Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/54

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ported coastwise from this port in the course of" last winter, as it is said to exceed by far that of any former period. There were, about two months ago, fifteen large vessels laying together in the harbour, waiting for cargoes of corn.

" The increase of the trade of Berwick may be judged of from this, that in sixteen years the re- venue of the custom-house has risen from ioogL to 6cooI. a year.'*

The country around Berwick, though swelling into hills, and sinking into vales, has notwithstand- ing neither beauty nor variety; the one being uni- form and lumpish, the other wide and mrwooded. A naked surface every where presents itself, un- adorned with those indispensable features in agree- able landscape, lofty trees and spreading shrubs; the distant view is bounded by barren heights, and the home-scene deformed with coal-works, quarries, and brick-fields. The river Tweed, also, parallel to which our road to Coldstream lay, disappointed our expectations of picturesque beauty. Associ- ated as the name of this river had hitherto been in our minds with poetical and pastoral ideas, we were prepared to admire its " fringed banks" and 14 sacred shades," the haunt of many a water- nymph and sylvan deity; but alas! no solemn woods lifted their lofty heads over these celebrated

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