VENTNOR, LOOKING WEST.—­From this point Ventnor is beautiful both in summer and in winter.  The setting sun on a winter day is a sight worth travelling far to see, and in summer the white chalk cliffs of the foreground are clothed with crimson valerian, mingled with bright green samphire, while the gardens below, with the miniature lake, are full of colour.  These effects, together with the houses perched on every conceivable vantage point of rock and surrounded with vegetation of varied hue, make up a picture of entrancing beauty.  There is a good Pier for promenading and fishing as well as for steamboat excursions.

[Illustration:  Old Oak Tree—­The Landslip.]

OLD OAK TREE—­THE LANDSLIP.—­This is one of the many specimens of fantastic growth to be found in the Landslip, and is a great contrast to the tall and stately beech trees that grow in the Cloisters nearer to the upper cliff.  It resembles very much the serpent-tree which was painted by Turner.  This part of the Landslip is full of great diversities of form and situation, some appearing to grow direct out of the rocks.  The white scented violet grows here in great profusion in April.

[Illustration:  Blackgang Chine.]

BLACKGANG CHINE.—­This view of Blackgang exhibits its wild and rugged grandeur.  The cliffs rise to a height of four hundred feet above sea level.  The surf-line breaking on the red beach far below on the left, with the broad expanse of sea beyond, is very fine.  The cliffs in the middle distance consist of the sands and clays of the lower Greensand formation, and are constantly falling and being eroded by the waves.  The breakers on the shore at Blackgang are very grand in stormy weather, the beach being very steep and the water deep outside, a great volume rolls in with magnificent effect and thunderous sound.  Geologically it is of great interest, the beds of the lower Greensand being more fully developed here than elsewhere, a thickness of almost eight hundred feet being exhibited in this neighbourhood.

[Illustration:  Swiss Cottage, Osborne.]

SWISS COTTAGE, OSBORNE.—­The grounds of Osborne House contain five thousand acres, the lawn sloping down to the sea adjoining the grounds of Norris Castle.  A sheltered portion of the garden contains a large number of trees and shrubs from Indian and foreign climes.  In the vicinity of this Indian garden is Swiss Cottage, forming an architectural contrast to Osborne House, and surrounded with trees and flowers that make it appear quite a little paradise.

[Illustration:  The Floating Bridge, Cowes.]

THE FLOATING BRIDGE, COWES.—­East Cowes is reached by crossing in this bridge, which goes backwards and forwards across the mouth of the Medina, conveying carts, carriages, coaches, and motor cars, as well as passengers.  It works on chains which pass under it, fastened to the shore at each end.  It is a novel experience to many people when they find the coachman drive his four-horse coach full of passengers down the slope on to the bridge, and then off again at the other side.