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any doubt, that they were worked prior to the seventeenth century.

"There is a double working," he continued, "in these mines; the superior being about three hundred and ninety yards above the level of the ocean, the inferior three hundred and forty; while the depth of the first descends to thirty yards, and the second to upwards of one hundred. The mineral is variously designated. It is generally known by the name of wad;' but by some persons it is termed plumbago, and by others black cawke, and graphite. Its chief use, however, is the manufacture of pencils; innumerable piles of which are made in the town of Keswick. The mineral is likewise applied to the formation of crucibles, the casting of bomb-shells, cannon, round-shot, and similar manufactures; as well as for the purpose of polishing iron, and lessening the friction of various articles of machinery.

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Among other peculiarities," remarked the superintendent, "is the form in which the ore lies in the mine, which is that of a tree, from whose trunk radiate branches, or veins, in every possible direction. From this trunk proceeds the finest ore; the branches producing only an inferior substance, of a hard and gritty quality. Occasionally, however, it is found insops, as it is termed, or floats,' consisting of one large mass, without the intervention of branches, and sometimes weighing as much as five or six pounds; a species of blue rock lining, as it were, each side of the mineral.

"The mine was originally worked only at stated periods, according to the scanty demand at that time existing; a sufficient supply being obtained for the consumption of some years by the labour of a few months. But since that period the demand has greatly augmented, and, at the same time, the facility of procuring the ore has decreased. The consequence is, that the operations have become more regular and constant,

in order to answer the additional call in the market. The strata, through which the miners have to work before they obtain the ore, consist, first, of earth and stones mingled together; next, of masses of hard grauwacke; and, succeeding these, of a dark blue stone of a soft quality, where the mineral is discovered.

"To prove to you," continued the superintendent," the augmented value of these mines, I need only inform you, that in 1614 they were leased at the trifling yearly rent of 5s. 4d., in a conveyance of the manor of Borrowdale, made by W. Whitmore, Esq., and others, to Sir Wilfred Lawson; while, at the present moment, their value, arising from the greatly enlarged consumption of the article, is estimated at about £4,000 per annum, and that sum increasing.

"The price per pound of the best quality of the mineral is as high as fifty shillings, and not unfrequently amounts to three guineas. The precautions needful, therefore, to protect this valuable property from depredations are necessarily stringent. Walls and houses have been built close to the mines, for the purpose of guarding them from spoliation, as well as for the residence of the overseers and workmen; their supervision by the former being strict and vigilant."

The superintendent here made a pause in his narrative; and Jasper, who had been eagerly watching for an opportunity to prefer a request to him, now begged, with the simplicity and curiosity of a real schoolboy, that he would have the kindness to make a few pencils for himself and his brother, as they were then learning to draw, that they might say they were made at the mines.

His parents laughed very heartily at the naïveté of their son; to whom the superintendent good-humouredly replied, that he would willingly have acceded to his wishes had it been possible. "But, in the first place," he said, "the time re

quired for the operation would not allow of its being done; and, in the next place, the proprietors did not permit any portion of the mineral to be either used or sold, till it had been deposited in their own warehouses in London; to which place the finest qualities were always sent, and there sold to the dealers once a month. It is from thence," he observed,. "that the pencil manufacturers of Keswick receive the whole of their supplies, and by whom they are worked up for public distribution. This certainly appears," he observed, "a circuitous mode of dealing with the article; but, ita lex scripta est; and, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, it may not be altered."

After enjoying their laugh at Jasper's simplicity, the party prepared to take their departure. They did not consider it advisable to descend the wet and dirty excavations, which, in this instance, are not so pleasantly accessible as are salt mines, and some other shafts of mineral production. With many thanks to the superintendent, they again mounted their ponies and took their leave. They now proceeded upwards to the summit of the Fell, where they obtained the first view, and that a remarkably fine one, of Honister Crag. This enormous rock, of most rugged aspect, springing with perpendicular abruptness from the valley, reaches an elevation of 1,700 feet, and is celebrated for the fine slate with which its sides abound. The entire county of Cumberland, fertile as it is in mountain heights, does not contain a more stupendous mass. It is destitute of even a blade of grass, while the narrow valley from which it rises, as well as every object around it, is marked by a character of sterility, as wild and desolate as nature exhibits in perhaps any part of the world.

The tourists, having sufficiently admired this imposing landscape, now descended to Gatesgarth Dale; a valley of narrow dimensions, with precipitous rocky sides, the broken and fallen

blocks of which lie scattered below in all directions. Struggling along its rugged channel, is here beheld the mountain stream that falls, at no great distance, into Buttermere Lake.

The description of Gatesgarth Dale, given by Mr. Gilpin, is so graphic as well as true, that, for the gratification of the reader, it is here transcribed. He says

"The river, also, which runs through it, and is the principal supply of the lake, is as wild as the valley itself. It has no banks but the fragments of rocks; no bed but a channel composed of rocky strata, among which the water forces its course. 1ts channel, as well as its bank, is formed of loose stones and fragments, which break and divide the stream into a succession of wild impetuous eddies. A stream, which is the natural source of plenty, is perhaps, when unaccompanied with verdure, the strongest emblem of desolation. It shows the spot to be so barren that even the greatest source of abundance can produce nothing. The whole valley, indeed, joined in impressing the same idea. Fruitful Nature making, in every part of her ample range, unremitting efforts to vegetate, could not here produce a single germ."

After winding along the valley, above described, the merry party reached the edge of the lake; and passing the beautiful villa called Hassness, situated on its banks; admiring the lovely scenery before them as they slowly paced along, and pausing occasionally to prolong the pleasure, they arrived, about a mile further on, at the village of Buttermere.

This rural hamlet, placed between two lakes-Buttermere on the one hand and Crummock water on the other, separated by the distance of nearly a mile-contains scarcely more than sixteen or eighteen houses; while its miniature chapel, probably the smallest in England, is incapable of accommodating a congregation of more than forty persons.

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