Derwentwater.

The island of St . Herbert , Avhich contains about five acres , now co \ -ered Avith trees , is famous for being the residence of St . Herbert , a priest and confessor ; who withdrew hither from the Avorld that nothing might withdraw him from mortification and prayer . The scene around him AVUS adapted to his gloomy ideas of religion . Here the recluse erected an hermitagethe remains

, of which appear , being a building of stone . It formed two apartments , the outer one about twenty feet fong and fifteen broad , the other of smaller dimensions . He was contemporary with St . Ciithbert , and , as the legends of that time say , by the prayers of that saint obtained a joint and equo-temporary death with him in the year of our Lord 688 . There is no history of his life and actions to be met withor any tradition of his Avorks of piety or miracles

, preserved by tbe inhabitants of tbe neighbourhood . In the register of Bishop Appleby in the year 1374 , there is an indulgence of forty days to every of the inhabitants of the parish of CrostliAvaite that should attend the vicar to St . Herbert ' s Island on the 13 th of April yearly , and there celebrate mass in memory of St . Herbert . In curious contrast to its early history may be mentioned the fact that

during the civil wars Sir Gilford Lawson , of Brayton , its owner , had placed large stores of ammunition for the use of the parliamentarians . Robert Philipson ( alias Robin the Devil ) ivas one of the defenders of Carlisle Castle , ancl , having bribed the store-keeper on the island , cut his AA ay through the lines with a party of horse and rode OA'er from Carlisle by Binsa to Catbells , opposite to the island . He found that every boat upon the lake hacl

been taken and draAvn upon the beach of the island , ancl when he summoned the custodian of the stores to surrender his demand was received with shouts of derisive laughter . Finding that he hacl been hoaxed , he ancl his party turned their horses' heads to Carlisle , where they again reached the castle , after a bootless journey of over sixty miles . Thus , Avhile Lord's Island Avas held b y Sir Edward " the loyal" for the king . St . Herbert ' s was held by Sir Gilford , the parliamentarian , for Cromwell—a singular illustration of the extent to which the civil wars affected even remote places like Lake Derwent .

The third island was formerly called Vicar s Island . It contains six acres of ground , and lies nearer to Keswick . It formerl y belonged to Fountains Abbey , to which the church of Crosthwaite Avas appropriated , and was granted by King Henry VIII . to one John Williamson . In 1777 it belonged to the Ponsonbys of Hale , then to Mr . Joseph Pocklington , who built the house upon it about a century ago . It then passed to General Peachy , and now it is owned by Mr . Henry Marshallof Weetwood HallLeedsAAdio had a large portion of

, , , the house accidentally burnt , and he rebuilt that portion , ancl materially enlarged ancl improved the present comfortable edifice . In Leyland ' s time there were upon it only a few miners' huts , ancl when Smith ' s view Avas taken there were no trees upon it , only Mr . Pocklington ' s newly-erected bouse . Now it is coA ered Avith forest trees of varied kind and of large dimensions . The foliage in autumn on the island is beautiful , and is a feature

Avhich , with the other surrounding wood , adds greatly to the charming scene . Rampsholme is a little round island coA ered with black firs , ancl stands midway betAveen Lord ' s and St . Herbert ' s . It is much smaller , ancl resembles Helen ' s Isle on Loch Katarine . Then there is that floatin g island wliich makes its appearance 150 yards from the shore , not far from Lodore . It has been said , to make its appearance once in seven yearsbut that is quite

un-, certain ; it generally rises after a few years , and towards the end of a Avarm summer . Its figure is variable ; it has sometimes contained about half-an-acre of ground , at other times only a feAV perches ; but extending in a gradual slope under water , a much greater portion is raised from the bottom than reaches the surface of the lake . Several rents may be seen in the earth about the place , which appear to have been occasioned by stretching to reach the sur-