E. 
 Hurton. who acted as marshal. The enthusiasm manifested 
 as the procession walked, was very great, and if we may judge 
 from the unequivocal indications of feeling that were evinced, 
 we should think that never could be found an occasion when 
 the feeling of joy was more general. 
 
 The distribution of bread commenced immediately on the 
 return of the procession to the mayor's house, and the separa- 
 tion of the trades. This portion of the celebration was man- 
 aged with great regularity and dexterity, and showed that the 
 arrangements had been made most admirably. On the plat- 
 form we observed, among many other gentlemen, the vicar, 
 Mr. Hawkes, Mr. J. J. Wilson, and Mr. Wakefield, who took 
 an active part, and no less active were many of the ladies, 
 among whom we observed Mrs. Nicholson, Miss E. Thomson, 
 Stricklandgate, Mrs. Whitwell, Miss Thompson, Stramongate, 
 and many others. 
 
 The day was most favourable, and never was a public 
 demonstration so free from drawbacks. 
 
 We must not omit to mention that a great number of railway 
 labourers were in the town on the day in question, aud thronged 
 around the platform. The mayor, when the distribution was 
 completed, made a short address, complimenting them on their 
 orderly conduct, and a small donation was presented to them.
 
 48 
 
 whereupon the)' got up a procession of their own, headed by a 
 pair of bagpipes, with two or three loaves carried before them, 
 and their procession, if it lacked somewhat of tiie order and 
 variety of the other cavalcade, was not a whit behind it in 
 manifestation of zeal and good humour. 
 
 THE DINNER. 
 
 In the afternoon, Mr. Warburton met a large number of his 
 constituents and other friends, at dinner. The dinner took 
 place at the great room at the Whitehall Buildings, and was 
 provided by Mr. Jackson, of the King's Arms, to whose liber- 
 ality and good taste it did the greatest credit. The number 
 that dined was 280. 
 
 Mr. Warburton presided, and Mr. Thompson Bindloss acted 
 as vice. On the right of the hon. member, sat the mayor (Mr. 
 C. Nicholson), the Rev. E. Hawkes, S. Whinerey, Esq., &c. ; 
 on his left he was supported by R. Fothergill, Esq., Bridge 
 House, W. Wakefield, Esq., Rev. D. Jones, &c. Among the 
 other guests in the room, we saw the Rev. M. Dixon, Wesleyan, 
 Mr. G. Braithwaite, jun., Mr. J. Banks, Mr. G. Gelderd, Mr. 
 J. Thompson, jun., Mr. C. Grant, Mr. J. Wilson, Sand's Close, 
 Mr. A. Simpson, &c., &c. 
 
 Mr. Hawkes said grace before meat, and Mr. Jones, when 
 the cloth was removed. 
 
 The Chairman said, that the first toast which he should 
 give was " The health of the Queen. May she live long to 
 reign over a prosperous, happy, and contented people." 
 
 Air by the Band. 
 
 *' God save the Queen," sung in capital style by Mr. Ben 
 Broadbent. 
 
 " Prince Albert, the Queen Dowager, the Prince of Wales, 
 and the rest of the Royal Family." 
 
 Song by Mr. Torrington, " Old England for ever." 
 
 " The Army and Navy." 
 
 Song by Mr. Ireland.
 
 49 
 
 The Chairman then rose and said, Mr. Vice-chairman and 
 Gentlemen, — I rise to welcome you and to thank you for as- 
 sembling together to meet me on this most important and joy- 
 ful occasion, when we may congratulate each other, and tell 
 over the story of all the difficulties we have had to surmount, 
 and the glorious triumph which we have won (loud cheers). 
 It is not only the Corn Law League, and Mr. Cobden and Mr. 
 Villiers, but it is every constituency and every elector in the 
 empire that has taken an interest in the great struggle in which 
 we have been engaged, that is entitled to congratulation. On 
 occasions such as these, we meet to fortify ourselves by com- 
 muning together, to raise our courage for future occasions, if 
 an occasion of equal importance should ever again arise ! 
 Think what we have done. Our trade was in fetters. Vou 
 niight manufacture to any extent ; but where was the use of 
 thronging your warehouses with your linseys, if you had not, as 
 customers, other nations to take them in return for what they 
 had to offer? This is the victory you have won, the freedom 
 you have achieved for yourselves (loud cheers). May the 
 emancipated spirit of Free Trade pervade all nations upon 
 earth (renewed cheers). You know, gentlemen, when a great 
 principle is asserted and brought into practical operation, the 
 success of that principle is never confined to those who as- 
 serted it and have won the victory. As from one of those 
 plants that has winged seeds which are borne by the wind, a 
 grove rises up, small in the beginning, but gradually enlarging 
 its circumference till the grove becomes an extensive forest, 
 so that principle which they have successfully asserted, the 
 Free Traders expect will be propagated to every clime, however 
 distant upon earth. Every mail that arrives, tells us that 
 foreign countries are preparing to tread in our steps : and how, 
 indeed, can it be otherwise ? If we take their commodities, 
 do we expect that they will let us have them for nothing ? 
 The great point of the question is, that they are by compulsion 
 constrained to take from another nation something of its own 
 in exchange for that which they give (loud cheers). Besides
 
 50 
 
 this, there are certain commodities in which all nations ot the 
 world agree there shall be free trade. All agree there shall 
 be free trade in the precious metals. Suppose that any country 
 was so foolish as to say, we don't fancy your linseys and j-our 
 other articles which you make, but we are willing that we 
 should receive from you gold and silver, what would be the 
 answer? Now we have no means of obtaining the precious 
 metals but by exporting manufactures, so that upon the nar- 
 rowest computation only that can be made, the computation 
 of the merest necessity, let us receive from foreign nations 
 what they are willing to give, and all the benefits of free trade 
 to this country will be secured. Free trade in what ? In all 
 that our artizans and manufacturers principally consume. 
 Think not only of the advantages to yourselves as capitalists 
 and manufacturers, but look upon the varied benefits that this 
 use of the produce of other countries confers on those who are 
 the industrious labourers, by their receiving the corn and the 
 maize, and the endless produce of the earth in its endless 
 variety. Look at the happiness this diffuses. Marriages can- 
 not be made without the means of supporting children, and to 
 that extent to which the eatable productions of the earth can 
 be consumed, life may be supported, and thus you may become 
 not only the happiest, but the most numerous people upon 
 earth (loud cheers). I was sent to the House of Commons as 
 your apostle to accomplish a certain object, and I had an easy 
 task. It has pleased Heaven to turn the hearts of those who 
 were most opposed to us. We will not call it a victory : but 
 it has pleased Heaven that these men who thought differently 
 from us should be brought round (cheers). Let us congratu- 
 late each other, and pray that the change may be productive 
 of blessings to that extent which we anticipated, when we 
 entered upon the struggle. The toast which I shall now give 
 is, " May the emancipated spirit of free trade pervade all the 
 nations of the earth." Mr. Warburton sat down annd the 
 loudest cheers. 
 
 Song by j\Ir. Kd. Robinson.
 
 51 
 
 The Chairman .said — When great victories have been 
 achieved, we see how prone is a grateful country to confer 
 upon the conqueror titles, honours, peerages, lasting niemu- 
 rials of its gratitude in the shape of pensions and of other 
 rewards. It is accustomed to immortalise the fame of the 
 conqueror by representations in brass or marble, or on can- 
 vass ; but how shall we immortalise the name of our con- 
 queror, the great Kd. Cobden ? (most enthusiastic cheering, 
 which lasted for many minutes). We want neither brass nor 
 marble, for brass and marble yield to the injuries of time, but 
 the name and memory of Rd. Cobden will remain engraven 
 upon our hearts, and on the hearts of those who will live after 
 us (loud cheers). Never was there a man who, in a great 
 cause, more exerted himself; never was there a man who more 
 sacrificed his own interest to the interest of his fellowmen and 
 his country ; -ind I hope that he will meet with that reward 
 from our gratitude in some more substantial memorial, per- 
 haps, than words can convey (vehement cheers). But while 
 we recognise the claims of Mr. Cobden, we must not be unjust 
 to those who have been fellow-labourers in the same field. 
 There is, for instance, Mr. Bright, and there are many others 
 whom I might mention. But there is one person whom, next 
 to Mr. Cobden, I should wish to distinguish, because, looking 
 to the class to which he belongs, he forms an illustrious 
 example of integrity and independence. The younger son of a 
 noble family, he did not scruple to attend, along with Mr. 
 Cobden, the meetings which were held m furtherance of the 
 cause of free trade. You know whom I mean ; I need not 
 name the Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, M.P. for Wolver- 
 hampton (enthusiastic cheering, which interrupted the obser- 
 vations of the chairman for some minutes). Mr. Villiers was 
 the person who, with the approbation of Mr. Cobden and the 
 League, was entrusted with the then vain labour of proposing, 
 j'ear after year, the repeal of the corn laws, in the House of 
 Commons. Looking to his station in society ; looking at his 
 labours for the people, a class differing from his own, we can-
 
 52 
 
 not, I am sure, give him too great a meed of praise (loud 
 cheers). But first of all let us drink the health of that great 
 apostle of free trade, Mr. Cobden, a man who, without educa- 
 tion to fit him for an orator, by his own zeal and earnestness 
 in the cause which he undertook, has attained to an eloquence 
 not often surpassed. Though philosophers before him had 
 promulgated the theory, he was the first person who, by his 
 eloquence, brought home to the people the doctrines of free 
 trade (loud cheers). Let us, therefore, drink in a bumper the 
 health of Mr. Cobden. Before he engaged in the free trade 
 agitation, he had laboured in many a good cause. He was a 
 man who was most actively employed at Manchester, in fur- 
 thering the reduction of the rate of postage. Let us, therefore, 
 not only for his services in procuring the abolition of the corn 
 laws, but for his services in other ways, drink his health in a 
 bumper, and wish him a series of victories as great as that he 
 has now achieved (loud and long-contiuued applause). 
 Song by Mr. John Grayson. 
 
 The Mayor rose and said, he had leave from the chairman 
 to propose a toast, and he begged they would all of them fill a 
 bumper. They had just paid their homage to two resplendent 
 planets which had lately appeared in the political hemisphere, 
 and he now proposed that they should do homage to a star of 
 much greater magnitude, a star which had appeared for a much 
 longer series of years, shining, it might be, with less brilliancy, 
 but with greater steadiness. He was about to propose the 
 health of a veteran statesman, who had long fought the battles 
 of liberty, and whose efforts had been at last crowned with 
 success (loud cheers). His only fault was that he had been 
 always in advance of the times, and they would not be doing 
 their duty if they did not drink his health with all the expres- 
 sions of enthusiasm they could evince. He need not say that 
 he alluded to their worthy and respected and useful member, 
 Mr. Warburton. (The mention of Mr. Warburton's name was 
 received with a burst of applause that prevented the speaker 
 for some time from proceeding). If they had not seen the face
 
 53 
 
 of Mr. Warburton so often as some of them could have wished, 
 they must remember that he had been always engaged in 
 fighting their battles, and that he did not possess perhaps those 
 swallow-like properties with which some others whom they 
 knew seemed endowed (laughter). Of his usefulness and ac- 
 tivity he had the attestation of many members with whom he 
 had conversed. As a committee-man his services were very 
 great, and he was held in a degree of respect and regard which 
 fell to the lot of only long-tried public servants (applause). 
 Not to mention the services he had rendered to the cause 
 whose triumph they were then met to celebrate, he (the mayor) 
 must not omit to mention the benefit he procured for those 
 manufacturers who are engaged in the staple trade of the 
 town. In 1844 a great boon was conferred by the repeal of 
 the wool-duty, and this repeal, he emphatically said, was in 
 no small degree attributable to the services of Mr. Warburton 
 (vehement and long-continued cheering). If he had done 
 nothing more than procure the repeal of that duty, he was 
 richly entitled to their gratitude and approval (cheers). He 
 was aware he could not do justice to the toast, and he would 
 say no more but propose the health of Mr. Warburton. (The 
 mayor resumed his seat amid the loudest cheers). 
 
 Mr. Warburton, on rising, was received with a burst of 
 enthusiastic cheering, which was renewed several times before 
 the honourable gentleman was enabled to proceed. When 
 silence was partially obtained, he said — i\Ir. Vice-President 
 and Gentlemen — When I came among you three years ago, 
 you received me only after a full inquiry into my character. 
 It is not fitting for a gentleman to speak in praise of himself, 
 but I am sure that your choice of me must have resulted from 
 the enquiries which you then made. Certain I am that those 
 inquiries must have shown you that I had always been a con- 
 sistent and liberal statesman (loud cheers). When I went first 
 into Parliament, twenty years ago, I found various questions 
 absolutely proscribed. I voted in a minority of fifteen or six- 
 teen for the repeal of the Corn Laws ; I voted for the repeal of
 
 54 
 
 the Test and Corporation Acts in small minorities; I voted 
 also for Catholic Emancipation and for Parliamentary Reform; 
 yet the stone which the builders refused is become the head of 
 the corner (loud cheers), and every one of those great questions 
 that was rejected has been carried, not by Parliament, not by 
 the members of the houses, but by the persevering energy of 
 the great English people (rapturous cheering). All these have 
 been acknowledged to be just measures, and are now become 
 law. These are the encouragements which sustain us under 
 a long series of disappointments. These are the encourage- 
 ments that are given to those who take a part in state matters. 
 This is the reward to which they look forward and expect (loud 
 cheers). The worthy mayor who proposed my health, has 
 done me too much credit in setting forth my services in one 
 respect (cries of " No, no "). I certainly did take an active 
 part in the repeal of the duty on wool ; but there were other 
 members, Mr. B. Dennisun and Mr. C. Wood among the 
 number, connected with the clothing districts of the West 
 Riding of Yorkshire, who were more active than I was. I ac- 
 companied them to the First Lord of the Treasury, Sir Robert 
 Peel, and we represented the case to him and reasoned with 
 him. And a most attentive hearer he showed himself, for, be- 
 fore the close of the session, the duty was repealed. If the 
 repeal of the duty has been a benefit to this town and the 
 country, I can only say that I am heartily glad that any efforts 
 of mine have been useful, and I should be glad if, at the ex- 
 pence of fifty times the labour, I could cause fifty times the 
 amount of benefit (loud cheers). The mayor has spoken of my 
 not coming among you. I am not, gentlemen, the active person 
 I once was. I could once stand the long and tedious nights 
 of the House of Commons, but I have grown grey, and they 
 begin to tell upon me. While I continue your servant, you 
 must make allowances for these deficiencies, for time has made 
 me more careful of what I once regarded of little value, I mean 
 the charms of repose (loud cheers). I trust, however, and feel 
 confident, that so long as I continue your member, feeble as I
 
 55 
 
 am, you will make allowances for my imperfections. (Mr. 
 Warburton sat down amid renewed applause). 
 
 The Chairman said, the next toast which he had to give was 
 the health of the presiding magistrate of the borough, the 
 honourable gentlemen who sat on his right hand. In politics 
 he was a consistent supporter of all that was good and liberal : 
 as a magistrate, he presided with energy, and diligently pre- 
 served the peace of the borough, and he exerted with concilia- 
 tion the power placed within his hands, as they all had proof 
 in the few observations which he had addressed to the people 
 that morning (great applause). He (the chairman) owed the 
 greatest services to him when he became a candidate for the 
 representation of Kendal. He knew well all his good qualities, 
 and in proposing his health, he would only say that he hoped 
 he would at some time receive a renewal at their hands of the 
 honour now conferred upon him (rapturous applause). 
 
 The Mayor was received with loud and long-continued cheer- 
 ing. He said, — Mr. Chairman — Allow me to express to you, 
 in the fewest words in which I am able, the very great obliga- 
 tions I owe to you, and the gratitude I feel for the very hand- 
 some compliment you have just paid to me. The company 
 will not thank me for dwelling, in even a single sentence, on so 
 unworthy a subject as myself; I will therefore pass that by, 
 and will briefly give utterance to one or two sentiments that 
 have passed through my mind as I have been sitting here. I 
 will first allude to the great object which has called us together 
 this day. I entirely agree with Mr. Hawkes, that those who 
 have predicted the ruin of the agriculturists from the repeal of 
 the corn laws will be found to be in the number of false pro- 
 phets (cheers and laughter), and their prognostications remind 
 me of one or two instances, where their fears and forebodings 
 proved equally unfounded. Experience, it would seem, will 
 not convince some people, else they would have learned a les- 
 son from what had passed, and the failure of their predictions 
 with regard to matters of politics and in cases of science, would 
 have made them less fearful in the present instance (cheers).
 
 56 
 
 When the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts was agita- 
 ted, was it not said, You will let in a flood of Catholics, and the 
 Church will topple to its foundation ? But mark what is the 
 state of things at the present moment. The Church stands 
 where it did, and I, who am a zealous Churchman, declare 
 that I see no danger but from the schisms springing up in the 
 Church itself (loud cheers). When the Reform Bill was passed 
 poor old Lord Eldon said, with tears in his eyes, that the sun 
 of England had set for ever (loud laughter) ; but the truth is, 
 England never looked so well as at present, and never was its 
 prosperity placed on a more solid basis (cheers). When the 
 emancipation of the W^est India slaves was agitated for, we 
 were told that it would be impossible to get free men to work ; 
 there would be no sugar raised in the plantations, and those 
 who liked sugar in their tea would be compelled to forego the 
 indulgence (cheers and laughter). I need not say how com- 
 pletely all these fears have been falsified. And again, with 
 respect to the tariff of 1842. You all remember what a whine 
 was set up through the length and breadth of the land: you 
 were threatened with suffocation from foreign cattle, and the 
 ruin of the English breeder was set down as already accom- 
 plished. Well, an agriculturist of very high authority, a gen- 
 tleman belonging to the north of England, told me the other 
 day, that never at any time within his recollection did cattle, 
 whether fat or lean, fetch so high a price as at the present day 
 (vehement cheering). With reference to one or two other 
 cases that relate more to matters of science, I have a word or 
 two to utter. When gas was introduced, it was said that the 
 poor tallow chandlers would be destroyed, that there would no 
 longer be use for tallow ; while in truth both oil and tallow 
 fetch higher prices now than ever (loud applause). It was 
 also said that the introduction of locomotives would supersede 
 the use of horses, and I well remember a caricature in which 
 a number of horses were represented going about dressed up 
 as fiddlers, with a hat, to solicit alms (loud laughter). Horses 
 were never so dear as now, and so far from artizans being
 
 57 
 
 thrown out of employ, the greater the improvements in 
 machinery, the greater the number of workmen that arc 
 employed. All these things are facts, and the results which I 
 have detailed, falsify the predictions of those who allege 
 that the land will be thrown out of cultivation (loud cheers). 
 Thrown out of cultivation ! Nay, we raise twice as much corn 
 as we did thirty years ago. Seven millions have been added 
 to our population between the years 1811 and 1841, and 
 though 60,000 persons fewer are engaged in agriculture than 
 at the former period, the produce of the land is more abundant 
 and corn is cheaper. I say that there will be a continually 
 increasing number of throats clamouring for bread, and those 
 who now eat will eat more, and corn will be cheaper and the 
 people happier (vehement cheering). These are the grounds 
 on which we always went, when we advocated the abolition of 
 the Corn Laws. This is the cheering anticipation I like to 
 indulge in of the probable results of their removal. In those 
 results I see the establishment of peace on earth and good will 
 among men (loud and long-continued applause). 
 
 The Chairman. — If you will allow me to indulge my own 
 feelings for a moment, I will give you the health of a member 
 of a family which has always been at the head of the reform 
 party in Kendal. The uncle of the gentleman to whom I allude 
 was always considered as the father of reform in this borough, 
 and he is himself now looked upon as the leader of the cause 
 in Kendal at the present time. I will give you the health of 
 Mr. John Wakefield and the Magistrates of the County of 
 Westmorland (rapturous applause). 
 
 Mr. Wm. Wakefield acknowledged the toast on behalf of 
 his father. He said his family had always been supporters of 
 liberal principles, and he trusted that no future scion of that 
 family would ever show himself unworthy of the distinction 
 which they had gained (great cheering). 
 
 The Chairman then gave the health of the Vice-President. 
 He said he had served the office of Chief Magistrate with 
 satisfaction to the town and with high honour to himself, and
 
 58 
 
 he had supported liberal principles with uniform zeal and 
 consistency. 
 
 Drunk with great applause. 
 
 Mr. Thompson Bindloss appropriately acknowledged the 
 compliment, and after reading the following letter from Mr. 
 Crackenthorpe, concluded by giving the health of that gentle- 
 man and the liberal electors of Westmorland. 
 
 " Newbiggin Hall, July 6, 1S46. 
 
 " My dear Sir, — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your kind invita- 
 tion to the dinner, which you propose to give to-morrow at Kendal, in 
 celebration of the Repeal of the Corn Laws, and must express to you my 
 great regret in not being able to attend it. 
 
 " Having always taken a great interest in the struggle (which has been 
 too long protracted) to effect this great object, you may be assured that I 
 most cordially rejoice in its accomplishment, as I am and ever have been 
 convinced that public prosperity is most certainly promoted by leaving 
 all commerce unfettered, and the free current of national industry uncon- 
 trolled as far as possible. 
 
 " I will only add, that I must congratulate you on the representation of 
 a constituency which so early embarked in the contest, and whose exer- 
 tions have contributed, as I believe, in no small degree, ' to bring back,' 
 to use the words of Lord Grenville's protest, ' our commercial legislation 
 to the straight and simple line of wisdom. — I remain, my dear Sir, your 
 very truly obliged, VVm. Crackanthorpe." 
 
 Song by Mr. A. Simpson. 
 
 The Chairman gave " The town and trade of Kendal, and 
 Mr. Simpson's good health." 
 
 The Chairman read the following letter from the vicar of 
 Kendal, and concluded by proposing his health, and the health 
 of the clergy of tho diocese. 
 
 "My dear Mr. Mayor, — Will you allow me, through you, to decline 
 accepting the invitation to join the party which is to dine on Tuesday next, 
 at the Whitehall Buildings. 
 
 " There are private reasons which induce me to decline a public invita- 
 tion of this nature. The cause of my refusal, I beg to assure you, is from
 
 59 
 
 no want of respect to Mr. Warburton personally, or want of sympathy 
 with the Great Cause, the triumph of which you meet to celebrate. 
 
 I remain, my dear Mr. Mayor, with many thanks for the invitation, very 
 truly yours, J. W. Barnes. 
 
 "Vicarage, Kendal, July 6." 
 
 The Vice-Chairman gave the ministers of religion who have 
 honoured us this day with their company. 
 
 The Chairman gave the Corporation of Kendal. 
 
 The Mayor responded to the toast, and expressed a hope 
 that the efforts of the Corporation would be always in unison 
 with the public rights and with the public happiness. 
 
 The Chairman said there was one toast which he was 
 anxious to give before he left the chair, and that was the 
 " Working Men of Kendal " (loud cheers). It was well known 
 how they had conspired with the other electors to obtain the 
 repeal of the corn laws, and that they had manifested none of 
 those divisions and jealousies which had been elsewhere found. 
 On the contrary, they were amongst the warmest opponents 
 ot these laws, and they had rendered to the middle classes the 
 most important assistance. Conviction had been brought 
 home to their minds by the apostles of the League, and to 
 their great exertions, combined with those of the middle 
 classes, was to be attributed the victory that had been achieved 
 (loud cheers). 
 
 Mr. Warburton here left the room, accompanied by the 
 gentlemen immediately about him, and a large portion of the 
 company, amid the loudest demonstrations of respect. 
 
 Mr. T. Simpson was then called to the chair, and Mr. R. 
 Burton to the vice-chair. 
 
 A number of other toasts were given. Among them was the 
 health of R. Wilson, Esq., whose great services to the liberal 
 cause were dwelt upon with great power by the proposer, 
 Mr. D. Carter ; the health of the Lady Mayoress, &c. &c. ; 
 after which the company separated, after one of the most 
 enthusiastic and joyful gatherings of the kind that ever took 
 place in Kendal.
 
 6o 
 
 That year was to m}^ father one of extraordin ary labour ! 
 During his mayoralty he received a tempting offer to go 
 into Lancashire and become the Managing Director of 
 the East Lancashire Railway, then in course of con- 
 struction. His reputation in connection with railway 
 management had gone beyond the confines of West- 
 morland, and the terms offered to him were not to be 
 resisted with due regard to the requirements of a family. 
 But it needed all his energy and strength of purpose to 
 fulfil the various duties ; in Kendal, as chief magistrate, 
 in Lancashire, where the raihvay works were superin- 
 tended and pushed forward to early completion, and in 
 London where frequent attendance in Westminster was 
 required for the conduct of anxious Parliamentary busi- 
 ness. For several months his nights were spent in 
 travelling, and his days in work of various kinds. 
 
 It must have been hard to part from his esteemed 
 friends in Kendal, and my father's deep feelings of 
 afTectionate regret are shown in his own speech at the 
 farewell banquet which he gave at the close of his year 
 of office. I venture to think the following report from 
 a local newspaper dated October 24, 1846, will be read 
 with interest. The vicar's words shew plainly how 
 highly my dear father was appreciated. 
 
 THE mayor's dinner. 
 
 On Tuesday last C. Nicholson, Esq., mayor of Kendal, gave 
 a sumptuous banquet in the Assembly Room, Whitehall Build- 
 ings, to about 120 of the elite of his fellow- townsmen of all 
 parties and shades of politics. The entertainment, which was 
 provided by Mr. Fisher, of the Commercial Hotel, comprised 
 a cold collation of every delicacy in the choicest and most 
 ftbundant style, the gorgeous external decorations of which
 
 6i 
 
 were the least part of its merits. The chair was of course 
 filled by the mayor, the town clerk, Mr. Thomas Harrison, 
 doing the honours of the vice chair. The members of the 
 cavalry band performed in the orchestra during dinner, and an 
 excellent piano was provided by Mr. W. Armstrong for those 
 gentlemen who graced the occasion with a display of their 
 vocal talent. A reporter from Preston was present to report 
 the proceedings, which will no doubt be interesting to the in- 
 habitants of the district to which the public services of Mr, 
 Nicholson will for a time be transferred. 
 
 The Mayor rose and said that before he proceeded to give 
 any of the usual toasts on that occasion, it was becoming in 
 him to say with what unfeigned pleasure he saw around him 
 so many excellent and dear townsmen. He assured them that 
 in giving every one a hearty welcome to that festival, he could 
 sincerely say that he welcomed each and every one as a firm 
 and attached personal friend of his own. He hoped they would 
 consider themselves as assembled, not at a cold, ceremonious, 
 and constrained public meeting, but rather as a gathering of 
 his own personal friends round his own table, the only differ- 
 ence being that he was obliged to come there in order to pro- 
 vide the necessary accommodation for so large a circle of 
 friends as he had the pleasure of welcoming on that occasion 
 (cheers). He begged, therefore, that every gentleman present 
 would make up his mind to do this duty for him — to endeavour 
 to make his next neighbour happy during the evening (cheers). 
 In the words of Shakspeare " He who is not freely merry is not 
 my friend" (cheers). Mr. Nicholson concluded amidst applause 
 by proposing, in appropriate terms, the usual opening toast, 
 the health of her Majesty. 
 
 Song, Mr. Broadbent : " God save the Queen,'' the band and 
 company joining. 
 
 The Chairman gave in succession Prince Albert, and the 
 rest of the Royal Family, the Army and Navy. 
 
 Song, Mr. Zephaniah Banks : " I'm afloat," &c.
 
 §2 
 
 The Rev. J. W. Barnes, vicar of Kendal, rose and said that 
 he thought sufficient time had now been allowed to the com- 
 pany to give expression to those feelings of loyalty, which 
 he hoped would always animate the breasts of Englishmen 
 assembled on any public occasion, and which showed that the 
 organic life of the whole nation was in full and healthy activity. 
 The simple expressive arrangement of the flags before him in- 
 dicated that the toast of the evening' was that of Cornelius 
 Nicholson, Esq. (cheers). [The allusions, we suppose, referred 
 to the decorative flags which adorned the confectionary] . 
 They found that his flag floated triumphantly, supported by 
 that of the Queen and Prince Albert, and he could not but 
 think that much good feeling attached to that arrangement, for 
 the feeling of loyalty with which they had drunk the health of 
 their beloved Queen was the best introduction to those feelings 
 of respect with which they ought to welcome the health of the 
 first civic magistrate of this town (cheers). In proposing the 
 health of their worthy host, distinguished as he was by so 
 many virtues, by so much social worth, he felt that they must 
 be prejudiced judges, when he considered the noble and mag- 
 nificent entertainment spread out before them by his liberality, 
 but it was as a townsman and a public character that he 
 wished to say something upon those points which distinguished 
 Cornelius Nicholson (hear). And in doing so he could not 
 disguise from himself that there was something of the solem- 
 nity of a leave-taking in the present meeting. Not only was it 
 the close, or nearly so, of his year of office as mayor, but the 
 town was about to lose, for some time at least, (he hoped not 
 for ever) the value of his public services. He (the vicar) was 
 speakmg the words of truth and soberness, and not passing one 
 of those vague compliments usually bestowed upon those who 
 had filled the first civil dignity in the town, when he stated 
 that he knew no single person who had more at heart the 
 interests of the town than Cornelius Nicholson (cheers). There 
 was no man whom for patient industry in the accomplish- 
 ment of his good wishes to promote the good of the town, he
 
 6* 
 
 eould place upon a level with the person whose health he was 
 
 about to propose (cheers). And he (the vicar) sincerely hoped 
 
 that his words would not be looked upon as the mere common 
 
 compliment which it was usual to pay upon such occasions. He 
 
 would refer to a few only of those things for which they were 
 
 indebted to the worthy gentleman near whom he stood. He 
 
 need not tell them how much they were indebted to him for 
 
 those railroads which connected them with the great centres 
 
 of traffic and commercial enterprize. There were persons who 
 
 spoke of those who had exerted themselves to promote railway 
 
 enterprise, as if they were actuated by the sordid spirit of 
 
 money making (hear, hear), but he did think that those who 
 
 used such language were most ungrateful to those gentlemen, 
 
 who, by their enterprise had combined together capital and 
 
 energy to connect one district with another in this county. 
 
 They ought to feel deeply grateful to persons who, like Mr. 
 
 Nicholson, had organised the capital or persuaded others to 
 
 afford it, in order to bring to their doors the advantages to 
 
 which he had alluded. Every body who knew Mr. Nicholson 
 
 must believe that he looked much more to the public good than 
 
 to his own private benefit in those great undertakings, which, 
 
 for many years, he had so anxiously striven for. He (the 
 
 vicar) never heard from Mr. Nicholson, in one single instance, 
 
 the expression of a low sentiment or mean opinion that could 
 
 lead him to suppose that he was not looking to the public 
 
 advantage of the town, and of society at large, in his promotion 
 
 of railway enterprise. It was well known that to his energy 
 
 and activity in spurring on the lukewarm, and perhaps in 
 
 repressing the reckless ardour of others, they were indebted 
 
 for the great railway which connected Lancaster with Carlisle. 
 
 But there was another undertaking which had originated with 
 
 Mr. Nicholson, upon which he (the vicar) asked permission to 
 
 say a few words — the Kendal and Windermere Railway. A 
 
 great deal of mawkish sensibility had been thrown away upon 
 
 that enterprise, as if its originators were desecrating the 
 
 beauties of the lake scenery because they made the access to
 
 6^ 
 
 them easy and familiar to the less privileged classes of society 
 (hear). It was not for him to detail the commercial 'advan- 
 tages which that railway opened out ; he left that to other 
 persons, but he might be permitted to say something about 
 that mawkish sensibility, that affected morality, which de- 
 nounced the Kendal and Windermere Railway as a desecra- 
 tion of some of the most glorious scenes which God had created 
 in this world. There were certain factitious advantages per- 
 haps which depended upon exclusive possession. Men might 
 have their fine carpets, their fine pictures, and their fine furni- 
 ture, the enjoyment of which depended perhaps a good deal upon 
 the exclusive feeling that they were not possessed by others, and 
 these factitious advantages were not always favourable to the 
 moral character of the possessor. But different, indeed, were 
 the glories which came fresh from the hands of God ; and he 
 could not conceive how any one could fancy that the enjoy- 
 ment of the great and glorious features which the lake district 
 presented could depend upon a narrow and exclusive monopoly 
 of that enjoyment (hear). Unlike those factitious enjoyments 
 which, if indulged in too great profusion, were sickly and 
 unhealthy, the contemplation of the glories of God's creation 
 tended to raise man above himself, and he did therefore hope 
 that the very worst anticipations of those who had denounced 
 that railway would be fully realised (hear), that every town 
 would pour forth its thousands and its tens of thousands to see 
 the glory of God in those His works (cheers). The tendency 
 of such contemplation was to improve and exalt humanity — to 
 teach man to ask himself whence he comes and whither he 
 goes; and one great object which would be obtained by the 
 Kendal and Windermere Railway would be to improve and 
 refine those by whose blood and muscle the wealth of the 
 country was created (hear). He (the vicar) might allude to 
 many other points in the life of Cornelius Nicholson — his efforts 
 to promote the better sewerage and drainage of the town, and 
 to have the gas works put upon a better and cheaper founda- 
 ton. He (the vicar) had had the privilege the night before,
 
 65 
 
 at the Museum, of listening to a glorious paper, and at the 
 conclusion of that paper it was mentioned that the society was 
 fostered at its birth and supported in its minority very much 
 by the exertions of Cornelius Nicholson. He only pointed out 
 what was the naked truth, and it was such as might make 
 any man proud. Cornelius Nicholson had had no particular 
 advantages of education, yet they found him not only coming 
 forward as a public spirited and enterprising individual, but at 
 the same time distinguishing himself in the walks of literary 
 life, and contributing by his exertions and by his intellect to 
 the advantage of his fellow townsmen. He knew of no one 
 who had so much distinguished himself by public enterprise 
 and the advancement of the interests of his fellow townsmen. 
 He did not wish to deface Mr. Nicholson's fair claims to credit 
 by one word of exaggerated eulogium (hear, hear). They 
 would allow him, he hoped, to allude to a subject which, to a 
 certain extent, affected him (the vicar) only — a matter which 
 originated at a dinner given by the late worthy mayor. And 
 here he must be allowed to press the claims of Cornelius 
 Nicholson as a zealous churchman (hear, hear). Let him not 
 be misunderstood as using the word in a narrow sectarian 
 spirit. Mr. Nicholson was not one who denied merit to any 
 except his own particular opinions (hear). He was not one 
 who denied that the very light of heaven, God's pure sunshine, 
 was God's unless it was tinted by the stained glass — was re- 
 flected through the fretted tracery of a Gothic window. He 
 hoped he should not be misunderstood, or considered as intro- 
 ducing matters more particularly connected v/ith the shop 
 (hear and laughter). He now begged to thank their worthy 
 mayor for having directed that energy and that success, which 
 attended all his undertakings, towards getting a new organ for 
 the Parish Church (cheers). He referred to the services of 
 Cornelius Nicholson to the church in no spirit of triumph as 
 against any other denomination, but he wished to give expres- 
 sion to that gratitude which he really felt. He had been the 
 means, to a certain extent, of divesting the Parish Church of
 
 66 
 
 that character of niggardliness and squalid wretchedness which 
 it so long wore (hear, hear). In conclusion, he had spoken 
 only what he really felt of the claims to public gratitude of 
 Cornelius Nicholson. It was the naked truth, and what the 
 majority of the company well knew to be the truth. He pro- 
 posed the health of Cornelius Nicholson, mayor of Kendal, as 
 a man estimable in every relation, and as a public benefactor 
 to this town (loud applause). 
 
 Song, Mr. W. Bowness. 
 
 Mr. Nicholson, who, during the delivery of the vicar's speech, 
 had been labouring under strong emotion, said that though he 
 could not say of himself that he was unaccustomed to public 
 speaking, he hoped they would believe him when he stated that 
 he never in his life had attempted to speak under such strong 
 emotion as he did on the present occasion — emotions arising 
 not only from the over-abundant kindness which the vicar in 
 his observations, and they (the company) in their reception to 
 them had heaped upon him, but from a sense of his own short- 
 comings in comparison with those praises (cheers). He held 
 that next to the approbation of a man's own conscience the ap- 
 probation of his fellow-townsmen was most dear to him, when 
 that approbation was honestly bestowed (cheers). But betook 
 great shame to himself, because he felt that he must have 
 greatly disappointed the expectations they had been pleased 
 to entertain from him. He knev/ that they expected from him 
 something which he might have done before — that he would, 
 in the capacity of mayor, have done much for the town of 
 Kendal, but he felt that he had literally done nothing — that it 
 was for him to make a humble apology, and to beg them to take 
 the will for the deed. He could assure them that it had been 
 his honest intention faithfully to fulfil the duties with which 
 they had been kind enough to entrust him. But all men were 
 more or less the creatures of circumstance, and it so fell out 
 that before one-third or one quarter of his office had gone over 
 his head, he had been called upon to undertake a most repon- 
 sible duty in another part of the country (hear). That was his
 
 67 
 
 sole excuse for having neglected their interests — so far as he 
 had neglected that duty which he had undertaken to fulfil. He 
 felt that many thanks were due to them for overlooking, under 
 these circumstances, the imperfect manner in which he had 
 performed the duties of mayor. He felt that he owed much to 
 their indulgence. But there was one point to which the vicar 
 had alluded of which he thought he might be honestly proud. 
 The vicar had been pleased to refer to his (Mr. Nicholson's) 
 previous history, and here he thought he could justly take some 
 little credit to himself when he considered the circumstances 
 under which he first appeared In the town of Kendal something 
 like thirty years ago. During that interval he had served in 
 almost every public office in the town without exception, he 
 hoped with some degree of satisfaction to his fellow-townsmen 
 as well as to his own, till now that their kindness had raised 
 him to the distinction of the highest office it was in their power 
 to confer. He hoped that a moral might be drawn from his 
 personal history which he desired to impress upon all his young 
 townsmen. They might draw from it an encouragement by the 
 use of such talents as God had blessed them with, to make 
 themselves useful to the community in which they were placed, 
 for he (the mayor) could assure them that for whatever service 
 they performed for the community they would reap an abundant 
 acknowledgement and reward. It was quite true that he was 
 about to depart from them, but he trusted it was only for a very 
 short time (cheers), and he could assure them that wherever he 
 was, whatever sky was above him, the interests of the town of 
 Kendal would have an abiding place in his heart. And if it 
 should please God that he should return again, which he hoped 
 would be in two or three years, he now gave them a public 
 pledge and promise to dedicate to his townsmen such talents as 
 he had been entrusted with. He would serve them in any 
 capacity in which they might be pleased to put him, even if they 
 placed him on the very lowest round of the local ladder. He 
 would be happy when he came again to take up any duty which 
 they might be pleased to bestow upon him (cheers). He desired
 
 68 
 
 to express his full concurrence in those sentiments which the 
 vicar had more ably expressed than he could do with reference 
 to the general welfare of the community, and in conclusion he 
 left with the town this his benediction. He would affectionately 
 say to Kendal " Peace be within thy walls and prosperity 
 within thy palaces, for my brethren and companions' sake, I 
 will wish thee prosperty " (great applause). 
 
 Song, Mr. Torkington . " Old England for ever." 
 The Vice-Chairman proposed the clergy, coupled with the 
 health of the vicar of Kendal, to which the Rev. J. W. Barnes 
 responded. 
 
 The Chairman in eulogistic terms proposed the health of the 
 Vice-Chairman, the Town Clerk, for which Mr. Harrison re- 
 turned thanks. 
 
 The Chairman rose to propose the health of his excellent 
 and highly gifted friend on the right, Mr. Hartley Coleridge, 
 one of the resplendent luminaries of a literary solar system 
 which conferred lustre on the lake district, and one of the few 
 instances in which the highest endowments of mind were 
 transmitted from father to son (cheers). 
 
 Song, Mr. H. H. Davis : " Prince Thady o'Toole." 
 Mr. H. Coleridge, whom we could only hear imperfectly, 
 in consequence of his frequently dropping his voice, was un- 
 derstood to defend the residents of the lake district from the 
 charge of exclusiveness, and of wishing to keep that beautiful 
 district as a park or preserves. At the same time he (Mr. 
 Coleridge) was not one of those who had raised their voices 
 against the Kendal and Windermere Railway, but he could 
 bear with the prejudices of those who thought that any change 
 in the Lake district must be for the worse. But it was of no 
 use to run down the manufacturing tendency of the age. It 
 was a great fact, and the change was inevitable. It was 
 ordained of God (hear). We were not what we were in the past 
 century, not what we were even thirty years ago. People talked 
 of the simplicity and beauty of past and distant times. How 
 much of it was owing to the fact that they were past and dis*
 
 69 
 
 tant. All the beauty which the Quixotic fancies of young 
 England found in the past, to what did it amount but this. No 
 doubt an infant was a beautiful object, but then, what was a 
 grown up infant ? It was an idiot ! (cheers and laughter). Mr. 
 Coleridge concluded by proposing the healths of the Corporation 
 of Kendal. 
 
 Mr. Miles Thompson responded. 
 
 Song, Mr. Bernard. 
 
 The Rev. F. B. Danby proposed success to the railways in 
 connection with the town of Kendal. 
 
 Song, Mr. Scarisbrick : " The Railway," accompanied by 
 himself on the pianoforte. 
 
 The Chairman proposed the health of the Borough Magis- 
 trate.s, coupled with the name of Dr. Proudfoot. 
 
 Ur. Proudfoot responded. 
 
 The health of Mr. Arthur Shepherd as one of the landowners 
 of the county was then given, and responded to by that 
 gentleman. 
 
 Song, Mr. Garside : " The fine Old English Gentleman." 
 
 A number of other toasts followed, in the course of which 
 Mr. W. Ellison responded to the " Agricultural Interest," Mr. 
 Gough to the " Medical Profession," Mr. W. Wilson to the 
 " Legal Profession." — Mr. Forrest gave the health of the vicar's 
 lady, which the vicar acknowledged. — The vicar proposed that 
 of the Lady Mayoress. — After the chairman left the conviviality 
 was kept up for a short time longer under the presidency of 
 Mr. Scarisbrick and Mr. Mann. 
 
 Some disappointment was naturally felt at first in 
 Kendal when it was found that the Lancaster and Car- 
 lisle line could not be brought nearer the town than 
 Oxenholme, a distance of a mile and a half. To repair 
 this defect, my father caused surveys to be made from 
 Oxenholme, through Kendal to Windermere.
 
 70 
 
 There was no difficulty then in raising capital for 
 railway projects ; on the contrary, a mania was setting 
 in, and this little undertaking needed no support from 
 its big brethren ! 
 
 The Kendal and Windermere railway was opened 
 with great rejoicings on Tuesday, April the 20th, 1847, 
 the ceremonies will be best described in the words of 
 a contemporary newspaper the "Westmorland Gazette," 
 dated Saturday, April 24, 1847. 
 
 OPENING OF THE KENDAL AND WINDERMERE RAILWAY. 
 
 This short, but celebrated line, the public opening of which 
 took place on Tuesday last, was first projected in the summer 
 of 1844. The honours of its paternity belong, we believe, to 
 C. Nicholson, Esq., at present a resident director of the East 
 Lancashire Railway, and the first public intimation of the 
 scheme appeared in the " Westmorland Gazette " and the 
 "Kendal Mercury" of August 24 in that year. The original 
 intention of the promoters was to carry the line as far as Low- 
 wood, but this scheme was abandoned in consequence of the 
 certain expense and the probable opposition which such a 
 course would entail. The line would have required a viaduct 
 over the Troutbeck stream, which Mr. Errington calculated 
 could not cost less than from ;^io,ooo to _^i2,ooo, a serious 
 addition to the original estimate for the whole line, ^'125,000. 
 They would also have to cut into St. Catherine's Park, the 
 estate of Lord Bradford, and other valuable properties, which 
 would have involved excessive prices, if not a parliamentaiy 
 opposition. Under these circumstances the directors deter- 
 mined upon the present terminus, Birthvvaite, an estate lying 
 at the junction of the Bowness and Elleray road with the 
 Kendal and Ambleside road, about a mile and a quarter from 
 the beautiful village of Bowness. The act of parliament, 
 besides the original capital of /"i25,ooo, gave the company
 
 71 
 
 power to borrow /"40,ooo. It was originally intended to con- 
 struct a single line of rails, but the change in the view of the 
 proprietors in this respect rendered the additional sum of 
 ;f 40,000 necessar}^ and as there is reason to believe the cost 
 will be within the parliamentary estimate, the line will have 
 been constructed for ;^i65,ooo. The act passed without oppo- 
 sition, and on the 30th of June, 1845, received the royal assent."'- 
 The first sod was cut by Mr. Nicholson in July of the same 
 
 * The undertaking-, however, was denounced from his retreat, at Rydal 
 Mount, by the venerable Wordsworth, as an uncalled for desecration of 
 the beautiful quietude of Windermere and its neighbourhood. The great 
 poet attacked the line not only at much length in prose in the columns of 
 the " Morning Post," but also in one of his terse and beautiful sonnets : — 
 " Is there no nook of English ground secure 
 
 From rash assault? Schemes of retirement sown 
 In youth, and 'mid the busy world kept pure 
 
 As when their earliest flowers of hope were blown. 
 Must perish. How can they this blight endure? 
 
 And must he, too, his old delights disown 
 Who scorns a false utilitarian lure, 
 
 'Mid his paternal fields at random thrown? 
 Baffle the threat, bright scene, from Orrest Head, 
 Given to the pausing traveller's rapturous glance. 
 Plead for thy peace, thou beautiful romance 
 Of Nature I And if human hearts be dead — 
 Speak passing winds— ye torrents, with pure, strong. 
 And constant voice protest against the wrong." 
 
 The Laureate was replied to by Mr. R. M. Milnes, M.P., in the follow- 
 ing sonnet : — 
 
 " The hour may come, nay must in these our days. 
 
 When the harsh steam-car with the cataract's shout. 
 
 Shall mingle its swift roll, and motly rout 
 Of multitudes these mountain echoes raise. 
 And THOU the patriarch of these pleasant ways. 
 
 Canst hardly grudge that crowded streets send out, 
 
 In Sabbath glee, the sons of care and doubt. 
 To read these scenes by light of thine own lays. 
 Disordered laughter and encounter rude. 
 
 The Poet's finer sense perchance may pain ; 
 Vet many a glade and nook of solitude, 
 
 For quiet walk and thought will still remain. 
 Where he the poor intruders may elude. 
 
 Nor lose one golden dream for all their homely gain."
 
 72 
 
 year. The total length of the line, from its junction with the 
 Lancaster and Carlisle at Oxenholme station, two miles from 
 Kendal, is ten miles and a quarter, thus averaging a cost of 
 about ;^i6,ooo per mile. The two miles of junction, which 
 with twenty miles of Lancaster and Carlisle, gave Kendal an 
 uninterrupted railway access to Lancaster and the south, were 
 opened on the 21st September, 1846, and the event was cele- 
 brated by a sumptuous entertainment given at the Whitehall, 
 Kendal, by the directors of the Kendal and Windermere. The 
 contract for this line was undertaken by Messrs. Stephenson 
 and Co., the eminent contractors for the great Lancaster and 
 Carlisle, and many other important lines. The course of the 
 line was laid down by J. E. Errington, Esq., the original 
 engineer ot the undertaking, but that gentleman's numerous 
 engagements having rendered it impossible for him to continue 
 his services, the engineering department devolved upon Mr. J. 
 Harris. 
 
 Invitations to join the opening trip of Tuesday last were 
 liberally distributed by the directors among the inhabitants of 
 Kendal and its vicinity, and the beauty of the day induced 
 great numbers to avail themselves of the opportunity. Soon 
 after ten o'clock a train of sixteen carriages, decorated with 
 flags, accompanied by a band of music, started from the 
 Kendal station with a full freight of holiday-makers ; and 
 about twelve o'clock another train of eighteen carriages, with 
 another band of music, followed. The supply of carriages had 
 been furnished from the great resources of the London and 
 North-Western Railway company at Crewe, and that in the 
 most liberal manner, there being no want of accommodation 
 of every kind. These trains were each drawn by three engines, 
 the engines at present in use not being of a very powerful 
 description. The railway itself, until it arrives almost within 
 view of the shores of the lake, presents little in its scenery to 
 distinguish it from the general character of Westmorland 
 landscapes, a pastoral quietude and almost loneliness, dotted 
 here and there with a village or solitary farm-house, the green
 
 73 
 
 and rounded hill sides occasionally giving place to bolder and 
 more barren elevations, exhibiting the blue slate formation of 
 which the bulk of the lake mountains is composed. Neither 
 are the engineering obstacles, although some of the cuttings 
 are sufficiently troublesome, likely to strike the traveller with 
 wonder who has seen the solid whinstone rock cut away to the 
 depth of sixty feet, for a quarter of a mile, at Shap ; the ravines 
 bridged by the Lowther, the Eamont, and the Docker viaduct, 
 or the difficulties of the Borrow Bridge pass turned by divert- 
 ing the Lune, and skirting the sides of the mountains. Still 
 there are points of interest and beauty in the course and con- 
 struction of the little " gem of railways." 
 
 The first point which attracts tlie attention after leaving the 
 Kendal station, where the line passes through level meadow 
 land, is a large timber viaduct of considerable size, carried for 
 some distance upon massive walls of stone work (placed at 
 intervals transversely to suit the course of the streams) which 
 crosses the river Kent, and the race at Dockray Hall or Gandy 
 Mill, as it is popularly called. This viaduct, when viewed 
 from a little distance, presents with its trellised railing, a very 
 pretty appearance. There are, in fact, two viaducts, one over 
 the stream and another over the race, united by an embank- 
 ment of earth. Crossing the road at Aikrigg End over a 
 wooden bridge we have on the right, a beautiful view of the 
 valley of the Kent and the little village and chapel of Burneside, 
 with the extensive paper mills, which chiefly give employment 
 to the villagers, formerly carried on byC. Nicholson, Esq., and 
 now in the occupation of J. Cropper, Esq. A small station is 
 here in course of construction, built, like the other stations on 
 the line, of rough stone of irregular sizes, of the greywacke 
 division, dark blue in colour, which harmonizes exceedingly 
 well with the scenery of the district. Here begins a consider- 
 able incline of one in eighty. Proceeding in a tolerably direct 
 course towards Staveley, the line traverses a cutting of blue 
 slaty rock of considerable difficulty called the Bowston cutting, 
 and afterwards crosses the turnpike road from Kendal to
 
 74 
 
 Ambleside on a level. The thriving village of Staveley pre- 
 sents a ver}' pretty appearance from the railway. Its large 
 worsted and bobbin-mills, driven by water-power, have a very 
 different effect upon the landscape from that produced by the 
 smoke-canopied factories of Lancashire. The handsome Abbey 
 hotel, which has been recently built by John Hewetson Wilson, 
 Esq., forms a prominent object from the line. The view of 
 Staveley, with its white buildings is well contrasted with the 
 dark and barren Raven Scar which forms the back ground of 
 the landscape. A short distance further on, the little chapel of 
 Ings is a very pretty object, and on its right Reston hall, which 
 the present occupant has divested of much of its picturesque 
 appearance by stripping the old hall of its congenial iv)'. Both 
 the chapel and the hall were built by Richard Bateman, a Leg- 
 horn merchant, whose history is worth narrating in a note."-- 
 Shortly afterwards occurs another cutting of considerable 
 depth, and then the line arrives at the summit level, a point 
 from which it descends into the vale of Windermere, and the 
 first view is obtained of the queen of lakes. 
 
 Bowness, on Tuesday, was crowded with visitors brought down 
 for the first time by the railwa}', to the number of not less than 
 five or six hundred, and great was the run upon the refreshment 
 stores of the inns, for the accommodation of an influx of strangers 
 more than double that of the entire population of this elegant little 
 village, the port and emporium of Windermere. The two steam 
 yachts, the Lady of the Lake and the Lord of the Isles, were 
 put in requisition, plying to the head and the foot of the lake, 
 *o Ambleside and Newby Bridge, with full complements of 
 visitors, who preferred that mode of enjoying the scenery of 
 
 * Richard Bateman was a native of the township, and, being a clever 
 lad, he was sent by the inhabitants to London. He lose by diligence and 
 industry, from the situation of a menial servant to be his master's partner, 
 and amassed a considerable fortune. For some years he resided at Leg- 
 horn, whence he forwarded the slabs of marble with which the chapel is 
 floored. His story is alluded to in Wordsworth's " Michael ;" but his 
 tragical end is not told. The captain of the vessel in which he was sailing 
 to England, poisoned him, and seized the ship and cargo.
 
 75 
 
 the river-lake. Some of the visitors who landed at Ambleside 
 strolled as far as Rydal and Grasmere, and others proceeded to 
 the beautiful cascade at Stock Force, about 700 yards from the 
 market-cross, Ambleside, the road to which passes the Saluta- 
 tion inn, the picturesque little mill, &c. The splendour of the 
 day contributed greatly to the evident enjoyment of all parties, 
 and we are glad to add that no accident occurred either by 
 land or lake. Soon after four o'clock the first return train 
 started for Kendal, and at six o'clock a second train departed. 
 Many of the visitors, who had been beguiled no doubt by the 
 charms of the lake, came to the station just in time to see the 
 train disappearing, but fortunately they were ultimately pro- 
 vided for by the special train, which started at nine o'clock, 
 after the directors' dinner. The trains occupied rather more 
 than half an hour in their return, great caution being very 
 properly exercised. 
 
 The trains commenced running for public traffic on Wed- 
 nesday. 
 
 DEJEUNER AT THE ROYAL HOTEL. 
 
 About half-past two o'clock a party of about forty gentlemen 
 sat down to a sumptuous dejeuner at the Royal hotel, Bowness, 
 John Gandy, Esq., chairman to the Kendal and Windermere 
 Board, in the chair. C. Nicholson, Esq., officiated as vice- 
 chairman. Among the companj'' were the Rev. J. W. Barnes, 
 M.A., vicar of Kendal ; J. Braithwaite, Esq., Orrest Head ; 
 James Gandy, Esq., Heaves Lodge ; G. E. Wilson, Esq., 
 Heversham ; J. Harrison, Esq., Hundhow : J. B. Fell, Esq., 
 Spark Bridge ; John W^hitwell, Esq. ; Rev. J. G. Elleray, 
 Staveley ; Rev. R. W. Fisher, Hill Top ; T. Bindloss, Esq. ; 
 T. Ullock, Esq.; G. B. Crewdson, Esq.; Mr. T. Hudson, 
 secretary to the Kendal and Windermere railway ; Lieut. 
 Woodright; Mr. G. Gandy; Mr. E. Harrison; Mr. J. Steel, 
 Burneside ; Mr. Charles Swain, Manchester ; Mr. T. Fisher ; 
 Mr. Thexton. 
 
 The customary loyal and national toasts having been duly 
 honoured (Lieut. Woodright returning thanks for the army).
 
 76 
 
 the chairman proposed the healths of the clergy present, coup- 
 ling with the toast the name of the Rev. the vicar of Kendal. 
 
 The Rev. J. W. Barnes, in acknowledging the toast testified 
 his high appreciation of the honour which he and the other 
 clergymen present had received from a body of men whose 
 function was to direct in so beneficial a manner the material 
 energies of the country. He thought that the clergy might 
 take a lesson from the skill, punctuality, and energy which the 
 directors of that company had displa3'ed in overcoming the 
 physical difficulties of their undertaking, and apply the same 
 order, energy, and punctuality to promote the spiritual interests 
 committed to their charge (cheers). 
 
 The Chairman then introduced the toast of the day, pros- 
 perity to the Kendal and Windermere Railway, which was 
 given in bumpers, and with most enthusiastic cheering. 
 
 Mr. Nicholson said it was not perhaps unfitting that the 
 deputy chairman should respond to the toast, as he had been 
 made in some sort responsible for the undertaking ; at the same 
 time he felt it to be a great honour that it had fallen to him. 
 He was not going to make a long speech on the occasion, in the 
 first place because there was not time. They were engaged by 
 an invitation to dine at four o'clock, and the time was even then 
 approaching four. In these days of railway locomotion, when 
 everythmg must be done as by steam, they thought nothing of 
 travelling four hundred miles and taking from fourteen to 
 twenty meals a day (laughter). With regard to this particular 
 railway he felt that he stood in some sort in a relation of 
 paternity to it. They knew, and he could assure them it was 
 with the utmost sincerity, that he had always anticipated that 
 the greatest benefits would result from this Kendal and Win- 
 dermere Railway (cheers) ; and all that he had seen of railways 
 in general, and this railway in particular, tended to confirm 
 rather than otherwise, the anticipations of good which he had 
 first ventured to put forth. As railways in commercial districts 
 were found to promote the production and consumption of 
 commercial commodities, so without doubt the formation of a
 
 77 
 
 railway in that particular district which so abounded in the 
 beauties of creation would be found to stimulate the taste of 
 all classes of the community for those beauties with which 
 they were that day surrounded. He (the vice-chairman), as 
 they probably knew, had been of late residing in a district 
 where, as his friend Mr. Swain could tell them, the murky 
 clouds rose perpetually from a hundred large chimneys, and it 
 was by that railway, the opening of which they were celebrating, 
 that they proposed to enable the merchant princes of Liverpool, 
 and the cotton lords of Manchester, to exchange in a few hours 
 the smoke of their factories, and the miasmata of their towns, 
 for the salubrious airs and the silvery mists that floated round 
 the hills they were now among (cheers). If he had time to 
 dilate upon the subject of railways, though not in the habit of 
 making very long speeches, he felt that he could talk upon it 
 by the hour by Shrewsbury clock. He could show some of the 
 advantages which resulted from railways in a national point of 
 view. There was one most striking result which no political 
 economist, however far seeing, could have predicated, and 
 which was just now coming into light. He referred to the 
 extraordinary reproductive power of railways. In this country 
 an extraordinary extent of railway undertaking had been 
 authorised ; such an extent, indeed, that all the capital in the 
 country could not meet it were it not for those railways them- 
 selves. There had been passed last year railway undertakings 
 calling for something like one hundred millions of money, and 
 a much less sum than that invested in railways already con- 
 structed had resulted in a clear saving to the country of not 
 less than fifty millions. Commercial men now really began to 
 understand the facilities which railways open to commerce their 
 powers of economising in various ways the productions of the 
 country, thus virtually increasing them to the enormous amount 
 he had mentioned — an amount equal to something like fifty 
 millions. Though some of his friends around him might shake 
 their heads, though they might have been in the habit of 
 averting their eyes from the share list last year (laughter), it
 
 7^ 
 
 was nevertheless quite true that railways had tended in a most 
 extraordinary way to the advantages of the nation ; and he 
 believed the time would soon come when capital would repro- 
 duce itself again, when the share list would again look bright, 
 when his friends would again put on happy faces, and as rail- 
 way men, be made happy men (cheers). He had been looking 
 over an old pamphlet the other day, connected with the history 
 of Westmorland, and he found that it was only three-quarters 
 of a century ago, or 75 years since the first four-horsed coach 
 was introduced into this county. He there found that at that 
 period there was advertised in some way or other, for he did not 
 know whether any newspapers existed or not then, the estab- 
 lishment of a coach which started from the Fleece Inn, Kendal, 
 and was drawn by four horses, and marvellous to relate, at the 
 rate of six miles an hour, in fact it was called, no doubt with 
 great propriety, a flying machine (laughter). If their fore- 
 fathers who lived at that time could have been told that within 
 a century of that day, people would be going through the air 
 almost like swallows, at the rate not of 6, but of 60 miles an 
 hour, the man who had made such a declaration would most 
 likely have been quietly handed over to the lock-up, to the 
 Lancaster asylum, or some such place, for the benefit of his 
 friends (laughter). Yet such results they had seen, and he re- 
 joiced in having been one among the number of men who 
 contributed to introduce this revolution, for this new mode of 
 conveyance was nothing less than a revolution, in this beautiful 
 land of ours. He felt sure that those who resided in the lake 
 district would be benefited by the railway in numerous ways, 
 for instance, they would be able to bring lime to their land at 
 much less than half the cost. It was only about the same 
 period he had alluded to that lime was first made use of as a 
 manure, by a man in Old Hutton, and that man was thought 
 fit for a strait waistcoat for putting lime on his land, with any 
 hope that it would tend to increase the produce of the earth. 
 Thus they got from one thing to another. Those, said Mr. 
 Nicholson, in conclusion, who from mistaken prejudices op-
 
 79 
 
 posed the introduction of a railwaj' into this district, will be the 
 first to appreciate its advantages, and probablj' to assist us to 
 extend it, as no doubt we shall, along the shoulders of yonder 
 hills, like a Swiss gallerj', carrying it along past the remains of 
 that old king of Cumberland who sleeps on the summit of Dun- 
 mail Raise, disturbing his manes, and perhaps scattering his 
 ashes, till we meet other lines which will then give the lake 
 district the full benefits of railway communication (cheers). 
 
 The Chairman then proposed the health of the guests who 
 had honoured them with their company, for which G. E. Wil- 
 son, Esq., returned thanks, and proposed in turn the health of 
 the chairman and the directors. The chairman having returned 
 thanks, the company separated shortly after 4 o'clock. 
 
 DINNER AT THE CROWN HOTEL. 
 
 At five o'clock an elegant dinner in honour of the services of 
 the engineers, &c., whose skill has carried the plan of the line 
 into practical operation, was given at the Crown Hotel, Bow- 
 ness. C. Nicholson, Esq., presided, and J. Whitwell officiated 
 as croupier. Among the company were J. Harrison, Esq., 
 Hundhow, Mr. Watson, resident engineer, Mr. Geo. Heald, 
 Mr. John Hudson, Mr. Thomas Hudson, secretary to the com- 
 panj', Mr. Miles Thompson (who is the builder of the stations), 
 Mr. Wm. Rawlinson, Mr. Hunt, of the London and North 
 Western locomotive department, &c. 
 
 After the routine toasts had been disposed of. 
 The Chairman called upon the company to do justice to the 
 toast of the day. There was some wise saying or other de- 
 livered by almost every man, though it might not achieve dis- 
 tinction, and it happened that he had once delivered himself 
 of a b^entence which had now, by the medium of those gentle- 
 men, the reporters, passed into a kind of oracle — that the 
 Kendal and Windermere was the " Gem of Railways " (hear 
 and laughter). Since that celebrated occasion he had not seen 
 any reason to rob that railway of any of its brilliancy, on the 
 contrary he thought it deserved all the distinction which had
 
 8o 
 
 been conferred upon it. It was a nice railway in an engi- 
 neering point of view, a cheap railway in an economical 
 point of view, and a beautiful railway in a poetical point of 
 view. And he had no doubt it would yield a handsome return 
 of profit, so that altogether, it must appear very beautiful 
 in the eyes of those who had the honour and the pleasure to 
 hold shares in it (cheers and laughter). He should not dilate 
 much upon it because he had already delivered himself that 
 morning upon the same topic in a speech which he ought per- 
 haps to have reserved for that occasion, still he could not 
 allow the toast to pass without making one or two observations, 
 and first he must say that it did delight him that the railway 
 which had been opened to the public that day would especially 
 benefit the operative classes, that large mass of our population 
 residing in the manufacturing districts, and who had souls to 
 enjoy the beauties they (the company) were now surrounded 
 by on every side. He was quite sure that they would all agree 
 in that sentiment, and that the operative classes ought to be 
 reckoned by them as intelligent beings, fully capable of being 
 influenced by the beauties which the Lake District unfolds. 
 He had himself that morning come from the other side of 
 Manchester, after breakfasting at an ordinary breakfast time, 
 and he had had the pleasure of taking luncheon at an ordinary 
 luncheon time on the banks of Windermere (cheers). They 
 had necessarily been a long time on the journey that day, but 
 the time was not far distant, perhaps it might be in a month 
 or two, which would give the dwellers of the great hives of 
 manufacturing industry an opportunity of exchanging their 
 murky atmosphere for the silverj' mists of the mountains in 
 perhaps two hours and a half. He expected, now that express 
 trains were running daily between Manchester and Liverpool, 
 a couple of hours, or two and a half, in the evening, would bring 
 the merchant and manufacturer, after he had finished his cor- 
 respondence or left the Exchange, down to the shores of that 
 beautiful lake, and if he liked, carry him back the next morning 
 in time for breakfast. This could not be accomplislied without
 
 having its humanizing effect upon the spirit, and no one could 
 doubt that railways were messengers of civilization. He did 
 not know that more remained for him to say upon that occasion 
 further than to express, as he ought to do on behalf of his 
 brother directors and himself, the obligation they felt to those 
 gentlemen by whom he was surrounded, connected with the 
 engineering staff, for the talent, the untiring perseverance, and 
 the punctuality of arrangement they had displayed in the con- 
 duct of their great works, and in bringing them successfully to 
 a final issue. He now called upon them all to fill their glasses 
 for a toast which would of itself make full amends for the poor 
 prelude, which, upon the spur of the moment, he had been 
 called upon to make, " Success to the Kendal and Windermere 
 Railway. — The toast was drunk with enthusiasm. 
 
 The Vice-Chairman proposed the health of Mr. Nicholson, 
 and expressed his gratification at the large number of persons 
 who bad travelled with them that morning, and greeted the 
 opening of the Kendal and Windermere. The line had been 
 designated the gem of railways. Whether it was a feeling of 
 paternal fondness which had induced their chairman to give 
 it that name he did not pretend to say, but, be it a gem or be 
 it not, to him was given the credit of originating it, and bring- 
 ing together the elements of which it was constructed (cheers) 
 He (the vice-chairman) trusted it would enable those who 
 otherwise would have been prevented from partaking of the 
 beauties of that lovely scenery to breathe something of the 
 spirit which gave the inhabitants of the hills and valleys of 
 that beautiful land the independance of character which was 
 invariably found in mountainous districts, for though the 
 British character was not destitute of it in any district, that 
 there existed a preponderance of it in the northern hills, 
 history manifested at all periods. The chairman had alluded 
 to the fact that this railroad would open a communication with 
 the manufacturing population. He hoped, however, that an 
 access to these romantic valleys would not be limited to them 
 or to the people of Liverpool and Manchester, but that the
 
 82 
 
 railway would be a bond of union with the capital itself. Many 
 persons came down to the lakes for the purpose of fishing. 
 Some might consider this as a very trifling amusement, but 
 many of our most eminent men had pursued it with great in- 
 terest ; and he should not be surprised if many of the citizens 
 of London came down at night for the purpose of fishing in 
 Windermere the morning after. He knew of one gentleman 
 who had threatened to come the first fortnight after the line 
 was opened, and why should there not be others ? Twelve 
 hours was but a short time to accomplish it in, and he hoped 
 ere long eight hours would suffice for it. The free and in- 
 vigorating mountain air would itself supply any want of sleep 
 (laughter). With respect to the line itself the chairman had 
 very properly expressed the feeling of the directors towards 
 those gentlemen who had constructed it. To the ingenuity and 
 skill of the gentleman on the chairman's left (Mr. Watson) 
 their thanks were most justly due. There was not a gentleman 
 present who did not know the estimation in which he was 
 held by the board. With respect to the contractors, their 
 activity, energy, and earnestness were known by the thousand 
 miles of railroad they had already constructed : so much so 
 that our little Windermere Railway was a drop in their bucket 
 which it was hardly worth while alluding to. In conclusion 
 he begged to remind them that, as he had said before, Mr. 
 Nicholson had a very strong claim upon them in respect to 
 this railway, and something similar might be said of his con- 
 nection with the Lancaster and Carlisle. As they well knew, 
 Lancashire, that busy centre of labour, was at present the 
 sphere of his usefulness, and in proposing his good health he 
 would add the wish that he might long live to carry out those 
 objects which were for the benefit of others as well as his own 
 (cheers). 
 
 The Chairman said he should be deficient in the ordinary 
 sentiments of gratitude, did he not appreciate their kindness. 
 With respect to the Kendal and Windermere, all the merit he 
 would pretend to, was that of being what the French called
 
 83 
 
 the fondatenr of the scheme. But he was sorry to say that he 
 had been but an ostrich parent, which left its offspring to the 
 chances of the elements to bring to perfection, and it was with 
 him in the instance of the Kendal and Windermere just as it was 
 with many other of his undertakings and institutions in Kendal, 
 and its neighbourhood. However, all of us were the creatures 
 of circumstances, and he had been called away by circum- 
 stances, which compelled him to an act of desertion. But he 
 carried away with him the feelings which first bound him to 
 the undertaking, and in a degree stronger than ever, and he 
 hoped to come back again in the course of a year or two and 
 make some amends by extra exertions, for his absence (cheers). 
 The next toast in the list was the health of the Secretary of 
 the Kendal and Windermere, and he had very great pleasure 
 indeed in proposing the health of Mr. Thomas Hudson. Though 
 he himself stood in close relationship to Mr. Thomas Hudson, 
 nobody would think him biassed by personal considerations 
 when he said that Mr. Hudson had proved himself since he 
 had been connected with the railway a most useful servant of 
 the company, who was always at his post, and always doing 
 the thing that was right, to whose services and fidelity the 
 company was most especially indebted (cheers). 
 
 Mr. Hudson returned thanks for the honour done him, and 
 for the kindness he had received since he had been officially 
 connected with the Kendal and Windermere Railway, from 
 the commencement of the works. It was not unusual on these 
 occasions for some one in an official capacity to say something 
 of the cost of the line. Perhaps all present were not aware 
 that a single line was first contemplated for this raihvay, and 
 that shortly after it was commenced it was thought desirable 
 to add a double line throughout. He was happy to be able to 
 say that the Kendal and Windermere was one of the cheapest 
 lines of double railway in the kingdom, and he believed there 
 was every reason to think its cost could not be quite equal to 
 the parliamentary estimate (hear, hear). He thought this said 
 a great deal for the skill of the engineer, and the economy and 
 energy of their excellent directors.
 
 84 
 
 Mr. Harrison (Hundhow), proposed the health of their vice- 
 chairman, Mr. Whitwell, whose services were so generally 
 useful. 
 
 The Vice-Chairman returned thanks. 
 
 The Chairman remarked that the vice-chairman had inci- 
 dentally pronounced an eulogium on the engineers of the rail- 
 way. Every one knew how much a railway depended upon 
 the skill of the engineers. The directors as they sat in their 
 board room were, no doubt, awful personages. They might 
 shake their heads, and some of them might fancy themselves 
 of very great importance no doubt (laughter). But though the 
 directors were a very distinguished body, yet after all they 
 were greatly indebted to the engineers as subordinates. They 
 must, after all, depend in a great degree upon the talents of 
 those gentlemen who entered the board room with their rolls 
 of maps and plans to point out the nature and difficulties of the 
 line, and when they come to travel over the line at a rate of 
 something like thirty miles an hour, and contrasted the line 
 itself with the steep and tortuous course of the old turnpike 
 road, it must be owned that the engineers were very useful 
 auxiliaries, at least in the construction of railroads (cheers and 
 laughter). They were greatly obliged to them, in the first 
 place, for finding out the proper line, and secondly for the sub- 
 stantial manner in which it had been constructed. Mr. Wat- 
 son since he came to Kendal, had displayed great skill and 
 ability in pushing forward and facilitating the progress of the 
 works. If it had not been for his personal exertions they 
 would not now on that 20th of April be celebrating the opening 
 of the Kendal and Windermere railroad. He begged to propose 
 the health of Mr. Watson, the resident engineer, and prosperity 
 to him (cheers). 
 
 Mr. Watson, in returning thanks, observed that he should 
 be a most insensible being if he were not affected, not only by 
 the kind manner in which his health had been introduced, but 
 by the kindness which he had met with since he came into 
 Westmorland. He must, however, disclaim a great portion of
 
 85 
 
 the credit that attached to the completion of the Kendal and 
 Windermere Railway. He had. as most gentlemen present 
 knew, only entered into the vineyard at the eleventh hour. 
 The good arrangements of his worthy friend Mr. Heald had, 
 he might almost say, left him little to do. Mr. Heald was 
 always ready with his assistance, if there was only a little 
 branch to nail up, he was ready to do it, or at all events to set 
 up the ladder for him (cheers). The engineering difficulties 
 of the country he had not had to contend with, and he left the 
 credit of it to his predecessors, Messrs. Locke and Errington, 
 in the first instance. He only claimed for himself the honour 
 of having done his best in introducing that railway to the world. 
 True, it was not of great extent, it might not be rich in mineral 
 resources, there were no coal fields nor iron — there might be a 
 little copper but not much — but it would be found valuable for 
 the purpose of recreation and pleasure to those with whom 
 time was everything, and it was one of the proudest moments 
 of his life to be associated with such a number of gentlemen 
 in the common object of pressing forward the work of civiliza- 
 tion. They had there represented two of the most powerful 
 agents of civilization, the railroad and the press, and in con- 
 clusion he would say for himself that he felt deeply obliged for 
 the honour which had been done him, and what little ability 
 he possessed should be always exerted to promote works of 
 public utility (cheers). 
 
 The Chairman proposed the healths of the contractors, and 
 associated the toast with the names of Mr. Heald and Mr. 
 Rawlinson. It was needless to say how much they were in- 
 debted to the contractors. This had been called the gem of 
 railways, and the part of the contractors had been to brush 
 away the dross, to bring the gem out of its natural habitat, 
 and present it before their eyes in all its beauty. He begged 
 to propose the healths of Messrs. Brassey, Mackenzie, and 
 Stephenson, and to couple the toast with the names of Mr. 
 Heald and Mr. Rawlinson,
 
 86 
 
 Mr. Heald expressed his gratification that the works had 
 given satisfaction to those gentlemen in whose behalf they were 
 conducted. With respect to the Kendal and Windermere line 
 itself, he would only say that he considered it a branch of the 
 main line which would produce most luxuriant blossom, and 
 what was still more to the purpose, would be abundantly prolific 
 in fruit. Having assisted in constructing the parent trunk, he 
 had had great gratification in contributing his labour to the 
 construction of this little line. Other branches selected from 
 a good stock would no doubt be eventually grafted in, and pro- 
 duce, for the benefit of the shareholders, that description of 
 fruit commonly known as the golden pippin (hear, and laughter). 
 He begged leave to return his best thanks for the very flattering 
 manner in which they had received the healths of Messrs. 
 Stephenson and company, and for the mode in which they had 
 connected his name with the firm he represented. It would be 
 ungrateful in him not to take the opportunity of acknowledging 
 the kind assistance he had received in promoting the works 
 from the engineers and directors on every occasion (cheers). 
 
 Mr. Rawlinson said that after the eloquent remarks of his friend 
 Mr. Heald anything he might add must appear of little interest, 
 but as they had kindly connected his name also with the firm 
 for which he had the honour to act, he ventured to assure them 
 that those gentlemen would always do the utmost m their power 
 to accomplish the trust placed in their hands or those of their 
 agents. He hoped that success had on that occasion attended 
 their endeavours, and that it would contribute to maintain that 
 character they were justly entitled to. He was sure they 
 would be proud on being informed of the eulogium which had 
 been passed upon them (cheers). 
 
 The Chairman remarked that the Kendal and Winder- 
 mere Railway had that day opened so auspiciously that they 
 seemed almost to have forgotten that there was any other 
 railway existing or extant. He therefore begged to call their 
 attention to that little subsidiary railway which had lately taken 
 the name of the London and North Western (laughter). In
 
 87 
 
 connection with that railway there was a gentleman then present 
 to whom they were much indebted for marshalling their loco- 
 motive engines. It would be found of essential benefit to the 
 Kendal and Windermere, and also to the Lancaster and Carlisle, 
 that arrangements had been made by which the London and 
 North Western supplied the locomotive power, the carriages, 
 and the rest of the plant. It would ensure to the public great 
 convenience, and to the company the greatest possible economy 
 in working the line. Though the London and North Western 
 might appear an insignificant company in comparison with the 
 great work they had that day opened ! They would drink success 
 to it, and couple the toast with the health of Mr. Hunt. 
 
 Mr. Hunt returned thanks, and assured them that the Lon- 
 don and North Western company would do their best towards 
 perfecting the development of their traffic by rendering every 
 assistance. 
 
 The Chairman proposed the health of Mr. Miles Thompson 
 the architect of the stations. 
 
 Mr. Miles Thompson returned thanks. The stations were 
 not so forward as could have been wished, but circumstances 
 had perhaps rendered that unavoidable. It was true there had 
 not been a great expenditure of capital upon them, but he hoped 
 they would answer the purpose for which they were intended, 
 and would be found to harmonize with the scenery around 
 them. 
 
 The " Press " and one or two other toasts having been re- 
 sponded to, 
 
 The Chairman proposed " Our next merry meeting on the 
 banks of Windermere " and adverting to the capability of the 
 line as a pleasure railway, he instanced the York and Scar- 
 borough as a proof of the value of pleasure traffic. It had been 
 urged that there were just four coaches in summer, and one in 
 winter between the places, it was impossible to expect a good 
 return, and Mr. Hudson was called a madman for proposing 
 the line. But what has been the result ? The York and 
 Scarborough (now in connection with the York and North Mid-
 
 88 
 
 land), which it was said would never pay, returned only last 
 year 14 per cent ! 
 
 The company then broke up about eight o'clock, returning 
 to Kendal by a special train at nine. 
 
 In the summer of 1848 we all removed to London, 
 but my dear father was only a very short time out of 
 harness. From the effects of the French Revolution he 
 lost a great part of the fortune he had earned with so 
 much pains in the Paper Mills, but he was not one to 
 sit down in despair. He turned his attention to Indian 
 railways, and by the invitation of the Earl of Wharncliffe, 
 chairman of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, he 
 became Managing Director of that Company. 
 
 The Company had been previously formed, but the 
 necessary capital was wanting, and the task first im- 
 posed upon Mr. Nicholson was to raise ;^5oo,ooo of 
 capital. This was a thing unattainable at that time 
 unless the East India Company could be prevailed upon 
 to guarantee at least 5 per cent, interest irrespective of 
 the profits of the undertaking. He therefore wrote and 
 published a pamphlet (see appendix) which was so 
 powerful that it really had the result of producing the 
 guaranteed interest on the capital required for the con- 
 struction of the Indian railways. It was in the form of 
 a letter to the chairman of the East India Company, 
 and pointed out conclusively that railways in India 
 would largely benefit both the commerce of that empire, 
 and the manufactures of England, by giving a new 
 supply of cotton ; and would further be a safeguard to 
 India itself by offering facilities for the transport of 
 troops from one province to another. This pamphlet
 
 89 
 
 aroused the Times newspaper and the Manchester Guardian : 
 a large deputation of the cotton interest was brought 
 from Manchester to urge the President of the Board of 
 Control (Sir John Hobhouse), and thus the guaranteed 
 interest was finally secured. 
 
 M)' father held the appointment of Superintending 
 Director of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway Com- 
 pany for eight years. During that period he worked 
 his brain very hard ; he was then in the prime of life, 
 and he found full scope for all his energies in the busy 
 world of London. 
 
 In 1849 he was elected a Fellow of the Geologica* 
 Society, his name having been before the Society on a 
 previous occasion in connexion with a casual discovery. 
 While residing in Stricklandgate, Kendal, he had noticed 
 a remarkable slab of Cambrian rock, four miles north 
 of Kendal, peppered with a now well-known fossil, the 
 " Tevehratula navictila.'' At that time the Cambrian 
 was held by most geologists (Professor Sedgwick es- 
 pecially) to be a distinct formation lying below the 
 Silurian, and non-fossiliferous ! This discovery, which 
 was quite accidental, was therefore a new departure in 
 the science. The fact was brought before the Geological 
 Society in a paper by Mr. Daniel Sharpe, to whom my 
 father had pointed out the slab of fossils. We were 
 living at that time in Bernard Street, Russell Square, 
 so he was able to attend the meetings of the Geological 
 Society, and occasionally took part in the discussions. 
 
 In 1852 we removed to Hornsey, and there my sister 
 was married to Mr. James Stuart, of Calcutta, where 
 the}' remained for some years.
 
 go 
 
 My father had by this time become well-known in 
 the metropolis. The Freedom of the city of London 
 was conferred upon him on October loth, 1856. His 
 life was too full of activity, and the strain upon his 
 health was more than could be continued; in 1857 his 
 strength gave way, and he was ordered by Sir WiUiam 
 Gull to abandon all business engagements, and spend 
 a whole winter in Italy. He was, therefore, compelled 
 to resign his post at the Great Indian Peninsular Raihva)' 
 Company. The chairman wrote him a courteous letter 
 on receiving this intimation, in which he says, " Although 
 I cannot but rejoice that you should be in a position to 
 relieve yourself from the arduous duties of your present 
 post and seek that leisure which you deserve, I cannot 
 forget how the interests of our company have flourished 
 under your superintendence, and I naturally feel in con. 
 sequence some anxiety for the future. With every wish 
 for your future prosperity, and the hope that you may 
 long continue a Director, believe me, &c." 
 
 The nine months spent in Italy was a time of great 
 enjoyment to ourselves, and the complete rest restored 
 my dear father's health. He wrote a most interesting 
 diary of all that we saw and did during that sojourn 
 abroad, but space compels me only to give one extract 
 from it, which describes the Easter illuminations of St. 
 Peter's in Rome. Under the new regime this is now a 
 thing of the past, so m}? father's impressions on viewing 
 this wonderful scene are worthy to be remembered. 
 His own graphic words need no comment. 
 
 " It is more difficult to describe your feelings and 
 sensations in witnessing St. Peter's than to describe the 
 building itself. Everybody knows that it is the most
 
 91 
 
 colossal church in the world, and you approach it with 
 this pervading idea. But the idea is not full}- realized 
 at first sight. You have at first some doubts about the 
 reality of its superior magnitude, the fa9ade, at a short 
 distance, is less imposing than you expected. The 
 dome, dwarfed by a high balustrade, seems not so large 
 as the world proclaimed it to be, and yet it is loo feet 
 higher than the dome of St. Paul's," 
 
 " You reach the Piazza, look up at the lofty obelisk in 
 the centre, admire the two fine fountains on either hand, 
 whose waters are flashing in the sun, examine the two 
 parallel porticoes which flank the fa9ade in two large 
 hemicycles, and as you mount the flight of steps to the 
 vestibule your doubts begin to dissipate, and a single 
 promenade up the central nave, and round the side 
 aisles, proves that the world is right after all ! The 
 style of St. Peter's is very simple (that of a Latin cross, 
 which originated in the Pagan Basilica), what is tech- 
 nically called ' classical,' but the component parts are 
 so gigantic, and their harmony so perfect, that admira- 
 tion grows insensibly ; and ever}^ time you revisit the 
 interior, every time your eye glances from floor to roof, 
 from arch to arch, from nave to tribune, from transept 
 to dome, the temple seems to expand and your admira- 
 tion increases until 3'ou find yourself inwardlj' exclaiming 
 ' well there is nothing equal to this after all ' " ! 
 
 "The present edifice, erected on a former Basilica, 
 was begun in the time of Nicholas V. 1450, and was not 
 entirely finished till the year 1780. Nineteen popes 
 ruled within this period and twelve successive architects 
 were engaged."
 
 92 
 
 " Michael Angelo was appointed architect about one 
 hundred years after its foundation, and it was his 
 master-mind that gave conception to these striking fea- 
 tures of the interior. It is a pity he had not lived to 
 finish it." 
 
 " The time to see St. Peter's aright is during the im- 
 posing ceremonies of Palm Sunday and Easter Day, 
 when the musical strains float through the air as the 
 sovereign Pontiff is borne along in the holiest procession 
 of the church, with such a train of cardinals, archbishops, 
 bishops, and military officers as cannot be seen elsewhere 
 in the world." 
 
 *' To the prolonged strains of the silver trumpets — 
 which keep the mind in ecstacy — add the effect of the 
 most gorgeous robes and uniforms which art can invent, 
 picturesquely displayed in such an edifice, with the sun 
 piercing the fumes of incense and lighting up the arches, 
 giving to their dimensions and architectural proportions 
 a more than usual splendour ; and you have a coup d'ceil 
 which protestants even may admire without any fears 
 of perversion !" 
 
 " The ceremonies for the week close on Easter Sun- 
 day, by the illumination of St. Peter's, and this is a sight 
 which cannot be equalled or imitated elsewhere, for no 
 other edifice in any city of the world can give the 
 pyrotechnist such advantages. At dusk, the first illu- 
 mination — called the silver light — commences, when the 
 whole exterior of St. Peter's is lighted up by lines of 
 lamps running up the columns, across the stringcourses, 
 along the friezes and pediment, circling the dome, and 
 mounting over the great ball to the summit of the cross, 
 450 feet from the pavement. The capitals and cornices
 
 93 
 
 are traced out also with lamps, so that the fine archi- 
 tecture of the church is presented, as it were, in a full 
 length portrait of fire ! When the clock strikes eight, 
 the second illumination — or golden light — takes place. 
 Instantaneously, and as if by magic, a fresh blaze of 
 deeper flame spreads over the whole edifice, paling the 
 ineffectual lights which before demanded so much ad- 
 miration ; these greater lights now make the building 
 as a temple of glass " mingled with fire." The dome or 
 cupola, standing out against the sky, is like a tiara 
 set with diamonds, and no one who has witnessed it can 
 ever forget the sight ! " 
 
 On our return from Italy we removed from Hornsey 
 to Muswell Hill, where we spent twenty-one happy 
 years in a comfortable house called " Wellfield." My 
 dear sister had by this time returned with her husband 
 and their sons from India, and settled in Regents Park, 
 London. 
 
 My father was then busily engaged as a director of 
 many public undertakings, chiefly gas companies ; but 
 as age came creeping on he retired from most of them, 
 except the Gas Meter Company, of which he was for 
 many years the chairman, and a handsome testimonial 
 in recognition of his valuable services was presented 
 in 1877, a portrait bust of himself, in marble, by Mr. 
 T. C. Physick ; an admirable likeness. The gift was 
 peculiarly gratifying as it was presented at a public 
 meeting by resolution of the shareholders of the Gas 
 Meter Company. 
 
 Besides this, my father had two other handsome 
 presentations, a pair of silver candelabra from the direc-
 
 94 
 
 tors of the Surre}' Gas Company ; and a very large 
 solid silver tray, which was given him by the patentee 
 of an important raihva}' appendage. 
 
 Another mark of esteem was peculiarly appreciated 
 by him, as it was undoubtedly prompted by feelings of 
 true and sincere friendship ; this was his own portrait 
 to be engraved as a frontispiece to the second edition of 
 the " Annals of Kendal," which came out in 1861. The 
 expense of this was borne by a group of his old personal 
 friends in Kendal, Mr. Thomas Gough being the chosen 
 mouthpiece ; and I know that this testimonial was more 
 welcome to m}' dear father's feelings than any of the 
 others ; his whole heart was to the end bpund up with 
 Kendal, and his friends in the north ! 
 
 The second edition of the " Annals was printed and 
 published in London, it was dedicated to his old friend 
 Thomas Harrison, Esq., then Town Clerk of Kendal. 
 The reviews of this book in the " Athenaeum," " Notes 
 and Queries," " The Reliquary," " Manchester Guar- 
 dian," " Manchester Examiner," and the several West- 
 morland newspapers were very complimentary^''' 
 
 In 1862, my father visited Russia, and again in the 
 following year he went to St. Petersburg, and Moscow, 
 and returned through Poland ; he passed through some 
 thrilling adventures which his friends delighted to hear 
 from his own lips, as he sat in his comfortable armchair, 
 and looked back with gratitude at his narrow escapes ! 
 One of his Ventnor neighbours made him promise to 
 write down this stor}^ exactly as he had described it. 
 
 * There are only a few copies left, which may be obtained from Mr. 
 Titus Wilson, Highgate, Kendal.
 
 95 
 
 and I am happy to be able to give this anecdote in his 
 own words. He commences thus : — 
 
 INCIDENTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 " There are few men — perhaps there is no man — of 
 fairly social position, with active habits, who2has not 
 encountered adventures more or less striking in his 
 career, and had his " hair-breadth escapes." I am no 
 exception to this general rule. In the year 1861 circum- 
 stances occurred which gave occasion to my twice going 
 to St. Petersburg and Moscow, with introductions to 
 the British ambassador at St. Petersburg, the general 
 governor of Moscow, and several gentlemen of rank 
 connected with the Imperial Court of Russia." 
 
 " On the first occHision in 1862, I went by steamer from 
 Hull, up the German ocean, down the Cattegat to 
 Copenhagen, up the Baltic to the entrance of the gulf 
 of Finland, thence up to Neva, past Chronstadt to St. 
 Petersburg. This was an interesting and delightful 
 trip. The steamer was w-ell provisioned ; the passengers 
 agreeable and intelligent, and the weather throughout 
 was all that could be desired. So in fact, the voyage 
 was a continuous yachting excursion." 
 
 " Previously to this I had had no experience at sea, 
 except what is obtained in crossing ' the silver strip " 
 between Dover and Calais, and therefore it was that I 
 could now understand and appreciate the exultant feel- 
 ings of the mariner who joins to the whispering breezes 
 his praises of ' the blue, the fresh, the ever free.' " 
 
 " It so happened that we were within the gulf of Finland 
 on the border of the arctic circle, on the longest day of 
 the year, the 21st of June. There was ' no night there,'
 
 96 
 
 if I may borrow without irreverence a phrase from the 
 apocalypse. The moon was at full, but she had to pale 
 her ineffectual fires before the daylight. It would have 
 been ' robbing such a night,' as Lord Byron says, to 
 have gone to bed. Taking a survey of the northern 
 skies about the meridian hour of night, it seemed impos- 
 sible to say whether the blended light west of north and 
 east of north, was the daylight of yesterday or to-morrow ! 
 The properties of the light itself I can now compare 
 visibly to the electric light as it has been exhibited on 
 the Holborn Viaduct. I could read the Times newspaper 
 standing on the deck of the steamer at midnight. And 
 so by the light of day, in the first hour of morning, we 
 entered the mouth of the river Neva, and steamed up to 
 St. Petersburg." 
 
 " This city is properly named after Peter the Great, its 
 founder. Its conception and construction is a marvel. 
 It is reclaimed from the waters, a city of palaces reared 
 on a substratum of piles, the work of a giant, as if he 
 had said ' I despise all natural obstacles, and will subdue 
 the earth and the ocean.' Peter the Great is seen 
 everywhere in this city, because everything is great. 
 The palaces are greatest and grandest ; the streets are 
 widest ; the squares are broadest ; the churches are 
 richest ; the monuments are loftiest. These attributes 
 perhaps serve to raise the aspirations of the inhabitants 
 of St. Petersburg, furnishing them with an idea of the 
 omnipotence of the great temporal and spiritual head of 
 the greatest empire in Europe." 
 
 "Moscow is the ancient capital of Russia, and is not 
 only unlike St. Petersburg in every respect, but unlike 
 every other city in Europe. It is, perhaps, more orien-
 
 97 
 
 tal than occidental, but a mixture of both, and it is 
 remarkable that this should be so, seeing that the whole 
 city was rebuilt after the destruction of its predecessor 
 by fire, in 1812. That fire defeated the strategy of 
 Buonaparte, and sent him back humiliated to Paris with 
 the total loss of the finest army he had ever ' stamped 
 out of the earth.' No part of the former city of Mos- 
 cow escaped the fire excepting only the Kremlin ; the 
 flames stopped at the ' Span Gate,' the Saviour's gate, 
 the principal arched entrance to the Holy of Holies, 
 at the bidding of the Madonna, whose picture — by every 
 one adored — hangs over the gateway. Just as the flood 
 of lava in the great eruption of Vesuvius, was arrested, 
 as is said, at the bridge near Naples, by command of 
 St. Januarius ! There is only one Moscow in the world ! 
 To stand on an elevation in the Kremlin, and look over 
 the city at sunset, is a sight never to be forgotten. The 
 spires, steeples, domes, and minarets of green, blue, 
 purple, and gold — not two alike in form and hue — all 
 sparkling in the beams of the setting sun, present a 
 spectacle unique in itself, and grand beyond compare. 
 Then again the inhabitants are as interesting and as 
 varied as the architecture of the city ; oriental costumes 
 and habits seemmg to prevail over those of western 
 nations. I was in every way gratified by my first visit 
 to Moscow." 
 
 " But I have previously said that I twice visited St. 
 Petersburg and Moscow, and the adventures best worth 
 recording occurred on the next journey, which took 
 place in the following year (1863)." 
 
 " On this occasion I travelled to and fro by railway. 
 I went from Calais by way of Brussels and Cologne to
 
 98 
 
 Berlin, thence via Konigsberg to the small frontier town 
 of Kovno, which separates Prussia from Russia." 
 
 " At this spot passengers for St. Petersburg leave 
 the Prussian state railways and join the Russian trains, 
 which are in every respect more commodious and com- 
 fortable. First-class passengers have their " grand 
 salon " for day, and their " petit salon " for night. Very 
 few passengers travel first class on the Russian railways 
 except English gentlemen and Russian military officers, 
 the last named having the privilege of travelling gratis. 
 The railway carriages are broad, a corridor runs down 
 the centre, from end to end, and compartments open 
 out right and left of the corridor. It was near bed-time 
 when I took my place, and I was accordingly shewn to 
 my chamber — one of the ' petits salons,' fitted up with 
 a couch where I could comfortably ' stretch the tired 
 limbs ' and go to rest. Soon after day-break next 
 morning, throwing open the door of my chamber, I con- 
 fronted a gentleman rousing himself from his slumbers. 
 A neat lavatory gave the opportunity for a good wash 
 and shave, and by the time this was done the tram drew 
 up at an intermediate station, where a plentiful break- 
 fast of hot choice dishes awaited us. It was my first 
 introduction to Russian tea, served as it is, in tumbler 
 glasses, and taken, not with milk, but lemon. But my 
 fellow traveller, as I observed, had no relish for tea, he 
 preferred champagne, even at 8 a.m., and tossed off a 
 whole bottle to his breakfast ! My having noticed this 
 exploit, determined a very striking episode in my sub- 
 sequent journey through Russia and Poland ; so true is 
 it that ' the mother of events is no bigger than a midge's
 
 99 
 
 " The ' grand salon ' for first-class passengers was fur- 
 nished on every side with gilt mirrors, a writing table 
 stood in the centre surrounded by ottomans and couches. 
 As the train moved off I took possession of this luxuriant 
 salon, and had just settled down to a book, when a tap 
 came at the door, and in obedience to my ' entrez ' the 
 gentleman who had astonished me at breakfast, entered, 
 bowing and making a half apology for intruding on my pri- 
 vacy ! Pulling out his cigar-case, he asked if I objected 
 to smoking, and if I would be pleased to accept a cigar ; 
 I said I enjoyed the aroma of a good cigar, and begged 
 him to proceed, but ' smoking was not one of my accom- 
 plishments, and I must be excused.' Another tap came 
 to the door of the salon, and the conductor addressed 
 my travelling companion as ' His Excellency,' and 
 incidentally named the name of ' Strogonoff." When 
 the servant had departed, I said, ' I am going to take 
 a liberty with you from what I have overheard. Are 
 you any relation of the Count Strogonoff, who was 
 plenipotentiary representative of the court of Russia at 
 our Queen Victoria's coronation ? ' — ' Why, that was 
 my grandfather ! What do you know of my granfather ? ' 
 ' I know him only by a satirical poem, in a book of the 
 time called Ingoldsby Legends, where at the banquet 
 your grandfather distinguished himself thus : — 
 
 And there was Count Strogonoff, 
 
 He got prog enough, 
 
 Sitting close by the gallery stair,' etc. 
 
 ' And what is prog, pray ? ' ' It is good eating and 
 drinking,' I answered, ' and now that I have seen you 
 at breakfast, I can testify that you do no discredit to
 
 lOO 
 
 your ancestors ! ' — Then laughing heartily he said, 
 ' Mon Dieu, I will take care that you shall have prog 
 enough when we get to Petersburg." He spoke very 
 indifferent English, and could yet understand it. I 
 stumbled sadly in colloquial French, and still could 
 follow a speaker in that language ; so we agreed that I 
 should speak English and he French throughout our 
 journey — about 700 miles — which we did to our mutual 
 satisfaction. At his request, to get still more freedom 
 of speech, we exchanged cards, and I soon found that 
 my companion was the husband of the Duchess de 
 Lichtenberg, and therefore the brother-in-law of the 
 Emperor of Russia. At that time the grand topic in 
 Russia was the contemplated abolition of serfdom, and 
 I got hold of Strogonoff's sympathies by declaring that 
 if Alexander freed Russia from serfdom he would raise 
 himself to a pinnacle of glory higher than that of Peter 
 the Great. The Count kept his promise to me that I 
 should have ' prog enough.' He gave a semi-state 
 dinner in my honour at the Nobility Club, introduced me 
 on one occasion personally to the Emperor, and showed 
 me favours which only one in his position had the power 
 to do. He gave me his card, desiring that I would ex- 
 hibit it at the railway stations, the Bureaux des Gendar- 
 meries, etc., to facilitate my travels. He gave me also 
 a card of introduction to the General Governor of 
 Moscow, which obtained for me many hospitalities and 
 much attention in that city. All these favours sprang 
 from the recollection of ' prog enough,' in ' Ingoldsby 
 Legends ; ' an illustration of the truth of the proverb 
 that ' reading furnishes you with the wings which help 
 to carry you through the world,' "
 
 lOI 
 
 "I must here say of the Russian nobihty and gentry, 
 from my (certainly Hmited) experience, that they are 
 perfect gentlemen in manner and conduct. I have never 
 anywhere else experienced such true politeness and so 
 much generous hospitality. The glaring faults of their 
 despotic rule as a nation are not seen in the social circle." 
 
 " From St. Petersburg, on my return home, 1 resolved 
 to pass through Poland, although Poland, at that time, 
 was in a state of open insurrection. I relied upon Count 
 Strogonoff's card for protection, but this card, as the 
 event proved, put me in great peril. Nothing particular 
 happened to me until I reached Warsaw. When the 
 tram stopped there, a soldier with a loaded musket, ap- 
 peared at the door of every railway compartment, and 
 opening the door demanded your passport, whence you 
 came, and whither you were going. He then ordered you 
 into the Bureau at the station, keeping you in close 
 custody. The commandant demanded ' where are you 
 going to be located ? ' I answered, ' at the Hotel de 
 I'Europe ; but I desire to leave by first train to-morrow 
 morning for Vienna.' 'That cannot be,' said the official, 
 ' we must communicate with St. Petersburg before you 
 will be allowed to leave Warsaw.' 1 said — ' I have 
 the honour to know Count StrogonofF, and I have here 
 his card given me to facilitate my journey. May I not 
 have my passport now returned to me ? ' ' Oh dear no ! 
 You will have a pevmis to lodge at the Hotel de I'Europe, 
 and to-morrow you can apply at the Bureau de la 
 Gendarmerie for your passport.' Having taken some 
 refreshment in the first hour of my stay at the hotel, I 
 took my hat and cane and walked forth into the street. 
 It might be seven p.m., a beautiful evening, the moon
 
 I02 
 
 shining brightly ; I had not gone half the length of the 
 street, when I was stopped — arrested it afterwards ap- 
 peared — by a soldier, who, planting himself right in the 
 front of me, muttered some mandate first in one language, 
 Russ ; then in another, Polish ; equally unintelligible to 
 me. At that moment an officer appeared, and addressing 
 me in French asked ' where are 5^ou going ? ' 'I am 
 just promenading the city.' ' You are not allowed to 
 be in the streets after 6 p.m. without a lantern, and you 
 are under arrest.' I said, ' I am quite ignorant of such 
 a prohibition, having only just arrived in the city.' So 
 he poli'tely walked me to the hotel, ushered me in and 
 ordered the doors of the house to be bolted for the night. 
 The hotel was surrounded by soldiers, and in my oft- 
 waking hours I heard the scabbards of the sentinels 
 ringing on the paving stones under my windows." 
 
 " Next day was a day of mourning and sorrow for the 
 Poles in Warsaw. All the ladies and all women who 
 could afford it, were draped in black. In the angles of 
 the streets mothers and children were weeping aloud, 
 and men exchanged thoughts with each other in lowest 
 whispers. Five Poles were to be shot down at five dif- 
 ferent places in the city, at the same instant of time, ii 
 a.m., as a penalty for disaffection, under a sentence of 
 martial law. I witnessed one of these executions — 
 butcheries rather call them ! A nice looking young man, 
 stript to a very white linen shirt (which shirt, as I was 
 afterwards told had been presented to him for the pur- 
 pose), was brought out pinioned mto the middle of the 
 National Square, and fastened by cords to the stake. 
 Then, at twelve paces' distance, three picket soldiers 
 took their stand, under command of an officer, and
 
 I03 
 
 loaded their muskets with ball. At the word of command 
 they fired, one ball hit the poor fellow in the leg which 
 trembled with pain. Orders were given to reload and 
 fire again. This second time two balls entered the chest 
 and the penalty of death was paid. This young fellow 
 had been waiter at an hotel, and the actual charge 
 against him was his having threatened the life of a Rus- 
 sian soldier in a quarrel ; his real offence was in being a 
 Pole. The five executions were appointed to take place 
 in five separate streets or squares, to strike terror into 
 the whole city.'" 
 
 " There was a remarkable natural phenomenon connec- 
 ted with these butcheries. Heaven frowned upon them 
 in a most striking manner, the clouds themselves going 
 into deepest mourning. Just as the people weeping 
 moved away, a thick black fog fell heavily over the 
 streets, so that it was not without great difficulty that I 
 could make my way back to my hotel. The coincidence 
 of natural darkness with a dark deed of oppression 
 seemed to me like a Divine interposition," 
 
 " I dined at the hotel that evening in company with an 
 eminent physician of the name of Hermanni. He was 
 married to an English lady, and spoke English well, also 
 Italian, French, Russ, Polish, and other languages ; but 
 I did not learn his nationality. After dinner we walked 
 together a very short distance down to a cafe where I 
 could get a peep at The Times newspaper, of which I had 
 been deprived for several days." 
 
 " I was standing on a chair to reach a gas light placed 
 very high, absorbed in the Times, when a tug at the 
 lappet of my coat caused me to look down, whilst M. 
 Hermanni whispered ' come away this instant.' As
 
 I04 
 
 soon as we got away from the door of the cafe he ex- 
 plained that he had overheard a conversation among a 
 group of Poles, who said that ' that Englishman reading 
 there was in league with the Russian government, and 
 had exhibited Count Strogonofif's card at the Gendar- 
 merie. ' I consider your life (said Hermanni) not worth 
 an hour's purchase, and I must certainly go with you to 
 the station to-morrow morning and see you safely away.' 
 He kept his kind promise, and said farewell to me on 
 the platform of the railway station, as I seated myself 
 alone in a first-class compartment. At the second inter- 
 mediate station from Warsaw an ugly looking black- 
 bearded fellow, his hands and arms folded in a great blue 
 cloak, threw himself into the seat immediately opposite 
 to me. I recognized the man from his squint, having 
 noticed him as I took my ticket at the railway station. 
 First trying Russ, then Polish, in answer to which I 
 could only shake my head, he then asked in French, 
 ' Had I been in Warsaw ? ' ' Yes." ' Was I there 
 3"esterday ? ' ' Yes.' ' Did I see those poor Poles shot 
 down in the streets ? ' ' Yes ' ' It is a dreadful thing 
 this Polish insurrection ? ' ' It is ! ' ' I do not know 
 what is to be the end of it ? ' ' Neither do I.' The 
 safest thing for me was to agree to everything he said, 
 and tired out with m\- complaisance he gave up all 
 questioning, and left the train at a station some thirty 
 miles from Warsaw." 
 
 " The conductor afterwards told me that he was a 
 Russian spy and I was a suspect. All Englishmen were 
 thought to be in sympathy with the Poles. At break of 
 day next morning the dead body of my kind acquain- 
 tance M. Hermanni was found stabbed in four places,
 
 I05 
 
 outside the door of the bedroom in which I had slept the 
 night before. About six weeks after this event, a lady 
 in widow's weeds appeared at my residence, Wellfield, 
 Muswell Hill, and presenting to me my own address 
 card, asked if that was my card ? ' Yes ! ' ' This card,' 
 said she, ' was found in the waistcoat pocket of my 
 husband, after he was discovered assassinated in the 
 Hotel de 1' Europe, Warsaw, he is supposed to have 
 been mistakenly assassinated in your stead ! ' " 
 
 " It still remains a doubt as to whether the assassins 
 belonged to the National party of Poles, but that was 
 the general supposition. And Madame Hermanni came 
 to London in search of me that I might procure for 
 her an introduction to the Emperor of Russia, through 
 Count Strogonoff, to whom she might appeal for com- 
 pensation for the loss of the valuable life of her 
 husband ; he (Hermanni) being at the time in profes- 
 sional attendance on the General in command at 
 Warsaw." 
 
 " I gave her a note to the Count, armed with which 
 she went to St. Petersburg, and the compensation she 
 got was 4,000 roubles — a poor dower for the widow, 
 and yet as much as could be expected. She came 
 back again to London and I had the satisfaction of 
 assisting her in other ways."' 
 
 In the course of the year 1868 Mr. Nicholson was put 
 into the Commission of the Peace for Middlesex, and 
 attached himself to the Petty Sessions at Highgate. 
 He was appointed one of the visiting Justices charged 
 with the management of the Colney Hatch Lunatic 
 Asylum, in the affairs of which he took an active part. 
 I am glad to be able to quote from a letter addressed
 
 io6 
 
 to me soon after my dear father's decease, by one well 
 able to form a correct opinion of his usefulness. " I 
 am sincerely grieved to hear of the death of your good 
 father, my worthy friend ; and I beg to offer to you the 
 expression of my condolence with you in the sad loss 
 which has befallen you. You truly say your father's 
 life was useful. That fact, appreciated by all who 
 knew him, must of itself be some consolation to you by 
 and bye, when the effect of this blow has been some- 
 what mitigated. I should have been glad to have 
 attended his funeral, but for the fact that I am very 
 far from well." 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Nicholson received a further mark of 
 attention from the Lord-Lieutenant, the Duke of Welling- 
 ton, in being nominated by him a Deputy Lieutenant 
 of Middlesex and Westminster. His health had been 
 failing for some years, he suffered from severe attacks of 
 rheumatic gout. M5' dear mother was also an invalid, 
 having had a stroke of paralysis in the spring of that 
 year, therefore it was thought advisable to try the climate 
 of Ventnor ; we came down for the winter to the " Crab 
 and Lobster Hotel," where we met with every comfort 
 and courtesy. But a cloud was hanging over us in the 
 near horizon, and in March, 1877, my beloved mother 
 was taken to the heavenly home. From that time my 
 father's life and mine were more than ever intertwined. 
 It is a great joy to me now to think of this, and to feel 
 assured that I never needed to ask with Portia, 
 
 Dwell I but in the suburbs 
 Of your good pleasure. 
 
 He allowed me the privilege of sharing his intellectual
 
 107 
 
 interests, which were sustained to a marvellous degree 
 till he was over 80 years of age. 
 
 In September, 1879, we took possession of our pretty 
 home, Ashleigh, Ventnor, where his last ten years were 
 spent, surrounded by affectionate neighbours, many of 
 them intellectual people who loved to come in for a chat 
 with my honoured father. His cheery welcome, and com- 
 bined with the graphic manner in which he recounted 
 his early reminiscences was a never-failing source of 
 pleasure. His love for literature and art never flagged. 
 Wordsworth's poetry was always his special delight ; 
 his friendship with the poet dated from his earliest days, 
 and he would point out with pride Haydon's portrait 
 of Wordsworth on Helvellyn, which was one of his 
 choicest possessions. This picture had been bought 
 b)' my father after the artist committed suicide. Hay- 
 don pawned it in his great poverty, and when my 
 father heard of this circumstance he searched for it 
 in London, and found it in the shop of a small 
 pawnbroker, who was quite ready to sell it. Mr. 
 Wordsworth expressed to my father his satisfaction 
 when he knew that he possessed it, and asked as a 
 favour that it might be shewn to his daughter, Mrs. 
 Quillinan, who was then lying at Rydal Mount in a 
 dying condition ; the portrait was placed at the foot of 
 her bed and she exclaimed " it is perfection." At 
 the back of the picture Haydon has written the date, 
 1842, and this line of Wordsworth's poetry — 
 
 High is our calling, friend ! 
 
 Mrs. E. Barrett Browning composed one of her lovely 
 sonnets on this picture ; it is as follows : —
 
 io8 
 
 WORDSWORTH UPON HELVELLYN. 
 
 Wordsworth upon Helvellyn ! Let the cloud 
 
 Ebb audiblj' along the mountain wind, 
 
 Then break against the rock, and show behind 
 
 The lowland valleys floating up to crowd 
 
 The sense with beauty. He, with forehead bowed, 
 
 And humble-lidded eyes, as one inclined 
 
 Before the sovran thought of his own mind, 
 
 And very meek with inspirations proud. 
 
 Takes here his rightful place as Poet-Priest 
 
 By the high altar, singing praise and prayer 
 
 To the higher heavens. A noble vision free 
 
 Our Haydon's hand has flung from out the mist ! 
 
 No portrait this, with academic air — 
 
 This is the Poet, and his Poetry. 
 
 The evening of life with my dear father was peculiarly 
 happy, his serene countenance was often remarked as 
 we drove along the lovely Undercliff in an open carriage 
 even in the winter months ; accompanied by our faith- 
 ful dog and still more faithful old coachman. Shakes- 
 peare's words well describe his life at this time, for he 
 had 
 
 That which should accompany old age, 
 Honour, love, obedience, troops of friends. 
 
 Occasionally he invited the neighbours into our 
 drawing room, and read them one of his lectures. 
 Some of these are given at the end of this volume. 
 
 Games of all sorts were a continual amusement 
 during these years, which were certainly not "labour 
 and sorrow " in this instance, although the allotted 
 threescore years and ten had passed. It was a pretty 
 sight to see the tall figure (slightly stooping certainly).
 
 lOg 
 
 playing at bowls or billiards, and often coming off 
 triumphant ! Then in the evening he loved a game at 
 whist, and was nearly always successful at bezique. 
 
 My dear father's perfect content and serenity may be 
 gathered from these few lines which he pencilled in his 
 own bedroom one bright May morning, v/hen all nature 
 seemed rejoicing, and the "garden island" looked in 
 the height of its beauty. 
 
 ASHLEIGH. 
 
 He is most joyous who enjoys content, 
 And all are sad besides ! Out from his 
 Mullioned window, over the velvet lawn, 
 He looks on ever-varying landscape ; 
 His are the beeches, the purple hazel his, 
 The arbutus, laurustinus, and the cedars — 
 " Trees of the Lord " — the glory of Lebanon ! 
 Contrasting with the pine is blossoming thorn, 
 Each flower and leaf varying in hue 
 With the ever-changing seasons. 
 " Munitions of rock," '■'■'■ fringed with shrubs 
 And pendant ivy, falling carelessly, 
 A " luxury of neglect," makes sylvan doorway 
 To the Hermit's cave, habited with ferns. 
 Beyond, the smiling ocean ; and above,' 
 The azure sky! These are his to enjoy 
 With ever grateful heart, more grateful still 
 When, looking up to Him — the Giver of all good. 
 To Whom all praise is due — he thankfully 
 Exclaims, " my Father made them all." 
 
 C. N. 
 
 Mr. Nicholson's last visit to his beloved .Westmorland 
 was paid in 1888, when he delivered a lecture at Kirkby 
 
 * "His place of defence shall he the munitions of rocks." Isaiah xxxiii, 
 
 j6,
 
 no 
 
 Stephen, by the invitation of the vicar, the Rev. Henry 
 Feilden, on " Mallerstang Forest and the Barony of 
 Westmorland." 
 
 A few days later he lectured at Kendal, on " Sir 
 Andrew de Harcla." It was a touching scene to see 
 the old man come on to the platform leaning on the 
 arm of his friend Mr. James Cropper ; and it seems 
 appropriate that his very last lecture should have been 
 given in that institution which was founded by his own 
 exertions nearly 60 5'ears before ! 
 
 He seemed in such good health and spirits that after 
 we returned home we sent out invitations for a garden 
 party; this was very prettily described in the " Lady " 
 newspaper by a friend who was present. After praising 
 the beauties of the neighbourhood, she sa3'S : — " Last 
 Monday witnessed a most successful garden party at 
 Ashleigh, the residence of Mr. Cornelius Nicholson, 
 an old inhabitant of Ventnor, foremost alike in deeds of 
 benevolence and in every movement, literary and 
 scientific. The welcome invitation to Ashleigh was 
 responded to by some 70 or 80 guests. The weather 
 was propitious, and enabled the visitors fully to enjoy 
 the beauties of the garden. Within doors excellent 
 vocal and instrumental music delighted those who 
 preferred gazing on the fair scene below from the 
 windows of the drawing-room. An excellent band con- 
 cealed in the shrubberies played at intervals during the 
 afternoon, and as time wore on there were rumours 
 that Sir Roger de Coverley was to wind up the evening's 
 festivities. The tennis court was speedily cleared, and 
 a prettier sight could scarcely be imagined, the bright 
 dresses of the ladies lending colour to the scene. From
 
 the windows above, the dancers on the green turf below 
 looked like living marionettes. The venerable host, 
 upwards of eighty years of age, appeared in excellent 
 health, and enjoyed to the full the genial gathering of 
 his friends." 
 
 All seemed to go well with my father during the 
 early part of the winter ; like the old legend of the 
 holly tree, whose prickles decrease the higher it grows, 
 so he seemed gentler and advancing in all heavenly 
 aspirations ; while at the same time he enjoyed the 
 society of his own children at Christmas ; welcomed a 
 new member into the family circle, the bride of one of 
 his grandsons, and even was able to receive a visit from 
 his favorite great grand-children, one of his chief charac- 
 teristics was his love for little children. 
 
 But in January, 1889 the first alarming change came, 
 a slight stroke of paralysis frightened us, this was fol- 
 lowed by other distressing symptoms. Still his mental 
 vigour continued, and in May he wrote the following 
 letter to a Ventnor newspaper on the St. Boniface 
 Downs. 
 
 A correspondent sends us the following remarks appropriate 
 to Wednesday next, St. Boniface Day : — 
 
 This is the 5th day of June, and I propose to shew you that 
 it is a red-letter day, and was a red-letter day in this locahty 
 for several hundred years of past hislory. There is a great 
 lack of historical records pertinent to this subject, but this is 
 not always an|evil to sober historians ; traditionary legends are 
 often reckoned more reliable than early writings, especially 
 where, as in this case, we have local names and local inheri- 
 tances in support of the legends. 
 
 There are two distinct features connected with these St. 
 Boniface Downs— two attributes of interest, viz., the natural 
 beauties of the scene, and its historical importance.
 
 112 
 
 Almost all mountain chains have traditional legends clinging 
 to them like gorse and heather, and this St. Boniface Mount 
 is no exception. It played an important part in our Church 
 history at an early epoch. 
 
 St. Boniface, as " maker of England," appeared at the be- 
 ginning of the 7th century : previous to that, Britain had been 
 engrossed in heathen darkness. The Olympic gods which the 
 Romans brought hither, and the Scandinavian gods which the 
 Vikings introduced, dominated this land of ours, and entirely 
 shut out Christianity ; — then it was that the Almighty raised 
 up powerful servants to plead His own cause. There is one 
 thing noticeable about St Boniface — that he was a born 
 Englishman ! He was not an ordinar}' preacher, for he was 
 publicly styled an Apostle, and became a martyr, as you will 
 hear. There was a famous book entitled " Acta Bonifaciana " 
 which contained an account of the miracles he performed, 
 which were both numerous and striking ; and there is still in 
 the classical library at Augsburg a book called "Thesaurus," 
 which contains a very famous sermon of his, preached some- 
 where in Germany. 
 
 How long he laboured in this neighbourhood and in England, 
 history does not say ; but he was inspired with a missionary 
 spirit which carried him abroad. There he met with the ene- 
 mies of his faith, — a violent tumult and riotous proceedings 
 took place, headed by pagan fanatics, and Boniface died the 
 death of a martyr in Friesland on the 5th of June, 755. 
 
 They could, and did kill his body, but they could not kill the 
 spirit he had aroused ; so true is it that the " blood of martyrs 
 is the seed of the Church." I do not find that he was cano- 
 nized before his death ; the probability is that it was after, and 
 it was as a martyr that he was made a saint. 
 
 Now, what are his traces and evidences in this locality ? 
 His standing monument is the Church of Bonchurch, which 
 bears his patronymic, and he must have been the founder of 
 this church, and not only the founder, but a benefactor, for 
 here are several plots of ground at the foot of this hill which
 
 "3 
 
 are still charged with ground-rents payable to the rector of 
 Bonchurch as part of his glebe. Without doubt this part of 
 the glebe was the benefaction of St. Boniface, and still retains 
 the title of the " Bishop's acres." 
 
 There is another trace of St. Boniface on the shoulder of 
 the hill, viz., St. Boniface well : it is now nearly dry, but was 
 originally a bubbling spring of water. Reasoning from other 
 similar cases, the waters of this well had been consecrated by 
 ]}ishop Boniface ; he blessed it, and gave its waters curative 
 properties, making it a " Pool of Bethesda '" for the cripples ! 
 The day of Boniface's martyrdom became the patron saint day 
 here, and there was therefore an annual festival for the " well- 
 dressing." One can imagine almost the whole of the peasantry 
 on this island gathered together at this spot on these occasions. 
 The well was dressed with the gayest of flowers — stars of 
 earth — and in that way the 5th of June became a red-letter day. 
 
 I have said another attribute of this mountain was the 
 natural beauties which it commands. Standing on the van- 
 tage ground — the site of this well — you overlook the peaceful 
 village, which is our home, to the glorious channel beyond 
 where the setting sun throws beams of golden light across the 
 surface of the waters. The festival of the dressing of wells 
 has not yet fallen into disuetude, for the famous Holy-well of 
 Flintshire, and the scarcely less famous Holy-well at Buxton, 
 have still their patron saint fetes yearly celebrated. At 
 Buxton the maying and morris-dancing attract thousands of 
 spectators, and many hundreds of children for morris-dancing 
 — a festivity which is looked forward to for months and months 
 before the time, and remembered for months afterwards. Of 
 course these children do not understand that this ceremony is 
 a relic of heathenism, but this fact in no way deteriorates from 
 the enjoyment of the celebrants. 
 
 Ashleigh, May 31st, 18S9. C.N. 
 
 Another proof of his marvellous energy is shewn in 
 the fact that he had almost taken cabins in the
 
 114 
 
 " Chimparazo," to visit the North Cape in June ! It 
 was only the doctor's positive veto that stopped this 
 project ; but instead of watching the faint beams of the 
 midnight sun, he was soon to be called to enjoy the 
 glorious brightness of the Sun of Righteousness ! 
 
 It is pleasant to think that the last use to which my 
 dear father's gifted pen was put, was in the cause of 
 charity ! When he could scarcely -steady his hand he 
 wrote an " Appeal to the Benevolent," on behalf of a 
 poor man who had met with a serious accident and 
 was in great distress ; he collected several pounds, and 
 undertook the guardianship of it himself as long as he 
 was able, paying the afflicted man five shillings weekly. 
 
 Gradually we noticed the " shadow feared of man ! " 
 It was no more than the " shadow of death " in his 
 case, for trusting in our Saviour's merits, he was 
 longing for the eternal rest : 
 
 Like weary men when age is won, 
 Such calm old age as conscience pure 
 And self-commanding hearts ensure, 
 Waiting their summons to the sky, 
 Content to live, but not afraid to die. 
 
 In the early morning of July 5th, 1889, my beloved 
 father's spirit passed peacefully away, like a tired child 
 falling asleep ! His radiant face brought us, his mourn- 
 ing children, the most sacred messages of peace ; we 
 can indeed echo Lord Bacon's words — ■" Above all, 
 believe it, the sweetest canticle is. Nunc Dimittis, when 
 a man hath obtained worthy ends and expectations ! " 
 
 The affectionate sympathy expressed by those who 
 knew and loved him is the best testimony to the 
 powerful influence of a well-spent career.
 
 115 
 
 As soon as the tolling bell bore the solemn tidings to 
 our friends, the Hag hoisted at half-mast, the lloral 
 offerings (even of the poor), and the many marks of 
 condolence shewed how much he was respected. The 
 vicar of a neighbouring parish thus expressed his kindly 
 sentiments: — " We do feel sorely and sadly for you, and 
 do so wish we could in any way help you to bear this 
 blow. Also we feel ouvsclves bereaved, the blank is one 
 that many are conscious of outside the family circle." 
 
 We laid him in Highgate cemetery by our dearest 
 mother, in the " sure and certain " resurrection hope, 
 which is the glory of such an earthly " sunset : " 
 
 But catch a gleam beyond it, 
 And 'tis bliss ! 
 
 Looking back over the chequered experiences of his 
 85 years, we can reverently take this sacred text as the 
 the motto of our father's life and death — " After having 
 served his own generation, by the will of God, he fell 
 on sleep ! "
 
 APPENDIX.
 
 119 
 
 THE LONDON AND OLASGOVV RAILWAY. 
 
 THE INTERESTS OF KENDAL CONSIDERED. 
 1837. 
 
 The contemplated railway for uniting the manufacturing 
 and commercial districts of England with the most populous 
 district of Scotland, is now an exciting topic of conversation 
 and newspaper controversy throughout the intermediate coun- 
 try. And as it is an undertaking of the first and last importance 
 to every individual within the range of this district, too much 
 cannot be said or done to canvas the respective merits of the 
 various lines — to point out the advantages that may be ex- 
 pected to result from the undertaking, and the evil that would 
 be the inevitable consequence of its neglect, — to grapple with 
 and overcome every apparent obstacle to its accomplishment. 
 In whatever way it may be finally decided that this great 
 object should be attained, — by whatever route it may be 
 determined to take the railway, when the public mind is ripe 
 for the project (as I believe it ere long will be), there can at 
 least be no harm in each party interested, pointing out the 
 advantages of the line which is most subservient to his views, 
 if such advocacy be conducted with temperance and reason. 
 The strife of tongues and of pens has been rather hotly 
 sustained by different contending parties : one party labouring 
 in favour of the route across Morecambe Bay ; another by 
 Shap Fells ; and another by Ravenstonedale and Appleby. I 
 am not going to rebuke the operation of the motive by which 
 these parties are so evidently actuated, viz. self-interest, for I 
 believe that " interest is to man what gravity is to matter," 
 find I confess myself impelled by considerations of interest
 
 120 
 
 to act the part I have here undertaken, and to shew my 
 fellow-townsmen of Kendal, by as many arguments as I am 
 able to command, how their best interests may be secured or 
 sacrificed by this railway undertaking. 
 
 I propose to consider, tirst — the necessity for a railway to, or 
 through, Kendal ; secondly — the advantages that would result 
 from it ; thirdly — the objections and scruples that are urged 
 against it ; and lastly I shall offer some observations on what 
 seems to me to be the proper steps for the inhabitants of 
 Kendal to take to secure the benefits which such an undertakmg 
 obviously promises. 
 
 First, as to the necessity for a railway. 
 
 The general principle of railway communication may be 
 considered as being fairly established. It is the greatest 
 present achievement of the human intellect in the combination 
 of science and art. And it is now acknowledged to be the 
 medium of intercourse best fitted (and will ere long be the only 
 medium) for the extensive commercial operations of this en- 
 lightened and enterprising age. Countries are to each other, 
 and towns in the same country to each other, in the race of 
 competition, what individual opponents are in the same trade. 
 Whosoever seizes the earliest and greatest facilities for the 
 production and disposal of his wares, advances before his rival, 
 and secures the common object — profit. It is an axiom which 
 may be regarded as a law, that whatever tends to expedite the 
 production and sale of the rude or manufactured produce of a 
 country is an increase to the general revenue. The proud 
 pre-eminence of England is owing to her sons having ever 
 been in advance of other countries with regard to the essential 
 facilities of manufactures and transit. The woollen manufac- 
 tures might yet have been seated in the Netherlands had not 
 the superior sagacity of the Kendal men prompted them to 
 receive John Kemp with open arms,''' and give him facilities 
 
 *See the introduction into England of the woollen manufactures, - 
 "Annals of Kendal."
 
 121 
 
 (denied to him in Flanders), and themselves improved upon 
 the art he introduced, so as to raise up from that humble 
 beginning a manufacture that gave wings to commerce, and 
 gave fortune and power to England ! The most striking rivalry 
 of trade, as to countries, is now, or soon will be, between 
 Great Britain and America, and our talented business-authors--' 
 are doing well to warn the parent country to keep her interests 
 in viev/. America is preparing for the onset. There are 
 several thousands of miles of railroads in operation and in 
 progress in the States of America, besides navigable rivers 
 and canals alive with steam-boats. It is quite unnecessary 
 here to detail other advantages for manufactures which America 
 possesses equally with ourselves. f I must confine my observa- 
 tions to my subject. The railway is becoming an indispensable 
 element of commerce, and if we do not generally adopt it, 
 America and other countries that secure to themselves its 
 advantages, will outstrip us in the race. This broad fact 
 establishes the necessity for railways in the country generally. 
 But the home trade is of equal importance with exports, and 
 many towns flourish without any direct dependence on our 
 commerce with other countries. Let any person of ordinary 
 reflection look back a quarter of a century into the history cf 
 the towns that he is acquainted with, and see what influence 
 such facilities, as have been adopted by them respectively, 
 have manifested in deciding the fate of those places. Lan- 
 caster was a flourishing town, as a commercial port, till 
 Liverpool offered superior facilities to commerce, and then the 
 former place, in this respect, sank to nothing. Glasgow, in 
 like manner, swallowed up the trade and the fortunes of 
 Lanark and other towns in that part of the country with 
 
 * See Cobden's " England, Ireland, and America." 
 
 t The cotton imported to this country from America, gives employment 
 and subsistance to more than a million of our people. The cotton goods, 
 manufactured by British industry, and exported to foreign parts, cvcri/ 
 weak, are worth about a quarter of a million sterling ! " Russia," by Mr. 
 Cobden.
 
 122 
 
 inferior advantages. Perhaps a more striking example still is 
 to be found with Carlisle and Whitehaven, and I am fortunately 
 in a capacity for giving some details as connected with these 
 places. Before the Carlisle canal was opened, the great 
 portion of merchants' goods consumed in that city was obtained 
 from Whitehaven, and now the Carlisle people would deem 
 it a deep humiliation to have to apply to Whitehaven for a 
 single article. Whilst Carlisle, since the opening of the canal, 
 has increased most rapidly in population, Whitehaven, on the 
 contrar}', has retrograded, or at least remained stationary, 
 Penrith has stood still, for want of a channel of commerce. 
 In 1S21, the population of Carlisle was 14,000; in 1S31 it was 
 20,000 ; and now, in 1837, it is believed to be 26,000 to 28,000 
 — having doubled itself, or nearly so, in sixteen years ! Before 
 the opening of the canal, three small sailing vessels, at about 
 one voyage per month, " wind and waves permitting," conveyed 
 all the commerce of Carlisle between that city and Liverpool ; 
 and when the first steam-vessel was proposed for that navi- 
 gation many short-sighted people prophesied that traffic would 
 never be found to pay the cost of coal for the engine ! Now 
 there are three powerful steamers"' running regularly six times 
 in the fortnight between Carlisle and Liverpool, and last week 
 a steam-boat commenced running once a week between Carlisle 
 and Dublin ! 
 
 It is affirmed, therefore, that towns must, through self-defence, 
 if they have no higher motive, encourage a railway connection, 
 and that town will suffer in its interests most severely, which 
 is most backword to adopt these improved facilities. If the 
 manufacturers of Kendal will not exert themselves to secure 
 the advantages of the railway, other towns that better under- 
 stand their interests will rob us of our trade. Huddersfield (with 
 the advantage of the Manchester and Leeds railway) may then, 
 perhaps, take away all the fine Valentia manufacture which 
 
 * The last steamer put on the Carlisle station is said to have cost 
 
 ;^20,000.
 
 123 
 
 has been, of late years, conducted with so much spirit and 
 success in this town. Deusbury may not unlikely get our 
 coarse woollens; Halifax may seize our card-making; and 
 other towns with superior facilities may appropriate other 
 branches of industry by which our population is supported, 
 and the trade of the town will be annihilated ! This constitutes 
 the necessity of a railway to Kendal on the general principle. 
 But let us inquire if some particular arguments may not be 
 adduced in further proof of this necessity. The canal from 
 Kendal to Lancaster and Preston was opened about twenty 
 years ago, and that event (as was the case at Carlisle) formed 
 the commencement of a new era in the trade of Kendal. It 
 may be said, I think, that these twenty years have been as a 
 century in the progress of improvement. Before that event, 
 the manufactures were listless and limited. There was little 
 machinery in the town, and this of a rude and imperfect 
 construction. Coals were is. 6d. per cwt. The children of 
 the poor and middle class too, instead of being sent to school 
 (as they now are, even to the very poorest of the poor) were 
 employed in setting cards, or winding spools, or knitting hose. 
 The streets were tortuous and ill paved. The houses were 
 dark and out of order — presenting external decay and internal 
 discomfort. The public conveyances were infrequent and 
 snail-paced. The weekl}' markets were thinly supplied and 
 thinly attended. "•■ The public institutions (as they ever do) 
 partook of the general character of the town which was gloomy 
 and apathetic. These general facts are to be regarded in a 
 comparative sense, as contrasted with the present state of 
 things, and they must not be considered as imputing to the 
 inhabitants of Kendal greater slothfulness than was manifested 
 at the time in most provincial towns of like magnitude. But 
 the facilities afforded to trade by the opening of the canal in a 
 
 * Within fifty years of the present time seldom more than a dozen loads 
 of oats were exposed, and not a grain (if wheat was brought to the 
 market.
 
 124 
 
 few years wrought a change so great in the general character 
 of the town and the inhabitants— in the wealth and industry, — 
 so completely altered every feature of the place, that natives 
 revisiting the town after an absence of half a dozen years, 
 conceived it transformed by the power of a magician's wand ! 
 If any one thinks I am rotuancing, let him refer to well-informed 
 persons old enough to recollect the change, and my statements 
 will be confirmed. The canal, then, was a powerful stimulant 
 to exertion, and lias been of eminent benefit to trade, but it now 
 fails to accomplish all that our manufactures require, as I 
 shall attempt to shew. What we want, — as essential to the 
 continuance or extension of our prosperity, — is cheap and 
 punctual conveyance of the raw materiel of manufactures, and 
 of coals, into the town, with the same transport of manu- 
 factured goods and agricultural produce out of the town ; and 
 moreover a speedy and certain mode of personal intercourse 
 with the markets (distant as they are) on which we are 
 entirely dependent. Does the canal offer these desiderata ? 
 I maintain that it does not. Whether it is by too high rate of 
 tonnage charged by the canal proprietors, or by a compact 
 between the two wealthy carriers who command the traffic of 
 goods on the canal, that the expense of carriage to Lancashire 
 is still so high, I do not pretend to say; and whether 2s. per 
 cwt. to Manchester, and is. 8d. to Liverpool, be an exorbitant 
 or a fair and proper charge, I do not pretend to decide ; but I 
 conceive that the cost at once mars the advantages which ought 
 to result from the canal, and helps to account for the under- 
 taking having proved an unprofitable speculation to the pro- 
 prietors. This cost of carnage checks all further increase of 
 traffic. When the canal was opened, 2s. per cwt. was not so 
 material a consideration with the then profits on manufactures 
 and merchandise, but now a tax of 2s. per cwt. will amount to 
 a prohibition on many descriptions of goods. x'\ll heavy goods, 
 therefore, to and from Liverpool and Manchester are sent by 
 sea, at from gd. to is. per cwt. — some by canal to Lancaster 
 or Glasson Dock, and thence by vessels at sea, and some by
 
 125 
 
 small craft sailing to Milnthorpe. The quantity of goods thus 
 sent (notwithstanding the perilous and uncertain nature of 
 the elements) is known to be considerably greater than that 
 transported by the canal. Coals brought along the canal are 
 now selling at is. id. to is. 3d. per cwt. Thus we see that the 
 canal, as at present regulated, is an imperfect channel of 
 commerce, as applied to the existing demand ; and though 
 we acknowledge, with gratitude to its projectors, the great 
 benefits it has conferred ; we contend, at the same time, that it 
 is as insufficient for the purposes of the present day, as pack 
 horses (the ancient mode of carriage) would have been felt to 
 be when the canal was opened twenty years ago. And if 
 experience be of any value, and analogy may be derived there- 
 from, the contemplated railway — inasmuch as it is eminently, 
 incalculably superior, will confer still more striking and more 
 lasting benefits upon us. Hence we argue the 7tecessity for the 
 railway on particular grounds as well as on general principles. 
 
 Secondly, as to the probable advantages. 
 
 The striking and most prominent advantage of a railway 
 undoubtedly is the fact that it " annihilates space and time." 
 It establishes community between the most distant places. 
 And consequently those towns which are most remote from 
 the markets, and are shut up (as Kendalls) in a locality where 
 there are no neighbouring towns to deal with, — these unques- 
 tionably will be the greatest gainers by the railway. It is 
 understood now that " time is money." Supposing, for the 
 sake of argument, that the woollen manufacturers of Kendal 
 were suddenly deprived oi their present means of transport, and 
 were compelled to go, as the manufacturers did four hundred 
 years ago, on foot, with their goods on their backs,''- or even 
 with pack-horses, would not the consequence be the complete 
 annihilation of their trade? No one will doubt it. And 
 though this may be called putting an extreme case, yet, as I 
 
 *See the origin of Stourbridge fair by a Kendal man. — " Annals of 
 Kendal," p. 202.
 
 126 
 
 contend that the change will be equally great between the 
 present circumstances and what they will be when railways 
 become general, as between the time of the early woollen 
 manufactures and the present, and though the decline of trade 
 may be gradual instead of sudden, as in the case put, still the 
 event will be as certain, and the evil as great. 
 
 If a railway communication be established between Kendal 
 and Manchester, the manufacturer of any description of goods 
 (cotton, linen, silk, or otherwise) by water-power at Kendal, 
 will be on a footing of equality, if not on a better footing, in 
 ever}' respect, than his competitor residing in Manchester or 
 the neighbourhood ; and this being the case, no one will doubt 
 that manufactories would soon be raised up in abundance here. 
 I have calculated that there is, within four miles of the town 
 ot Kendal, from 400 to 500 horse-power of water, on the Kent, 
 Mint, and Sprint, unappropriated, unemployed ! I believe 
 that in the best situations of the cotton districts, power is 
 estimated to be worth about £1^ per horse per annum ; so that 
 v/e have within four miles of the town characterised bj' Cam- 
 den as " lanificii gloria ct industria prccellens," a propert}' worth 
 from ^"6,000 to £7,000 per annum, lying waste and worthless ! 
 If we reduce this estimate, — in consideration of the cost of 
 carriage that would, under the most favourable circumstances 
 have to be sustained, — if we reduce it one half, still we have 
 a property of from ;£'3,ooo to /"3,5oo per annum which would 
 never be made available with means of transport inferior to 
 other places. What would be said of a man having this value 
 in good cultivable land lying barren as a sandy desert ? or 
 having so much money folded in a napkin or hid in the earth ? 
 Assuredly he would receive the denunciation of the " wicked 
 and slothful servant." Property of every kind is given to 
 man that he may use it for the benefit of his fellow-men, and 
 whoever neglects this, neglects a most important dutj'. Higher 
 considerations than avarice demand our attention to this 
 subject.
 
 127 
 
 The railway, then, would increase the number of manufac- 
 tories in the neighbourhood, and one of the first consequences 
 of this would be to enhance the value of land in the country, 
 and of all agricultural produce. Dr. Adam Smith says, 
 " Every improvement in the circumstances of the society 
 tends either directly or indirectly to raise the real rent of land, 
 to increase the real wealth of the landlord, his power of 
 purchasing the labour, or the produce of the labour of other 
 people." The value of land in the town,"' the value of the 
 houses, shops, and in short every particular description of 
 property would be enhanced. Money would circulate more 
 plentifully — wages would be higher generally — industry would 
 find its reward — in fine, the general condition of society would 
 be improved to an extent that it would be called visionary to 
 attempt to calculate. At Carlisle they have experienced this 
 change since the partial opening of the railway there. Build- 
 ings have sprung up like mushrooms, and rents have materially 
 advanced. Take one instance : a house and shop, opposite 
 the Bush Inn, was lately bought from Forsters' assignees ; on 
 the day after the transfer, the happy purchaser advanced the 
 rent from ;^'50 to /"So, and got it without a murmur ! It may, 
 perhaps, be objected that one consequence of this sta.te of 
 things will be that butchers' meat will be dearer, and so the 
 poor will be worse off. I anticipate, certainly, that meat would 
 be dearer, and that bacon, butter, fowls, eggs, and all agricul- 
 tural produce would be dearer. Not only would the consumption 
 of these commodities be greater at home, but our distance, 
 by connection with the railway, from the great hives of 
 industry, would be so trifling, that many of the farmers of 
 Westmorland might send their produce to those markets in 
 less time than they now bring them to Kendal, and the 
 Lancashire markets would consequently rule the prices here. 
 But I view this as the very opposite of an objection. When- 
 
 *In Liverpool and Manchester building land, in good situations in the 
 streets, is commonly sold at 3(^10 10^^20 per square yard, and in Kendal 
 the usual price is from is. to 2s. per yard.
 
 128 
 
 ever prices of native produce are maintained at a high rate by 
 great consumption, the means of payment are sure to be 
 proportionate to the demand ; for that labour which consumes 
 the food is the creative power of wealth. And again, should 
 our market be in some measure thinned of meat and fowls, we 
 shall in lieu thereof have fish as an addition to the supplies. 
 At present Kendal is ill supplied with sea fish. What we do 
 get is generally tainted before it arrives here (by the tedious 
 conveyance of horse and cart), and it is charged a great price 
 even in this condition. But with railway communication we 
 should have fish of all kinds — for the poor as well as the 
 rich — fresh, and at a moderate price. 
 
 Another advantage would be the certain reduction of the 
 cost of carriage by the canal, as competition always does 
 reduce prices to the lowest remunerating scale. The advantage 
 in this respect will, I venture to prophesy, not be confined to 
 the manufacturers and traders, but will be extended also to the 
 proprietors of the canal themselves, and to the carriers on the 
 route ; for the increased trading may be relied upon for more 
 than compensating the relative diminution of the charge. The 
 reader who follows me through will find a word or two more 
 on this head by and bye. Then comes the important essential, 
 coal. It is not likely that coal will ever, perhaps, be fetched 
 hither at a price that would induce its general adoption as a 
 moving power (nor can it be so required till the water-power I 
 have alluded to, be wholly employed), yet no manufactures or 
 trade can be prosecuted without a great consumption of this 
 article; and besides it is an indispensable requisite to the 
 working classes. But if coals can be lowered in price (by 
 railway versus canal, as was done by canal versus horses and 
 carts) 3d. per cwt., and meat should be raised id. per ft., the 
 poor (to use a humble phrase) may " set that against that." 
 The railway would cause coals fetched from Preston to be 
 cheaper; but I trust, that in planning the railway, some plan 
 may be devised by which Ingleton or Bentham, or some coal 
 nearer at hand than Preston, may be laid here at a compara- 
 tively light cost.
 
 i2g 
 
 I now come to the objections. 
 
 The objections and scruples that are urged against the 
 projected railway are numerous, but I will only notice the most 
 prominent, and most feasible that have come to my ears ; and 
 I will remark upon them seriativi. It is urged — 
 
 First — That the whole scheme is " impracticable ! " the under- 
 taking is of such stupendous magnitude, and the cost will be 
 so great, that it can never be expected " to pay," and share- 
 holders will never be found to take up the requisite number of 
 shares. Some who use strong language denounce it a " mad 
 scheme altogether." 
 
 Secondly — That it would injure the canal proprietors, and that 
 " vested interests " ought not to be wantonly sacriticed. 
 
 Thirdly — That it would ruin the turnpike roads, and that 
 " vested interests," as before said, should not be thouf^litlessly 
 disregarded, 
 
 I do not regard these objections with indifference ; I have 
 great respect for the opinions of some gentlemen who urge 
 them, and who believe conscientiously that they ought to 
 operate against any attempt to further the railway undertaking, 
 and I have therefore duly reflected on these opinions. But 
 after all, they are but as a feather in the balance, in my mind, 
 against the arguments which present themselves in favour of 
 the railway. 
 
 First, then, as to the " impracticability." — If a competent 
 engineer were deliberately and accurately to survey lines of 
 railway up the vale of Kent, through Kentmere, and up the vale 
 of Sprint, through Longsleddale, to Penrith ; and through the 
 Lake district, and having done so, were to declare that " one 
 and all these lines are impracticable," then it would be madness 
 indeed to expect or supplicate the public support in the favour 
 of such a plan. But it appears to me that it will be a great 
 reflection on the people of Kendal if they neglect the oppor- 
 tunity of putting this experiment to the test. I should not 
 hesitate for a moment to say, as an abstract question, that it 
 is quite possible to make a line of railway by any of these
 
 I30 
 
 routes. Oh ! yes, says the sceptic it may be " possible ; " 
 but is it " probable ? " My answer to this is, that it may very 
 soon become as probable as it is possible, if all who are really 
 interested in the matter can be brought to turn their attention 
 to it practically — to take thought upon it earnestly as they 
 would upon a matter of personal aggrandizement or con- 
 venience (which they can appreciate, because it requires less 
 thought, is less comprehensive, and is more immediately under 
 the eye). If it is not " probable," it is because men of capital 
 are many of them too timid in their hearts even to have the 
 "practicability" proved. If every one that is interested, and 
 can afford it, will declare themselves ready to take even one 
 or two /"50 shares, the " probability " will soon become 
 apparent in a way that they did not calculate upon. But more 
 of this anon. We all know that great difficulties and encoun- 
 ters soon lose their insuperable character, when grappled with 
 energetically, and this applies more precisely to physical and 
 mechanical difficulties than to any other class. When Han- 
 nibal proposed to his army to surmount the Alps, the soldiers 
 conceived their leader to be " mad," but the " impracticable" 
 difficult}' was found to have been mostly imaginary. No doubt 
 when Hadrian began his vallum of earth across this island, the 
 same idea was entertained of him. But I apprehend that 
 neither of these undertakings can compare in magnitude and 
 triumph with the Liverpool and Manchester railway, or with 
 the Carlisle and Newcastle railway ! When the Liverpool 
 and Manchester railway was first suggested, the idea of its 
 being " impracticable " and " impolitic " was quite as prevalent 
 in the country which now feels and acknowledges its benefits, 
 as the notion of the Glasgow and Lancaster railway is held to 
 be by those who frighten themselves with our " tremendous 
 hills." If gentlemen of doubtful mind would examine the 
 cutting through rock, the tunnelling and embanking on the 
 Carlisle and Newcastle line, they might then, perhaps, entertain 
 the practicability of a line through Kentmere or by the Lakes. 
 The difficulties on that line, now nearly surmounted, were.
 
 131 
 
 as I look upon it, as great as any that would have to be 
 encountered here ; and no one noio doubts that the Carlisle 
 and Newcastle railway will "pay." And what are the towns 
 of Carlisle and Newcastle, each of them shut in by the sea, 
 compared with the towns and country that this railway would 
 rely upon for its succours ? compared with the whole manu- 
 facturing district of Lancashire ; — large as some empires — 
 with the " great emporium of the world " itself at the southern 
 end; and all the rich intervening country besides on the one 
 hand : and all broad Scotland, with its industrious and intelligent 
 people, together with the north of England, on the other hand ? 
 Is there not wealth enough, and traffic enough here to make 
 it " pay ? " The mistake with many persons in the neighbour- 
 hood of Kendal is, that they cannot look farther than between 
 Penrith and Lancaster, and they can see no means within this 
 compass, of cutting through the hills, and supporting a railway. 
 It would have been just as absurd for the people of Hexham 
 or Haltvhistle to have fancied that the Newcastle and Carlisle 
 railway was dependent on them for support. It is true that in 
 either case, the railway must be supported by each town, 
 village, and hamlet on the route, and very important indeed it 
 is to engage the sympathies of every such place, and every 
 person in any such place (for every great whole is made up of 
 minute parts), but the undertaking is not wholly dependent on 
 each of these places ; and it must be viewed, not in integral 
 parts, but as a whole. It is not the Penrith and Lancaster 
 railway that we advocate, but the London and Glasgow, the 
 Lancashire and Lanarkshire ; — nay, the English and Scotch 
 connecting railway ! 
 
 Another objection has been rather prominently (and with some 
 authority, I believe) put forward against the railway " over 
 the hills," that the snow in winter is likely to block it up ! 
 If persons who entertain this idea had attended to a fact 
 proved on the Carlisle and Newcastle railway last winter, — 
 which was published at the time in the Carlisle Journal and 
 several other newspapers — this objection would hardly have
 
 132 
 
 been propounded. The locomotive enj^ine dashed through the 
 deepest snow, throwing it off the line of railway in showers 
 of spray, and making its passage in gallant style, whilst at 
 that ver}' time, the road mails were two and three days 
 behind time ! So that this objection is shewn by experience 
 to be one of the great triumphs, and to afford one of the 
 strongest arguments in favour of this railway. 
 
 But, it is said, " supposing you could have the railway 
 formed to-morrow, how is it to be maintained ? There are 
 only one stage coach and three mails over Shap Fells every 
 day, and the mails are never half filled ? '' Here again we 
 have the same short-sighted views. The objector has lost 
 sight of all the passengers that go by the sea to Carlisle, to 
 Annan, Dumfries, Glasgow, &c., on the west coast ; and all 
 that go by sea to Newcastle, Edinburgh, &c., on the east ; 
 and by coaches and carriages on the " great north road," 
 through Borough Bridge and Appleby, and all that go by 
 Newcastle, through Berwick or through Jedburgh, &c., &c. 
 The passengers by these different routes nov: travelling would 
 astonish the objector in Kendal, if they could be induced for 
 one week to pass through this town. And no one will hesitate, 
 I think, to suppose that most of these passengers would take 
 the railway if it were adopted. But then comes the increase 
 by the superior facilities. Dr. Lardner calculates that the 
 lowest average of the increase of travelling by the establishment 
 of the railway, is as four to one. But in most instances, 
 where the previous communication was limited or infrequent, 
 the increase by the railway is more like fourteen to one ! I 
 will instance one or two facts in proof : — I am told by a 
 gentleman who has travelled for many years, and on whose 
 observations and accuracy the reader may rely, that about 
 eighteen or twenty years ago, before the Stockton and Darlington 
 railway was begun, the travelling between those two towns 
 was so limited, that a pair-horse coach (which was then the 
 only coach on the road), was obliged to be discontinued for 
 want of encouragement ! and now passenger-trains are flying
 
 133 
 
 between Stockton and Darlington at intervals of three or 
 four hours, alive with a busy multitude ! ■'•' It is said, moreover, 
 that the original shareholders themselves never contemplated 
 any such receipts from passengers as they now receive : the 
 railway was designed chieflj' for the transport of coals, and it 
 is acknowledged now that it has been in both respects a benefit 
 to the country, to an extent that no one can rightly compute ! 
 Another example i-. afforded by the Carlisle railway. Before 
 that establishment was opened, there was such a lack of 
 passengers from Carlisle to Newcastle, and vice^versa, the mail 
 coach was obliged to be given up ! And during the past 
 summer, the receipts on the railway (though a broken and 
 intermitted connection between the towns) named), ranged 
 from /"goo to £i,ioo per week, the greatest portion derived from 
 passengers ! And when the railway is fully completed the 
 receipts will be amazingly enhanced. To conclude this 
 part of the subject then, I maintain that the "stupendous" 
 natural obstacles are not so great as should deter prudent 
 men from combining their efforts to overcome them • and 
 that the first difficulty being surmounted, there is a probability 
 of the undertaking " paying " at least an average interest for 
 the outlay of capital. 
 
 Secondly, as to " injuring " the canal. I shall dispose of this 
 very briefly. I hold that instead of " injuring " the canal, the 
 railway would very materially advance its interests by causing 
 an increase in the traffic upon it, which is now incalculable. 
 The objector says, " but will not the railway put an end to the 
 swift packet on the canal, which is now a source of the greatest 
 income ? " I answer " yes ! that is inevitable," but the Canal 
 Company will gain more by the increase of goods than they 
 will sacrifice by the loss of passengers. And does not the 
 swift packet afford a most striking and convincing argument 
 in favour of the railway ? Let the Canal Company inform us 
 
 •The first railway coach was from Stockton to Darlington, with one 
 horse, twelve miles in an hour and a quarter.— Sir Richard Phillips' 
 " Million of Facts."
 
 134 
 
 how many more passengers are daily conveyed by the swift 
 packet than there were before by the old slow packet, then 
 carry the analogy to the still superior speed of the railwaj', 
 and behold how encouraging is the prospect of its " paying ! " 
 Will the objector point out one canal that has been " injured " 
 by the adoption cf a railway in its neighbourhood ? I have 
 never yet heard of any. But we know when the Liverpool and 
 Manchester railway was projected, the Bridgewater influence, 
 through the same dread of " injuring " the canal was opposed 
 to the railway undertaking, and cost an immense sum of money 
 to combat it; but now, after seven years' experience, although 
 the Bridgewater canal and the railway terminate at the same 
 points, it is found that instead of the traffic being diminished 
 on the canal, it is actually increased, and " paying "' better than 
 before the railway was opened. There were horse packets also 
 on that canal for the conveyance of passengers. The railway 
 would not supersede the canal : they \\ ill be mutually beneficial. 
 Thirdly, as to " injuring " or " ruining " the turnpike roads. 
 I admit that, as the present Turnpike Trusts are held and 
 supported, there is plausibility in this objection when applied 
 to particular roads. Many persons have money vested in the 
 roads, on the security of the tolls, and if a railway, with its 
 superior advantages, be brought along side one of these roads 
 undoubtedly the tolls on that road will be reduced to a mere 
 bagatelle. The railway advocate-at-all-lengths might say that 
 if these parties lent their money not with the patriotic view of 
 supporting the trust for the public advantage, but because, as 
 is more likely, they were to get good interest for it, four and a 
 half to five per cent, and because they believed that the tolls 
 were better security than they would have in lending it to a mer- 
 chant, or better than if they themselves risked it in business, 
 — if these were the considerations that induced the parties 
 vesting to give preference to the Turnpike Trusts, then like 
 any ordinary money lender, they ought to submit without a 
 claim on public sympathy, to any contingency which threatens 
 them with a sacrifice. But I do not support this course of
 
 135 
 
 reasoning. And although the principle is good, that particular 
 private interests ought not to thwart undertakings of great 
 public benefit, yet we should, I think, consider whether there 
 be not a possibility of adopting the golden rule, and helpingour 
 neighbour who is in danger, to a situation of security, before 
 we introduce the power that might destroy him. Now, 
 although any particular road, parallel with the railway, would 
 by means of the latter be ruined, yet, be it well considered, all 
 other roads at tangent points in the neighbourhood of the rail- 
 way will be materially and amazingly benefitted. This is 
 proved to demonstration. Our duty then is, without further 
 loss of time to " agitate " the turnpike question, and call upon 
 parliament either to take the whole of these trusts under 
 government control, and make the profitable share with the 
 unprofitable by consolidation, or otherwise devise some plan 
 by which parties having vested money in these public trusts, 
 may be secured or indemnified. I am happy to see that there 
 is already a notice given in the House of Commons for a 
 motion on this subject, and I would recommend this notice to 
 be strengthened by petitions got up immediately in every part 
 of the country, and sent to the table of the Commons' House, 
 where they will be sure to meet with respectful attention. 
 Does the reader understand me to say then, that the matter of 
 the Turnpike Trusts should be fairly settled, be put on the 
 proper footing of "justice to all," before we take any steps for 
 the advancement of the railway ? I do not recommend it. If 
 the proceedings with regard to the railway were as prompt, as 
 decisive, and as efficient as I could wish them to be (and as it 
 is our individual and combined interests they should be), it 
 will nevertheless be five years or more before it could be 
 brought into operation, and if the necessary exertion be used 
 with respect to the Turnpike Trusts — nay, I very confidently 
 expect that without any further exertion on the part of the 
 public — this question will before then be decided, and the 
 money lenders will have got needful security, before they can 
 have anything to fear from the railway. But, says the money
 
 136 
 
 lender, suppose you stop even your preliminary proceedings 
 for a railway till you have seen me properly and perfectly 
 secured ! I reply, there would be great danger (even were 
 delay necessary, which I hold it is not) there would be great 
 danger in delaying the preliminary measures for the railway 
 twelve months. Have you not seen the vigorous efforts that 
 have been made, and are at this moment being made, on the 
 Newcastle side of the country, to get the whip hand of us, and 
 carry the English and Scotch connecting railway through their 
 district ? and suppose that by our inactivity they first get the 
 ear of Parliament and succeed in their object, then 
 
 A long farewell to all our greatness. 
 
 This is the grand point for our consideration. I am in my own 
 mind as certain as I ought to be of any event which has not 
 actually transpired, that before many years have elapsed, a 
 railway will be constructed on one side of the country or the 
 other, connecting the manufacturing districts of England with 
 Glasgow and Edinburgh. But parliament can never be ex- 
 pected to sanction two lines. And since parliament will 
 regard the object, by whomsoever it be submitted, as one of 
 great national importance, and one party only may have 
 proposed to undertake it, it will then be the duty of the legis- 
 lature to forward the views of that party. It is already 
 ascertained that the route — that any route on the Newcastle 
 side will be attended with difficulties much greater, and advan- 
 tages very inferior, to a line through Westmorland, Cumberland, 
 Dumfriesshire, &c. I passed from Newcastle to Jedburgh 
 very lately on the line which has been proposed, and I can say 
 from personal observation, that the passage through the 
 Cheviot hills, and the cuttings generally present obstacles 
 greater than would be encountered in passing through Kent- 
 mere. But what would this signify if the Newcastle people go 
 to parliament duly' harnessed for the work, with their sole 
 proposition ? We (engaged in manufactures) must one and all
 
 137 
 
 of us retire from business " with what appetite we may." We 
 may shut ourselves up among our delightful scenerj', and play 
 at •' ducks and drakes " on our enchanting Lakes ! 
 
 But what, after all this, are the measures I would recom- 
 mend to be adopted. I recommend the people of Kendal to 
 shake off their lethargy — to call a public meeting, and enter 
 into resolutions for the survey of two lines ; one through 
 Kentmere to Penrith, and another through the Lake district 
 to Maryport. These surveys would not cost more money than 
 we jointly spend every week in mere trifles and superfluities. 
 If a competent engineer declare either of these lines to be 
 practicable, then we should unite with the committees already 
 formed in the towns interested, which have displayed so much 
 more spirit and energy in the cause. But if the lines be 
 found to be " impracticable," we have still a further hope and 
 a further dutv. When we cannot obtain the best that we wish, 
 we must then look out for the next best. If we cannot obtain a 
 line through Kendal, it is then our manifest duty to throw our 
 weight (however little that may be) into the scale in favour of 
 one or other of the lines previously proposed. It has been 
 said, I understand, that a railway up the Lune, or across 
 Morecambe Bay, would not benefit Kendal, or would benefit 
 Kendal very little; and then it is added, "let those places 
 likely to reap the full advantages do the work and run the risk." 
 I do not coincide with the opinion as to the probable benefit ; 
 and the sentiment I hold to be unworthy of any duly reflectmg 
 mind. Is it possible that we refuse to co-operate in a work of 
 acknowledged public good, because we can see no chance of 
 appropriating to ourselves extraordinary emolument ? If 
 self-aggrandizement is to be the sole actuating motive, let us 
 consider what we may lose, as well as what we might gain. 
 Let us suppose that the sea were making rapid advances on 
 the shores of Morecambe Bay year by year, and threatened in 
 a very short time to inundate the whole of this part of the 
 country; and suppose again, that by an embankment such as 
 Mr. Stephenson proposes, the ocean could be successfully
 
 138 
 
 repelled, and that the land which was reclaimed thereby would 
 pay to the projectors of the embankment one to two per cent. 
 (only), would the landowners of Kendal, &c., and the merchants 
 of Kendal refuse to make the embankment unless the reclaimed 
 land would guarantee them ten per cent, for their money ? 
 The only difference to the people of Kendal and the neighbour- 
 hood between the case of the sea and the present question of 
 the railway is, that the danger from the sea would be more 
 palpable to the external senses. I maintain that we should 
 reap decided advantages from either the line of railway across 
 Morecambe Bay, or the line up the Lune (if we cannot obtain 
 one through Kendal) ; greater advantages, very probably from 
 the latter than the former, on account of the Ingleton and 
 Bentham coals. But I give no decided opinion on this ques- 
 tion. I am not able to form any opinion on the merits (in an 
 engineering point of view) of any of the proposed lines ; and 
 this is not my object. My present duty is accomplished if I 
 awaken general attention to the really serious and important 
 nature of the subject, so that some steps may be taken in the 
 work, that something may be done! Knowing as I well do the 
 general spirit and general intelligence of the people of Kendal, 
 I am astonished at the supineness which is manifested so far 
 as the railway undertaking has yet been considered. But 
 there is yet time enough to assert and support the true 
 character of the town.='= Instead of halting now, or retro- 
 grading, let us rise with the occasion, and advance with the 
 spirit of the age. Let us bear in mind, that opportunities now 
 lost will be lost for ever. 
 
 There is a tide in the affairs of men, which 
 Taken at the flood, leads on to fortune ; 
 Omitted, all the voyage of our life 
 Is bound in shallows and in miseries. 
 
 * 1 have frequently heard it remarked, by observinsf commercial men 
 in distant towns, that they notice among- the bankrupts fewer tradesmen 
 of Kendal than any town of the same magnitude and trade.
 
 139 
 
 N.B. — I have some apologies to offer for the composition of this paper. 
 The idea of writing at all on the subject only sug^gested itself at the 
 beginning of this week, and I began it with the intention of a letter to the 
 newspapers ; but the thoughts and arguments that pressed for notice as I 
 proceeded, so far exceeded my previous calculation, and the observations 
 consequently became so extended, that I was constrained to abandon the 
 idea of the newspapers, and publish in the form of a pamphlet. 1 deem 
 it very essential to publish immediately — " to strike while the iron is hot; " 
 and rather to send out the essay immatured by reflection and revision, 
 than to wait (for the sake of dressing it up in purer style) till the advan- 
 tages to the undertaking of the " present moment " may be lost. It is 
 very probable that the arguments might have been materially strengthened 
 by additional facts and illustrations, if I had taken more time, and 
 consulted wiser heads on the matter, but I regret every day that passes in 
 utter silence on the subject. I am aware that, by those who are doubtful 
 of the practicability and of the advantages of a railway, I shall be 
 denounced as an enthusiast, a theorist, or a visionary. — I do not know 
 myself rightly if I deserve any of these epithets; but the little experience 
 I have had in business has taught me that the best kind of wisdom is 
 that o\ fore-thought, and I would therefore advise my fellow-townsmen, with 
 myself, to mind "the shadow of coming events." I have deemed it 
 proper to put my name to the publication, not conceiving that this gives 
 any weight to it (on the contrary), but because I have found that anony- 
 mous publications, where facts are the ground-work of arguments, are 
 often disregarded, having no one accountable for their authenticity. At 
 any rate, no sensible person will deem the cause less worthy because of 
 the feebleness of its avowed advocate. 
 
 C.N. 
 November ■^oth, 1S37.
 
 (hi) 
 
 GREAT INDIAN PENINSULA RAILWAY COMPANY.-:- 
 
 Offices, London, No. 3, New Broad Street, 
 
 September nth. 1.S4S. 
 
 To Sir JAMES LAW LUSHINGTON. Bart., &c., &c.. 
 Chairman of the Honourable East India Company. 
 
 Honourable Sir, 
 
 I take the liberty of addressing you in reference 
 to the affairs of this company, and in consequence of the 
 uncertain relations between the Honourable Court, over whose 
 councils you preside, and this companj', as to the terms of the 
 promised guarantee. It would be impertinent in me here 
 to argue or comment on the construction of the terms of the 
 guarantee, and, fortunately, that course is not necessary for 
 my present purpose. I must further premise, that I take this 
 step at my own suggestion, and on my own responsibility, 
 representing herein the interests of the shareholders, and not 
 the dictates of the Directors. 
 
 Since assuming the office which I have the honour to hold 
 in this company, I have examined minutely into all the past 
 transactions between your Honourable Court and this Board ; 
 and although serious delays have taken place in the conduct 
 of the business, the cause of which is past my discernment, I 
 do not discover the least evidence of insincerity or lukewarm- 
 ness in your Honourable Court in furthering the establishment 
 of the company, and the important object it designs to effect. 
 I shall be excused for making this observation, because the 
 public journals have imputed the contrary. I assume, then, 
 
 * I his pamphlet produced the g-uaranteed interest on the capital required 
 for the rnnstrurtion of the Indian railways. It was published by resolu- 
 tion of the Board.
 
 142 
 
 from the past conduct of the court, that you are anxious to 
 give such needful support to this company, in its intention to 
 establish a railway between Bombay and Callian, as we may 
 justly look for at your hands, with safety to the rights and 
 interests of your high trust. 
 
 I propose, briefly as possible, to take a twofold view of this 
 question ; first, to consider what assistance is absolutely 
 requisite to enable the company to perfect its establishment 
 and accomplish its object ; and, secondly, shew how the court 
 may, with perfect security and confidence, and without risking 
 any part of the vast revenues of India, lend the needful aid. 
 
 First. — The necessity for assistance. — It is notorious, that 
 at the present time, the public can invest monies in the 
 guaranteed shares of the railwaj's in this country, to yield a 
 return of seven per cent, per annum. The depression in the 
 current value of railway property, as you, no doubt, are all 
 w'ell aware, does not arise from the uselessness of these 
 undertakings, or from any miscalculation in the traffic receipts, 
 but rather from the over-abundance of cotemporary schemes, 
 and excessive cost of the lines, — the companies' funds having 
 been lavishly dissipated in legal and engineering contests, in 
 and out of parliament, in extortionate bonuses and prices paid 
 to landowners, excessive imposts in the nature of parish rates, 
 and other disbursements, from all which our railways in India 
 will he exempt. Notwithstanding the advantage of these exemp- 
 tions, however, and notwithstanding the acknowledged impor- 
 tance of the work, as respects both the moral interests of India, 
 and the manufacturing interests of Great Britain, it is manifest 
 that the public will not subscribe the necessary funds for the 
 construction of railways in India, with any ;:uch contingencies 
 affecting the guarantee as may reduce the dividends below five 
 per cent. I have painful experience of this fact in the recent 
 history of this company. On the 28th July last, I published, 
 under the authority of the board, a remodelled prospectus, 
 displaying the features of the undertaking and re-announcing 
 prominently the minimum dividend of five per cent., as guaran-
 
 143 
 
 teed by the Honourable Court. In one month from the 
 publication of that prospectus, albeit the money market was 
 in a state of stagnation, the number of shares applied for were 
 — old shares commuted 46,670 into 7,485, and new shares 
 14,923, together 22,408 ; making a daily average of 640 shares. 
 This rate of progress insured the completion of the share list 
 by the time allowed ; but mark the change produced by the 
 discouraging letter of the court, in repl}^ to Mr. Slaughter, of 
 the Stock Exchange ! That letter, wherein the five per cent, 
 guarantee was felt to be disparaged and limited, was published 
 on the 2nd instant. From that date to the present, the number 
 of shares applied for is only 700, being on the average 77 per 
 day ! Such has been the paralysing effect of that communica- 
 tion ; hence I demonstrate too plainly the necessity of an 
 absolute and unquestioned " 5 per cent, interest or dividend," 
 in the received practical sense of the term "guarantee." 
 
 Secondly. — I proceed to show on what grounds the court will 
 be justified (in consideration of the conditions to be fulfilled 
 by this company), in giving an absolute guarantee, without 
 imprudently risking its revenues. It is undoubtedly right 
 and prudent in the court to put a limit on the amount of capital 
 to be guaranteed, otherwise it were offering a premium upon 
 extravagance, and an invitation to mismanagement. I can 
 also understand why the court should wish to make the nature 
 of the guarantee as definite as possible. It must be remarked, 
 however, that the court could require to be satisfied of the 
 sufficiency of the capital and the adequacy of the traffic to 
 yield a dividend, and it was not and is not suspected that the 
 court would itself engage in or allure the public into an under- 
 taking which could not meet its ordinary expenses. This idea 
 of a possible loss in the working of the railway is the phantom 
 that has affrighted the public mind from its propriety. It is a 
 downright chimera, and proves only how imagination takes the 
 I ulc of judgment in the extremes of public opinion. I have 
 prepared statements, which are appended to this letter, to shew 
 both that the proposed capital of the company is ample, and
 
 144 
 
 that the notion of working the line to a loss is absurd. The 
 evidence in these respects, especially in regard to the cost of 
 the line, is more conclusive now than when 3'ou previously had 
 the papers of the company before you, and I fearlessly commit 
 these statements to the minute in\estigation of any person 
 experienced in railway management. 
 
 No. I. Capital Account. This is a statement shewing the 
 various items which constitute the entire cost of the under- 
 taking. The two principal items, viz., iron for permanent 
 materials, and the construction of works, are no longer mere 
 " estimates," liable to contingency, but definite amounts, fixed 
 by a. positive contract in one case, and in the other by & positive 
 tender, waiting only our execution. The tender for works, as 
 you will observe, is taken with the alternative of single or 
 double lines of way. If a doubt as to the profits exist on the 
 mind of any one deeply interested, the experiment may be 
 safely tested with a single line ; for, whilst the railway does 
 not exceed thirty-five miles in length, the business can be so 
 conducted, that one locomotive only is out in one direction ; 
 and there can be no fear of a collision where only one engine 
 is on the line at a time. In this proposition, the bridges and 
 viaducts are constructed for the double vvay, so that a second 
 line of rails can at any subsequent period be added without 
 obstructing the traffic. The sole advantage of the plan con- 
 sists in husbanding ;f 100,000, or one-fifth of the capital of the 
 company. 
 
 No. 11. Two Trains working. — A statement, in detail, 
 showing the total cost of working two trains per day as 
 required by the court, including establishment charges. I 
 have assumed a " staff" and " plant " more than sufficient for 
 the purpose, and superadded a premium for expatriation to 
 the highest class of English wages. I have also taken the 
 cost of "maintenance of way " (which amounts to one-third 
 the entire expense), as if a constant traffic and constant wear 
 and tear were going on. And I have purposely overstated the 
 cost of coke, taking it at 60s. per ton. The price of Newcastle
 
 145 
 
 coals in Hombay is 32s. per ton, which would j'ield coke on 
 the spot considerably below the sum stated, if coke from 
 English coal should be used. But there is coal to be found in 
 India, and timber from which to prepare charcoal ; and either 
 of these native products may give a cheaper fuel than English 
 coal. From the statement here referred to, two conclusions 
 may be safely drawn ; first, that, in order to cover the expenses, 
 and enable the railway to pay its way — the line being well pro- 
 visioned, and the establishment thoroughly maintained, — it is 
 only necessary to carry one-sixth of the local passengers and 
 one-fifth of the goods, which are now travelling at extremely 
 slow rates on the line of the proposed railway. Secondl}-, that 
 supposing, by a stretch of scepticism, there were no traffic at 
 rt//, since one-half of the proposed establishment at half the 
 cost would suffice to work one (empty) train each way per day, 
 this work can be done for i^ per cent, of the capital of the 
 company. Surely these statements and conclusions shew that 
 the suggested possibility of working the line to a loss is the 
 merest chimera that ever dreamer dreamt. Suppose the Honour- 
 able Court were to urge upon this shewing, that the very base- 
 lessness of the supposition is a reason why it should be included 
 in the category of contingencies, and that the railway company, 
 therefore, ought to assume that ' risk ' which is proved to be 
 almost impossible ! — the answer is, that the public pin their 
 faith not on the railway, but on the East India Company's 
 guarantee. The reaction has been so violent, from a delirium 
 of hope in railways, to a phrensy of despair, — from excessive 
 incredulity, to blind unbelief^that nothing less than a guaran- 
 tee absolute will satisfj' it. 
 
 No. III. — Profit and Loss Account. This statement pre- 
 sents the aggregate expenses of a complete establishment for 
 working the line, and assumes three-fourths only of the existing 
 local traffic, at rates which may be safely reckoned upon. In 
 England, as j-ou may know, the traffic statist, for a proposed 
 railway, takes all the traffic he finds on the several roads in 
 the route, always doubling and often trebling the quantity, and
 
 146 
 
 still those estimates have been uniformlj' exceeded bj' the 
 results ; whilst I have here taken credit for only three-fourths 
 of that which now exists. The case is so triumphant in this 
 respect it would be a trespass on your time, and a waste of 
 words, to enlarge upon it. The nett proceeds of the railway, 
 as shown by this statement, are 7^ per cent, on a capital of 
 /"SoOjOoo, or gh per cent, on the smaller capital of ;^'4oo,ooo 
 for a single line.='' 
 
 In conclusion, you will permit me one observation on the 
 present position of this company. We have had time allowed 
 till the end of October for completing the share list. I am 
 warranted in stating, that this would have been accomplished, 
 if credit in the security of the guarantee had not been shaken 
 by the Court's letter to Mr. Slaughter, and it ma}', perhaps, 
 still be accomplished, if this vital question be speedily and 
 satisfactorily arranged. On behalf of the proprietors, who 
 have subscribed their money, who have passed all the uncertain 
 stages of the undertaking, and demonstrated its value, — I ap- 
 peal to }'ou, not to visit them with the penalty for non-comple- 
 tion of the company, of which they are the most innocent 
 parties. I may be permitted to say of this company, that it is 
 not a mere abstraction, but a constituent body, with perfect 
 harmony reigning among its members, representatives and 
 constituency. The line is of no uncertain or undefined charac- 
 ter. It is a practicable work, with defined plans, and an object 
 universally approved. The cost is no longer a vague ' esti- 
 
 * It must be distinctly borne in mind, that the traffic which is estimated 
 to yield the above returns, is not the estimate of traffic advertised in the 
 Company's prospectus, as appertaining to the whole line (when it may be 
 extended beyond the Ghauts into the interior of the country). A calcula- 
 tion of profits thus estimated would give the following results : — Take 
 iSOjOOO tons of goods at 2id. per ton per mile, and the actual number of 
 passengers at Sion Causeway, 370,000 at Jd., id., and 2d. per mile 
 respectively, — and suppose the working expenses and establishment 
 charges to be double lite (tmiiunt reckoned in the above statements, the 
 nett profits on the 35 miles of railway will he 15 per cent, on a capital of 
 5^500,000, and iS^ per cent, on the smaller capital of ^400,000. — Note, 
 added since lite Idler was seni in.
 
 147 
 
 mate,' but a reality and a fact. The traffic is not supposititious 
 and speculative, but extant and ample. And, finally, the ex- 
 penses of working are now so reduced by practice to a certainty, 
 that no prudent man, who will examine into the subject, can 
 fail to be satisfied. With these attributes, then, and under 
 these circumstances, so plainly before you, I feel perfectly as- 
 sured that you will see justice done to the interests of our pro- 
 prietary, and confirm them in their expectations of a substantial 
 guarantee. And I trust that this small commencement of a 
 great work will give such promise and encouragement, that the 
 vast empire of India may, ere long, be furnished with improved 
 media of communication, the most effective instrument of 
 civilisation. I have the honour to remain, your obedient 
 humble servant, 
 
 Cornelius Nicholson, Superintending Director. 
 
 No. I CAPITAL ACCOUNT. 
 
 Bombay to Callian, 35 miles double way ^500,000 
 
 ,, ,, ,, single way 460,000 
 
 Cost for double way. 
 
 Iron (contract made) ;^ 106,000 
 
 Works, as per tender, everything but iron 
 
 included 230,000 
 
 336,000 
 
 Bombay terminus, (temporary) 20,000 
 
 Sheds at Kallian and Tannah, workshops, 
 
 turntables, tools, &c 20,321 
 
 Plant, consisting of S engines, 60 passenger- 
 carriages, (^fit for India), 300 waggons, 
 oii-iheets, trucks and complement of tools. 40,000 
 
 Management during construction 20,000 
 
 Preh'minary expenses incurred 22,500 
 
 Additional expenses 10,000 
 
 132,821 
 
 468,821 
 Surplus to meet contingencies .3iji79 
 
 £■500,000
 
 148 
 
 Cost for single way. £ £ 
 
 Iron (as per contract) 58,700 
 
 Works (as per tender) 160,000 
 
 218,700 
 
 All other expenses the same 132,821 
 
 351.5^1 
 Surplus, to meet contingencies 48,479 
 
 1^400, c 
 
 No. II. 
 
 E~tlnnale fur irorkuig two I rams per day, as reijiiired bij the stipulattuiis 
 of the East India Companii, and shewinp; what proportion of the 
 traffic will meet the expenses. 
 
 Stock. G locomotive engines, 30 passenger-carriages. 200 waggons. 
 
 Locomotive Expenses. 
 
 I locomotive superintendent 500 
 
 3 drivers atj(,2oo o per annum 600 
 
 3 stokers at 100 o ,, 300 
 
 3 guards at 150 o ,, 450 
 
 40 native porters at 12 10 ,, 500 
 
 Repairing Establishment. 
 
 I foreman 300 
 
 3 mechanics at ;^20o 600 
 
 6 native labourers at 10 rupees per month 7S 
 
 Materials for repairs at 2J per cent, on the cost 
 
 ofstock C25 
 
 1,603 
 Working the trains, (o lbs. of coke per mile at 
 
 Cos. per ton, two trains per day for 3C5 days i,:!oo 
 
 2,803
 
 149 
 
 Office Expknses, India. £ 
 
 Chief Clerk 500 
 
 2 Kuropean clerks 400 
 
 6 native clerks 240 
 
 Stationary, &c 100 
 
 1,240 
 
 Office expense-;, London 1,200 
 
 Maintenance of way, ^100 per mile 2,j5^o 
 
 Total cost per annum jC^'jOq^ 
 
 ^i i,()93 = i7.s. 41/. per diem, per mile. 
 
 26 First class passengers at 2'/. per mile 044 
 
 52 Second ,, at u/. ,, 044 
 
 104 Third ,, at if/. ,, 044 
 
 1 9 Tons of goods at 2^^/. per ton 044 
 
 £0 17 4 
 
 Traffic, iKiif (lit the nxnl, taken at Sion Causeway, which is S miles 
 north of Bombay, and within \ mile of the proposed railway (not including 
 what is going by water) — 
 
 Number of persons passing Sion Causeway per diem 104S 
 Weight of goods (estimated from the number of car- 
 riages) passing the same point per diem 93 tons. 
 
 So that, in order to meet the expenses of working and maintaining the 
 railway and its establishment, it is necessary to carry 1S2 passengers per 
 day out of 104S, now going on the vriji roriil, or i-fith theroof ; and ig tons 
 of goods out of the 93 tons or i-5th thereof. 
 
 Or, taking the traffic, computed from official data for the whole railway, 
 and referable to this part of the line, in floods niili/, without including 
 passengers, troops and government stores, it will require S4 tons per day, 
 or 30,OGo tons per annum out of the iSo,ooo tons on this route, being i-Gth 
 thereof.
 
 150 
 
 No. III. PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT. 
 
 C.VPITAL, for a double line ;^5oo,ooo 
 
 for a single line, with double bridges and viaducts 
 
 and double embankment over the marsh at Sion 400,000 
 
 Stock. S locomotive engines; 60 passenger carriages 300 
 
 waggons 
 
 Income. Taking three-fuiirlhs of the ascertained traffic 
 which is in evidence on official data, in goods and 
 passengers now on the road between Bombay and 
 Callian, and not reckoning or including any of the 
 traffic going by water or any troops and govern- 
 ment stores. The quantity of goods is So,oootons 
 per annum and passengers 370,000, taken at Sion 
 Causeway, which is S miles north of Bombay and 
 within I mile of proposed railway. 
 
 Goods. Of So, 000 tons, say 60,000 per annum at 2%d.. per 
 ton per mile, jf 701 15s. 5d. per annum ^24,562 10 
 
 Passengers. Of 370,000, say — 
 
 i-i6th or 23,125 at 2d. per mile 6,744 15 10 
 
 5-i6ths or 1 15,625 at id. ,, i6,S6i ig 7 
 
 6-i6ths or 138,750 at Id. „ 10,117 3 9 
 
 277,500 33,723 19 2 
 
 ■ 58,286 9 2 
 
 Expenses. 
 
 Locomotive department, wages 4,200 o o 
 
 _ /Repairing, wages and materials 2,744 o o 
 
 cTm Maintenance of way 3j50o o o 
 
 o'n'-^Coke&c 5jI30 o o 
 
 • »r Office expenses in Bombay Ij75o o o 
 
 "^ VDitto in London 2,000 o o 
 
 19,324 o o* 
 
 Nett profit 3^38,962 9 2 
 
 Being oj per cent, on ^400,000 
 
 Or 7 1 ,, on ;f 500, 000 
 
 ' Mr. Robert Stephenson's g:ener.-il estimate of workinfjjcxpenses, for a still 
 larfjcr traffic (180,000 tons, the estiniatetl amount when the line shall have been ex- 
 tended beyond the Ghauts) is £0oo per mile per annum, or £21,000. If this estimate 
 be pretered, it leaves the nett proiits =; per cent, less th.an what is stated above.
 
 151 
 
 Estimair for workint; the extimuted traffic of 60,000 Inns, of Goods and 
 ~77>50o Passdiscrs. 
 
 Stock. S locomotive cng-incs ; Ho passencfcr carriages; 300 waggons. 
 
 LocoM()Ti\'E ExPK.NSKS. Locomotivc superintendent 500 o o 
 
 6 drivers 200 o o 1,200 o o 
 
 6 stokers 100 o o 600 o o 
 
 6guards 150 o o qoo o o 
 
 So porters 12 10 o 1,000 o o 
 
 4,200 o o 
 
 Repairing Est.xblishment i foreman 400 o o 
 
 6 mechanics 1200 o o 
 
 12 native labourers 
 
 10 Rs 144 o o 
 
 Materials for re- 
 pairs, 2§ per 
 cent, on cost of 
 stock, ^40,000. 1000 o o 
 
 2744 o o 
 
 Coke. 30 lbs. per train per mile, 60s. per ton, 10 trains per 
 
 day, and 365 days= 1710 tons per annum, at ^3 .. 5130 o o 
 
 Office Expen.ses. Bombay. 
 
 CliiefClerk 500 o o 
 
 3 European cleiks, 200 o o 600 o o 
 
 io native ditto 40 o o 400 o o 
 
 Stationery 250 o o 
 
 I/50 o o 
 
 Office express in London 2000 o o 
 
 Maintenance of Way 3500 o o 
 
 ;rig,324 o o
 
 ;i53) 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE 
 
 KENDAL MECHANICS' INSTITUTE. 
 
 The first circumstance to be noted in reference to this 
 institution is an anomaly — that it should have been founded 
 in a public-house, for the declared object of drawing away the 
 mechanics from the public-houses ! It was founded in one of 
 the rooms on the first floor of the White Lion inn, where 
 William Hudson, F.R.S., the famous botanist, was born ; '■'■'■ 
 perhaps in the very room in which he was born. The occa- 
 sion was quite accidental. The walls of Kendal had been 
 placarded with a hand-bill, announcing a public meeting, 
 which was to be held at the White Lion, on an evening named 
 in the bill, for the purpose of establishing a Co-operative 
 society, and opening a shop for the sale of provisions, and a 
 newsroom for the members of the society. The advertisement 
 was without signature, and without imprint, and the great 
 attraction was therefore a spirit of curiosity to see and hear 
 the unknown projector who had thus unwontedly summoned 
 his fellow-townsmen to his oracles. 
 
 The room was not a large one, but every seat in it was 
 occupied, and if persons sitting can be at the same time on 
 the tip-toe, all were on the tip-toe of expectation, when John 
 Lough, a journeyman printer, without any formality, or any 
 apology, took the office of chairman, and announced himself 
 as convener of the meeting. Mr. Lough pulled out of his 
 pocket a roll of manuscript, which in bulk would have matched 
 the brief of a leading lawyer. It consisted of a long pros- 
 pectus and a long string of resolutions, which the self-elected 
 
 * It was this man, Hudson, who contributed mainly to the introduction 
 of the Linnean system into England.
 
 154 
 
 chairman proceeded to read from end to end. The audience 
 listened respectfully but not sympathetically. There was no 
 obvious demerit in the speaker, or in his composition, but the 
 heart of the assembly was not stirred in favour of his project. 
 
 At that time the Gazette newspaper was edited by Mr. John 
 Briggs, previously editor of the " Lonsdale Magazine," and 
 the editor of the liberal paper (then called the Kendal Chronicle) 
 was Mr. Tyras Redhead. ^Vith these two men, the rivalry of 
 local polities had waxed into personal enmity, and the discus- 
 sion on John Lough's project very soon became a gladiatorial 
 combat between the two rival editors. Mr. Briggs was first 
 to condemn the co-operative scheme. Mr. Redhead also 
 opposed himself to the project and to the projector, but he was 
 even still more opposed to the sentiments of Mr. Briggs, and 
 an explosion followed. 
 
 But all storms have their gusts and lulls ; and it so happened 
 that I, seizing a momentary pause in the warfare, ventured to 
 speak. I had never till then ' framed my tongue ' to the 
 smallest effort of extempore speech. But, though without 
 practice as a speaker, I felt that I had that which is, I believe, 
 the only thing any speaker, young or old, wants — acquaintance 
 with the subject and object. I had read in the public prints 
 what Dr. Birkbeck * had just then done in London, in the 
 establishment of the first Mechanics' Institute, and I there- 
 upon moved the meeting to reject the Co-operative project, and 
 adopt, as an amendment, a resolution for the establishment of 
 the Kendal Mechanics and Apprentices' Library and Institute. 
 This suggestion was approved ; and Mr. Briggs moved, " That 
 John Lough do vacate the chair, and Cornelius Nicholson be 
 chairman of the meeting." Poor John, with magnanimous 
 resignation, gathered his papers together, and relinquished the 
 chair to his youthful successor. Two resolutions only were 
 
 * Dr. Birkbeck was a student under John GoUGH, " The blind Philoso- 
 pher," ot Kendal, and so "I claim to be intimately connected with 
 Westmorland." — Dr. B. in a letter ta the present irriler.
 
 155 
 
 that evening adopted : ist, That a Mechanics and Apprentices' 
 Library and Institute be established ; and 2nd, That a Com- 
 mittee be, and hereby is appointed, with power to frame the 
 rules, and take such other steps as may be desirable for car- 
 rying out the object. There is no record of the names of those 
 persons so appointed Provisional Committee-men and I can 
 only, at this distance of time, recall five out of the number, 
 namely, John Briggs, John Proctor, Edward Coulthard, Wil- 
 liam Curwen, and myself. 
 
 Three or four meetings of this provisional committee took 
 place in Mr. Briggs' sanctum sanctorum at the Gazette office in 
 the New Shambles. The code of rules was prepared and 
 revised there; and I shall be forgiven for saying that these 
 rules were afterwards sought, and became a model for Me- 
 chanics' Institutes in several towns, north and south, far more 
 populous than Kendal ; and further, that they received the 
 public commendation of Lord Brougham. "■■ 
 
 Some weeks were occupied in a canvass for supporters, and 
 at length, preliminaries being all arranged, a public meeting 
 took place in the Town Hall, on the igth April, 1824, Mr. 
 Edmund Tatham, Deputy Recorder in the chair, when the 
 council was duly elected and the Institution fully established. 
 The executive officers were — President, Samuel Marshall, Esq. ; 
 Treasurer, William Dillworth Crewdson, Junr., Esq.; Secretary, 
 Edward Wm. Wakefield, Esq. — Committee, John Briggs, Cor- 
 nelius Nicholson, Darnton Greenwood, Thos.Greenhow, Junr., 
 John Proctor, Isaac Wilson, Rev. Joseph Fawcett (curate), Ric- 
 hard James, Edward Coulthard, Richard Stirzaker, Christopher 
 Taylor, Wilson Marriott, George Webster, William Curwen, 
 Thomas Richardson, Thomas Scott, and Rowland Cookson. 
 Of these twenty persons, the only present f survivors are Mr. 
 W. D. Crewdson and myself. 
 
 The Institution was literally as well as figuratively nurtured 
 in the school of humility. Its first locus in quo was a house 
 
 * Pamphlet "On the Education of the People." 
 t In 1S73.
 
 156 
 
 situated at the head of a narrow croft in Stramongate, whose 
 style and proportions may be estimated by the rent thereof, 
 which was two pounds ten shillings per annum, including rates 
 and taxes ! The first librarian was Richard Harrison, who 
 kept a small boys' school. The library was opened with a 
 selection of about a dozen volumes. By the end of the first 
 year the number of volumes had swelled to 400. At the 
 seven years' end they had further increased to 700 ; and now 
 the library consists of 3,600 volumes. The committee were 
 so zealously devoted to the management, they unanimously 
 signed a declaration to the effect that they would each forfeit 
 threepence " for every occasion of absence from a committee 
 meeting at a quarter past seven o'clock." 
 
 The birth of this Institution coincided with the general 
 awakening of thought in England. The Reign of Terror and 
 the wars of the continent had absorbed and terrorized the 
 mental faculties of Englishmen. They vvere either absolutely 
 torpid, or dwarfed and crippled with the narrowest prejudices. 
 Good books vvere then scarce and dear, and very little reading 
 was indulged in by any class of society."- But the intellect 
 of the nation at once " burst its cerements." The last salvos 
 of artillery announcing peace in Europe awoke the slumbering 
 empire of thought. The fallow ground was quickly broken up. 
 The clouds of ignorance rolled rapidly back before the rising 
 beams of knowledge. The springs of intelligence flowed forth 
 through every valley and plain in the land, to fertilize the 
 universal mind. I may name some of the chief instruments 
 of this awakening, especially as the majority of them belonged 
 to our own neighbourhood. The " Wizard cf the North," as 
 he was styled. Sir Walter Scott, stretched his magic wand 
 over Scotland, and England too, and conjured up historical 
 names of places and persons to illustrate his charming series 
 
 * "With the exception of a Bible and Prayer-book, a random tract or 
 two, and a Moore's Almanack, when I first went to the parish (Baston, 
 Lincolnshire), there was hardly a book to be found in it." — Rrc. Julian 
 Yotiui^, 1S23.
 
 157 
 
 of novels. A conjunction of great intellects appeared in the 
 Lake district, and founded both a new era of literature and a 
 new theory of poesy. These were Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 
 " the rapt one of the god-like forehead ; " Southey, " the 
 voluminous ;" •■ Wordsworth, whom a living orator ranks as 
 second only to Shakespeare ; Harriet Martineau (still sur- 
 viving) ; Thomas De Quincey, the "English Opium-Eater ; " 
 John Wilson, the " Christopher North " of Blackwood ; Hartley 
 Coleridge ; and Dr. Arnold. Such a group of " hands that 
 penned, and tongues that uttered wisdom," never perhaps threw 
 the halo of their fame, in the same age, over any one locality. 
 Lord Brougham, assisted by Charles Knight and others, 
 established the Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge, 
 and sent forth abundance of mental food at a cost within the 
 reach of all classes. The two brothers Chambers, of Edinburgh, 
 in the best spirit of rivalry, supplied wholesome literature 
 cheaper, even, than the Useful Knowledge Society in London. 
 Such were among the new impulses given to literature. 
 
 With regard to the physical sciences, Sir Humphrey Davy 
 transferred himself from a small laboratory in Bristol to the 
 Royal Institution in London, there to penetrate the arcana of 
 nature, and propound the law of electric attractions and 
 repulsions, which laid the foundation for those further dis- 
 coveries in electricity and galvanism that, caught up by 
 Wheatstone and Faraday, led to the greatest triumph of the 
 age, the electric telegraph. Whilst John Dalton, " the father 
 of modern chemistry," emigrated from Kendal to the Philo- 
 sophical Institution at Manchester, and there demonstrated 
 the Atomic theory, which in physical science ranks next to 
 the theory of gravitation. Professor Williamson stated, in his 
 address to the British Association at i?radford, last September 
 [1S72,] that this theory of atoms outliving its author, " has 
 gained and is gaining strength by every experimental inquirer 
 
 *Southey's writings, if ail collected together, would, it is said, make 
 pearly 200 volumes,
 
 158 
 
 who, since Dalton's time, has questioned nature, and knew how 
 to read her answers." 
 
 Meanwhile, the mechanicians awoke to new powers and 
 new appliances. The Arkwrights, the two Stephensons, and 
 a host of other inventors, set wheels and cranks in motion, 
 which soon multiplied production a hundredfold, brought 
 isolated communities into personal union, advanced the 
 material interests of the country, and augmented to an incal- 
 culable degree the comforts and conveniences of civilised life. 
 
 Thus, literature, science, and art emerged into the open day 
 simultaneousl}', and, mutually aiding and stimulating each 
 other, enlightened and invigorated both the individual man 
 and the public life. So it may be affirmed, that a more com- 
 plete transformation of the elements of society — a more 
 complete revolution, mental, moral, and material — has taken 
 place in the intervening half-century than had been witnessed 
 in any five centuries of former history. Or, as Mr. Disraeli 
 more pithily put it the other day at Glasgow, a change " more 
 remarkable, in fifty years, than has ever occurred in the annals 
 of mankind." 
 
 The appropriate sequel to this brief sketch of the " march of 
 intellect" may be put in the form of question and answer : — 
 Has the Kendal Mechanics' Institute kept pace with the 
 general progress of knowledge ? Coleridge and De Quincey 
 had both of them noticed, about the time of the birth of this 
 Institution, that "there is more elasticity and freshness of 
 mind, more information, and more natural eloquence in the 
 men of Kendal, than is to be found in literary cities, or in 
 places professedly learned." ■■' My own observation, I am 
 proud to say, enables me to testify that this honourable 
 distinction has held good for fifty years. The Mechanics' 
 Institute has borne good fruit. Many of the industrious classes 
 of Kendal have laid hold of the advantages offered to them by 
 this and other kindred institutions (literary and scientific), and 
 
 * " Annals of Kendal," 2nd edition, p. 276.
 
 159 
 
 have by these means pursued with advantage branches of 
 knowledge which might otherwise have been neglected, con- 
 tributing both to their happiness and usefulness. Many have 
 had their tastes and aspirations exalted, their industrious 
 habits stimulated, their faculties sharpened, their morals 
 improved, their hearts softened, and, may we not further hope, 
 their souls raised to the contemplation of the best and highest 
 of all truths, so that whilst getting Wisdom they ha.vc got 
 Understanding also. 
 
 Cornelius Nicholson. 
 Wellfield, December, 1873.
 
 (i6i) 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 THE SEA AND THE TIDES. 
 
 " The Sea is His cuid He made it. — "Psalm xcv. 5. 
 
 The contemplation of the sea is calculated to fill the mind 
 with strong and devout emotions. If stars be the poetry of 
 the heavens, the ocean is the poetry of the earth. All the 
 poets have, in turn, apostrophised it and drank inspiration from 
 it. I need not quote them all : Shakespeare, Milton, Words- 
 worth, Coleridge, Southey, and Byron, have each of them laid 
 the sea under tribute to their poesy. But poetry may be felt 
 without being read or written, may be passive as well as active, 
 and each of my hearers may have experienced its power. 
 You have stood or sat on the shore in a calm evening in 
 summer, " when the long bright day dies slowly over the sea," 
 when the western sun threw a flood of light on the ocean, and 
 burnished the tiny ripples with gold, as you watched them 
 gambolling " like a child at play." How gratefully, then, you 
 drew in the vital atmosphere into your lungs, and the spirit of 
 the ocean into your souls. I have had moments of enjoyment 
 like this, and memory clings fondly to the recollection of such 
 scenes. 
 
 At the birth of creation God divided the land from the 
 waters, and " the gathering together of the waters called He 
 seas." The first observation that strikes one about the sea is 
 that it never varies in bulk or volume. Like the widow's 
 cruise of oil, tho' the thirsting clouds are always drinking at 
 it, it never fails. Lord Byron expresses this thought in the 
 following apostrophe to the sea : — •
 
 l62 
 
 Roll on, thou dark and deep blue ocean I roll ! 
 Time writes no wrinkle on thy azure brow : 
 Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now. 
 
 And there is no evidence to show that there has been any 
 general alteration of the level of the ocean within human 
 observation. Solomon, be it observed, was among the first of 
 meteorologists, and understood the great law of nature which 
 keeps replenishing the ocean. He says, in Ecclesiastes i, 7, 
 " all the rivers run into the sea, and yet the sea is not full," 
 and again in Ecclesiastes xii, 2, " the clouds return after the 
 rain." Another scripture by the sweet singer of Israel says, 
 the clouds pour down rain " to the springs in the valley.'^, 
 which run among the hills." =•= Evaporation is always at work 
 in the atmosphere, drawing up, or pumping up the water ; and 
 condensation and precipitation are always at work in the 
 atmosphere, yielding fresh supplies of water, purged of its 
 saltness by the chemistry of nature. The process is that of 
 the law of supply and demand of commerce, exemplified in the 
 operations of nature. One cannot, therefore, give a lecture 
 on the sea without pointed reference also to the earth and its 
 atmosphere. Nay, we must look farther than this still, before 
 we can comprehend all parts of the subject in the unity of 
 forces. We must look to the influence of the solar system of 
 planets, and ascertain how, by the law of gravitation — attraction 
 and counter-attraction— these planets are concerned in pro- 
 ducing the tides and currents of the seas. It is found that the 
 revolutions of those bodies, and particularly those of the sun, 
 moon, and earth, on their own axes respectively, and their 
 movements about each other in terrestrial gravitation, are all 
 engaged in causing the tidal wave and ocean currents. Newton 
 
 * It has been calculated, with regard to this power of evaporation, that 
 the aqueous vapour hoveiing over every acre of the earth when lifted by 
 evaporation is equal to the power of 30 horses, and for the whole area of 
 the earth, it is 800 times greater than all the water power in nature! 
 How wonderful, then, is the mechanical power of the silent operations of 
 the laws of nature, to us unseen and unfelt. — Muarij, p. 275.
 
 1 63 
 
 taught us that not only the mass of each planet, but each 
 molecule of the mass is concerned in it. " Nature never rests." 
 The function of matter is to vibrate and oscillate ceaselessly 
 and endlessly ; changes are always going on, the minutest 
 atoms acting one upon another. Centripetal and centrifugal 
 forces are always in operation. And here, as it strikes me, the 
 discoveries of science are shewn to be in harmony with the 
 following declaration of the scriptures: — " How manifold are 
 Thy works, in wisdom hast Thou made them all." — Psalm civ. 
 24. I do not mean that the bible teaches lessons of science. It 
 was never designed to do so. But all the discoveries of science 
 rightly pursued, harmonize with the scriptures, and both books 
 must be studied : — 
 
 The two great books that we oug-ht to read 
 Are the bible and nature, and this is my creed — 
 And all other books that do not ajjree 
 With these two volumes, are not for me. 
 
 Now, first, about this globe '* which men call earth." It 
 contains both land and water; of water about three-fourths, 
 of land one-fourth. In round figures it has 150 million square 
 miles of water, and 50 million square miles of land. But the 
 two hemispheres are not alike in these proportions — in the 
 northern hemisphere land and water are nearly equal in 
 quantities, in the southern hemisphere water largely predomi- 
 nates. The diameter of the earth is 8,000 miles; its circum- 
 ference is 25,000 miles. From the earth's diameter to the 
 moon is 240,000 miles; to the sun the distance is 91,000,000 
 miles. The earth, as you know, revolves on its own axis once 
 daily. The moon rotates round the earth once in 28 days ; 
 and they go together round the sun in 365 days. And these 
 combined movements have everything to do with causing the 
 tides, as you will find by and bye. But one word more about 
 this earth of ours in comparison with the dimensions of other 
 planets. People are apt to exclaim of the earth, what a 
 " world" this is! How vast its extent ! How great its form
 
 164 
 
 and pressure ! What millions and billions of years or eras it 
 must have taken to build it up ! You laugh at the idea which 
 entered the head of Archimedes, when he said "give me a 
 fulcrum to stand upon, and I'll raise the globe." Pigm}' man 
 presumptuously to talk of raising this great world of ours ! 
 And yet, what a mite it is in the universe ! The planet that 
 was discovered (by Adams, of Cambridge), called " Neptune,'' 
 is so small by distance, that you cannot see it without a teles- 
 cope, and yet it is a hundred times the volume of this earth 
 which you thought to be such a colossal " world." ! 
 
 The two great seas are the Atlantic and the Pacitic, which 
 are nominally divided by geographers into the North Atlantic 
 and South Atlantic ; the North Pacific and the South Pacific. 
 They mingle their waters on the north about Behring Straits, 
 and on the south near to Van Diemen's Land. The smaller 
 seas are, the Mediterranean and the Baltic, in Europe; the 
 Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in Asia. These altogether 
 circulate throughout the globe. They roll on in combination 
 continuously and conterminously, clasping the earth, as it 
 were, in their embrace.—" They cover the earth like a mantle." 
 
 Now, with regard to the tides, what is it that produces this 
 almost uniform flow and ebb of the sea waters which we call 
 tides ? Theophrastus Such asks Pummell " what is the cause 
 of the tides ? " Pummell answers, " there be people who has 
 their opinions, and I have my opinion." There Pummell 
 wisely stops ! It is not so ver}' easy to put the vera causa into 
 popular language, and make the subject intelligible to the 
 simplest understanding. A general idea has always prevailed 
 that the moon has everything to do with it. It is true that the 
 moon has most to do with the tide ; its influence is three times 
 that of the sun in producing the tidal wave. The exact 
 proportions are as 100 to 38. But it is necessary to look at 
 the joint action of the sun and moon on our globe, and the 
 separate action of those two luminaries, to understand the 
 variation of the tides. If the mean periods of the revolution 
 of these bodies were exactly equal in time, the tides would be
 
 i65 
 
 in their rise and fall quite uniform ; but those revolutions are 
 unequal by about 54 minutes in every 24 hours. The solar 
 day consists of 24 hours, but the lunar day is 24 hours 54 
 minutes. The sun and moon " conspire," and have a common 
 vertex once in a fortnight. They are then either in conjunction 
 or in opposition, and the moon is either new, as it is called, or 
 it is at full. When at " full," the tide is the sum of the joint 
 action of the sun and moon, and the product is high tide. 
 From these periods the lunar wave lags behind the solar wave, 
 until the quadratures (quarters) of the moon, when the high 
 water of the moon coincides with the low water of the sun, 
 and the joint tide is now reduced to the difference of the 
 separate ones, and this is called neap tide. But let us state 
 the problem in another way, and try to make it plainer still. 
 When the sun, moon, and earth are in the same line, the solar 
 and lunar waves are coincident. The sun and moon are then 
 in concert, and the waves which they produce combine, and 
 reinforce each other. In that case the tides rise higher and 
 fall lower than they do when the sun and moon are at right 
 angles towards each other ; when however the sun and moon are 
 at right angles towards each other their action is antagonistic, 
 and the tides do not then rise so high or fall so low as in the former 
 case. So the high tides occur two or three days after full 
 moon and new moon, when the moon is nearest the earth ; 
 and vice versa, the lowest tides are two or three days after the 
 first quarter and last quarter of the lunar month. So to make 
 it still plainer let us say — from new moon to the first quarter 
 the tides decrease ; from first quarter to full moon they increase ; 
 from full moon to third quarter they decrease ; from third 
 quarter to new moon they increase. 
 
 But it may be well to make a further observation regarding 
 the plane of the ocean. The waters of the sea are attracted 
 by the moon and sun in such a way as to produce what 
 Physicists call a "' Wave Spheroid,"' that is to say the attrac- 
 tion of cohesion occasions a heaping up of the water into a 
 spheroidal shape, altho' this is imperceptible to the eye look-
 
 1 66 
 
 on the sea. On the side of the earth farthest away from the 
 moon, the water is attracted less than!^the solid earth itself, 
 and the earth, so to speak, is drawn away from the water, thus 
 causing the liquid to be swelled up into a convex form, so that 
 the surface of the sea is partially rounded. This observation 
 of the disturbance of the horizontal plane of the sea suggests 
 another remark with reference to the globular form of the 
 earth. Before the time of Copernicus, injthe sixteenth centurj', 
 the earth was believed to be flat. We now know differentl}', and 
 the fact is easily demonstrated. If the earth were flat, the 
 surface of the sea would be an exact plane ; and however far 
 off a ship might be, if the eye could reach it, we should see 
 the ship. But as it is when the ship has sailed a certain dis- 
 tance (say 30 miles), we find her gradually passing out of 
 sight just as tho' she had gone over a hill ! Watch a ship 
 with a telescope scudding awa3'on the ocean, and you will find 
 that the horizon line of the sea is gradually rising up between 
 you and the ship. This is proof positive, if any one doubted 
 it, that tiie earth is a sphere. Yes ! 
 
 We know the merry world is round, 
 
 And we might sail for evermore. * 
 
 But another word with reference to the tides. I have said that 
 they are of nearly constant recurrence, there being almost 
 universally two tides a day on every shore. They are not 
 uniform in their flow on all shores, that could not be. On the 
 contrar}', the reach of the flood differs on every coast. It is 
 high water at one place at one hour, and high water at another 
 place at another hour, governed, partly by the diurnal rotation 
 of the earth on its axis, and partly by winds and local causes. 
 But on every shore and every maritime river, there are, with 
 few exceptions, two tides in every 24 hours, and what is called 
 their periodicity varies only by the action of the winds. But 
 there are remarkable exceptions to this general law of two 
 tides a daj'. There is a point in the North Sea, instanced by 
 Dr. Whewell, where there is no tide at all ! It occurs by
 
 i67 
 
 reason of a conjunction of two tide waves flowing in opposite 
 directions, so at that spot the tide is nil. Again, in the 
 Pacific Ocean, fiom peculiar local circumstances, there is 
 a spot where there is a single tide in 24 hours. I need not 
 speak of the peculiarities of that case. But there is an excep- 
 tional case nearer home, and this is in the Isle of Wight. 
 There are four distinct tides inwards to the Solent in the 24 
 hours. A second flood succeeds to the first flow of the tide, 
 after an interval of two hours ; and when the first has reached 
 the harbours of Southampton and Portsmouth, it becomes 
 stationary for about two hours. This double flow may be taken 
 at eight hours, and is counter-balanced by an ebb of 4 hours, 
 so there must be two collisions or cross currents in every twelve 
 hours' tide in the Southampton Waters. Now, what are the 
 prevalent causes of these peculiarities ? Neither local histories 
 nor pilots' handbooks have given any explanation of it. I may, 
 however, hazard a theory. When the tidal wave approaches 
 the Isle of Wight, coming up from the Atlantic, it first strikes 
 against the promontory called the " Bill of Portland," and 
 secondly against " St. Alban's Head." These obstructions 
 not only retard the incoming waters, but throw them out into 
 the channel in curved lines, just when they ought to be 
 entering the narrow inlet at Hurst Castle. The harbour of 
 Southampton — nearly five miles long — and the harbour of 
 Portsmouth, both being empty, now act as powerful suckers, 
 and suck in the earliest tide-wave with rapidity. That first 
 wave of the double tides is then succeeded by a second wave, 
 which occurs, as I take it, when the first has become stationary. 
 I have said that when the tidal wave has struck against the 
 headlands, one portion of the tide " sets out " in curved lines 
 towards the middle of the channel. At some distance out 
 this tide flows for nine hours, whilst the ebb there, is only three 
 hours. Nearer to the shore the reverse action takes place ; 
 there the tide ebbs for nine hours, and flows only three hours. 
 Between these two scenes of operation, these contrary currents, 
 there is what one might expect, what I will call a neutral zone
 
 i68 
 
 • — an area or belt of still water, where, if you were in a boat 
 with uplifted oars, you would scarcely move for more than an 
 hour ! This is my own experience. 
 
 Apropos of the shore, let us suppose a person who is wholly 
 unaccustomed to the sea, watching the tide when it comes 
 creeping and crawling on to a long low beach ; such a person 
 would be apt to think that crawling was its normal uniform 
 pace, which would be a great mistake. The fact is that the 
 travelling pace of the tide is governed by the depth of the 
 waters. As is the depth, so is the velocity of the tidal-wave. 
 The fastest flowing tides are those out on the main waters of 
 the Atlantic, where the sea is perhaps 30,000 ft. deep, and from 
 thence the rate of progress gradually decreases, as the water 
 becomes shallower and shallower, till the snail's pace of the 
 tide reaches a point of rest on the shore ; and let me ask 
 which of you can tell when that point of rest is attained ? I 
 have, at any rate tried in vain to recognise the moment of rest. 
 
 Let us not forget that these recurring tides perform a great 
 work — a beneficent work — in the operations of the physical 
 world. It cannot be told in words what amount of decay and 
 corruption is avoided, and what amount of life is saved by the 
 agency of these moving waters. In fact, the circulation of 
 water on the earth and in the atmosphere, is to the globe what 
 the circulation of blood is to the animal frame— the means by 
 which life is sustained. 
 
 It has been often said, and was until recently generally be- 
 lieved, that there are no tides in the Mediterranean. It used 
 to be called " The Tideless Sea." Lord Byron gave currency 
 to this belief in the following couplet : — 
 
 There shrinks no ebb in that tideless sea, 
 Which, changeless, rolls eternally. 
 
 This is poetry, but not fact. I spent a winter in Italy 20 years 
 ago, and was much interested in watching the tides at Nice, 
 in the Bay ot Genoa. I passed hours upon hours (and pleasant 
 hours, too) lying on ihi sands with my heels at the water's
 
 169 
 
 edge. I made floats of wood, floats of cork, got empty bottles 
 well corked, and watched their gyrations with as'much'care 
 and patience as a fisherman watches his line on thejwater ; 
 and I satisfied myself, first, as to the fact of a tide,'.its^flow 
 and ebb ; secondly, as to its direction ; and thirdly, as to its 
 rate of travel. There is very little ebb and flow compared 
 with the tides in the Atlantic ; but there is enough to contradict 
 and confute the notion of a tideless sea. That it is so small 
 is occasioned by the waters of the Mediterranean having so 
 little connexion with the main ocean. 
 
 We must next observe, with reference to this globe of ours, 
 that it is surrounded by an atmosphere which is something 
 like 40 miles in height. This is the air we breathe, and the 
 condition of this air determines our climate. Hence the sub- 
 ject is brought home to us, and not inappropriately, for I am 
 going to tell how this climate is influenced by the currents of 
 the ocean. • 
 
 First let me say, however, how it happens that we have 
 in these latitudes, four seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and 
 winter. If the plane of the sun's path had been parallel to 
 the earth's equator, we should have had only one uniform 
 season — constant darkness or light ; all heat or all cold ; all 
 wet or all drought ; as astronomers believe to be the case with 
 the planet Jupiter. But it has been wisely ordained otherwise. 
 Instead of this parallelism, the equator and the ecliptic (the 
 sun's path) are mutually inclined to each other at 23^ degrees, 
 the consequence of which is, that the sun appears alternately 
 above and below the equator by that 23.T degrees, causing the 
 varying seasons of the globe ; and days and nights of unequal 
 duration, long days and warm weather in summer, in our lati- 
 tudes, when the sun is north of the equator; short days and 
 cold in winter, when the sun is south of the equator. The 
 earth's eccentric orbit influences the variation in the lengths 
 of day and night, and so " all things work together for good." 
 A supposition may help to explain my present meaning. vSup- 
 pose the sun and earth to be at rest in space, the sun's rays
 
 1 70 
 
 would, in that case, constantly impinge on the centre of one 
 half of the earth's surface ; one half, it is clear, would be 
 exposed to the sun, and the other half would never see it. 
 The opposite side of the globe would be perpetual darkness, 
 with no plant life, no evaporation, no rain, Man could not 
 live there. But, as I have before said, the diurnal and annual 
 revolutions of the earth in ellipsis, create our seasons — our 
 seed-times and harvests ; — furnishing us with all the comforts 
 of life. Do we think sufficiently, and are we sufficiently thank- 
 ful for these blessings so produced ? 
 
 We come in the next place, to speak of the currents of the 
 ocean which play an important part in determining the pre- 
 vailing temperature, or climate, of various countries of the 
 earth. We are indebted to an American hydrographer and 
 philosopher, Captain Maury, LL.D., for the best treatise on 
 the ocean currents and their effects, in a book entitled the 
 " Physical Geography of the Sea," of all topics connected with 
 sea this is, perhaps, the one that engaged least attention till 
 lateley, and is of greatest interest and importance. I will 
 bring its importance home to you in this way. We are an 
 insular people and enjoy, therefore, what is called a maritine 
 climate. London stands on this little island of Great Britain, 
 Paris, on the other hand, is situated on the continent. Go 
 from London to Paris on a winter's day, which you can do in 
 10 hours; breakfast in London and dine on the same day in 
 Paris, and in that short space of time you encounter a differ- 
 ence of several degrees of temperature. The mean temperature 
 of Paris, for the three winter months is only 38° Fahrenheit). 
 But that is not the most singular thing about this difference. 
 It seems still more singular that London being situated 
 geographically 2"8i degrees north of Paris ; or let us say that 
 Paris is nearer the tropics by 2"8i degrees, still the winter 
 temperature is in favour of London by 3I0. What explains 
 the difference between London and Paris ? It is explained by 
 reference to the currents of the ocean. The ocean has been 
 rightly called a " great climate agent," a good name to give it !
 
 171 
 
 Its waters, as a rule, wherever they flow, have a nearly equal 
 temperature ; and therefore they have a tendency to preocrvc 
 a similar (nearly equal) temperature wherever their influence 
 extends, moderating alike both heat and cold. Hence, the 
 climate of islands and of countries bordering on the sea have 
 milder winters and more temperate summers than the interior 
 of continents. Moscow, for example, has a difference between 
 its summer and winter temperature of 82*^ ; whilst the difference 
 in London is only ^y°. That is the general cause of the 
 difference I have just alluded to m the temperature of London 
 and Paris ; but there is a special cause, namely the Gulf 
 Stream, the greatest known current of all the currents of the 
 ocean. This Gulf Stream washes the western coast of our 
 island, and helps to produce for us the comparatively mild and 
 equable climate we enjoy. Water, like air, has less density, 
 that is to say, is lighter at a high temperature than at a low 
 one. Cold water (changing the phraseology) like cold air is 
 heavier than warm. So the surface of the sea is lighter and 
 warmer than its depths. As water warms, it increases in 
 volume, and possesses an expansive force equal to its tempera- 
 ture. We have many of us, in our houses, a cistern on the 
 upper floor above the kitchen, with a connecting water pipe 
 between that cistern upstairs, and the kitchen boiler. When 
 you open the tap at the cistern above, you find in a minute or 
 two that the hot water in the kitchen boiler pushes forward, 
 and pushes out the cold water that was in the pipe before the 
 tap was turned, until nothing but hot water flows. This is the 
 action of the Gulf vStream as seen in household economy. 
 The Gulf of Mexico is the heated boiler, which sends forth a 
 column or current of hot water through the North Atlantic 
 Sea, in a north-easterly direction, across the Bay of Biscay, 
 up the Irish Channel, and further still, beyond Norway and 
 Sweden. Thus, says Maury, " one of the benign offices of the 
 Gulf Stream is to convey heat from the Gulf of Mexico, where 
 otherwise it would be excessive, and to disperse it in regions 
 beyond the Atlantic for the amelioration of the climate of the
 
 172 
 
 British Islands." How the goodness of God in creation dis- 
 plays itself, when we enquire into the operations of nature. 
 But we must say a few words more in explanation of this Gulf 
 Stream. It is a river in mid-ocean — a constant river ! It 
 never fails and never overflows. There are other ocean 
 currents, but there is nothing like this. No other water within 
 waters like it in the world! The temperature of the waters of 
 the Gulf Stream, as they issue from the torrid zone, is from 
 80° to 85° at the surface of the ocean, and when the stream 
 has travelled 10° of latitude, it has only lost 2° of temperature, 
 so slowly does water give off heat. As it issues through the 
 Straits of Florida the current is upwards of 30 miles broad, 
 and 2,200 feet deep, and it travels at an average speed of about 
 four miles an hour. Arriving in northerly latitudes it loses 
 some of its depth, and spreads itself out, more and more, as it 
 proceeds on its way towards the arctic circle. It is scarcely 
 necessary to say that all this time, it is giving off heat to the 
 atmosphere immediately over it and on either hand. It is a 
 law in physics, that water is slower in losing temperature than 
 any other natural element. Now we all know from daily 
 experience, that our most prevalent winds are from the south- 
 west. These winds, on their way hither, cross the fields of 
 warm air which the Gulf Stream has created, raising their 
 temperature bj' some 10° to 15". The travelling winds parti- 
 cipate in that increased warmth, take up the aqueous vapour 
 floating over the sea, (aqueous vapour is a combination of 
 oxygen and hydrogen) bring it to our mountain ranges where a 
 colder air is in circulation, condensation then takes place by 
 the junction of these two fields of air, and aided by electric 
 currents, perhaps, down comes the rain. This is the accepted 
 theory of the fall of rain, subject to some modifications of 
 critical details which require no notice in a popular lecture. 
 So, in this way, we get both a milder climate and a plentiful 
 supply of rain, " with abundance of the kindly fruits of the
 
 173 
 
 earth." '■•'• The cold winds \\ hich visit us, and which we are 
 ever grumbling at, are from the east, north-east and north. 
 These are with us about four months in the year. They start 
 on their journey hitherwards from regions of ice and snow, and 
 travel over continental lands which have not the same influence 
 as the sea in ameliorating their proverbially ungenial natures. 
 They are crisp, and biting, and piercing winds, such as made 
 the teeth of Wordsworth's Harry Gill 
 
 Chatter, chatter, chatter still. 
 
 They would spoil our climate, if they remained with us as long 
 as the south winds do, and spoil our harvest too. Charles 
 Kingsley is the only advocate I know of in favour of the east 
 wind. He gives it a hearty welcome in the following verses : — 
 
 Welcome, wild North-Easter I 
 
 Shame it is, to see 
 Odes to every zephyr. 
 
 Never a verse to thee 1 
 Welcome, black Xorth-Easter I 
 
 Over the German foam, 
 Over the Danish moorlands 
 
 From thy frozen home. 
 
 Kingsley had some strange, tho' many grand ideas 1 Shakes- 
 peare, on the other hand, has likened it, in the code of morals, 
 to ingratitude : a want of gratitude being reckoned one of the 
 worst features of man's character: — 
 
 Thou easterly wind, — 
 Thou art not so unkind 
 As man's ingratitude. 
 
 My subject would not be exhausted if I did not allude, — and 
 it must be briefly — to the different degrees of saltness of the 
 various seas, and inlets of the seas. The salt in the seas is 
 
 •London is below the average of all England in the amount of rain-fall, 
 and yet, some rain (more or less) falls on 265 days out of the 365 days in 
 a year (24 hours to the day), so says Dr. Mitchell.
 
 174 
 
 governed in its proportions, mainly by evaporation and deposi- 
 tion of the rain clouds. Where evaporation goes on most 
 rapidl}', and where fewest rivers empty themselves into an arm 
 of the sea, or into a land-locked sea, where the waters are 
 most highly impregnated with salt (chloride of sodium). Again, 
 where there is greatest evaporation there is least cloud above, 
 and least fall of rain. Take Nice, for an example. The num- 
 ber of daj's in a year on which any rain falls is just one day a 
 week, 52 in a year, against London 265 in a year, and if it were 
 not for the melting of the snow in the Alps there would be al- 
 most a total absence of fresh water tributaries there. Indeed, 
 the whole Bay of Genoa is ill supplied with fresh water not- 
 withstanding the melting of snow and glaciers in the Alps, for 
 the two greatest rivers on that side the Peninsula of Italy, the 
 Ticino and the Po, empty themselves into the Adriatic. We 
 see then the effect of these causes in the fact that this 
 portion of the Mediterranean contains 20 per cent, more of 
 salt than the waters of the Atlantic.'- You may judge how far 
 this is caused by evaporation, if I present a comparison be- 
 tween the amount of evaporation in connection with the rain 
 fall in London and at Palermo. The average evaporation over 
 London and its suburbs is taken at four inches per month = 
 48 inches per annum. The rain fall may be set down at 30 
 inches ; there is therefore 18 inches of excess of evaporation. 
 At Palermo the excess is 37 inches. But the disproportion 
 between evaporation and fresh water supply, is carried to its 
 maximum in the Red Sea, when rain scarcely falls, and but 
 for an interchange of water with the Persian Gulf, the Red 
 Sea would in time be reduced to the condition of an almost 
 saturated brine. 
 
 Lastly, let us regard the ocean as the great international 
 highway — the broad, free and uninterrupted channel of com- 
 munication between the various countries of the world, and 
 the various families of mankind. The art of navigation was 
 
 * For, recollect, no salt or muriate rises from the sea by evaporation.
 
 175 
 
 known to the ancient 3,500 years ago when the Gauls crossed 
 and recrossed the English Channel, without the aid of any- 
 thing like a compass (for the mariners' compass was not in- 
 troduced till the beginning of the 12th century) coming to 
 Cornwall for Tift. And if Diodorus Siculus may be believed, 
 this tin was carted across the Soland, at low tide, and freighted 
 from the Isle of Wight. Britain was then called Cosniterides — 
 " the Tin Island." Bj' the end of the 15th century navigation 
 took a leap, when Columbus sailed from a Spanish harbour 
 with a fleet of three small ships crossing the unexplored seas, 
 and discovered the continent of South America — a new world, 
 which Canning hailed, as " a New World calculated to redress 
 the balance of the Old." Columbus, then, 
 
 Was the first that ever burst 
 
 Into that silent sea. — Ancient Mariner 
 
 These discoveries, in course of time, evoked a spirit of enter- 
 prise in different countries — in course of time, I say, because 
 intelligence did not then travel by the telegraph or telephone. 
 In the middle of the i8th century Captain Cook"- discovered 
 New Zealand and the islands in the South Pacific, now a por- 
 tion of the colonies of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, on whose 
 dominions, it is boastfully said " the sun never sets." We 
 have obtained in our day complete command of the seas. The 
 bit of land on which we set our feet is not half big enough, not- 
 withstanding its fertility, to produce food sufficient for its 
 thick-set population, but the sea's highway compensates for 
 
 • Mentioning' the name of Cook impels me to relate an incident in his 
 life which made him the great navigator and discoverer of his age. He was 
 apprenticed in his youth to a retail grocer at Whitby in Yorkshire, and 
 his master one day threw a newly coined shilling into the shop till. The 
 lad, attracted by the bright silver, took it out and honestly replaced it by 
 a soiled shilling of his own. When the master missed the new shillino- he 
 accused young Cook of robbing the till. Fear seized him, and he ran 
 away to sea, and thus became the discoverer of the islands and continents 
 in the South Pacific Seas. The mother of civilization, like the mother of 
 mischief, is no bigger than a midge's egg ; or, to use another illustration, 
 you see how great a fire a small spark kindleth.
 
 176 
 
 this deficiency and enables us to procure supplies elsewhere. 
 The granaries and larders of the earth on the other side of the 
 world are our store-houses, ever accessible to us by the ships 
 which, " like things of life," are constantly coming and going 
 on their beneficent errands. Science has joined art in lessons 
 of progress, and steam power has joined the power of winds to 
 accelerate the speed of vessels. Business, and pleasure, and 
 the comforts of life, all triumph and revel in the results of these 
 new combinations. Our intercourse with India is so constant 
 and prompt that merchants can calculate upon their receipt of 
 letters with as much certainty as they look for the clock striking 
 the hour. But the ocean is the silent medium of a quicker 
 communication still. A thick cable lies at the bottom of the 
 sea amidst microscopic forms of life, " things creeping in- 
 numerable," — the Foraminifer — which never disturb it or think 
 of feeding on it, and messages are constantly flashing through 
 that cable between persons living at the opposite poles of the 
 earth, thus absolutely " annihilating time and space," which 
 was only a few years ago a mere sentiment. The girdle which 
 little Puck threatened to put round the globe in twenty minutes 
 has thus been accomplished, and Shakspeare's prophecy has 
 thus been fulfilled. 
 
 Let us, in conclusion, contemplate the sea in a tempest, 
 when, like fire, it exerts powers beyond the control of man, '■'= 
 When the winds are troubled the sea is roused from its tran- 
 quility and assumes an awful character. There is this differ- 
 ence between the air and the ocean in their normal state. The 
 ocean is in constant motion more or less; it never rests. The 
 prophet Jeremiah (xlix. 23) says of it, "it cannot be quiet." 
 The air, on the other hand, is at times quite tranquil, — asleep — 
 in fact. When a zephyr stirs, Wordsworth hails it "from its 
 
 *The mechanical force of waves in a storm has been accurately 
 measured. At the Skerryvore Lighthouse, in the Atlantic, during- a 
 heavy gale in 1845, the force of the waves was equal to 2,000 lb. (or 3 
 tons) per square foot.
 
 177 
 
 fields of sleep." What a beautiful thought that is — •' fields of 
 sleep ! " How, then, is the air set in motion ? The answer is, 
 by the earth in its diurnal rotation acting in conjunction with 
 varieties of temperature. A stream of cold air (the heavier 
 body of the two,) will rush into a stream of warm air and over- 
 throw the equilibrium. First, when it is disturbed by a breeze, 
 the sea will laugh like a child at play. Then storm arises " the 
 floods lift up their waves," and the great deep is lashed into 
 fury, howling and hissing like a demoniac. The angry billows 
 rear their frothy heads and manes into successive mountains, 
 soaring high as the lofty head of blue Olympus. The wind 
 cracks its cheeks against buffeted navies, which, after a fruit- 
 less struggle, go down like a plummet into the " yeast of 
 waves." You will all remember — for it was one of the most 
 striking shipwrecks in our day — that on Sunday, the 26th 
 March, 1878, a Government training ship, the Eurydice, was 
 suddenly overwhelmed in a snow storm off the Isle of Wight, 
 carrying down with her to a watery grave not less than 300 
 souls. Many persons — including some personal friends of 
 mine — were on the beach at St. Lawrence and at Ventnor 
 watching with interest and admiration that gallant ship go 
 proudly by, all canvass — (too much canvass, as the event 
 proved) — set to the wind. At that very moment the crew were 
 many of them engaged in divine service, thanking Heaven for 
 the prosperous voyage they had had, and for their safe arrival 
 at home ! Suddenly there appeared over Dunnose a dark bank 
 of cloud, and a driving tempest of snow and sleet — the squall 
 struck the fated Eurydice, then wrapt in a shroud of snow, and 
 when the squall was gone the spectators on shore lost sight of 
 the ship, which had gone down like a plummet. 
 
 But there is one voice, and one only — a voice more powerful 
 than all cosmic forces put together — which can still the tem- 
 pest ; and there was an occasion when this voice — the voice 
 of Christ, in the fulness of God, speaking to the Sea of 
 Gennesaret, rebuked the winds and the waves, and they in- 
 stantly obeyed. Christ s^id to the angry sea — " Peace, be 
 still."
 
 178 
 
 The wild winds hushed : the angry deep 
 Sank, like a little child, to sleep. 
 The sullen billows ceased to leap. 
 
 At thy Will ! 
 So, when our Life is clouded o'er, 
 And storm-winds drift us from the shore. 
 May those words come above Life's roar, 
 
 Pracc, Ic s/ill. 
 
 Aii,s;iist, 1S7S.
 
 (179) 
 
 ♦ LECTURE 
 
 Conccrmiii^ the Roman Road over Hi^h Street, Wedinurland, and 
 
 its line or lines of connection icith the Roman Stations in 
 
 the ncighbourhocd. 
 
 Delivered at the Kendal Natural History Society's 
 Institute, December, 1838. 
 
 Although the study of local antiquities is one of the original 
 features of this institution, yet subjects connected with this 
 branch of enquiry are, I'm sorry to observe, only very seldom 
 brought before our notice. I do not complain that scientific 
 pursuits are made to preponderate over antiquarian researches, 
 because I feel, and am willing to acknowledge, that the interests 
 of science are of far higher consequence, and demand our first 
 consideration. The comforts and conveniences of civilized life — 
 the progress of the arts — the extension of commerce, — the 
 advancement of knowledge, and consequently the advancement 
 of human happiness — are in a great measure under the dom- 
 inion of science, and I yield therefore a willing submission to 
 its potent claims. But notwithstanding I do feel that our local 
 antiquities, which constitute the restituted history of our own 
 district, are neglected or underrated in importance. Some old 
 author (I forget whom) calls topography and chronology the 
 t^vo eyes of history, and among the many quaint truths of the 
 old writers, there is hardly any truer than this. For what is 
 general history but a connected series of topographical events 
 first sketched out on the canvass by the local historian. It 
 cannot be necessary to set up a defence of " Historiography." 
 Surely no one will deny the importance of looking back through 
 the vista of years, on past scenes and events, and bringing up 
 " the long trails of light," (dim they may be, in humble efforts 
 such as this) before the eyes of the existing generation. The
 
 i8o 
 
 Roman JEra in Britain is pregnant with intense interest; and 
 in investigating the traces of that people on this island, many 
 circumstances may strike the inquisitive mind as models of 
 imitation or objects of avoidance. Some of their works of art 
 survive partially to this day, and have excited the emulation 
 as well as the admiration of modern genius; whilst, on the 
 other hand the traces of human blood which marked the foot- 
 steps of the conquerors have now become as the Igttis Fatuiis 
 which knowledge has taught mankind to avoid or remove, both 
 the human scourge, and the natural phenomenon being dis- 
 covered as the offspring of a fermenting and diseased condition. 
 The progress of knowledge, and its handmaidens, the arts of 
 civilized life, might be well illustrated by contrasting the habits 
 of the Britons, during the Roman Empire, with the arts and 
 manners of the present generation, but I can only simply allude 
 to it. The Romans undoubtedly introduced into this country 
 many agencies of civilization, of which the aboriginal Britons 
 had no previous conception, and which subsequently wrought 
 an entire change in their character ; but the conquerors 
 accompanied these arts with a ferocious and blood-thirsty 
 disposition, which, let loose on a savage people, created 
 appalling scenes of slaughter. They encountered a people 
 rugged and intractable as the country they came to subdue ; 
 and as empire was their only object it must be purchased at 
 any sacrifice of human gore. So that the history of the upper 
 empire especially can be stated in two words — perpetual hos- 
 tility. On the part of the invaders, and on the part of the 
 native Britons, war was the business and the delight of life. 
 The most brutal assassin was made an object always of adu- 
 lution, and not unfrequently of idolatry. But now men's 
 feelings turn them with horror from the contemplation of 
 such deeds. Mind is now assuming its lawful empire over 
 brute force, and it is not unreasonable to hope that the traces 
 which are now extant of the devastations of war will be the 
 last traces of its influence in this island.
 
 i8i 
 
 It is of importance that historical events should be narrated 
 for the instruction of mankind, it is also important that those 
 events be connected, whenever they can, with the surviving 
 memorials of the ages to which they belong. Existing relics 
 of antiquity are the pictorial illustrations of the book of history 
 and are to those who study them, as so many pleasing and 
 bright intelligencies. The eye of an antiquary, revelling on 
 these monuments of the past, fills with delight as he contem- 
 plates them, and whilst the mind is taking a long retrospective 
 view — lights up with vivid associations, peoples the now 
 deserted or changed scenes with the shadowy crowds of by-gone 
 ages, and this tho' a reverie, may be not all fiction. The county 
 of Westmorland is eminently fruitful in the remains of antiquity, 
 and if I am asked to apologize for this paper I reply that it is 
 my attachment to my native county that prompts me to in- 
 vestigate its historical treasures, and help to perpetuate their 
 memory. 
 
 The Roman Road on High Street is marked by this dis- 
 tinguished feature, that it is the highest road or military way 
 in Great Britain, being 2,700 feet above the level of the sea. 
 When we consider this fact and couple it with the circumstance 
 of its locality, being close to the confines of the empire, on the 
 north, where the Romans concentred their forces and where 
 consequently so many of their monuments abound to attract 
 observation, all these circumstances considered, it seems 
 astonishing that the attention of writers on Roman Antiquities 
 has been so little drawn towards its history, and — as a con- 
 sequence — that so very little (nothing I may say) can be found 
 written concerning it. I have sought pretty carefully all books 
 I could lay my hands on, local and general, that give the least 
 promise of allusion to this subject, and I can find nothing more 
 than this simple incidental notice of it, viz, that the Roman 
 way passes over High Street.* Where it passed from or where 
 
 * Neither Camden, nor either of his learned editors ever mention it at 
 all; and what is more strange still, Dr. Whitaker (the great model of 
 antiquaries) has entirely overlooked High Street. So has Dr. Burn, the 
 historian of the County.
 
 1 82 
 
 it tended to, or for what certain or conjectural reason it ever 
 had been constructed at such an unaccountable elevation, our 
 authors have one and all of them left without consideration. 
 It cannot have been in total obscurity in any age ; for no one 
 could pass through the country without seeing or hearing of 
 High Street, and the name of the hill at once signifies and 
 suggests the fact of the road being there. It cannot I think, 
 have been disregarded from any supposition of its uselessness, 
 for it strikes me that the fact of a road (broad as any of the 
 great high ways) being made in a situation so adverse to road 
 making, and so difficult to traverse when made, proves strongly 
 that it had been a material object with the Romans. Tis true 
 that it was only an Iter Vicinalc, but the " maiden way " and 
 many others of the local roads, in different parts of the country 
 have been honoured with accurate investigation and publicity, 
 whilst High Street so conspicuous in name, situation, and as- 
 sociations with military stations, where the heat of the fiercest 
 battles raged, has been ignobly dismissed by writers on Roman 
 remains, either without mention at all, or only with such notice 
 as I have just quoted. How, then, are v/e to account for the 
 silence and neglect of this road ? Simply, I believe, from its 
 great geographical elevation, and the difficult}' of getting up to 
 it for ocular inspection. For, however easy it might be for the 
 sinewy Romans, or the nimble Pict and Scot to surmount the 
 hills over which this road runs, I confess that I can excuse 
 the awe with which our venerable fathers of antiquity, Leland, 
 Camden, or Horsley might contemplate such a formidable 
 journey. Youthful limbs, fired with zeal or local attachment 
 may overcome the fatigue and difficulties of the encounter, but 
 those who have experienced it will be the most ready to for- 
 give the omission, at least, of a personal survey by the old 
 writers enervated with age or sedentary employment 
 
 It would be quite superfluous in me to occupy your time and 
 my pages with details of general history during the Roman 
 sway in Britain. Two or three sentences will suffice to fix 
 the time and events connected with the object of my enquiry.
 
 i83 
 
 The Roman period in Britain extends over the lapse of some- 
 thing more than 400 years — that is to say, from the dawn of 
 the christian era till A.D. 440 to 450, speaking in round num- 
 bers. During most of this period wars prevailed throughout 
 the island, but more especially did wars prevail and were m.ost 
 prolonged, in our own district, that is to say, in the northern 
 counties of England. This was the country of the Rrigantes, 
 who were the most powerful of the British tribes. They were 
 themselves hard to subdue, and after they had been drawn to, 
 the standard of the Eagle, then came the " barbarian Picts and 
 Scots," whose constant inroads and repulses occurred in this 
 district. We have it on good authority that two-thirds of the 
 stationary forces of the Romans were employed on the Borders, 
 where they themselves relate "that their soldiers carried on a 
 business literally the same as moss trooping with the Picts 
 and Scots." Hence Hadrian's vallum and Severus's wall, which 
 extended in two lines nearly parallel from the Solway Frith to 
 the German Ocean. And hence also the great number of 
 stations and garrisons in these parts. 
 
 The first part of the Picts' wall (as it was called) was built 
 in the time of the Emperor Hadrian, and, it is not improbable, 
 under his own personal supeiintendence, about 124. It was 
 constructed entirely of earth and sods, and on this account 
 was called a vallum — a vallum of earth ! It proved, however, 
 no very formidable barrier against the barbarian Picts; for 
 occasion requiring the Roman soldiers to be withdrawn for a 
 while, " the Caledonian Picts," as Camden writes, " broke 
 down the frontier vallum, destroyed all that came in their way, 
 cutting down and trampling on all they met, like ripe corn, and 
 ravaging the whole country." After an interval — which I need 
 not stop to define — Severus came to the aid of the Britons, and 
 having driven back the Picts from the frontier, caused to be 
 built a solid wall of stone, close to Hadrian's vallum, from end 
 to end, and which he defended with a ditch or fosse on the 
 north side of the wall. This wall was further protected by 
 numerous castella, or castle-fortresses, planted at irregular
 
 1 84 
 
 distances, but so near that the blast of a horn could be heard 
 from one to another. There was also a via miUtnris or road 
 for the soldiers along this wall. But even this rampart so 
 fortified was not sufBcient at all times to keep out the northern 
 barbarians, and when the soldiers were overmatched by the 
 enemy, and forced to retreat from this fortress, they fell back 
 upon the stations and by the roads. The Roman roads passed 
 from one city or station to another, linking them together, as 
 our modern turnpike roads constitute our medium of communi- 
 cation between one town or village and another. And as re- 
 gards the roads, we have at least some written or traditionary 
 authority for the main direction of them, and, where all traces 
 are lost, I have not hesitated to be led by probability. If a 
 writer on antiquities may not be allowed the use of conjectures 
 or speculations, you deny him what is allowed in almost every 
 science. As old Camden says : " I consider conjectures as 
 among the helps which time makes use of, to draw truth out of 
 Democritus' well."* And if I cannot claim from my hearers 
 their full confidence in all my " speculations," perhaps I do 
 not reckon too much on asking for their indulgence! 
 
 It is to be observed that the Romans seized every oppor- 
 tunity that presented itself of traversing the waters. We have 
 good reasons to believe that they navigated both the lakes of 
 Windermere and Ullswater, or at least portions of these lakes. 
 At the head of Windermere, proceeding from the station Dictis, 
 by a lane which still bears the name of Causeway, in corrupt 
 language, Caarsa Lane, the Roman road has been traced to the 
 very brink of the lake. Similar traces have, I believe, been 
 made up to the foot of Ullswater, near Pooley Bridge, and 
 there can, therefore, hardly be any reasonable doubts that 
 these lakes were furnished with boats, and made the channels 
 of communication for the Roman legionary. I have not been 
 able to meet with any speculations by our learned antiquaries 
 on the reasons why the Romans may be supposed to have pre- 
 
 * Camden's Preface, p. ii,
 
 i85 
 
 ferred water conveyance to land. Two reasons present them- 
 selves to my mind — (however insufficient they may be deemed 
 by others) — first, the same reason which impelled the Romans 
 to go over the hills (of which I have more to say by-and-bye), 
 that is, on account of the valleys being all thickly set with 
 wood, and abounding with bogs and morasses ; and secondly, 
 because they themselves were so much better skilled in the 
 art and management of boats than were the Britons or Picts, 
 and so were enabled by means of their galleys easily to escape 
 from any sudden attack in the neighbourhood of the lakes, by 
 superior numbers of their enemy. We assume it as a fact that 
 there was a road, and regular means of communication be- 
 tween the station at Kendal (Concangium), and the station 
 (Dictis) at Ambleside, but we are not able at this distant day 
 to trace the route of this road. I suppose it probable that it 
 led over Helse Fell, by way of Crook to Bowness, at which last 
 place the soldiers took to their boats and sailed to the head of 
 Windermere. The circumstances which induce this pro- 
 bability are these. First, there was a large tumulus or num- 
 ber of tumuli on Helse Fell called " Sampson's Grave," which 
 may refer back to the period of our enquiry. Secondly, there 
 is a place in Crook called Berwick, originally I conceive Burgh- 
 wick, which is a compound of Roman and Saxon — a Saxon 
 wick or habitation having, very likely, been built on the site of 
 a Roman encampment ; thirdly, there have been several Roman 
 remains found at Bowness and the neighbourhood. Very re- 
 cently a number of Roman coins (from twenty to thirty,) were 
 dug up at Bellsfield ; and there is reason to suppose that a 
 Roman villa was planted on Belle Isle, there having been dis- 
 covered in digging there, " a beautiful pavement, and a hearth 
 in a perfect state. They found at the same time several pieces 
 of armour, and dug through curious gravel walks, &c."''- 
 Lastly, the direction I have thus supposed the road to take to 
 Bowness, would be the shortest and straightest direction, a cir- 
 
 * Peauties of England and Wales— County Westmorland, p. 2.io.
 
 1 86 
 
 cumstance that the Romans minded very particularly always. 
 Now, as regards the road over High Street and its connec- 
 ting points. It is not my purpose to enquire in which direction 
 it proceeded northwards from High Street to the station (Brem- 
 enteuracum) at Old Penrith. Neither time nor opportunity per- 
 mits this investigation. My present object is to enquire in 
 what direction or directions it proceeded southwards from 
 High Street : whether it had maintained a direct line of com- 
 munication with the station at Kendal, or with the station at 
 Ambleside, or with both of these ! Beginning at the straits of 
 Riggindale, at the north-east end of High Street, we trace it 
 along the top of the latter hill, which is flat all the way, to the 
 south-west end of it. High Street is covered by a sward of 
 earth, soft almost as velvet. The road has been sunk originallj' 
 perhaps a foot and a half or two feet, but is now for the most 
 part filled up, and nearly level with the rest of the plain. It is 
 distinguishable, — not the entire length of High Street, but 
 frequently, and, in some places, for a considerable distance, — 
 partly by its sunken boundaries on either hand, but principally 
 by the sward over the road being of a brighter and livelier green 
 than the rest of the hill. It has evidently been of the usual 
 width of the Roman roads, from i6 to i8 feet. Proceeding with 
 the road from High Street it descends by a gentle slope upon 
 Froswick. Here our difficulties begin, and here is converged 
 all the interest, or the chief interest, at least, of my present 
 enquiry. We will first endeavour to trace the line of road to 
 Kendal. Advancing from this point towards Kendal it must 
 have vSkirted along the Troutbeck edge of Froswick, along the 
 edge of Hill Bell, over the hill between Rainsbarrow Crag and 
 by the highest fence in Crag Quarter. I say must have skirted 
 along the Troutbeck edge of Froswick and Hill Bell, because it 
 cannot have been taken either over the tops of these hills, — 
 both being sharp impassable cones — or on the Kentmere 
 side of them, both presenting very precipitous points to the 
 Kentmere valley. Along the steepest portion of these hill 
 sides, all traces of the road are lost, and at two places in
 
 i87 
 
 particular it seems as if no road could ever have been carried, 
 or had ever been carried, across there, for there is now only just 
 foothold for the sheep, along a narrow path faintly delineated 
 by the paddling of these animals. But when we reflect upon 
 the. years that have elapsed since the Roman road was aban- 
 doned, and consider the steep character of the hills, and the 
 tendency of stones, soil, &c., to roll down or be washed down 
 such steeps, there is no wonder that in this situation the road 
 should be now illegible, and almost impassable. Along the 
 plain, which extends from Hill Bell to the point opposite Rains- 
 borrow Crag, the road is again distinguishable by the same 
 green sward which points it out on High Street. But if there 
 had been no visible trace of it, the name of Rainsborrow, — or, 
 as it ought to be spelled, Rainsburgh — would have been suffi- 
 cient to fix it in this direction. About an eighth of a mile from 
 Rainsburgh Crag, in a direct line for Kendal, there is a plain, 
 with a peat bog in the middle of it, and there are persons living 
 who state that they have seen a considerable length of paved 
 road across the bog. This is at the head of Crag Quarter. 
 Hence it proceeded down Applethwaite Common, but here we 
 lose all visible traces of it, and all traditionary relations con- 
 cerning it. The spears of the Romans are now turned into 
 plough shares. All remains of the road where the hand of cul- 
 tivation has commenced her happier efforts, and from this 
 point to Kendal the plough or the hoe has obliterated for ever 
 the footprints of the Roman conquerors. How are we to pro- 
 ceed now ? The road could not terminate here, and it could 
 not be brought so far in a direction towards Kendal without 
 being designed to communicate with this station. It would be 
 quite absurd to suppose that from this point it turned back to- 
 wards Ambleside. No ! we must look for it in a direct line for 
 Kendal. And fortunate it is that at this day we can find even 
 a single glimmer of light to help to conduct our groping steps. 
 This light (which comes like a gleam of sunshine piercing 
 through Cimmerian gloom) is the name of a place — two 
 farmhouses, situated below Applethwaite Common, — called
 
 1 88 
 
 Burrcns, almost in a straight line from the spot where all pal- 
 pable remains of the road are lost, to Kendal. Regarding this 
 name, Borwens or Biirreiis, Dr. Whitaker says wherever he 
 meets with it he considers it as having reference always to 
 something Roman. The station at Ambleside is to this day 
 known by the name of Barrens Ring. There is a Burrens also at 
 Kirkby Thor, and, according to Camden, "= there is in Middleby 
 parish, Annandale, a Roman station called Burrens. I look 
 upon this name Burrens, then, as good evidence of the road at 
 this spot.t If we proceed forwards to Grass Garth, almost 
 direct, then by way of Reston Hall, skirting under Reston 
 Scar, and over Helse Fell to Kendal, we take the nearest cut 
 through the district. The probability of this being the route is 
 strengthened by the tumuli on Helse Fell (before referred to), 
 and by the fact of a silver coin of Antoninus Pius being not long 
 since dug up close to Reston Hall. The circumstance of 
 finding a Roman coin in any particular spot, does not, by any 
 means, prove the former existence of a road at this spot ; but 
 this coin being found at Reston will be admitted, I think, as 
 strengthening most materially the evidence and probabilities 
 of the road having proceeded in this direction. It is worthy of 
 being remarked that I had previously laid down the road there, 
 without the evidence of this coin, and I was in the act of 
 pointing it out to a gentleman standing together on the turn- 
 pike road opposite to Reston Hall, when the man who had dug 
 up the coin (John Herdson) came up and mentioned the cir- 
 cumstance, he had the coin in his pocket. Having traced the 
 road as satisfactorily as my present information permits, to 
 Kendal (and I shall be glad indeed if any one can throw more 
 light on the subject) we now retrace our steps to Froswick 
 again, and begin a new enquiry. 
 
 By what medium of intercourse did the station at Ambleside 
 communicate with old Penrith ? By a route certainly not ac- 
 
 * Cough's Camden's " Britannia," vol. Ill, p, 323. 
 t It would not be a stdtian, properly so-called, but an outpost or suinmcr 
 camp, as were most I'tirghs.
 
 1 89 
 
 cording to our modern post-office arrangements ! A letter lor 
 Penrith (or for Keswick even more circumlocutory) put into 
 the post-office at Ambleside is made to travel round by Kendal ; 
 but the Romans, as an old writer says, were " too straight- 
 forward a people to go far about for anything." How, then, 
 did they proceed from Ambleside to Penrith ? The easiest, 
 and, as one would suppose, the most natural way would be the 
 present road, over Kirkstone, by Patterdale, and along the 
 whole of Ullswater. But the Romans did not prefer the easiest 
 way, and as we can find no traces or traditions of the Roman 
 road in Patterdale, and no Roman remains of any kind, we 
 must look in another direction, and seeking for the nearest 
 course, we direct our steps to Woundale. We start from the 
 station at Ambleside, and proceed up the eastern side of the 
 river Stock Gill, by a road which leads on that side of the 
 water to the Pass of Kirkstone, for about three miles. We 
 then turn to the right upon Woundale, over the lowest part of 
 this hill, and here we meet with a British or Roman-British 
 relic, a monument of savage war and savage rites of sepulture. 
 This is a noble cairn. The cairn is situated on the plain of 
 Woundale, in the Pass between Ambleside and the Troutbeck 
 valley. It is about 12 feet high at the apex, and 80 paces round 
 the circumference. In the middle of it is a sort of cavity or 
 crater, rather more of an oblong than circular shape, having 
 two parallel sides formed by the cobbles built up as a well- 
 faced wall, and this feature is evidently coeval with the whole 
 fabric of the cairn. I am sorry to observe that the husband- 
 man is now fast removing this memorial of antiquity, and 
 carting away the stones of which it is composed to make walls 
 for enclosing the common. Already about one-third of it is re- 
 moved, and before many years are over it will be destroyed, 
 with the other perishing traces of our ancestors, and be 
 " ranked among the things that were." Woundale is a hill 
 inferior in height to the mountains by which it is surrounded, 
 and slopes down towards the east in a manner which may not 
 inaptly be described as a dale, especially when contrasted
 
 I go 
 
 with the towering hills about it. As regards the prefix of 
 the name " wound," I conceive that this might be applied either 
 as the preterite of the verb to wind, — the road having wound, 
 (as it does indeed), round this so-called dale, — or else it might 
 be applied in connection with the cairn : a battle, perhaps 
 having been fought at this very place, and the wounded and 
 killed having been buried beneath this cairn. But, however, 
 this is not material. The existence of the cairn ■' is all that I 
 am most anxious to notice, as proving that the spot had been 
 frequented by the Britons, or Roman Britons, and therefore 
 the probability is that the road passed in that direction. A 
 British spear head was found some time ago at this spot, which 
 is six to seven inches long, made of mixed metal resembling 
 brass. Now we proceed down the eastern side of Woundale 
 into the valley of Troutbeck, and cross this valley about the 
 head of Troutbeck Park, then up to Froswick by a steep ascent. 
 All traces of a road up the hill from the Troutbeck vale are 
 entirely obliterated till you get nearly to the top of Froswick, 
 at the junction of the road before described as proceeding to 
 Kendal. And at the place of the supposed junction of the two, 
 the outlines, or outward visible traces are not very distinct, but 
 here again we derive valuable aid from names. Here two 
 names speak out like the voices of restored intelligences, and 
 help to render that plain which would otherwise have been 
 very obscure. These two names are Scot Rake and FYoswick. 
 Rake is an old word for road and could never have been applied 
 here unless the Scots had used it as a road. As far as I know, 
 the application of the word wick to the name of a hill, is quite 
 singular, and it encourages us to seek out some probable 
 reason for its being adopted here. Wick (having its origin 
 perhaps in the latin word vicus, a street or village,) was used 
 by the Anglo-Saxons frequently if not universally for a habita- 
 
 * The author of Bremcloiiaccv says the Romans used always to bury their 
 dead by the highways, and not in towns. Hence Tumuli arc found at a 
 little distance from the Roman Roads.
 
 igi 
 
 tion, or hamlet.* Fros may be either from Frost, or Frosen — 
 a cold situation, or from Fros a Saxon word signifying king or 
 commander. In this sense the name would be sinonymous 
 with Re-stone, the King's Road, or King's High Road, Iter 
 Militaris in contradistinction to Iter Vicinale. Scot rake or scot 
 road leads right up to Froswick, and when this name rake is 
 taken in connection with Froswick, it makes the whole read 
 very concisely: — a road used by the Scots. I must observe 
 however, that the name Froswick is not supposed to be coeval 
 with the Roman road. It is more probable that it was applied 
 by the Saxons, who found a road over those hills made to their 
 hands, and very likely used it for a time till a settled state of 
 the country gave them opportunities and inducements for 
 travelling in another direction. 
 
 I have connected the road on High Street, &c., with the two 
 stations at Kendal and Ambleside. I should have been glad 
 indeed if the traces and evidences had been more marked and 
 more conclusive, but time is a destroyer hard to combat with, 
 and we cannot " call spirits from the vasty deep " to bear wit- 
 ness to past deeds. If any member of this Society can bring 
 other facts or circumstances, bearing on this subject, to 
 strengthen my hypothesis, I shall rejoice exceedingly. On the 
 other hand, being quite void of prejudice, I shall rejoice not 
 less if the whole of my speculations should- be overthrown by 
 any other hypothesis more strongly supported. My object has 
 been to seek out the lines of road as far as I am able to find 
 them, and to bring the little I know on the su'oject forward, as 
 an inducement for others to prosecute still further, and to a 
 more satisfactory result, this interesting enquiry. 
 
 I will now proceed to give some reasons why the Romans 
 carried their roads over the hills. We have no right to sup- 
 pose that it was from any caprice, or any simple preference for 
 arduous journeys, that induced the Romans to pass over the 
 mountains, but rather from the then state of the country, 
 
 • We have, in this neighbourhood, Sedgwick, Cunswick, Berwick, &c.
 
 ig2 
 
 which abounded with woods and marshes. On this subject I 
 quote the following authorities : — 
 
 Dio Cassius, speaking of the Britons, says :— " Their arms 
 are a shield and short spear, on the lower part of which is a 
 ball of brass, to terrify the enemy by its sound. They can 
 bear hunger many days, and will continue for several days up 
 to their chins in water. They live in the woods on bark and 
 roots of trees," &c. 
 
 Again, from Herodian : — '" The Britons had marshes and 
 thick woods to retire to, from which they could with greater 
 security harass the Romans." " They don't use breast-plates 
 or helmets, thinking them a hindrance to them in crossing the 
 fens, whose exhalations and stagnant waters always keep the air 
 above them involved in fogs," 
 
 Camden (quoting from Dio Cassius, in another place) says : — 
 "That the Emperor Severus marched to the furthest parts of 
 Britain — (that is, into the northern counties,) cutting down 
 woods and draining marshes, without fighting a single battle." 
 The Britons had submitted to him, and he had therefore leisure 
 to improve the ways. 
 
 Further, Dr. Burn, in the History of Westmorland (p. 7,) 
 observes : — " It is very certain that long after the Conquest 
 this county was over-run with wood. We read of nothing but 
 forests, and chases, and parks, and mastage, and pannage, and 
 vert, and venison, and greenhue, and regarders, and foresters, 
 and a hundred other names and titles respecting the keeping 
 and preservation of woods." The learned historian of West- 
 morland also alludes to the trees of oak, fir, birch, and other 
 wood found imbedded in the peat mosses, four, five, and six 
 feet in depth. 
 
 No one can inspect, at the present day, any of the cuttings 
 in the peat bogs in this county without discovering thick roots 
 and large trunks of trees, shewing the native wood that for- 
 merly abounded here. 
 
 In addition to these facts, I wish to cite evidence of the 
 former abundance of wood and morasses, by the names of the
 
 193 
 
 majority of farms and country places in Westmorland. In 
 reference to wood, we have Birk- Hagg ; Birkrigg Park ; Hag 
 Foot; Aikrigg End; The Ashes; Park Head; Crosthwaite^ 
 Applethwaite ; Thornthwaite,t Sec, &c. In reference to 
 marshes, we have Moss End ; Moss Side ; Mire Foot ; Sparrow 
 Mire; Long Mire; Broad Mire; and all sorts of mires ; Long 
 Dubs, Toad Puddle, and names without end bespeaking and 
 referring their origin to this condition of the county, the preva- 
 lence of wood and morasses, at the time when property began 
 to be consolidated, and when these names were first applied. 
 I am tempted to add here, also, that these woods were peopled, 
 as we believe, with wolves and wild swine, &c., as some of the 
 names of our hills and dubs plainly enough testify. Grasmere 
 was formerly written Gresmire, and originallj', it is said, Gris- 
 mere, from the Grise, or wild swine. We have also Grisedale, 
 Wild Boar Fell, and other places of like signification. 
 
 This condition of the country, then, suggests the reason why 
 the Romans carried the roads over the hills, especially in the 
 early period of the Roman era in Britain, or, as it is called, 
 " the Upper Empire," before the Britons were fully subdued, 
 and their bodily labour made subservient to paving the bogs 
 and making the roads through the valleys. Tacitus relates 
 that one of the Caledonian generals inspirited his soldiers to 
 fight by reminding them that, if they suffered themselves to be 
 taken by the Romans, nothing awaited them " but to have their 
 bodies consumed by carrying stones to pave the bogs, while 
 the Roman soldiers goaded them with a thousand stripes," &c. 
 When the inhabitants had submitted to the Roman power, and 
 the conquerors had time to look about them, new roads would 
 be planned and executed, and the roads over the high hills 
 
 * Birk is not a corruption of Birch, but its orig-jnal, a British Saxon 
 word, spelled Beorc. Hag is stated to have a double signification ; having 
 been used to express a mire, in morasses, and a wood, into which cattle 
 were admitted. See Brockett's Glossary. 
 
 t 1 hwaite (Sax.) means " a clearing or grubbing of wood ; " wood land 
 cultivated.
 
 194 
 
 would be superseded — there being now time to cut down the 
 woods and pave the marshes in the valleys, — and there being 
 also less occasion for scouting and overlooking, with jealous 
 e5'e, the country in their marches (which is another reason for 
 the roads being carried over the hills till the country was com- 
 pletely subjugated.) Taking this general view of the question, 
 I refer the road over High Street to an early period of the his- 
 tory of Roman Britain, probably to the time of Hadrian, or his 
 successor, Antoninus. In accordance with this date of High 
 Street is the coin lately turned up at Reston, of Antoninus 
 Pius, and a coin of the same Emperor, which was found at the 
 station at Ambleside, The supposition is also supported by 
 what I previously recited of Severus (who reigned subsequently 
 to the time of Hadrian and Antoninus) who cut down the wood 
 and drained the bogs " in the furthest parts of Britain." We 
 infer hence that Hadrian had passed to the Picts' wall — the 
 first part of which was his work — without cutting down the 
 woods, &.C., therefore he must have gone over the hill tops and 
 by the waters, as well as he could get. But we may well con- 
 ceive that when time was given for disforesting the country 
 and making ways more practicable, the road on High Street 
 vould be deserted. 
 
 It is not possible for me to close this paper without one or 
 two reflections on the change which presents itself between 
 the Roman Britons, and ourselves, in the medium of intercourse 
 adopted by each, and in the objects of that intercourse. Four- 
 teen hundred years have rolled by since the Romans finally 
 abandoned this country, and one generation has passed away 
 after another, successively peopling this interval, yet monu- 
 ments still exist of the great physical exertion and enterprise 
 of the Roman Britons, bidding defiance to tumultuous changes 
 and to the decaying influence of so many years. It has before 
 been observed that those stupendous works were executed 
 mainly by the bodily toil of our ancestors, who were for a time 
 doomed to a base and slavish servitude. These great works, 
 then, the roads, and walls of defence, and fortresses were pur-
 
 195 
 
 chased by the inhabitants at the expense of their independence. 
 Couple with this humiliating circumstance the object of the 
 conquerors, which was nothing but ambition and thirst for 
 universal empire, regardless— at least in the original scheme 
 of conquest, — regardless of any of those ameliorating con- 
 sequences which have, in some cases, justified the subjection 
 of a semi-barbarous country. We find little that is creditable 
 to humanity in this contemplation. Turn we now from this to 
 the picture of our own times. We see, not huge " works of 
 men's hands" merely, the produce of vanquished slaves; we 
 see science and art blending their influences, conducted by a 
 bold enterprise and free agencies, and aiming, not to spread 
 the ravages of war, but to diffuse the sacred arts of peace ; not 
 to enslave, not to subdue and despoil a country, but to dissipate 
 the fruits of commerce, and extend to every spot on the face of 
 the country, and finally by example — which is electric — to 
 every country on the face of the globe, the blessings of civiliza- 
 tion. Severus's wall and Hadrian's vallum, with the military 
 way in connection with them, are, taken altogether, un- 
 doubtedly the greatest work that the Roman Britons accom- 
 plished. And this work is only remarkable on account of its 
 great magnitude. It is, however, in my opinion, now eclipsed 
 both in magnitude and skill (in skill without any doubt) by the 
 Newcastle and Carlisle railroad, which traverses the route of 
 the Roman wall almost from end to end. Instead of the Pre- 
 tcntura of the Romans, garrisoned with sanguinary troops, we 
 have now station houses, of neat architecture, for the accom- 
 modation of population living in repose throughout the district. 
 Instead of the blast of the war bugle, announcing some sudden 
 attack of the Picts, we hear now the whistle of the steam 
 engine, proclaiming its rapid appi'oach and warning of danger 
 all that may be in the way. Instead of the slow march of 
 Roman soldiers, jealous of surprise, or grinding their teeth 
 with vengeance to resent some late repulse, we have now flying 
 trains of a busy multitude, engaged in pursuits of agriculture or 
 commerce. Instead of a wall of defence against a savage
 
 196 
 
 people, and the artificial frontier of a turbulent empire, we 
 have an agreeable medium of intercourse which " annihilates 
 space and time," uniting the two opposite shores, the German 
 Ocean and the Irish Channel carrying the agricultural pro- 
 duce of Ireland, &c., to the east, and carrying the mineral 
 riches of that prolific district to the Western Isles and to the 
 continent of the New World, which the railroad has brought 
 nearer to the Newcastle district by some hundreds of miles ! 
 
 I need not say that there are on this island works of a similar 
 nature to the Carlisle and Newcastle railway, of magnitude 
 and skill and consequence far superior to it ; but I select that 
 undertaking because, being of the same extent, or nearly so, 
 and traversing the same route as the great work of the Romans, 
 it affords the best illustration in comparison with it. I wish it 
 had been in my power to make a similar comparison between 
 the Roman road from Kendal over High Street, and a modern 
 road of the last construction, that is to say, a railroad taking 
 the same general direction. Havingalluded, (not impertinently, 
 I hope), to this subject, I put it on record here, that an 
 engineering survey has been made between Kendal and Penrith, 
 for a line of railway, which survey proves that the undertaking 
 is practicable as regards its physical character. It would not 
 become me to speculate in this place, on the accomplishment 
 of this enterprise, but I cannot help saying that I hope, in a 
 few years to see it accomplished, railroads, extending them- 
 selves with the increase of our manufacturing and commercial 
 power, must shortly become the general medium of communi- 
 cation in this country, and will work out effects that we are 
 only just beginning, at this day to perceive. V/hat a wide 
 difference, however, do these even now present, both in their 
 practical operations and consequences, to the Roman roads in 
 Briton. Such are the changes wrought by the revolution of 
 years. If even this powerful kingdom — now exulting in pride 
 over the world, as imperial Rome did of yore — if ever this 
 country (which God forbid) should like Rome sink from its 
 greatness, a prey to luxury, anarchy, or mad ambition, and its
 
 197 
 
 present features become effaced by the hand of time, then the 
 course and construction of our railroads may become a subject 
 of curious enquiry to some unborn antiquary, and the great 
 works of this description which modern enterprise is achieving, 
 may be, at some very distant day, referred to, as illustrating the 
 arts and manners of the people of whom we are all a living 
 part ! 
 
 Cowan HEAD, 
 
 December jth, 1838.
 
 (199) 
 
 A BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR OF RICHARD CLEASBY. 
 
 Read before tlic Kendal Literary and Scientific Institute. 
 
 The first English lexicon, or dictionary, in encyclopedic form 
 printed and published in England, washy a Westmorland man, 
 Ephraim Chambers, born at Milton, near Heversham. This 
 was in 1728. The last English lexicon, issued from the 
 University Press, Oxford (1874), entitled an " Icelandic-English 
 Dictionary," is by another Westmorland man (all honour to 
 his name) Richard Cleasby, of Warcop. This book consists 
 of 800 double-column pages, imperial 4to, very closely printed. 
 Nearly 150 years separate these two works, and dates of 
 publication, 150 years characterised by a greater amount of 
 intellectual activity than belongs to any similar period in 
 the history of literature. Yet the woof of the English was 
 never attempted to be interwoven with one of the strongest 
 threads of its original warp, the Icelandic — the various branches 
 of the vernacular language were never identically connected 
 with their parent stem — till Richard Cleasby, of Warcop, con- 
 ceived and consummated the gigantic task of collating and 
 correlating the Icelandic with the English tongue. Previously 
 to this great undertaking there was almost literally no Icelandic 
 dictionary extant ; and in this case, as in many others, necessity 
 was the mother of invention ; for Cleasby found that going to 
 Copenhagen for the purpose of learning the language, he must 
 first construct a dictionary ! He had before that, travelled a 
 good deal on the Continent, and made himself acquainted with 
 various living languages in the countries where these languages 
 are spoken, namely, France, Italy, and Germany, taking 
 particular pleasure, and making himself peculiarly master of 
 old German ; but it is not to be wondered at if the spoken
 
 200 
 
 tongues just enumerated, took rank with him as second in 
 importance to the primitive language of northern Europe. 
 At this early period of his life, in writing of the University 
 men of Leipzig, he calls them " a sadly raffish-looking set ; " 
 the word " raffish " being one of purest Westmorland. His 
 inherent passion for words, and his inherited partiality for the 
 Westmorland dialect, would cause him to set his sails for the 
 Baltic Sea, to drink in there, close to the original fountain, his 
 native dialect. When old Polonius encounters Hamlet, Prince 
 of Denmark (mark the aptitude of the reference to Copenhagen), 
 in one of the prince's reveries, he asks, " What is't you read, 
 my Lord ? " " Words, words, words ! " So Richard Cleasby 
 must ever have been reading and studying Jiyo^'rfs, words, words! 
 Daily, nightly, hourly, weekly, monthly, he was digging into 
 the mine of primitive etymons, — neoterising, the process is 
 critically called,— diving deep down into the verbal analogies 
 and equivalents. Words were his meat and drink, they 
 flavoured and cheered his life. If ever the appetite grew on 
 what it fed on, this was the case. Always cramming, yet 
 always craving for more. Always toiling, yet never wearying. 
 No less zeal, indeed, and no spirit less ardent, could have 
 wrestled successfully with such a gigantic task. Half doubt- 
 fully, half hopefully, he himself says, in April, 1841, " I have 
 been toiling very hard in the Icelandic field all this winter, 
 and am not a little exhausted. The further I get from the 
 beginning the further I seem from the end, but in time I sup- 
 pose the perspective will change." And so he toiled on for six 
 and a half years longer, when he had collected all the ripe 
 sheaves of his literary harvest together, and unfortunately had 
 to leave them for another husbandman to gather into the 
 garner. 
 
 But I must defer, for the moment, further allusion to the 
 dictionary, to take a brief retrospect of the active life of the 
 compiler.
 
 201 
 
 Richard Cleasby was born on the 30th November, 1797. 
 He had two younger brothers, Stephen and Anthony, and one 
 sister, Mary, the late Mrs. Jones, who lived at Chester Terrace, 
 London, and Brighton. Their father, Stephen Cleasby, had 
 migrated to London before the century closed from the ancestral 
 home, Craig House, Warcop.'" Just as, a century earlier, the 
 father of Joseph Addison had gone forth to the metropolis from 
 Maude's Meaburn, a parish not far distant from Warcop. The 
 youngest brother, Anthony Cleasby, finished his education at 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, was third wrangler, and in the 
 first class of the classical tripos in 1827, and still living, is now 
 on the Bench as one of the Barons of Exchequer. Richard, 
 our author, received his education at the Merchant Taylor's 
 School, in London, and obtained there, among other branches 
 of learning, a knowledge of the classical languages. It is 
 probable that if his own inclinations had been consulted in 
 time, he also would have entered one of the Universities, but 
 the father, engaged in the very lucrative business of a Russia 
 broker, drew Richard into the counting-house at the early age 
 of 15. But his desire was for literary and philological know- 
 ledge, a desire which now became so unappeasable as to 
 overcome both paternal affection and obedience. He therefore 
 retired from the business with the profits he had realised, in 
 1824, at the age of 27, shewing, as a straw shows the current 
 of the wind, that commerce was not the bias of his mind. 
 He lived and died a bachelor. The only mistress he ever 
 wooed — whom he both wooed and won — was philology,! to 
 whom he paid more constant, more passionate devotion than 
 ever swain paid to any object of love. 
 
 On his father's death, in 1844, the patrimonial estate at 
 Warcop came into Richard's possession. He had made 
 
 * Warcop Hall was one of the border fortresses, where some knights of 
 the shire were born, as well as valiant knights of the field. One of these 
 distinguished himself at Flodden Field — " Warcop wild a worthy squire." 
 
 t Philology comprises the natiirr of language. Grammar teaches its 
 
 finiclion.'!.
 
 202 
 
 frequent visits to Westmorland previously to this, staying at 
 Craig House for longer or shorter periods, and during these 
 visits he would cultivate acquaintance with the provincial 
 dialect, first inspired, perhaps, by the idiomatic phraseology of 
 his father. I have known a Westmorland man live in good 
 society in London for fifty years, and not lose a word or accent 
 of the dialect. 
 
 In the September of 1824 he sailed for France and the 
 continent, and for nine years, till September, 1833, he may be 
 said to have been roaming in quest of languages. He visited, 
 during this period, all the principal cities — most of them 
 repeatedly— of France, Italy, and Germany, gaining access, 
 and gaining the friendship, too, of the best scholars at each of 
 the prominent seats of learning in those countries. Of these 
 scholars we may enumerate Hermann, oi Leipzig, Schclling and 
 Hoffman, of Munich, Bocckh, Von Ranmer, and Ehrenberg, of 
 Berlin, the Grimms, of Gottingen, and Schlcgcl, of Bonn. 
 Wordsworth makes his hero, Peter Bell, one 
 
 Who travelled here and travelled there, 
 But not the value of a hair 
 Was heart or head the better. 
 
 But not so Richard Cleasby. The very objects of his travel 
 were to educate his head, and nobly influence his heart, and 
 these he accomplished as few men have the means and inclina- 
 tion of doing. He has not told us, and no one but himself 
 could know it, whether all this quest of the continental lan- 
 guages was intended as a prelude and aid to the future 
 investigation of the Scandinavian language. He might or 
 might not have had this object in view. We are all of us 
 creatures of circumstance, and seldom " shape our ends " from 
 the outset of life. The probability, however, is that these 
 journeyings and communings on the continent were for the 
 acquisition con amove of the languages spoken there ; and as 
 sweet wine will give a taste for still richer beverage, so French,
 
 203 
 
 Italian, and German — the last named especially — would, per- 
 haps, both inspire the mind and give it a relish for the dialects 
 of the north. London was not the home of his heart, for after 
 " my long peregrinations on the continent," he says, " I 
 approached with many misgivings the overgrown metropolis, 
 the centre of ceaseless toiling after wealth and rank, the 
 matchless emporium of smoke and fog; for after the many 
 quiet winters passed in philosophical research and the tran- 
 quility of literary pursuits in the less aspiring circles of German 
 capitals, I feared that the rush and bustle and ambitious 
 contendings of the great city would be sadly at variance with 
 the tendency of my feelings and the whole tenor of my mind." 
 And so Richard Cleasby turned his steps northward for fresh 
 fields and pastures new. On the 24th May, 1834, he first set 
 eyes on the beautiful spires and open squares of Copenhagen, 
 which Mark Antony Lower calls "the City of Islands." After 
 some hesitation, as between Copenhagen and Stockholm, 
 Cleasby settled down, and soon got " up to the chin," as he 
 says, /» Icelandicis, to fill the gap which he found in "this 
 branch of Teutonic development." This language gives the 
 key to the prevailing bias of his mind, which was nothing less 
 than an inspiration. .Schmeller, of Munich, a former companion 
 in labour, now one of his correspondents, kindly pats Cleasby 
 on the back, and urges him, for the good of northern philology, 
 to apply his " clear, cautious, enduring spirit " to the produc- 
 duction of a " really useful Prose Lexicon of the Older Lan- 
 guage of the North, a want which is every day more bitterly 
 felt." Such encouragements would nerve and keep him to his 
 work in spite of his physical infirmities. At length his health, 
 which had -never been robust, gave way under the untiring, 
 unremitting labour of his life's work. Dyspepsia, flatulence, 
 and other kindred stomach infirmities which almost always 
 accompany studious sedentary occupations, obliged him to 
 have recourse to various mineral spas in search of strength, 
 but the continuous strain on the mind was too much for the
 
 204 
 
 recuperative powers of the bod}-, and broke it down at length : 
 the mind 
 
 Working out its way. 
 Fretted the puny body to decay. 
 And o'er controlled the tenement of clay. 
 
 His relations never heard of his sickness unto death, till they 
 received the fatal intelligence. He finished his mortal course 
 on the 6th October, 1847, and was buried in a vault beneath 
 the church of St. Peter, at Copenhagen. 
 
 I must now recur to the opus magnum of our country-man, 
 the Icelandic-English Dictionary. The abnormal speech of 
 all the ancient dwellers throughout Scandinavia was Icelandic, 
 or as it was also called Oldnordisk. In the island of Iceland 
 itself the people proudly styled it Vortunga, " our tongue." In 
 Norway it was Novrcena (Norse). In Denmark it was called 
 Dansk-tunga, or the Danish tongue. But the language spoken 
 at the present time in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, &c., is said 
 to have departed in many cases from the primitive Icelandic, 
 which, perhaps, had still more purity, brevity, and wealth of 
 expression. It was a natural thing for Richard Cleasby to be 
 struck with the idea of compiling and constructing an Icelandic- 
 English Dictionary. His first rudimentary lessons, even in 
 Copenhagen, would shew him the close affinity — the near 
 relationship, in form and feeling, in structure and orthography 
 — between the Icelandic and his vernacular tongue. He found, 
 to use an expressive word, which is an example of Icelandic- 
 English, that the tongues were of the same stock. And it has 
 been very well said by one of the reviewers of the book now 
 under consideration,* that none of the other living languages 
 in Europe, save only the English, could have been so happily 
 correlated with the Icelandic. Some years ago I was myself 
 for a very short time in Copenhagen, and without knowing a 
 word of Danish, simplicitcy, I found, that by speaking the 
 
 * Kdiiil-iiriih Qiuirtcrlt/ Rcricir, for July, 1S74.
 
 205 
 
 Westmorland dialect as broad, or should I not rather say as 
 pure as possible, I could get what I wanted at the hotel, and 
 some things I did not want in the shops, asking for them only 
 to test colloquially the effect of our classical English. Such, 
 also, would be the experience of Richard Cleasby, on his first 
 visit to Copenhagen. One can imagine, in his earliest lessons, 
 the delight of such a thorough philologist, at these evidences 
 of congenital relationship between the written and spoken 
 language of his new home and his mother tongue whether 
 national or provincial. He would not be long in finding out 
 their lingual resemblances, peculiarities, and beauties. He 
 was working in a mine of wealth which became richer and 
 richer at every step, and by every succeeding operation. Some 
 explorers had worked a little at this mine before, but no one 
 had dived deep down into its hidden recesses — no one had 
 brought up, and brought to light its many precious treasures. 
 
 It must be my business now to give this subject as it 
 inherently possesses, a local bearing. If it be asked why the 
 Scandinavian literature should have taken such firm hold with 
 the inhabitants of Westmorland and the northern counties of 
 England, and why it should so steadfastly and pertinaciously 
 remain here, the answer is twofold : — (i) That the freebooters 
 who brought hither the language settled here, with intermis- 
 sions, for some generations, dwelling apart from the Saxons, 
 in the southern counties ; and (2) these same Vikings ravaged 
 and rooted out of the preserves in the monasteries,"'- the 
 Anglican and Keltic literature which preceded their invasion ; 
 and so the dialects of the Icelandic tongue were sown broad- 
 cast over the locality, and became the prevalent language. 
 The conquerors imposed their own lore on the conquered race, 
 to the displacement of what was perhaps a much feebler 
 tongue. 
 
 These dialects are more or less thickly scattered throughout 
 the six counties which constituted, in the time of the Heptarchy, 
 
 * " Philology of the English Tongue," by John Earl, M.A,
 
 206 
 
 the kingdom of Northumbria. They differ naturally in these 
 different counties, in pronunciation and somewhat in ortho- 
 graphy, but generically and idiomatically they are, to a large 
 extent, one language. Mr. Peacock, an indefatigable philologist, 
 etymologized 5,733 local words, and of these he traced no less 
 than 2,838 — being one half — to the Scandinavian family, old 
 Norse, Swedish, Danish, and suio-Gothic. Of course some of 
 these words, perhaps many of them, belong to all the provinces 
 on the shores of the'Baltic alike, just as they belong, mutually, 
 to the six counties of Northumbria; take, for example, the 
 word kist (a chest). It is found, variously spelled, in old Norse, 
 in Swedish, Danish, Flemish, and suio-Gothic. And some 
 time after its introduction into the north of England, it became 
 incorporated with the Anglo-Saxon (spelled c/sie, in Bosworth). 
 But I have repeatedly enquired after this word in the south of 
 England, and find it utterly unknown. It would be a difficult, 
 almost impossible task, to ascertain which of the six counties, 
 and which ward of any one county can lay claim to the purest 
 examples of the original Icelandic. Robert Ferguson believes, 
 and herein I agree with him,- that Westmorland and Cumber- 
 land must have been peopled more by the Norwegians than 
 the Danes, because the names of places and local terms left 
 here are more particularly those of Norwaj'. And he cites the 
 following short table of names identically the same in the Lake 
 District and Norway, — a table which might be considerably 
 extended : — 
 
 LAKE DISTRICT. NORWAY. 
 
 Natland. Natland. 
 
 Morland. Moreland. 
 
 Langlands. Langlands. 
 
 Lylands. Lilelands. 
 
 Bigland. Bygland. 
 
 Rylands. Ryland. 
 
 Rusland. Riisland. 
 
 Garlands. Gartland. 
 
 * "On the Northmen in Cumberland and Westmorland,"
 
 207 
 
 Haverslack, Haversham, and Havcrflatts may be added, (from 
 hafrey, O.N.) as descriptive of the sort of grain raised in the 
 locality, haver in one place, big in another, rye in another. It 
 is also worthy of note that whilst the word lile remains 
 unchanged in Norway, in Lile-lands, it is almost disguised by 
 corrupt spelling in the foregoing example in the Lake District. 
 Lile-lands is obviously the opposite of langlands or more-lands. 
 Langdale is locally separated into girt Langdale and lile Lang- 
 dale; and there is nothing more common than these opposite 
 appellatives, Orton (over-town) against Lorton (lower-town), 
 &c., &c. Gar-land and Gart-land in the table of examples is 
 land fenced and enclosed, whence we have garth, garden, &c. 
 But to proceed to the argument as to the localization of words. 
 Mr. De Quincey supposed that he had found a natural frontier 
 in Kirkstone Pass, between true Danish and semi-Danish 
 provincialisms. In the trans-Alpine region, as he grandly 
 styles the dales of Cumberland, the very nerves and sinews of 
 the dialect, he says, are Danish. If Mr. De Quincey had been 
 as great a master of Icelandic as he undoubtedly was of the 
 dead languages, he would be a bold man who would dispute 
 the authority of the English Opium Eater. But there is no 
 great presumption in calling this verbal distinction as fanciful 
 or poetical as the assumption of the Alpine region ! The 
 Danes and Norwegians have left lingual traces blended as 
 plentifully in the dales of Westmorland as in those of canny 
 (kiaen, O.N.) Cumberland. Prenomens and terminals, of 
 Icelandic origin, abound in Westmorland and Cumberland 
 alike, such as the gills, the sides, the thorps, the lands, the 
 slacks, the hacks, the hags, the stiles, the felds, the tarns, the 
 riggs, the cams, the dales, the mires, the becks, the hows, the 
 thwaites, the by's, the gales, the rays, the barrows. Thwaite, 
 which is pure Norwegian, occurs, it is said, 43 times as a 
 terminal in Cumberland. I have not been able to count the 
 number in Westmorland. There is a fjord in Norway called 
 " Sognefjord," and a village in Westmorland called Sanford. 
 No one can doubt that these names are identical.
 
 208 
 
 Take, again, some of the words of personal application, 
 faraiit, for an example. In Westmorland an aid farant is a 
 pedlar, one on a journey. Hence, " How fares you ? " (how go 
 you ?) Hence, also, in our own stirring times, coach fare and 
 railway fare. Then, again, proper names or family names, of 
 the sons following are held to be exactly alike, to this day, in 
 Scandinavia and in Cumberland and Westmorland : — Johnson, 
 Thomson, Stephenson, Matthewson, Allison, Alderson, Arnison, 
 Carson, Dawson, Ellison, Gunson, Harrison, Hanson, Nanson, 
 Nelson, Rawson, Sanderson, Simson, Swainson,Tolson, Watson, 
 Wadeson, and very many others. 
 
 I will now give a few examples, taken haphazard, of primitive 
 words in constant use bj' the common people in this locality, 
 who are the depositories and conservators of the vernacular 
 tongue. These are all related to the Icelandic — Worsel 
 (wrestle) ; mell (meddle) ; frae (from) ; niffy-naffy (simple 
 minded) ; fein (glad) ; bein (nearer) ; brag (boast) ; klatter 
 (noise) ; titter (sooner) ; thrang (squeeze, busy) — " as thrang 
 as three in a bed ; " nobbet (only) ; brat (a pinafore and a child 
 both) — this is an instance of verbal refraction, the name 
 of the thing inanimate transferred to the sentient wearer. 
 Another instance of verbal refraction, the converse of this, 
 occurs in the word huzzy (house-wife) from lius'fr, a woman, 
 to hus'if, the pouch or receptacle for her needles and thread — 
 
 It is for homely features to keep home, — 
 
 They had their name thence. — Milton, in ' Comus ' 
 
 Tippy (smart) — " he's tippy bob, wi' a watch in's fob " ; threap 
 (dispute) ; mappen (mayhap) ; efter (after) ; et-efter (after- 
 wards) ; daze, deig (drizly) — " it ma deig an dozzle an du, bet 
 mappen it'll be nae girt pells " ; summet (somewhat) ; neb and 
 nob (head front) ; whack, whang (tough) — hence " shoe- 
 whang " ; gloppen and gloar (an idiotic stare) ; mickle (much) ; 
 maander (wander) — applied both mentally and physically; 
 t' tudder (the other) " he put ae fuat in t'taen (stocking) and
 
 209 
 
 t' tudder in ta t' tudder"; brant (steep); grike (a crevice); 
 ingle (fuel) ; kik (fashion) ; lish (active) ; mafflin (simpleton) ; 
 riff-raff (rob and roam) — 
 
 Fell-siJers and Sowerby rift-raff 
 
 That deil a bum-bailie dare seize. — Brocket!. 
 
 Skoggand scrug (shelter or shade) ; shive (a slice) ; slape (slip- 
 pery) — a genuine Norwegian, though Dr. Johnson calls it " a 
 barbarous provincialism ; lig (lie) ; while (until) — Shakespeare 
 uses the word in this the original sense, " While then, God be 
 with you " ; a farmer in Westmorland says to his watchful 
 dog, " Thu'U keep thor sheep here xvhile I cum back " ; big 
 and by (build) ; whilk (which ?) ; nobbet (nothing but) ; coup 
 and swap (exchange, barter) — hence chapman, cheapside, &c. ; 
 lake (play) ; rig (ridge) ; flait (afraid) — hence flay craw ; cranky 
 (weakly) ; rive (rent) ; greet (weep) ; gaupen (handful) — " gold 
 in gaupens " ; pinch (to squeeze) — this word is no longer pro- 
 vincial, except in its primitive application. The late George 
 Braithwaite, of Kendal, used to be constantly using it for any- 
 thing short of proper dimensions — " a pinched pattern " ; and 
 Professor Sedgwick told a good story where it was aptly 
 applied. Sedgwick, with geological hammer and bag, stopped 
 at a wayside public house, and asked for " summet to eat." 
 He got a hearty meal of eggs and bacon, with a glass of ale, 
 and when he inquired what was to pay, the landlady said 
 " Nay, I kna'nt, wod tenpence pinch ye ? " Relishing the ver- 
 nacular, Sedgwick answered, ' Nay, net it ; I'se hev a nest egg 
 left efter that," and gave the good woman a shilling. Klease 
 (clothes); seke (sick) — Southey uses this word in "The Doc- 
 tor," (p. 558) " as seke es a peat " ; dunnet (do naught) ; tarn 
 (a lile lake) — this word is beautiful in its derivation, viz., from 
 tiorn (O. N.) a tear; gang (go); drabble (trail); drabble-tail 
 (a slattern) ; ncest (nearest) ; hansel (a contract) — still used in 
 Denmark, as " handsal," a term in law, as in Westmorland 
 for striking a bargain ; naggy (quarrelsome) ; and a host of 
 other words and phrases too numerous for my space.
 
 2IO 
 
 Such, then, are so many examples of the family kinship — in 
 some cases they are the absolute identity of words and 
 phrases — between our dialect and the niuddcr tunga of Scan- 
 dinavia, preserved, it is said, to this day in an unadulterated 
 state in the island of Iceland. Many of those words and 
 phrases are now naturally intermixed, in this locality, with 
 Keltic and Anglo-Saxon equivalents, but nine centuries of 
 change and decay have not been able to obliterate them in the 
 sister counties of Westmorland and Cumberland ; and I for 
 one, hope, without any disrespect to Keltic and Saxon, that 
 they never will be obliterated. They have established their 
 claim, it is well said, to universal supremacy ; and if in these 
 fast days of railways and telegraphs, provincialisms of counties 
 distant from one another, are henceforth to be more amalga- 
 mated, and if in the process of amalgamation some words are 
 to be dropped, or pushed out of the vocabulary, let it not be 
 any of our masculine words, replete with meaning, but rather 
 let it be members of the effeminate offspring of the Norman- 
 French, still struggling for existence in the southern counties.* 
 Towards the perpetuation of these dialects Richard Cleasby 
 has done more b}' his Icelandic-English Dictionary than any 
 writer that can be named. But whilst extolling Cleasby let 
 me not be unjust towards others. Not to Cleasby alone be all 
 the honour. I said before, that he was obliged to leave his 
 sheaves for another husbandman to garner. This was M. 
 Gudbrand Vigfusson. Cleasby's was the conception. He also 
 collected all the materials. He lived to see an experimental 
 proof of the first printed sheet, and then was suddenly snatched 
 away ! Our great naval hero, Nelson, after he had received 
 his fatal wound at the battle of Trafalgar, had his dying body 
 
 *If I wished to shew by one word how full of meanin<|' Icelandic is in 
 comparison with Norman-French, I would cite the word " Lainlnamaii- 
 l-i)k," the title of the National Record of Iceland, and " Duomsdaij-lioDk," 
 the National Record of the Norman Conqueror. Uoomsday-Bootc (domus 
 dei) gives no clue, however distant ; whilst Landnamanboi< is calling a 
 spade a spade.
 
 211 
 
 raised up on deck tosee the Union Jack float on French masts, 
 and hear the shouts of British tars for a glorious victor}'. So 
 Richard Cleasby died with the literary trophies of his great 
 victory surrounding his death bed. These heaps of manuscript, 
 partially assorted, partially digested, were doomed to lie for 
 some time untouched, and when at length they were gathered 
 together with a view to publication, they were unfortunately 
 entrusted to incompetent hands in Copenhagen. The scribes 
 here indicated, instead of putting the materials in due form and 
 sequence, only garbled and confused them, till at length a 
 philologist was found in M. Vigfusson, competent, and willing 
 as he was competent, to complete the work. Then came the 
 task and risk of printing the publication. Dr. Dasent, who 
 writes the introduction to fhe Dictionary, induced the delegates 
 of the University Press, Oxford, to undertake the printing and 
 publication ; and in this enterprise the University is properly 
 declared to have " fostered a work which is alike honourable 
 to Oxford and to England." Without Richard Cleasby the 
 collection would never have been undertaken or accomplished ; 
 without M. Vigfusson the materials might never have been set 
 in order ; and without the Oxford Press, or the pecuniary re- 
 sources of some other learned and liberal body, this invaluable 
 contribution to the science of language would never have been 
 made. The Dictionary is already hailed by scholars as " the 
 greatest help to Teutonic Philology which the world has seen 
 m this generation." And its value is confessedly enhanced by 
 being rendered into the English language ; not altogether be- 
 cause, as Dr. Dasent says, English has " a natural and 
 spiritual affinity with the Icelandic," but because, as we many 
 of us believe, the English tongue — 
 
 The well of Eing-lish undefiled, 
 
 has a higher future destiny than any other living language, 
 namely to overspread and subjugate both the old and new 
 world.
 
 212 
 
 And so, in conclusion, let me hope that in giving this brief 
 account of the life and labours of Richard Cleasby, I have 
 thrown over our native Westmorland an additional halo of 
 glory. 
 
 Wellfield, Muswell Hill, 
 
 September 25, 1874.
 
 WORDSWORTH AND COLERIDGE: 
 
 TWO PARALLEL SKETCHES. 
 
 A Lecture delivered at Ambleside, June, iS86. 
 
 " Alike, but Oh ! how Different." 
 
 If any two English writers of eminence may run in paral- 
 lelism, it is Wordsworth and Coleridge ; because, like the 
 parallel lives of Plutarch, they are both similar and dissimilar 
 — offering innumerable comparisons and resemblances. In 
 one respect only are they alike. They are both Titans. Each 
 in his walk attained to the highest place in the age in which 
 they lived.
 
 (214) 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Wordswortli, like the child Moses, was cradled by the edge 
 of a noted river. The first music that reached his opening 
 ear, was the babbling voice of the Derwent, by Cockermouth, 
 and after death, his mortal remains were laid in Grasmere 
 churchyard, where one of the streams from which he drew his 
 inspiration, daily and nightly sings his requiem. Fit birth- 
 place and fit burial. 
 
 Keep fresh the grass upon his grave. 
 Oh, Rotha ! with thy living wave. 
 
 Matthew Arnold. 
 
 The preliminary education of Wordsworth, from a small boy 
 up to his entrance at St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1787, 
 was obtained at the Free Grammar School of Hawkshead. 
 This was one of numerous classical schools, founded in the 
 era of Free-School Foundations, in the reign of Elizabeth. 
 Hawkshead had secured the bounty of a native, Archbishop 
 Sandys, one of Elizabeth's most learned prelates. These 
 schools, in the northern counties in particular, turned out 
 several famous churchmen, such as Bernard Gilpin, Wonderful 
 Walker, Bishop Gibson, the famous antiquary, and others ; but 
 the greatest title of honour to Hawkshead is in the budding 
 intellect of Wordsworth. There is, as far as I can find, only 
 one incident of his schooldaj-s of sufficient importance to 
 chronicle, that is his discovery, when at school, of a packman, 
 the original of "The Wanderer," and "The Pedlar," who 
 occupies so large a space in The Excursion. This packman, 
 says Wordsworth : —
 
 215 
 
 Singled out me, as he in sport would say, 
 
 For my grave looks, too thoughtful for my years. 
 
 And so the packman and the youthful poet became both com- 
 panions and friends, and the poet afterwards confessed that in 
 this old man's discourse he found : — 
 
 The vision and the faculty divine.* 
 
 After he left Cambridge, without having taken honours (at 
 which we cannot wonder), he with his devoted companion 
 sister, repaired to Somerset, in 1797, and settled down in a 
 house called Alfoxden. Coleridge, recently married, was then 
 residing at Nether Stoivey, within three miles of AJJoxden, and 
 was doubtless the magnet that drew Wordsworth to the spot. 
 Southey also was in that neighbourhood ; and so the three 
 aspirants foregathered for a time, and braced each others' 
 mental nerves, as iron sharpeneth iron. Wordsworth, together 
 with his two literary associates, sympathised, at its outbreak, 
 with the French Revolution, an event which raised in many 
 youthful ardent spirits, visions of hope, that were soon doomed 
 to disappointment. But it has to be observed, that two 
 distinctly different features presented themselves at that revo- 
 lutionary epoch. The political tempest was accompanied by a 
 powerful impetus then given to national instruction.! A bright 
 star appeared in the darkness of the da3's of terror; the light 
 of the dawn of intellectual culture. This, it may be easily 
 supposed, would stimulate the instincts of our three budding 
 poets, altogether apart from politics. At any rate, Wordsworth 
 soon after publicly denounced the revolutionists and their 
 principles. Nor did he unite with his friends — Coleridge and 
 
 * I he name of this prototype of " The Wanderer" was James Patrick, 
 who died at Kendal, and was buried in the Unitarian Chapel Yard, in the 
 Market Place. 
 
 t 1 he Frciicli liishliilc, which governs public instruction in France, 
 received new life at that epoch. " The sun beamed on 100,000 enthusiasts, 
 who all believed in the dawn of the Golden Age." — Mrtternich.
 
 2l6 
 
 Southey — in that wildest of wild dreams, the Republican 
 Pantisocracy. He turned away from such theories to a totally 
 different class of thoughts, the simple beauties of nature, the 
 all engrossing influence of natural objects, and the fascinations 
 of childhood. The three short poems, Alice Fell, Lucy Gray, 
 and Barbara Leii'thivaite, were among the earliest products of 
 his lyrical muse. These, and such as these, were designed as 
 the type and earnest of that new revolution in poetry, of which 
 Wordsworth was afterwards regarded as the great Apostle. 
 His first appearance in print was in 1798, in conjunction with 
 Coleridge, who contributed to the volume of " Lyrical Ballads,' 
 that weird poem, The Ancient Mariner, and three or four fugitive 
 pieces. The publication, in the hands of Amos Cottle, of 
 Bristol, was a failure. It was mercilessly attacked and con- 
 demned by the critics, for what was termed its puerilities. 
 But the whirligig of time brought its revenge. The critics 
 misapprehended the design of a new theory of poesj', that was 
 eventually to displace the romantic fictions, " the weeping 
 swains and funeral urns," of the i8th century bards. When 
 a second edition of the " Lyrical Ballads " was called for, 
 Wordsworth wrote a prose preface, for the purpose of enlight- 
 ening the critics and the reading public. He explained that 
 " the object of these Poems was to choose incidents and 
 situations frcm common life, and describe them in language 
 really used by men : whereby ordinary things should be presented 
 to the mind ; and to make these incidents interesting by 
 elucidating the primary laws of our nature. Humble and 
 rustic is chosen, because in that condition the passions of men 
 are there incorporated with the permanent forms of nature." 
 Humanity and nature were to go hand in hand. Add to these 
 reasons, for what the critics unconsciously called the puerilities 
 of his verses, another reason, not included in Wordsworth's 
 Apologia, namely, the images and incidents drawn from child- 
 hood, with which Wordsworth's poetry abounds more than 
 that of any other poet. How completely Wordsworth is the 
 interpreter of a child's feelings and language ; how well he
 
 217 
 
 understood human nature is shown by the poem entitled " Lucy 
 Gray." A recent expositor says the poet has seized this 
 incident of real life, and reproduced its details with the touch 
 of genius. He discovered, as no one before him had done, the 
 element of reason in childhood, and invested it with a spiritual 
 ethereal essence. Sydney Smith once said, " I cannot see 
 what there is in Wordsworth," when Miss Fenwick (a lady we 
 all knew) was present, she shut Sydney up by her answer, 
 " There are some things which must be spiritually discerned." 
 ^Vordsworth found in a child, as he himself says. 
 
 The sweetest thing that ever grew beside a human door. 
 
 He discovered there the germ of humanity, the thoughts and 
 aspirations of a future maturer life — found that 
 
 The child is father of the man. 
 
 I take leave to ask if there is anything in English verse so 
 beautiful, or anything either in prose or poetry, so natural and 
 touching as the persistent logic of the child in " We are Seven " ? 
 The interrogator asks the child : — 
 
 " Sisters and brothers, little maid. 
 How many may you be ? " 
 Then did the little girl reply — 
 " Seven boys and girls are we ; 
 Two of us in the churchyard lie. 
 Beneath the churchyard tree." 
 
 But if, said the interrogator, two are in the churchyard laid, 
 then ye are only five ? The little maid takes no heed of his 
 renumeration, he was at fault in his reckoning, so she pro- 
 ceeds : — 
 
 "Jane was in the churchyard laid, 
 
 Thro' all the summer dry, 
 
 Together round her grave we played — 
 
 My brother John and I. 
 
 And when the ground was white with snow, 
 
 And I could run and slide.
 
 2l8 
 
 My brother John was forced to go ! 
 And he lies by her side." 
 
 Forced to go by some unseen, unknown power ! 
 
 But if they two are in heaven, then how many are you ? 
 Answer : " Oh ! Master, we are seven." 
 
 No specious arithmetic could persuade the child that they 
 were not seven. That was " the measured number " she had 
 been taught, and dead or alive they were still seven. Her 
 faith was in the continuity of life. What should she know of 
 death ? 
 
 The poem, then, demands consideration for other reasons 
 than those of its own simple beauties. It appears that the 
 poet is here tracing the processes of thought that occupied his 
 own mind in early childhood. When he goes back in recol- 
 lections, and examines the history of his mind psychologically, 
 he finds that there was nothing more difficult to him in child- 
 hood than to admit the notion of death as a state applicable 
 to his being. He was often unable to think of external 
 existence, he says, and communed with all he saw, as some- 
 thing inherent in immaterial nature. So, this untaught 
 philosophy of the little maid, in ]Ve are seven, is an induction 
 from the poet's early mental experience. It is embodied in the 
 line which everybody has at his tongue's end — " the child is 
 father oj the man."' This feature of Wordsworthian verse is so 
 prominent, it might be called his Scripture. It pervades that 
 fine philosophical poem — his masterpiece — (no longer milk for 
 babes) The Ode on hnuwrtality : 
 
 The children are culling; on every side. 
 In a thousand valleys, far and wide. 
 Fresh flowers, &c. 
 
 Charles Lamb thus endorses this sentiment : — '• The solitude 
 of childhood is the mother of thought." De Quincey has also 
 given his testimony to these reflections. He says : " What- 
 soever, in a man's mind, blossoms and expands to his own 
 consciousness in mature life, must have pre-existed in germ
 
 219 
 
 during his infancy. I, the child, had the feelings ; I, the man , 
 decipher them." The discovery of this new "continent of 
 childhood " was not present to Wordsworth's early critics. 
 It was a sealed book to them. 
 
 I have incidentally alluded to the Ode on Immortality, which 
 requires further elucidation. It has generally been regarded 
 and called Platonic, as indicating the doctrine of pre-existence 
 — the doctrine of Plato. These three lines, it was thought, 
 suggest that opinion : — 
 
 The soul that rises with us, our life's star, 
 Hath had elsewhere its setting, 
 And Cometh from afar. 
 
 But surely \\'ordsworth ought to be his own interpreter. He 
 said, in discussion : " I protest against the conclusion that I 
 sought to inculcate such a belief (as an article of faith). I, 
 nevertheless, took hold of the notion of pre-existence, as having 
 sufficient foundation (in classical literature) — sufficient founda- 
 tion to authorise me to make the best use of it I could, as a 
 poet." So, the pre-existence of life, and its continuity, are 
 idealisms, where the attributes of time and space are inapplic- 
 able. This is the justification, by Wordsworth himself, of his 
 so-called Platonism. 
 
 But the system which distinguished Wordsworth from 
 preceding poets (who taught phantasies merely), consists in 
 harmonising the mind of man with the external world, or, as 
 is said in one of his verses, wedding the intellect to the 
 Universe ! Such was his high argument. It wants no other 
 definition. What, on the other hand, distinguishes Wordsworth 
 from his cotemporary poets is sentiment, and the moral elevation 
 of his verse. Aspirations higher and nobler than Byron and 
 Shelley could conceive. He ever found, in his researches, 
 " something that is ours ; " whilst the poets of passion over- 
 looked or slighted all the lessons from natural objects. In a 
 word, he substituted what is rational for that which was purely 
 imaginative, and what is ennobling for that which is merely
 
 220 
 
 exciting. Dr. Johnson said of Milton, that he perplexed his 
 poetry with his philosophy. Wordsworth, on the contrary, 
 illustrates his philosophy with his poetry. 
 
 It has been frequently said, with some truth, that Words- 
 worth's fame suffers from his having written too much, and 
 that his magnum opus — " The Excursion " is too long. The 
 same complaint was made of Milton. Whoever, it has been 
 asked, read through, from end to end, Paradise Lost ? Again, 
 whoever mastered the whole of The Excursion ? These criti- 
 cisms seem to imply that the general reader's capacity for 
 judgment is superior to the judgment of Milton and Words- 
 worth, who set themselves tasks which they scorned to leave 
 incomplete. Don't forget that there is no conventional standard 
 of excellence ! Milton's versification is best appreciated in 
 his II Penseroso and L' Allegro. Wordsworth's verse is best 
 appreciated in his Lyrical Poems, and in his famous Ode ; 
 because, in these cases, the pieces indicated have taken hold 
 of the popular imagination, and what does not seize and 
 subjugate the minds of numbers, is not called popular. But 
 popularity in the mass may not be the measure of true merit 
 in poetry. The afflatus of poetic genius may soar above the 
 common understanding, and above any test by others of its 
 true value. This explains the limited acceptance of Words- 
 worth in the early part of this century. He was then more 
 talked about than read. He is now making conquests year by 
 year. A poet may fail to get cotemporary popularity, and win 
 enduring fame ; and vice versa. Martin Tupper's Proverbial 
 Philosophy was the most popular book of its day ; and it is 
 already a dead letter. Wordsworth's disciples are those who 
 are best acquainted with his writings. I have often heard 
 Wordsworth depreciated, when I invariably found that the 
 objector knew little or nothing of his writings. This ignorance 
 does not so much prevail at the present time. The public are 
 now calling for new editions of his works. His popularity is 
 on the increase. Another thing is also on the increase 
 simultaneously, namely, his imit£\tors, The poetry now issued
 
 221 
 
 in the periodical magazines and reviews abounds with Words- 
 worthian thoughts and images. And this is occurring in an 
 age of unexampled utilitarianism. His fame has broadened 
 and grown ever since his death. " He ceased to die in dying." 
 It must not be forgotten, in tracing the growing progress of 
 Wordsworth's fame, that as he had formulated a distinctly new 
 phase of poesy, he had to create a taste for it, and wean the 
 public mind from the sensational pabulum on which it had been 
 feeding for the past century. He had to disabuse the general 
 reader of his preference for romantic visions, and teach him 
 instead a lesson of real life. He had to transform airy nothings 
 into living realities. He had to educate his cotemporaries in 
 a new book, the book of nature, which he himself had so care- 
 fully studied, beginning with his earliest thoughts. When his 
 school-fellows at Hawkshead rushed to the football, he, leaving 
 his Virgil at the school, sauntered to the banks of Esthwaite 
 Water, to con a more congenial volume. So, in after life, when 
 he came again to the Lake District, " to live beneath its more 
 habitual sway," the mountains, the vales, and valley streams 
 were his library, including the library's inner contents — animal 
 and vegetable organisms. He talked familiarly with Lough- 
 rigg Fell, and communed in spirit with the " meanest flower 
 that blows." No passing cloud, no falling leaf, no insect or 
 germ of life, however small, escaped his observation, which 
 was microscopic. Contemplation was his normal state of being. 
 Thus it was that he reaped the Harvest of a Quiet Eye. No 
 other poet, it is certain, ever dedicated all the hours of sunlight 
 to such a course of study, with such ardour, and to such 
 fruitful results. 
 
 Still nature, ever just, to him imparts 
 Joys only given to uncorrupted hearts. 
 
 This "joy of the earth " occupied Wordsworth's mind with all 
 its imagery, but he nevertheless did not convert it into an idol, as 
 persons have supposed. He did not set up his Christian Altar 
 in the landscape. He did not see his God in it but through it. 
 
 ». **^^'^rf"'*^"' T!
 
 222 
 
 He was neither Materialist nor Agnostic — far from both ! His 
 reverence for God's works was dominated by reverence for 
 God's word. This is proved, if proof were wanting, by a 
 beautiful hymn on Justification through Christ, of which I 
 need only quote one verse : — 
 
 Thou art true, incarnate Lord! 
 
 Who didst vouchsafe for man to die : 
 Thy smile is sure, Thy plighted word 
 
 No change can falsify. 
 
 There is much to be said for Wordsworth's morality, as well 
 
 as his true piety. Dean Stanley illustrated the blessedness of 
 
 the pure in heart by the writings of Wordsworth ; and many 
 
 present in this assembly can testify that his life was in perfect 
 
 accordance with his writings. There was not in his thoughts, 
 
 and there is not to be found in his works, a single line marked 
 
 with impurity. Not a line, " which dying he need wish to 
 
 blot." The even tenor of his life was passed in a quiet home, 
 
 surrounded by a deeply-attached family of wife, sister, two 
 
 sons, and one surviving daughter. The sister sympathised 
 
 with him in his love of natural scenery and taste in poetry. 
 
 Many passages from her diary have been published, which 
 
 shew how powerfully she was impressed, and how beautifully 
 
 she could paint in words. The family circle were all alike 
 
 frugal in their habits, and all alike exempt from the grosser 
 
 indulgences. So, contentment and happiness pervaded the 
 
 domestic establishment, as where moderation dwells. It was 
 
 essentially 
 
 Plain living and high thinking. 
 
 It is quite an open question as to the exact place which 
 Wordsworth holds in the rank of English poets. Some excel- 
 lent judges of poetry, (Justice Coleridge for an instance), place 
 him next after Shakespeare. Others, Matthew Arnold, I 
 believe, holds him next after Shakespeare and Milton. It is 
 not very material, however, so long as everj'one acknowledges 
 him entitled to a niche on the very summit of fame's proucj
 
 223 
 
 temple. This summit he has reached in a century which is 
 distinguished above all its predecessors, by an excess of 
 readers, an excess of writers, and greatly enlarged views of the 
 products of intellect. 
 
 Wordsworth as a sonneteer has no compeer. Dr. Johnson 
 remarked, of the fabric of a sonnet, that it never succeeded in 
 the English language. But if Johnson had survived Words- 
 worth, he would have had to alter his judgment. 
 
 There is an acknowledged test of the popularity of writers 
 which places Shakespeare above all others, and about which 
 there cannot be two opinions. I mean the test of the prevalence 
 of household words and phrases, which drop from every tongue 
 and appear on every page. Universal is the use of these 
 phrases, and one-tenth of the persons who quote them are 
 ignorant from whence they come. This same test may prove the 
 popularity of Wordsworth. I have repeatedly heard such 
 quotations as 
 
 That lie may get who has the power, &c. 
 
 used by men who never read the poem entitled Rob Roy's Grave, 
 or, perhaps, any single poem of Wordsworth's. And I heard 
 the other day a noted preacher, in one of the most fashionable 
 churches in London, make use of an exceedingly fine passage 
 from Wordsworth, which he introduced '• as the poet says." 
 Now, he must have borrowed it second-hand, as I detected 
 three verbal errors in that one quotation ! The following par- 
 tial selection of familiar lines will be recognised as currency 
 that now circulates almost as freely as the current coin of the 
 realm. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD WORDS AND PHRASES. 
 
 The child is father of the inan. 
 
 That he should get who has the power, 
 And he should keep who can. 
 
 The river glideth at its own sweet will. 
 
 Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.
 
 224 
 
 A primrose by a river's brim, 
 
 A yellow primrose was to him. 
 
 And it was nothing more. 
 
 Lil<e as a star, when only one 
 Is shining in the sky. 
 
 A perfect woman, nobly planned, 
 To warn, to comfort, and command. 
 
 Nature never did betray the heart that loved her. 
 
 A violet, by a mossy stone. 
 
 Half hidden from the eye, 
 Like as a star, when only one 
 
 Is shining in the sky. 
 
 His soul was like a star, and dwelt apart. 
 
 (Of Milton). 
 
 My heart leaps up when I behold 
 
 A rainbow in the sky. 
 
 Oh I joy that in oiir embers 
 Is something that doth live. 
 
 Great men have been amongst us, 
 Hearts that penned, and tongues that uttered wisdom. 
 
 Verse can build a princely throne 
 On humble truth. 
 
 A very shower 
 Of beauty is thy earthly dower. 
 
 Not an inch of his body is free from delight. 
 
 Our peace is of the immortal soul. 
 Our anguish is of clay. 
 
 The winds come to me from their fields of sleep. 
 The pansy at my feet doth the same tale repeat. 
 
 Small service is true service while it lasts. 
 For all things are less dreadful than they seem. 
 
 Getting and spending we lay waste our powers. 
 Little we find in nature that is ours. 
 
 How many are the poets that are sown by nature.
 
 225 
 
 ANECDOTES. 
 
 Many anecdotes, relating to Wordsworth linger in the Lake 
 District, as may naturally be supposed, and many of them 
 require, for their true emphasis, to be told in the Westmorland 
 dialect. The following may be taken as a fair specimen. 
 When Mr. Quilinan, who visited Rydal Mount as a passionate 
 admirer of Wordsworth's poetry, fell in love with the one sur- 
 viving daughter, Dora, he had a mind to find out, if he could, 
 how the poet was held in esteem among the neighbouring 
 peasantry. Sauntering down the Mount, into the little hamlet 
 of Rydal, he accosted a woman standing against the door-post 
 of her cottage, and prefaced his pre-determined enquiry by the 
 Englishman's usual colloquy on the state of the weather. Did 
 she think it was going to be a fine day ? " Nay, I kna'nt I'es 
 sure. Fairfield, ye see, hesn't doft his neet cap, that doesn't 
 promise much." " I suppose you know Mr. Wordsworth ? " 
 " What ! why everybody knaws aid Wodsworth." " And what 
 do you people think of him ? " Think ! we're often puzzled 
 what to think about him. He gaes trailen aboot t'roads, talken 
 ta hissel, poor fella, sometimes wi his hat on, and sometimes 
 wi his hat off, i' pelting rain ; but mappen, if you nobbit knew it, 
 he may have as mickle sense as either ye or me ! " This was 
 not the kind of estimate which Quilinan was seeking, but he 
 did not carry the enquiry further at that time. Eventually, he 
 married the daughter, Dora, nothwithstanding the neighbour's 
 doubt about her father's mental weakness !
 
 (226) 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, " the rapt one of the God-like fore- 
 head," as Wordsworth pourtrayed him, is universally esteemed 
 the most powerful thinker of his day. He, at least, drank 
 deep of the Pierian spring. In other nations and other lan- 
 guages, Plato and Comte, Spinoza and Goethe had gone far 
 beyond the reach of ordinary mortals into metaphysical and 
 physcological investigations ; but in England and in English, 
 Coleridge alone furnished an intellect capable of unlocking 
 and unfolding all the mystical knowledge known as transcen- 
 dental philosophy. 
 
 Of Providence, fore-knowledge, absolute will and fate. 
 
 In all the ranges of history, bibliography, mental and moral 
 philosophy, theology, theocracy, supernaturalism, books, or 
 man — no subject came amiss to him, if it was only sufficiently 
 recondite. He stands head and shoulders above every other 
 English metaphysician or dialectician. 
 
 He was born at Ottery St. Mary, in Devonshire, in the year 
 1773, and died at Highgate, near London, in 1834, his span of 
 life being therefore 61 years. From the age of a schoolboy he 
 was virtually an orphan, having been divorced from his parents 
 in Devonshire, and placed at Christ's Hospital, London. 
 Charles Lamb was one of his school-fellows — par nobilefratrum. 
 The master of Christ's School, at that time, was one Bowyer 
 — no great scholar, but very good at flogging, when flaggellation 
 was thought to be a necessary adjunct of elementary education. 
 One day Bowyer found the boy Coleridge reading Voltaire's 
 Philosophy, instead of his appointed task, and clutching hold 
 of the book he said, suiting the action to the word, " So, sirrah I
 
 227 
 
 you are an infidel are you ? then I'll flog the infidelity out of 
 you." The master died while Coleridge and Lamb were still 
 at Christ's School, which was to them matter of rejoicing, 
 when they said, " It was well that the cherubs who were 
 carrying him to bliss had no tangible bodies, else he would have 
 flogged them all the way to heaven's gate. 
 
 From Christ's School, in London, he removed to Jesus 
 College, Cambridge, where he neither gained degrees nor 
 academical honours. No doubt can be entertained of his ability 
 to have done so, if he had pursued the trodden path ; but he 
 spent his hours at College, as his after hours, in physcological 
 investigations, despising the curriculum, as he despised all 
 stated and methodical rules. He left Cambridge for a time, 
 under circumstances which have never been explained. We 
 find him, after a blank interval, an outcast or waif, in the 
 streets of London, an almost exactly parallel case to that of 
 De Quincey. In this abandoned strait, he did the strangest 
 thing imaginable for such a character — he took the recruiting 
 sergeant's shilling, and enlisted as a cavalry soldier, in the 
 15th Light Dragoons. To conceal his identity, he invented the 
 name of Cumberback, no very inapt designation, if it was 
 intended to describe how he would "cumber " the back of a 
 horse I So, by the name of Cumberback he was known to the 
 regiment, officers and privates. It is needless to say that he 
 never got beyond the awkward squad, although he remained 
 under drill between three and four months. One morning, the 
 inspecting officer entered the stable, and, looking round, 
 observed some Latin verses, from Boetius, in pencil on the 
 white-washed wall. Addressing one of the rank and file, he 
 asked, "Who wrote those lines under that saddle-tree?" 
 " Cumberback, your honour 1 " This led, naturally, to an en- 
 quiry of the antecedents of the classical recruit ; and the 
 discharge very soon followed of a cavalry soldier who could 
 neither clean his horse nor ride it. 
 
 After this strange episode, Coleridge, like a hunted hare — 
 which always comes round to its seat — made his way again to
 
 228 
 
 his native Devonshire, and the neighbouring Somerset. Southey 
 and he were already acquainted. Wordsworth joined them, it 
 seems, by the freemasonry of genius, all three just then begin- 
 ning to 
 
 Climb the steep where fame's proud temple shines afar. 
 
 They were in perfect sympathy in politics ; in sympathy, also 
 on the lines of poetry : a bond of union in both ; with a 
 Republic of Letters, in embryo. 
 
 Coleridge was then (1796) residing in a small " elusive " 
 cottage at Nether Stowey, " writing verses (as he says) for a 
 London morning paper ; " and Wordsworth settled, for a short 
 time, with his sister, in a house at Alfoxdcn, about three miles 
 distant. Here the Muse and the Quantock Hills seized both 
 their hearts. Here they walked together and communed 
 together daily. From the summit of the Quantocks they got a 
 view of the Bristol Channel, mingling its silvery Maters with the 
 sky line beyond the intervening copse and meadows. In one 
 of these walks, that weird story of The Ancient Mariner, struck 
 the ever-active imagination of Coleridge, and was thoroughly 
 discussed by the two young poets. It was agreed that when 
 the poem was finished a joint publication should be launched, 
 to be entitled The Lyrical Ballads. It was published by Amos 
 Cottle, of Bristol. A luckless venture it was, and proves how 
 deceitful are the first efforts even of truly inspired poets. 
 Mainly, perhaps, on account of this abortive publication, 
 Coleridge misjudged his powers as a poet, and declared that 
 he must abandon the Muse to Wordsworth. " I am reserved 
 (he said) for other work than making verse." And so after- 
 wards he took other work in hand ; but the critics, in a con- 
 sensus of opinion, have since declared that if Coleridge had 
 duly cultivated the art " of making verse," as he modestly 
 termed it, he would have ranked as the greatest poet of the 
 century. The truth is, he could not steadily adhere to any 
 settled course of word. A ship at sea is governed by two 
 powers, which balance each other — the fulcrum and a helm.
 
 229 
 
 Coleiidge's mind had a boundless fulcrum, but no helm, and 
 therefore no balance. All the resources of rhythm and lan- 
 guage were his, in the highest degree, and just when his lute 
 would awaken the harmonies of heaven, he relapsed into 
 inactivity. 
 
 In the year preceding the time we have been speaking of 
 (1795) Coleridge had been married, in St. Mary Redcliff Church, 
 Bristol, to a Miss Fricker, of Bristol ; Southey having already 
 married a sister of that lady. Lord Byron, too fond of 
 detraction, said that Southey and Coleridge married " two 
 milliners of Bath." They were neither of Bath, nor were they 
 milliners, and Byron might have known the truth, if he had 
 cared for it. This marital connection of Southey and Coleridge, 
 with mental sympathies, kept the two families linked together 
 in after life, till life closed. When the Lake District first 
 attracted them, they jointly occupied a residence called Greta 
 Hall, situated on the banks of the river Greta, at Keswick; 
 which residence became the abiding place of Southey, where 
 by indefatigable work, that has no parallel in literary pursuits, 
 he laboured and died. Coleridge did not continue long at 
 Keswick; but he occasionally visited Greta Hall, and he 
 resided for six months together with Wordsworth at Grasmere. 
 So he must, on some of these occasions, have visited Amble- 
 side and Kendal, for De Quincey heard him give the following 
 testimony to the literarj- character of the inhabitants of Kendal : 
 " No where," he said, " is there more elasticity and freshness 
 of mind exhibited, than in the conversation of reading men in 
 manufacturing towns, especially in Kendal, &c." In a certain 
 sense, therefore, he is connected with Kendal, where like his 
 gifted son. Hartley, years afterwards, he held converse with 
 the best educated company he could there find. His first 
 introduction to opium was, I apprehend, the Kendal Black 
 Drop, a preparation of opium, the secret recipe of which was 
 confined to a family, of the name of Braithwaite, who carried 
 on its manufacture and sale in Kendal, for two or three genera- 
 tions. There can be no doubt that Coleridge found this
 
 23© 
 
 anodyne on one of his visits to Kendal, when there was no 
 license required for the sale of opium. 
 
 When the works of Coleridge and Wordsworth are analysed 
 and duly estimated, it is clear that the two writers need never 
 have been afraid of rivalry or collision. Inherently, there was 
 as much difference in their temperaments, and their faculties, 
 as is the difference between the objective and subjective. 
 " They painted different worlds." Wordsworth's impulses 
 were all external : Coleridge's all internal. A single verse will 
 give the character of Wordsworth's prevailing sentiment : — 
 
 One impulse from a vernal grove 
 
 Will teach you more of man, 
 Of moral evil and of good 
 
 Than all the sages can. 
 
 This sentiment is not intended to controvert Pope's maxim, 
 "that the proper study of mankind is man;" but may be 
 intended, as I conceive, rather to endorse and enforce Lord 
 Bacon's lesson, that there is " no occupation of man more 
 ennobling than the cultivation of a garden," human labour 
 stimulating the fruits of the earth. 
 
 Coleridge's meditations and sympathies were with the varying 
 forms of the human emotions. He dealt almost exclusively 
 with the mind. If Wordsworth was chiefly naturalistic, 
 Coleridge was distinctly spiritualistic. When his vision was 
 not introspective, it was soaring aloft, like the eagle un- 
 dimmed by the blaze of the fiercest sun-light. He was 
 always projecting, both in poetry and prose, no matter how 
 visionary the scheme. It was he who conceived the new 
 Republic to be called a Pantisocracy, a project wilder far than 
 Sir Thomas More's Utopia, and which even the sober-minded 
 Southey was induced to join in. " Call me not Democrat, or 
 Aristocrat, call me Pantisocrat ! " This Pantisocracy was to be 
 located in the backwoods of America, by the banks of a stream, 
 designated by the captivating name of Susquehanna. Indeed, 
 the ^oti\c ndime, Susquehanna, was its chief attraction, because 
 the word, somehow or other — a sober mirid cannot imagine
 
 231 
 
 how — bespoke to the enthusiasts the home of a happy com- 
 munity. This fact reminds me of one of Dean Ramsay's 
 stories. A Scotch dame, the Dean says, had been much 
 impressed, on the Sunday previous, with the minister's sermon ; 
 and when her neighbour enquired of the dame what was the 
 peculiar merit of the sermon, she replied, " Oh ! the meerit of 
 the meenister's sermon was Mesopotamia ! Mesopotamia," she 
 said, " was such a bonnie word ! " So, said our Utopians, was 
 the name Susquehanna ! a promising name ! 
 
 Coleridge's personal features were as striking as the faculties 
 of his mind. Hazlitt thus describes them : — " His forehead 
 was broad and high, and light as if built of ivory, with large 
 projecting eyebrows, and his eyes rolled beneath them like a 
 sea, with darkened lustre." A fine subject it would have been 
 for Spurzheim or Lavator. 
 
 He had two children, out of four, who directly inherited their 
 father's mental gifts. Hartley, the eldest son, exemplified the 
 Latin maxim: Poeta nacitur nonfit. Indeed, he was both poet, 
 born such, and classic. De Quincey said that Hartley Coleridge, 
 at twelve years of age, was the best Greek scholar in England. 
 Hartlej' always carried a small edition of Homer in his trou- 
 sers pockets, and was always reading it as he walked these 
 lanes. He and his brother Derwent had their classic training 
 at a school here in Ambleside, under " Parson Dawes,'' on a 
 spot of ground which, 1700 years ago, formed part of the 
 Roman station. 
 
 The daughter, Sara Coleridge, inherited, not the Muse of 
 her father, but his great grasp of thought, as a metaphysician. 
 Her letters and memoirs are among the most intellectual 
 achievements of her sex, in all the range of English Literature 
 and Philosophy. It was said of her " that her father had 
 looked down into her eyes, and left there the light of his own." 
 
 Coleridge's first habitation, after his marriage, was in a cot- 
 tage, at Clevedon, near Weston-super-Mare. I once made a 
 pilgrimage to that cottage, the memory of which abides with 
 me still, and will abide. I wandered over its five small rooms,
 
 232 
 
 as in homage to a sacred shrine, feehng that I ought to have 
 doffed the shoes from off my feet, for the place seemed holy. 
 
 Coleridge was wholly deficient in what is called the wisdom 
 of this world, the care of money. He could neither work for 
 gain, nor husband such scant resources as came to him without 
 work. Hut in this peculiarity he wash}' no means exceptional. 
 Penury seems closely associated with genius. Almost all the 
 great artists and thinkers of the world dwelt placidly with 
 poverty. Let me give a few examples Coleridge himself, was 
 dependent first on Mr. Poole, and afterwards on the Wedge- 
 woods. Chatterton, " the marvellous boy," as every one knows, 
 died of starvation, in a garret. Keats broke his young heart, in 
 utter oblivion. Goldsmith spent years of his life in a debtor's 
 gaol. Soiithcy had not money enough to pay his wedding fees 
 at the church (what a satire on the words, " with all my 
 worldly goods I thee endow.") Butler, author of Hudibras, 
 left behind him a sum that was not enough to purchase him a 
 ■shroud. De Quincey, while he lived at Grasmere, was twice 
 under writs of Fieri Facias. Hartley Coleridge's material sus- 
 tenance came to him like manna to the Israelites. He received 
 periodical remittances by post, without certainly knowing 
 whence they came. Claude Loraiue's life was steeped in 
 poverty. Homer literally went begging in the streets. Kant, 
 the patriarch of German metaphysicians, had to borrow the 
 coat of a friend whilst his own upper garments was sent to the 
 tailor to be mended. Erasmus was reduced to reading by 
 moonlight, being unable to procure a reading lamp. And last, 
 but not least, our own immortal Shakespeare, " the thousand- 
 minded Shakespeare," subsisted for some time on the coppers 
 that were flung to him, for holding gentlemen's horses, at the 
 door of the Globe Theatre, in Southwark. So, it is seen, that 
 genius is not born or bred of opulence. On the contrary, the 
 afflatus of highly-endowed minds seems to be fostered with 
 crumbs. 
 
 With regard to the products of Coleridge's intellect, only 
 deep regret can be felt that they should be so few. He was
 
 233 
 
 always cogitating without producting, always planning without 
 completing, " The plant was perennial, but the flowers were 
 few." Every resolution culminated in irresolution, and nothing 
 is but what is not. Christabel is, by some, considered his 
 greatest poem. And if it had been finished — there were three 
 parts yet to come, he said — finished, as the author originally 
 designed, he would have realised what Swinburne predicted, 
 namely, that for height and perfection of imaginative qualities, 
 he is the greatest of lyric poets. The power of imagination 
 was his highest power and his highest praise. " No English 
 author," said Sir Walter Scott, " was equal to Coleridge for 
 management of the supernatural ! " As to management, ordin- 
 arily, the total z»:'rt«^ of management was Coleridge's grand de- 
 fect. He was tried as an editor (of the Moriiini^ Post) and failed 
 in that. Was tried as a preacher. Was tried as a lecturer — 
 think of this, the finest lecturer England has ever known, — 
 failing! His analyses of Shakespeare's characters have 
 never been exceeded ; still he failed — failed for want of man- 
 agem.ent ; — for want of that commonest of possessions, order 
 , and arrangement, which inferior minds acquire so easily.''- He 
 had, in a word, every sense but common sense, and uncommon 
 sense in an uncommon degree. His head was brim full of 
 knowledge ; eventually he acquired a wise heart, and wisdom 
 of the heart is worth all other wisdom. 
 
 The most wonderful faculty of Coleridge was his faculty of 
 extempore speech. He talked in monologues, for sometimes 
 two hours together, to the most eager listeners ; and no listener 
 ever wished that his discourse should come to an end. He 
 had their ears tied to his tongue. Such a feast of words it 
 was, as Atheneus only could have bodied forth. The stream 
 of logic would flow on like a river, broad and deep, with 
 sustained and consistent vigour. The thread of his verbosity 
 never strayed from the web of his argument. One thought 
 
 * Ur. Dibdin says he walked through sleet and snow to hear one. of these 
 lectures on Shakespeare, but Coleridge never appeared that night.
 
 234 
 
 originated another, with true relevancy. Then, the tones of 
 Coleridge's voice were soft and silvery, " musical as is Apollo's 
 lyre ; " so that you hardly knew which to admire most, the 
 profundity of thought, the amount of erudition, the felicity of 
 illustration, or the speaker's perfect elocution. Well might 
 John Stuart Mill say, " Coleridge's silken thread of reasoning 
 was sometimes broken, but it was for the sake of interpolating a 
 fillet of pure gold." Further, it should be observed, he was not 
 talking for effect, nay, was quite indifferent about his listeners. 
 He talked as the nightingale sings, with spontaniety : talked, 
 as was said of Macaulay, because he could not help it. But 
 there was this difference between these two talkers : Macaulay 
 had " flashes of silence," Coleridge never paused. His mind 
 was so full, to overflowing, that it rushed on ceaselessly, like 
 the waters of a dam which had burst its barriers. His speech 
 never darkened counsel by words ; but as darkness may proceed 
 from excess of light, his luminous monologue would throw a 
 film across the mind of his auditor, by the dazzling corrusca- 
 tions of his eloquence. So it was not to be wondered at that 
 Coleridge was always denominated the " old man eloquent." 
 He, on one occasion, asked Charles Lamb, " have you ever 
 heard me preach ? " to which Lamb answered " I never heard 
 you do anything else." 
 
 Let me now refer to Coleridge's views on religion, and his 
 undoubted piety, when the sun of life was setting. In early 
 life he was for some time in a haze, about the true religion. 
 But, in good time, he proved the truth of one of Bacon's 
 maxims, that " depth in philosophy sometimes bringeth men's 
 minds to religion." Calling for aid on a Higher Power, he 
 dispersed the mists that had intercepted the clear light of the 
 Gospel. He found Luther to be " the man whose grasp on 
 spiritual truths was firmest." These are his own words. 
 
 He had been, in early life, a preacher of Unitarianism. At 
 that time, it would seem, he had taken only a one-sided view 
 of christian doctrine. The vocation of a preacher would beget 
 an attentive study of the bible, and, when once he bent his
 
 235 
 
 powerful mind to that study, he came to see clearly, from 
 subjective evidence, that the canonical scriptures were divinely 
 true. He said that Christianity proves itself as the sun is seen 
 by its own light. " I know that the Bible is inspired, because 
 it finds me at greater depths of my being than any other book." 
 He satisfied himself that not merely did both the Old and New 
 Testament proceed from the direct authority of God, but that 
 Jesus Christ was the chief corner stone of the structure. His 
 views on inspiration require, to do them justice, to be stated in 
 his own words, and these are his words : " Revelations of facts 
 were made to the prophets; revelations of doctrines were as 
 undoubtedly made to John and Paul. Surely the heart and 
 soul of every christian give him sufficient assurance that, in 
 all that concern him, the words that he reads are spirit and 
 truth, and could only proceed from Him who made both heart 
 and soul." It was not, he afterwards said, that he had found 
 the true religion, but that the true religion had found him ; for 
 (he goes on) whatever _/i«rfs me bears witness of itself that it 
 has proceeded from the Holy Spirit. 
 
 When the shadows of evening gathered round " the old man 
 eloquent," his mind took a firm belief in redemption through 
 Christ. The last letter he ever wrote was addressed to a God- 
 son of his, in which he observes : " I offer up the same fervent 
 prayer for you now as I did, kneeling before the altar, when 
 you were baptized into Christ. I trust that the all-gracious 
 God has redeemed you from all evil, and willed you to be born 
 out of darkness into light ; out of death into life; out of sin 
 into righteousness — even into the Lord our righteousness ! 
 Oh ! my dear God-child, eminentl}' blessed are they who begin 
 early to seek, fear, and love their God, trusting wholly in the 
 righteousness and mediation of Jesus Christ their Lord." 
 
 I have been desirous of thus shewing how Coleridge's heart, 
 after some early fits of wavering, gradually centred and became 
 fixed on the true lode-star, the Lord of light and life because 
 the public have only a very imperfect acquaintance with this 
 feature of Coleridge's character. Most persons think of him
 
 236 
 
 vaguely as a dreamy metaphysician and philosopher, knowing 
 nothing of his Christian character. One of my objects in this 
 lecture is to exhibit to you this characteristic. 
 
 During the last nineteen years of his life, from 1816 to 1834, 
 Coleridge dwelt in the house of Mr. James Gillman, a medical 
 practitioner at Highgate, who was the means, happily, of mod- 
 erating his sad habit of opium eating. He died at Mr. Gillman's 
 on the 25th July, 1834; and was buried, not where some of his 
 so-called biographers have thoughtlessly asserted, in Highgate 
 Cemetery, but beneath the cloisters of an ancient church, con- 
 nected with the Highgate Grammar School. Sara Coleridge, 
 his wonderful daughter, and Henry Nelson Coleridge, her hus- 
 band, lie alongside their father in the same mural tomb. I 
 have often visited the spot, and I would fain have gathered, 
 into a golden urn, some of the famous dust which moulders in 
 that catacomb. 
 
 There has recently been introduced into our English Wal- 
 halla (Westminster Abbey), a marble bust of Coleridge, placed 
 not far from Wordsworth's. 
 
 AsHLEIGH, VeNTNOR, 
 
 June, 1886.
 
 237 
 BURNESIDE HALL, KENUAL; 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF THE BORDER WARS. 
 
 From the summit of^ Densun Knot (hill of the rising sun), we 
 can recognise several places and objects with which you and 
 I are going to hold communion ; and we can also thence con- 
 template a scene of beauty, a Turneresque landscape, in the 
 continuous valley below, watered by our favourite river Kent. 
 It is a vignette, being an aggregate of beauties, all seen at one 
 view. Yon " brotherhood of mountains " above Kentmere, 
 blocking the horizon, send forth their limpid springs from their 
 base. The eye descends, along with the stream, flashing in 
 the sunlight, and you watch it leaping the weirs, and glistening 
 in long pools, till its waters mingle with the tidal waves of 
 Morecambe Bay. It is doubtful if a parallel can be found, of 
 such natural beauties, comprised within the twenty miles' 
 course of an historical river. Hail to thee! pretty prattling 
 Kent I Garrulous gossiping Kent! Tell us what we are just 
 now seeking to know ! Tell us, in your own liquid loquacious- 
 ness, what are the notable events, civil or military, that have 
 been enacted on your borders, within the vanishing centuries ! 
 You told us, long since, of the Roman Station which Agricola 
 planted, in the first century of the Christian Era, within the 
 protection of one of your sinuosities, at Water Crook. '= The 
 Roman Epoch has been fully realised, when the Cangii herds- 
 men, and the Roman legionaries, shared the valley between 
 them, for three hundred j'ears. But tell us, now, something 
 more ! Come down to feudal times, and feudal manners, and 
 shew us how our forefathers lived and acted here, in the 
 
 *The Kent washed and protected three sides of the Roman Station, 
 Coiicaiigitnn.
 
 238 
 
 medieval ages. The evidences may not all be very apparent, 
 and yet we may gather some gleams of historic light. We 
 have material structures, struggling with decay — Burneside 
 Hall, for one — which help to bring before us, as by the restitu- 
 tion of bye-gone evidences, not the structures only, but the 
 living agents therewith connected, the chieftains and retainers, 
 as they respectively played their parts in the scene. Historic 
 events can be brought to the mind by solid structural objects, 
 as well as by written records, sometimes better. Stone walls 
 are proverbially said to have ears. It would be more true to 
 say they have tongues. In the broken fortress before us, the 
 bodily eye sees the force of stone and mortar in process of 
 decay. The mental eye sees the original walls machicolated 
 and equipped. The real and ideal are thus both present — 
 what is now, and what was of yore. This is called the law of 
 association. 
 
 Let us place ourselves in the 14th or 15th century, and, as 
 Wcrdsworth says, " Make the Men that have been re-appear." 
 
 The Barony of Kendal, established towards the end of the 
 reign of William the Conqueror, was subsequently divided into 
 four parts : — one fourth part fell to the Lumley family, and 
 was thence called the Lumley fee. Burneside was included in 
 the territories of this Lumley fee, and the manorial rights seem 
 to have been retained by that family till they reverted to the 
 Crown, in the time of Henry VIII. That monarch ceded these 
 rights to Allan Bellinghame, in 1345, who might, or might not, 
 then be residing at Burneside Hall. Before the Bellinghames, 
 any of them, occupied Burneside, the Burnesheads, for an 
 uncertain period, resided there, and they (with family pride ?) 
 gave their name to the place which stuck to it until, perhaps, 
 its irrelevancy blotted it out. Burn(e)side in two syllables (a 
 habitation by the river) is too descriptive to be mistaken as 
 the original. 
 
 Burneside Hall was not a mere manor house, designed for 
 domestic comfort. It was a fortified Border Tower, well 
 placed on a tongue of land formed by a junction of the Kent
 
 239 
 
 and Spyint, hall'-a-mile away. A strong wall encircled it, for 
 the preservation of cattle at nights. The great tower — per- 
 haps the initial building — was of the largest size of peels, no 
 leirs than forty-five feet by thirty feet. It was surmounted by 
 four turrets, at the four angles. The hall was embattled, and 
 the approach to the gateway was protected by an artificial 
 sheet of water, having, on either side of the water, a narrow 
 passage, leading up to the entrance. This would compel a 
 body of troops approaching the fort to advance in single file. 
 Whether there was a barbican or not, is uncertain. If so, it 
 is razed to the ground. It is conceivable that the modern 
 shippon, outside the walls, was constructed with the materials 
 originally used for the barbican. This shippon is shewn in the 
 frontispiece: a beautiful drawing, by an amateur artist, Mr. T. 
 R. Newbold, expressly executed for this publication.-'' 
 
 Such then, in the hour of its strength, was this border fort, 
 designed to protect the chieftain and his retainers, and his 
 cattle, and to repel the attacks of Scottish freebooters, who 
 occasionally pushed their forays far south of the frontier lands, 
 at Solway Moss. It stood backed by a natural bulwark, the 
 river Kent ; over which there might be no escape then, by any 
 bridge at Burneside ; nor would the river thereabouts be 
 fordable ; lor our rivers were fuller and deeper in the 15th 
 century than they now are. A bridge at the foot of Stramon- 
 gate, there might or might not be. I am disposed to say not, 
 at an early period. The original tri-syllabic cognomen, stream- 
 mound-gate, embodies three objects : a stream, the trajectus 
 being protected by a mound at the foot of the gate (street) ; and 
 these betoken a ford or wath, analogous to Wath-field, now 
 wrongly named " Wattsfield," | south of the town. At a later 
 date, these two waths gave place to Nether bridge and 
 Stramongate bridge. The town was now safeguarded, night 
 and day, by vigilant archers, on " watch and ward ; " \ and 
 
 * When published as a separate pamphlet. 
 
 t Vide " I he Annals," p. 17. 
 
 + The county division Ward is derived from natch and iraril.
 
 240 
 
 might feel secure, also, under the protection of the Norman 
 castle. That stronghold, the castle — planted on a geological 
 moraine (a vestige of the last glacial epoch) dominated the 
 whole valley. It was literally a citadel, giit with massive 
 towers. The circular keep, the donjon, was of Immense 
 strength. The walls of the cncicitte were embattled, and encir- 
 cled by a moat, with a drawbridge, leading to the barbican.''' 
 We have the authority of Mr. Hodgson, apparently quoting 
 the " Pembroke Memoirs," for saying that the moat was sup- 
 plied with water by a spring, he says, " on the south side." 
 It may be that the water which so constantly fed Willowward 
 tarn, below, came from the castle. That there was a garrison 
 within is not on record ; but it is a fair inference, from analogy. 
 Egremont, Cockermouth, and Brougham castles have all a 
 cotemporary likeness with this at Kendal, and bear approxi- 
 mate dates; and Bishop Nicolson shews that the aforesaid 
 three castles each contained garrisons, at different periods of 
 their hstory. The garrison, then, was ready to rush out at 
 any moment, if the beacon fire on Potter Fell or Whinfell sig- 
 nalled the approach of an enemy. But the enemy came not, 
 
 Letting I dare not wait upon I would. 
 
 The dismantlement of the castle belongs not to the work of the 
 borderers, but to another chapter of history. The walls would 
 not yield readily to the battering-ram, being grout work, and 
 30 ft. thick or more. 
 
 Kendal was once, and once only, as far as I can find, attacked 
 'and wrecked ; and this was at the very outbreak of the wars 
 between England and Scotland, before any sufficient means of 
 defence — perhaps before any means of defence at all — had 
 been adopted here. Holinshed says, " in the time of Gilbert, 
 the sixth baron, the vScots, under Duncan, Earl of Fife, entered 
 and plundered the town of Kendal, broke open the church, and 
 put all the inhabitants to the sword, sparing neither age nor 
 
 *West (historian of Furness) calls it " the gatehouse "
 
 241 
 
 sex." The mention of Gilbert, enables us to fix the time of 
 this outbreak as about 1210, temp. Alexander III., of Scotland. 
 No mention is here made of the castle. Either it was only in 
 course of construction ; or, if built and armed, it was prudently 
 avoided. The church was an easier prey. Now, what may it 
 be reasonably supposed, was the effect of this disaster on the 
 then inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood ? The 
 immediate organisation of the means of defence would be the 
 effect. They were put on their mettle. Buonaparte threatened 
 the invasion of England, in the first decade of this century, 
 which caused the erection of the Martello Towers on the south 
 coast, and raised up, in every county, regiments of local militia, 
 and brigades of yeomanry cavalry. So, by parity of reasoning, 
 it would be in Westmorland, when panic fears prevailed, in 
 1.200. The axe was, at once, laid to yew trees, to furnish a 
 supply of the best bows ; arrows, a yard long, were sharpened 
 and feathered. Archers, by hundreds, were daily mustered 
 and drilled.* Beacon fires were established on hills in com- 
 munication. The chiefs began to put their houses in order. 
 Forts and fortified houses presented, in the foUoving years, 
 walls of defence and defiance. So we come to the conclusion, 
 on these premisses, that such strongholds in the neighbourhood, 
 as Burneside Hall, Sizergh Hall, Cunswick Hall, Collin Field, 
 and Dockwray Hall, at Stricklandgate-end, may be dated 
 respectively as the outcome of this early massacre. The 
 combatants supplied by Westmorland to the border wars were, 
 in the first instance, billmen and bowmen. The billmen's 
 weapon was a light battle-axe with two faces, a pointed bill or 
 beak, and a square axe. The bowman's weapon was a bow, 
 mostly of yew, of various lengths, to suit the stature of the 
 archer. In temp. Henry VI., the Stricklands of Sizergh mus- 
 tered no less than two hundred and ninety, viz; — 
 
 * Acts of Parliament were in force, compelling the practice of archery, 
 and yew trees were protected by royal precept.
 
 242 
 
 Bowmen, horsed and harnessed ... 69 
 
 Billmen, ditto ditto ... 74 
 
 Bowmen, without horses ... ... 71 
 
 Billmen, ditto ... ... 76 — 290 
 
 It is nowhere told how many warriors the Beilinghames mus- 
 tered ; but there is evidence that they were prominently 
 engaged ; for one of the Statutes of Hue and Cry, issued on 
 behalf of the whole county, was signed by Thos. Strickland, of 
 Sizergh, and James Bellinghame of Burneside. 
 
 By about the middle of the 17th century, it seems, when 
 gunpowder had been introduced, the weapons were wholly or 
 partially changed for muskets, for the constables of Kendal 
 were then by warrant ordered " to summon their musqueteers, 
 with powder and bullets," &c. 
 
 All the male servants of the lord's household, all the labourers 
 on his demesne, all the tenants of his farms, between the ages 
 of sixteen and sixty, were equipped at the cost of the chief, 
 and were bound to do fealty, " suit and service," to buckle on 
 their armour and fall in, night or day, at the call of the bugle. '■= 
 Most of these were serfs, villeins under the statute, and were 
 occasionally sold like chattels, with the farms to which they 
 were attached. There was, however, at one time, some form 
 of enfranchisement practised ; for we find a statement in Burn's 
 History (p. 89), that in the sixth of Henry VH., Sir Thos. 
 Strickland " enfranchised eighty-two tenants, in the vills of 
 Kirby-in-Kendal, Seggiswick, Hencaster, Brigsteer, Levens, 
 Sizergh, and Stainton." This enfranchisement, whatever else 
 it did, would not free cornage tenants from military service. 
 That was beyond Strickland's power. It might free them as 
 bondsmen or personal villeins, but military service was the 
 prerogative of the Lord Warden of the Marches. We arrive 
 here at an interesting local question, viz.: — where did these 
 familia rustica, serf or freeman, reside at the time ? Where 
 
 * The first quartering of the Bellinghame arms was "a bugle stringed."
 
 243 
 
 were they located ? The answer is supplied by etymology and 
 topography, in place-names, for 
 
 Old names sitrvirc when laws, and creeds, and people all are gone. 
 
 There are two place-names — one, two miles to the south of 
 Kendal, the other, two miles to the north — which proclaim the 
 habitations of these servitors, as distinctly and certainly as 
 topography can do. These names are " Natland," on the one 
 hand, and " Bonnin-yeat" on the other. Natland, by deriva- 
 tion and signification, is the land (or home) of the Nativi, 
 freedmen (born of free parents ?) Bonnin-yeat is the gate, or 
 street, or thoroughfare of the bondmen of Kendal, like the 
 congenital Bongate, at Appleby, a modification of Bondgate ; 
 and Bonnin-yeat is a manifest corruption of Bondgate, and 
 nothing else. 
 
 The condition of the rural population, at the time we are 
 referring to, and their habits of life, are clearly revealed in 
 these narratives, scant though they be. There were then only 
 two classes of people, without any sympathy, the rich few and 
 the poor many ; but " the peasant's toe might not touch the 
 patrician's heel." If there were a middle class at all, which 
 was the exception, it was to be found in towns, such as Kendal, 
 and would consist of " the cottoners," as they were incorrectly 
 called, makers of coarse woollen cloths, shearmen dyers, and 
 such like. 
 
 But I am wandering. Let us go again to our locus in quo, 
 Burneside Hall, and enquire, next, how the Bellinghames, as 
 chieftains, carried themselves personally. 
 
 The Bellinghames, of Burneside, and of Levens, were the 
 most powerful family, territorially and politically, that have 
 held sway in Westmorland. They came here in the reign of 
 Edward I (1290 ?), and remained almost continuously till temp. 
 William and Mary (1690), a space of 400 years. In his 
 descriptive history of Levens Hall, our reverend friend, F. G. 
 Weston, has taken prominent notice of the more recent 
 Bellinghames, who were connected with Levens and Helsing-
 
 244 
 
 ton. We have only, in this place, to do with those who were 
 occupiers of Burneside Hall ; and these fill a large space, but 
 we cannot crowd our canvas with genealogies. Richard de 
 Burneside was the first to be connected with Burneside Hall, 
 by his marriage with Margaret de Burneshead. This con- 
 junctive preposition de came into England with the northern 
 conquerors, and remained in fashion till the i6th century. 
 
 One of the Bellinghames, Sir Roger, who died in 1533, was 
 a benefactor to the matchless parish church of Kendal — 
 matchless in its five aisles, matchless in its capaciousness. A 
 monumental plate there testifies that he " at his own proper 
 cost and charges," builded the oratory (private chapel) after- 
 wards called the Bellinghame chapel, dedicated to our Ladye, 
 the Virgin mother. It has been described as a stately chapel, 
 with an elaborate oak ceiling, now among the things that were. 
 
 Another Roger is also connected historically with the church, 
 by an object looked upon scores and hundreds of times, by all 
 church-goers, namely the iron helmet, technically called a 
 salld,"^ and popularly called " the rebel's cap." A legend, long 
 generally credited, assumes this cap to have belonged to 
 Robert Philipson, better known as Robin the Devil, who, it is 
 said, rode through the church on horseback, and had his helmet 
 knocked off in his escape. The story is a fit subject for poetry, 
 and Sir Walter Scott has made a poet's use of it. But the 
 probability is that the cap belonged to Sir Roger or Sir Allan 
 Bellinghame — the latter most likely. It projected from one of 
 the walls of the Bellinghame chapel, like a gurgoyle, and may 
 have been placed there when the corpse of the wearer was 
 deposited in the tomb hard bye — a warrior taking his final 
 rest. In those times, churches, both in England and on the 
 continent, were garnished v/ith the trophies of war, of which 
 custom this relic is an illustration. Oli, tempora ! Oh, mores ! 
 
 How were these chieftains apparelled or accoutred when 
 they went forth to battle ? Our curiosity here gets a satis- 
 
 * A sallet for to save his pa'.e.— Ballad of Flodden Field.
 
 245 
 
 factory solution by a pictorial representation of Sir Allan 
 Bellinghame, in armour, in the parish church. You there 
 find on the walls of the north aisle, a brass monument, which 
 contains, clearly delineated, a portrait of Sir Allan " in his 
 habit as he fought," clad from top to toe in coat of mail scale- 
 wise. It would be difficult, one would think, for Scottish lance 
 to find a chink between the scales of that harness : 
 
 No lance's point 
 Can find his breast-plate loosened joint. — Lord of the hies. 
 
 The precious person of the chief was, in this way well pro- 
 tected ; no matter how the base troopers — clods of the earth, 
 made of the refuse clay of creation — might be exposed to the 
 deadly weapons of the enemy. 
 
 I find nothing more to say of the Bellinghames, unless it 
 be a word on the derivation of the personal name. Dr. Burn 
 (Hist. Westmorland) says some of the family tried to derive 
 their name from Dc bello campo ! So, also, did some of the 
 Campbells, of Scotland. This reminds one of Dean Swift's 
 derivation of Achilles, A-kill-ease ! 
 
 We must next refer to another ancient family connected with 
 Burneside Hall : one of whom, born there, was a literary cele- 
 brity in his day. The manor and hall of Burneside came into 
 the possession of the Braithwaites, by purchase, in the reign 
 of Henry VIII, possibly somewhere between 1542 and 1547; 
 the exact year is not certain. The Braithwaites had been, for 
 a long time, settled at Ambleside, or at Brathay. The first 
 Braithwaite, as owner and occupier of Burneside Hall, was 
 Robert, " son of Richard Braithwaite, of Ambleside." The 
 fourth descendant from this Richard was Thomas, who, being 
 knighted, became Sir Thomas Braithwaite. He was twice 
 married, and had issue, ten children b}' his first wife, and eight 
 children by his second. His eldest born was Thomas, and the 
 second son Richard. It was this Richard, as we conceive, (by 
 an estimate of the days of the years of men's lives) who was 
 the famous author of " Drunken Barnaby," and several other
 
 246 
 
 works of great popularity in his day. [I have, in my collec- 
 tion of books four of these works] . He was entered a com- 
 moner of Oriel College, Oxford, but there is no record of his 
 having graduated. It is, however, certain, that he remained 
 long enough at the University to become a sound classic, at 
 his command, in prose or verse. His Latin rhymes have been 
 highly extolled by scholars of our own day, and their classical 
 merits are heightened by the parallel lines in English, from the 
 same pen — not a translation the one from the other, but two 
 versions dictated simultaneously. In this respect, " Drunken 
 Barnaby" is regarded as a literary curiosity. Numerous 
 editions of Braithwaite's works saw the light in the author's 
 lifetime, when books were not, as now, appreciated and read. 
 It is on record that only two editions of Shakespeare appeared 
 in half a century. There scarcely is a catalogue of second- 
 hand books of merit, now issued, which does not contain some 
 of Braithwaite's works. They were all published anonymously, 
 and we might never have known the author but for the local 
 lights in " Drunken Barnaby" and " The Strappado." Local 
 allusions, in these two volumes, identify their author; for in- 
 stance, addressing the " Kendal Cottoners," he says : — 
 
 Let me exhort you, in respect I am. 
 Unto you all, both friend and countryman ; 
 Whose aire I breath ; oh ! I were worthy death 
 Not to love them who sucked with me one breath. 
 
 The third journal of Barnaby terminates at Kendal, where 
 there is this allusion to the Corporation, namely : — 
 
 Nothing- but a Mayor wanted. 
 
 And, afterwards, in another edition of the Itinerary, these lines 
 occur : — 
 
 Now Saturn's year has drenched down care. 
 
 And made an Alderman a Mayor. 
 
 The first mayor, one " well-beloved Thomas Sleddale," was
 
 247 
 
 elected to the office in 1636. These quotations, shew, there- 
 fore, not only when Braithwaite wrote these lines, but, further, 
 that he watched and was interested in the civic politics of the 
 borough. 
 
 There has been a diversity of opinion among our author's 
 editors, and expositors, as to Braithwaite's personal character 
 and conduct — whether he was, in fact, in propria persona, 
 " Drunken Barnaby." I have, elsewhere, stated it as my 
 opinion, that he was only a drunkard in disguise. My reasons 
 for this conviction are : Firstly, that his habits of life negatived 
 this conclusion : he was a voluminous author, and must have 
 spent the midnight oil largely in reading and writing. His 
 days were spent, mostly, on horseback, in journeys of obser- 
 vation, from north to south, and from south to north of 
 England. Secondly, in habitude of person, he was so neat, 
 that he went among his acquaintances by the nickname of 
 Dapper Dick — i.e., a man of dapper exterior! The late Mr. 
 Anthony Yeates, of Kirkland, informed me, that he had seen a 
 portrait of Dapper Dick, at Dalham Tower, and that portrait 
 represented the original as having all the lineaments and 
 characteristics, both in feature and dress, of a perfect gentle- 
 man. No doubt, he was fond of company, as are all great 
 wits ; but exuberant wit is not incompatible with personal 
 sobriety. Shakespeare has his prototype in " Love's Labour 
 
 Lost " — 
 
 A merrier man, 
 Within the limits of becoming mirth, 
 I never spent an hour's talk withal. 
 
 I have lately ascertained that he was a Justice of the Peace 
 for Westmorland. May not this be taken as a certificate of 
 character ? and also of his nativity ? 
 
 Another of these Braithwaites was a distinguished scholar, 
 and a noted Numismatist, when Numismatics, as a science, 
 was in its infancy. He made a large collection of gold, silver, 
 and copper coins, which he presented to his Alma Mater, the 
 University of Oxford, in 1675, and they are still preserved there.
 
 248 
 
 Most of these coins were found on the Roman Station, at 
 Windermere. 
 
 We must now glance, for a moment — a hasty and imperfec- 
 tive glance — at the general history of the Border Wars, on the 
 West Marches, where we shall find Westmorland men actively 
 engaged, with many acknowledgements of their prowess. 
 
 It is very remarkable that no succinct and continuous his- 
 tory of the Wars on the Western Marches, so pregnant with 
 disasters and striking features, has ever yet been published. 
 At any rate, I have failed to discover it."' Scattered notices, 
 there are many, in prose and verse. The ballad poets seem 
 the best historians of those times, when there were neither 
 " Special Reporters " nor Diarists. Dy. Burn, in the History 
 of Westmorland, has fully and clearly described the Border 
 laws and service — it was his role ; but he has not given the 
 operations and vicissitudes of the struggles. These wars oc- 
 cupied what we may call an isolated period in our middle ages. 
 It was not a transition period, for it made no advances, and 
 gave no signs of social evolution. It was like a chapter within 
 brackets. Ten generations of men passed away without any 
 marked change in the conditions of those who peopled that 
 epoch. The relations of the feudal masters and the subject 
 masses towards each other were maintained by the exigencies 
 of the age, and the age left no impress on general history. 
 
 The demon of war reigned in the Borders for more than three 
 hundred years, down to James VI, of Scotland, our James I, 
 of England, in 1567. The quarrels first arose out of the desire 
 for the acquisition of territory in the three northern counties 
 of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmorland. In the 
 reign of David I., of Scotland (1124 — 1153), Cumberland was 
 subjugated and annexed to Scotland ; but our native West- 
 meria did not lose its nationality. Edward I., with the Border 
 
 * There was a book published in Newcastle, at the beginning of this 
 century, entitled, "A History of the Borders," by a Mr. Redpath, but I 
 am informed, it was occupied altogether with an account of the PJastern 
 Marches.
 
 249 
 
 chieftains, invaded Scotland in 1305. Later on, " the debateable 
 land" became more circumscribed, and consisted of an ill- 
 defined area, '• a j^eographical expression,"' lying on each side 
 of the river SoKvay. The belligerents were alike greedy and 
 insatiable, and what one could not recover hy bhick mail from 
 the other, was ruthlessly destroyed. In the almost total 
 absence of specific records, it is difficult to supply anything 
 like a picture of the actualities of the scene. We can only 
 bridge over three centuries of conflicts and conflagrations, by 
 supposing a succession of such lamentations as this : — 
 
 "They burned my little lonely tower; 
 It had not been burned f(ir a year or more." 
 
 If the fires occasionally smouldered down, they instantly blazed 
 up again. However temporarily the rents might get closed, 
 they broke open again and again, vvith increasing and increasing 
 violence. If there were a truce, it was a tacit truce, without 
 treaty, and was soon violated. Lord Dacre, the English Lord 
 Warden of the Western Marches, =^ shewed the temper and 
 determination of himself and his followers by the following 
 sorry boast : " I have caused miche of it [the landj to be 
 destroyed and brynt, and I shall proceed till it be clearly waiste, 
 without house or hoide standing," Hand to hand fighting, it 
 was, as old Froisart testifies: "They laye eche upon t'other 
 [that is, they pummelled one another] without spayring," coiite 
 que coute. Hot-blooded internecine warfare it was, for plunder 
 and personal vengeance. But there were martial episodes on 
 a larger theatre — combats on a larger and more dignified scale 
 — for political and dynastic objects, for throne and empire. 
 Several engagements took place between the national armies, 
 some of which were commanded by their sovereigns in person. 
 Let us briefly notice two of these, Bannockbiirn and Floddcn 
 Field. Whilst on the borders one murder was making a 
 
 •The word "March," in I^rd Warden of the Marches, signifies 
 "boundary; " not, in any sense a marsh or bojj, as some mi<j-ht suppose; 
 nor yet trooping.
 
 250 
 
 villain, on the larger field of Bannockburn, twenty thousand 
 murders were making a hero ! That hero was Robert Bruce, 
 who completely defeated a large army of English cavalry and 
 infantry, under King Edward II., not for lack of bravery in 
 the English, but by the skilful tactics of the commander, 
 Bruce, who devised a series of pitfalls for his adversaries, on 
 the field, which became a Holocaust. That was in 1314. It 
 was two hundred years after this, in 1513, when Flodden Field 
 was fought, when the tables were turned on the Scotch, when 
 their king, James IV., lost his life, with twelve thousand of his 
 troops, and the flower of the Scottish nobility; and when the 
 men of Kendal made themselves so famous. Thus sings one of 
 the Scottish bards, in a sort of elegy on his countrymen : — 
 
 Round about their gallant king. 
 
 For country and for crown, 
 Stude the dauntless Border ring. 
 
 Till the last was hackit down. 
 
 [They had been " hackit down " by the billmen, evidently] 
 Flodden Field was fought in the absence from England of the 
 king (Henry VIII) who conferred on Howard, Earl of Surrey, 
 the regency of the north, with supreme command of the forces. 
 The ballad enumerates the forces which Surrey is to have in 
 charge, and among these 
 
 There are the bows of Kentdale stout, 
 Who fierce will fight, and never flee. 
 
 [They had established their reputation]. Then follows the 
 order of battle : — 
 
 The right hand wing with all his rout. 
 
 The lusty Lord Dacrc did lead ; 
 With him the bows of Kendal stout, 
 
 With milk-white coats and crosses red. 
 
 Again, ten years subsequently to Flodden Field, there were 
 three hundred Kendal bowman, at the seige of Fernhcrst. " led
 
 251 
 
 by your grace's servant, Stncklaml — hardy men, that went no 
 foote back." 
 
 The wizard of the north pays tribute to the Kenda! men ; on 
 another occasion, thus : — 
 
 Light forayers, first, to view the ground, 
 Spurred their coursers loosely round; 
 Behind, in close array, and fast. 
 
 The Kendal archers, all in green, 
 Obedient to the bugle blast, 
 
 Advancing from the wood were seen. 
 
 Never has harp of minstrel told 
 
 Of combat fought so fierce and bold. 
 
 The best archer was the man who had most temper and nerve 
 in action. He knew nothing of the emotion of fear.* 
 
 Perhaps the best notion of the conspicuous part which 
 Westmorland played in these unhappy wars is gained by one 
 single fact, namely, that at one time the county mustered no 
 less than 5,919 fighting men, commanded by the Howards, the 
 Stricklands, and the Bellinghames ; and, with all this, the 
 Kendal district never was the scene of hostilities, after the 
 " surprise," in 1220, by the Earl of Fife, previously mentioned. 
 
 Now, it is distinctly stated, what is of great interest here, 
 that there were at least two later occasions when the Scotch 
 freebooters " ravaged the countrj' from Carlisle to York." 
 The town of Appleby was "twice sacked and burnt;" and 
 Penrith was twice sacked, presumably in 1318 and 1322. 
 What, then, were the reasons that induced the plunderers to 
 give Kendal a wide berth, on their way to York ? It is easy to 
 conjecture the reasons. First, the fear of the Kendal archers, 
 whose fame had by this time awakened the echoes of Scotland ; 
 and, secondly, the frowning defences of the castle, the forts, 
 and redoubts, that bristled along the shoulders of the Kent 
 valley. 
 
 *The battles of Crcs.si/ and Ai^iiicoiirl, in France, were both won by the 
 Enfflish archers, in 134^1 and 1415.
 
 252 
 
 All the despatches, proclamations, and written missives in 
 those times, were transmitted from place to place by special 
 messengers on horseback ; and every written despatch so 
 conveyed, carried on the fore front of its cover, these winged 
 words, " Hie thee, post, hie thee ! haste, post, haste." There 
 was no general post in that day, in the northern counties, 
 though there might be local posts in some parts of the south. 
 It was in 1680 that a penny post, for local circulation, was 
 started in London : but it was the enterprise of two private 
 speculators. When the project proved successful, the Govern- 
 ment laid claim to it, and annexed the post office revenues to 
 the crown. 
 
 Now, what is the moral that presents itself in this retros- 
 pect ? Assuredly, it is to be found in the striking contrasts or 
 antitheses between the manners and customs, the moral and 
 physical condition of the population, in the centuries we have 
 passed through, and the customs of our own time, tlicii and noic. 
 Let me emphasise a few of these contracts by then and noK\ 
 TJicn the rustic labourer was in a state of vassalage, and vil- 
 leinage, sold and transferred, like a chattel of the estate to 
 which he was fettered. A'oii', he is a free agent, a man and a 
 brother ! Lord Mansfield's famous dictum is a realised truth, 
 that " a slave cannot breathe in England." Then, all was 
 mutual hatred, plunder, and personal vengeance. Now, all is 
 " sun-bright peace." Tlten, the cornage tenant, just one degree 
 higher in civilization than the serf, was in a state of crass 
 ignorance, devoid altogether of the means of instruction. 
 His attributes were thew and sinew. His home and his family 
 were without comforts. He had none of the rights of citizen- 
 ship — none of the sympathies of neighbourhood. The son, in 
 his teens, went forth with the father to fight ; the daughter, if 
 she budded into bloom companionless, drooped and withered 
 on the spot, like other neglected flowers. Now, the rural 
 population are well housed and well fed. They have the means 
 of education at their doors. Ignorance is not now a misfor- 
 tune ; it is a crime. Habits of industry prevail, and yield
 
 253 
 
 tniith and increase. Seed comes to the sower, and bread to the 
 eater. Then, the fields were mainly untilled, and the cattle 
 untended. Now, the flocks are in the fold, and the herds in the 
 stalls. Then, the offices of religion at church, and the religious 
 exercises at home, were alike unheeded. I have the authority, 
 by the pen of a clergyman, for the statement, that when he 
 went to enter on a new benefice, in a rural parish, in the latter 
 part of last (i8) century (about one hundred years ago), there 
 was only one Bible to be found in the whole of that parish ! 
 If, then, printed copies of the sacred Scriptures had so little 
 general circulation in the last century, what must have been 
 the condition of things, in this respect, between, say, the 13th 
 and 17th centuries ? With respect to the opportunities of 
 public worship, in this locality, there would not, at the period 
 alluded to, be more than four churches in the whole county of 
 Westmorland, namely, Kirkby Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, 
 Kirkby Stephen, and Appleby ; and the church uf England 
 service was formalism and sacerdotalism, that touched neither 
 the heart nor the conscience." Now, there is no lack of 
 churches ; 
 
 The temples of His grace, how beauteously they stand. 
 
 The ordinances of religion and the means of grace are every- 
 where abounding, and not least, I am happy to think, in 
 NVestmorland. Our lines have fallen in pleasant places, and 
 our mortal lives have been given to us in a favoured ei"a. We 
 cannot be sufficiently thankful to the bountiful Giver of all 
 good, for His manifold mercies. And we are most forcibly 
 reminded of the possession of these mercies, when we look into 
 the dark ages of the past. This is the true lesson of history. 
 
 * Prpij'i, in his Diary tells how the Duke of York and ladies of high 
 quahty, kept themselves awake, durinij the tedious hours of Divine 
 berwice, iy lalkin<;, in the Chapel Royal, "whilst Dr. Herbert Croft 
 preached." And, in 1615, the Senate of the University of Cambridge, 
 issued a prohibition asainst ^mnkins in St Marie's Church, '" upon payne 
 of final expelling.''
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 By way of Seqiit:!, I now furnish a Ballad which com 
 memurates persons and places mentioned in the preceding 
 pages. This Ballad came into my hands when I was collecting 
 the materials fur the first edition of " The Annals of Kendal," 
 now more than sixty years ago. I have never yet made any 
 use of it. The author of the Ballad is Anonynvjits ; but I feel 
 confident that it has never, so far, been printed or published.
 
 (255) 
 
 SIR ALLAN I^KLLlNGHAMli, OF lU'RNMSlDL, 
 
 AND THK 
 
 LAF3YK ISABELLH, OF Sl/LRGH. 
 
 A BALLAD. 
 
 Why waits the steed by the castle wall ? 
 
 And champs the bit and spurns the ground ; 
 Why pricks his ears at the coming' foot-fall, 
 
 And proudly prances around ? 
 
 Why looks the page to the distant hill ? 
 
 No sight can he see nor sound can he hear, 
 Save the shadows of night on the mountain's height, 
 
 Save the fall of //le Ken/ that murmurs near. 
 
 Sir Allan was dight by the day's first light. 
 
 And he hasted away to the joys of the chase, 
 The hunter's song as he bounded along 
 Call'd echo forth from his hiding place. 
 
 Where the light of the day is stealing away, 
 
 And the valleys are sinking in night, 
 " Then saddle with speed my dapple-grey steed. 
 
 And have ready my armour bright." 
 
 For at that hour in Sizergh's bower 
 
 Sir Walter he holds high revelry : 
 Theie was many a dame of beauty's fame. 
 
 And many a knight of chivalry. 
 
 Fair were the maids from Cumberland ; 
 
 And the Lancashire fair, with witches' spell ; 
 But the fairest maid was of Westmorland, 
 
 The beauteous Ladye Isabelle. 
 
 Oh I Levens, in spring thy hawthorn blows. 
 
 And sweetness is breathed from the woodbine's hell : 
 
 And rcsplendently glows the maiden rose. 
 But not all arc so fair qs IsabcUc,
 
 256 
 
 Many a chieftain had wooed the maid, 
 
 To win her to be his wedded bride ; 
 But the lady's love alone repaid 
 
 The striplings chief of Uurneside. 
 
 Sir Allan had done some feats of arms 
 
 Tho' the dawn of youth on his cheek you might sec 
 For at high tournay on the lady's birth-day 
 
 He had worsted each knight most gallantly. 
 
 In every game he had earned his fame, 
 And well was he known on the border ; 
 
 The moss-trooping thieves with England's beeves 
 Fled before him in great disorder. 
 
 The guests were met all in Sizergh Hall, 
 
 But Sir Allan came not at the hour ; 
 Much wondered the maid why the chief delayed. 
 
 As she looked from the western tower. 
 
 The guests were met all when Sir Walter's call 
 
 Was heard by his daughter fair : 
 At her father's command I^ady Isabel's hand 
 
 The goblet gave to each chieftain there. 
 
 But slowly to her the night passed away, 
 
 No joy to her heart was brought from the crowd ; 
 
 She wept when she heard the minstrel's lay, 
 And she heard not the merriment loud. 
 
 She stole from the guests to the eastern tower, 
 And anxiously gazed on the dewy vale ; 
 
 Of Sir Allan she thought at that midnight hour. 
 And breathed her sigh.s on the midnight gale. 
 
 I'he lovely scene swam on a flood of light. 
 For the full moon poured its copious tide ; 
 
 But a cloud still hung on the mountain's height. 
 And lowered on the tower of Burneside. 
 
 'Twas silence ail, when a soft foot-fall 
 
 Made glisten her eyes now swimming with tears ; 
 
 Near and more near the hoof-sounds appear, 
 And music they brought to the lady's ear.
 
 257 
 
 She strained her eye the knight to espy, 
 When darkly a moving object she sees ; 
 
 ' Twas the old dapple-grey that sped its way 
 
 Through the low arched vault of the spreading trees. 
 
 Oh ! mournful the tale which the courier told, 
 His cheek wet with tears confirming the truth; 
 
 In the stillness of death the heart was cold 
 That so lately beat high with hope and with youth. 
 
 With the hound and the horn the mountains had rang, 
 The javelin was thrown and the spear was cast ; 
 
 Loud and oft was heard the yew-bow's twang 
 Till the death-stricken game had breathed their last. 
 
 But a deadly shaft at random flew ; 
 
 Oh ! woe to the chief of Burneside I 
 It pierced the hunter's garment through. 
 
 And it pierced the hunter's side. 
 
 Ceased the loud laugh and the revelry 
 
 That shook the roof of Sizergh Hall ; 
 Hushed are the song and the melody, 
 
 For the guests arc departed all. 
 
 At the noon of night, by the pale torch-light 
 His body was borne to Kirkifnid'x fane : 
 
 In the Bellinghamc chapel they laid the knight 
 When they sang his requiem strain. 
 
 In sable was clad the funeral train, 
 
 Deep were the sighs and plaints of woe ; 
 
 Through the five-aisled dome of Kirkland's fane 
 How solemn the funeral march doth flow. 
 
 Sir Walter was there with the father chief* 
 
 A father's woes what words can tell ? 
 In silent, fi.xed, and heart-struck grief 
 
 Walked the lady alone, fair Isabelle. 
 
 One last look on the corpse she gave ; 
 
 When the service ended and toll'd the last bell, 
 Her heart it was left in Sir Allan's grave 
 
 With the hopes and the fears of Isabelle. 
 
 *Sir Allan's Father.
 
 258 
 
 Oft she tetired to the eastern tower 
 For Sir Allan her only love to mourn ; 
 
 And hiding herself in her secret bower 
 
 She wept for the days that can never return. 
 
 ASHLEIGH, VeNTNOK, 
 
 May, iSS6.
 
 (259) 
 
 MALLERSFANG FOREST AND THE BARONY OF 
 WESTMORLAND: 
 
 LOCAL HISTORY FOUNDED ON PLACE NAMES. 
 
 Read at Kirkby Stephen, July ^tli, il 
 
 A grand lesson of ancient local history centres in Mallerstang 
 Forest, which was included in William the Conqueror's " Barony 
 of Westmorland," commonly called the " Bottom of Westmor- 
 land." The lesson begins in the first century of the Christian 
 Era, with the early occupation of this country by the Romans, 
 " when Rome was mistress of the world." The Roman 
 legionaries pushed their way through hordes of native Britons 
 and thickets of wood, from south to north, by two famous 
 military roads, each called by the Romans Iter, and these two 
 roads flanked Mallerstang Forest, one on the north-east and 
 one on the south-west. That notable chain of hills named 
 indifferently " the Penine Chain," and " the English Appe- 
 nines," interposed between these two routes ; that on the north, 
 which was Antonine's second iter, proceeding from Bowes, 
 through Kirkby Thor, to Brougham, and on to Old Carlisle ; 
 the road on the south — Antonine's loth iter — proceeding from 
 Chester up the Lune valley, by Wicker-street, on Orton Fells, 
 through Crosby Ravensworth and Mauds Meaburn, to Kirkby 
 Thor. [I tracked this route with field-names for my guide- 
 posts] . So the two military ways in question converged to a 
 point at the Kirkby Thor Roman Station, forming two sides of 
 a triangle, and the portion of Mallerstang which now interests 
 us lay within these converging lines. Now what were the 
 primitive natural features of this neighbourhood at that time ?
 
 26o 
 
 Caesar's account of Britain helps us to answer this question. 
 Let us place ourselves bj' imagination, on a coign of vantage, 
 say " Hugh's Seat " or " Nine Standards." They are both 
 historical hills, and thence survey the scene. What do we see ? 
 A boundless forest of oak, ash, birch, and alder, with under- 
 growths of tangled thorns — a forest which, if we can see far 
 enough, is in fact three forests rolled into one by contiguity, 
 named, Mallerstang Forest, Stanemoor Forest, and Inglewood 
 Forest, This umbrageous domain, beginning on the lower 
 slopes of one of the spurs of this Penine chain, stretches right 
 away for forty miles or more to the site of the then unbuilt city 
 of Carlisle. There is thick foliage overhead impervious to sun, 
 and soaking morasses underfoot, except where Agricola's 
 legionaries compelled the slave labour of native Britons to 
 construct paved causeways through the swamps. The Romans 
 skirmishing occasionally with ill-accoutred hordes of Brigantes, 
 had at this time for their companions in the forests, a number 
 of aboriginal animals, such as the wild boar, wild cat, wild 
 deer, and wild bulls. The river Eden (the c\a.ss\cl tuna), which 
 takes its rise in one of theses spurs of metalliferous limestone — 
 the river Eden, I say, flows hence, wandering " at its own sweet 
 will " through these immense forests till it is replenished below 
 Brougham Castle by the tributary Eamont, bringing the waters 
 of Ullswater Lake, and then rushing on till it mingles its 
 translucent flood with the tidal waves of the Solway. The 
 natural scenery is interesting, but more interesting to us at 
 present is the human history associated with these scenes. We 
 take a leap in time after the Romans are gone to their sunny 
 home — a leap of three centuries or so, during which the earliest 
 British kings come after one another, by usurpation, upon the 
 scene, about the 6th century. One of these early British kings, 
 of quasi-fabulous character, was Uther Pendragon. He has 
 filled many a page of history and romance, and many things 
 written about him were purely imaginative, when fiction and 
 the element of mystery dominated the age. One prominent 
 ^nd universally received mistake about him I must now correct,
 
 26l 
 
 perhaps for the first time. Uther Pendragon has been uni- 
 formly held to be a personal name. It is not so. Uther no 
 doubt was personal. It is an abbreviation of Ughtred. But 
 Pendragon was a descriptive title, conferred by the Sa.xons on 
 the chief of the armies — a title analogous to our commander-in- 
 chief. In the Saxon usage Pen is head or chief. Dycif^on is 
 warrior; and Haliam tells us that this military title was in use 
 in Britain during the Heptarchy, that is, during the time when 
 this Bottom of Westmorland formed part of Northumbria, one 
 of the seven kingdoms ; that also being the time when Uther 
 Pendragon is supposed to have held sway. So, whatever 
 uncertainty or scruple there may have been, or may still be, 
 about the doings of Uther Pendragon, there is no doubt about 
 his etymology. His professional occupation is certified ; 
 otherwise he comes to us, like Hamlet's ghost, in a questionable 
 shape. The castle itself is our next consideration. When was 
 it built, and by whom ? The patronymic " Pendragon " may 
 point to Uther as its builder, but there are considerations 
 against it. Dr. Burn says (" History of Westmorland," p. 
 561) — "The castle is said to have been built about the time of 
 Vortigern," which is not very specific, njr very evident to 
 enlightened readers. It harmonises, however, in a vague way 
 with the presumed era of Uther Pendragon about the sixth 
 century ; and with events at that time in the history of Britain, 
 as recorded by Sharon Turner, Haliam, and Dr. Lingard. It 
 was the most turbulent period in English history. Usurper 
 displaced usurper in rapid succession. Native tribes fought, 
 first against invading Saxons, and afterwards united with the 
 Saxons and fought side by side with them against the .Scottish 
 Picts, who had broken through that double barrier, Hadrian's 
 vallum and the wall of Severus, converting these northern 
 parts of England into a field of blood. Here, then, was work 
 to do for any Pendragon who might distinguish himself, 
 whether Uther or Hugh. But we are just now referring to the 
 castle. That was not an age of castle building, and the castles 
 in Westmorland and Cumberland were not reared till after
 
 262 
 
 the Norman Conquest."'' It is not at all unkkelj', supposing 
 
 any Pendragon to have been engaged in these scenes of strife, 
 
 that he may have constructed a rude fortress of stone in this 
 
 place. Tradition gives Uther credit as the builder of Stone- 
 
 henge — miraculous work of wonder, — and the couplet which 
 
 everybody knows, points to achievements here of superhuman 
 
 power: — 
 
 Let Uter Pendragon do what he can. 
 
 The Eden will run where the Eden has ran. 
 
 He had worked many miracles, but the miracle of surrounding 
 this castle with water b}' making the water run up the hill was 
 too much even for Uther. An old chronicler named John 
 Harding introduces Uther Pendragon into his vaticinations, 
 and makes him build the castle and dwell in it. His imper- 
 fect rhymes are at least pertinent, so I quote them : — 
 
 And for he bare the Dragon so in warre. 
 The people called him then Pendragon 
 For his surname, in lands nere and farre. 
 Which is to saye in Britayne region. 
 In theyr language head of the dragon. 
 And in the north he a castle made, 
 Pendragon hight, where he his dwelling had. 
 
 This proves how widely Uther's fame was spread, but I am 
 still inciedulous of his dwelling here, having misgivings about 
 John Harding as an authority. It looks to me like one of the 
 myths of Geoffrey of Monmouth, done into limping rhyme — a 
 sample of the mystical stories current when the waves of 
 romanticism were sweeping over the land. Looking at the 
 militant officer as a leader of men, there might be a succession 
 of Pendragons, as there was a succession of Pharoahs in 
 Egypt for countless centuries. I am only reminding you of 
 what you already know, as a fable, that Uther Pendragon was 
 the father of another famous king, whose deeds, mystical and 
 
 * 1 15 castles were said to have been built in England during the reign 
 of King Stephen.
 
 263 
 
 actual, have Tilled the trump of fame, and filled many pages 
 of legendary poetry — I mean King Arthur, of Round Table 
 notoriety. This King Arthur has a double claim on our 
 notice, first as the putative offspring of Uther Pendragon, 
 and secondly, by his local association with this neighbour- 
 hood. He is said to have fought battles and held jousts in 
 Inglevvood Forest, and has left his footprints by a lasting 
 memorial in a round table, formed in the surface of the 
 ground, at a spot close to Eamont Bridge, not many miles 
 from where we are now assembled. This monument is now 
 placed under the Ancient Monuments' Act, 1S82, and it may be 
 interesting in passing, to note, that it is the only one in West- 
 morland placed under the protection of this Act. Arthur held 
 courts at " Merrie Carlisle" if legends be truths. I deem it 
 right, with your indulgence, to give you the questionable gene- 
 sis of this King Arthur, which many of you may not have 
 heard before : — Uther Pendragon, in the fullness of his pride 
 and power fell desperately in love (naughty man) with the 
 lady Igraine, wife of Goulois, Duke of Tintagel, and also Duke 
 of Cornwall. Uther was resolved on making a conquest 
 against the lady's inclination. She (very properly) resisted 
 his advances. Uther, however, was fertile in resource, and 
 had an accomplice at his beck and call, whose magic art was 
 omnipotent ; this was Merlin, the famous enchanter, " who 
 walked unseen at pleasure." Merlin transfigured Uther Pen- 
 dragon into the exact similitude, of Ingraine's husband, the 
 Duke of 'I'intagel, and the result was the birth of King Arthur, 
 in Tintagel Castle. Let me say that Tintagel Castle, like 
 Pendragon Castle at a later period, is a reality, whatever you 
 may think of the rest of the stor}\ Those who desire to know 
 the particulars of King Arthur's magical exploits may refer to 
 Tennyson's " Idylls of the King," or, better still, to William 
 Caxton's " Morte d' Arthur," a prose epic, which was ob- 
 viously the source and foundation of Tennyson's Idylls. And 
 those who seek to know his real history may refer to Turner's 
 " History of the Anglo Saxons," vol. i., p. 283. King Arthur's 
 first engagement with the Saxons was in A.D. 530 and he died
 
 264 
 
 in 542. His corpse is believed to be lying beneath the floor of 
 the historic church of Glastonbury. If I have treated Uther 
 Pendragon as a hero entirely fabulous, one of the myths of 
 creation, I must not leave you with the same impression of 
 King Arthur. His history is a mixture of the ideal and real, 
 of fact and fable commingled, and it is not easy to unravel 
 them and say which is w^hich. I leave the task as a diversion 
 to the reader. Coming down " the visionary stairs of time," 
 we now encounter a blank space of three or four centuries. 
 This long interval, although it is big with events of greatest 
 interest, would be a blank in local history if it were dependent 
 on published records, for no topographer has hitherto pierced 
 this obscurity. Fortunately, we have a resource in the abun- 
 dant place-names of this district, which, now that we under- 
 stand them, are as good as a printed book. I don't know 
 another locality so rich in place-names, and so pregnant in 
 meaning. Small effort of the imagination is required with 
 these helps, to re-people the dales around, and describe the 
 former habits of the people, in the transitional ages. The first 
 invaders, after the departure of the Romans, were the Scottish 
 Picts, but their stay was short. They got what in the dialect 
 would be called " a sneck posset," id est, they were repulsed 
 before the gate — hurled back at the onset. Then came the 
 Danes, who eventually took firm root here. We recognise 
 their presence in such names as Ravensworth and Raven- 
 stonedale. The national standard of Denmark is a raven, 
 (rafen). We also recognise their abiding presence in our pro- 
 vincial dialect, both weft and warp being the iniulder iuiiga of 
 the Scandinavians. We may speak of these Danes as present 
 in three aspects ; firstly, as belligerents, their delight was in 
 war; secondly, as to their mythology; thirdly, as to their 
 naturalization. In the first aspect we know that they were 
 long in fighting their way to a settled hearthstone here ; how 
 long we cannot even conjecture ; but wars raged in the dis- 
 trict in the procession of ages till that was accomplished. 
 Fortified castles, such as Brough and iJrougham and Maiden
 
 265 
 
 Castle were tough customers. Old Leland, in his daj', found 
 the last-named fort, Maiden Castle, a great round keep 60 feet 
 in compass. "= Then War-cop tells of war. So does War-ton, 
 (Guere-ton originally). Barrows are the graves of those who 
 fell in battle. So still more strikingly does Battlebarrow by 
 Bongate. At these and other places many battles took place, 
 and destruction was so great that its evidences remained till 
 1080, when the Domesday surveyors came, who could make 
 no schedule of the land in the bottom of Westmorland, it was 
 " all spoilt and good for nothing." The second aspect of 
 Danish predominance was in their Pagan ceremonials. They 
 worshipped both the Olympic Greco-Roman gods brought 
 hither by the Roman legionaries, and the Scandinavian gods 
 w^hich they themselves introduced. Thor,t the Thunderer, 
 with crown and sceptre, presided at Kirkby Thor, with Jovis, 
 (Jupiter) and Baal, the sun god. " Bal " in old Norse means 
 sacrificial fire. Baal, found also at Baal-bec, in Palestine, 
 seems to have been the most popular deity here. Hill Bell, 
 3,000 feet above the sea, preserves the memory of Baal. Sac- 
 rificial fires there rose above its crest, in all probability, and 
 the mountain itself might be held sacred to Baal. But there 
 is other evidence of Baal worship. Altars almost without 
 number have been found dedicated to the god Belatucader in 
 Westmorland and Cumberland, more especially the last- 
 named ; but it may be that Cumberland was more fortunate 
 in her historian in this respect, who had a keen relish for 
 Roman remains and inscriptions. The Scandinavian god 
 Odin, god of battles, left his imprint here in Odendale. Temple 
 Sowerby (in juxtaposition, if not also in conjunction, with 
 Kirkby Thor) is a name full of meaning. The word " temple " 
 was of old everywhere associated with heathen worship. 
 Sowerby (Saurb) indicates a sheep-fold. So religious or- 
 
 * I take this word " Maiden " to be cognate with the Teutonic miiei^on, 
 which means great — a great stronghold. 
 
 "f Old Verstegan says " Thor " is an abbreviation of Thun'r. Carlyle 
 says l^agan Worship was the outcome of Nature Worship.
 
 266 
 
 dinances were here associated with pastoral duties. The 
 Pagan temple was succeeded by a house knights templars. 
 First, it was a Pagan deus ; secondly, a monkish mass, The 
 third, aspect of the Danish regime introduces a new and civi- 
 lizing epoch in our local history in the 7th century. The 
 idols and altars of Paganism are first thrown to the bats and 
 moths. The day star from on high appears in the advent of 
 the Christian religion. Paiiliiuis was the preacher, before 
 books were in the hands of the peasantry. Two sets of people, 
 Britons and Danes, are now fused into Englishmen with re- 
 newed energies. A peaceful revolution takes place, social and 
 spiritual. Rural life has acquired new dignity and a new de- 
 parture. How do we show this change ? By the abundance 
 of Christian names in the locality. Crosbys and Kirkbys 
 everywhere abound. Crosby and Kirkby are the same, with, 
 perhaps, a chronological difference. The terminal syllable 
 " by," which is both Saxon and Scandinavian, proves the exis- 
 tence of a village or hamlet wherever it appears. Crosby 
 therefore would be given to a group of houses, however feiv, 
 where a wooden cross was set up, and where preaching and 
 prayers were offered in the open air. Soon as a church was 
 built, Crosby became Kirkby. These stand, naturally, in 
 sheltered situations by still waters. A cluster of habitations 
 became a village, and villages became a community. The 
 saxe and battle-axe are changed into the plough-share and 
 reaping hook, barren fields yield clover'- or oats, and the hill 
 slopes are whitened with flocks of sheep. So, where turbulence 
 and trouble once ruled the land, now peace and fruits of peace 
 gladdened the smiling valleys. The voice of the turtle dove 
 is heard in the land. These features of advanced civilization 
 are recognised in all places which, as before said, made pro- 
 clamation by their appellatives of the Christian faith, namely, 
 Crosby, Crosscrake, Crosby Garrett, Crosby Ravensworth, 
 
 *Smeaidale (now Smardale) means cloverdale, so this is not an 
 imagination but reality.
 
 267 
 
 Crossfell, Baron Cross, Crosthwaite, and Crosby Gill, Birk- 
 stead, Kirkbergh, Kirkby Thor, and last but not least, Kirkby 
 Stephen. In this way the civil history of the country and 
 people is partially described in its nomenclature. In this way 
 your handbook of topography is written in the names of your 
 villages. In this way 
 
 Old names survive 
 
 When laws and creeds and people all are gone. 
 
 We now stand on firmer ground historically, and can resume 
 the historical narrative with some confidence. The first 
 grantee of this barony of Westmorland, which was first styled 
 the barony of Appleby, included the manor of Mallerstang — 
 the original grantee of this barony, together with extensive 
 plains in Cumberland, was Ranulph de Meschiens in the reign 
 of King Henry I. He somewhat slighted this barony, and de- 
 voted all his attentions to the " other sister," Cumberland. He 
 founded Cockermouth Castle and Egremont Castle, and made 
 the latter his dwelling place. It is not probable, then, that 
 Meschines was the builder of Pendragon Castle. But the next 
 mesne lord may have been he or some of his kindred. Sir 
 Hugh de Morville (a Norman) struck his roots and the roots of 
 his family into this soil. His sister Maude gave the name to 
 Mauds Meaburn. He has left his name here on that cone- 
 shaped mountain, " Sir Hugh's seat," which name will continue 
 there whilst the mountain lasts. He was able and active. He 
 did some good deeds and one sad crime. One of his good 
 deeds was to convert drengage tenants (personal slaves) into 
 freed-men, or bondagers," on which occasion, in all probability, 
 the neighbouring village took the appropriate name of Bongate. 
 Sir Hugh de Morville was sheriff of Northumberland and 
 Cumberland, (sheriffs and magistrates as well were itinerant 
 in those days).t Sir Hugh was a zealous sportsman and 
 
 *Bondagers were cottagers obliged to work for stipulated wage. — 
 Brockclt's Glossarij. 
 t Samuel was an itinerant judge in Palestine.— r/i/c I Samuel vii., iC.
 
 268 
 
 would help to clear the forest of its wild animals, for we shall 
 shortly find the wild bull exchanged for the domestic cow. The 
 one crime alluded to (a memorable event) refers to Morville's 
 participation in the murder of Thomas a Beckett in the reign 
 of Henry II. (1170), he being one of four knights who did that 
 deed of blood in old Canterbury Cathedral."- For that offence 
 he forfeited title, office, and all his possessions. Morville's 
 sister Maud was married in the reign of King Stephen to 
 William de Veteripont. It was Robert de Veteripont, son of 
 the aforesaid William, by grant of the crown, on whom the 
 shrievalty of Westmorland was conferred, to him and his 
 descendants. This was in the 5th John (1204). So the shrie- 
 valty of this county continued a hereditary office from that 
 time till the year 1849, 645 years, descending by three names 
 successively Veteripont, Clifford, and Tufton, Pendragon Castle 
 and Appleby Castle being held by them through all those 
 generations. Such an inheritance is, I believe, without any 
 parallel. Appleby is derived from three monosyllables, ea- 
 pul-by, and means the town by the pool or river. In the next 
 century, the fourteenth, we find the primitive forest partially 
 essarted, and the wild bull, as before said, exchanged for the 
 domestic cow. In the Sth year of Edward II, (1314) an in- 
 quisition was held in the vale of Mallerstang, when the jurors 
 found '• that there is one castle here called Pendragon, with a 
 vaccary held by Sir Andrew de Harcla, cf the rent of Gd. a 
 year, and six vaccaries more worth 20s. a year each, and per- 
 quisites of court 13s. 4d." I must explain that vaccaries were 
 cow-houses placed on detached pastures in different parts of 
 the plains and forests of manorial estates, a practice now dis- 
 used in this country, but still pursued in Austri-Hungary, and 
 in Switzerland, as I find by a book entitled " The Balkan 
 Peninsula," published only last year, 1887. In the 15th, 
 Edward III, (1341) the castle suffered like the other baronial 
 
 * The prebent Cathedral was in course of erection at that time.
 
 26g 
 
 houses in the district, being "burnt down by the Scots.'' Who 
 built it up again after this casualty is not certain, but it must 
 have been one of the De Veteriponts, for the Pembroke me- 
 moirs — excellent authority — tell us that Idonea De Veteripont, 
 (widow of Robert aforesaid), in temp. Henry III. made a great 
 part of her residence at Pendragon Castle, in Mallerstang, 
 " which was her chief and beloved habitation," another way 
 of saying that she preferred Pendragon to Appleby Castle, or 
 Brough Castle — which latter was also one of her residences. 
 In temp. Edward IV. part of this estate passed into the pos- 
 session of Sir Wm. Parr, of Kendal Castle. There is nothing 
 said during that reign of the Castle, — it was probably again in 
 ruins — but there is mention of the chase, for King Edward II. 
 granted the office of bow-bearer of Mallerstang to Launcelot 
 Wharton. The castle itself gets renovation and a fresh epoch 
 in history by one of the most famous of our country-women, 
 Anne Clifford, countess of Pembroke, she " who would not 
 be brow-beaten by an usurper," who rode on a white charger, 
 as sheriffess of Westmorland, before the judges to open the 
 assizes. She says she formed the design of restoring Pen- 
 dragon Castle as early as 1615 ; but she had several other 
 demolished buildings to repair; Brougham Castle"'= and others, 
 so it was not until 1660 that Pendragon was made a fit habita- 
 tion to dwell in. She herself says, " she came to lye in it a 
 little while in October, 1661, after it had layne in ruins without 
 timber or any other covering since the year 1541. — Isaiah 
 Iviii, v, 12." She gives the text — I give the whole passage, 
 there could not be any more appropriate: "And they that 
 shall be of these shall ouild the old waste places. Thou shalt 
 raise up the foundations ^of many generations, and thou shalt 
 be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to 
 dwell in." Such was the inscription. The Countess did not, 
 however, follow Scripture precepts in all things. She had a 
 
 * She died in Brougham Castle in 1675, " Christianly, willingly, and 
 quietly," which, put into modern phraseology, would be with Christian 
 resignation and fortitude.
 
 270 
 
 weakness for commemorative inscriptions, unmindful of the 
 
 maxim — 
 
 Who builds a house to God and not to fame. 
 Should never o'er the door inscribe his name. 
 
 Anne Pembroke built or rebuilt many houses, and she uni- 
 forml}', without exception, placed her name, with all her titles, 
 over the door. Pendragon Castle was finally demolished by 
 the Earl of Thanet, in 1685. Pennant, the famous tourist, 
 visited the vale of Mallerstang, 1750 {sic}, and found both vac- 
 caries and archeries, but he does not mention the ruined 
 castle. It was then tottering to deca)', and is now being 
 frittered away, further circumscribed, by the decaying tooth 
 of time. So the works of man perish, and so generations of 
 men pass onwards to eternity ! 
 
 ANCIENT FAMILY CHAPELS. 
 
 There were three ancient family chapels here called by per- 
 sonal appellatives after their respective sponsors and presump- 
 tive builders. These were the Hartley (originally Harcla) 
 Chapel, before mentioned, the Wharton (originally Warton) 
 Chapel, and Smardale (originally Smeardale) Chapel. I don't 
 find anything to say about the Smardales, except that the 
 manor of Smardale, with Smardale Hall, was held by Sir 
 Andrew de Harcla in the time of Edward H. It was found in 
 the possession of De Smerdale in 1291, and now belongs to 
 Mr. William Henry Wakefield, Chairman of Quarter Sessions, 
 who inherited it from his worthy father, Mr. John V/akefield, 
 who was my greatest friend in this life. This date, 1291, 
 synchronises with the settlement here of Sir Andrew de 
 Harcla (1300-1310), and also with the residence of the first 
 Wharton, then Sir Henry de Querton, in 1309. These three 
 coincident dates seem to warrant the conclusion that the three 
 family chapels in question were contemporary in origin, and
 
 271 
 
 were all built in the early j'ears of the 14th century. The 
 church tower is still more recent, being built out of the ruins 
 of Warcop tower in i6o6. The bulk of the church might be of 
 the same age.* These family chapels occupied the most 
 honoured parts of Anglo-Norman churches, adjoining the 
 chancel. By what title they were legally held and legall}^ 
 transferred is questionable. If a powerful baron built without 
 any question, might was the measure of right. If there were no 
 ecclesiastical law, and no faculty to give a legal title, there 
 was none to take it away. Possession and presumptive owner- 
 ship of the chapel would pass with the manors as an undefined 
 appurtenance. The right of burial in the chapel went with 
 possession. Divine ordinances were performed in these 
 chapels, in pre-Reformation times, during the week, by the 
 chantr)' priests in all probability; and some of these chapels 
 had separate altars dedicated to separate saints, as, for in- 
 stance, those in Kendal Church, The Harcla Chapel here 
 went by escheat and King's warrant to the Nevilles of Raby, 
 and thence bj' purchase to the Musgraves, in the 34th of 
 Edward III., 1300, and so it comes to be called the Musgrave 
 Chapel. What was the Wharton Chapel is now the vestry of 
 the church. There were five Lords Wharton in succession ; 
 the sixth and last was raised to a Dukedom, whom Pope, lam- 
 pooned, saj'ing — 
 
 He was the scorn and wonder of our days, 
 Whose ruling' passion was the lust of praise. 
 
 There still stands in the Wharton chapel a conspicuous tomb, 
 on which are three recumbent effigies, namely, Thomas Lord 
 Wharton and his two wives. The inscription is in Latin, 
 
 * These family chapels have no relationship to the many Lady Chapels 
 in Ensflish ancient cathedrals. The latter were owned with the corpus of 
 the Cathedral Church by the ecclesiastical authority, the Dean and 
 Chapter. The Lady Chapel of a cathedral was specially devoted, in an 
 age of mystical devotion, to the Virgin Mother, where daily mass was 
 said to her honour.
 
 272 
 
 which I need not transcribe, but it may serve to enliven these 
 dry details, if I recite to you a paraphrase translation in English 
 
 Here I Thomas Wharton do lie 
 
 With Lucy under my head, 
 And Nelly, my wife, hard by. 
 
 And Nancy as cold as lead. 
 Oh ! how can I speal< without dread? 
 
 Who could my fortune abide ? 
 With one plague under my head, 
 
 And another on either side. 
 
 TITHES YEARLY TENDERED AND PAID ON A TOMBSTONE. 
 
 There is a feature of local history connected with this Kirkby 
 Stephen church which, as far as I know, is sui generis. I have 
 no where read or heard of such a custom elsewhere ; and the 
 practice here, singular as it is, seems to have been hitherto 
 overlooked both by Dr. Burn and all other topographers. I 
 allude to the payment of tithe by the parishioners, on a fixed 
 day every year, upon a tombstone which is still in the church- 
 yard.''= The identical tombstone stands not far from the 
 cloisters. It is built of unhewn millstone-grit, covered with a 
 limestone slab, whereon a heraldic shield was once traceable, 
 supposed to indicate the ownership of the Whartons. Tradition 
 says, however, that it is older than the tombs in the Wharton 
 chapel. Among the parishioners it went popularly by the 
 name of the " truppstone " or " the great truppstone," a cor- 
 ruption, perhaps, of thyoiigh-stcne. It is certain, however — and 
 this is the gist of the story — that for generations, time out of 
 mind, the money in lieu of tithes of hay was here regularly 
 paid to the incumbent of the church on Easter Monday. The 
 grey coats of this part of Westmorland assembled punctually 
 
 * I have read of tithes paid on the villag^e cross, in pre-Reformation 
 times, but never on a tomb excepting' in this case. Tithes were first 
 gfranted to the parochial clergfy in a general assembly held by Eththvold, 
 840.
 
 273 
 
 as Easter Monday came round, and there and then tendered to 
 the vicar their respective quotas of silver. Some agreement, 
 oral or written, must have been made between the parties, 
 which does not now appear. The practice became the law of 
 custom. The payment was called a " modus in lieu of hay 
 tithe." I find that when Lord Wharton purchased the advow- 
 son at the dissolution of monasteries, the tithes of corn and hay 
 were excepted from the conveyance, which points to this 
 customary modus on the " truppstone." If this inference be 
 correct, the curious custom dates back to the time of Henry 
 VIII, and perhaps farther back, and gives it a continuance of 
 some 300 years. We do not know its origin, but we do know its 
 extinction. When Rev. Thomas P. Williamson became vicar, 
 in the first decade of this century, a quarrel arose between him 
 and the tithe-payers as to this modus. Law proceedings were 
 threatened, and some preliminaries were taken. The parish- 
 ioners, notwithstanding, attended on Easter Monday as before, 
 and tendered their doles. The vicar also attended, but deter- 
 minedly refused the money, until his death in 1S35, which put 
 a stop to the custom. After his death the vicar's widow set 
 up a claim for the arrears, which had been offered and refused, 
 so she took nothing by her motion. In 1836, the very next 
 year, all the tithes were commuted in England, under the pro- 
 visions of the Tithes Commutation Act, carried into execution 
 by a Cumberland M.P., Mr. Aglionoy, whom I knew very well, 
 in Lord John Russell's Ministry. These particulars of the 
 " truppstone" were furnished me by Mr. Matthew Thompson, 
 of Kirkby Stephen, one of the county magistrates, who himself, 
 (and this clenches it as a fact), yearly attended in the church- 
 yard, with his quota, and who was present on the very last 
 occasion.
 
 (275) 
 
 SIR ANDREW Dli H ARC LA. 
 
 It has been wisely said that in the pursuit of archaeologj* 
 we " revive what we unveil." My present object is to unveil 
 the relics and revive the memory of Sir Andrew de Harcla. A 
 film of obscurity settled on his name and fame immediately 
 after his degradation and execution in the beginning of the 14th 
 century, and every succeeding age only served to thicken the 
 film, till his own countrymen even, unconcious of his history', 
 almost ignored his existence. I have a still higher object in 
 view than the removal of this obscurit}-, to rescue his name 
 from the infamy that has been attached to it, and show by cir- 
 cumstantial evidence that he was innocent of the crime for 
 which he suffered a death punishment. 
 
 Professor Freeman, — enlarging Aristotle's aphorism that 
 " Man is a political animal" — defines history to be the know- 
 ledge of man in his character as a political being. This, then 
 is my key note. Sir Andrew de Harcla lived in stirring times, 
 and was a typical figure in his time. In the north of England, 
 in our two sister counties especially, he was conspicuous in the 
 reign of Edward II., and although we do not find a word of dis- 
 paragement of him in the ancient chroniclers ; on the other 
 hand, no writer of his time, or subsequently, came to his 
 vindication. Ancient historians, bereft of personal interest, 
 contented themselves with a bare record of the moving incidents 
 of importance, without comment. So Harcla's true character 
 and his illegal treatment were left unnoticed. In this way his 
 tarnished reputation has ingloriously laid under the shadow of 
 a dark cloud for five and a half centuries. 
 
 To get a true estimate of the character and conduct of Harcla 
 it is necessary to look at the temper of the king whom he
 
 276 
 
 served, Edward II. He was a weak and fitful monarch, easily 
 moved by mean favourites and intriguants, who always sur- 
 rounded the throne. He would hug a favourite to his breast 
 to-day, and cut off his head to-morrow. This is scarcely a 
 figure of speech, for when he had just landed from a foreign 
 journey, and beheld Piers Gaveston, " the Ganymede of his 
 affections," he hugged him to his breast (says a historian), and 
 kissed him, regardless of decorum. At the instance of dis- 
 affected barons, Gaveston's head, like Harcla's, went to public 
 execution. Like all persons of weak mind the king was hasty 
 in council and impetuous in action, as when he rushed into the 
 fatal fight at Bannockburn against the judgment of cooler 
 heads. But his Nemesis overtook him at last. If his decrees, 
 like the laws of Draco, were written in blood, so was the end 
 of his own life. He was discrowned by parliament in 1327, 
 and was finally assinated in Berkeley Castle. Sir Harris 
 Nicolas says he " was ousted from the throne," and had so 
 entirely lost the allegiance of all his subjects, that his corpse 
 remained unburied and unhonoured for some years in the keep 
 of Berkeley Castle. Look at Edward's conduct towards Sir 
 Andrew de Harcla in a constitutional point of view. Macaulay 
 emphasises the great constitutional principle, based on Magna 
 Charta, that kings even, are bound to conduct the administra- 
 tions according to law, and that no subject of the realm can be 
 arrested or imprisoned by the mere mandate of the Sovereign. 
 But Edward had little regard for constitutional rights or the 
 provisions of the Great Charter. He not only ordered Harcla 
 to be arrested and imprisoned on the first rumour of his dis- 
 affection but publically proclaimed him a traitor along with the 
 warrant of arrest, an act in harmony with the subsequent acts 
 of this painful drama. But I am anticipating my narrative. 
 Let me adhere to the sequence of events. 
 
 The first event in which Harcla is a conspicuous actor is the 
 siege of Carlisle in 1315, one of the most famous sieges in the 
 history of the border wars. At that time Carlisle was the 
 " Hougomont "' of the battlefield. It was well fortified. The
 
 277 
 
 city gates, strong in themselves, were supplemented by heavy 
 stockades, fragments of which have been unearthed by the 
 vigilance of Mr. R. S. Ferguson, a " chiel who is always takin' 
 notes." The towering battlements of the castle were knitting 
 their brows, and the warders were looking across the Eden, 
 watching the approach of hosts of Scottish clansmen led by 
 their commander Brus, Brus was no despicable foe, and was 
 at the height of his fame and fortune. Only one year before 
 he had shown his strategic genius at Bannockburn, where he 
 defeated the English, and inspirited the scotch soldiery. Brus 
 now with menacing confidence, made onslaught on Carlisle 
 Castle, where Sir Andrew de Harcla, like a watchful sentinel 
 was planted on the battlements ready to repel the storm. '•= On 
 the battlements also, very likely, were the " Kendal archers, all 
 in green,"' for one of our authorities says that darts and arrows 
 were rained down on the assailants as thick as hail. So heroes 
 met heroes facing each other in attack and defence. The 
 chroniclers of Lanercost (contemporaries) say, that " after 
 scattering fire and slaughter in his path, Brus now laid siege 
 to Carlisle with a powerful army and with all sorts of engines 
 and battering rams." Some of these engines threw large balls 
 of stones against the gates and walls. Mr. Ferguson, with his 
 explorers, found, about ten years ago, three or four of these 
 stone balls, 8\ inches in diameter (about 141b. or 151b.) weight, 
 in one of the ditches or intrenchments by the Irish gates of the 
 city.t What kind of an engine could this be to project with 
 force, stones of the size and weight before mentioned ? Fosbroke 
 writing on this subject, says there was a military machine 
 known in England and Scotland in the Plantagenet era for 
 throwing such stones. It was called a Balista, from the Greek 
 word " to throw," and was constructed on the large cross-bow 
 
 * I have the ropy of an old drawing, given to me by Mr. Ferguson, 
 which exhibits Sir Andrew in full armour on the ramparts of the Castle, 
 hurling a spear at the Scotch assailants. 
 
 t Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorianp Antiquarian Society 
 1S79.
 
 278 
 
 principle. Neither stones thrown with a huge catapulta,* nor 
 spears, nor battering rams, nor battle axe could prevail against 
 the bulwarks of Carlisle, defended by Harcia and his gallant 
 garrison. And Brus, with his troops, retired utterly defeated 
 after a siege of eleven days, leaving all their engines behind 
 them. For this signal service the king enlarged the offices and 
 responsibilities of Harcia, by a proclamation issued imme- 
 diately thereafter, which commanded " all the inhabitants of 
 the counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancaster to 
 give him their attendance and obedience" — equivalent to 
 nominating him Lord Warden of the Western Marches, t 
 Before we leave the scene of his triumph let us take note of 
 Harcla's moral conduct on the occasion, we shall find him bye 
 and b5'e accused of treason in collusion with the very enemy 
 whom he had just defeated. If there had been in his mind any 
 thought of disaffection it would surely have betrayed itself here. 
 He was in sole command of the garrison, in sole trust of the 
 castle, with the key in his pocket. He could, therefore, un- 
 known except to his own conscience, have opened the door of 
 the citadel and let in the enemy. But his fidelity was unshaken. 
 " All the ends he aimed at were his country's." 
 
 Sir Andrew's next exploit, in order of time, was in connection 
 with an open rebellion on the part of some of the English 
 barons, headed by the Earl of Lancaster, of Pontefract Castle. 
 This nobleman, whilst in favour at court, was sheriff of Cum- 
 berland, and had held the office of the King's " conservator of 
 truce," a trust of great responsibility. He revolted in the 
 service of the crown (in 1319 ?) and was joined by the Earl of 
 Hereford, by (I am sorry to say) one of our Cliffords, Roger de 
 Clifford (of the third generation of Cliffords), and other powerful 
 barons. Clifford's penalty for this open disloyalty was the 
 forfeiture to the crown of his manor of Kirkby Stephen and the 
 
 *Mr. Thomas Wright F.S.A., observes that one of these engines hurled 
 the stones backward on the assailants instead of forward. 
 
 t The word "March" means a border frontier. It may not be generally 
 known that the title Marquis came by this designation " March."
 
 279 
 
 neighbouring manors, which thus came to be confirmed to Sir 
 Andrew Harcla. This rebelHous confederacy of barons drew 
 together their respective retainers at Borough Bridge, in York- 
 shire, and Harcla was given command of the King's troops. 
 We are not told how long the battle lasted, but we are told of 
 a fact which speaks more eloquently than words for my theory 
 of Harcla's high character. One of our authorities says, 
 Lancaster at first endeavoured to win Harcla over by bribes. 
 You will be pleased to keep this fact in mind to the end of the 
 narrative. Harcla's skill and valour on this occasion proved 
 equal to his disinterestedness. The rebel forces were scattered, 
 and Earl Lancaster, w^th four score of his confederates, were 
 taken prisoners. I notice here a naive comment by one of the 
 old chroniclers, which makes one smile. He says, " the Earl 
 of Lancaster was not allowed to make any defence of his con- 
 duct," as if this just principle of public law — a legal trial — had 
 been an exception, and not the unvarying practice of the King. 
 W\ Edward's judgments were despotic and severe. Is it too 
 much to say that Harcla covered himself with glory ? One 
 knows not which to admire most — his military skill or his moral 
 integrity. For this gallant service he was rewarded with an 
 earldom : was created Earl of Carlisle in the fifteenth of the 
 reign — that is the year of the battle — an earl, " to him and his 
 heirs male ; " " being," says Dr. Burn, " the first record that 
 mentions an entail of a title to the heirs male." This earldom 
 of Carlisle was first conferred on Randolph de Meschines, the 
 original grantee of the barony of Westmorland, but without 
 remainder. Harcla's life might have been safer without this 
 dignity. It was a precarious eminence if it provoked jealousy 
 among his rivals, as there is too much reason to suppose. 
 How the King's ears were poisoned is not stated, and will 
 never be known, nor what allegations composed the leprous 
 distilment. All we know is that no formal indictment was 
 preferred, but 
 
 Knavery's plain face is never seen till used. — Othello,
 
 28o 
 
 Envy follows merit as its shadow, and merit pays the penalty 
 of promotion. The rumours in royal circles that preceded 
 Harcla's doom were — (i) That he had been in correspondence 
 with Robert Brus or (mark the " or ") some of the Scottish 
 nobles ; (2) that he had had clandestine interviews with Brus 
 himself at Lochmaben ; (3) that he was suspected of having an 
 intention of asking the hand of Brus's sister in marriage! 
 How like this is to the common gossip of a scandalous tongue ; 
 and yet it is all set down, years after, as history, by grave 
 writers. How these inuendos reached the court we can only 
 surmise. The King and his advisers (if he took any advice) 
 were at this time in Yorkshire moving about — one day in York, 
 another in Pontefract, another in Knaresborough. There was 
 one person at court, however, if not more than one, who was 
 waiting for dead men's shoes, namely, the King's brother 
 Edmund, Earl of Kent ; for no sooner was Harcla disposed of 
 than this brother Edmund was put in his empty shoes, the 
 King, by proclamation, enjoining " all the inhabitants of the 
 northern counties to obey him," instead of the degraded Lord 
 Warden. 
 
 At first Edward resolved to command the presence of the 
 inculpated Harcla and hear what he had to say for himself. 
 This would have shown a sense of fairness. It was too fair to 
 be realized and was soon revoked. Instead, thereof, a special 
 commission was appointed, with Sir Anthony Lucy at its head, 
 to proceed to Carlisle and do— what ? What would you sup- 
 pose ? Investigate the criminal charges against the culprit ; 
 and if a prima facie case appeared, carry him for trial before 
 his peers or a court martial ? No such thing. That was not 
 the habit of the time, and there was no law of treason but the 
 King's arbitrary will. The commissioners were ordered to go 
 and seize Harcla, who was at his post of duty in Carlisle Castle, 
 and were, then and there, to give a sentence " of the King's sole 
 power " against him for his imputed crimes ! The judgment, 
 made, without a word of previous warning, and would fall on
 
 28l 
 
 the accused like a thunderbolt out of aciear skj'. The judgment 
 (or " cedula," as it was lightly called), ran in tnese words 
 namely : — That Sir Andrew de Harcla, Earl of Carlisle, 
 should be stripped of his earl's robes and ensigns of knighthood, 
 his sword broken over his head, his gilt spurs hacked off from 
 his heels, and that he should be drawn to the place of execution, 
 and there hanged b)- the neck, his heart '■'■ and bowels taken out 
 of his body, burnt to ashes and winnowed, his body cut into 
 four quarters, one to be set upon the principal tower of Carlisle 
 Castle, another upon the tower of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a third 
 upon the bridge at York, and the fourth at Shrewsbury ; and 
 his head upon London Bridge." Dr. Burn (History of West- 
 morland) says " All this was performed accordingly." I would 
 not, if I could avoid it, controvert the record of our favourite 
 county historian, but he had no authority, that I can find, for 
 the last statement. He obviously took for granted that the 
 whole of the ruthless revolting schedule of butchery " was per- 
 formed accordingly." The monks of Lanercost, making their 
 notes at the time, dedie in diem, only say that Harcla " suffered 
 in the ordinary place of execution with great fortitude, affirming 
 to the end that in his transactions with the King of Scotland 
 he had meant no hurt to his own king or country." Made his 
 defence on his way to the scaffold ! These circumstantial 
 chroniclers would have followed in their record Harcla's 
 mutilated bones to the several places of public execration if 
 they had been so dispersed. But all they say about his body, 
 is to repeat the words he used on the scaffold : " You have 
 disposed of my body at your pleasure, my soul, which is above 
 your disposal I give to God." — 
 
 From this instant 
 There is nothing serious in mortality. 
 
 This brings us to the real gravamen of Harcla's offence which 
 was, I believe, his engaging the preliminaries of a truce be- 
 
 *Thc heart was burnt "because evil thou£;hts proceeded out of it."
 
 282 
 
 tween the Scotch and English on the Borders. At that 
 moment the actual combatants desired a cessation of the 
 bloody strife. " They were weary of the struggle," says one 
 of our ancient authorities, and so asked for " a respite from 
 their miseries." Harcla's proceedings show that he sympathised 
 with these sufferings. There was no intercourse then between 
 monarch and multitude. The Lord Warden held the reins of 
 power in the north, the only power recognised by the retainers. 
 He who led the combat held the conscience of the combatants. 
 They now sought a respite from the strife and bloodshed, and 
 Harcla mercifully listens to the overtures for a truce. His 
 enemies, or rivals let us say, declared he had no authority to 
 do so. It is not easy at this distant day to discover the true 
 from the false. But let us concede this point to the king's side 
 of the question. Two facts present themselves on the other, 
 Harcla's side, and facts are makeweights in the scales of justice 
 The first notable fact is that he, the Lord Warden, had on pre- 
 vious occasions been endowed with power to make treaties on 
 the borders : 2nd, that the convention on the face of preliminary 
 rough draft, shows that its terms were to be conditional on the 
 King's pleasure ! Let me recite the terms, first asking you to 
 note that there is not to be found a single obligation imposed 
 on the English Crown. 
 
 Suggestions for a truce. — The first is a mutual covenant, and 
 declares that Brus shall nominate six men and Harcla another 
 six men who are to settle all disputed questions between the 
 English and the Scotch. (This does not look very one-sided). 
 The next article covenants that Brus is to build a monastery 
 in Scotland for the succour of the poor, and endow it with 500 
 marks yearly. The next charges Brus with the payment of 
 4000 marks of silver as compensation to England within ten 
 years. These two covenants are to be enforced only // the 
 King of England shall within one year approve thereof .' The 
 last provision, whatever it may mean, states that the King of 
 England should have the Prince of Scotland married to a rela- 
 tion. Such are the provisions, as exact as one can get them,
 
 283 
 
 disclosed by a Draft Convention, and we defy the acutest living 
 lawyer to point out any evidence here of Harcla's treason. 
 Well, then, might he declare as he went to the scaffold, "that 
 he meant no harm to his own king or country. And there it 
 was, preparing his neck for the halter, that he fully explained 
 the intentions of the suggested treaty."^'' But there was one 
 public act of Harcla's, of very doubtful prudence as regards him- 
 self. He had, throwing personal policy to the winds, summoned 
 a meeting of " the chiefs of the county " and communicated 
 to them the salient terms of this inchoate convention, who all 
 swore that they would defend the same with all their power." 
 And it is added all the common people, " they who felt where 
 the shoe pinched, were much pleased therewith, hoping they 
 might live peaceably at home." Looking at all these statements 
 dispassionately, as we can now do, it is impossible to avoid 
 the conclusion that Harcla's offence at Court was not trea- 
 son, but his promoting a truce which was openly popular 
 with both barons and retainers, who ought to have had no 
 voice in the matter ! If Harcla suffered for death compas- 
 sionating the suffering of his henchmen, his policy of peace 
 received striking confirmation before his mangled corpse was 
 stiff with cold, for Rymer observes that Harcla's destruction 
 was soon followed by a truce between the kingdoms." And 
 that truce terminated in a treaty of peace. So here is posthumous 
 testimony to Harcla's statesmanship and humanity. 
 
 A word now by way of deduction from the preceding facts 
 and arguments. V.'hen a criminal is arraigned in an English 
 court of justice, the first point to which importance is attached 
 
 * Burn and Nicolson state (History of Cumberland) giving no authority 
 for it, that Sir Jeffrey de Scrope, with an armed force, arrived at Carlisle, 
 " who tried and sentenced the said Earl to be hanged and quartered." &c. 
 The word " tried " seems a distortion of the fact. It is inconsistent with 
 the " King's sole power " and the practice of the King in all similar cases ; 
 and inconsistent, too, with what looks like the oflficial instructions to Sir 
 Jeffrey Scrope in the year book. He was to execute the King's judg- 
 ment in a way that would make an impression on the people. The 
 " armed force " was obviously a lesson of terror.
 
 284 
 
 is a motive for the crime. What possible motive could Harcla 
 have for treason against the state ? He had proved both his 
 valour and patriotism by the way in which he repulsed the 
 Scotch at the siege of Carlisle. He had proved his disin- 
 terestedness by the way in which he rejected the proffered 
 bribes of the rebel, Lord Lancaster, at the battle of Borough 
 Bridge. He had nothing to gain by collusion with Brus, but 
 everything to lose. He was in affluence, having estates in the 
 two sister counties ; with a noble castle in Westmorland, raised 
 presumably by his own hands for a residence. In command 
 of the western marches, in possession of the willing suffrages 
 of all the retainers in the north of England, who hailed him as 
 champion of their hearths and homes. What could ambition 
 — vaulting ambition — desire more ? And all these possessions, 
 he well knew, would be wrested from him, by any disaffection. 
 Let this consideration of motive, then be superadded to the 
 facts and arguments I have gathered together in vindication 
 of his character and conduct, and then public opinion, as I 
 think, will pronounce a verdict oi acquittal. 
 
 But I have to call post mortem testimony against the mal- 
 treatment of Harcla by a command of the next King of England, 
 Edward HL This Edward was in moral purpose, very superior 
 to his father, and possessed some bowels of compassion. He 
 could not undo his father's brutal treatment of Sir Andrew 
 Harcla, when his attention was called to it, but he could and 
 did in one way show his sense of it. He could not reanimate 
 the insentient bones, but he could and did authorise their 
 reverent burial. Sir Andrew had a sister — " a perfect woman 
 nobly planned," to borrow a fine line of Wordsworth. It has 
 been said of her " that the memory of her warrior brother lay 
 green in her heart." It appears, by logical inference, that she 
 had petitioned the reigning Sovereign for the custody and conser- 
 vation of her brother's remains. The prayer of her petition was 
 granted in the loth Edward III., (1337), by a Royal mandate 
 which now lies among the public records : — " the King to his 
 beloved and faithful Anthony de Lucy, warden of Carlisle Castle,
 
 285 
 
 greeting — (the same man who in the irony of fate had been 
 Harcla's executioner) — " We command you that you cause to 
 be delivered without delay the quarter of the body of Andrew 
 de Harcla, which hangs by command of Lord Edward, late 
 King of England, our father, upon the walls of the said Castle 
 to our beloved Sarah, formerly the wife of Robert de Leyburn,''= 
 sister to the aforesaid Andrew, to whom we of our grace have 
 granted that she may collect together the bones of the same 
 Andrew, and commit them to holy sepulture, whenever she 
 wishes, or her attorney. And this you shall in no wise omit. 
 Witness the King at York, the loth of August, by the King 
 himself." 
 
 This compassionate order seems to suggest that not only 
 one quarter of his body but " other bones," other parts of the 
 body, were at Carlisle. If the head -had been on London 
 Bridge, Sarah would surely have asked, and reclaimed it, be- 
 cause the head is the most precious part of the body, and 
 London Bridge was a notoriously bad eminence. 
 
 Dr. Burn has thrown doubts, based only upon a gratuitous 
 assumption, on Harcla's tomb and Harcla's burial in Kirkby 
 Stephen Church. But he knew nothing of sister Sarah and 
 Edward HL's sympathetic order, which robbed her affliction 
 of its bitterness ; nor did the learned doctor know anything of 
 what I am now going to tell of the grave. Great structural 
 alterations were made at the east end of Kirkby Stephen 
 Church in 1847. The Harcla tomb stood in the chancel 
 against a large semicircular arch which had been pulled 
 down and which necessitated the removal of the tomb — once 
 before removed (I exhibit a drawing made at the time).t These 
 ancient lineaments are gone, and our interest now centres 
 in the grave. The disclosures by the opening of the grave 
 amount to a certamty of the interment hereof Ha.rc\a.'s disjecta 
 
 * She had married into the family of the Leyburns, of Cunswick, near 
 Kendal, who were seated at Cunswick from 1302 till 1715. This fact 
 strikes another chord of Kendalian sympathy. 
 
 fThis was shewn when the lecture was delivered at Kirkby Stephen.
 
 286 
 
 membra. William Close, of Kirkby Stephen, architect and 
 builder, removed the tomb and opened the grave. He was a 
 man possessing intelligence beyond his cocial status, who 
 furnished me with the minutest particulars of the exhumation 
 in writing, without his knowing my prepossessions. Beneath 
 the spot where the tomb had stood was a walled grave 5ft. 
 deep, and 5ft. loin. in extreme length. It was broken in the 
 middle into two widths, the upper half being 2 feet 3 inches 
 wide, and the lower half i foot g inches, proving clearly to 
 the masons that the grave had been built at two different 
 times. Portions of two human skeletons turned up, those of 
 a male and a female, which were taken out by William Close, 
 my informant. The smaller bones — those of the female — were 
 found in different parts of the prolonged grave without trace 
 of a coffin which must have perished. But the larger, 
 marrowless bones, confusedlj' mingled, were in or on a piece 
 of thin sheet lead " about 41b. to the foot," without vestige of 
 a coffin. This winding sheet of lead had survived the lapse 
 of years, along with the bones of Sir Andrew. But we may 
 safely assume that the loving undertaker, in this case, would 
 also associate with the leaden shroud some trophies of her 
 brother's professional career, perhaps his martial cloak, in 
 imitation of a more historic example, that of Julius CcBsar, 
 whose murdured corpse was shrouded in a fragment of his 
 ent toga. 
 
 Here, then, I confidently submit, is demonstrative evidence 
 of the reality of Harcla's burial, and the explication of the 
 bifid grave is apparent. When sister Sarah got possession of 
 her brother's outraged manes, she, in wounded love, built the 
 first part of his grave, and wrapping the relics in lead, 
 reverently buried them. After she herself had paid the debt 
 of nature, her mortal body, in obedience perhaps to her dying 
 command, was committed to the enlarged grave. The bones 
 thus exhumed were preserved till 1849, and were then re-interred 
 in an old stone coffin, which was previously taken from beneath 
 the floor of the church.
 
 287 
 
 Before we quit the sacred shrine, T may confidently express 
 my assurance that we shall all — reader and hearers — carry 
 our thoughts, thrilling with emotion, back through the cen- 
 turies in sympathy with sister Sarah, and feel grateful to her 
 for the good part she played in this real life tragedy. We do 
 not grieve with her, her grief had changed into " the oil of joy 
 for mourning." A joy more bright for darkness past, that 
 pierced the gloom of the future, and opened a vista of glorious 
 immortalit}'. 
 
 If the true character of Sir Andrew de Harcla, and his great 
 qualities, have been overlooked in past times, it is right that 
 we, better instructed, should cherish his memory and keep it 
 fragrant. These Archaeological Societies may be held to re- 
 present the intelligent aspirations of the people of Cumberland 
 and Westmorland, and it accords with the best instincts of our 
 nature to re-establish the fame of a distinguished countryman. 
 No more grateful task can be ours than to wipe out the blot on 
 the escutcheon of Sir Andrew de Harcla. 
 
 One word with reference to our authorities. The materials 
 of which this paper is composed have been gathered up in 
 heterogeneous mutilated fragments, from Pike's year books of 
 the nth and 12th Edward III., from the writings oi HoUnshed, 
 Fordiin, Froissart, Ryiiier, and the Moitks of Lanercost. The 
 ancient authors, here personally named, lived and wrote long 
 after the event which they record — the two first-named about 
 one century, and the others about four centuries after — which 
 will account for incoherencies. But the Lanercost chronicle 
 was contemporary with Sir Andrew de Harcla, and may be 
 trusted for its fidelity. The monks at Lanercost not merely 
 set down passing events as they occurred, but were eye-wit- 
 nesses. Some of these monks, indeed, accompanied the 
 English in the forays and battles of the Border wars. I am 
 struck with wonder that not one of these historians should 
 have paused in their notices to question the unproven charge 
 of treason. From the early 14th to the end of the 19th 
 century no one seems to have even hinted at the possibility of
 
 Harcla's innocence until we come to our own generation. Our 
 revered friend, the late Canon Simpson, and Mr. R. S. Ferguson 
 separately threw out, by intuition, a surmise, saying, almost 
 in the same words, " perhaps the charge of high treason had 
 little, if any, foundation." I can only regret that in obedience 
 to this happy instinct one or the other of these historiographers 
 did not follow his own suggestion, and by researches deeper 
 than these which I have undertaken, bring before the public 
 the evidences of Harcla's innocence. 
 
 One word as to the date of Harcla's execution. Not one of 
 the aforesaid writers, ancient or modern, gives any date, or 
 any clue to the time when the transaction took place, and I 
 began to despair of finding it. But going carefully through 
 Nicolson's History of Cumberland, I came to the appendix, 
 where there is a list of the sheriffs of Cumberland extending 
 from temp. Henry \l. to George HI., and there I found the 
 missing links ot time. Sir Andrew de Harcla is shown to have 
 been sheriff of Cumberland for fifteen years, from the first 
 Edward H., to the fifteenth (1322). His office of sheriff ceased 
 with his life. By this record we get both the date of his exe- 
 cution (1322), and the year of the interment of his bones in 
 Kirkby Stephen Church {1337), which completes the history. 
 
 HARCLA CASTLE AND THE FAMILY. 
 The account of Sir Andrew de Harcla would not be complete 
 without some mention of his castle residence in the- county. 
 The ancestors of Sir Andrew were connected with Westmor- 
 land as far back as the time of Henry H. (1154-1189). They 
 held the manor of Harcla, in the parish of Kirkby Stephen, m 
 that reign. It is not to be inferred that they resided here so 
 early, or that the castle was reared so early. They were 
 seated at High-head Castle, in the parish of Dalston, in Cum- 
 berland, and it is probable, if what is called " the accident of
 
 289 
 
 birth " could be proved, that Dalston was Sir Andrew's native 
 place. They, or at any rate Sir Andrew, migrated from 
 Cumberland to Westmorland in one of the earliest years of 
 the fourteenth century, perhaps when our military hero was 
 about to begin the battle of life. Who built the castle is not 
 told. Dates and designation would refer its erection to Sir 
 Andrew. Tradition retained and maintained the name " Harcla 
 Castle " till the reign of Henry VIII., after which it was 
 corrupted to '• Hartley Castle." Ancient personal names 
 current before wril ing was practised, and printing was invented, 
 were readily modernised. The fine old name De Camera was 
 changed to Chambers, Querton became Wharton, Burgham 
 became Brougham, and so on. Harcla Castle has been de- 
 scribed as a noble pile of building, standing on an eminence 
 that overlooked the village of Hartley. A fine park surrounded 
 the house, well stocked with deer. In the border wars it was 
 an object of attack, and no wonder ; for its owner was Warden 
 of the Marshes. By the thirty-fourth Edward III. it was in 
 the possession by purchase of Sir Thomas de Musgrave, for 
 that King granted Sir Thomas in 1359, a special license "to 
 rebuild and fortify Harcla Castle, ivliicJi had been burnt by the 
 Scots.'" This incidental fact from an authentic source, is one 
 ot the side lights of our history. I wish there were many more 
 of them. The castle was besieged, presumably, in 1318, in a 
 campaign with the Scots, when both towns of Penrith and 
 Appleby were sacked and burnt in revenge for the defeat at 
 the gates of Carlisle. We know that the Castle was re-built, 
 but not when ; for it is on record that in 1612 it was '' further 
 enlarged " by Sir Richard Musgrave. At a subsequent date it 
 was demolished by another of the Musgrave family, and all the 
 materials were carted away to be used at Eden Hall. One would 
 have liked these Iconoclasts to have left some skeleton of a 
 wall, as a lasting memorial of Sir Andrew de Harcla, the 
 putative builder of the castle. 
 
 Read at Kendal, July 6th, 1888. The last Lecture Mr. 
 Nicholson ever delivered.
 
 si 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 It has been thought interesting to insert fac-similes 
 of some of the letters my fatlier received from Mr. 
 Wordsworth, and Mr. Hartley Coleridge. 
 
 That from the Poet Laureate will explain itself, es- 
 pecially to those readers who remember that his wife's 
 name was Mary Hutchinson. 
 
 The poem by Plartley Coleridge has reference to 
 three events, my own birth, the marriage of one of my 
 cousins, and the death of Mr. H. Nelson Coleridge, who 
 married Sarah, the only daughter of Samuel Taylor 
 Coleridge ; in her interesting life she is stated to have 
 made this remarkable assertion, " My Father taught 
 me to think ! " Her literary achievements fully verified 
 that saying. In the works of Hartley Coleridge this 
 poem is published under the heading, " On the death 
 of Henry Nelson Coleridge." 
 
 C.N.
 
 
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