adorned with neat cottages, and having a little rustic inn. About the middle of the Chine is a small chalybeate spring and the path now conducts by a serpentine course to a scene of awful grandeur, formed by stupendous masses of matter on each side, and the rustling of a small cascade, which falls from the head of the Chine, and passes between the dark and overhanging cliffs. One could almost imagine the Roman Bard sat in this spot and penned his well known lines:

Within a long recess there lies a bay,
An Island shades it from the rolling sea,
And forms a port secure for ships to ride;
Broke by the jutting land on either side.
In double streams the briny waters glide,
Betwixt two rows of rocks: a sylvan scene
Appears above, and groves for ever green;
A grot is formed beneath, with mossy seats,
To rest the Nereids, and exclude the heats.
Down through the crannies of the living walls,
The crystal streams descend in murm'ring falls.*

Dryden.

The village of Shanklin is adorned with a variety of beautiful cottages, many of which are for hire during the summer season; and in the adjacent spot are several elegant villas. At the head of the Chine stands a handsome stone-fronted house; and at a little distance, on the summit of the adjacent hill, is Vernon Cottage, adorning the scene with its ancient gothic architecture. Still nearer the cliff is a respectable lodging house. The Parsonage, which stands near the southern extremity of the village, is a beautiful residence, richly clothed with ivy, and decorated with myrtles. The church stands on an open knoll of ground, a short distance from the village, and very

*Est in seccessu longo locus; insula portum
Efficit objectu laterum, &c.

Vir. En. lib. 1.

near the manor farm house, a fine old building of a very commanding appearance.

On leaving Shanklin we pass a most lovely piece of country. Ascending the hill a fine sea view opens on us; and below we see the little village of Luccombe, celebrated for the small Chine which it contains. There is a foot-path leading from this village to Bonchurch, and if the visitor has time, he will be repaid, by leaving his vehicle to the care of the driver, and perambulating this enchanting piece of ground, meet his carriage again at Bonchurch.

On passing Luccombe, the main road conducts us to the top of St. Boniface Down. The walk from Shanklin is one of the finest and most romantic in the Island. After passing through the fields on the summit of the cliffs, we enter by a winding path through a succession of undulating grounds, covered with fern, underwood, and small trees; and looking round we have a burst of beauty almost unparalleled. The deep blue ocean rolling in the front, and spreading its fine broad flood of water over the beautiful bay of Sandown, the verdant side of Bembridge Down, sloping to the cliff, which is adorned with variegated strata, and the fine projecting side of Culver cliff, with the soft scenery opening in the neighbourhood of Shanklin, present a prospect almost matchless in its character. On proceeding a little further, the pathway winds down to Luccombe Chine, and it will repay the curiosity of the visitor, to view this phenomenon of nature. If it has not the magnificence of Shanklin Chine, it is not wanting in beauty; its dark brown cliff, with patches of green and hanging wood, its lofty trees, which shade and adorn the deep ravine; its rushing water murmuring and falling to a fine shore, with the little cottages which are adjacent, give it a most picturesque appearance.

On leaving Luccombe Chine, a scene of grandeur and beauty presents itself-we see the wild confusion of nature, occasioned by the Landslip, which occurred in December, 1818. This disruption was the second which had taken place in this spot; the former occurred in the year 1810: both together are computed to have swept away eighty acres of land; and the latter in one night destroyed twenty full-grown trees. This spot is inconceivably imposing: the immense masses of rock thrown about in wild disorderthe pulverized cliff-the dark blue clay-the vegetation peeping between the ruins-the land settled in an inclined position, as if waiting some awful moment to move toward the sea-and the craggy summits which tower in daring boldness above, and look as if ready to mingle with the ruins beneath-form a most magnificent and overpowering scene.

Proceeding by the road through an interesting piece of country, we pass on the right the beautiful villa of East Dean, surrounded by scenery of the most exquisite and delightful order, immediately after which we reach the church of St. Boniface; situated on the knoll of a small cliff, in the midst of the most beautiful scenery, and adjacent to the wide spreading ocean, it has a very imposing appearance. The church is of Saxon or Norman date, and very small in its dimensions. The village of Bonchurch, placed in one of the loveliest spots in the Island, now appears before us, with the carriage road just above winding its steep descent from the down to the village. A little below this, secluded from the view on the road, stands Undermount Cottage, deservedly admired for its delightful situation.

This ride from Shanklin to Bonchurch is very beautiful; and the abrupt bursting of the sea, viewed from the top of the down, is almost overpowering. This is

succeeded by a spot of romantic character, full of beauty and wild disorder. Before entering the village, the visitor would have an additional pleasure if he were to go so far as the cliff, called the Pulpit Rock, marked by a rustic cross on the summit. In this part he will have a most enchanting view.

In passing through the village, to the left is a singular rock, on the top of which is a flag-staff. At this place the visitor would do well to alight and ascend; as it affords one of the most delightful views that can be obtained of the village and the scenery. Here creation luxuriates. The craggy cliffs, hoary and mantled, with a partial verdure-the hanging woodthe beautiful stream of water, skirted by a row of

reverend elms, and placid as a lake-the white-walled cottages, and the deep blue ocean, all combine to give it the impression of ineffable beauty. At a little distance to the right, at the foot of St. Boniface Down, is St. Boniface Cottage, a rural abode of no ordinary beauty.

This nook, where nature has given some of the finest specimens of beauty, and where she has shewn that grandeur may be softened into an impression almost kindred to beauty, was the birth-place of naval genius. This spot had the honour of being the native village of Admiral Hobson, who was in high estimation during the reign of Anne, and rose by his merit from a poor sea-boy, to occupy the post of vice-admiral.

The road from this village conducts to Ventnor. This beautiful spot, which a few years since was attractive by its bold and lofty scenery, is gradually losing some of the original features which belonged to it, by the industrious hand of man. This part of the Island, warmed by a southern sun, and fanned by the breeze from the ocean, is deemed so suitable for invalids, that what was once the residence of one or two cottagers, is now rising to a modern watering-place. Beneath the Down, a neat row of cottages and lodging houses has been erected. Three good inns are opened; furnished with every accommodation and delightfully situated; and the numerous villas placed at various points on the surrounding cliffs, with the newly-erected church, ornamented with a spire, give this place an air of vivacity and beauty beyond most other parts of this romantic line of country. In this place there are also two neatly constructed chapels, belonging to the Independents and Wesleyans. At a short distance stands Ventnor Mill: the walk to it is very pleasant. A beautiful little waterfall, near which are masses of tufa, a noble beach, and a sublime view of the cliffs