endow the mind of man with an intuitive sense of the loveliness and magnificence of nature-a sympathy which lets in the power of beauty as it were a flood upon the soul: and I believe it is good that the spirit should be thus refreshed, and consistent with the wise purposes of God that the kills and the streams and the verdant earth, and the fertility of the smiling landscape with the calm of evening spread over it, should give us afresh to rejoice in his goodness, and to feel that there is such a thing as peace even in this world, where the repose we are all in want of is so often and so fatally destroyed by our own tumultuous passions. POSITIVE BLESSINGS OF CHRISTIANITY*. Hitherto, inestimable as they are, we have chiefly considered what may be called the negative blessings and exemption from eternal punishment; but, over and above these, there are blessings of a positive nature to be noticed. And first, as respects earth, the scene of our probation. We are provided with a staff which will never fail us in the direct and efficient support which our unseen Redeemer affords us throughout our pilgrimage; and, to encourage us and beguile the length of the journey, we are vouchsafed, like Moses from the heights of Pisgah, a glimpsedistant and necessarily indistinct, but lovely withal and cheering to our eyes-of the "promised land" of our inheritance beyond the dark Jordan, the river of death, that rolls between it and us. To affirm that Christianity secures us from sufferings in this world would be absurd; but they are all softened and alleviated by the knowledge that they are sent for our benefit, to wean our hearts from earthly ties and fix them on God; by the consciousness that under our sharpest trials we are in the hands of a very merciful Saviour, who in his human nature is able to sympathize with, and in his divine nature to relieve, themwho, having been "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," "is able to succour them that are tempted," and who "will not suffer us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear;" by the reflection that it would be unreasonable for us, as some one has beautifully expressed it, to expect to wear a crown of roses where he wore a crown of thorns; by the indwelling and assistance of the Holy Spirit already alluded to, and by the confident anticipation, through the merits of Christ, of future happiness. Moreover, in all the troubles and through the whole mortal career of the Christian, internal peace is his constant guest, and communion with God by prayer and praise his constant privilege; while the continual sense of the presence and providence of his Redeemer emboldens him cheerfully" to fight the good fight of faith," in humble affiance on the gracious promise"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Luz*.-On the evening of our arrival at Luz, we walked to the top of a little hill, crowned with the ruins of a hermitage, and jutting out into the valley so as to command a view, not only of the entrance of the gorge through which we had passed, but of the two other defiles which terminate in the basin of Luz-purchased for us by Christ, viz., forgiveness of sius that of Gavarnie, through which flow the foaming waters of the Gave, and that of Baréges, presenting a less lovely aspect, from the dreadful ravages to which it is subject when the winter floods have swollen the wilder and more furious Bastan, whose torrent mingles with the Gave in the valley of Luz. Well might the hermit-if such a being did ever really occupy the rudely constructed building on this little hill-have sought this situation for its beauty and repose. Nothing I have ever seen or felt, or perhaps shall ever see and feel again, can surpass this lovely scene for the perfect picture of peace presented by its evening aspect. If one requisite for the enjoyment of peace be a sense of security, we find it here in the majestic mountains rising on every hand, some to the height of six or seven thousand feet above the level of the verdant plain or hollow which lies before you, extending to the distance of about two miles in length and one in breadth. If, in order to calm the stirrings of anxiety and apprehension which the accustomed habits of the world have rendered a second nature, it is necessary for our peace that we should see around us the industry of man facilitating the produce of a fruitful soil, we have it here in more than ordinary perfection; for not only in the valley, but far up the sides of these majestic mountains, at an altitude never reached by the cultivation of colder climes, are thousands of little barns and cottages, their white gables gleaming out from clumps of tufted wood; and villages, with their little rustic churches, sometimes half buried in the deep ravines, at others standing out like fairy citadels on the point of some bold promontory, which catches the beams of the declining sun. And then the rich deep woods with which some of the lateral hills are crowned, and the patches of different kinds of cultivation, extending to an almost miraculous height, all different in their tints, yet all blending into a beautiful mosaic in perfect harmony with the colouring of a southern climate. If, again, there is a craving in the human mind for something beyond what belongs to the bare notion of utility-a craving which perhaps destroys our peace more than all the actual necessities of life-for something to fill and satisfy and render perfect the enjoyment of the spiritual part of our nature, we are surely brought nearest to it in a situation like this, when the mind is impressed with conceptions of the boundless power and equally boundless beneficence of its Creator. I am aware that this is not religion, and that the requirements of Christian duty may direct our steps to paths of a far different nature. I am aware also that, difficult or even ordinary and obscure as these paths may at first appear, he to whom all things are possible, may diffuse around them an attractiveness and a beauty as far surpassing all material excellence as spiritual enjoyment is raised above that which belongs merely to the body; but I still think it has so pleased the Creator of the universe to From "Summer and Winter in the Pyrenees," by the author of "The Women of England." London: Fisher. From "A Letter to a Friend, on the Evidences and Theory of Christianity. By Lord Lindsay. One vol. 12mo. London: Hatchards, 1841." A very valuable volume on the whole, and indicates the religious feelings of the author's heart; though we must confess we are not prepared in all points to concur with several of his lordship's views. It is gratifying to perceive that not a few moving in the highest circles are better employed than in wasting their time and property in the pursuit of pleasures, to say the least, of a very transient and too often highly obnoxious character.-ED. London: Published by JAMES BURNS, 17 Portman Street, Portman Square; W. EDWARDS, 12 Ave-Maria Lane, St. Paul's; and to be procured, by order, of all Booksellers in Town and Country. PRINTED BY JOSEPH ROGERSON, 24, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND, LONDON. CARLISLE CATHEDRAL*. MARCH 31, 1842. IN consequence of the frequent destruction of its records, the history of the cathedralchurch of Carlisle is involved in great obscurity. It was originally the conventual church of the priory of St. Mary, which was commenced in the reign of William Rufus, and completed, A.D. 1101, by Henry I when it was dedicated in honour of the blessed virgin. The priory had existed ltttle more than thirty years, when the king erected Carlisle (which had previously been included in the diocese of Durham), into a distinct see. St. Mary's now became the cathedral-church of the new diocese, and continued after this accession to its honours, for upwards of a century and a half, to flourish in its original splendour. PRICE 1 d. made a temple meet for the solemnities of divine service. church-hatred which distinguished the fanaDuring the overflowings of that malignant tical period of the great rebellion, the cathedral of Carlisle suffered extensive mutilation and defacing, the effects of which remain to this day. The city was surrendered in 1645 to the Scottish troops under general Leslie, and in violation of the articles of the surrenfaced," they pulled down a large portion of der, one of which was "that no church be dethe nave, together with the chapter-house, dormitory, cloisters, prebendal-houses, and part of the deanery. about 330 feet; and, although not so large nor The original length of the cathedral was so magnificent as many others, yet it possesses some architectural features and details which render it worthy of particular attention. It is constructed, as usual, in the form of a transept, and alas! a fragment of the nave cross, consisting of a choir with aisles, a In the year 1292 a great portion of the edifice was destroyed by a fire which is said to have laid the city in ruins. The extent of the injury caused by this conflagration is unknown. The east limb, it is probable, was either entirely demolished, or so much de-a form suggested by that of the instrument of faced, as to require to be rebuilt from the torture on which the salvation of mankind faced, as to require to be rebuilt from the was effected. The whole building is much foundation, as was also the north transept; decayed, and most of its lesser ornaments are the south transept and the nave appear to either greatly mutilated, or entirely destroyed. have escaped with little or no damage, being evidently portions of the original Norman structure. In consequence of the unsettled state of the borders at this period, the cathe-feet having been demolished during the great dral remained long in a state of desolation; and, although the canons and the citizens were grieved to see their sanctuary prostrate, and it pitied them to see the stones of her ruins, yet upwards of a century elapsed hefore it was completely restored, and again * See Jefferson's History of Carlisle. VOL. XII.-NO. CCCXXXVI. thirty-five feet from the cross, but ninety-six The nave formerly extended a hundred and form two compartments of the original buildrebellion, only thirty-nine remain. These ing, and are in the pure Norman style, of a simple and massive character. The main traves, springing from immense piers, whose arches are semicircular, with plain archiheight is only fourteen feet two inches, while their circumference is seventeen feet and a [London: Joseph Rogerson, 24, Norfolk-street Strand.] Q half. Some of their capitals have the chevron | and bell ornaments, but others of them are plain. A panelled ceiling of wood has been inserted immediately above the main arches, by which the whole of the upper part of the building is concealed from the spectator below. The exterior is more enriched, the windows having small detached shafts inserted at their sides for the springing of the arches, which have the zigzag, billet, and other usual ornaments of this style. The transept is a hundred and fourteen feet in length, and twenty-eight in breadth, and has no aisles. The south transept is in the same style as the nave: it consists of three stories, and has the chapel of St. Catherine on its east side, which is now used as a vestry by the choristers; its screens are ancient, and contain some curious tracery, with the initials of prior Gondibour. The north transept appears to have been erected in a hurried and incorrect manner. The whole of the eastern limb is in a later style than the nave, though earlier than the tower, having been rebuilt between the years 1292 and 1402. The choir is a hundred and thirty-eight feet in length; its height to the ceiling is seventy-two feet, and its breadth, together with the aisles, is seventy-two feet; being both broader and loftier than the nave. It consists of eight arches; those at the several extremities are narrower than the rest, and the most easterly of them serve as a passage behind the altar. The general style of this part of the edifice is early English: at its junction with the transept the flat mouldings of the arches indicate an early character of that style; but towards the east it becomes more advanced, and the last division, with the whole east end, is in the decorated style. The main arches of the choir are equilaterally pointed, and have a deep architrave, consisting of various mouldings, enriched with the toothed ornament and finished with a drip-stone, whose extremities are supported by a variety of heads. These arches spring from fine clustered piers, of eight shafts, arranged in the form of a diamond, and their capitals are ornamented with foliage and grotesque figures, illustrative of domestic and agricultural practices, such as sowing, reaping, grape-gathering, and the like; on one of these capitals is represented a monk, sitting over a fire, on which is a pot boiling, holding up his boot to dry, as also the foot from which it was taken. At the base of the piers on the south side, the foundations of the original Norman piers of the old choir are to be distinctly traced. The triforium has, grouped in each di | vision, three flat pointed arched openings, each of which is divided by a mullion into two lights, and has flowing tracery in its head. The arches of the clerestory have a pierced parapet ornamented with quatrefoils, now almost entirely broken down; its windows, in each compartment, consist of three pointed arches, the centre one being carried higher than the other two; they are early English windows, but are filled with tracery of the succeeding style, which nearly corresponds in each alternate group; they have beneath them on the exterior an ornamental course of wavy panelling. The early English windows of the aisles. are strangely diversified in their style, form, and arrangement; and not less so in the execution of their workmanship. The form which prevails in the north aisle is that of four long lancet arches of equal height, with rich mouldings: of these the two middle ones have been pierced for windows; they have detached shafts, with bands and capitals between them, and the space between their heads is occupied by a quatrefoil panel. But there are singular variations from this form; and there are also some decorated and perpendicular insertions. Under these windows against the wall, on both sides of the church, is a range of elegant small arches, with cinque-foil heads, and a series of deep and rich mouldings running round the cinque-foil, and springing from shafts which are generally detached, but towards the east end they form an integral part of the wall: two crowned heads occur in the south-east corner of the building. The ceiling of the choir was originally vaulted with wood, divided into square compartments, and the bosses at the intersection were charged with the armorial bearings of those who contributed to the restoration of the edifice, after the conflagration in the year 1292. This ceiling having gone to decay, was removed in the year 1764, when the choir was repaired. year The stalls are composed of ancient and very beautiful tabernacle work, which was supplied by bishep Strickland, about the 1401: it contains niches which were formerly filled with numerous small images of wood, and their canopies terminate with enriched. pinnacles. "The images," says Dr. Todd, "were all taken away about 1649, lest they might give offence." Under the seats of the stalls (which turn upon hinges), are knots of curious carving in a great variety of grotesque designs, and forming small shelving seats called "misereres." The whole design of the choir may be pronounced elegant; but that which contributes most to its effect is the great east window. |