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vol.1 p.86
air - the hue, which naturally invests all distant objects,
as well as mountains. The late Dr. Brown, author of the
Estimate, in a description, which he printed, of the lake of
Keswick, very justly calls these tints the yellow streams
of light, the purple hues, and misty azure of the
mountains. They are rarely permanent; but seem to be a
sort of floating, silky colours - always in motion - always
in harmony - and playing with a thousand changeable
varieties into each other. They are literally colours
dipped in heaven.
The variety of these tints depends on may circumstances -
the season of the year - the hour of the day - a dry, or a
moist atmosphere. The lines and shapes of
mountains (features strongly marked) are easily caught and
retained: but these meteor-forms, this rich fluctuation of
airy hues, offer such a profusion of variegated splendour,
that they are continually illuding the eye with breaking
into each other; and are lost, as it endeavours to retain
them. This airy colouring, tho in sunshine it appears most
brilliant; yet in some degree it is generally found
in those mountains, where it prevails.
In the late voyages round the world, published by Dr.
Hawksworth, we have an account
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