WINCHESTER COLLEGE. 141 for Charles the Second; but, a few years ago, destined for the abode of French prisoners. The COLLEGE, built by William of Wykeham, consists of two courts, a library, and a chapel: the schools having apartments for seventy scholars! But above all, is the cathedral, which is an immense mass of building, of great antiquity, and was for many years the burying place of most of the English, Saxon, and Norman Kings. Indeed it was peculiarly awful and solemn to behold, on each side of the choir, a range of mortuary chests, with the ashes of these monarchs in them; particularly of the father of Alfred, so renowned in the annals of English History! There were a number of old monuments; also, several elegant modern ones, especially those of Hoadly and Warton, both of which have been greatly and justly admired. In the monument of Hoadly, the champion of civil and religious liberty, the marble has, by the artist, been made most happily to imitate the delicacy of the lawn sleeves, and the soft foldings of the silken vestments! I did not forget to ask for the grave of my old friend Isaac Walton, which was shewn me, and which I contemplated with veneration. A flat stone marked the spot with a simple inscription. It was a small inclosed place, hid from public observation, in this respect not unaptly indicative of the good man who lies below; for his modest and unobtrusive virtues were, during the whole of his lifetime, the subject of private admiration. Quitting the cathedral, I walked about in different directions, and found that there had been formerly a great number of religious houses in and about the city. Not far from Winchester, to the south-east, lies Portsmouth, having one of the finest harbours in the world. The place itself, lying very low, like all sea-port towns, has nothing particular to recommend it, excepting the immense buildings belonging to government. These, in the year 1776, were burnt down after a singular manner, by a profligate character, known to the public by the name John the Painter, who, having been tried at Winchester, was executed on the spot, and afterwards hung in chains on the opposite side of the water! The dock-yards are so extensive, that upwards of a thousand men are constantly employed. It is deemed the most regular fortress in Britain. Opposite the town is the spacious road of Spithead; where the men of war, prepared for actual service, ride in safety. Here, in 1782, the Royal George sunk (owing to neglect), and the brave Admiral Kempenfelt, with some hundreds, perished. Portsea is very large and populous, built on Portsmouth common, and erected on the express condition, that the houses should be thrown down on the landing of the enemy. On the west side of Portsmouth harbour, over which there is a constant ferry, lies Gosport, a place of great business, especially in time of war, Here is a large iron foundry for the use of the navy, and a little to the south of the town is that noble building Haslar Hospital, for the cure of STOCKBRIDGE. the sick and wounded seamen. 143 It has a strong fort well mounted with cannon to defend the channel. Beyond lies the Isle of Wight, whose principal town is Newport; and whose rural scenes are the perfection of picturesque beauty. It is about twenty-one miles in length, thirteen in breadth, containing five towns, thirty parishes, and 22,000 inhabitants. Having no manufacture excepting that of salt, it is devoted almost solely to husbandry. See Cooke's New Picture of the Isle of Wight, with thirty-six plates, which will give the reader a just idea of the most beautiful and romantic spots in the island. But I must return from this digression respecting Winchester and Portsmouth, and hasten to the remaining part of my journey. My friend and I now set our faces homeward; taking the stage for London at Salisbury, we first came to the little town of Stockbridge, a borough which Sir Richard Steel formerly represented in parliament. An incident is related respecting his being chosen at this place. He carried his election by sticking a large apple full of guineas, and declaring it should be the prize of that man whose wife should be the first brought to bed after that day nine months! This merry offer procured him the interest of all the ladies, who, it is said, commemorate Sir Richard's bounty to this day, and once made an attempt to procure a standing order of the corporation, that no man should be received as a candidate, who did not offer himself 144 THE GLOW-WORM. on the same terms. The town has some good inns, and is thought to contain the best wheelwrights and carpenters in the country. Had we gone through Winchester to London, we should have passed through Alresford and Farnham. Alresford is distinguished for its handsome parsonage-house, where Hoadly, the youngest son of the Bishop, wrote several dramas; for a pleasant trout stream, and for a fine sheet of water, which adds to the picturesqueness of its vicinity. It is the abode of many genteel families, who here enjoy (excepting their winter routes and balls) all the sacredness of rural retirement. Farnham is remarkable only for its palace, which is the summer residence of the Bishop of Winchester. In its neighbourhood are extensive hop plantations, which impart a vividness to the surrounding scenery. The other towns, Basingstoke, Bagshot, Egham, Staines, and Hounslow, through which we returned, have been already described. In passing along Hounslow heath, rather late in the evening, the hedges, here and there, were lit up by the fairy light of that little insect the glow-worm, whose tiny rays threw a lustre over the road, exciting our admiration. "We boast of our candles, our wax lights, and our Argand lamps, and pity our fellow men, who, ignorant of our methods of producing artificial light, are condemned to pass their nights in darkness. We regard these inventions as the results of a great exertion of human intellect, and never conceive it THE GLOW-WORM. 145 possible that other animals are able to avail themselves of modes of illumination equally efficient, and are furnished with the means of guiding their nocturnal evolutions by actual lights, similar in their effect to those which we make use of. Yet many insects are thus provided: some are forced to content themselves with a single candle, not more vivid than the rush-light which glimmers in the peasant's cottage; others exhibit two or four, which cast a stronger radiance; and a few can display a lamp, little inferior in brilliancy to some of ours! Not that these insects are actually possessed of candles and lamps. You are aware that I am speaking figuratively. But PROVIDENCE has supplied them with an effectual substitute-a luminous preparation, or secretion, which has all the advantages of our lamps and candles, without their inconveniences; which gives light sufficient to direct their motions, while it is incapable of burning, and whose lustre is maintained without needing fresh supplies of oil, or the application of the snuffers. Of the insects thus singularly provided, the common glow-worm is the most familiar in stance. Who that has ever enjoyed the luxury of a summer evening's walk in the country, in the southern parts of OUR ISLAND, but has viewed with admiration these "stars of the earth, and diamonds of the night?" And if, living like me in a district where it is rarely met with, the first time you saw this insect chanced to be, as it was in my case, one of those delightful evenings which an English summer seldom yields, when not a H |