In a cubic foot of Westmorland slate, the specific gravity varies from 2797 to 2732 ounces. It is blasted from the quarry in large masses, and afterwards split with proper tools by the workmen. The illustrative engraving conveys more information than mere description could give of the various labours by which this useful mineral is obtained; but those who take an interest in geological science, or who feel a gratification in tracing the history and origin of a great domestic comfort (an elegant and durable covering for their dwellings) will not omit in their Lake tour to cast a passing glance at the Slate Quarries. ENNERDALE WATER, FROM HOW HALL-CUMBERLAND. Ennerdale water gives name to the village of Ennerdale, and is situated about four miles south of Lowes Water. The features of this lake, though less striking than those of Windermere or Ullswater, are not deficient in beauty; but it is difficult to determine the point whence a good view may be obtained. A better station cannot be selected for a general survey of the lake and vale of Ennerdale than the neighbourhood of How Hall, which stands at the foot of the water. This mansion, now a farm house, was originally the seat of the Patrickson family, and was erected, as appears by an inscription over the principal door, in the year 1566. Ennerdale Water is three-quarters of a mile in width, and extends two miles and a half in length. "It runs up into the heart of the mountains, and is skirted on each side by stern and precipitous hills. Near its foot are the woods of How Hall, but above this the scenery becomes barren and sublime; and beyond the head of the lake are seen some of the highest mountains in the county, of which the most conspicuous is the Pillar, rising to the elevation of 2893 feet." The valley of Gillerthwaite, a narrow tract of cultivated land, stands at the head of the lake, "Circled by mountains trod but by the feet Of this valley, an essayist has observed, that "the genius of Ovid would have transferred the most favoured of his heroes into a river, and poured his waters into the channel of the Lissa, there to wander by the verdant bounds of Gillerthwaite the sweet reward of patriotism and virtue." A subsequent writer considers this eulogy the very hyperbole of praise, and submits, that if the author had sojourned during a few months of the winter season in the valley of Gillerthwaite, his raptures would have cooled, and his language would have been less glowing; "But not alike to every mortal eye Is nature's scene unveil'd." On this subject, however, fervour of thought and expression may well be justified; and whenever "Man feels as man, the earth is beautiful." WATENLATH, AND THE STREAM OF LOWDORE-CUMBERLAND. Watenlath is a narrow upland glen, situated in the chapelry of Borrowdale, through which runs a mountain stream, forming two considerable tarns, and the stupendous cataract of Lowdore. The valley of Watenlath is adapted for an anchorite's abode. On the borders of the tarn are a few cottages of great antiquity, and, these excepted, not a single dwelling can be discovered in the neighbourhood. "The children," Mr. Baines remarks, "stare at a traveller with wonderment, as if they had never before seen a human being out of their own families; and a troop of terrier dogs give mouth, as if a beast of prey were descending into the valley.". The stream of the Lowdore, descending from the tarn, passes over a bed of broken rocks, and continues its course a distance of two miles down this elevated valley, before it arrives at the spot "whence the torrent is thrown." "Two of our melancholy bards,” a late writer observes, "breathed out their wishes for an abode in some deep solitude, where their feelings might no longer be harassed by the noise, the follies, and the crimes of the world. Under this temper of mind, they could not have selected a more suitable spot than the vale of Watenlath. Environed on all sides by mountains, no ruder sounds would have met their ears, if we except the roaring of winds and cataracts, than the bleating of sheep and the melody of the shepherd's lute. They might have lived like Laplanders, in gloomy twilight during the winter months." Cowper, one of the bards alluded to, did not seek "the lone wilderness," there to cherish a misanthropic hate, and enjoy a loathing of his kind; his were feelings such as these: "Among the hills a hundred homes have I; My table in the wilderness is spread; Nor with these simple folks devoutly kneels to pray." The other melancholy bard may, or may not, be one who outraged society, before he desired the desert for his dwelling-place; and who, after having poisoned the social cup apportioned to him, in the bitterness of his soul cursed the fountain at which it was filled. THRANG CRAG SLATE QUARRY, GREAT LANGDALE,-WESTMORLAND. This Quarry, the property of Lord Lowther, yields an abundance of fine blue slate, and is situated in the mountains adjacent to the Brathay river. The geology of the lake districts presents many difficulties to the scientific inquirer; and it still remains in dispute, to what rocks the term primitive, and to which that of secondary should be applied. The materials of which the greater part of the mountains are composed have been included under the general name of slaty rocks; though many of them shew little or no inclination to that peculiar cleavage or formation. These slate rocks have been classed into three divisions. The first division comprehends, among others, the mountains of Skiddaw, Saddleback, Grasmoor, and Griesdale Pike. "The granite of Skiddaw being considered as a nucleus upon which these rocks are deposited in mantle-shaped strata, that which immediately reposes upon it is called gneiss, though it is more slaty and granular than the gneiss of some other districts. More distant from the granite, the slate becomes less impregnated with mica, and is quarried for flooring flags, &c. under the provincial name of whintin. This, again, is succeeded by a softer kind of slate. These rocks are of a blackish colour, and divided by natural partings into slates of various thickness, which are sometimes curiously bent and waved." The partings, when very numerous, open by exposure to the weather; and in time, the slate shivers into thin flakes unfit for roofing purposes. The second division includes the mountains of Borrowdale, Langdale, Grasmere, Mardale, &c. Most of the rocks in this division are of a pale blue or grey colour; but they do not exhibit any distinct partings similar to the slates of the first division. "The finest pale blue roofing slate is found here in beds, (called by the workmen veins,) the most natural position of the cleavage of which appears to be vertical, though it is formed in various degrees of inclination, both with respect to the horizon and the planes of stratification. The slates are split into various thicknesses, according to their fineness of grain, and the discretion of the workmen." The third division of strata form inferior elevations, commencing with a bed of dark blue limestone, and alternating with a slaty rock of the same colour; the different layers of which are, in some places, several feet, and in others only a few inches, thick. There are few places in England where slate is worked as a mine under ground. It has been suggested, that it might be worked to advantage in subterranean galleries, as in the quarries at Charleville, since the quality improves as the depth of the excavation increases, and the expense of procuring it by mining would be considerably less than that of removing the load of upper rocks and working it in open quarries. |