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in height rising perpendicularly & parallel with the sea, greatly varied in its shape by fissures & by the disseveration of pieces of rock now lying below. The interval between the cliff & the sea is covered with these masses of rock rendered picturesque in this wildness by trees & shrubs & a beautiful vegetation. Many nice flowers we gathered here, the mullein & a pretty orchis large everlasting peas & some others of which Elizth saw many at Malvern last year. On reaching Bonchurch a pretty child of 12 years old conducted us up to the flagstaff, & pointed out to us her mother’s cottage & many others whose walls & gardens were covered with roses. At the town of Ventnor which had 5 or 6 houses only 7 years ago may be seen a hundred or more of stone rustic lodging houses, which anent look very sultry & hot at some period of the year, for there is little green to relieve the eye, but no end of red valerian. Shops & a reading room there are & the new gothic church which is to be consecrated on Thursday. On arriving at St Lawrence, we found that our parasol & stick had fallen out of the cart; so I walked 2 miles back but found them not. - The smallest church in Gt Britain except one (Hedsor near Marlow I think I have heard is the most diminutive) is here they say. It is a nice snug little room, though not as the guidebooks would lead you to believe 6 feet from the eaves, except on the outside, the [ ] off the ground having risen as high. It is descended too by the porch 2 or 3 feet, & it forms altogether a pretty object. The conductors of our 2 donkeys had afforded us no little amusement during our journey. One of them
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