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page 98
and flowers glisten with moisture diffused by the breath of
the precipitous water? But, considering these things as
objects of sight only, it may be observed that the principal
charm of the smaller waterfalls or cascades consists in
certain proportions of form and affinities of colour, among
the component parts of the scene; and in the contrast
maintained between the falling water and that which is
apparently at rest, or rather settling gradually into quiet
in the pool below. The beauty of such a scene, where there
is naturally so much agitation, is also heightened, in a
peculiar manner, by the glimmering, and, towards the
verge of the pool, by the steady, reflection of the
surrounding images. Now, all those delicate distinctions are
destroyed by heavy floods, and the whole stream rushes along
in foam and tumultuous confusion. A happy proportion of
component parts is indeed noticeable among the landscapes of
the North of England; and, in this characteristic essential
to a perfect picture, they surpass the scenes of Scotland,
and, in a still greater degree, those of Switzerland.
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