it has found its ablest apologists amongst truly benevolent men, whose interests, unfortunately for their own clearness of vision, were wrapped up in the maintenance of the institution. It would be a great mistake to suppose that when we speak of seven people sleeping in one room in Northumberland, it comes to the same thing as it would be in other parts of England. We must remember that the house consists of only one room, and is therefore large and comparatively high. This fact, and the good living and air the whole family enjoy, renders it innocuous to health. Both sexes are physically strong.
It is well known that in all athletic sports the north countrymen excel. Perhaps there are no such leapers in the world as the borderers. At Glanton I witnessed the Great Northern Games, and nothing surprised me so much as the height over which the natives leaped. In the flat-racing, hurdle-racing, and wrestling the professional athletes from Scotland and elsewhere came off conquerors, but the leaping was hotly contested by the natives, some vaulting with the aid of a pole over a stick between ten and eleven feet high. With the more serious sports were mingled others of a lighter nature—the Highland fling, donkey-racing, and a curious game at which the boys played blindfolded, and each armed with a bag of coloured dust. The fun consisted in a man, who kept ringing a little bell, leading them all a wild-goose chase, while they, on their part, tried to beat him with their dust-bags, but more frequently falling foul of each other. Of course this excited much merriment, otherwise the proceedings were conducted with the utmost decorum. There was very little laughing, occasional outbursts of enthusiasm in the way of applause, especially of little knots interested in the success of a friend. Otherwise there was no undue prepossession, and the strangers got their full due. All classes were represented, but the greater part were so dressed that had it not been for a covered stand devoted to the gentry, it would have been difficult to say who was who in such a respectable assembly.
I cannot conclude this paper without relating one more incident which occurred in my last walk in Northumberland. Being tired, I came to a lone cottage, which had, however, the inscription, " Licensed to sell tea and tobacco," over the little porch. I
