Brannon's Picture of The Isle of Wight

That part of the island immediately opposite Hampshire is generally well-wooded, with an easy descent to the shore--populous and busy, as might be expected from the two considerable watering-places before named, and several excellent harbors. But the south side (familiarly called the Back of the Island,) being washed by the impetuous tides of the ocean, presents a very different aspect, showing the resistless progress of the waves:--and hence perpendicular cliffs of great altitude, precipitous slopes constantly detaching large masses of earth and rocks, and all the picturesque confusion produced by successive landslips: here therefore the scenery is variously characterized by dreary devastation, romantic beauty, or sublime splendor of effect. But not so of the Interior of the island, which presents the softer pictures of pastoral and rural life: for ...

"Creation's mildest charms are here co