Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

12 Guide to the Isle of Man." That all the cats are wanting tails,\Ve hear for evermoreIt may be this accounts for talcsWhicli reach the British shore." Well,'Sodorenses '— Southern Isles—Is what the title meansAlthough perhaps you say with smiles,'TeU that to the Marines ! '" For in the palmy days of old,When things weut harum-skarum.The Bishop did the title holdOf Man ' et Insularum.' "The geographical features of the islaud may be brieflydescnbed. It is about thirty-three miles long, and the greatestbreadth is twelve miles, with an area of nearly 150,000 acrcf,two-thirds under cultivation. At the south-western extremityis an islet, known as the Calf of Man, containing 800acres, a large portion of which is under cultivation. A chainof lofty hills, reaching the highest point in Snaefeld (2,024feet), traverse the island longitudinally. The coast line isvery fine, with bold lofty headlands and beautiful sweeps ofbay. The sea has a clearness rarely seen on the coast ofBritain. The climate resembles that of South Devon, moistand mild, and the vegetation is peculiarly abundant. Flowerswhich in the greater part of England require shelter inwinter, flourish in the open air all the year round, and attainextraordinary dimensions. Hydrangeas are almost trees, andwe shall see hedgerows of fuschias. Wild flowers are ofcourse abundant, lining the roads and lanes ; aud there arefew of the little cottages in the rural parts which are notalmost imbedded in flowers.Before the beginning of this century—indeed, we mightalmost say before the pubhcation of Scott's " Peveril of thePeak " in 1823—English people generally knew very little,and cared very Uttle, about the Isle of Man. Scott revealedit to them, as, in the " Lady of the Lake " and " Rob Roy," herevealed the Scottish Highlands, with their passes and lakes.In 1744, George Waldron, the author of some poems andpolitical and historical tracts, had published a small octavovolume, '' Isle of Man, History and Description of its Antiquities,etc., the whole carefully collected from original papersand personal knowledge during over twenty years' residencethere.'" Waldron had a great taste for the marvellous ; andthe bulk of his book consists of a collection of stories aboutv;itcheH, fairies, mermaids, strange monsters, and supernaturalmatters generally. There is, indeed, a sprinkling ofmore authentic information; but during the author's twenty;;