A VISIT TO THE SEA SHORE. THE ISLE OF WIGHT. THIS beautiful little island, which the Queen of England has chosen for her summer residence, contains many scenes of interest. Some of these, which passed under our notice, we shall now mention. We left the village of Shanklin on a bright morning in August. Our conveyance was a little four-wheeled carriage drawn by a mule, with a youth to drive us. We preferred this humble mode of travelling to the coach, for we could now do as we liked-go where we wished-and stay as long as we pleased. About half a mile beyond the village we passed its "church," itself a curiosity, for it is one of the smallest buildings of the kind we ever saw, and what is more singular, though there was a sawpit within its boundaries, there was not a single grave! which has led to a saying that " people dont die at Shanklin, for there are no graves in its church-yard." We suppose they are buried elsewhere. We climbed a very high hill, and had a glorious view of the sea, such as we had not had before. Again descending, we came first to Bonchurch, and then to Ventnor. Bonchurch is a very romantic spot-the houses are built amidst rocks and bushes standing or growing in all their primitive wildness. Ventnor is a larger place, at the foot of a high mountain. The houses are, most of them, white, and the roads are white, and the mountain behind is nearly white, and when the sun shines clear as it did on that morning, it would be unpleasantly hot, were it not for the breezes, which come here fresh from the vast Atlantic ocean, uninterrupted by island or continent, for thousands of miles. The shore here is not sandy as at Shanklin, but covered with small red pebbles or shingles, stretched out at full length on which, we found numbers of little girls busily employed, turning them over and seeking for what they call "Ventnor diamonds." We bought a few of the little folks, and brought them home for ours. We had now to climb the high hill, or moun. tain, which our patient animal, lightened of his load a little, accomplished by its zig-zag road without much weariness. On its summit, the wide ocean was spread out before us in all its magnificence, with vessels of various sizes moving in different directions over its ever-agitated waters. What a stupendous scene! What then must HE be who holdeth the winds in his fists, the waters in the hollow of his hand! We now turned our faces inland, and descended into a beautiful valley. We passed, on the left of the road, Appuldurcombe House, one of the seats of the Earl of Yarborough, of Brocklesby, Lincolnshire. We had a card for admission, but calculating that we should not be able to spare the time required, we did not turn aside to visit it. 'The road led us along the valley, through several interesting villages, and afforded many pleasing views, increasing as we approached Newport, which we reached about the middle of the day. Newport, which is a sort of metropolis of the island, is a well-built and improving town. We were told that the day before, the Queen, whose residence, Osborne House, is only about two miles off, drove down into the town in a little pony carriage, quite in a private way; and the inhabitants made no stir or bustle about it, but let her come in and go out quite peaceably. Indeed the people on the island seem to understand their own interests in this matter. The people at Brighton ran after the Queen so that she could not stir out without being annoyed by crowds. Here, however, they have wisely resolved not to intrude on Her Majesty, and so having her for a visitor, they also have her court, with all the rich nobility that usually attend the Queen, and these spend much money |