k us to
every one of these, with one exception--in England and Scotland, about
thirty in all--and the exception, Beverly Minster, is but newly created
and relatively of lesser importance.

Ripon is one of the smaller cathedrals and of less importance in
historical associations. It occupies a magnificent site, crowning a hill
rising in the very center of the town, and from a distance gives the
impression of being larger than it really is. It presents a somewhat
unfinished aspect with its three low, square-topped towers, once
surmounted by great wooden spires, which became unsafe and were taken
down, never to be replaced. These must have added wonderfully to the
dignity and proper proportion of the church.

Just outside Ripon lies Fountains Abbey, undoubtedly the most striking
and best preserved ecclesiastical ruin in England. It is on the estate
of the Marquis of Ripon, adjoining the town, and this nobleman takes
great pride in the preservation of the abbey. The great park, which also
surrounds his residence, is thrown open every day and one has full
liberty to go about it at pleasure. It is a popular resort, and on the
day of our visit the number of people passing through the gate exceeded
five hundred. The gatekeeper assured us that a thousand visitors on a
single day was not an uncommon occurrence. The abbey stands in a wooded
valley on the margin of a charming little river, and underneath and
around the ruin is a lawn whose green loveliness is such as can be found
in England alone. There is no room in this record for the description of
such a well known place or for its story. The one feature which
impressed us most, and which is one of the finest specimens of Norman
architecture in England, is the great cellarium, where the monks stored
their wine in the good old days. The vaulted roof of this vast
apartment, several hundred feet in length, is in perfect condition and
shows how substantially the structure must have been built Fountains
Abbey shared the fate of its contemporaries at the hand of Henry VIII,
who drove the monks from its shelter, confiscating their property and
revenues. It was growing late when we left Ripon for York, but the road
was perfect and we had no trouble in covering the twenty miles or more
in about an hour. We were soon made comfortable at the Station Hotel in
York, one of the oldest and most interesting of the larger cities.

The following day being Sunday, we availed ourselves of the opp