And round the gay board cheerful Industry shone,
In a pureness and brightness to wealth oft unknown;
'Twas a feast where a monarch might wish to preside,
For the cottager's comfort's his country's pride;
And Benevolence smiled on the heart-moving scene,
And music and beauty enlivened the green,
While the labourer, gratefully raising the glass,
Gave his king, then his donor, his dame, and his lass.
The commodore's liberality is proverbial; he had sold his old yacht, the
Falcon, and the new vessel was not likely to be launched this season,
yet he would not forego the pleasure of a grand fete, and as it could
not be given on board his own ship, according to annual custom, he
seized upon this opportunity of the royal visit to unite Loyalty and
Friendship under one banner, and it must be recorded, that he displayed
an excellence of arrangement which left no wish ungratified. An
excursion round the island, sailing in a westerly direction, is one of
most delightful amusement to a lover of the picturesque; the circuit
is nearly eighty miles, every where presenting new features of the most
beautiful variety and romantic scenery, a voyage we made in the Rover
in about eight hours. Clearing Sconce Point, which is the first object
worthy notice from Cowes, you perceive the cottage, battery, and
residence of Captain Farrington on the rise of the hill, and beyond are
Gurnet and Harness Bays closely succeeding one another, the shores above
being well diversified with foliage and richly cultivated grounds.
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