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[Burton-in-Lons]dale, Overborough, Kirkby-Lonsdale, and Sedbergh.
There are several lateral ones, as at Lune-bridge near Hornby, at
Melling, and Wennington. On our return we had the bridge full in
view most of the way: its antiquity and greatness made its
presence venerable and respected. About a furlong before we
arrived at the bridge, the town of Kirkby-Lonsdale appeared in a
point of view peculiarly pleasing: the high walls of a
gentleman's garden, which were between us and the town, made it
like a fenced city in miniature; the tower steeple of the church
rising proudly eminent above the blue slated houses, with which
it was on every side surrounded.
[1] We mounted our horses at the bridge, about eleven o'clock,
having ordered them down thither in order to save half an hour in
going up the town for them. We travelled near the bottoms of the
mountains, on the side of Lonsdale, along the turnpike-road,
about an hour, being in three counties in that short interval,
Westmorland, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, and amidst a variety of
entertaining prospects. The number of small carts laden with
coals, and each dragged by one sorry horse, that we met, was
surprising to a stranger. Many of the smaller farmers, betwixt
Kirkby-Lonsdale and Kendal, earn their bread with carrying coals,
during most part of the year, from the pits at Ingleton,
Black-Burton, or properly Burton-in-Lonsdale, to Kendal and the
neighbouring places, for fuel, and burning lime, in order to
manure their land. These beds of coal, we were informed, are six
or seven feet in thickness. A steam-engine was erected at
Black-Burton, more commodiously to work their best collieries. A
survey was lately subscribed for to be made, in order to have a
canal from these pits to Lancaster, were (sic) coals might be
exported; as also to Kendal and Settle, which are towns much in
want of fuel.
After we had got about six miles from Kirkby-Lonsdale, to a
public-house called Thornton Church-stile, we stopped to
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