'1111, PRESERVATION OF BORROWDALE.
[To THE EDITOR Or TIER " SPECTATOR."] * Bra,—Yon were so kind as to lend important help to the National Trust when we were raising funds for the purchase of Brandelhow on Derwentwater, and Gowbarrow Fell and Aira Force on lTllswater. We are encouraged by this kindness to ask you to allow your readers to know that the opportunity has come to ns to obtain three hundred and ten acres of the most beautiful part of Borrowdale, to preserve it unbuilt on and free of foot for ever. These three hundred and ten acres comprise the wild and picturesque ground between Grange and the Rosthwaite Meadows, inclusive of the famous Bowlder or " Banta " stone, and the picturesque Grange Fell that rises above it to the east, while it contains the eastern shore of the Derwent for nearly a mile, and the well-known Borrowdale birches. It is easily accessible, as the main road from Keswick to Roathwaite runs through it. A path made by the shepherds and the peat-cutters in olden time takes one to the summit of the Fell. The view of Derwentwater to the north, the Borrowdale Valley and the Scafell group and Glaramara to the south, is unequalled from this vantage- ground. The price asked for these three hundred and ten acres when compared with our other purchases in the Lake District is very reasonable. We can secure this portion of Borrowdale at seven guineas an acre. We paid £60 an acre for Brandelhow and £18 an acre for Gowbarrow. Already, before any public appeal is made, donors have given fifty-two acres. Sonie of them have made their gift as a tribute to the memory of dead friends who were lovers of scenery. It is important that this most precious bit of wild Borrowdale should be secured. We
• cannot obtain in Great Britain extensive tracts of country as sanctuaries for wild life, but the National Trust has proved that the smaller tracts they have already acquired are serving not only the public good of the holiday-maker, but the public good of the naturalist also. Animals believed to have been extinct in the neighbourhood have made their reappearance on various properties of the Trust. We earnestly commend our cause to your readers.—We are, Sir, &c., H. D. RAWNSLEY (Crosthwaite Vicarage, Keswick), Hon. Sec., National Trust.
NIGEL BOND
(25 Victoria Street, Westminster), Secretary, National Trust.
[We congratulate Canon Rawnsley and the National Trust en their spirited effort to secure Grange Fell and a mile of the Derwent for the enjoyment of the public for all time. We trust that they may find many donors of an acre among the readers of the Spectator.—En. Spectator.]
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