forty to fifty yards diameter, formed by a series of large unhewn stones, not standing upright, like a part of those on Hartle Moor, but all laid on the ground, with an inclination towards the centre: round these, the remains of a ditch, circumscribed by a high embankment, may be traced. Near the south entrance into this circle there is a mound, or burialplace, in which some fragments of an urn, some half-burnt bones, and the horns of a stag, were found. After spending a short time at Arber-Low, we proceeded to Gratton, a little hamlet, which, together with the appending manor, belongs to the Thornhills of Stanton. Here the Bradford rivulet first emerges into day. The whole length of this little stream is only about two miles; but it is two miles of beauty. Approaching Alport, we came to the spot where it loses its name in the Lathkil. A high rock, called Bradford Tor, crested with trees and light depending branches, occupies the right of the river that washes its base. The left bank is a steep verdant slope, surmounted with a group of dwellings, half hid amongst orchard trees, ash, and sycamore. Near these, a bridge leads into the village, from whose arch the Lathkil rushes impetuously, and, dashing and foaming along its rugged channel, leaps into the Bradford, at the foot of the Tor. Nothing can exceed the beauty of this brilliant stream, as it bounds and sparkles along its rapid descent. Such are the principal features in the foreground of this pleasing picture. The space beyond is composed of cottages, scattered amongst overhanging rocks and luxuriant trees, that display every variety of tint and foliage, from the light pensile branches of the libernum to the majestic ramifications of the oak and the elm. More remote, the steep bank of a narrow dell appears, whose summit is clothed with a plantation of larch and pine, interspersed with beach, birch, and mountain-ash. Still farther in distance, the lofty grounds and woody acclivities of Stanton terminate the scene. This view, it must be observed, can only be obtained from the rising ground in the meadows, on the left of the Bradford. Nearer the river, the distance is lost, and the village becomes a less interesting object. Alport is a pleasant place, and the greater part of its inhabitants appear to be in reputable circumstances, if the houses where they reside may be regarded as a fair criterion: they are generally good stone buildings, and sufficiently spacious for all the purposes of comfort: a neat flower-garden, belted with laurel, lilacs, and libernum, lies before them, and an . 230 TUFA ROCK AT ALPORT. orchard well stored with fruit trees spreads behind. There are of course some inferior dwellings, but not the proportion usually found in a country village. The Tufa in Derbyshire is universally regarded as a watery deposit very rapidly produced, and it contains indisputable evidences of its formation. At Alport, a large mass of rock, from forty to sixty feet high, is entirely composed of this material; and being adorned with trees, that either shoot from its sides, or take root upon its summit, it is not only a curious, but a picturesque object. This rock appears to be a congregation of matter, chiefly vegetable, which has been formed into an immense petrefaction by the continual action of water, but at what period is uncertain, as the stream that produced it has either ceased to flow, or has changed its course. The limestone strata of Derbyshire abounds with a variety of animal and vegetable remains, which time has hardened into stone; but in the tufa rocks they are often embedded in their native state: branches of trees are frequently found within them; and in some places they appear an accumulation of sticks, straws, and weeds, closely enveloped in calcareous incrustations; amongst these the natural snail-shell, not in the least altered in appearance, is often found. In one place, where the rock had been recently broken, and the trunk of a small birch tree, about six or eight inches diameter, taken out, we noticed the impression that remained, and took from it a part of the bark that was left behind, which was not at all affected in its nature by its long imprisonment. Some few years ago, the head and horns of a stag, now in the possession of a gentleman at Bakewell, were taken entire from out the tufa rocks at this place. It is not to the geologist only that this curious lime deposit is interesting: a great variety of the most beautiful plants and flowers grow upon it; it is, therefore, equally attractive to the botanist. Here the common thistle flourishes luxuriantly, and displays great beauty, the flowers being peculiarly rich in colour: wild marjoram, mountain thyme, ladies' bed-straw, and a fine variety of bright yellow stone crop the Sedum of Linnæus, are also abundant on these rocks. While rambling about this pleasant village, we were directed in our researches by one of the inhabitants, of whom we inquired for Alport rocks. After examining this singular assemblage of matter, and looking over a small collection of the minerals and fossils of Derbyshire, some of which were PICTURESQUE WATER-MILL AT ALPORT. 231 rare and curious, we thanked our host and cicerone for his attentions, and the timely refreshment his hospitality had spread before us; and, bidding him adieu, we proceeded on our way to Hartle Moor. Leaving Alport, we passed a mill, romantically situated amongst rocks and trees: the water by which it was supplied was spread out into a lucid mirror, and the various objects that surrounded it lay pictured on its surface in all the vivid colouring of nature. Near the mill, the stream is precipitated over a high semicircular weir into a deep bason below, forming a cascade, somewhat artificial, but yet extremely beautiful agitated water is never otherwise; and when, by the rapidity of its motion, it is whitened into foam, or broken into sparkling particles, it is one of the most pleasing objects that nature any where presents. SECTION IX. Andle Visit there in the month of November. hill near Cat Stone. Stanton Lees. Stanton House: fine Work there by Gibbons. OUR walk to Hartle Moor lay through a narrow lane shadowed with trees, that at intervals admitted a glimpse of the surrounding country, and opened a pleasing view of the plantations and grounds about Stanton. The park, the house, and the village, occupy the side of a steep hill, along which the eye passes over hedge-row trees, and woody eminences, to the distant scenery in the vicinity of Chatsworth. These objects, together with the chain of broken rock, extending from Stanton Park to Bradley Tor; and the fresh foliage rising out of the dell, that marks the course of the Lathkil, form a very imposing landscape. Stanton was the ancient residence of the family of the Baches, by whom it was occupied for upwards of two centuries. The heiress of this family married John Thornhill, Esq. His grandson, the present proprietor of Stanton, not many years ago pulled down the old mansion, and erected an elegant modern structure in its place. Other improvements have succeeded hundreds of acres of new plantations have been made, and a deer park has been added to the other delightful accommodations of the place. The Thornhills were originally of Thornhill in the Peak, where they possessed considerable property, so early as the reign of Edward the Third. : The scenery about Stanton House is gradually improving: the new plantations begin to assume an imposing aspect; and, as they are spread over a large extent of hill and dale, they will shortly become a principal feature in a landscape, that even now is richly diversified and full of beauty. If that spirit for planting trees and raising woods, where before neither branch nor shrub grew, which has so eminently distin RETROSPECT OF A VISIT TO STANTON. 233 guished the present proprietor of Stanton, could be generally disseminated through the Peak of Derbyshire, it would soon become a scene of grandeur. I once visited Stanton the last week in November: a severe frost had prevailed for several days; and, as I left the town of Sheffield, the effect produced by the rising sun was not less singular than beautiful. My road was through Abbey Dale. The hoar-frost lay like snow upon the ground; and every object by the road-side sparkled with innumerable icy prisms, that for a moment, as they caught the rays of the newly-risen sun, glittered like gems-then suddenly dissolved, and passed away. The woods, that cover the hills on the left, although despoiled of their "leafy honours," presented a novel scene: the trees were every where invested with frosty particles, that hung lightly, like new-fallen snow, upon their branches, feathering every stem with great, but evanescent beauty. Passing from Abbey Dale to East Moor, a rapid change had taken place: the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky, and the hoar-frost, which but half an hour before covered every object, had disappeared, leaving scarcely a trace of its former presence behind. Crossing East Moor, some fine grouse ran before me on a part of the road, which they seemed to quit reluctantly: one of them, a fine heath-cock, flew to a little eminence near the road-side, where he stretched forth his neck, and assumed a dignity of deportment, that strongly manifested his indignation at being disturbed in the midst of his own domains. The majesty and beauty of this bird can only be seen on his native mountains, and even there he is generally too shy to be nearly approached. I have often beheld the heath-cock on the Derbyshire moors, but on no other occasion have I ever seen how grand and dignified he can occasionally be. These birds are very numerous on these wastes, where they are preserved with great care, that they may furnish amusement to the sportsman, and a feast to the epicure: they feed on the bilberry and the heath, the common covering of these extensive moors. A few miles further brought me to Baslow Bar, one of the wildest scenes in this part of Derbyshire, where the rocks are thrown together in confused masses, apparently by some terrible agitation, which has left the rent and disjointed fragments, that had been separated from the parent mass, poised and fixed in positions, that strongly indicate the instantaneous cessation of violent motion. |