Memorials of Mrs. Hemans; With Illustrations of Her Literary Character from Her Private Correspondence

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1836. Excerpt: ... strong excitement of composing the Caernarvonshire hills. But I cannot tell you how much I wanted to express my feelings when at last that bold mountain-chain rose upon me, in all its grandeur, with the crowning Snowdon, (very superior, I assure you, in 'shape and feature, ' to our friend Ben Lomond, ) maintaining his 'pride of place' above the whole ridge. And the Menai bridge, which I thought I should scarcely have noticed in the presence of those glorious heights, really seems, from its magnificence, a native feature of the scene, and nobly asserts the pre-eminence of mind above all other things. I could scarcely have conceived such an union of strength and grace; and its chain-work i3 so airy in appearance, that to drive along it seems almost like passing through the trellis of a bower: it is quite startling to look down from any thing which looks so fragile, to the immense depth below My journey lay along the sea-shore rather late at night, and I was surprised by quite a splendid vision of the i northern lights, on the very spot where I had once, and once only, before seen them in early childhood. They shot up like slender pillars of white light, with a sort of arrowy motion, from a dark cloud above the sea; their colour varied, in ascending, from that of silver to a faint orange, and then a very delicate green: and sometimes the motion was changed, and they chased each other along the edge of the cloud, with a dazzling brightness and rapidity. I was almost startled by seeing them there again; and after so long an interval of thoughts and years, it was like the effect produced by a sudden burst of familiar and yet long-forgotten music. v I did not observe any object of interest on my voyage from Wales, excepting a new beacon at the extremity of the L...