· 'Hist. of North Durham,' and Hodgson's 'Hist. of Northumberland,' 1835, a magnificent work, begun upon an immense scale, and never completed. To all these sources of information the editor is much indebted. Other works which may be consulted are the 'Proceedings of the Tyneside and Berwickshire Naturalist's Field Clubs,' societies which have done much to draw attention to the numerous objects of interest in this county, and which hold meetings and publish reports quarterly. Also for the Roman Wall, Horsley's Roman Wall' (published in Camden's 'Britannia'); Hutton's Hist. of the Roman Wall' (1802); McLaughlan's Survey of the Roman Wall,' and the learned and interesting work of Dr. Bruce on 'The Roman Wall,' which is profusely illustrated. Many of the ballads of the district will be found in Percy's 'Reliques,' Scott's 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border,' Sheldon's 'Minstrelsy of the English Border,' and in Richardson's 'Borderer's Table Book,' an amusing collection of local stories, traditions, and ballads. The principal castles of Northumberland are described in Hartshorne's 'Feudal and Military Antiquities of Northumberland;' in the magnificent work printed by order of the late Algernon, Duke of Northumberland, to illustrate his castles of Alnwick, Warkworth, and Prudhoe; in Parker's Domestic Architecture;' and in Tate's Hist. of Alnwick.' For the battlefields, White's 'Hist. of Flodden,' Jones's 'Flodden,' and 'The Battle of Otterburn,' may be read. Dickson's Hist. of Alnmouth;' Sidney Gibson's works on the 'Hist. of Tynemouth Priory,' 1847; 'Visits to Northumbrian Castles and Churches,' 1850; the 'Memoirs of Northumberland,' 1862; and Bruce's 'Castle of Newcastle,' contain a good deal of local information. Winch's 'Flora,' and Johnston's 'Botany of the Eastern Border,' may be consulted for the botany of the county, and Howitt's 'Visits to Remarkable Places,' and White's Northumberland and the Border,' will prove pleasant companions to the tourist. 6 INNS AND SKELETON TOURS.-Northumberland is certainly more easy of access now than in the days of Queen Anne, when the coach from Edinburgh to London was advertised to "make the journey in 13 days, without any stoppage," but the scarcity of inland railways and the rarity of inns still renders a tour in the county a matter of considerable difficulty. The few inns which exist have also the reputation of great inhospitality, and White in his Northumberland and the Border,' complains of the bad reception he frequently met with in his pedestrian rambles. There are, however, several small inns, in some of the most interesting situations, where the tourist may spend a few days most pleasantly and comfortably, as the inn at Chollerford, that at Wooler Cottage, the Sun inn at Warkworth, the Northumberland Arms at Alnwick, the Redesdale Arms at Horsley, Henry's Crewe Arms at Bamborough, and Richardson's Hotel at Cornhill. In 32 long days of hard sight-seeing all the more interesting objects in the county may be visited. Sketchers, or persons minutely interested in archæology, will require a much longer period. The annexed Skeleton Tour mentions all the more important objects of interest, arranged so as to conduct the traveller each evening to an Inn where he can sleep. Days. 1. Newcastle. Excursion by rail to Tynemouth. 2. Rail to Hexham, stopping at Prudhoe Stat., to see Prudhoe Castle and Ovingham Church, and at Stocksfield for Bywell. 3. Hexham Abbey. Excursion to the Queen's Cave and Blanchland. 4. Excursion to Dilston, Corbridge, Aydon, and Halton Castles. 5. Rail to Haydon Bridge. Excursion to Langley Castle, Staward Peel, and Whitfield-Ridley Woods. Rail to Haltwhistle. 6. Excursion to Bellister Castle, Wydon Scar, Featherstone Castle and Bridge. 7. Excursion to Blenkinsop and Thirlwall Castles, Mumps Ha' (and Gilsland). Walk to the Nine Nicks of Thirlwall, on the Roman Wall. 8. Rail, by Hexham, to Chollerford, stopping at Barden Mill Stat. for the excursion to Craig Lough, Housesteads, and the finest part of the Roman Wall. This excursion should on no account be omitted. 9. The Roman Bridge at Chollerford. Ruins of Cilurnum. Walk or drive to the Written Rock on Fallowfield Fell. Drive (or by rail to Barrasford) to Houghton Castle, Simonburn, and Techet Lynn, Chipchase, returning from Wark Stat. 10. Rail to Kieldar. Return to Bellingham Church and Hareshaw Lynn. Drive by Risingham to Otterburn. 11. Battlefield. Silver-nut Well. Troughend. Excursion to Elsdon (and Darden Tarn?). Return to Otterburn. 12. Drive to High Rochester, and the Reedswire. hope Spout?). Return to Otterburn. (Walk to Chattle 13. Drive by Harle (see Capheaton House, Shaftoe Crags, and Harnham) to Belsay. See the Castle. 14. Ogle Castle (Ponteland?). Drive to Morpeth (or by rail from Newcastle). Morpeth Castle and Churches. 15. By rail to Scots Gap. Visit Wallington House, Rothley, and Netherwitton. Return to Morpeth. 16. Walk or drive to Newminster Abbey and Mitford Castle and Church. In afternoon descend the river to Bothal Castle and Church. Return to Morpeth. 17. Carriage or coach (Rothbury Coach) to Brinkburn. Visit the Priory, and walk on to Rothbury (or order a carriage beforehand). Drive up the Coquet to Holystone and Harbottle (the Drake Stone). Return to sleep at Rothbury or Weldon Bridge. 18. Cartington Castle. Drive to Callaly and Edlingham Castles. Whittingham Church. Sleep at the bridge of Aln, near Whit.. tingham. 19. Crawley Tower. Hedgeley and Percy's Cross. Diverge from the road to Ingram, walk to Greaves Esh and Linhope Spout. (A second day's excursion may be made comprising Bewick, Roddam, and the Three Stone Burn). Proceed to Wooler Cottage to sleep. 20. Wooler. Excursion to Chillingham Castle, Church, and Park. Hebburn Tower and Crags. Return to Wooler Cottage. 21. Excursion to Langley Ford. Wooler Cottage. Ascent of Cheviot. Return to 22. (Doddington Tower?). Set out early to ascend the valley of the Glen (Copeland Castle?) to Kirk Newton. Visit Ford Castle, Routing Lynn, Etal Castle, and Pallinsburn. Sleep at Corn hill. 23. Visit Twizell Castle and Bridge and Tillmouth. Rail to Berwickon-Tweed, stopping at Norham Stat. to visit Norham Castle and Church (and Ladykirk?). 24. Rail to Belford. Thence drive to Bamborough-its Castle and Church. Excursion to Twizell Tughall Church (archæologists). Visit Dunstanborough Castle (Rock Alnwick to sleep. 25. Excursion to Holy Island (or from Beal). Malcolm's Cross. Drive or walk to 30. Drive through the Parks. Brislee Tower, Hulne, and Alnwick Abbeys. Rail to Warkworth in evening. (Order a conveyance to be at the station beforehand.) 31. Warkworth Castle, Hermitage, and Glen. Visit Amble and Coquet Island. 32. (Antiquaries may visit Chibburn). (from Morpeth) to Seaton Delaval. By Blyth and Tyne Rly. ROUTE ROUTES. The names of places are printed in italics only in those routes where the places are described. PAGE ROUTE 173 236 238 241 265 272 FROM THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE AT NEWCASTLE TO BERWICK-ON TWEED, BY MORPETH, WIDDRING- NORTH-EASTERN RLY. 67 m. The Rly. enters the county of Northumberland by the High Level Bridge, which crosses not only the 18 Wansbeck Valley Rly., from Morpeth to Reedsmouth (on the Border Counties Rly.), by Meldon, Angerton, (Hartburn, Netherwitton); Cambo, (Wallington, Rothley); and Wood burn 19 Morpeth to Coldstream, by Weldon Bridge, (Edlingham), Whittingham,(Callaly, Eslington, Hedgeley Moor, Linhope, Roddam); Wooler, (Cheviot); Flodden Field, (Ford, Etal); and Pallinsburn 20 Excursion up Coquetdale, from Weldon Bridge to Alwinton, by Brinkburn Priory, Rothbury (Simonside), Hallystone, and Harbottle 21 Alnwick to Wooler, by Bewick and Chillingham 22 Berwick-upon-Tweed to Carham, by Norham, Cornhill, and Wark. Part of the Rly. to Kelso and Melrose PAGE 280 299 306 320 river, but the whole valley of the Tyne, connecting the upper part of Gateshead with the opposite heights of Newcastle. This bridge, which was designed by Robert Stephenson, " combines the two principles of the arch and suspension bridge, the railway resting upon the ribbed arches, while the carriage-road and footways are suspended from the ribs. The floor of the railway thus forms the roof of the suspended bridge, which resembles a vast gallery. The carriage-road is 85 ft., the railway-bridge 112 ft. above the Tyne. The whole length of the bridge is 1337 ft., and | 236 yds. long, 61 yds. wide, is striking. its weight 5050 tons. The total cost A singular view of the old Norm. of the bridge and its site was Castle is framed by the opening 491,1537. towards Berwick. The object was to cross the river and valley of the Tyne on the highest level of the railways on either side, so as to unite them in an uninterrupted line from London to Berwick. The distance between the stations of Gateshead and Newcastle is 3457 ft., a space chiefly occupied by the bed of the river and the steep banks on either side. The latter are spanned by substantial stone arches, while across the river and low banks are 6 metallic arches, resting on solid piers of masonry, 125 ft. distant from each other. These piers are laid on solid foundations of piles and planking, with concrete, many of the piles 40 ft. in length, and driven to this depth through hard gravel and sand till they reached a bed of freestonerock. Nasmyth's steam-hammer was set in full operation here: with wonderful effect, driving night and day at the rate of 60 or 70 strokes a minute, the pile-heads being often set on fire by the rapidity and violence of the blows of the ram. The piers are laid 2 ft. below low-watermark, and raised about 100 ft. to the springing of the arches. The arches consist each of 4 main ribs of castiron, each in 5 segments bolted together, and forming one entire arch, which rises 17 ft. 6 in. in the centre. Above this arch is the rly., and beneath it the roadway, suspended by hollow cast-iron pillars, 10 ft. apart, and each 14 ft. square, through which are passed strong malleable circular iron bars, binding the whole into one stiff and solid mass. After crossing the bridge the rly. enters the Newcastle Stat., erected at a cost of 120,000l., from the designs of Dobson, and opened by Her Majesty, Aug. 29, 1850. It is a large and handsome building, and the effect of its triple, curved, iron-roofed shed, This is the joint station for the railways to Carlisle, to Sunderland, to South Shields, and to Berwick and Edinburgh. Newcastle-on-Tyne. Inns: Station Hotel, entrance on the platform; Queen's Head, Grey Street and Pilgrim Street. Omnibuses (fare 6d.) and cabs (fare 18., except to very distant parts of the town) await the arrival of all the trains at the station. NEWCASTLE (pop. 128,160), 273 m. from London, may be considered as the capital of the north of England, and is rapidly increasing in prosperity. It is situated on the N. bank of the Tyne, 9 m. from its mouth, and is separated by this river from Gateshead, in the county of Durham, which stands in the same relation to it as Southwark does to London. It is connected with its sister town by a low stone bridge, as well as by the stupendous High Level Bridge described above. From its position, as the great emporium of coals, as well as from its abundant railways and manufactures, it is perhaps even more shrouded in smoke and vapour than the manufacturing towns of Lancashire. Still its appearance, as seen from the S., is imposing, as the town rises abruptly from the river, its houses ranged one above another on the steep side of a hill, which is crowned by the principal churches and the Norm. keep of the castle. The older streets, on the hill-side, are exceedingly narrow and steep, and are a great contrast to the broad streets of handsome stone houses and the magnificent shop-fronts of the new town. In Roman times the site of Newcastle was occupied by the station of Pons Elii, so called from the bridge built here by Hadrian (Elius) over the Tyne, A.D. 120. It was afterwards called Ad Murum, from the Roman |