their splendid hues before and behind the quiet cottages till we came to the lodge gate—the lodge, which is a very worthy appendant of the castle, being our first object of admiration. Here all at once the scene of beauty opens. There is only a very short distance between this and the castle, which, in a few steps, reveals its square substantial outline, brightened on its eastern side by the rich profuse bloom of the showy rhododendron, and a glass conservatory, full of choice and beautiful flowers, the rich varieties of geraniums, calceolarias, and balsams being now at the very acme of their brilliance. The castle itself has no castleated roof, nor any of the usual features of the real Gothic castle, but is a large handsome massive structure, in the modern style of architecture, surmounted by a well-executed collosal lion, which gives an air of princely beauty to the whole building. Fronting the castle is a fine flowing lawn, which gently descending effectively sets off its stately proportions, and being plain, is in excellent keeping with them. The castle contains several fine pictures—one by Titian—and several curious and interesting antiquarian relics.
But the Walks are the great object of interest, their unprecedented beauty, causing, it is said, even Hume to break out into verse when he visited Carlisle, where he left traced on the window of his hotel—
“Here chicks in eggs for breakfast sprawl
Here godless boys God's glories squall,
But Corby Walks atone for all.”
Leaving the castle on the right, we proceed to the walks close at hand. These consist of many acres of
