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The expedition of Humphry Clinker. By the author of Roderick Random
The expedition of Humphry Clinker By the author of Roderick Random Author:Tobias George Smollett Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: occurrences, they will at least serve as exercises of patience, for which you are indebted to Yours always, Morpeth, July 13. J. MELFORD. TO DR. LEWIS. DEA... more »R DOCTOR, I Have now reached the northern extremity of England, and see, close to my chamber window, the Tweed gliding through the arches of that bridge which connects this suburb to the town of Berwick. Yorkshire you hare seen, and therefore I shall say nothing of that opulent province. The city of Durham appears like a confused heap of stones and brick, accumulated so as to cover a mountain, round which a river winds its brawling course. The streets are generally narrow, dark and unpleasant, and many of them almost impassable in consequence of their declivity. The cathedral is a huge gloomy pile; but the clergy are well lodged The bishop lives in a princely manner—the golden prebends keep plentiful tables—and I am told, there is some good sociable company in the place: but the country, when viewed from the top of Gateshead Fell, which extends to Newcastle, exhibits the highest scene of cultivation that ever I beheld. As for Newcastle, it lies mostly in a bottom, on the banks of the Tyne, and makes an appearance still more disagreeable than that of Durham ; but it is rendered populous and rich by industry and commerce ; and the country lying on both sides the river, above the town, yields a delightful prospect of agriculture and plantations. .Morpelb anil Alnwick are neat pretty towns, andthis last is famous for the castle which has belonged so many ages to the noble house of Percy, earls of Northutnberland.—Itis, doubtless, alarge edifice, containing agreatnumber ofapartments, and stands in a commanding situation; but the strength of it seems to have consisted not so much in its site, or the manner in whic...« less