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Title: The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Vol. 2

Author: W. Finden

Illustrator: W. H. Bartlett
        Thomas Creswick
        James Duffield Harding

Release date: January 6, 2011 [eBook #34867]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, Susan Skinner and the Online
        Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
        file was produced from images generously made available
        by The Internet Archive)


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PORTS, HARBOURS, WATERING-PLACES AND PICTURESQUE SCENERY OF GREAT BRITAIN VOL. 2 ***




Produced by Chris Curnow, Susan Skinner and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)












FINDEN'S

PORTS, HARBOURS

AND

WATERING PLACES.

[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE PORT OF BERWICK.]




THE

PORTS, HARBOURS, WATERING-PLACES,

And Picturesque Scenery

OF

GREAT BRITAIN.

ILLUSTRATED BY VIEWS TAKEN ON THE SPOT,

BY

W. H. BARTLETT, J. D. HARDING, T. CRESWICK,

AND OTHERS.

WITH DESCRIPTIONS, HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL.

VOL. II.

JAMES S. VIRTUE, CITY ROAD, AND IVY LANE, LONDON.




LIST OF PLATES.

VOLUME II.


THE RIVER MERSEY, AT LIVERPOOL.

LIVERPOOL--CANNING DOCK AND CUSTOM-HOUSE.

--------- ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH, WITH SHIPPING.

NEW BRIGHTON, NEAR LIVERPOOL.

MATLOCK, DERBYSHIRE.

CONWAY CASTLE, WITH THE SUSPENSION-BRIDGE.

------ QUAY, WITH THE CASTLE AND BRIDGE.

MENAI BRIDGE, WITH THE STRAIT.

BANGOR, AND PORT-PENRHYN.

BEAUMARIS, WITH THE MENAI STRAIT.

HOLYHEAD, THE LIGHTHOUSE, TRIUMPHAL-ARCH, &c.

--------- SOUTHSTACK LIGHTHOUSE.

CARNARVON CASTLE, THE EAGLE TOWER.

--------- GENERAL VIEW.

HARLECH CASTLE, NORTH WALES.

BARMOUTH, WATERING-PLACE.

SWANSEA BAY, WITH LIGHTHOUSE IN THE DISTANCE.

OYSTERMOUTH CASTLE, OVERLOOKING SWANSEA BAY.

THE MUMBLES' LIGHTHOUSE, SWANSEA BAY.

THE NASS SANDS' LIGHTHOUSES.

CARDIFF, GLAMORGANSHIRE.

GLOUCESTER, PORT AND CATHEDRAL.

BRISTOL CITY, FROM ROWNHAM FERRY.

------- REDCLIFFE CHURCH AND BASIN.

CLIFTON, WITH THE NEW SUSPENSION-BRIDGE.

BATH, WITH THE CITY, CATHEDRAL, AND DOWNS.

CORNWALL, TINTAGEL CASTLE.

PLYMOUTH, DEVON.

--------- MOUNT EDGECOMBE.

BRIXHAM, TORBAY, DEVON.

EXMOUTH, DEVON.

BUDLEIGH SALTERTON.

SIDMOUTH, VIEW FROM THE BEACH.

CAVES AT LADRAM BAY.

WEYMOUTH, WITH THE HARBOUR.

HURST CASTLE, KING CHARLES'S PRISON.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.

SOUTHAMPTON.

------------ THE ANCIENT WALLS.

PORTSMOUTH, ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOUR.

----------- RIGGING-HULK AND FRIGATE.

----------- VIEW FROM THE SALUTING PLATFORM.

GOSPORT, FLAG-SHIP SALUTING.

SPITHEAD, WITH SHIPS OF WAR.

BRIGHTON, SUSSEX.

HASTINGS, WITH THE TOWN AND CASTLE.

--------- VIEW ON THE BEACH.

RYE, SUSSEX, WITH ITS ANCIENT GATE, CHURCH, &c.

FOLKESTONE, FROM THE BEACH.

DOVER, WITH THE CASTLE.

------ FROM THE CASTLE.

SANDWICH, KENT, ANCIENT GATE AND DRAWBRIDGE.

RAMSGATE, KENT, ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOUR.

BROADSTAIRS, ISLE OF THANET, VESSEL ASHORE.

WRECK IN KINGSGATE-BAY.

MARGATE, TWO VESSELS ASHORE.

CHATHAM, WITH THE DOCKYARD.

GRAVESEND, FROM THE RIVER.

LONDON, FROM GREENWICH PARK.

PORT OF LONDON.

THE TOWER.

VIGNETTE-ENTRANCE TO THE PORT OF BERWICK.




THE

PORTS AND HARBOURS

OF

GREAT BRITAIN.




BERWICK.--LIGHTHOUSE ON THE PIER.


The view of the Lighthouse, at the head of Berwick Pier (which forms the
vignette to our Second Volume), is taken from the entrance to the
harbour, about half a mile below the bridge. This Pier, the building of
which was commenced in 1810, stands on the north side of the river, and
is chiefly erected on the foundations of an old one, which is said to
have been built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. From the lighthouse,
which was finished in 1826, two lights are exhibited at night, the one
above the other. The upper one, which is of a pale, white colour, is
lighted from sunset to sunrise; the lower one, which is of a bright red,
is a tide-light, and is only displayed during the time that there is ten
feet water on the bar.

Berwick Harbour is not well adapted for vessels of large burthen, for
the greater part of the shore, in front of the quay, is dry at low
water. On the Tweedmouth side, near the Car Rock, is the best water
within the bar; and a vessel drawing from sixteen to eighteen feet water
may lie there at all hours of the tide without touching the ground. The
entrance to the harbour is narrow, as a bank of sand stretches out to
the eastward, from the Spittal shore, to the extent of nearly half a
mile, and approaches to within a cable's length of the rocks on the
north. When the wind is from the eastward, there is always a swell on
the bar; and the ebb-tide--more especially when there is a _fresh_ in
the river, in consequence of rain--runs out with such velocity that it
is impossible for a vessel to make head against it. Vessels bound for
Berwick, which cannot take the harbour in bad weather, usually seek
shelter in Leith Roads.

The salmon fishery forms a most important branch of the trade of
Berwick. About the middle of the last century, the fish used chiefly to
be conveyed to London by small vessels of about forty tons burthen,
belonging to Harwich and Gravesend, engaged by the London dealers; the
fresh-caught salmon and gilse were conveyed in wells in the hold, but a
large portion was sent pickled in kits. About 1787, the practice of
packing salmon in pounded ice was suggested by George Dempster, Esq., of
Dunnichen, then M.P. for Cupar, to Mr. John Richardson, a salmon-dealer,
of Perth, who immediately adopted it; and the next year the
salmon-dealers of Berwick followed his example.

Most of the salmon sent from Berwick to London are caught between the
mouth of the Tweed and Norham, which is about eight miles up the river,
and the highest point to which the tide flows. In 1799, the yearly
rental of the fisheries within this distance, on both sides of the
river, was estimated at £10,000; and in 1817 it was nearly double that
sum. In consequence of the decline of the salmon fishery since 1820, it
does not at the present time exceed £9,000. Various causes have been
assigned for the decline of the salmon fishery in the Tweed; such as the
building of the New Pier at the north side of the harbour; with the
draining of lands and the destruction of fish in close time towards the
upper parts of the river. How the building of the New Pier, and the
draining of lands in Selkirk and Roxburghshire affect the breed of
salmon, has not been clearly shown; and poaching in close time has not
prevailed to a greater extent during the last twenty years than in the
twenty years previous to 1816. The unremitting manner in which the river
was _legally_ fished between the mouth of the Tweed and Norham, from
1800 to 1817, is more likely to have been one great cause of the
decline; but the proprietors of the fisheries seem unwilling to admit
that a river may be over-fished, as well as land exhausted by
over-cropping.

It can scarcely be said that there is a public market for salmon in
Berwick, almost all that are caught being engrossed by factors or
fish-curers, and sent to London; and salmon is generally as dear there
as in the metropolis. The fish, as soon as caught, are packed in large
boxes, between layers of pounded ice, and in this manner conveyed to the
metropolis.




[Illustration: THE MERSEY AT LIVERPOOL.]




THE MERSEY.

FROM LIVERPOOL.


    "A thousand keels the subject wave divide,--
    Float with the flow, or stem the ebbing tide,--
    Winged messengers that haste, with sails unfurl'd,
    To barter produce with some distant world!--
    With oar and paddle, sail and thundering steam,
    They row--they cleave--they plough the Mersey's stream;
    That stream, which, fretted by a thousand prows,
    No silent rest, no liquid slumber knows;
    Whate'er the hour, whatever wind prevail,
    Behold the outward and the homeward sail!"

The Mersey is to Liverpool what the Thames is to London--the grand
channel of mercantile prosperity--the main artery that carries health
and vigour into the heart of the city, and thence distributes them by a
thousand ramifications through all classes of the community. The
navigation of this river has long been an object of primary import to
the prosperity of our national trade; and therefore every suggestion
which promised to obviate and remove those impediments which nature had
thrown in the way, has been met with the greatest promptness and
liberality. Whatever it was possible for art to accomplish has been
attempted, and that so successfully that, if the ultimate object has not
yet been obtained, the navigation of the Mersey has at least been
rendered comparatively safe and expeditious. The grand enterprise for
facilitating the intercourse between Liverpool and Manchester was
commenced in 1720, when a canal was formed, and the navigation of the
Mersey and Irwell was so greatly improved, that the "flats"--which were
previously ten or eleven days in going from one town to the other--could
now, by taking advantage of the tide, accomplish the same distance in as
many hours. How amazingly this distance has been again shortened in our
own times, by the introduction of steam power, is familiar to every one.

The rise and expansion of Liverpool--in all that regards it as a
mercantile emporium--have taken place within the last two centuries. In
1650, the town--a mere fishing hamlet--consisted of only five or six
streets. A pool, branching from the river, extended over the space now
occupied by the new Custom-house and the three streets adjoining; and,
for the convenience of intercourse, a ferry-boat was kept at the corner
of Church-street and Whitechapel. This ferry was at last superseded by a
bridge, erected by the proprietor of the land, Lord Molyneux; and since
that period the advancement of the Mersey in the list of great navigable
rivers has been unprecedentedly rapid and successful. The grand
municipal improvements, however, have all been effected within the last
century. During that interval, splendid squares, streets, and public
monuments have sprung up into existence. Previously to that epoch there
was no spirit, no scope for commercial enterprise, and consequently no
harbour, nor dock, nor warehouse. But now spacious harbours extend for
several miles along the bank of the Mersey: on the bosom of the river
stately merchantmen, outward or homeward bound, laden with the produce
of every clime, are continually passing and repassing; while the usual
embellishments which follow a train of successful industry are apparent
at every step of our progress, adding ever varying features of beauty
and animation to the landscape. He who would form a just estimate of the
vast and unlimited resources of this great commercial city, should spend
at least a day, partly in a promenade along the banks, and partly on the
spring-tide of the Mersey.

This river is navigable for vessels of considerable burden so far as the
mouth of the Irwell,--a distance of thirty-five miles from Liverpool. It
derives its source from the confluence of several small streams on the
Cheshire and Derbyshire frontier, and pursues a serpentine course,
gradually inclining to the south-west. Its largest tributary is the
Irwell, which falls into it near the village of Flixton, seven miles
from Manchester. A little below Warrington, the Mersey expands into a
broad arm of the sea, and turning abruptly to the south-west, contracts
its channel as it passes Liverpool to about three quarters of a mile in
breadth; but in proceeding farther inland, it again increases its width
to more than three miles. This peculiarity is very advantageous to the
port, as the great body of water, passing and repassing at every tide,
keeps the navigation of the Mersey always open. A range of sand banks
run parallel with the coast for many miles, but several channels
intervene, giving sufficient depth for vessels of the heaviest draught
at high water, at which time the Mersey presents the most interesting
and striking scene,--particularly when a westerly wind favours the
arrival of the numerous fleets destined to this port, bearing the flags
and freighted with the produce of all nations that have found a place in
the chart of commercial enterprise.




[Illustration: CANNING DOCK AND CUSTOM HOUSE, LIVERPOOL.

Dedicated to the Right Hon. Viscount Sandon, M. P.]




CANNING DOCK AND CUSTOM-HOUSE,

LIVERPOOL.


Liverpool presents one of the most remarkable instances on record of the
vast influence of commercial speculation, when pursued with steady
vigour, prudence, and resolution. Commerce is the first step to empire,
and, successfully prosecuted, never fails to consolidate the strength
and independence of the state. To this important end no city in the
kingdom has so amply contributed as Liverpool; none of our rivers, the
Thames excepted, has wafted to our shores so many precious cargoes as
the Mersey, nor exported so much of the produce of our native
manufactures to all parts of the world. This great commercial city,
rapid as its progress has been, is still advancing in the career of
prosperity; hardly a month passes without some local improvement,--some
substantial proof that her trade is on the increase, stimulating
domestic industry, and affording the means of unlimited intercourse with
every shore of the commercial world.

Canning Dock, with the Custom-house, forms one of the finest points of
view in Liverpool, presenting at one view a building of elegant design
and execution, and a forest of masts which sufficiently indicate the
bustle of trade, and the air of business that pervade every feature of
the place--animate or inanimate. Canning Dock--so distinguished in
honour of Mr. Canning, a name happily identified with Liverpool and the
prosperity of its trade,--covers a space of five hundred yards in
length. On the west side it communicates with three graving docks, where
vessels are laid up for repairs, and is chiefly occupied by vessels
trading to the northern coast. It is the first of the seven docks
extending southward, and is generally filled by vessels in the act of
discharging or taking in their cargoes. It presents a scene of great
bustle and activity, and, though only one out of many, affords the
stranger a very clear idea of the vast amount of traffic that is daily
shipped or entered at this emporium.

The Custom-House is of recent date, and replaced the old official
buildings, which were found quite inadequate to the purposes of a daily
extending commerce. Through the united interest of Canning and
Huskisson, negociations were entered into with Government as to the
necessity of a new Custom-house; and after a short time arrangements
were concluded for its immediate erection. Mr. Foster, architect to the
Liverpool corporation, was engaged to prepare the designs, and made
choice of the present site as the most appropriate for a commercial
building of this size and character.

The lower apartments of the Custom-house consist of spacious vaults for
the safe custody of bonded and other goods; and in the centre is the
apartment known as the Long Room. The offices of customs occupy the
whole extent of the west wing; and it is intended that part of the east
wing shall be appropriated to the use of the general post-office. Above
these are the excise offices and those of the dock-treasurer and
secretaries. The remaining portions of the edifice are subdivided into
the board-room, the dock-committee's offices, and the stamp-office.

The chasteness and beauty of the Ionic style of architecture adopted in
this magnificent edifice have been much and justly admired. The centre,
and the east and west fronts are adorned by lofty porticos, each
supported by eight Ionic columns. The centre of the building is
surmounted by a magnificent dome, lighted by sixteen windows, and
ornamented round by pilasters. Inclosed within the outer dome is a
smaller one encircled by twelve windows, so as to afford sufficient
light to the Long Room. The interior of this building will amply repay
the stranger for a visit. The grand front is opposite Castle-street;
and, entering in this direction, the first object which claims attention
is the massive grouping of the pilasters which support the floor of the
Long Room over head. The stairs, flanked by handsome iron
balustrades,--the landing-places supported by eight Ionic stone columns,
each of a single piece,--the four pilasters, and the elaborate
ceilings,--are all deserving of particular attention. The Long Room is
altogether splendidly designed and executed; lighted by fourteen windows
on the sides, and by twelve as already observed, in the inner dome. The
ceiling is divided by lateral and transverse beams into regular
compartments, all beautifully ornamented. At each of the opposite ends
of this noble apartment are a corresponding flight of stairs and
landing-places. But to convey a just description of this monument to the
genius of commerce is at once difficult and tedious; we therefore
recommend all who may visit Liverpool, as admirers of its docks,
harbours, and splendid edifices, to devote an hour to the
Custom-house--a building which reflects great honour upon the architect,
and serves as a lasting ornament to the second city of the empire.




[Illustration: ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH, LIVERPOOL.

(from St. George's Basin)]




ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH AND ST. GEORGE'S BASIN,

LIVERPOOL.


    "Here have the wild deer bounded,--here the trees
    Waved, a wide-spreading forest, in the breeze!
    Then came the woodman's axe,--the forest fell,--
    The shrine arose, and peal'd the chapel bell;--
    The crowd of pilgrims and the sound of prayer
    Disturbed the woodland savage in his lair....
    What hear we now!--what see we in the gale!
    The city's shout,--the far-expanding sail,--
    The crowded Mart,--the tramp of busy feet--
    And wheels that shake the densely-peopled street."

St. Nicholas, or the Old Church, is supposed to stand upon the site of
an ancient chapel built about the time of the Conquest. But whether this
be correct or not, there is at least evidence to prove that, in 1361,
license for burial here was granted by the Bishop of Lichfield. It was
endowed by Queen Elizabeth with a small sum, under five pounds, to be
paid annually out of the chantry rents to the minister; and another sum,
between five and six pounds, as a yearly grant to the schoolmaster. In
the olden time a statue of the patron, St. Nicholas, erected in the
churchyard, was much frequented by mariners, who believed that an
offering made to the saint would conciliate the winds in their favour,
and secure a prosperous voyage. Time, however, put an end to this
confederacy between the saint and seamen. St. Nicholas was dethroned;
and for a time the winds "blew as if they would have cracked their
cheeks" at the downfall of one who had so long laid them under arrest.
But at length a better knowledge of the compass and the coast made the
seaman ample compensation for the loss of his ghostly patron, and showed
him that a skilful mariner and a stout bark are better securities
against storm and tempest than any saint in the calendar.

In 1774 this church was rebuilt,--"The old roof, walls, and Gothic
pillars, the old blue ceiling, black and white clouds, golden sun, moon,
and stars, painted and gilt thereon," were removed, and the
re-edification completed, under the direction of Joseph Brooks, Esq. In
1810 this church was the scene of a dreadful catastrophe; the steeple
suddenly gave way as the children of the charity-school were entering
the church. It fell upon the body of the building, and twenty-four lives
were sacrificed, seventeen of which were girls belonging to the school.
Many others were severely wounded. The accident was attributed to the
weakness of an old arch upon which a modern spire had been erected. The
spire was subsequently restored by Mr. Harrison, of Chester, with a
degree of taste and execution which does him credit. It consists of an
ornamented Gothic tower, surmounted by an open lantern, with an air of
great lightness and elegance, and forming a very striking feature among
the many architectural objects--civil and ecclesiastical--by which it is
surrounded. The height of the tower is one hundred and twenty feet, and
that of the lantern sixty; so that together the steeple has an elevation
of not less than one hundred and eighty feet. During the night the clock
opposite the river is illuminated, so that it may serve as a landmark to
assure the mariner that St. Nicholas is still on the watch for his
safety, as in the good olden time.

St. George's Dock, from which the view of the Church is taken, was
constructed according to an act of parliament obtained in 1762, and
completed at an expenditure of twenty-one thousand pounds. It is two
hundred and sixty-four yards in length, one hundred in breadth, and
lined on the east side by a row of very large warehouses, with footpaths
under the piazzas. Extending along both sides are sheds for merchandise;
and on the pier-head, at the west side of the dock, are the public
baths. The latter, comprised in a large building of plain but classical
design and execution, were erected by the corporation at an expense of
thirty-six thousand pounds, and opened to the public in the month of
June, 1829. Nothing could be better adapted to its purpose than this
great public edifice, in which the twofold recommendation of ornament
and utility are happily combined. The water is constantly flowing
through the baths in a fresh current; being supplied from the river at
high-tide, filtered, and contained in a reservoir of eight hundred tons
under the centre of the building. Private, cold, shower, warm, tepid,
medicated, and vapour baths are to be had at all hours; and from the
excellent manner in which every department is arranged and conducted,
the inhabitants possess in this establishment one of the great means of
promoting health and averting disease.




[Illustration: NEW BRIGHTON.]




NEW BRIGHTON.


New Brighton has already taken a prominent station in the list of
fashionable watering-places, and in several respects bids fair to
eclipse even the attractions of its celebrated namesake in Sussex.
Highly favoured by nature in a romantic point of view, the striking
features of this locality have been duly taken advantage of in
constructing a series of marine villas, all in harmony with the native
landscape. These, with the most picturesque effects as viewed from a
distance, combine every accommodation that can be desired,--either for
families of distinction, or private individuals; while the air, which
the invalid inhales from the atmosphere around him, produces a degree of
vigour and exhilaration, which is rarely experienced in situations more
inland or less elevated.

                        "The rural wilds
    Invite; the mountains call you; and the vales,
    The woods, the streams, and each ambrosial breeze
    That fans the ever-undulating sky--
    A kindly sky!"

The honour of founding New Brighton belongs to James Atherton, Esq. A
bold design, as it at first appeared, but which judgment, taste, and a
liberal hand have converted into a lasting monument,--creditable alike
to the originator and to the discriminating public, who have manifested
a decided preference for the situation, and thus amply justified the
enterprise. The first step taken by Mr. Atherton was to purchase nearly
two hundred acres of land, including the site of the future town. These
were put under the care of persons well instructed in the plan of
operations. The design was prosecuted with unremitting zeal; houses
sprang up, streets were laid out, and in a comparatively short time the
skeleton of New Brighton was completed. Strangers resorted to the spot;
the citizens of Liverpool became eager for its completion, and for those
enjoyments which it presented as a summer retreat, as well as for the
many advantages which it offered to the invalid. Thus encouraged by the
vote of public approbation, the works made rapid progress, and shortly
after assumed the name and consideration of a favourite watering-place.

In the design and execution of the various embellishments of the place,
the architect has never stepped aside from the rules of good taste. The
pleasure and accommodation of the visitors have been carefully studied.
Spacious streets, fifteen yards in breadth and nearly a mile in length,
insure a free circulation of air, and throw open an agreeable promenade
to the public, who resort thither in great numbers during the summer and
autumn. The partiality evinced for this watering place, (of which the
inhabitants can so readily take advantage,) is every day adding to the
number of its visitors, and thereby contributing to the further
extension of the original plan. A commodious and elegant hotel has been
erected, where casual visitors and others, in conjunction with the
allurements of a well-served table, can enjoy the exhilarating prospect
of the sea, and the numberless vessels of all denominations that stud
and traverse its waters. For the accommodation of the resident
population, a reservoir, containing nearly two thousand gallons of
water, has been constructed, and supplied from a fine spring on the
beach.

The Fort and Lighthouse are objects well deserving of attention. The
former is very strongly built, and covers a space of nearly four
thousand yards. It is approached from the main land by means of a
drawbridge, and mounts sixteen pieces of cannon with others in the
embrasures of the towers. On account of the great sandbank at the
entrance of the river, it is ordered that every ship of heavy burden
shall pass within nine hundred yards of the Fort.

The Lighthouse is constructed of Anglesey marble, and is considered a
masterpiece of its kind. It rises about ninety feet above the rock; each
stone is worked to a given geometrical form, and made to lock and
dovetail with those adjoining with great accuracy. The whole is cemented
together by a liquid volcanic substance brought from the vicinity of
Mount Ætna, which, in the course of time, becomes as hard as marble. The
lantern is illuminated by revolving lights--two of which are brilliantly
white, and the other of a deep red. The work is from the design of Mr.
Foster, and executed by Mr. Tomkinson, at an expense to the Liverpool
Corporation of twenty-seven thousand five hundred pounds.




[Illustration: MATLOCK BATH.]




MATLOCK,

DERBYSHIRE.


    "To MATLOCK'S calm, sequester'd vale
    Bear that maiden, faint and pale!
    There--'mid streams like music flowing,
    There--'mid flowers profusely blowing,
    Health and beauty shall return,
    And snatch a victim from the urn."

The reputation of the Matlock water is supported by the recorded
testimony of more than a century; while the picturesque scenery in which
the village is embosomed forms no small addition to its medicinal
attractions. The number of invalids who resort annually to this
salubrious spring appears to be on the increase,--the best criterion of
the value attached to it. In the superior accommodation which it now
offers to every class of visitors, nothing has been neglected that even
the most fastidious can desire. Those domestic comforts, in particular,
which are often of more real importance to valetudinarians than the
skill of the physician, have been provided with a scrupulous exactness,
which makes the stranger at Matlock feel completely at home.

Matlock, however, though so friendly to the invalid, is neither gloomy
nor isolated; but to those who delight to mix in the gayer scenes of
artificial life, it possesses every attraction which refined society and
social intercourse can bestow. He who seeks health, and he who seeks
relaxation and pleasure, may enjoy every facility which science or
fashion can offer; and nowhere are the amusements better conducted, or
the rules of society more strictly observed, than at Matlock.

The environs embrace some of the most striking and romantic scenery, as
well as historical sites, in England; and so close at hand that many of
the finest features enter into the same picture. Washed by the crystal
Derwent and finely wooded,--with rocks, and fountains, and precipices,
scattered at random through the charming landscape,--the visitor is
tempted to pass much of his time in the open air, which accelerates the
cure the water has begun. Romantic foot-paths, meandering along the
rocky acclivities, and opening at short intervals upon enchanting points
of view, allure the indolent to that salutary exercise which seldom
fails to reward the _piéton_ with increased strength and exhilaration of
spirits. The roads in the vicinity are kept in the best possible order,
and, owing to the nature of the soil, rain is so speedily carried off,
or absorbed, that the invalid may indulge in out-door exercise without
apprehension.

That portion of Matlock in which the invalid is most interested consists
of the Old Bath, the New Bath, the Hotel, and several commodious
lodging-houses, situated on the south-east side of the Derwent. These,
with the various additions and improvements recently effected, offer to
his choice all that can be desired in point of comfort and convenience.
The buildings are of stone, elegantly constructed externally, and
presenting internally an arrangement admirably adapted to the purposes
of their erection. The servants of the establishments are well
conducted, and attentive to their several duties; and the vigilance with
which every department is regulated is a subject of commendation with
every visitor.

The water of Matlock is remarkable for its sparkling purity; it springs
from limestone rock in a copious stream; and, having a temperature of
sixty-eight degrees of Fahrenheit, is to be considered as a thermal
water. It has been found to contain a small portion of neutral
salt--probably muriate of soda--and an earthy salt, chiefly calcareous.
Of the latter, when the water is exposed to the air, a deposition is
quickly effected, and incrustations formed upon every substance immersed
in it--some curious specimens of which are seen at what are called the
Petrifying Wells.

In a medical point of view, the water of Matlock may be employed in all
those cases in which a pure diluent drink is advisable; but it is
chiefly used as a tepid bath--or at least as one which exceeds the
extreme limits of a cold bath. On this account, it produces only a
slight shock on immersion, and is, therefore, peculiarly fitted for
those delicate and languid habits that cannot exert sufficient reaction
to overcome the effects of the common cold-bath, and on which the
benefit it produces chiefly depends. It forms a good intermediate bath
between that of Bath or Buxton and the sea, and may be recommended as a
preparative for the latter. The abundant supply of water always at the
same temperature is a circumstance in favour of natural baths; while the
purity of the air and exquisite beauty of the situation must always
render Matlock a favourite resort for the invalid and man of taste. To
the geologist it presents a wide and interesting field of observation.
Few districts in England comprise within the same limits so great a
proportion of poetical and historical scenes.




[Illustration: CONWAY CASTLE.]




CONWAY CASTLE,

NORTH WALES.


    "Tantôt c'est un vieux fort, qui, du haut des collines,
    Tyran de la contrie, effrei de ses vassaux,
    Portait jusqu'au ciel l'orgueil de ses crénaux;
    Qui, dans ces temps affreux de discorde et d'alarmes,
    Vit les grands coups de lance et les noble faits d'armes
    De nos preux chevaliers......
    Aujourd'hui la moisson flotte sur ses débris."

Conway, or more properly Aberconway--so called from its position on the
river of that name--makes no inconsiderable figure in the page of
ancient history. It appears, on the testimony of Suetonius, the Roman
governor in Britain, that the chief motive entertained by his countrymen
in their occupation of this coast was a pearl fishery at the mouth of
the river Conway; a specimen of which, presented by Sir R. Wynne to the
Queen of Charles the Second, is said to have found a place among the
jewels that now adorn the British diadem.

The town of Conway is large, though not populous, and in situation and
appearance highly picturesque. It is surrounded by lofty embattled
walls, a mile and a half in circumference, well preserved, defended by
twenty-four round-towers and four gates, and presenting at all points a
striking picture of the ancient style of fortification. From the side
towards the river ran two curtain-walls, terminating in watch-towers,
but of which only one remains.

The castle, a truly grand and imposing structure, was built in 1284; an
epoch which gave origin to so many of those native fortresses, which
will long continue to be the subject of interest and admiration to every
traveller in this romantic country.

Conway had, unlike Carnarvon and other fortresses situated on a level,
no imposing portal to usher into the interior. Its two entrances were
small, both practised for security, between an advanced work flanked by
two small towers, one ascending by winding stairs from the river, the
other, from the interior of the town, crossed the defensive moat by
means of a drawbridge, and passed through a portal and outwork of small
turrets into the great court of the castle. This stands on a rock, its
courts flanked by eight enormous battlemented round-towers of unequalled
beauty of proportion, those next the river having in addition small
turrets. Of these towers, all are perfect as to their exterior save one,
called Twr Dwu, or the broken tower, of which the lower portion, with
the rock that supported it, has fallen away, exposing to view the
immense solidity of its fractured walls. The interior of each tower was
occupied by several stages of spacious apartments, the flooring and roof
of which are entirely gone, with the fire-places, and lancet windows,
the interior yawning in vacant desolation, blackened, weather-stained,
and overgrown with rampant weeds and briers. There were stairs to ascend
to the upper apartments from the courts below, and a way round the
battlements which may still be followed out. The interior of the castle
consists of two courts, comprising the different apartments. As we enter
the grassy area, surrounded by ivied walls, and picturesquely surmounted
by the battlemented turrets, the great hall appears on the right; three
spacious windows of pointed architecture, and formerly highly enriched
with mullions and tracery, lighted it on the side next the court, and
the side wall, furnished with six lancet windows, with recessed and
raised seats, looking out upon the creek, which, running up from the
Conway, defended the walls on the south. Two carved fire-places of ample
dimensions warmed the immense and royal apartment, supported by several
gothic arches, some of which, clothed with ivy, still span the vacant
space above, while beneath, among nettles and brambles, yawn the offices
below. At the extremity of the hall is a noble arched window. The walls
are now mantled thick with ivy, and the nettle and bramble overgrow what
remains of the floor of this royal apartment, where Edward, whose statue
in Westminster Abbey is of unequalled beauty, and Queen Eleanor, with
masque and antique pageantry, entertained the throng of knights and
barons bold, who had assisted in the subjugation of the Welsh, who
besieged, however, the potent monarch in his own castle, and would have
starved him into a surrender, but for the timely arrival of a fleet
bearing soldiers and provisions. Since that period, its history is
little remarkable. It was held in the civil war, for Charles I., by
Archbishop Williams, who, being superseded by Prince Rupert, assisted
the Parliamentarians in effecting the reduction of the place.




[Illustration: CONWAY QUAY.]




CONWAY QUAY.


The district of Conway is mostly agricultural, and possesses no distinct
manufactures by which the prosperity of the town and its population can
be greatly promoted. A few small trading-vessels belong to the port; and
here also ships of burden are occasionally repaired. The great
improvement to the harbour is the erection of the quay; and the channel
of the river having been deepened, and every impediment to the
navigation removed, it may be anticipated that a speedy increase of
trading intercourse will succeed its former languor and inactivity. The
exports consist chiefly of timber, slate, and lead; and the imports, of
coal from Flint and Liverpool, and of tea, sugar, cotton, with various
other articles of domestic consumption.

The chain-bridge, which constitutes so beautiful a feature in the
picture of Conway, was erected by Mr. Telford, of whose genius Wales
possesses several of the noblest monuments. That immediately under
notice--constructed on the same principles as the bridge over the Menai,
but much smaller in its proportions--is three hundred and twenty feet
between the supporting towers, and eighteen feet above high-water mark.
Nothing can be more elegant and beautiful, as it appears lightly
spanning the river, and suffering the eye to penetrate its net-like
fabric, so as scarcely to offer an obstruction to the landscape which
shines through it. The scenery at this point is exceedingly interesting,
and presents the works of nature, and art, and human genius, in striking
combination.

The town of Conway, before the formation of the railroad, was one of the
most old-world places imaginable, unique for its faded and forlorn
appearance, small as is the area enclosed, a considerable portion being
occupied by open spaces and gardens. Everywhere entered by gothic
portals, and as its interior was traced, with the defensive wall
everywhere in sight, it transported the beholder back to the middle
ages, more than any other walled city in England. There is a singular
and picturesque variety of ancient houses; some at the head of the
street leading to the castle, curiously carved, appear almost as old as
the castle itself; others with their gable roofs, and black rafters, are
of later date, and the Plas Mawr, or great mansion, in the principal
street, prominently challenges the traveller's attention with its air of
faded magnificence and singular construction. It is of Elizabethan
architecture, and the arms of England, with initial letters E. R. and R.
D., supposed to be Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, as well as those
of R. W., Robert Wynne of Gwydir, sheriff of Carnarvon in 1591, and
founder of the house, occur frequently, and the place is lavishly
adorned with various decorative devices of the age--swans, owls,
ostriches, mermaids, ragged staves, &c. The church contains little to
interest beyond its front, and an inscription to a certain Nicholas
Hooker, of Conway, gentleman, of a very anti-Malthusian import, the said
Nicholas, though the father of twenty-seven children, being but a
degenerate copy of his father, who could boast--_O si sic omnia!_--of no
less than forty-one.

Numerous and delightful are the rambles about this most picturesque
place, which is backed by bold heathy hills and green sequestered
valleys. One of the prettiest is to Gyffin, about a mile distant, which
may be reached by following up the shores of the creek, south of the
castle, and the small stream coming down into it. The little church is
very ancient, and contains some curious paintings worthy of inspection;
it is half buried, and so unpretending is the building in aspect, that
it may be passed almost without noticing its sacred character. There is
an excellent view of the town and castle from the upper road on the
return; the long line of walls may be traced from the highest point, as
they sweep round and join the castle, the whole space thus enclosed
resembling in its outline the Welsh harp, as often suggested. The river
and hills appear finely beyond. The artist especially should not omit to
view Conway from this, perhaps its finest point of view.

So unique is, or rather was, Conway Castle in picturesque effect, that
it is difficult to mention any particular point from which it appears to
greater advantage than another. From the quay, or the river, from every
eminence around, seen in front or flank, near or distant, either by
itself, or where the walls of the town prominently enter into the
composition, it is, or rather was, alike unequalled. The tourist who is
not pressed for time, and delights to hover around so magnificent a
memorial of past ages, will study it at every point. On taking a
solitary walk round the walls, he may fancy himself tracing the
abandoned battlements of some old gothic town of the Orient, Rhodes, or
Antioch, or the Saracenic defences of Jerusalem; a dream which may
hardly be long indulged at present; for now, as Hood says,

    "That iron age, which some have thought
    Of mettle rather overwrought,
    Is now all over_cast_,"

and its crumbling memorials are sharing the same fate. Furness Abbey is
turned into a railway station, and the passing train thunders through
the very centre of old, castellated Conway, reminding us, while it
indeed scares away all romantic daydreams, of the happy change from
feudal oppression and border warfare, to the fusion of jarring
interests, and the progress of enlightened civilization.




[Illustration: THE MENAI BRIDGE, BANGOR.

(North Wales.)]




THE MENAI BRIDGE.


The Menai Bridge, one of the many triumphs of modern engineering, arose
from the following circumstances. During the summer of 1818, Mr.
Telford, the engineer, was engaged on a survey of the extensive line of
road from the metropolis to Holyhead--that point of the Welsh coast
nearest to Ireland, and situated in the Island of Anglesea. Between this
island and the Caernarvon coast flows that arm of the sea familiar to
every reader as the Menai Straits, through which the tide rushes with
great velocity, owing to local peculiarities well known to all who have
navigated that portion of the Channel. There were at this time five or
six ferries across the strait; but these, owing to the circumstances
mentioned, were generally difficult, and seldom without danger; so that
the intercourse between the opposite shores being much impeded, was a
source of daily inconvenience to the inhabitants. This was more
particularly felt from the fact that one of the staple productions of
Anglesea was its cattle, which, when sold for the inland counties or the
London market, had to be driven into the water, and compelled to cross
the strait by swimming, which was attended with risk of property as well
as inconvenience. These circumstances were brought before the eyes of
Telford, and his ever-active and ingenious mind set instantly to work,
in order to remedy the evil by providing new facilities of intercourse.
The result of his reflections and mature calculations on this engrossing
topic was the possibility of throwing a bridge across the Menai.

The grand obstacle was a deep rapid tide-stream with high banks. To have
erected a bridge of the usual materials would have obstructed the
navigation; and any attempt to erect piers in the shifting bed of the
sea must have inevitably proved a failure. Telford therefore recommended
the erection of a suspension-bridge; and the plan, after due
consideration, being approved by government, the work was commenced in
1820, carried on with great spirit, and in 1826 brought to a most
successful termination. It is partly of stone, partly of iron, and
consists of seven stone arches. These arches connect the land with the
two main piers, which rise on an elevation of fifty-three feet above the
level of the road, over the top of which the chains are suspended, each
of which measures from its fastenings in the rock, one thousand seven
hundred and fourteen feet. The topmasts of the first three-masted
vessel which passed under the bridge were nearly as high as those of a
frigate, but they cleared twelve feet and a half below the level of the
roadway. The suspending power of the chains is calculated at two
thousand and sixteen tons; and the total weight of each chain is one
hundred and twenty-one tons.

Since the day it was first opened, the Menai Bridge has been the wonder
of every traveller, an object of pilgrimage for scientific men of all
countries, and a source of daily advantage to the United Kingdom, which
no other work would have supplied. "The visiting of the Menai Bridge,"
says Mr. Smith, in his _Guide to Snowdonia_, "forms a new era in the
lives of those who have not had that pleasure, and is a renewed luxury
to those who have. There is something to be admired at every step: the
effect of a passing carriage; the vibration caused by the mere
application of the hand to the suspending-rods; the depth of a hundred
feet to the level of the water; the fine view of the Straits in both
directions; the lofty pillar erected in honour of Lord Anglesey; the
diminutive appearance of persons on the shore; the excellence and
strength of the workmanship, the beauty of the arches over the road
through the suspension-piers, and the echo in them, all conspire to
fascinate and detain the spectator. There is so much elegance, beauty,
and magnificence, in this grand work of art, that it harmonizes and
accords perfectly with the natural scenery around; and although in
itself an object of admiration, still, in connexion with the features of
the landscape, it heightens the effect of the general view."

"Seen, as I approached it," says Mr. Roscoe, "in the clear light of an
autumnal sunset, which threw a splendour over the wide range of hills
beyond, and the sweep of richly variegated groves and plantations which
covered their base; the bright river, the rocky picturesque foreground;
villas, spires, and towers here and there enlivening the prospect--the
Menai Bridge appeared more like the work of some great magician than the
mere result of man's skill and industry." Such were the encomiums
lavished upon the first bridge which crossed the Menai; but men have
since learned to view this structure with diminished admiration.
Telford's great work no longer stands alone. The tubular bridge of his
great successor, Stephenson, has taken its place beside the older and
lighter work, and the very fact of its existence tends to diminish the
wonder with which the first was looked upon.




[Illustration: PORT PENRYN AND BANGOR.]




PORT PENRHYN AND BANGOR.


Bangor, although a city and the oldest see in the principality, is
inconsiderable in size and population; but the natural beauty of its
situation, the advantages which it commands from its inland as well as
maritime connexion, and its excellent society, render the town and
environs a most desirable place of residence, as well as a favourite
resort for those families and individuals who employ the summer months
in the pursuit of health, recreation, or improvement. The numerous
walks, rides, and drives in the vicinity, all enhanced by their
immediate and varied prospects of the sea, offer those facilities to
health and enjoyment which cannot be too highly appreciated either by
the tourist or resident. The city consists principally of one irregular
street, fully a mile in length, with a fine vista towards the Menai--a
name which the genius of Telford has rendered familiar to all the
admirers of science and art. The houses are well-built, of a moderate
size, neat in their appearance, and present to the stranger's eye a
pleasing air of domestic comfort and progressive improvement. In the
latter respect, no year passes away without contributing something to
the public ornament or utility--objects which are zealously patronised
by the influential inhabitants, and encouraged by those numerous and
spirited visitors, estimated at fifty thousand annually, whom business
or relaxation attract to the place. But to convey the best proof of the
advances which Bangor has realised in the scale of provincial
importance, and in all that has immediate reference to social and local
improvements, we need only state that at the commencement of the present
century the number of houses was only ninety-three, but that now it
amounts to nine hundred or upwards. During three-quarters of the year a
regular communication between Bangor and Liverpool is kept up by the
steamboats that ply along this romantic and much-frequented coast, and
which contribute greatly to the interests of the place. The environs are
enlivened by many picturesque villas, and every accommodation is
provided in the hotels and private lodging-houses for the reception of
visitors.

The great object of general interest at Bangor is its cathedral,--a very
ancient and venerable structure,--the foundation of which was among the
earliest of those primitive temples which marked the triumphant progress
of Christianity on the British soil. It is understood to have been
founded by St. Daniel, at the commencement of the sixth century, and
bears the sainted name of the founder. The choir was built by Bishop
Deane, in or about 1496, and is used only for the cathedral service. The
nave, built by Bishop Skivington in 1532, is fitted up as a parish
church; and in one of the transepts the service is read in the Welsh
tongue.

The free school,--founded in 1557 by Dr. Glynn, brother of the bishop of
that name,--five daily schools within the parish, the central National
school, four Sunday-schools, and almshouses, give a most favourable
impression of the religious and civil advantages enjoyed by the
inhabitants of Bangor, who evince a spirit and zeal worthy of those
blessings which, in comparison with other and far more populous towns,
place them in so enviable a position.

The principal export is the product of the slate-quarries, which is
conveyed on a railway from Llandegai, six miles distant, to port
Penrhyn, at the egress of the river Cegid into the Menai. This port is
now capable of receiving vessels of large burden. It is nine hundred
feet in length, and in all respects well adapted for the trading-craft
which here take in their cargoes. The slates are of all dimensions, from
large tombstone slabs down to the smallest size for roofing. For
cyphering-slates, inkstands, and other fancy articles, there is a
manufactory near the port. At a short distance is a handsome building
containing hot and cold sea-water baths, with rooms for dressing and
refreshment. The construction of this establishment, with its terrace
and other appurtenances, is said to have cost the late Lord Penrhyn
thirty thousand pounds. In the straits of Menai there is a good fishery,
near Garth Ferry. There is a weekly market every Friday; and fairs are
held in April, June, September, and October. No stranger should neglect
to visit Penrhyn Castle, one of the finest baronial mansions in
Europe.




[Illustration: BEAUMARIS.]




BEAUMARIS,

ANGLESEA.


     "I have stood gazing on Snowdon and Plinlimmon, the vale of Clwyd,
     the straits of Menai--lake, river, sea, and land--till they seemed
     of themselves to say, Stranger, well mayst thou gaze! we merit
     thine admiration--we are of GOD!"

Beaumaris is finely situated on the picturesque banks of the Menai,
where it opens into the bay, and presents many attractions derived from
its historical monuments, its natural advantages, and modern
improvements. As the principal town in the island and county of
Anglesea, it has long been a place of fashionable resort, and being at
the same time the borough and market-town, it is a scene of considerable
activity, cheerfulness, and animation. It is in general well built;
particularly one street, the houses of which are large and commodious,
and of superior design and execution. Of the original wall by which it
was once enclosed, considerable portions still remain--sufficient to
demonstrate, by their massive strength and durability, the iron
features, and the no less iron policy of feudal times. The
castle--erected by Edward the First, and now an imposing ruin close to
the town--covers a large space of ground, but stands too low to produce
that effect upon the spectator which it would have done had it, like so
many of its cotemporaries, occupied an isolated and commanding position.
It is surrounded by a deep fosse, with an entrance between two embattled
walls on the east, with round and square towers. The gate opens into a
spacious court, measuring fifty-seven yards by sixty, with four square
towers, and an advanced-work on the east, called the Gunner's Walk.
Within these was the keep--the body of the castle--nearly square, having
a round tower at each angle, and another in the centre of each façade.
The area forms an irregular octagon, of the dimensions above named. In
the middle of the north side is the hall, twenty yards long by twelve
broad, with two round towers, and several others about the inner and
outer walls, built of a bluish stone intermixed with square stones,
which produce a rather novel and pleasing effect.

There appears to have been originally a communication round the whole
buildings of the inner court by means of a gallery two yards broad, and
which still remains nearly entire. In various recesses in different
parts of the sides of this gallery are square apertures, which appear
to have had trap-doors or openings into a dungeon beneath. The two
eastern towers served also as dungeons, with a dark and narrow descent
to each--sufficiently characteristic of the dark and despotic purposes
to which they were applied. On the east side of this building are the
remains of a very small chapel, arched and ribbed with painting and
intersecting arches; also some Gothic pilasters and narrow lancet-headed
windows, and various compartments, with closets constructed--after the
manner of those times--in the centre of the massive walls.

When Edward the First built the town, and erected it into a corporation,
he endowed it at the same time with various lands and privileges of
considerable value, in order to secure more firmly his possessions in
the island, and changed its name from Bonover to Beaumaris, in allusion,
it is supposed, to its low but pleasant situation. He caused also a
canal to be cut, in order that vessels might be brought up close under
the battlements to discharge their cargoes, as the iron mooring-rings
affixed to the walls clearly indicate.

The church, which forms a prominent feature in the picture of Beaumaris,
is a spacious and very elegant structure, having a lofty square tower,
visible at a great distance, and presenting in all its proportions and
compartments a fine specimen of ecclesiastical architecture. The other
public buildings consist of the county-hall, the town-hall, the
free-school, and the custom-house; each possessing, in an eminent
degree, every ornament and accommodation befitting buildings of their
class and destination. The view from the green commands a striking
prospect of the most interesting portion of the Menai Strait, bounded in
the distance by the Caernarvon mountains, which gradually overtop each
other till they unite in the majestic Snowdon, whose summit--now belted
with clouds, and now glittering in the sunshine--asserts his claim to
undivided empire as "Sovran" of the British Alps.

With respect to trade, Beaumaris can hardly be said to enjoy any
exclusive advantages: the vessels belonging to the port are generally
hired by neighbouring merchants and others, who have trading connexions
with Liverpool and other ports on the English and Irish sides of the
Channel. The bay, though not spacious, is safe and commodious, and
affords shelter and good anchorage for vessels that take refuge here in
tempestuous weather. The town has a weekly market on Wednesdays, and
three annual cattle fairs in February, September, and December. During
the season it is much resorted to as bathing-quarters, and has
everything to recommend it as a summer residence. A steam-boat plies
regularly between this and Liverpool, thereby affording every facility
to visitors, and presenting in the passage a rich succession of
beautiful, picturesque, and sublime scenery, which successively invites
and fascinates the eye of the spectator.




[Illustration: HOLYHEAD.]




HOLYHEAD.


Holyhead is familiar to every reader as the favourite point of
rendezvous for all who are on their way to the Irish capital. By the
admirable arrangements of the Post-office, and the sure and
swift-sailing packets that are here in regular attendance, a passage
across the Channel is now a matter of as much certainty, as to time, as
that of the mail from London. The perfect order and the surprising
expedition with which passengers and despatches may thus be forwarded to
and from Dublin are the general theme of admiration amongst foreigners,
and a means of vast accommodation to our own commercial houses. During a
long series of years the improvement of Holyhead has engaged the special
attention of Government; every suggestion, entitled to the approbation
of skilful and experienced engineers, has been liberally carried into
effect: so that in the present day it seems hardly possible that any
packet-station can offer greater facilities for all the purposes of
Government, or for the interests of social and commercial intercourse,
than Holyhead. The steam-vessels which carry the daily mails are of the
best possible construction, commanded by experienced naval officers, and
affording excellent accommodation for the passengers who are constantly
passing to and fro between the British and Irish shores.

The harbour of Holyhead is shaped by the natural cliffs which overhang
the sea, on the verge of which stand the ancient sanctuary of the place
and its cemetery. The foundation of this church--originally a small
monastery--dates from the close of the fourth century: it was long
afterwards remodelled into a college of presbyters by one of the Lords
of Anglesey; and, after undergoing many alterations suitable to the
varying taste of the ages through which it has passed, it assumed its
present appearance--that of an embattled edifice built in the shape of a
cross.

Under the Head--the mountain from which the harbour takes its name, and
which overshadows the town--are two rocky eminences nearly opposite the
church, both of which are crowned with ruins which carry the mind far
back among the bright days of Cambrian independence. In the rock is a
wide and lofty cavern, supported by natural columns, on which tradition
has conferred the title of the Parliament-house; and it is not to be
denied that patriotic legislators have been often worse accommodated.
This curiosity requires to be visited in a boat. On the highest point
stands an uncemented circular stone wall, about ten feet in
circumference, which is conjectured to have served as a _pharos_ in
ancient times; for this coast has a perilous celebrity attached to it,
and no vessel could safely approach the haven by night without a warning
signal of this kind.

The pier of Holyhead is admirably constructed. It is built on a small
island north of the harbour, called Inys-halen, and combines in an
eminent degree the requisites of security and accommodation in a work of
such importance to the interests of trade. The foundation was laid in
1809, under fortunate auspices; and the grand object, which had been so
long and anxiously cherished, was happily accomplished, under the able
direction of Mr. Rennie, within a comparatively short period. It has a
depth of four fathoms water, so that vessels of heavy burden can ride at
anchor in perfect safety. At the extremity is a lighthouse, finely
proportioned, substantially built, and highly ornamental as well as
useful to the pier and harbour.

The pier extends a thousand feet in length; and close adjoining to it
are the Custom-house, with several respectable family houses, among
which are those for the harbour-master and resident engineers. The
lighthouse contains twenty lamps and reflectors, at an elevation of more
than fifty feet above the sea, and exhibiting in every direction a
steady blaze of light. At the present time, works for improving and
enlarging the harbour are proceeding on a very extensive scale, and bid
fair, upon completion, to render Holyhead one of the first harbours of
the United Kingdom.




[Illustration: BRIDGE TO THE SOUTH STACK LIGHTHOUSE.

(near Holyhead.)]




THE SOUTHSTACK LIGHTHOUSE,

HOLYHEAD.


     "Approaching it from the water, its singular aspect, its wild site
     and deserted air--the lighthouse towering seventy feet in
     height--the neat, comfortable dwellings close under its guardian
     wing--the sounds of life and industry mingled with the lashing of
     the sea--and the cry of innumerable birds, ever circling above and
     around--were altogether of so unwonted a character, that, had I
     been transported to the antipodes, I could not have felt more
     unfeigned surprise."--ROSCOE.

Few objects on the British coast excite more individual interest than
the subject of this illustration. The singularity of its position, the
difficulties which attended its erection, the grand objects of humanity
to which it has been made subservient, are all calculated to interest
the heart, and afford scope for the imagination.

The Southstack islet is about thirty yards from the rock known as the
Head; and on this the lighthouse was erected in 1809, under the
direction of Captain Evans, of the Royal Navy. Its form is that of a
round tower, the foundation of which is a hundred and forty feet, and
the light two hundred feet above the sea--so that it embraces within its
sphere the whole bay of Caernarvon. The approach by water to this
remarkable sanctuary of human life is well calculated to make a lasting
impression upon every visitor, and should never be omitted where a
favourable opportunity is presented by the state of the weather. It is
here that the extremes of natural desolation and human industry are
brought into juxtaposition; where human enterprise has established an
asylum amidst the ruins of nature, the war of waves, the wreck of
tempests, to shed the "light of hope" over the heart of many a
despairing mariner.

Happily for the cause of humanity, vast efforts have been made, and are
continually making, to diminish where they cannot entirely remove the
dangers which have so long invested our native coast; and it is
impossible to calculate the number of lives and the amount of
merchandise which have thus been saved from imminent destruction. Much,
however, still remains to be effected--much that is really
practicable--and it is earnestly to be desired that the attention of
Government should be constantly directed to those points on which the
science of the engineer can be most beneficially employed. Holyhead in
particular is still susceptible of vast improvements; and with the
addition of a capacious outer harbour, sufficient to admit
merchant-vessels and others of larger size than those now frequenting
the port, it would speedily realize all that could be wished for by
those most interested in the welfare of the place, and in the prosperity
of trade. This is also a subject well deserving of attention on the part
of the Admiralty; for, with proper accommodation, her Majesty's ships,
in the event of a war, might be advantageously stationed at this port,
so as to secure free intercourse, and serve as a protection to the
coast, which is now in a defenceless condition and open to any attempt
at hostile aggression. We are happy that this question has received the
consideration of her Majesty's Government; and feel assured that the
steps which are now making towards the accomplishment of so great a
desideratum will ensure the grateful approbation of the public, and the
increased prosperity of Holyhead.

The Southstack, as already mentioned, is cut off from the promontory by
a deep chasm thirty yards in width, through which the sea roars and
boils with great force and impetuosity. To cross this formidable ravine
an oriental rope-bridge was formerly employed, that is--a sliding basket
was attached to the cable, which was secured at either side of the
abyss; the passenger entered the basket, and by the ingenious working of
lateral pulleys it was sent off or hauled in, according to the arrival
or departure of visitors. This hempen apparatus was replaced in 1827 by
a handsome suspension-bridge, on the same principles as that over the
Menai. It was suggested by the intelligent veteran already mentioned,
Captain Evans, and has answered every purpose contemplated in its
erection. The roadway is five feet in width, and its height above
high-water mark is about seventy feet. The airy span of this bridge is
highly graceful and picturesque, and adds greatly to the interest of the
picture. On the rock, close under the walls of the lighthouse, are
several cottages for the use of the Superintendent and those under his
command. The different points of view which it comprises are all deeply
interesting to a stranger, particularly from the lighthouse, where the
sphere of vision is greatly enlarged.




[Illustration: THE EAGLE TOWER, CARNARVON CASTLE.]




EAGLE TOWER,

CAERNARVON CASTLE.


Caernarvon Castle, of which the Engraving annexed presents so faithful
and striking a resemblance, is a subject of no ordinary interest: it
generally engrosses the attention of all strangers in these parts, and
is, in every sense, one of the noblest specimens of castellated
architecture in existence. Like so many others of similar design and
execution, this fortress owes its origin to the policy of Edward the
First, who built it, according to contemporary history, by appropriating
the revenues of the See of York, then vacant, to the purposes of warlike
enterprise and ambition. The town is understood to have arisen under the
same auspices. The Castle defends it on the south by means of a narrow,
deep moat in front. In its west wall are three circular towers, with two
others on either side, and a narrow gate or entrance, over which is
placed a bare-headed figure with flowing locks,--the statue of the
founder,--holding in his left hand a sword, which he draws with his
right hand,--or rather, perhaps, is returning to its scabbard, in
allusion to the subjugation of the Welsh,--and a defaced shield under
his feet. This gate leads to a narrow, oblong court. At the west end is
a polygon, or many-sided tower, with three others of hexagonal form
above, and eagles sculptured on the battlements, from which it received
the name, preserved in the Engraving, of the "Eagle Tower." It is a
noble structure, having ten sides, and a staircase of three hundred
steps to the battlements. In this tower is the birth-chamber of Edward
the Second,--the first Prince of Wales,[1]--whose nativity, on the 25th
of April, 1284, was an humiliating epoch to the spirit of Cambrian
freedom. The room measures only eleven feet by seven,--dimensions little
in accordance with the importance attached to that event,--but still in
some measure characteristic of the fortunes of the royal heir, who,
after an eventful reign, was destined at last to perish by a horrible
death in the dungeon-room of Berkeley Castle. Adjoining this chamber is
a semicircular apartment, traditionally described as the King's Nursery.

The Castle and the court which it encloses are very nearly a mile in
circumference. From the outside, twelve towers are seen; out of which,
as observed in those of Conway Castle, issue several smaller angular
turrets, which, relieved against the horizon, produce a very picturesque
effect. A gateway on the south side of the Castle is called the Queen's
Gate, from the circumstance of Queen Eleanor having entered the fortress
through this gate, by a temporary bridge erected for the occasion.

Our limits do not permit us to indulge in more minute description of
this vast and imposing fortress, which, from the state of repair in
which it is still kept, may brave the changes of season and the fury of
the elements for many generations to come. Externally it is still
entire, and challenges the admiration of all who have the least taste
for what is sublime and striking in architecture. The castle-walls are
still washed by the sea on the north and west, as they formerly were on
the south. Founded upon a rock, and occupying so strong a position, it
might well have been considered impregnable in the absence of gunpowder.
Immense as the structure appears, it is said to have been built within
the short space of twelve months; a fact which would appear incredible,
did we not reflect that in those days of bitter vassalage the _will_ of
the sovereign was a law that could not be transgressed without certain
destruction to the offenders. If a work was considered impracticable, or
of doubtful accomplishment, all hesitation was removed--all difficulties
cancelled--by these expressive words, _Le Roi l'a voulu!_ And under the
more than magical influence of this laconic phrase, the "towery
fortress" of Caernarvon may have sprung into sudden existence.

[1] The origin of the motto ICH DIEN--I serve--is generally attributed
to Edward the Black Prince who, in leading the vanguard of his army to
the battle of Cressy, slew John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, and then
deplumed his helmet of those ostrich feathers which, in memory of this
victory, became his _cognisance_,--sometimes using one feather, at
others three, as appears on his seals and tomb, with scrolls containing
this motto, ICH DIEN. But the ancient arms of the princes of Wales,
while they were independent sovereigns, were quarterly _gules_ and _or_,
four lions _passant_, counterchanged. The Charter of Edward the First to
his son is dated March 24th, 1305,--_i.e._ when the Prince had attained
his majority.




[Illustration: CARNARVON.]




CAERNARVON CASTLE.


                                   ----"Rifled towers
    That, beetling o'er the rock, rear the grey crest
    Embattled."

The first royal charter granted in the Principality of Wales was that
conferred on the town of Caernarvon by Edward the First. It is a place
of great historical interest and importance, and, in connexion with its
magnificent castle, presents one of the most imposing features on the
British coast. The town is not large; but the recent improvements--public
and private--which have been carried into effect have materially
contributed to its internal convenience and outward embellishment. Of
these the Baths demand especial notice, as one of the principal
recommendations to strangers and invalids who resort to this part of the
Cambrian shore either for health or relaxation. The building in itself
is a good specimen of classical taste--combining elegance of design with
excellent workmanship, and presenting, in the distribution of its
apartments, every convenience for the reception of visiters and
invalids, a choice of hot and cold sea-water baths, with the appendage
of comfortable dressing-rooms. For those who have the pleasure in the
"cold plunge," as the means of bracing the relaxed system by the
exercise of swimming, there is excellent accommodation in a capacious
bath, appropriated to that salutary purpose, which is refreshed by a
constant supply of water drawn by a steam-engine from the sea through
iron pipes, and received into large reservoirs of the same metal. This
edifice, which combines in an eminent degree the useful and ornamental,
was built at the expense of the Marquess of Anglesey, and is said to
have cost upwards of ten thousand pounds.

Within the walls this ancient town is intersected by ten streets,
crossing each other at right-angles, which, at various points, fix the
stranger's attention by those features and recollections of "other
times" with which they are so closely associated. Of these, the main or
high street runs from the land to the Water-gate, and is a very fair
specimen of that architecture which characterises almost all town
buildings of the feudal period. Beyond the walls the town assumes a very
different character; elegance, taste, and comfort, and those features
which mark the progress of art and refinement, are brought into
immediate view; while numerous cottages, and several villas of handsome
design and finely situated, throw an air of luxury and domestic comfort
over the rural suburbs, the natural character of which is highly
favourable to buildings of this description. The town is well paved,
lighted with gas, and abundantly supplied with water.

The Port of Caernarvon has accommodation for shipping not exceeding four
hundred tons burden, and is frequented by a great number of vessels in
the coasting-trade, as well as by others in connexion with London,
Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin, Cork, Bristol, and various port-towns in the
United Kingdom. The principal exports consist of slate and copper-ore,
the inland transport of which has been greatly facilitated since the
construction of the railway. The imports are chiefly colonial produce,
Birmingham and Manchester goods, and various articles of
home-consumption from the London markets. The quay and harbour of
Caernarvon, which formerly presented serious obstacles to the shipping
interest on account of the _bar_ at the entrance, have been so improved
that the danger, if not entirely removed, is at least so far diminished
as to excite little apprehension for the safety of the ordinary craft in
connexion with this port. To defray the expense of these public works,
Government has levied additional port-dues; and it is much to be wished
that, in all other harbours of difficult or dangerous access, the same
advantages could be obtained on similar conditions.

The town is now, agreeably to the Municipal Act, divided into two wards,
and governed by a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors. In
addition to the picturesque civic retreats already alluded to, as giving
so much animation to the native scenery, the neighbourhood is
embellished with the baronial seats of the Marquess of Anglesey, Lord
Boston, and Lord Newborough. The ruins of Segontium, several Roman
stations, part of a military road, and a considerable number of
primitive domestic edifices, are among the chief objects of antiquity
which deserve the attention of visiters to this neighbourhood.




[Illustration: HARLECH CASTLE.]




HARLECH CASTLE,

NORTH WALES.


                  "The tower that long had stood
    The crash of thunder and the warring winds.
    Shook by the slow but sure destroyer--Time,
    Now hangs in doubtful ruins o'er its base."

Harlech Castle, according to the Welsh historians, derives its origin
from Maelgwyn Gwynedd, prince of North Wales, who flourished at the
commencement of the sixth century. The present castle appears to have
been rebuilt by Edward I., on the foundations of the original fortress,
portions of which are still observable in the masonry of the latter
epoch, so well known as the "castle-building reign" in England. In the
reign of Henry IV. the castle was seized by Owen Glendower, but was
retaken four years later; and, after the battle of Northampton, in 1460,
afforded temporary shelter to Margaret of Anjou.

In 1468, the castle of Harlech was captured, after a short siege, by the
Earl of Pembroke; of whom Sir John Wynne, in his history of the Gwydir
family, quotes some Cambrian lines expressive of the ravages committed
by him in the counties of Merioneth and Denbigh at that unhappy period.
The last of the many tempestuous scenes with which this fortress has
been visited occurred in 1647, when William Owen, with a garrison of
only twenty men, surrendered it to Cromwell's forces under General
Mytton; but this was not accomplished till every other castle in Wales
had deserted the royal cause.

This castle is a strong square building, with a round-tower at each
angle, and one of the same form at each side of the gateway. Besides
these there are four other turrets, smaller and higher, which rise above
the towers at the angles, and are in a more dilapidated state. The
entrance is under a pointed arch, which formerly contained six gates of
massive strength and construction. Although the roofs, doors, and
casements of this interesting stronghold have long disappeared, it still
presents in the distance an air of even habitable preservation. There
are the remains of stone staircases in every tower, and in the area one
of these, leading to the top of the battlements, is still entire. In
all the rooms fire-places, with pointed arches, are visible, as well as
window recesses, which in the state apartments are three in a row, and
of spacious dimensions; while those in the smaller rooms gradually
contract outwards till they terminate in a "slit" or loophole, as in
most other castles of this style and period.

The view of Harlech Castle is among the finest in this picturesque and
interesting country; the situation is commanding, and the effect of
these venerable towers and battlements, as they first burst upon the
traveller's eye, is strikingly bold and impressive. His fancy is hurried
back to the days of other times: the shades of native harpers and native
heroes flit before his eye; history and romance divide the empire of his
mind; and for a time he rests with mute but intense interest on these
castellated landmarks of Cambrian history.

The rock upon which the fortress is built rises from the Gamlas,--a
level marsh, resembling water in the distance, nearly a mile in breadth,
and which it is probable was once covered by the sea. On the side
overlooking this marsh, the rock is precipitous, and steep at either
end. In front it is on a level with the town of Harlech, from which it
is separated only by a deep trench or moat, and overlooked by a group of
magnificent mountains in the rear, from which the view is sublime. The
whole platform of the rock is occupied by the castle, except a narrow
belt of about four or five feet in width, forming a beautiful green
path, which winds round the outer walls, skirting the very brink of the
precipice.

The town of Harlech is an ancient free burgh, and originally one of the
chief places in the county of Merioneth. It is now reduced to the
condition of a secondary village, has a corporation governed by a mayor,
is one of the polling-places for the county members, and is enlivened
during the year by several periodical fairs and weekly markets.

Various objects of antiquity have been discovered from time to time in
the neighbourhood of Harlech. In 1692 an ancient gold _torque_ was dug
up in a garden near the castle. It is in the form of a wreathed bar, or
several rods twisted together, about four feet long, flexible, bent in
the form of a hat-band, neither sharp nor twisted, but plain, evenly
cut, an inch in circumference, and in weight about eight ounces. This
interesting relic is an heir-loom in the Mostyn family. Several coins of
the Roman empire have also been found in and near this town, which
afford indisputable evidence of its great antiquity. The distance of
Harlech from London is two hundred and twenty-nine miles.




[Illustration: BARMOUTH.]




BARMOUTH:

OR, ABERMAW.


    "Here, beneath the mountain's brow,
    Hygëia hears the pilgrim's vow;
    Here the breath of summer seas,
    The balm of morn, the evening breeze,
    The charms of a romantic land,
    Refresh and gem the Cambrian strand,--
    Where still the muse of Cymry lingers,
    And strikes the harp with raptured fingers."

Barmouth, the only port in Merionethshire, occupies a romantic situation
at the mouth of the river Mawddach, where the tide at high-water forms a
bay of about a mile across, but rather hazardous, owing to the shifting
sandbanks by which the channel is interrupted. Overhung by lofty
mountains, which leave no adequate space for the horizontal expansion of
the village, the houses appear to hang almost perpendicularly from the
steep side of the cliffs, so that the chimneys of the one appear to be
the foundation of the other. They form eight successive tiers or
terraces, to which there is no better approach than by steps hewn in the
rock.

This romantic village, which consists of only one irregular street, is
much frequented as sea-bathing quarters, for which it has every
accommodation, and, in respect to bold and picturesque scenery, has few
rivals in the whole Principality. The sea-beach affords every facility
for pedestrian exercise; the walks along the banks of the river are
numerous, and command the most striking points of view; while regular
assemblies, and some of the best Cambrian harps, promote social
intercourse and hilarity among the visitors, and give a stir and
animation to the whole neighbourhood.

Barmouth, says Mr. Roscoe, is considered to the north-west part of the
kingdom, much like Weymouth and other fashionable watering-places to the
south, and is resorted to during the summer months, not only by numbers
of families in the Principality, but by many others residing in the
surrounding counties. The sands are very fine and hard, extending along
the beach for several miles, and the bathing is at all times as
excellent as can be desired. The restless tides of the Channel dashing
against the surrounding coast produce that constant and salubrious
motion, which is extended to the waters of the bay. There are two
convenient inns, the "Commercial," and the "Cors y Gedol Arms," besides
a number of respectable lodging-houses.

The town has the benefit of weekly markets, with an excellent supply of
fish and poultry, at a cheap rate, and is further enlivened by two
annual fairs, in October and November. The native manufactures consist
chiefly of flannel and hosiery, a great quantity of which is exported.
The other _exports_ consist of corn, butter, cheese, oak-bark, timber,
&c. the _imports_, of coal, culm, and other articles for the use of the
interior.

The number of small coasting-vessels, and others belonging to this haven
that trade with Ireland, is stated at a hundred or upwards; and
commercial business, upon the whole, is considered to be in a
flourishing state.

The distance of Barmouth from London is two hundred and twenty-two
miles, and it communicates with Caernarvon by a cross-mail. The resident
population is considerably under two thousand, but is greatly augmented
during the bathing season. The shipping at the pier communicates to the
place a particular air of prosperity and cheerfulness, and gives
employment to a very considerable portion of the inhabitants.

"The beauties of the road from Llanilltyd to Barmouth," says Mr. Pratt,
"are so manifold and extraordinary that they literally beggar
description. New pastures of the most exuberant fertility, new woods
rising in all the majesty of foliage, the road itself curving in
numberless unexpected directions,--at one moment shut into a verdant
recess, so contracted that there seems neither carriage nor bridle-way
out of it, and at another the azure expanse of the main ocean filling
the eye. On one side, rocks glittering in all the colours of that beauty
which constitutes the sublime, and of a height which diminishes the wild
herds that browse, or look down upon you from the summit, where the
largest animal appears insignificantly minute. On the other hand,
plains, villas, cottages, or copses, with whatever belongs to that
milder grace which appertains to the beautiful."




[Illustration: SWANSEA BAY.]




SWANSEA BAY.

GLAMORGANSHIRE.


    "In front, the Bay its crystal wave expands,
    Whose rippling waters kiss the glittering sands
    Far o'er its bosom, ships with spreading sails
    Export the _ores_ from Cambria's sunny vales.
    Above--yon feudal bulwarks crown the steep,
    Whose rocky base repels the stormy deep;
    Here health is found,--there Industry resides,--
    And Freedom on her native shore abides."

The reputation which Swansea has long enjoyed as a delightful
watering-place has suffered no diminution in consequence of the numerous
rivals with which this coast is so agreeably diversified. As bathing
quarters, it enjoys peculiar advantages in its shore, which is admirably
adapted for that purpose; while the adjacent scenery, and the various
objects of interest or curiosity with which it abounds, serve as
pleasing incentives to exercise and recreation,--the happy effects of
which are soon observable in the health and appearance of invalids who
make choice of Swansea as their summer residence. Every resource which
visitors can desire, for promoting either health of body or agreeable
occupation for the mind, is here amply provided. Warm, sea-water, and
vapour, baths,--public rooms, billiard-tables, reading-rooms,
circulating libraries,--with comfortable private lodgings and excellent
hotels, are among the list of daily luxuries at their command.

The Harbour of Swansea is capacious,--well constructed, defended by two
strong stone piers, about eighteen hundred feet in length,--and affords
accommodation to a great many trading-vessels. On the west pier, a
light-house and watch-tower offer additional security to the shipping;
and every facility is provided for lading and unlading. The tide flows a
considerable way up the river, which is navigable to the extent of two
miles for vessels of burden. The canal, running parallel with the river,
extends to Brecknockshire, a distance of sixteen miles; and in its
course passes through thirty-six locks, and over several aqueducts. Its
head is nearly four hundred feet higher than its mouth, which readily
accounts for the great number of locks. There is also a canal from the
Swansea to the Neath canal, on which a packet-boat is established, and a
_tram_-road from the former to Oystermouth. With Bristol and Ilfracombe
there is a regular communication kept up by means of steam-vessels,
which leave and arrive according to the state of the tide.

The public buildings of Swansea--ancient and modern--are numerous in
proportion to the population. The Town-hall, erected in 1829, is an
elegant structure, approached by two flights of steps, and adorned with
columns of the Doric order. The castle, situated nearly in the centre of
the town, was originally a building of great extent, and of a strength
well suited to the purposes of its erection. A massive tower, surmounted
by a range of light arches which support a parapet, is the principal
part now remaining of this once redoubtable fortress. It appears to have
been founded at the remote epoch of 1113, by Henry Beaumont, Earl of
Warwick,--a Norman leader who conquered Gowerland; but being soon after
laid siege to by a Welsh chief,--Griffith ap Rhys ap Theodore,--a
considerable portion of the outworks was destroyed. It is now in the
possession of the Duke of Beaufort, "Earl" of Glamorgan, who is
hereditarily entitled to the "prisage and butlerage" of all wines
brought into the harbours of Swansea and Chepstow.

The public rooms of Swansea stand on the north side of the promenade,
called the Burrows, which consist of several acres tastefully laid out
in parterres. Here also are an excellent House of Industry and an
Infirmary, established in 1817 and situated on the beach. Besides the
free Grammar-school, founded in the seventeenth century, by Hugh, Bishop
of Waterford and Lismore, there are the Lancasterian and
National-schools, which are incalculable blessings to the increasing
population of Swansea.




[Illustration: OYSTERMOUTH,

(Swansea Bay.)]




OYSTERMOUTH CASTLE.


    "Here--the 'grim-visor'd knight,' at the head of his band,
    Has cased him in armour, and girt on his brand;
    While Beauty looked down from her lattice on high,
    With the 'smile on her lip and the tear in her eye.'
    But victor nor vassal shall hither return:--
    The castle is roofless,--the chief's in his urn;
    And those ramparts, that frown o'er the surf-beaten rocks,
    Are the haunt of the sea-fowl,--the lair of the fox."

This stately relic of the feudal ages overlooks the picturesque Bay of
Swansea, and attracts many strangers to its gate,--not only for its
venerable antiquity, but for its bold position on the verge of lofty and
abrupt limestone cliffs, which command a magnificent view of the
subjacent scenery. It is supposed by some to have been erected by the
Earl of Warwick, in the reign of Henry the First; by others, to have
been the family fortress of the Lords of Gower, in the reign of King
John. But to which of the two the credit of founder belongs is matter of
conjecture. Like the Castle of Swansea, already mentioned, it is now the
property of the Beaufort family, whose mineral possessions in this
district are said to be of incalculable value.

The principal walls of this domestic fortress have suffered
comparatively little from the lapse of time, or the hand of violence.
Most of the original apartments may be easily traced out, so as to give
a tolerably correct idea of their shape and dimensions, and the internal
economy with which they were arranged. The general figure of the main
body is polygonal; the ramparts are lofty and massive, but not flanked
with towers, except at the entrance, which appears to have been strongly
secured by double gates and a portcullis.

In many parts along this picturesque coast, the limestone rocks swell
over a fine sandy beach into perpendicular cliffs of great boldness,
exhibiting vast quantities of organic remains, and worn in many places
into deep and lofty caverns. Built on a cliff of this description, and
with all the necessary accessories of vigilance and security, it could
have been hardly possible to have selected anything more eligible for a
feudal keep, whose chiefs generally chose their fortalices as the eagle
chooses his eyry,--to secure a wide field for himself, and exclude
lesser birds of prey.

The village of Oystermouth--about half a mile to the south of the
castle--occupies a beautiful position on the verge of the Bay. A lofty
rock throws its shadow over it; the headland of which, called the Mumble
Point, stretches far into the sea, and affords a safe anchorage for
shipping. The village is chiefly inhabited by fishermen, who, as the
name implies, are mostly employed in dredging for oysters, which are
found of superior quality in the adjoining bay. During summer, it is
much resorted to by strangers, for the benefit of sea-bathing,--a source
of annual revenue to the inhabitants, who, by letting their apartments,
secure very good returns.

This is understood to be the natal soil of Gower,--the father of English
poetry,--and therefore classic ground:--

    "Here, in the olden time the 'moral' GOWER
      Attuned his harp upon that rocky strand;
    Gather'd the shell, and pluck'd the vernal flower,
      And struck the wild chord with a master's hand.
    To him the summer sea, the stormy wave,
      Were heaven-born music in their various keys;
    As, thundering through yon subterranean cave,
      The billows sang in chorus with the breeze."

The railway from Oystermouth to Swansea is a source of great convenience
to the inhabitants, as a means of ready intercourse between the most
frequented points of the coast adjacent. Newton, proverbially known as a
healthy station for invalids and sea-bathers, and Caswell Bay, within
half-an-hour's walk of Oystermouth, are well deserving of a stranger's
attention. The latter is remarkable for the number and extent of the
marine caverns already alluded to, as well as for the beauty and variety
of the sea-shells with which the sands at low water are profusely
enamelled.




[Illustration: THE MUMBLES ROCKS AND LIGHTHOUSE.

(Swansea Bay.)]




THE MUMBLES' LIGHTHOUSE.


    "Amidst the storms,--when winds and waves are high,
      Unmoved I stand,--undimm'd I shed my light;
    And through the blackness of December's sky
      I pour effulgence on the seaman's sight."

        INSCRIPTION FOR A LIGHTHOUSE.

The Mumbles' Lighthouse is much frequented by visitors from Swansea
during the season. Few jaunts of this character can be productive of
more enjoyment than a trip from Swansea to Oystermouth Castle and the
Mumbles' rocks. The road, issuing from the western extremity of Swansea,
follows the shore of the bay, with the open sea on the left, and on the
right a range of wooded hills; of which advantage has been taken for the
site of numerous pretty villas. Some gentlemen's seats occupy the
intervening level, and their plantations skirt the high-road. Of these
Singleton Abbey and Woodlands are the principal. As we near the
extremity of the bay the scene is indeed beautiful. Oystermouth Castle,
and the pretty village of the same name, lead the visitor onwards till
he reaches a broken, breezy headland, the only ascent to which is by a
kind of sheep-path, which zig-zags its way to the summit of a narrow
promontory terminating in two islands, and on the farther of which is
situated the Mumbles' Lighthouse. It is a structure admirably adapted
for the purpose to which it is devoted. To every building of this
description, devoted to the preservation of human life, a profound
interest is attached; and we cannot but observe at a single glance how
invaluable these Lights have been, and ever must be, where the danger of
shipwreck is so greatly increased by the rugged nature of a coast--here
walled in by precipitous cliffs, and there scattered with rocks that
appear and disappear according to the tide. The means thus happily
adopted along the Welsh coast have been crowned with success; and how
comfortable is it to reflect, when calmly seated at our winter hearths,
that--while the "winds howl round our steady battlements," and "ships
break from their moorings,"--there are friendly lights sparkling around
our coasts, to cheer and direct the bewildered mariner in his course, to
show him his danger, and to point out "a way to escape."

To understand the importance of lighthouses, we need only remind the
reader of the published "Statement," that the number of British vessels
alone, which have been annually returned as wrecked, amounts to _five
hundred and fifty_;--namely, "three shipwrecks every two days throughout
the year." The average burden of merchant-vessels is about one hundred
and ten tons; and if we value old and new together at half the price of
building, we have £330,000 for the worth of the whole, which, by
deducting the value of sails, masts, and other materials saved from some
of those stranded, may be reduced to £300,000. If we add an equal sum
for the cost of the cargoes, the whole loss from shipwrecks will amount
to £600,000. This statement proceeds on an old estimate from 1793 to
1829; but M'Culloch, in the supplement to his Dictionary, says that the
number of ships actually lost, or driven ashore, in 1833, amounted to
_eight hundred_. It is probable, then, that the annual lost by shipwreck
is not much short of a _million sterling_. If _one-fifth_ of this loss
could be prevented by additional lighthouses, the saving of money would
amount to a _million_ in five years,--to say nothing of the still more
important saving in human life. We are anxious--not on the score of
economy only, but of humanity--to place these lamentable facts before
the eyes of Government, from whose hands the mitigation at least, if not
the removal, of such disasters is confidently expected.

In the rock immediately under the lighthouse is a large cavern, called
Bob's Cove,--a very characteristic feature, and a chief attraction to
pleasure-parties, who resort hither at low water for the sake of the
view, which from this isolated point is very striking and variegated:--

    "Town and hamlet, sea and shore,
    Wooded steep and mountain hoar;
    Ships that stem the waters blue,
    All concentrate in the view."

Expanding to the eastward, is the beautiful curve of Swansea Bay and the
distant mountains; on the westward, the broken coast of Gower; in front,
the boundless expanse of ocean. The bracing sea breezes inhaled upon
this exposed promontory, its elastic turf, and the magnificent prospect
it everywhere commands, never fail to produce a most agreeable and
salutary exhilaration, and constitute the finest medical and physical
tour in the world.




[Illustration: NASS SANDS LIGHTHOUSES.

(near Bristol.)]




THE NASS SANDS LIGHTHOUSES.


                    "After our ship did split,
    When you, and that poor number saved with you,
    Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother,
    Most provident in peril, bind himself--
    Courage and hope both teaching him the practice--
    To a strong mast that lived upon the sea,
    Where, like Orion on the dolphin's back,
    I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves
    So long as I could see."

        TWELFTH NIGHT.

The Nass Lights were erected by the late Mr. Nelson, in 1832, under the
direction of the Trinity House. The eastern, or upper Light, burns at
the height of one hundred and sixty-seven feet, and the western, or
lower one, at one hundred and twenty-three feet above high-water mark.
They are one thousand feet apart, built of the stone of the country, and
stand on Nass Point, near Dunraven Castle, Glamorganshire.

It unfortunately was not merely the dangers of the ocean to which the
luckless mariner was in past times exposed upon this iron-bound coast,
to them was too frequently added the infamous deceptions of the
wreckers, who were accustomed to resort to the artifice of driving to
and fro an ass bearing two lanterns, so as to represent a distant vessel
in motion, and thus lured many a ship to destruction among the rocks and
sands. Numerous are the legends of fearful interest which the older
inhabitants relate descriptive of the accidents attendant upon these
murderous practices, now happily only matters of history.

The erection of lighthouses, beacons, and other means for the prevention
of shipwreck, is every year becoming an object of greater importance to
the members of that excellent corporation, the Trinity House. Within the
last thirty years, great and permanent advantages have been secured to
commerce by the vigilance and activity of that body. Much, however, is
still left to call aloud for the exercise of their high privilege,
skill, and humanity. The navigation of our coasts is still attended in
many parts with imminent danger. Rocks, and shoals, and quicksands,
indeed, cannot be obliterated by the hand of man; but the perils they
involve, in respect to the shipping, may be greatly diminished by
increasing the number of those monitory beacons to which the eye of the
mariner is so often turned with intense anxiety. The erection of the
two lighthouses which here illustrate the subject, has been attended
with the happiest consequences. Many a shipwreck, we will venture to
say, has been prevented by a timely regard to these friendly beacons.
The Bristol Channel has often been the scene of sad catastrophes in the
chronicles of seafaring life; but at present the danger to the foreign
and coasting-trade has been greatly obviated by those judicious measures
which have emanated from the above society.

The voyage up the Bristol Channel is singularly romantic and beautiful;
but the coast is exposed to all the fury of the Atlantic, and the surf
against the cliffs is distinctly visible at Swansea. The steamers now
keep close along shore, in a channel inside the Nass Sands, which form
an extensive and dangerous bank to seaward. The contrast between the
tumultuous masses of breakers over these sands, when the wind is fresh,
and the calmness of the narrow channel we are traversing in security, is
very striking. These sands, and another large shoal, called the
Skerweathers, have been fatal to many vessels. A large West Indiaman,
with a cargo of rum and other valuable produce, was lost a few years ago
on a rock called the Tusca, which disappears at high-water; and in 1831,
this coast was fatal to the steamer _Frolic_, in which all the crew and
passengers, amounting to nearly eighty persons, perished. The coast near
Porthcaul appears at Swansea to be the eastern extremity of the bay; but
the bluff point called the Nass, about eight miles further, is literally
so. The coast onwards, past the Nass-point, as observed in the admirable
Engraving annexed, is almost perpendicular, so as closely to resemble a
lofty wall, in which the limestone rock is disposed in horizontal
strata. When the sea runs high in this quarter, the scene, as may be
readily conceived, is truly terrific--

    "And not one vessel 'scapes the dreadful touch
    Of merchant-marring rocks."

        MERCHANT OF VENICE.




[Illustration: CARDIFF.]




CARDIFF,

GLAMORGANSHIRE.


    "Here British hearts the arms of Rome withstood,
    Repulsed her cohorts with their native blood;
    Till Caradoc and independence fell,
    And freedom shrieked in CARDIFF'S citadel--
    And Cambria's heroes, rushing on the glave,
    Died gloriously for her they could not save!"

The county of Glamorgan, of which the principal town is represented in
the accompanying plate, abounds in historical sites well adapted for the
pencil, and furnishing the reader with many interesting facts and
traditions. The southern portion of the country is remarkably fertile,
highly cultivated, and presents to the stranger a long succession of
luxuriant corn-fields, verdant pastures, and animated pictures of rural
happiness and independence. It would be difficult to find any tract of
land in Great Britain that can surpass the Vale of Glamorgan in richness
of soil, or in soft and graceful scenery. This favoured region extends
the whole length of the county--from the base of the mountains on the
north to the shore of the Bristol Channel on the south-west. It presents
throughout a most gratifying proof of what may be accomplished by
judicious management, when soil and climate are both in favour of
agricultural operations.

As a fair proof of the mild and salubrious nature of the atmosphere, we
need only observe that the magnolia, the myrtle, and other delicate
exotics, not only live but flourish in this auspicious climate. Equally
favourable to health and longevity, this district has numerous living
testimonies in the vigorous health and protracted age of its
inhabitants, who are fully sensible of the blessings they enjoy. The
valley, at its greatest breadth, measures about eighteen miles; in
various places, however, it is contracted into less than the half of
this space, and presents in its outline a constant variety of
picturesque and graceful windings.

The town of Cardiff is built on the eastern bank of the river Taff, over
which there is a handsome bridge of five arches, leading to Swansea. It
is a thriving town, possessing considerable trade; and, by means of a
canal from Pennarth to Merthyr-Tydvil, has become the connecting medium
between these extensive iron-works and the English market, and is, in
fact, the port of the latter. The Taff, which falls into the sea at
Cardiff, forms a principal outlet for the mining districts of
Glamorganshire, the produce of which has hitherto found its way to
market through the Glamorganshire canal; but its sea-lock, constructed
about fifty years ago, has long been found inadequate to the demands for
increased accommodation, in consequence of the great prosperity of trade
since the canal was opened.

The Marquess of Bute, possessing lands in this neighbourhood, obtained,
in 1830, an act for constructing a new harbour, to be called the Bute
ship-canal, and completed the work at his own expense. The great
advantages of this enterprise are--a straight, open channel from
Cardiff-roads to the new sea-gates, which are forty-five feet wide, with
a depth of seventeen feet at neap, and thirty feet at spring-tide. On
passing the sea-gate, vessels enter a capacious basin, having an area of
about an acre and a half, sufficient to accommodate large
trading-vessels and steamers. Quays are erected along the side of the
canal, finished with strong granite coping, and comprising more than a
mile of wharfs, with ample space for warehouses, exclusive of the wharfs
at the outer basin. This great work was finished in the summer of 1839,
at an expense to the proprietor of three hundred thousand pounds.

Cardiff Castle, which stands insulated on a high mound of earth, was
partially restored and modernised by the late Marquess of Bute. This
ancient fortress is connected with several interesting events in
history. In one of its towers, or dungeons, Robert Duke of Normandy was
twenty-five years imprisoned by his younger brother, Henry the First,
who had previously usurped the throne and deprived him of his eyesight.
In the reign of Charles the First it was bombarded by the Parliamentary
forces during three successive days, and only surrendered in consequence
of treachery on the part of the garrison.




[Illustration: GLOUCESTER.]




GLOUCESTER.


                      "I which am the queene
    Of all the British vales, and so have ever been
    Since Gomer's giant brood inhabited this isle,
    And that of all the rest myself may so enstyle."

        DRAYTON. _Vale of Gloucester._

Caer-Glow, or the "fair city" of the ancient Britons, is a name happily
characteristic of Gloucester. The beauty of its situation, on a gentle
eminence overlooking the Severn, where its stream is divided into two
channels by the Isle of Alney; the richness and fertility of the
surrounding districts; its highly picturesque scenery; its splendid
cathedral and numerous public buildings; and latterly the tide of
prosperity occasioned by the vast improvements in regard to its inland
port, present a combination of attractions for which it would be
difficult to find a parallel in the British provinces. Commercial
enterprise has now a fixed residence in the place, and within the last
ten years has made great and important advances in the several
departments of foreign and domestic industry.

The Port of Gloucester and the Cathedral, of which the accompanying
plate gives a most correct and interesting view, are the two principal
features; and to these, in accordance with the plan of the work, our
descriptive text will be more strictly confined. The Port is of great
antiquity,--so much so as to have existed as an inland harbour long
prior to any written document of the place,--but it is only of late
years that ships of burden could be anchored in the city basin. A
century ago, as recorded in the _Magna Britannia_, the Port of
Gloucester had a large quay and wharf on the banks of the river, very
commodious for trade, to which belonged a custom-house, with officers
proper for it; but the business was not great, as the city of Bristol,
only a few miles distant, had engrossed all the foreign trade in this
part of the country. The vessels which at the period in question
navigated the Severn were generally small trading-craft, of between
fifty and two hundred tons burden, so that Gloucester was deprived of
all those advantages which have been so happily secured to it by modern
enterprise and improvement. Of these, the Berkeley ship-canal is a noble
monument. By the vast facilities thus afforded, the commerce of
Gloucester has enjoyed a course of uninterrupted prosperity, and bids
fair to eclipse even Bristol itself in the extent and ramifications of
its still increasing trade. Ships of heavy burden are now safely moored
in the basin, and discharge those cargoes in the heart of the city which
had formerly to be transhipped at Bristol, and conveyed to their
destination by means of barges and lighters.

The Gloucester Spa, which is now become a place of fashionable resort,
has contributed in no small degree to the many attractions of the city
and its vicinity. This saline chalybeate was first opened to the public
by a grand fête, in May, 1815. The establishment contains every
requisite for the health and recreation of the visitors, and vies as
much with Cheltenham and Leamington in its appropriate and tasteful
arrangements, as it does in the salubrious qualities of its spring--in
proof of which numerous testimonies are daily added as the result of
experience. There is a very handsome pump-room, with hot, cold, and
vapour baths, and an abundant supply of water. The Spa is in the centre
of grounds tastefully laid out, embellished with all the care and effect
of landscape-gardening, and presenting to the _piéton_ and equestrian a
pleasing variety of shady walks and rides,

    "Mid rural scenes that fascinate the gaze,
    And conjure up the deeds of other days."

The Cathedral of Gloucester is deservedly considered one of the noblest
specimens of ecclesiastical architecture in Christendom. It is a grand
object with every traveller who enters upon a tour of the English
provinces, and makes a strong impression on the mind, even after he has
visited the gorgeous temples of Rome and Milan.

In the interior of the cathedral are numerous specimens of monumental
sculpture; among which the most remarkable are those of Robert, Duke of
Normandy, and Richard the Second. The present altar, of the Corinthian
order, is placed before the rich tracery of the original high-altar,
which, except from the side-galleries of the choir, is concealed from
view. The great elevation of the vault overhead, the richness and
variety of its designs, the elaborate and minute tracery with which the
walls are adorned, added to the vast dimensions of the great
oriel--eighty-seven feet in height--render the choir an almost
unrivalled specimen of what is styled the florid Gothic, and leave an
impression upon the stranger's mind never to be obliterated.




[Illustration: BRISTOL.

(from Rownham Ferry.)]




BRISTOL,

FROM ROWNHAM FERRY.


    "But Avon marched in more stately path,
    Proud of his adamants[2] with which he shines,
    And glistens wide; as als of wondrous Bath
    And BRISTOW faire, which on his waves he buildeth hath."

        SPENSER.

The city of Bristol has enjoyed a celebrity of many centuries, and is
continually adding to her power and affluence by that spirit of
enterprise which has drawn tribute from the remotest shores and peopled
her harbour with the ships of all nations. The commercial importance
which she acquired at so early a period of our history, and which gave
her for a time so preponderating an influence over the other ports and
harbours of the kingdom, has been sustained by her spirited citizens
with a skill and industry rarely equalled and never surpassed. To the
great facilities formerly enjoyed by the merchants of Bristol another
advantage has been added by the construction of the Great Western
Railway, which has opened a rapid channel of intercourse between the
Thames and the Severn,--the London docks and the harbour of Bristol.
This event has been still further advantageous in having given origin to
various ramifications of the same means of conveyance, so that the
products of our native manufactures can be thrown into this channel, and
an interchange effected, with a cheapness and facility quite
unprecedented in the history of our inland commerce. That Bristol has
recently extended her commercial interests by her connexion with the
West Indies, Russia, France, and Germany, is abundantly indicated by the
numerous traders from those countries which are to be seen lading and
unlading in her port.

Bristol possesses no less than nineteen parish churches, with a
population--not including the suburbs--considerably under sixty
thousand. The cathedral, an ancient and most venerable pile, was founded
about the middle of the twelfth century by the mayor of Bristol, and,
till the reign of Henry the Second, it served as a priory of Black
Canons. It was then converted into an abbey, and subsequently, on the
dissolution of monastic establishments, under Henry the Eighth, it
underwent the further change into a cathedral, dedicated to the Holy
Trinity. A bishop, dean, six secular canons or prebendaries, one
archdeacon, six minor canons or priests'-vicars, a deacon and subdeacon,
six lay clerks, six choristers, two grammar-schoolmasters, four almsmen,
and others, were endowed with the site, church, and greatest part of the
lands of the old monastery. The various changes it has undergone exhibit
the finest specimens of English architecture peculiar to the several
periods at which they took place. All the ornamental work is of the
purest design, and elaborately executed, but on which our limited space
will not permit us to enlarge. Several of the lateral chapels are in
fine taste and preservation, containing monuments of the founder, of
several abbots, and bishops; also those erected to the memory of Mrs.
Draper--the "Eliza" of Sterne, Mrs. Mason, and Lady Hesketh, which
awaken feelings of deep interest in every mind imbued with the literary
history of the last century.

On the east bank of the Avon is Redcliff Parade, affording a beautiful
prospect of the city, shipping, and surrounding country. The quay, which
extends from St. Giles's to Bristol Bridge, exceeds a mile in length,
and is known by the quaint names of the _Back_, the _Grove_, and the
_Gib_. On the banks of the river below the city are numerous dockyards,
as well as the merchants' floating dock. The several squares in Bristol
are handsome: Queen's-square has a spacious walk, shaded with trees, and
an equestrian statue of William III., by Rysbrach, in the centre;
King's-square is well built on an agreeable slope; on the north-west
side of the city is Brandon-hill, where the laundresses dry their linen,
as they profess, in virtue of a charter from Queen Elizabeth.

Clifton, two miles west of Bristol, is charmingly situated on the summit
of the northern cliffs above the river Avon; many of the houses are
occupied by invalids, who seek the aid of Bristol Hot Wells, situated at
the western extremity of Clifton, near the stupendous rock of St.
Vincent. From its summit above the banks of the Avon there is a fine
prospect of the river and its environs, embracing some of the most
fertile land in Somersetshire, as well as the western part of Bristol.

[2] In allusion to the crystal-brilliants, long known as "Bristol
diamonds."




[Illustration: REDCLIFFE CHURCH AND BASIN, BRISTOL.]




REDCLIFFE CHURCH AND BASIN, BRISTOL.


The church of St Mary Redcliffe's, Bristol, was founded in 1249, and not
completed till 1375, an interval of a hundred and twenty-six years. The
founder was Simon de Burton, mayor of Bristol. It is pronounced by
Camden as "on all accounts the first parish church in England." It has,
of course, undergone, in the long lapse of generations, many changes,
repairs, and perhaps improvements. In the middle of the fifteenth
century, after having been seriously damaged in a storm, it was repaired
by William Cannynge the mayor; and, owing to the extent of these
repairs, he has established a just claim to the gratitude of posterity
as the second founder, and to commemorate the restoration thus effected,
two beautiful monumental statues were erected to the memory of himself
and his wife in the church. This patriotic and pious individual was five
times mayor of Bristol, and makes a prominent figure in the Chatterton
controversy. It is to be regretted, however, that the spire was never
restored, which, with the tower, was originally two hundred and fifty
feet high. So great was the beauty of this sacred edifice, that it was
celebrated over the whole country as a masterpiece of art, and attracted
numerous visitors; nor has that admiration diminished with the lapse of
time, for there are very few individuals, curious in the mystery of
ecclesiastical architecture, who have not visited or studied the
specimen here preserved.

The church is built in the form of a cross; and the nave, which rises
above the aisles in the manner of a cathedral, is lighted by a series of
lofty windows on each side, and supported by flying-buttresses. The
tower is large and richly ornamented, like the remaining part of the
spire, with carved work, niches, and statues. The principal entrance is
from the west front; but there are porches both to the northern and
southern sides. Of the first of these the interior is very beautiful;
and it was over this porch that the room was situated in which
Chatterton, whose father was sexton of the church, pretended to have
found the poems which he attributed to Rowley. The length of the church
is two hundred and thirty-nine feet, that of the transept one hundred
and seventeen feet. It is remarkable that the transept consists of three
divisions or aisles, like the body of the church; and the effect thus
produced is fine and striking, when the spectator places himself in the
centre and looks around him. The breadth of the nave and aisles is
fifty-nine feet; the height of the nave is fifty-four feet, and that of
the aisles twenty-five feet. The roof, which is nearly sixty feet in
height, is arched with stone, and ornamented with various devices.
Although externally this church has all the appearance of a massive
structure, it has nevertheless, from its loftiness and the peculiar
beauty of its masonry, a light and airy appearance both within and
without; and justifies the high eulogium, which we have already quoted,
as pronounced upon it by Camden. Among the sepulchral treasures
contained in this church, is the tomb of Sir William Penn, father of the
celebrated founder of Pennsylvania.

The business of shipbuilding is carried on to a very considerable extent
in Bristol; and stimulated by that spirit which has always characterized
the magistrates and merchants of Bristol, added to the vast improvements
which have been so recently affected, it is confidently believed, that
this ancient city and port are now entering upon a fresh epoch in their
commercial prosperity.

The principal exports are derived from the neighbouring manufactures;
and the imports consist chiefly of sugar, rum, wine, wool, tobacco,
coffee, turpentine, hemp, and timber. The quay extends upwards of a mile
along the banks of the rivers Frome and Avon. Owing to the serious
inconvenience and frequent damage sustained by large vessels, when lying
at low water in the river, a floating harbour was formed here at great
expense in 1804. To accomplish so important a design the course of the
Avon was changed; the old channel was dammed up to form the new harbour,
which, communicating with the river, is accessible at all times, with
sufficient depth of water for vessels of the largest size. This great
work, comprising the elegant iron bridges over the Avon, was the result
of five years' labour, and an enormous expenditure; and, although much
benefit has accrued to the port from the success of so spirited an
undertaking, still the expectations to which it naturally gave rise, as
to the extension of commerce, have not been realized. This is
attributable to various local causes.




[Illustration: SUSPENSION BRIDGE AT CLIFTON.

(near Bristol.)]




CLIFTON.

THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE.


    "Scared at thy presence, start the train of Death,
    And hide their whips and scorpions; thee, confused,
    Slow Fever creeps from; thee the meagre fiend
    Consumption flies, and checks his rattling cough!"

        ADDRESS TO THE BRISTOL FOUNTAIN.

The village of Clifton has long been distinguished among our native
watering-places as the Montpelier of England. In point of situation, and
the beautiful and varied scenery it commands, it is without a rival
among those numerous springs which, from their medicinal virtues, have
risen into universal repute. It occupies a very elevated position; and
from the windows of his apartment the visitor may enjoy enchanting views
of the western part of Bristol, the Avon, and the numerous vessels that
glide to and fro upon its waters. The plateau, which terminates a
gradual ascent from the river, is covered with elegant buildings, that
furnish excellent accommodation to the numerous visitors who annually
resort to these salubrious fountains. Many private families of opulence
and respectability make this their principal residence, and with
justice, for few situations in the British empire can supply more varied
and rational sources of enjoyment. Those who seek to combine the
blessings of health with rational amusement and mental cultivation, will
very rarely be disappointed in selecting the now "classic" shades of
Clifton as a residence.

The Bristol hot-well--"Bristoliensis aqua"--is a pure thermal, slightly
acidulated spring. The fresh water is inodorous, perfectly limpid and
sparkling, and sends forth numerous air-bubbles when poured into a
glass. It is very agreeable to the taste, and in specific gravity
approaches very nearly to that of distilled water; a fact which proves
that it contains only an extremely minute admixture of foreign
ingredients. The temperature of this water, taking the average of the
most accurate observations, may be reckoned at 74°; a degree of
temperature which is scarcely, if at all, influenced by the difference
of season. The water contains both solid and gaseous matter, and the
distinction between the two requires to be attended to, as it is owing
to its very minute proportion of solid matter that it deserves the
character of a very fine natural spring. To its excess in gaseous contents
it is principally indebted for its medicinal properties,--whatever these
may be,--independently of those of mere water with an increase of
temperature. The principal ingredients of the hot-well water are a large
proportion of carbonic acid gas--fixed air--a certain portion of
magnesia and lime in various combinations with the muriatic, sulphuric,
and carbonic acids. The general inference is that it is remarkably pure
for a natural fountain, from the fact of its containing no other solid
matter--and that in less quantity--than what is contained in almost any
common spring-water. Much, however, of the merit ascribed to the Bristol
and Clifton wells is due to the mild and temperate climate of the place,
which of itself is sufficient to recommend Bristol as a desirable
residence for invalids.

Independently of its medicinal waters, Clifton has many attractions,
which from time to time have been the subjects both of painting and
poetry, and made it the favoured residence of many distinguished
individuals. Of the latter, none have deserved better of their country
than Mrs. Hannah More, whose writings breathe the purest sentiments of
religion and morality, and whose personal _Memoirs_ form one of the most
interesting volumes in English biography.

The Suspension Bridge, which forms so prominent a feature in our
engraving, is unfortunately still far from that state of completion in
which the artist has been pleased to depict it. Many years have passed
since its commencement, and still more thousands of pounds have been
expended in preparation, and yet this great and useful work remains a
monument of misapplied capital and wasted labour.




[Illustration: BATH.]




BATH.


    "O'er ancient Baden's mystic spring
    Hygeia broods with watchful wing,
    And speeds from its sulphureous source
    The steamy torrent's secret course;
    And fans the eternal sparks of latent fire
    In deep unfathomed beds below,
    By BLADUD's magic taught to flow--
    BLADUD, high theme of Fancy's Gothic lyre!"

        WARTON.

The origin of Bath, like that of other celebrated towns, is involved in
obscurity. To its medicinal springs, however, it is solely indebted for
the great reputation it has enjoyed for centuries, as a sanctuary for
the afflicted, a cheerful asylum for the invalid, and as a favourite
point of reunion, where social pleasure and mental cultivation were sure
of a kindred reception among the many gifted spirits who have sought
health or relaxation in its shades. The comparative quiet which here
prevails is not without its importance to the invalid; after the
dissipation of a season in Town, a retreat to Bath is like the
tranquillity of a monastery after the excitement of a military campaign.
This was more particularly felt and acknowledged as long as the
continent remained shut; but during the last twenty years the temptation
to foreign travel and the fame of certain continental spas have annually
diverted from home a great many of those whose cases, it is probable,
would have benefited in an equal measure by resorting to the thermal
waters of Bath. Travelling, however, is of itself a sanatory process;
and to this, to the changes of scene, of society, of diet, and to the
mental excitement produced by a succession of new scenes and incidents,
the invalid is more indebted than to any of the numerous _spas_, to
which the credit of a cure is so generally ascribed by the recruited
votary. This is a fact well known to the physician, and corroborated by
the results of daily experience. When such means are impracticable,
however, the society and the waters of Bath furnish excellent
substitutes; and the testimonies in their favour are too well supported
by ancient and "modern instances" to require any eulogium in a work like
the present.

The trade of Bath, like that of most great watering-places, is greatly
dependent on its visitors. Hotels and lodging-houses are numerous,
elegant, commodious, and fitted for the accommodation of all classes of
society. Property, nevertheless, has suffered much depreciation of late
years, owing to various causes, and not a little to the preference given
to those continental spas already alluded to, by which many of the
streams which used to flow in upon Bath as a regular source of
prosperity have been greatly diminished or entirely dried up.

The public amusements of Bath are numerous and liberally conducted. Of
these the most important are the subscription assemblies and concerts,
at which a master of the ceremonies presides--a functionary of high
authority, who holds his office in regular descent from the hands of the
celebrated Beau Nash. The latter gentleman, by a peculiar union of good
sense, "effrontery, wit, vivacity, and perseverance, acquired an
ascendancy among the votaries of rank and fashion which rendered him a
species of modish despot, to whose decrees it was deemed a part of the
loyalty of high breeding to yield in silent submission." The assemblies
are held in the Upper Rooms, in the vicinity of the Circus, which were
erected in 1791, at an expense of twenty thousand pounds. The Ball-room
is one hundred and five feet long, forty-three feet wide, and forty-two
high. The Lower Assembly-rooms stood near the Parade, and were also very
elegantly fitted up, though on a less extensive scale, but were
destroyed by fire in 1820. The theatre is a handsome edifice, fitted up
in splendid style, with three tiers of boxes, and the roof divided into
compartments, containing the beautiful paintings by Cassali which
formerly occupied a similar place in Fonthill Abbey.

In the vicinity of Bath, especially on Lansdown and Claverton Downs,
there are delightful spots for equestrian exercise. Races take place on
the former of these the week after Ascot races.

Bath is eminently distinguished for its numerous public charities, its
literary and scientific institutions, its society for the encouragement
of agriculture, the arts, manufactures, and commerce; its clubs,
subscription-rooms, libraries, schools, and hospitals.

The diseases in which the waters of Bath are resorted to are very
numerous, and in many instances consist of such as are the most
difficult and important of all that come under medical treatment. In
most cases the bath is used along with the waters as an internal
medicine--first adopted in the case of King Charles. The general
indications of the propriety of using these medicinal waters are chiefly
in cases where a gentle, gradual, and permanent stimulus is required.
Bath water may certainly be considered as a chalybeate, in which the
iron is very small in quantity, but in a highly active form, whilst the
degree of temperature is in itself a stimulus of considerable power.




[Illustration: TINTAGEL CASTLE.]




TINTAGEL CASTLE.


This Engraving, after Mr. Jendles' spirited sketch, embraces not only
Tintagel Castle, but one of those more useful erections which modern
science has rendered available to commercial purposes, and intended for
the shipment of ores from the neighbouring mine. The different character
of the erections which crown the opposing cliffs mark the widely
separated eras of their erection, while both become objects of deep
interest to those who see in the ruins of the one hand, and the
progressively improving mechanism of the other, a type of the spirit
which animated our warlike ancestors to maintain their dominant power
over their native soil, converted in their more peaceful descendants
into a determination to make the best use of the treasures it contains.

Tintagel Castle is situated partly on the extremity of a bold rock of
slate, on the coast, and partly on a rocky island, with which it was
formerly connected by a drawbridge, and is of great antiquity. This
castle is said to have been the birthplace of King Arthur, but his
history is so blended with the marvellous, that his very existence has
been doubted, and the circumstances connected with his birth are
certainly not amongst those parts of the relation which are most
entitled to credit. It was, however, said by Lord Bacon, that there was
truth enough in his story to make him famous besides that which was
fabulous.

In the year 1245, Richard Earl of Cornwall, brother to King Henry III.,
was accused of having afforded an asylum in Tintagel Castle to his
nephew David, Prince of Wales, and in the reign of Henry III. the castle
and manor of Tintagel were annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall. So little
remains of the walls of this ancient and formerly impregnable castle,
that the date of its erection cannot even be conjectured from the style
of the architecture: it is certain that the castle was in a dilapidated
state in 1337, in which year a survey was made. There was then no
governor, but the priest who officiated in the chapel of the castle had
the custody of it, without fee. It is described as a castle sufficiently
walled, in which were two chambers beyond the two gates, in a decayed
state. A chamber, with a small kitchen for the constable, in good
repair; a stable for eight horses, decayed; and a cellar and bakehouse,
ruinous. The timber of the great hall had been taken down by command of
John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, because the hall was ruinous, and the
walls of no value.

In the reign of Richard II., Tintagel Castle was made a state prison,
and in 1385, John Northampton, lord mayor of London, was committed to
this castle. Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was also a prisoner here
in 1397. "The ruins of Tintagel Castle," says the Rev. R. Warner, "claim
dominion over unqualified desolation; over one wide and wild scene of
troubled ocean, barren country, and horrid rocks: its situation and
aspect quite chilled the tourist," and in continuation of his
description, he introduces the less sublime remark, "that to look at it
was enough to give one the tooth-ache."

Tintagel was made a free borough by Richard Earl of Cornwall, and, as
well as Trevenna, about a mile distant from each other, forms part of
the borough of Bossiney, which formerly sent two members to parliament.
Although not incorporated, it is governed by a mayor. At Trevenna is an
annual fair for horned cattle on the first Monday after the 19th of
October; and at Tintagel is a school supported by the mayor and free
burgesses. The church, dedicated to St. Simphorian, is a vicarage, in
the patronage of the dean and chapter of Windsor. It was formerly
appropriated to the abbey of Fonteverard, in Normandy, but having passed
in the same manner as Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire, was given, by
King Edward IV., to the collegiate chapel of St. George at Windsor.




[Illustration: PLYMOUTH.

_Devon._]




PLYMOUTH.


The view of Plymouth is taken from the grounds of Mount Edgecumbe,
looking across the lower part of the Sound. About the middle distance is
St. Nicholas' Island; beyond which are perceived the ramparts of the
citadel. Between the citadel and the point of land to the right, where
several small vessels are seen, is the entrance of the creek called the
Catwater.

The towns of Plymouth and Devonport--the latter until 1824 having
usually been called Plymouth Dock, or briefly, Dock--stand nearly in the
same relation to each other as Portsmouth and Portsea, except that they
are not contiguous, the distance between them being about a mile and a
half. Plymouth is the old borough, and Devonport is the modern town; the
latter, indeed, has been entirely built within the last
hundred-and-fifty years, since the establishment of the royal dockyard
by William III., in 1691. Each town returns two members to Parliament,
this privilege having been conferred on Devonport by the Reform Bill;
and the municipal government of each is vested in separate authorities.
Plymouth and Devonport, with Stonehouse, which lies between them, may be
considered as forming one large town, which occupies a parallelogram
about two miles and a half in length by one in breadth, and contains,
with the suburbs of Morice-town and Stoke, about a hundred thousand
inhabitants.

Plymouth harbour, or, as it is generally called, Sutton Pool, is on the
land side nearly surrounded by houses, and the entrance to it from the
Catwater is protected by two stone piers, about ninety feet apart.
Plymouth has a considerable coasting trade with London, Bristol, Hull,
Newcastle, and other parts of England, and also carries on a direct
trade with the Baltic, the Mediterranean, America, and the West Indies.
The principal exports are copper, tin, and lead-ore, manganese, granite,
and pilchards. There are about fifty decked fishing-boats belonging to
Plymouth, which not only supply its market and that of Devonport with
plenty of excellent fish, but also furnish a considerable quantity for
Bath, London, and other places. The fish most common in Plymouth market
are hake, basse, gurnards, pipers, tub-fish, whiting-pouts, soles,
mullets red and grey, and John-Dories. Quin, that he might enjoy the
latter fish in perfection, took an express journey from Bath to
Plymouth. The export of granite, and other kinds of stone for the
purposes of building, is greatly facilitated by a railway, which extends
from about the middle of Dartmoor to the quays at Sutton Pool and
Catwater. The larger class of merchant-vessels generally anchor in the
Catwater; and in time of war it is the usual rendezvous for transports.
It is sheltered from south-westerly gales by Mount Battan, and is
sufficiently spacious to afford anchorage for six or eight hundred sail
of such ships as are usually employed in the merchant service. There are
about 320 ships belonging to Plymouth, the tonnage of which, according
to the old admeasurement, is about 26,000 tons.

Though the neighbourhood of Plymouth affords so many beautiful and
interesting views, the town itself presents but little to excite the
admiration of the stranger. It is very irregularly built; and most of
the old houses have a very mean appearance, more especially when
contrasted with some of recent erection. Several large buildings, within
the last twenty or thirty years, have been erected at Plymouth and
Devonport, in the _pure Grecian style_; and the two towns afford ample
evidence of the imitative genius of the architects. At the corner of
almost every principal street, the stranger is presented with
reminiscences of Stuart and Revett's Athens.

Plymouth citadel is situated to the southward of the town, and at the
eastern extremity of the rocky elevation called the Hoe. It commands the
passage to the Hamoaze, between St. Nicholas' Island and the main-land,
as well as the entrance of the Catwater. It was erected on the site of
the old fort, in the reign of Charles II., and consists of five
bastions, which are further strengthened with ravelins and hornworks.
The ramparts are nearly three-quarters of a mile in circuit; and there
are platforms for a hundred-and-twenty cannon. The entrance to the
citadel is on the north, through an outer and an inner gate. Within the
walls are the residence of the lieutenant-governor, officers' houses and
barracks for the garrison, with a magazine, chapel, and hospital. In the
centre of the green is a bronze statue of George II., the work of an
artist named Robert Pitt, and erected, in 1728, at the expense of Louis
Dufour, Esq., an officer of the garrison. An excellent panoramic view of
Plymouth, Saltram, the Catwater, the Sound, Mount Edgecumbe, and other
places, is to be obtained from the ramparts, round which visitors are
permitted to walk.




[Illustration: MOUNT EDGECUMBE.

_DEVON._]




MOUNT EDGECUMBE.


The view of Mount Edgecumbe is taken from Cremhill point, a little to
the south-east of the entrance of Stonehouse Creek. About the centre of
the view is perceived a battery, near to the Old Blockhouse which was
erected in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; between the masts of the brig,
which is sailing in towards the Hamoaze, the house is seen; and to the
left, in the distance, is Cawsand Bay.

For upwards of two hundred years the situation of Mount Edgecumbe,
whether looking towards it or from it, and the beauty of the grounds in
its vicinity have been the subject of general admiration. In visiting
Mount Edgecumbe from Plymouth or Devonport, the most usual way is to
cross at the ferry from Cremhill point. The gardens generally first
claim the visitor's attention. Near the lodge, on the left, is a garden
laid out in the Italian style, and surrounded by a bank planted with
evergreens. In this garden is the orangery, and opposite to it is a
beautiful terrace, on which, and in the grounds below, are several
statues. The visitor is next shown the French flower-garden, which is
planted with the most beautiful shrubs and flowers, and was the
favourite retreat of Sophia, Countess of Mount Edgecumbe, who died in
1806, and to whose memory a cenotaph, consisting of an urn and a tablet,
is erected within its bounds. The English garden and shrubbery display
less art, but are no less beautiful than the imitative gardens of Italy
and France. In it is a bath of the Doric order, and a secluded walk
leads to a rocky excavation, overspread with ivy and other creeping
plants, amidst lofty evergreens: fragments of antiques are scattered
amidst heaps of stones in this romantic dell. In the pleasure-grounds, a
path continued along the edge of a cliff, which affords interesting
views of the picturesque sinuosities of the coast, leads to a verdant
lawn, from which the sides rise with a gentle ascent in a semicircle.
The acclivity above the lawn is thickly shaded by a succession of trees,
which form a magnificent amphitheatre, and display an endless variety of
foliage. From different parts of the amphitheatre, Barn Poole presents
the appearance of an extensive lake, without any visible communication
with the sea, from which it appears to be separated by the diversified
line of coast, that forms its boundary on every side. At the entrance of
a wood near this spot is an Ionic circular temple dedicated to Milton,
whence the path continues on the margin of the cliff, through
plantations and shrubs, which fringe the rocky coast down to the brink
of the sea. In the more open part of the park is a mock ruin, intended
as a picturesque object from the grounds and from the opposite shore. A
cottage near the cliff is overhung with beautiful evergreen oaks, the
windows of which command pleasing sea views in opposite directions.
After ascending a perpendicular rock, by a winding path of perilous
appearance, the great terrace at the arch presents itself, having the
appearance of a perforation in the cliff, the base of which is washed by
the waves of the Sound.

The walks round the grounds are extremely pleasing, and from many points
excellent views are obtained of Plymouth Sound, the Hamoaze, Devonport,
and the surrounding country. It seems, however, doubtful if the
circumstance of a nobleman's seat commanding a view of a large town, at
the distance of less than a mile, be an advantage to it. It is perhaps
not altogether pleasant to have a _country_ seat overlooked by, and
overlooking, a large town. Dr. Johnson, alluding to the view of Mount
Edgecumbe, has observed, that "though there is the grandeur of a fleet,
there is also the impression of there being a dock-yard, the
circumstances of which are not agreeable."

The house at Mount Edgecumbe was erected about the year 1550, by Sir
Richard Edgecumbe, who was sheriff of Devonshire in the thirty-fifth
year of the reign of Henry VIII., in the castellated style, with
circular towers at the corners. About seventy years ago, those towers
were pulled down, and rebuilt in their present octangular form. In the
principal rooms is a collection of family portraits, including a few by
Sir Joshua Reynolds.




[Illustration: BRIXHAM.]




BRIXHAM.


    "Here busy boats are seen: some overhaul
    Their loaded nets; some shoot the lightened trawl;
    And, while their drags the slimy bottom sweep,
    Stealthily o'er the face o' the waters creep;
    While some make sail, and singly or together
    Furrow the sea with merry wind and weather."

        W. STEWART ROSE.

In the Engraving of Brixham Quay, from a painting by Edward Duncan, the
view is taken from the eastward. To the right, from the end of the pier,
several of the larger class of fishing vessels belonging to the place
are perceived lying aground; while, further in the harbour, a merchant
brig is seen discharging her cargo. In the foreground, to the left, the
attention of a group appears to be engaged by a small ship which a young
fisherman holds in his hands.

Brixham lies about a mile and a half to the westward of Berry Head, the
southern extremity of Torbay, in the county of Devon, and is about
twenty-eight miles south of Exeter, and one hundred and ninety-eight
west-south-west of London. As a fishing town, Brixham is one of the most
considerable in the kingdom. The total number of fishing vessels
belonging to the place is nearly two hundred, of which, about one
hundred and ten are from thirty to forty tons burden, and the rest from
six to eighteen tons. Besides these, there are several yawls and smaller
boats which are employed in the fishery near the shore. For years past
about seventy of the larger class of fishing vessels have been
accustomed to proceed to Ramsgate, for the purpose of catching fish in
the North Sea for the supply of the London market. They usually leave
Brixham in November and December, and return again towards the latter
end of June. The Brixham fishermen send a great quantity of fish to the
Exeter, Bath, Plymouth, and Bristol markets. The principal fish which
they take are cod, ling, conger-eels, turbot, whitings, hake, soles,
skate and plaice, with herring and mackerel in the season. A quantity of
whitings are generally salted and dried at Brixham. On the coast of
Devonshire dried whitings are called "buckhorn," a name sufficiently
expressive of their hardness and insipidity. Besides the vessels
employed in the fishery, there are ships belonging to Brixham which are
chiefly engaged in the West India, Mediterranean, and coasting trades.
A weekly market, with a market-house at the water-side, was established
here in 1799, and in 1804 a stone pier of great strength was erected at
the expense of the nation. The population of the place is about 5,000.
One of the most memorable events in its history is the landing there of
William Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., on the 5th of
November, 1688. The view of Torbay, from the cliffs above the town, is
in the highest degree interesting, especially when enlivened, as it
frequently is, by a fleet of fishing-boats dotting its placid waters,
and stretching far into the British Channel.

At an early period the manor of Brixham was held by the Nevants and the
Valletorts; but after divers ownerships it was divided into twelve
quarters, one of which was purchased by twelve fishermen of Brixham
Quay, and divided into as many shares; some of these have been much
farther subdivided, yet their owners, be their shares ever so small,
have the local denomination of Quay Lords.

Brixham Church Town is about a mile distant from the quay. The church is
a spacious structure of the date of the fourteenth century, with an
embattled tower, and the peculiarities of the architecture of that
period. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and contains several
monuments of considerable antiquity, the inspection of which will repay
the antiquarian for the visit.

Torquay, one of the most fashionable watering-places on the Devonshire
coast, is situated on the opposite side of Torbay, at a distance of
about five miles by water; but if the journey be made by land, the curve
of the bay extends it upwards of nine. It is sheltered from the north
winds by the promontory of Hope's Nose, and a range of lofty hills which
form its northern boundary. It is rapidly increasing in extent, and is
spoken of in terms of the highest admiration by most of the visitors.
The houses are chiefly built of a kind of marble found in the vicinity,
and are so scattered among the hills and dales as to command delightful
views of the surrounding country. On the coast the rock scenery is truly
magnificent, and from the heights the eye ranges over a wide extent of
cultivated land, abounding in every variety of nature, and terminated by
the distant outline of the mountain tops.




[Illustration: EXMOUTH.]




EXMOUTH.


The town of Exmouth, as its name imports, is situated at the mouth of
the Ex, one of the largest rivers in Devonshire, which, rising in
Exmoor, in Somersetshire, flows past Tiverton, Exeter, and Topsham, and
after a course of about seventy miles discharges itself into the sea. It
lies on the left bank of the river, and is about eleven miles to the
south-eastward of Exeter, and one hundred and sixty-eight from London.
It is sheltered from the north-east and south-east winds; and the
temperature of the air is mild and highly favourable to invalids. As the
bathing-machines are placed within the bar, which breaks the violence of
the sea, visiters are thus enabled to bathe in safety at all times.
There are also excellent warm sea-water baths in the town for such as
require them. There is a convenient market-place at Exmouth; and a new
church was erected by Lord Rolle in 1825. Exmouth and Littleham
constitute a united parish, the population of which is about 3,400. In
1814, the late Admiral Sir Edward Pellew was created a peer, with the
title of Baron Exmouth; and in 1816, after his expedition to Algiers, he
was further advanced to the rank of Viscount.

In the reign of King John, Exmouth appears to have been a port of some
consequence; and in 1347 it furnished ten ships and one hundred and
ninety-three mariners to the grand fleet assembled by Edward III. for
his expedition against France. In the reign of Henry VIII., Leland calls
it "a fisschar tounlet," in which state it appears to have continued
till about the middle of the last century, when it began to increase, in
consequence of the number of persons visiting it for the sake of
sea-bathing. It is said that Exmouth first came into repute as a
watering-place from one of the judges of assize going there to bathe,
and returning with his health very much improved. The following account
of the place, and of the manner in which the visiters passed their time
about sixty years ago, is from a letter published in Polwhele's _History
of Devon_:--"The village is a very pretty one, and composed, for the
most part, of cot-houses, neat and clean, and consisting of four or five
rooms, which are generally let at a guinea a week. We have from some of
the houses, when the tide is in, a beautiful view of the river, which,
united with the sea, forms a fine sheet of water before our doors of
large extent. Lord Courtenay's and Lord Lisburne's grounds, rising in
inequalities on the other shore, complete the perspective. This is the
most gay part of the village; but then its brilliancy is only
temporary--for, the tide returned, instead of a fine sheet of water, we
are presented with a bed of mud, whose perfumes are not equal to those
of a bed of roses.... Exmouth boasts no public rooms or assemblies, save
one card assembly, in an inconvenient apartment at one of the inns, on
Monday evenings. The company meet at half after five, and break up at
ten; they play at shilling whist, or twopenny quadrille. We have very
few young people here, and no diversions; no _belles dames_ amusing to
the unmarried, but some _beldames_ unamusing to the married. Walking on
a hill which commands a view of the ocean, and bathing, with a visit or
two, serve to pass away the morning, and tea-drinking in the evening."

From the preceding account it would appear that Exmouth, "sixty years
since," was but a dull place, even at the height of the season, and more
likely to induce lowness of spirits than to prove a remedy for care,
"the busy man's disease;" for what temperament, however mercurial, could
bear up against the daily round of tea-parties--where silence was only
broken by the "beldame's" scandal--diversified once a week with shilling
whist or twopenny quadrille? Since the period when the above-quoted
letter was written, Exmouth has been greatly improved, and many large
houses have been built for the accommodation of visiters. But since the
cot-houses have been elevated to handsome three-storied dwellings, it is
only fair to add that the rate of lodgings has also been raised in the
same proportion; "five or six rooms, neat and clean," are no longer to
be obtained at a guinea a week. There is now a commodious assembly-room
in the town, where the young and the fair--who are not so scarce at
Exmouth as they appear to have been sixty years ago--occasionally meet
to enjoy the amusement of dancing; while the more elderly have still the
opportunity of cheating time at "shilling whist or twopenny quadrille."
There are also several billiard and reading-rooms, which are places
pleasant enough to while away an hour or two in when it rains; and the
monotony of the morning walk on the hill, and the dulness of the evening
tea-drinking, are now frequently diversified with excursions by water to
Powderham Castle, Dawlish, Topsham, and places adjacent.




[Illustration: BUDLEIGH SALTERTON.]




BUDLEIGH-SALTERTON.


The village of Budleigh-Salterton lies about half-way between Sidmouth
and Exmouth, and at a short distance to the westward of the mouth of the
river Otter. It is pleasantly situated by the sea-shore; and the beauty
of the country in its vicinity, and the convenience afforded for
sea-bathing, have caused it of late years to be much frequented as a
watering-place.

Of the many watering-places with which the requirements of fashion have
sprinkled our southern coasts, there are few which can boast of a more
delightful situation than the subject of our present engraving.
Protected on both sides by the surrounding hills, it is completely
sheltered from the severity of those winds which are frequently the bane
of some of our otherwise most eligible retreats; while its view of the
ocean is uninterrupted by any of those obstacles which add more to the
utility than the beauty of our older sea-bathing towns. The coast of
Devonshire offers peculiar advantages to the invalid; it has a southern
aspect; the winters are milder than in any other part of England, and
the north-east wind, with its concomitant evils, is less felt than in
the more exposed though more popular ports of the Isle of Thanet. In
addition to a genial climate, Devonshire is entitled to some preference
on the score of economy with that large class to whom the cost of even
an occasional residence at the coast is a serious consideration; and
although a temporary sojourn at any watering-place must necessarily be
more expensive than the same time spent in a rural district, the visiter
will find that in none can a greater share of the comforts and even
luxuries of life be obtained upon moderate terms than in
Budleigh-Salterton and its neighbouring towns of Exmouth and Sidmouth.

Another advantage which these smaller towns possess is the freedom from
restraint in which they allow their patrons to indulge. The almost
slavish deference which the higher classes of society are compelled to
pay to certain conventional rules of fashion and etiquette may be
quietly laid aside during a residence at such towns as the one now
before us, and this, too, without fear of forfeiting that claim to
exclusiveness which every grade is so anxious to maintain against the
one below it. Few persons will deny the gratification that they have
derived from an occasional relaxation of those social laws that restrict
our actions in everyday life; and not the least of the benefits which
they receive from their summer visits to the coast may be traced to the
opportunities which they afford for their becoming again, though but for
a few weeks, or even days, "children of a larger growth."

The village of East Budleigh, which is also the name of one of the
hundreds into which Devon is divided, lies about two miles above
Budleigh-Salterton, on the banks of the river Otter. Leland, in his
_Itinerary_, thus notices East Budleigh: "On the west side of the haven
is Budelegh, right almost against Oterton, but it is somewhat more from
the shore than Oterton. Lesse then an hunderith yeres sins, ships usid
this harbour, but it is now clene barrid. Some call this Budeley Haven,
of Budeley town." It has been supposed by Polwhele that the name
Budleigh, or Budely, is derived from the British _budelle_, a stream,
and that it had originated from the number of springs or small brooks
which run through every valley in the parish; for scarcely a house can
be found that is more than a furlong distant from a rivulet.

Hayes, near East Budleigh, is celebrated as the birthplace of Sir Walter
Raleigh. This fact is mentioned in our notice of Ladram Bay; but the
following circumstance, which has since come to our knowledge, will
confirm the remarks we then made, by showing the hero's love for the
place of his birth, and its probable effect upon his after life. His
father having only a lease of the property, it subsequently came into
the possession of a person named Duke, to whom Sir Walter addressed a
letter, dated "From the Court, 26th July, 1584," wherein he expresses a
wish to purchase the farm and house of Hayes, and says that from "the
natural disposition he has to that place, being born in that house, he
would rather seat himself there than any where else." The proprietor,
not wishing to have so great a man for a neighbour, did not comply with
Sir Walter's request. The letter, about fifty years ago, was to be seen
at Otterton House, pasted on a piece of board for its better
preservation.[3]

At St. Mary Ottery, about six miles above East Budleigh, on the opposite
side of the river, the poet Coleridge was born, in 1772. When young he
went to London, where he was educated at Christ's Hospital; and few
reminiscences of the place of his birth are to be found in his poems,
though he has dedicated one sonnet to his "Dear native brook, wild
streamlet of the west,"--the river Otter.

[3] Polwhele's _History of Devon_, vol ii. p. 219.




[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE BEACH AT SIDMOUTH.

_LOOKING TOWARDS THE SOUTH-WEST._]




VIEW FROM THE BEACH AT SIDMOUTH,

LOOKING TOWARDS THE SOUTH-WEST.


In this view, from a painting by J. D. Harding, the characteristic
features of the coast of Devon are most happily expressed; and the
manner in which the subject is treated at once displays the feeling of
the artist to appreciate, and his ability to depict, the most beautiful
scenery of the English coast. The simplicity of truth is not here
outraged for the sake of pictorial effect, but the whole composition is
at the same time appropriate, natural, and pleasing.

Sidmouth is situated on the southern coast of Devonshire, about 15 miles
south-east of Exeter, and 158 south-west of London. It derives its name
from the little stream called the Sid, which there discharges itself
into the sea. The town is situated at the end of a beautiful vale, and
is sheltered on the east, west, and north by ranges of hills, which are
cultivated to their very summits. It occupies the margin of a small bay,
bounded on the east by Salcombe Hill, and on the west by Peak Hill, each
more than 600 feet above the level of the sea at low water. The
undulating and richly-cultivated vale through which the Sid meanders is
screened towards the north by the Gittisham and Honiton Hills. On the
south it commands an extensive view of the sea. It has a bold and open
shore, and many of its newest houses are built near the beach, which is
protected from the encroachments of the sea by a natural rampart of
shingly pebbles, that rises in four or five successive stages from near
low-water mark, and terminates in a broad and commodious promenade about
one-third of a mile in length. Sidmouth has two suburbs, respectively
called the Western Town and the Marsh. It has a weekly market on
Saturday, and two annual fairs--the one on Easter Tuesday, the other on
the Wednesday after September 1. The church is dedicated to St.
Nicholas. Its revenues were granted, in 1205, by Bishop Marshall, to the
monastery of St. Michael, in Normandy, to which the priory of Otterton
was a cell, but afterwards reduced with those of the other alien
priories. The beauty of its situation, the mildness and salubrity of the
air, and the conveniences afforded for sea-bathing, have caused Sidmouth
to be much frequented within the last forty years as a watering-place;
and there are now many private residences of the nobility and gentry
erected in its immediate vicinity, the proprietors of which, attracted
by the beauty of the scenery, and the mild, sheltered character of the
situation, reside there during the greater part of the year; thus giving
a superiority to the society, which the visitor cannot always find in
sea-bathing towns of a much larger population.

Sidmouth is a place of great antiquity; and in 1348 it supplied three
ships and sixty-two mariners to the great fleet of Edward III. It has
been said that there was formerly a good harbour at Sidmouth, but that
it became so choked up with sand, that no ships could enter. This
account, however, is considered by the Rev. Edmund Butcher to be
inaccurate. He says that no sand has destroyed its harbour; and he is of
opinion that there never was one of any magnitude at the place. He,
however, thinks that there might have been a kind of natural basin, in
which the small vessels of former times might have rode, or even
discharged their cargoes, with less risk than is at present incurred by
vessels which unload on the beach.




[Illustration: CAVES AT LADRAM BAY.

_DEVONSHIRE._]




CAVES AT LADRAM BAY.


Ladram Bay is on the southern coast of Devonshire, and lies between
Sidmouth and the mouth of the river Otter. It is of small extent, and is
neither noticed by any of the historians of the country, nor described
in any guide-book. The Lade rock forms its eastern extremity; and to the
westward it is bounded by a similar promontory, near to which are the
caves represented in the engraving. The bay is only accessible to
pedestrians proceeding from Sidmouth at low water through a cave at its
eastern point; and its approach from the westward is also through a
perforated rock. This small and secluded bay is extremely romantic, and
the cliffs between its extreme points are lofty and nearly
perpendicular. It is frequently visited in summer by picnic parties from
Sidmouth, Otterton, and Budleigh Salterton; and it is said that
smugglers, availing themselves of its retired situation, occasionally
manage to land a cargo there, notwithstanding the vigilance of the
preventive men, who have a look-out near the bay, but not a regular
station. The only house in its immediate vicinity is a fisherman's
cottage, near the end of the road leading to it from Otterton.

There are several curious caverns and perforated rocks on the southern
coast of Devon. Just within the promontory called the Bolt-head, at the
western end of Salcomb-bar, is a cavern called the Bull-hole, which is
believed by many persons of the neighbourhood to extend for about three
miles to a similar cavern in a creek near Sewer-mill. The tradition is
that a bull entered at one cavern, and came out at the other; and hence
the name of the Bull-hole. Nearly at the top of the cliff of Bolberry
Down, about a mile to the eastward of the Bolt-tail, is a cavern called
Ralph's-hole, which is about twenty feet long, seven feet wide, and
eight feet high. It is nearly four hundred feet above the sea; and the
rock by which it is approached is within three feet of the precipice,
and only admits of one person passing at a time. It is said that a man
named Ralph made this cave his abode for many years in order to avoid
being arrested, and that with a hay-fork as a weapon to defend the
entrance he set the bailiffs at defiance; his residence, however, was
more remarkable for its security than its convenience; and if the
blessing of freedom is not included in the balance of advantages and
evils, Ralph would probably have found a more comfortable home in any of
her Majesty's gaols than in his sea-beaten fortress. A few miles
further westward, directly off Thurlston sands, in Bigberry bay, is a
perforated rock, about thirty feet high, called Thurlston rock. At very
low ebb-tides it is left dry, but as the flood increases, the sea washes
over it, making a noise in stormy weather that is heard at a great
distance.

The village of Otterton, in the immediate vicinity of these caves, is
remarkable for the peculiarity of possessing a church with a tower at
the eastern end. At this place there was formerly an alien priory
subject to St. Michael's, in Normandy. The river Otter is a fine trout
stream, and affords much amusement to the patrons of the rod and line;
but it is navigable for boats only at high-water, when small craft can
ascend as far as Otterton, about two and a half miles from its mouth. A
view from Peak-hill, an eminence in this neighbourhood, frequently
excites the admiration of visitors, commanding as it does the beautiful
vale of Sidmouth, with the village and beach on the east, the vale of
the Otter on the west, bordered by Haldon and other hills, and extending
to the sea on the south.

Bicton House, on the banks of the Otter, is the seat of Lord Rolle; it
is a spacious edifice, standing in a park plentifully stocked with
beach, elm, and oak, and abounding in deer. At the time of Domesday
survey, this manor was held by the somewhat burdensome tenure of
maintaining the county gaol; but from this service it has been many
years relieved by Act of Parliament. Sir Walter Raleigh was born at
Hayes, in the parish of East Budleigh, a small village about four miles
from Sidmouth; and much of his love for maritime enterprise was probably
derived from his early associations with this romantic coast, so well
calculated to impress the youthful mind with a passion for the sea and
its wonders.




[Illustration: WEYMOUTH.]




WEYMOUTH


Weymouth and Melcombe-Regis lie on opposite sides of the same river, the
latter on the east, and the former on the west. They are connected by a
bridge, the central part of which can be swung open, to allow of the
passing and repassing of ships. The name of Weymouth is generally given
to the united towns, which are both in the county of Dorset, and about
130 miles to the south-westward of London.

Weymouth derives its name from the Wey, or Way, a small river which
there discharges itself into the sea. It is a place of great antiquity;
it is mentioned in a charter granted by Ethelred, about the year 880,
giving certain lands there to his faithful minister, Altsere. In the
Domesday Survey there are no less than eight places in the county with
the name of _Wai_ or _Waia_; that, however, which is described as having
twelve _salterns_, or salt ponds, was undoubtedly the Weymouth of the
present time. In the reign of Edward II. Weymouth returned two members
to Parliament; and in 1347, probably in conjunction with Melcombe, it
supplied 15 ships and 263 mariners to the grand fleet of Edward III.

Melcombe owes its adjunct, "Regis"--King's--to its having been a part of
the demesne lands of the crown in the time of Edward I. It is not
mentioned in the Domesday survey; but it appears to have been summoned
to return two members to Parliament several years earlier than Weymouth,
though the latter, in all charters, has precedence as the more ancient
town. The inhabitants of the two places had frequent quarrels respecting
their rights to the harbour and the profits thence accruing; and, in
consequence of those dissensions, the towns were deprived of the
privileges of a staple port by Henry VI. In the thirteenth year of the
reign of Elizabeth the two towns were united into one borough, having
their privileges in common, and jointly returning four members to
Parliament. By the Reform Bill the number of members returned by the
united towns has been limited to two.

The following is Leland's account of the two places at the time of his
visiting them, in the reign of Henry VIII.: "Ther is a townlet on the
hither side of the haven of Waymouth caullid Milton or Melcombe], beyng
privilegid and having a mair. This town, as it is evidently seene, hathe
beene far bigger then it is now. The cause of this is layid on to the
Frenchmen, that in tymes of war rasid this towne for lak of defence. For
so many houses as be yn the town, they be welle and strongly buildid of
stone. There is a chapelle of ease in Milton. The paroch church is a
mile of: a manifest token that Milton is no very old town ... Milton
standith as a peninsula, by reason of the water of the haven that a
little above the toun, spreedith abrode and makith a bay, and by the bay
of the mayne sea that gulfith it in on the other side. The tounlet of
Waymouth lyith strait agaynst Milton on the other side of the haven, and
at this place the water of the haven is but of a small brede; and the
_trajectus_ is by a bote and a rope bent over the haven, so that in the
fery bote they use no oars. Waymouth hath certein liberties and
privileges, but ther is no mair yn it. Ther is a key and warf for
shippes."[4]

In the same manner as at many other towns on the southern coast, the
trade of Weymouth appears to have declined considerably from the time
that the English ceased to have any possessions in France; and the
comparatively small depth of water in the harbour has tended to prevent
the increase of its shipping in modern times. The harbour at Weymouth is
what is called a tide-harbour. The channel is about fourteen feet deep
at high water; and at the quays on each side the ships lie aground at
low water. The large lake at the westward of Melcombe-Regis receives at
spring tides a vast body of water, which, on its return scours the
harbour and prevents the accumulation of sand. The number of ships
belonging to the port of Weymouth is about eighty-five, the aggregate
tonnage of which is 7175 tons.

The increase of Weymouth within the last forty or fifty years is chiefly
owing to the number of persons who take up a temporary residence there
to enjoy the benefit of sea-bathing, for which the excellent beach
affords the greatest convenience. It is said that the place first began
to obtain celebrity on this account about 1763, in consequence of Ralph
Allen, Esq., of Prior Park, near Bath, having derived great benefit
while residing there, and recommending it to his friends. Weymouth was
visited, in 1789, by George III., who resided there for about ten weeks,
and was so much pleased with the place that in several succeeding years
it was honoured with a royal visit.

[4] Leland's Itinerary, vol. iii., p. 79. Edition 1769.




[Illustration: HURST CASTLE.

_THE PRISON OF KING CHARLES I._]




HURST CASTLE


    "Here Walter Scott has woo'd the Northern muse;
    Here he with me has joyed to walk or cruise;
    Hence have we ranged by Celtic camps and barrows,
    Or climb'd the expectant bank, to thread the Narrows
    Of HURST, bound westward to the gloomy bower
    Where CHARLES was prisoned in yon island-tower."

        W. STEWART ROSE.

Among the numerous objects which confer particular interest and beauty
on the neighbourhood of Lymington, the most prominent is Hurst Castle,
of which a striking view is presented in the annexed Engraving. It was
erected by Henry the Eighth, as a fortress for the protection of this
part of the Channel from piratical inroads and hostile aggression, and
to give his "loving subjects" a strong and lasting pledge of his
"paternal solicitude" for their welfare. It is situated near the
extremity of a remarkable, natural causeway, or point of land, which
runs boldly into the sea to a distance of nearly two miles, and exhibits
these massive battlements to great advantage. Its works of defence
consist of a circular tower, strengthened by semicircular bastions; and
when armed and garrisoned in a manner becoming the important trust
confided to it, must have presented a very formidable appearance.

Lymington, to whose neighbourhood this formidable stronghold serves as
an attractive feature, is now well known and much frequented as a
delightful watering-place. It stands about a mile from the narrow
channel which separates the main land from the Isle of Wight. Owing to
the daily increasing facilities of communication, the picturesque
scenery of the New Forest, the various objects of interest and notoriety
with which the vicinity abounds, and the delightful prospects which may
be enjoyed from the windows of the apartments as well as from the
adjoining walks, Lymington is well deserving of the commendation which
it has uniformly received from all strangers.[5]

Among the many tempting rides and walks which are open to the public,
and present a continual variety of sea and inland views, the most
interesting are those to Mudiford, Milford, Boldre, Beaulieu, and High
Cliff. On the latter the late Earl of Bute erected a magnificent
edifice, in consequence of an early and strong partiality to the spot;
for here, he observed, he had always slept soundly, when he could find
that luxury nowhere else. The view from this point is one of the finest
in the kingdom. The house, though much reduced in size, and modernized
by the present owner, has rather gained than lost by the change; while
the salubrious quality of the air has certainly not deteriorated. Boldre
contains much picturesque scenery, which will be still more highly
appreciated when the stranger is informed that in the vicarage of this
parish, and amidst the scenes which daily met his eye, the late Rev. and
pious William Gilpin composed his popular work on Forest Scenery.[6]
Beaulieu is interesting as having been the seat of a rich abbey, founded
in 1204; the refectory of which has been long used as a parish
church.[7] Mudiford possesses a fine level sandy beach, of wide extent,
admirably adapted for sea-bathing, and commanding a variety of scenes
and objects of great beauty. It was a favourite with George the Third
and Queen Charlotte, when at Weymouth, who honoured Mr. Rose with a
visit at his picturesque cottage on the beach.

[5] The cliffs which extend towards Hurst Castle abound in marine
fossils, shells, and petrifactions, from which many excellent
collections have been made.

[6] _Remarks on Forest Scenery and other Woodland Views, illustrated by
the Scenery of New Forest, 1791._ The _Picturesque Tours_, by the same
author, display a deep and correct feeling of the beauties of nature. At
his death, in 1804, he appropriated a collection of his Sketches to the
endowment of a school at Boldre.

[7] The pulpit belonging to this ancient refectory is the most perfect
and elegant relic of its kind in England.




[Illustration: COWES.

_HAMPSHIRE._]




COWES.


East and West Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, lie on opposite sides, and
near the mouth of the river Medina, which rises on the southern side of
the island, and after passing Newport, discharges itself into the
strait--usually called the Solent Sea--that separates the Isle of Wight
from the main land. The view of the harbour in the engraving is taken
from West Cowes.

In the reign of Henry VIII., two castles were built at the mouth of the
river Medina to defend the passage to Newport. The old castle at West
Cowes is still standing, but that of East Cowes has long been
demolished. The castellated building seen in the engraving is a
gentleman's seat, and is of modern erection, combining the interior
comforts of modern civilization with the exterior grandeur of a baronial
residence of the middle ages; but whether such a combination is lawful,
admits of a doubt. Beheld from the sea, with its towers and battlements
rising above the luxuriant plantations around it, has a fine and
imposing effect. The grounds are extensive and well designed, possessing
at once the scenery of a park and the cultivated beauty of a
pleasure-ground.

Cowes harbour is spacious and commodious; and the roads off the mouth of
the river, which afford excellent anchorage, used frequently to be
crowded, in time of war, with merchant-vessels waiting for convoy; and
the towns derived great advantage from supplying ships, while thus
detained, with provisions and small stores. The loss of a great part of
this trade, on the termination of the war, has perhaps been more than
compensated by Cowes having become the rendezvous of the Royal Yacht
Squadron, which was first established under the name of the Yacht Club,
in 1815. The number of vessels belonging to the squadron is about a
hundred, and their aggregate tonnage is nearly 9,000 tons. The members
have a club-house at Cowes; and at the annual regatta, which generally
takes place about the last week in August, there are usually upwards of
two hundred vessels assembled in the roads, to witness the sailing for
the different prizes.

The town of West Cowes is situated on the declivity, and at the base of
a hill, on the summit of which stands the church. The streets are mostly
narrow, and irregularly built; but recently the town and its vicinity
have been much improved by the erection of several large houses and
beautiful villas. There is a regular communication between Cowes and
Southampton, by steam-boats, which, in summer, leave each place twice a
day. East Cowes is a much smaller place than West Cowes; but, like the
latter, it has been greatly enlarged within the last twenty years.

In the vicinity of East Cowes is situated Osborne House, the marine
residence of her Majesty and the royal family, for whose accommodation
great additions and improvements have been made to the house and
grounds, and what was formerly the seat of a private gentleman, has now
been rendered a palace worthy of the royalty of England. The brief
limits to which our notices are confined preclude us from entering upon
a description of an edifice to which we could do but very imperfect
justice, and which, after all, must derive its chief interest from the
illustrious family who occupy its walls, and avail themselves of its
peculiarly advantageous situation as the starting point for those marine
excursions in which the Queen and her Consort so frequently indulge. The
presence of royalty in its neighbourhood has rendered Cowes one of the
most fashionable, as nature had previously made it one of the most
beautiful, of the watering places on our southern coast, while the
facilities afforded by the competing lines of the London and South
Western, and London and South Coast Railways, render it at all times
easy of access from the metropolis.




[Illustration: SOUTHAMPTON.

_HANTS._]




SOUTHAMPTON.


The town of Southampton is situated in the county of the same name, or,
as it is more frequently called, Hampshire. It is built on a point of
land at the confluence of the river Itchin with the estuary called the
Anton, but which is more generally known as Southampton Water. The
origin of the name of the town--which has unquestionably given its name
to the county--does not appear to have been satisfactorily ascertained;
some writers supposing it to be composed of the Saxon words, _ham_ and
_tun_ or _ton_--which are nearly synonymous, and each equivalent to the
modern English town--with the prefix _South_ to distinguish it more
emphatically from Northampton. Others, however, consider that the name
has been derived from the river Anton, on the banks of which the town is
situated. "The town of _An_dover," says Sir Henry Englefield, "the
village of Abbot's-_An_, the farm of North_anton_, and the hamlet of
South_anton_, both near Overton, and not far from the eastern source of
the river _Anton_ or rather _Ant_, are abundant proofs of the
probability of this etymology."

Southampton, as a chartered borough, may rank with the oldest in the
kingdom. Madox, in his _Firma Burgi_, says that Henry II. "confirmed to
his men, or burgesses of Southampton, their guild, and their liberties
and customs by sea and land; he having regard to the great charges which
the inhabitants thereof have been at in defending the sea-coasts." From
a grant by the same king to the priory of St. Dionysius, it appears that
there were then four churches in Southampton. While the English were in
possession of Guienne, the merchants of Southampton carried on a
considerable trade with Bayonne, Bordeaux, and other towns in the south
of France.

In 1338 the town was assaulted and burnt by a party of French or
Genoese; and in the next year an act was passed for its better
fortification. Whatever injury the town might have sustained from the
attack of the French or Genoese, it would seem that its trade as a port
was not diminished by it; for, nine years afterwards, Southampton
supplied twenty-one ships and four hundred and seventy-six mariners to
the great fleet of Edward III. In consequence of another attack by the
French, in the reign of Richard II., the fortifications were further
strengthened. In 1415 the army of Henry V., destined for the invasion
of France, assembled at Southampton, where, previous to their
embarkation, the Earl of Cambridge, Lord Scrope, and Sir Thomas Grey,
were executed for high treason. The result of this memorable expedition
was the victory of Agincourt. While the English continued to hold
possession of part of France, the trade of Southampton appears to have
been very flourishing, and the port was one of the principal in the
south of England for the import of wine. Camden, writing about 1586,
describes it as a town famous for the number and neatness of its
buildings, the wealth of its inhabitants, and the resort of merchants;
"but now," adds Camden's translator, writing about a hundred years
afterwards, "it is not in the same flourishing condition as formerly it
was; for having lost a great part of its trade, it has lost most of its
inhabitants too; and the great houses of merchants are now dropping to
the ground, and only show its ancient magnificence."[8]

For the last fifty years the trade of Southampton, as a port, has been
gradually reviving; and at present there is no port in the south of
England in a more flourishing condition. The arrival and departure of
the numerous large steamers belonging to the Oriental and Peninsular and
the West India Mail Packet Companies, give it an air of activity and
importance very different from the character given of it in the
preceding paragraph. The splendid docks, and the facilities afforded by
the railway, have induced the government of the day to select it as an
eligible point for the embarkation of a large portion of the emigrants
sent out with free or assisted passages to the Australian colonies.

[8] Camden's _Britannia_, translated by Bishop Gibson, vol. i., p. 213.




[Illustration: THE WALLS OF SOUTHAMPTON.]




SOUTHAMPTON.

THE WALLS.


    "Of yore, SOUTHAMPTON, by thy briny flood,
    Girt with his courtly train, great Canute stood;
    And, turning from the disobedient wave,
    A check severe to servile flattery gave."

The accompanying View shows a portion of those ancient fortifications
within which the town of Southampton was originally enclosed. The walls
are in many places quite demolished; but in others they still present a
venerable, though dilapidated appearance, with the remains of several
towers at regular intervals, after the manner of fortified cities. The
circuit of the walls is computed at nearly two miles. With regard to the
precise date at which the walls were erected, there is no certain
record. The north, east, and south walls bear every mark of uniform
regularity in their structure: the gates of the town are apparently of
the same date with the walls, and much resemble each other in the massy,
flat form of their pointed arches, which rise at an angle from their
piers, being struck from centres below the level of their spring--a mode
of construction chiefly used in the reign of Edward the First. Yet the
remains of semicircular towers, still visible on the Bargate, and which
flanked its round arch, very much resembling the towers on the north and
east walls, lead us to suspect that the wall, on the land side at least,
is of higher antiquity than the time of the Edwards, and that the
present gates were built later than the wall. The very singular position
of the Water-gate, which retires thirty feet behind the eastern part of
the south wall, and the awkward position of the South-gate, at the very
angle of the wall, seem to indicate that these gates were not parts of
the original design. From the south-west angle of the wall, quite to the
Bridle-gate, which was close to the vallum of the Castle, the whole wall
is a mass of irregular and almost inexplicable construction. It is
conjectured that the side of the town, protected as it was by the
Castle, and covered by the sea, was not at all, or but very slightly
fortified, until the fatal experience of the sack of the town by the
French proved that some further defence was necessary. The line of the
town wall, south of the West-gate, is irregular in its construction; and
the wall between the West and Bridle-gates bears evident marks of
having been built in the most hasty manner, and with the greatest
economy of materials. This wall, in its present form, Sir Henry
Englefield supposes to have been built about the period when, according
to the old historians, Richard the Second fortified the town, and built,
or probably repaired and strengthened, the Castle, for it had evidently
been built several centuries before his reign.

At the accession of Henry the Eighth, the port of Southampton was much
frequented by foreign merchant vessels, particularly those of Venice,
which traded largely in wool and tin. But the exportation of wool being
prohibited by the legislature, the Levant merchants gradually resorted
to other ports, and, now deserted by her commercial friends, Southampton
found her resources greatly impoverished. About the commencement of the
last century, however, the tide flowed once more in her favour, and,
continuing to increase, has at length placed her in a position of
unprecedented prosperity. But to this happy result the erecting of new
docks, an improved harbour, and, above all, communication with London by
railway, have mainly contributed. The terminus to the latter, begun and
completed in 1839, is a very pleasing piece of Italian composition, with
a projecting rusticated arcade of five arches below, and the same number
of pedimental windows to the upper floor. The façade, nearly seventy
feet in length, is considerably extended in its lower part by
screen-walls, which take a sweep from the building.

The principal trade of Southampton is with Portugal and the Baltic, and
with the islands of Guernsey and Jersey. Hemp, iron, and tallow are
imported from Russia; tar and pitch from Sweden; and from Portugal, wine
and fruit.

The environs of Southampton are particularly interesting and
agreeable--enlivened with elegant seats, romantic ruins, picturesque
villages, and much beautiful scenery, which never fail to attract a
great confluence of visitors during the fine season. Among these Netley
Abbey is the grand attraction. The town itself is rich in vestiges of
antiquity; and, in its modern character, presents all the _agrémens_ to
be met with in our most fashionable watering-places.




[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR.]




PORTSMOUTH.

ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOUR.


In the front of this view, and towards the right, a man-of-war cutter is
seen running out of the harbour; and, from her heel to leeward, and the
agitated state of the water, we may perceive that it is blowing a stiff
breeze. Vessels of her class are chiefly employed in the coast-guard
service and as admirals' tenders, or as packets on short voyages, or in
communicating between one naval depôt and another. In the distance, to
leeward of her, the Dock-yard semaphore is perceived; and more to the
right, but nearer to the eye of the spectator, is seen the Round Tower;
from which, in former times, an immense chain used to extend to the
Block-house at Gosport, on the opposite side of the channel, for the
purpose of protecting the entrance to the harbour, in the event of its
being assailed by the ships of an enemy. Towards the centre of the
engraving a broad-side view is presented of the Port-Admiral's
flag-ship, a first-rate, which, from the flags at her mast-head, appears
to be making a signal; ahead of her, in the distance, the hulls are
perceived of two ships of war, laid up in ordinary; and further to the
left is seen part of the Block-house Fort, at Gosport, with a beacon, to
direct vessels in making the harbour.

Portsmouth harbour is one of the most secure and commodious in the
kingdom; and from the depth of water, both within it and at its mouth,
ships of the line can enter or depart at all times of the tide. From the
narrowness of its entrance,--which, between the old Round Tower at
Portsmouth and the Block-house Fort at Gosport, is not wider than the
Thames at London-bridge,--it is protected from the swell of the sea;
while it is sheltered from the violence of winds blowing off the land,
by the range of hills to the northward. Immediately above its entrance
the harbour begins to expand, and about a mile and a half above the old
Round Tower it is nearly two miles in breadth. It then branches off into
three principal creeks, or _leats_, as they are frequently called; one
of which runs up to Fareham, another to Porchester Castle, and the third
to Portsbridge. In these creeks most of the men-of-war in ordinary are
moored. As those ships, when laid up, are each covered over with a large
wooden roof, to protect them from the effects of the weather, they
appear, when seen from Portsdown Hill, which commands an excellent view
of the harbour, not so much like floating castles as like immense
floating barns--ample garners, which would contain more corn than the
swords and cutlasses of their former gallant crews, beat into
reaping-hooks, will ever cut down!

At Portsmouth the tide flows about seven hours and ebbs about five; and
the velocity with which the ebb tide runs out effectually scours the
channel at the mouth of the harbour, and prevents the accumulation of
sand. It is high water in the harbour at half-past 11 o'clock at the
full and change of the moon; and the rise of spring tides is about
eighteen feet, and of neaps about twelve. In the months of March and
April the specific gravity of the water in Portsmouth harbour becomes so
much increased, that ships lying there are observed to float about two
inches lighter than at other times of the year. The latitude of the
Observatory in the Dock-yard is 50° 48' 3" north; longitude 1° 5' 59"
west.

Though Portsmouth does not appear to have been a place of much
consideration as a naval station previous to the reign of Henry VIII.,
who may be regarded as the first English King that established a
permanent royal navy, it was yet undoubtedly a town of some consequence
long before that time. In 1194, Richard I. granted a charter to the
inhabitants, wherein, after declaring that he retains the town of
"Portsmue" in his own hands, he establishes an annual fair to be held
therein for fifteen days, to which all persons of England, Normandy,
Poictou, Wales, Scotland, and all others, either foreigners or his own
people, might freely resort, and enjoy the same privileges as at the
fairs of Winchester, Hoiland, or elsewhere in his dominions. The
burgesses of "Portsmue," as the place was then called, were also allowed
to have a weekly market, with the same privileges and immunities as
those of Winchester and Oxford; with freedom from all tolls of portage,
passage, and stallage, and exemption from suit and service at hundred
and county courts.[9] This charter was confirmed in 1201 by King John,
and in 1230 by Henry II.; and in 1256 the latter monarch granted another
charter, establishing a guild of merchants at Portsmouth. The privileges
of the burgesses were at several different times confirmed by succeeding
kings; and, in 1627, Charles I. granted them a charter, whereby a mayor
and twelve aldermen were appointed for the civil government of the town.
This charter, which was renewed by Charles II., has since been modified
by the Municipal Reform Bill of 1835, which directs that the borough
shall be divided into six wards, which shall elect a town council of
forty-two members. In 1298 the borough was summoned to send two members
to Parliament, a privilege which it continues to enjoy.

[9] Anderson's History of Commerce, vol. i., p. 180., edit. 1787.




[Illustration: RIGGING HULK AND FRIGATE, PORTSMOUTH.]




PORTSMOUTH.

RIGGING-HULK, WITH A NEW FRIGATE ALONGSIDE.


In this engraving we have a view of a new frigate, with only her lower
masts in, lying alongside of the _Topaze_ rigging-hulk. The latter
vessel--which now presents so clumsy an appearance, from her bows and
sides being sheathed with a stout doubling of timber, and from a wooden
house being built over her stem--was formerly a French frigate, and,
when she first came into our possession, she was much admired by
nautical men for the beauty of her build. Further in the distance, to
the right, is seen a first-rate lying off the Dockyard Quay, partly
rigged; and, beyond her, are perceived the immense wooden roofs which
cover the building-slips. The line of building to the right is the
rigging-house, and the tower erected above it is the Dockyard Semaphore.
On the extreme right, towards the front, is seen the forepart of a
mooring-lighter, with one of the numerous spar-booms lying afloat near
the Common Hard. The original picture was exhibited in the Gallery of
the British Institution, where it excited general admiration.

The great naval depôt at Portsmouth is partially described in connection
with other engravings in this work, and we have therefore thought it
might be interesting to occupy our present space with some details
respecting the peculiar mode in which one very important portion of the
rigging is manufactured in this yard, and which forms a principal object
of curiosity to all persons visiting it. We allude to the machinery for
manufacturing blocks, invented by Mr. Brunel, the celebrated engineer.

After the wood--generally elm--for the shell of the block is cut into
proper sizes by circular-saws, its complete formation, including the pin
and the sheave, is effected by means of several different machines, all
contrived with the greatest mechanical skill, and put in motion by a
steam-engine. The first process is that of the boring-machine, which, by
means of a centre-bit, pierces a hole to receive the pin, and at the
same time, according as the block is intended to be single or double,
forms one or two similar holes, at right angles to the former, to
receive the first stroke of the chisel which cuts out the space for the
sheave. By the second, called the mortising-machine, this space is cut
out by a chisel acting vertically, and making about a hundred and
twenty strokes a minute, and under which the block is caused to move
gradually, so that at each stroke a thin piece of the wood is cut away.
After this the block is taken to a circular-saw, which cuts off the
corners, and reduces it to the form of an octagon. The shaping-machine,
to which it is next taken, consists of two equal and parallel wheels
moving on the same axis, to which one of them is permanently fixed,
while the other is moveable in the line of the axis, so that, by sliding
it nearer to the former, or more apart, as may be required, the shells
of blocks of all sizes may be fixed between their two parallel rims. Ten
shells of the same size being firmly fixed at regular intervals between
those rims, the wheels are put into motion with extreme velocity, and
the shells are rounded by striking against a cutting instrument, which
at the same time moves in such a manner as to give to each block its
proper shape and curvature. When one half of the side has thus been
finished, the motion of the wheels is reversed, and the other half
finished in the same manner. When one side has been rounded, the shells
are reversed, and the other side completed as above. The last process
which the shell undergoes consists in scooping out the groove for the
strap, or "strop," as the rope is called, which goes round the block.
The shell is now completed, and the visitor is next shown the different
processes in forming the sheave and the pin.

The sheaves are generally made of lignum-vitæ; and the first operation
is performed by a circular-saw, which cuts the wood into pieces of a
proper thickness. By a second machine the holes for the pins are bored,
and they are formed into perfect circles by means of a crown-saw. The
third, called the coaking-machine, is an admirable specimen of
mechanical ingenuity. By its operation, a small cutter drills out round
the pin-hole--to a certain depth from the flat surface of the
sheave--three semicircular grooves, for the reception of the metal coak,
or bush, which sustains the friction of the pin. So truly are those
grooves formed, that the slight tap of a hammer is sufficient to fix the
coak in its place. The fourth operation consists in casting the coaks.
By a fifth, after being fitted in the grooves, holes are drilled in the
coaks, for the reception of the pins which fasten them to the sheaves;
and by a sixth the pins are rivetted. By the seventh operation, the
central hole in the coak for the pin, on which the sheave turns, is
drilled out. By the eighth, the groove for the rope is turned round the
circumference of the sheave, and its sides polished. In the ninth, the
iron pins, on which the sheaves revolve, are cast, turned, and polished;
and on their being inserted, the block is complete and ready for use.




[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE SALUTING PLATFORM, PORTSMOUTH.]




PORTSMOUTH.

VIEW FROM THE SALUTING PLATFORM.


The correctness of this view will be immediately recognised by every
person in the least acquainted with Portsmouth. The platform, from which
it is taken, forms the grand promenade of the inhabitants, and is
usually the first place visited by strangers, on account of the prospect
which is thence obtained. Immediately in front of the engraving is seen
the northern extremity of the platform, on which are two soldiers, who
seem indulging themselves with a leisurely inhalation of the fresh
breeze from the water, after having liberally expended a portion of
their own breath in sounding their bugles at parade. Beyond the
platform, the most conspicuous object is the Government Semaphore, with
three flags displayed as a signal; and to the left, the landing-place
called the King's Stairs. Beyond the old round tower is seen the
flag-ship of the Port Admiral; and, between her and the gun-brig which
is running in, a distant view is obtained of the Town Hall of Gosport.

Portsmouth, one of our greatest naval depôts, is situated near the
south-western extremity of the island of Portsea, in the county of
Hampshire, and is about seventy miles S.S.W. of London. Adjoining to it,
on the northward, is the town of Portsea; and to the south-east, without
the walls, lies the suburb of Southsea. The three places may be
considered as forming one large town, under the general name of
Portsmouth, the aggregate population of which is about 50,000. The
population of Gosport, which lies to the westward of Portsmouth, on the
opposite side of the harbour, is, with that of the adjacent hamlet of
Stoke, about 12,000. The docks and naval storehouses are within the
precinct of Portsea; the hospital and the victualling establishment are
at Gosport; and the offices of the Port Admiral and the residence of the
Lieutenant-Governor are at Portsmouth, within the lines of which are
also the barracks for the accommodation of the garrison. Portsmouth is
strongly fortified by a circuit of bastions and a moat, which enclose
the town on the landside, and which are connected with a similar line,
extending in a semi-circular form round the landside of Portsea. In the
event of a siege, it would require 14,000 men to form an efficient
garrison for the united towns. The situation of Portsmouth is low and
marshy; and the peculiar smell which arises from the mud at low water,
and from the moat, may be perceived at the distance of two or three
miles, in approaching the town from the northward.

The principal church at Portsmouth stands in St. Thomas'-street, and
nearly in the centre of the town. It is dedicated to St. Thomas à
Becket, and was erected between 1210 and 1220, by Peter de Rupibus,
Bishop of Winchester. The transept and the chancel are the only parts
which remain of the original structure, the nave and side-aisles having
been rebuilt in 1692. At the same time the old tower, which formerly
stood above the intersection of the transepts and the nave, was taken
down, and the present one erected at the western entrance. It is
surmounted with a cupola, and its height is about 120 feet.

With the exception of the older parts of St. Thomas' Church, which
afford one or two good specimens of the Gothic style, Portsmouth
contains but little in the shape of architectural antiquities that is
likely to attract the notice of the stranger. The building, above which
the Semaphore is erected, near the northern extremity of the saluting
platform, was, in former times, the residence of the governor of the
town. Previous to the suppression of the monasteries and religious
houses, it belonged to a Domus Dei, or hospital, which was founded in
1238. A part of the church of this hospital is yet standing at a short
distance to the south-east of the Semaphore, and near to the grand
parade. It is now the garrison chapel; and against its walls are placed
numerous monuments erected to the memory of officers, both naval and
military, who have died in the service of their country.

    "A tomb is theirs on every page,
      An epitaph on every tongue;
    The present hour, the future age,
      For them bewail, to them belong.

    For them the voice of festal mirth
      Grows hushed,--their name the only sound;
    While deep remembrance pours to worth
      The goblet's tributary round.

    A theme to crowds who knew them not,
      Lamented by admiring foes;
    Who would not share their glorious lot!
      Who would not die the death they chose!"[10]

[10] Lines by Lord Byron "On the Death of Sir Peter Parker."




[Illustration: GOSPORT, FLAG SHIP SALUTING.]




GOSPORT.


Gosport, of which our engraving represents a view, is a small, but
important town, adjoining Portsmouth, from which it is separated by a
wide channel, forming part of the extensive basin known as Portsmouth
Harbour, and containing a large number of our "wooden walls;" some in a
condition ready to put to sea at a few hours' notice, others lying in
ordinary, as it is termed, that is, without rigging, sails, or other
fittings requisite to render them complete and efficient for service,
but which are speedily provided when required. Portsmouth, Gosport, and
the neighbouring towns--including Portsea and Landport--form one
extensive fortified position, protected at every point from the attacks
of an enemy; they are enclosed by broad earthworks, along the extent of
which are mounted heavy guns, commanding the various drawbridges which
cross the moat surrounding the works. At a short distance from the town
is a large range of barracks for the marines, capable of accommodating
upwards of a thousand men--a portion of the building, including the
house of the commandant, has but recently been completed. Near this is a
new prison, devoted entirely to military occupation; it is a substantial
building of red brick, and well adapted for the accommodation of its
inmates consistent with its character as a penal establishment.

Close to the harbour, and within the fortifications, is an immense pile
of imposing appearance, called the Clarence Victualling-yard; the most
interesting feature of which is, the admirable but simple
steam-machinery employed in making biscuits for the navy. In the
precincts of this immense depository are also included a cooperage,
brewhouse, and slaughterhouse, which supply the navy with the stores
requisite for their various destinations, including wines and spirits,
of which a large stock is constantly kept here. The quay at which her
Majesty embarks for her private residence, Osborne House, in the Isle of
Wight, is situated in this yard, which is connected with the main line
of the South-Western Railway, by a small branch running from the
terminus, devoted solely to the use of her Majesty and the Lords of the
Admiralty. There are two churches in the town, St. Mathew's, near the
entrance to the Clarence-yard, and Trinity; the former consists entirely
of free sittings, the latter is a chapel of ease to the parish church,
situated at Alverstoke, a small village, at a distance of little more
than a mile from the town. There are also a Catholic chapel, two
Wesleyan chapels, and two Congregational chapels in the town.

Of late years the neighbourhood of Gosport has much improved; many
handsome and commodious villas, and other residences, having been
erected at various times. Anglesea, which adjoins Alverstoke, is quite a
new neighbourhood, and has but recently come into existence, consisting
principally of residences for the gentry during the summer months. The
town of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, is situated opposite to this spot,
and between them lies the Solent, which at times is enlivened by the
appearance of some ships of war lying at anchor, and frequently of large
fleets of merchant ships detained here from stress of weather, or
waiting a favourable wind to convey them to their respective
destinations. At the mouth of the harbour, on the Gosport side, is
situated Blockhouse Fort, opposite to a similar one on the Portsmouth
side, embrasured with heavy guns for protecting the entrance to the
harbour, which is approached only by a circuitous channel, commanded on
the one side by the guns of Southsea Castle, and on the other by those
of Fort Monckton, at a short distance from which has recently been
erected another fort, to protect the entrance to the Southampton Water.
Adjoining Blockhouse Fort are barracks for the Royal Artillery, and at
Fort Monckton, barracks for infantry. Near the latter is Haslar
Hospital, devoted to the reception of sick members of the navy and
marines; it is a handsome quadrangular building of red brick, and
affords accommodation for a large number of patients; within its walls
are included a church, and a Museum of Natural History, which is well
supplied with specimens, and to which additions are being continually
made by the officers and gentlemen connected with the service. At the
foot of the High-street, Gosport, is the landing-place for passengers by
the steam ferry, or floating bridge, as it is called, which plies
between Gosport and Portsmouth every half-hour, and forms the only means
of communication for carriages and vehicles of all kinds. In addition to
the steam ferry is a staff of watermen, busily plying their calling
during the absence of the bridge, and securing the stray passengers that
may prefer their mode of transport, or have arrived too late for the
other conveyance. During certain states of the weather, the danger and
difficulty of managing their boats entitle the watermen to increased
fares, which are indicated by certain coloured flags hoisted
conspicuously over the town hall, near the beach, and regulated by a
person appointed by the licensing magistrates. The climate of this part
is healthy, and well adapted for persons with weak lungs, or affections
to which a cold, keen, air would be unfavourable.




[Illustration: MEN OF WAR AT SPITHEAD.]




MEN-OF-WAR AT SPITHEAD.


In this Engraving (a vignette) is presented a stern-view of a
seventy-four, with her guess-warp booms[11] out, moored at Spithead. To
the right is a victualling hoy, dropping alongside of the seventy-four;
and in the distance is seen a first-rate. The time is evening, which
invests the whole scene with its calm. We may conclude that the day has
been fine, as both ships seem to have availed themselves of the
opportunity thus afforded of "drying hammocks;" they are seen suspended
from their yards and between their masts.

The roadstead of Spithead, which is sufficiently large to afford
convenient anchorage for nearly all the ships of the British navy, lies
between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight; and the usual place in which
ships of war ride is about three miles distant from Portsmouth harbour.
It derives its name from the _Spit_, or end of a sand bank, extending
from the western shore of the estuary towards Southsea Castle, about a
mile below Portsmouth. The channel for the harbour, from Spithead, is
comparatively narrow, and is commanded by the batteries at Southsea
Castle. To the westward of Spithead is the sand called the Motherbank,
on the edge of which merchantmen generally anchor; and to the
north-eastward are St. Helen's roads, a frequent rendezvous as well for
ships of war as for vessels in the merchant service. All these
roadsteads are protected from southerly winds by the high land of the
Isle of Wight.

Within the last few years considerable interest has been excited by the
attempts which have been made to raise the guns, and various other
articles, belonging to the Royal George, which sank at Spithead on 29th
August, 1782. This ship carried 108 guns, and was considered one of the
finest in the navy, had just returned from sea, and, as she had made
more water than usual for some time before, it was at first intended
that she should go into dock. The surveying officers, however, having
discovered that the leak was not very far below the water-line, it was
resolved to repair the defect, with a view to saving time, by giving the
ship a heel as she lay at her moorings at Spithead. On subsequent
examination, it was found that a pipe which supplied the water for
washing the decks required to be replaced, and, as it lay considerably
below the water-line, it became necessary to give her a greater heel
than had been at first contemplated. For the purpose of effecting this,
some of her guns and part of her ballast were removed to the opposite
side. As the ship lay thus considerably inclined on her side, she, from
some cause that has not been clearly ascertained, gave an additional
heel, and the water rushing in through her lower-deck ports, which had
been carelessly left open, she almost instantly filled and sank,
carrying down with her a victualling hoy that was lying alongside. At
the time of the accident there were nearly twelve hundred persons on
board, of which number about nine hundred, including two hundred and
fifty women, were drowned. Among the sufferers were Admiral Kempenfelt
and several of the officers. About three hundred persons, chiefly
belonging to the ship's crew, were saved. Admiral Sir P. Durham, at that
time one of the lieutenants of the Royal George, was on board when the
accident happened, and saved himself by swimming to the shore.

Mr. Kingstone, of the Portsmouth dockyard, who went down to the wreck in
a diving-bell in 1817, gives the following account of its appearance at
that time:--"The quarter-deck, forecastle, and roundhead, with the
larboard topside as low down as the range of the upper deck, are
entirely gone. The oak-strakes and midships of the flat of the upper
deck are much decayed by worms in several places so as to show the beams
and framing beneath. The whole of the fir appears as sound as when first
laid. The deck is much twisted, from the ship's falling so much fore and
aft. The wreck has a beautiful appearance when viewed about a fathom
above the deck, being covered with small weeds, interspersed with
shells, star-fish, and a species of polypus, lying on a thin, greasy,
grey sediment. All below the deck is a perfect solid of fine black mud;
and, when suspended over the larboard side, she appears a rude mass of
timber lying in all directions."

During the summer of 1853, Spithead was the scene of a grand marine
review and sham fight. Her Majesty and Prince Albert were present, with
a numerous suite of naval officers. The nautical skill displayed on the
occasion received the highest encomiums from those best qualified to
judge of its value; and the merit of the screw propeller, as attached to
vessels of war, was strikingly manifested.

[11] The guess-warp booms are the spars suspended at right angles from a
ship's side, to which the boats are made fast when she is moored.




[Illustration: BRIGHTON.

_SUSSEX._]




BRIGHTON.


Brighton is in the county of Sussex, and lies about fifty-two miles
south of London. The old name of the town was Brighthelmstone, which
some antiquaries suppose to have been derived from Brighthelm, a Saxon
bishop; while others suppose that it may be derived from the Saxon
_beorht_, _briht_, _berht_, and _byrt_, signifying _bright_; _heal_, a
light-house or watch-tower, a corner or point of a wedge, a hall; and
the word _tun_, or _ton_, signifying a town.

The name, spelled Bristelmstune, occurs in Doomsday-book. Three manors
are described under this name, and they all appear to have been formerly
in the possession of Earl Godwin, the father of King Harold. Brighton,
or Brighthelmstone, until it began to be frequented as a watering-place,
about the middle of the last century, is seldom noticed by historians;
and until that period it never appears to have risen above the condition
of a small fishing town. In 1313, John de Warren, then lord of the
manor, obtained a charter to have a market at Brighthelmstone every
Thursday; and in 1513 the place was pillaged by the French. In the reign
of Henry VIII. a block-house was erected at Brighton; and this defence
appears to have been either rebuilt or further strengthened in 1558.

About 1750, Brighton, which was then recovering from the depressed state
in which it had been for upwards of a century, began to be visited
during the summer as a bathing-place. In 1782, the Duke of Cumberland,
brother to George III., when residing at Brighton, received a visit from
the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., and his royal highness was
so much pleased with the place, that he determined to build for himself
a marine residence there. The Pavilion was accordingly commenced in
1784; but from the alterations and additions which the royal owner was
almost constantly making, it would be difficult to say when it was
finished. On the decease of George IV., the Pavilion became the property
of his successor, William IV., from whom it has descended to her present
Majesty, who, disapproving of it as a marine residence, it was allowed
to fall into decay, and was ultimately purchased from the crown by the
corporation for upwards of £50,000. It is now open to the public for a
small fee, and the larger rooms are occasionally used for balls,
concerts, and public meetings. The grounds are at all times available as
promenades; and, whatever the architect may say of its merits, there can
be no doubt that the edifice adds one to the many attractions of
Brighton, and forms a favourite lounge for the visitors in weather which
will not permit of recreation in the open air.

The Chain Pier is within a few minutes' walk of the Pavilion: it is
constructed upon the suspension principle; the chains are supported by
four pairs of towers, placed at a distance of nearly two hundred feet
apart. It terminates in a circular platform furnished with an awning and
seats, for the convenience of those who are desirous of inhaling the
invigorating breeze from so advantageous a position; commanding, as it
does, not only a prospect of the entire bay, but also an excellent view
of the town. The expense of its erection was about £30,000; but it has,
on several occasions, suffered from tempests, to which its great length
and exposed position render it at all times peculiarly liable, yet the
public spirit and liberality of the inhabitants have on each occasion
speedily repaired the damage.

There is, perhaps, not another watering-place in the kingdom which can
exhibit so imposing a front to the ocean. For an extent of nearly three
miles Brighton displays a continuous line of handsome buildings,
interspersed with squares, crescents, and terraces--all commanding views
of the sea. The district of Kemp Town, at the eastern extremity of this
line, deserves especial notice. Many of its mansions comprise all the
luxuries and conveniences of the metropolis, with the sanitary
advantages of marine villas; leaving nothing to be desired by the most
fastidious taste, and affording accommodation for large establishments
conducted upon a scale befitting the highest ranks of our aristocracy.

The proximity of Brighton to London, the short time in which the transit
between the towns is accomplished--less than two hours, and the numerous
trains which run during the day, give it at all times a decided
advantage over other sea-bathing towns on the south coast, and make a
popular excursion for those whom business or taste confines to the
capital, and who cannot enjoy a lengthened stay at the coast.

The high grounds on the land side of Brighton afford unusual facilities
for horse and carriage drives, and thus agreeably diversify the
amusements of the day--an opportunity of which the inhabitants and
visitors freely avail themselves. Of the bathing accommodations we have
left ourselves no room to speak; but we may say they are of the highest
character, replete with every convenience, and on a scale becoming a
town of sixty thousand permanent residents.




[Illustration: HASTINGS.]




HASTINGS.


The town of Hastings is situated on the coast of Sussex, about
sixty-four miles S.S.E. of London. It has been supposed that the place
was so called from Hastings, a Danish pirate, "who, where he landed for
booty, built sometimes little fortresses; as we read, in Asserius
Menevensis, of Beamflote Castle built by him in Essex, and of others at
Appledore and Middleton in Kent"[12]. This conjecture, however, does not
appear to be well founded; for there can be little doubt of the place
having been called Hastings about the year 780, in the reign of King
Offa, whereas Hastings, the pirate, did not invade England till about
880, in the reign of Alfred the Great. "Some there are," says Camden,
"who ridiculously derive the name from the English word _haste_;
because, as Matthew Paris writes, 'apud Hastings ligneum _agiliter_
castrum statuit Gulielmus Conquestor'--at Hastings William the Conqueror
_hastily_ set up a fortress of timber." Truly, as old Fuller might have
said, there has been more _haste_ than speed in the endeavour to provide
this place with a godfather.

It is said that the old Saxon town of Hastings stood considerably to the
southward of the present one, and that it was destroyed by the
incursions of the sea previous to the Conquest. The town, however, would
appear to have been in a short time rebuilt; for William the Conqueror,
soon after landing at Pevensey, marched to Hastings, from whence he
advanced about eight miles into the country, where he encountered the
English army under Harold, at the place since called Battle, in
commemoration of the event.

Hastings, though not the oldest, is considered to hold the first rank
among the ancient maritime boroughs called the Cinque Ports, which were
originally instituted for the defence of the coast, and endowed with
special privileges on condition of supplying a certain number of ships
and mariners for that purpose. Dover, Sandwich, and Romney are
considered the oldest of the Cinque Ports, as they are the only ones
which are mentioned in Domesday as privileged ports. Hastings and Hythe
are supposed to have been added by William the Conqueror; and the number
being thus increased to _five_, occasioned the community to be called
the _Cinque_ Ports. Although Winchelsea and Rye, which had previously
been members of Hastings, were constituted principal ports at some
period between the Conquest and the reign of King John, the name of
_Cinque_ Ports still continued to be given to the community. The Cinque
Ports are governed by a lord warden, who is also governor of Dover
Castle. A certain number of persons (called Barons) deputed from the
Cinque Ports, have the privilege of supporting the canopies above the
king and queen at coronations.

There was formerly a pier at Hastings, at which vessels could unload;
but it was destroyed in a violent storm, about the commencement of the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, and never rebuilt. From the remains of this
pier, which are still to be seen at low water, it appears to have run
out in a south-eastern direction from the centre of the Marine Parade,
below where the fort now stands. The fort, in a great measure, answers
the purpose of a breakwater in resisting the waves, which in high tides,
accompanied with a strong wind from the seaward, would otherwise be
likely to do serious damage to the lower part of the town.

The trade of Hastings is very inconsiderable; its imports being chiefly
coals for the consumption of the town, and its exports principally oak
timber and plank, for the purposes of ship-building. The great supports
of the town are the numerous visitors who take lodgings there during the
bathing season, and the fishery, which gives employment to about 500
persons. What may now be considered the old town of Hastings is situated
in a hollow between two hills, the East and the Castle-hill, and
consists chiefly of two streets, which run nearly parallel to each
other, and are called High-street and All-Saints-street. The new town of
Hastings, which has been almost wholly erected within the last thirty
years, lies to the south and westward of the Castle-hill, so called from
the ruins of the old castle on its top. There are two old churches at
Hastings, St. Clement's and All-Saints', and a modern chapel, St.
Mary's, in Pelham-crescent, immediately under the Castle-hill. From the
accommodation which it affords to visitors, and the beauty and interest
of the walks and rides in its vicinity, Hastings is one of the most
agreeable watering-places on the southern coast of England.

[12] Camden's Britannia, Bishop Gibson's Translation.




[Illustration: HASTINGS.]




HASTINGS.

FROM THE BEACH.


We have elsewhere remarked upon the origin and early history of this
fashionable watering-place, and at the same time traced its connexion
with those once important towns, the Cinque Ports: on the present
occasion we propose to occupy our space with its modern features, and to
include a brief notice of its more aristocratic neighbour, St. Leonards.
The older streets, that lie close under the hill and stretch up towards
London, are narrow and inconvenient; they are mostly occupied as shops,
but new ranges of smart and commodious dwelling-houses have been built
on every hand. For many years the visiters to Hastings had to submit to
the inconveniences attendant upon a residence in a small fishing-town;
but these have now been removed, and hotels and private lodging-houses,
provided with all the luxuries of modern requirement, are to be found in
abundance. The rapidity with which Hastings can be reached from the
metropolis, while it has greatly increased the number of its visiters,
has, perhaps, robbed it of part of that exclusiveness for which it was
formerly distinguished. It is now the summer resort of a large and
constantly-increasing number of the middle class, who derive a new stock
of health from its genial breezes and bracing waves, while their
expenditure forms the support of the large and constantly-increasing
resident population.

Of St. Leonards, we may remark that it is quite a creature of our own
day. Mr. Burton, the architect of a large part of the buildings about
the Regent's-park, commenced the formation of a new town here in 1828.
His plan was conceived on a bold scale, and was very fairly carried into
execution. A noble esplanade extends for more than half a mile along the
beach. A handsome range of buildings, called the Marina, some five
hundred feet in extent, stretches along the sea-front of the town, with
a covered colonnade of the same length. Other terraces and scattered
villas, bearing in character a considerable resemblance to those in the
Regent's-park, were also erected, together with a church,
assembly-rooms, bath-houses, and hotels of large size and the most
complete arrangements. There are also pleasure-grounds and other
contrivances for the amusement or comfort of visiters. St. Leonards has
been able to boast of a large array of noble and distinguished visiters
from its earliest infancy. Her present Majesty heads the list, she
having, when Princess Victoria, resided with her mother, in 1834, at the
western end of the Marina. The Queen Dowager is also among the names it
delights to remember. The house in which she lived is now called
Adelaide House. Among its literary visitants Campbell has perhaps the
first place, he having left a permanent record of his residence at it in
the _Lines on the View from St. Leonards_:--

    "Hail to thy face and odours, glorious Sea!
    'Twere thanklessness in me to bless thee not,
    Great, beauteous being! in whose breath and smile
    My heart beats calmer, and my very mind
    Inhales salubrious thoughts. How welcomer
    Thy murmurs than the murmurs of the world!
    Though like the world thou fluctuatest, thy din
    To me is peace, thy restlessness repose.
    Ev'n gladly I exchange yon spring-green lanes,
    With all the darling field-flowers in their prime,
    And gardens haunted by the nightingale's
    Long trills and gushing ecstacies of song,
    For these wild headlands and the sea-mew's clang.

    "With thee beneath my windows, pleasant Sea!
    I long not to o'erlook earth's fairest glades
    And green savannahs--Earth has not a plain
    So boundless or so beautiful as thine."

St. Leonards was originally a mile and a half distant from Hastings; but
the old town has stretched out its arms to its youthful progeny. The
Grand Parade was the first step towards uniting them; and now other
places have sprung up, and they are fairly joined together. The
esplanade now reaches, with hardly an interruption, from the Marine
Parade at Hastings to the Marina at St. Leonards, and forms probably the
finest walk of the kind in the kingdom.

The vicinity of Hastings is replete with objects of interest, and
amongst them we may mention Bulverhythe, a short distance from St.
Leonards, generally assigned as the landing-place of William of
Normandy. East Hill, or Camp Hill, was probably the site chosen for his
first encampment, whence, after a brief stay, he marched to meet the
English troops under Harold. Of the events of that day our readers are
already well informed; but should any of them feel disposed to spend a
day in visiting the old town of Battle, they will find their labour well
repaid by an inspection of the ruins of Battle Abbey; though we must
caution them against the supposition that the existing remains are those
of the edifice erected by the Conqueror in commemoration of his victory:
they are of a later date, yet still deserving of a better fate than
seems to have fallen to their share.




[Illustration: RYE

(Sussex)]




RYE,

SUSSEX.


To the Cinque Ports, of which Rye and Winchilsea are appendages, we have
already adverted in several articles of this work. As places where
strength and vigilance were particularly necessary, and from which ships
might put to sea in cases of sudden emergency, these ports were
entitled, in former times, to the special attention of government, and
performed great and important services to the country. Their privileges
are numerous, and they are within the jurisdiction of the Constable of
Dover Castle, Warden of the Cinque Ports.

Until the reign of Henry VIII., the crown seems to have had no permanent
navy, but to have depended almost entirely on the Cinque Ports for the
protection of our maritime frontier; and hence the origin of those
privileges conferred upon them by successive sovereigns, in
acknowledgment of services rendered to the State. Among these are the
exemption from toll and harbour-dues, still recognised at several ports,
and various other rights of minor consideration. In ancient times there
were several courts of jurisdiction, extending over all the ports and
their members, and intended either as courts of appeal, for persons who
considered themselves aggrieved by any of the separate and local
tribunals, or for regulating the grand affairs of the whole association;
but these may now be considered as obsolete--their functions have
dwindled to mere matters of form.

Rye is a town and harbour of great antiquity, near the borders of the
Kentish marshes. It occupies the declivity of a hill, on a peninsula,
bounded on the south and west by the sea, and on the east by the river
Rother. The town is composed of several well-formed and regularly built
streets, and lighted with gas; and from various points the eye wanders
over the channel and adjacent country, where rural and marine scenery
conspire to form some of the most delightful views on the coast of
England. The ancient history of Rye, during the height of its prosperity
as a sea-port, abounds in incidents of a martial and romantic interest,
as transmitted to us by Froissart and the ancient chroniclers of those
times when the star of chivalry was still dominant in the kingdoms of
Europe.

In the reign of Richard II., and again in that of Henry VI., Rye was
burnt by the French, when the early records of the town are supposed to
have been consumed; for, with the exception of a few fragments, all the
old writings and charters which have been discovered are subsequent to
that calamity. In the same conflagration, the old church is supposed to
have fallen a sacrifice, and to have been rebuilt in its present form--a
capacious cruciform structure with a central tower--but in a different
situation, the original having stood on the spot, near Ypres tower,
called the Old Church-yard. This tower, now appropriated to the purposes
of a gaol, has recently undergone several alterations and improvements.

The old harbour of Rye, which in former days presented so stirring a
scene of commercial activity, has dwindled like that of Sandwich,
Winchilsea, and many of its prosperous contemporaries, into comparative
insignificance. But in accounting for this melancholy fact, we must look
to natural causes, rather than to the decay of native enterprise. The
present harbour is situated on the east side of the town; and on the
north--a mile and a half from the sea entrance--vessels of two hundred
tons burden can still lade and unlade close to the quay. Under spirited
management, and with proper funds for such an enterprise, it is believed
that it might still be made to accommodate vessels of every draught and
tonnage. By means of the three rivers, Rother, Tillingham, and Brede,
which traverse the country, great facilities are afforded to commercial
intercourse. Coal, corn, hops, bark, wood, and timber, constitute the
chief articles of trade; and several sloops are constantly employed in
conveying chalk from the cliffs at Eastbourne, for the burning of lime.
During the season, the herring and mackarel fisheries employ a good many
hands, the produce of which is chiefly sent to the London market.

The Borough of Rye has exercised the elective franchise from the
earliest date of parliamentary representation. Previous to the enactment
of the Reform Bill, it returned two members; but by that great public
measure the town and its electoral district were limited to one
representative. The government of the town is vested in a mayor, four
aldermen, and twelve councillors. The mayor is coroner for the borough
and liberty, and also a justice of the peace. Courts of quarter sessions
are held before a recorder, nominated by the crown; and a commission of
the peace has been conferred on four gentlemen, residents of the
borough, who meet in petty session twice a week in the Court-hall. The
church-living, a discharged vicarage, is in the gift of the Earl of
Burlington. The charitable institutions consist of a Free Grammar
School, a British School, an almshouse, and some minor bequests for
benevolent purposes. Corn and provision-markets are held twice a week--a
cattle-market every fortnight--and annual fairs on Whitmonday and the
tenth of August.




[Illustration: FOLKSTONE.

_KENT._]




FOLKSTONE.


Folkstone is in the county of Kent, and lies about seventy-two miles
south-east of London, and seven west-south-west of Dover. In the
beautiful vignette, from a drawing by Boyes, the view is taken from the
eastward, and represents the characteristics of Folkstone of the past
rather than the present. Few ports in her Majesty's dominions have risen
into commercial eminence so rapidly as the subject of our present
Engraving. For the following description we are principally indebted to
the recently published work of Mr. G. Measom. He remarks: "The town is
very irregularly built in its lower and older part, having steep and
narrow streets, which nevertheless are clean and well paved, and the
whole is now lighted with gas. The higher portion, however, going up to
the cliffs, is much more regular, and comprises several pretty terraces
with lodging-houses for summer visitors, who may here enjoy all the
benefits of a fine, bracing air, and sea-bathing, combined with that
rural retirement so desirable in the country, and which cannot be found
either at Dover, Ramsgate, or other bathing towns on this coast. The
cliffs, too, command the most delightful views, south-west, over the
wide level of Romney Marsh, as far as Beachy Head, while seaward stands
the town and harbour at our feet, beyond which are the Straits of Dover,
skirted in the horizon by the coast of France. Folkstone has two
churches--one of modern erection in the upper town--and four or five places
of worship for Dissenters, all of which have attached Sunday-schools;
besides which there are several daily subscription-schools, and a good
grammar-school. It has also a town-hall and market-house, a
custom-house, a mechanics' institute, dispensary, several libraries,
reading-rooms, &c., and four or five good inns.

"The port of Folkstone, not less than the town, has been vastly improved
by the South-Eastern Railway Company. Even before they acquired
possession of it in 1845, efforts had been made by the construction of
an arm at the end of the pier to arrest the progress of shingle, which
here, as at Dover, constantly choked and filled up the harbour. The
first step adopted by the company was the carrying out from the
south-west end of the arm of the pier of a groyne formed with piles, and
which gradually led to the formation of a breakwater, about fifty feet
broad at top, forming an obtuse angle with the old arm of the pier. This
at once stopped the further accumulation of shingle within the harbour,
which was then at vast expense cleared of the gravel and mud long
collected therein, and it has since remained clear. This breakwater,
moreover, has been greatly improved by constructions of masonry intended
to bind the work together; and at the same time great additions and
improvements have been made both in the foundations and superstructures
of the original piers. In fact, Folkstone Harbour, which was before a
slough of gravel and mud, almost inaccessible except at half-spring or
spring tides, has, owing to these improvements, become 'a harbour having
twenty feet of water considerably within the entrance, and is now
capable of being entered by steamers three hours and a half after high
water; while during neap tides there are occasionally four or five feet
of water in the entrance at low water, and immediately outside,
sufficient for a steamer to take her passengers from the pier-head and
work herself clearly off.' (See _Mr. Swan's Report_.) Another point of
importance in connexion with this harbour, is the great ease with which
it can be taken in bad weather, to which the captains of steamers bear
almost individual testimony; and to this, also, we may add the superior
ease with which vessels may be swung, and the facility of backing out
without turning round, so as to save time in landing passengers and
again leaving port. On the whole, this harbour, as now improved, is one
of the finest monuments of engineering skill in this country, and
confers infinite honour on Peter W. Barlow, Esq., the company's
engineer, and the Directors, who so spiritedly backed the undertaking.
It scarcely need be added, that the first result of these improvements
was to make Folkstone suited for a regular packet station, and now for
some years this port has acquired at least one-half of the traffic
across the Straits, which was formerly wholly monopolised by the
neighbouring port of Dover; nor, as the sea voyage is shorter, and the
steamers are vastly superior, can there be any doubt that ere long it
will become the chosen route of all the intelligent travelling public.
Indeed, the constantly and rapidly increasing customs and harbour dues
of the port, year by year, furnish of themselves a sufficient proof that
Folkstone has acquired a vigour and vitality which it only requires
perseverance in the inhabitants to maintain; nor can this increase in
the prosperity of the town be truly ascribed to any other cause than the
spirited conduct of the company, who have made it one of their most
important maritime termini. The census, moreover, speaks on this subject
with an eloquence that is quite unanswerable, for in 1831 Folkstone had
only 2,300 inhabitants, and in 1841 but 2,900, whereas in 1851 it had
upwards of 7,500; showing an increase of about 140 per cent. Facts like
these speak more than all praise!"[13]

[13] G. Measom's _Illustrated Guide to the South-Eastern Railway_.




[Illustration: DOVER.

(from the Ramsgate Road.)]




DOVER,

FROM THE RAMSGATE ROAD.


The most favourable point of view for an artist who is desirous of
obtaining a general view of Dover, is certainly that portion of the
Ramsgate Road of which Mr. Bartlett has availed himself on the present
occasion. Placed at a sufficient elevation to enable him to embrace a
wide extent of land and water, he is still sufficiently near the town to
secure that distinctness of detail which adds so much to the effect of a
landscape. One of the chief points of attraction in Dover must always be
the Castle, but as we shall have another opportunity of referring to
that structure, in connection with our view of Dover from the Beach, we
purpose now to devote our attention to the town itself.

At the period of the Conquest, Dover was unquestionably a place of
considerable note. It is mentioned, with Sandwich and Romney, in the
Domesday-book, as a privileged port; and is said to have enjoyed, from
an earlier period, sundry privileges and immunities in common with those
two towns, on consideration of supplying a certain number of ships and
mariners for the defence of the adjacent coast. In the reign of King
John, Dover received a charter as one of the Cinque Ports; and in
several succeeding reigns, its shipping and mariners were frequently
employed in the fleets assembled to convey English armies to France. As
it was considered the key of England, it was surrounded with walls and
strongly fortified; and as it was the principal port in the kingdom for
persons taking shipping in proceeding to France, acts were passed in the
reign of Edward III. and Richard II., appointing the rate of passage.
Henry VIII. expended large sums in the improvement of the harbour, the
entrance of which had been much choked up by shingle washed in by the
sea. A pier was commenced, and carried on at a great expense, but he
died before it was completed; and in the reign of his successor, the
work appears to have been almost wholly suspended. In the reign of
Elizabeth, further attempts were made to improve the harbour; and in
1606 an act was passed appointing eleven commissioners, who were
empowered to receive certain rates, and employ the money in repairing
the pier and improving the harbour. In succeeding times various plans
have been tried to prevent the increase of the bar, which, after a gale
of wind from the seaward, is sometimes increased so much, as to prevent
all vessels, except those that are of very light draught of water, from
entering or leaving the port. It is high water at Dover pier at sixteen
minutes past eleven on the full and change of the moon; and the rise of
the water at spring-tides is about twenty feet. Dover is much frequented
in summer as a watering-place; and for the convenience which it affords,
and the beautiful and interesting scenery in its neighbourhood, it is
surpassed by no other town on the coast.

At a short distance from the entrance to Dover Castle is mounted the
long brass gun, usually called Queen Elizabeth's pocket-pistol, which
was presented to her Majesty by the United Provinces. It is twenty-four
feet long; but is so much "honey-combed," that, were it fired, it would
be certain to burst. Popular tradition says that it contains an
inscription to this effect:--

    "Sponge me well, and keep me clean,
    And I'll throw a ball to Calais green."

There is, indeed, an inscription on it in the Dutch language, but though
it commemorates the destructive power of this long piece of ordnance, it
says nothing which implies that its range was so extraordinary. The
distance from Dover Castle to the church of Notre-Dame, at Calais, is
rather more than twenty-six miles. This gun was cast at Utrecht in 1544,
by James Tolkys, and the verses inscribed on its breech have been
translated as follows:--

    "O'er hill and dale I throw my ball;
    Breaker, my name, of mound and wall."

About a mile to the southward of the town is the celebrated cliff which
is supposed to have been described by Shakspeare in King Lear.

        "_Gloster._--Dost thou know Dover?

        _Edgar._--Ay, master.

        _Gloster._--There is a cliff, whose high and bending head
                        Looks fearfully in the confined deep:
                        Bring me to the very brim of it.

               *       *       *       *       *

        _Edgar._--Come on, sir; here's the place:--stand
                      Still.--How fearful
                      And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eye so low!
                      The crows, and choughs, that wing the midway air,
                      Show scarce so gross as beetles: halfway down
                      Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!
                      Methinks he seems no bigger than his head:
                      The fishermen that walk upon the beach
                      Appear like mice; and yon tall anchoring bark,
                      Diminished to her cock; her cock, a buoy
                      Almost too small for sight: the murmuring surge,
                      That on the unnumber'd idle pebbles chafes,
                      Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more,
                      Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight
                      Topple down headlong."




[Illustration: DOVER.

_KENT._]




DOVER.


Dover is in the county of Kent, and lies about seventy-two miles
south-south-east of London. The town is situated in a valley, having on
one side the cliffs on which Dover Castle is built, and on the other the
eminence called the _Heights_; these are strongly fortified, and form
the principal defence of the town and harbour. The greater part of the
town lies on the western side of a small stream, called the Dour, which
there discharges itself into the sea. The view in the Engraving is taken
from the beach, on the eastern side of the harbour, looking towards the
north-east. The row of houses seen extending in a line nearly parallel
with the beach is called the Marine Parade; and, crowning the cliff, is
perceived what of old was termed "the Key and Bar of England,"--Dover
Castle. Its importance as a place of defence against the attacks of an
invading enemy has, however, been seldom proved; and for the last three
centuries the best defence of England against the invasion of her foes
has been her wooden-walls.

    "Britannia needs no bulwark,
    No towers along the steep;
    Her march is o'er the mountain wave,
    Her home is on the deep.
    With thunders from her native oak,
    She quells the floods below,
    As they roar on the shore,
    When the stormy tempests blow;
    When the battle rages loud and long,
    And the stormy tempests blow."

The height of the cliff, on which Dover Castle stands, is about three
hundred and twenty feet above the level of the sea; and the area of the
ground inclosed by the outward walls is about thirty-four acres. It has
been supposed that the Romans, in one of Julius Cæsar's expeditions,
first built a castle and established a military station at Dover; but
this opinion is founded on mere conjecture, and is extremely improbable.
That the Romans, at some subsequent period, had a station not far from
the present keep is certain; for the remains of the walls and ditch are
still perceptible. It however appears to have been but of small size,
and was probably only a _castrum exploratorum_, or look-out station,
garrisoned by a small body of soldiers detached from a neighbouring
camp. Within the boundary of the exploratory camp the Romans had built a
pharos, or watch-tower, the greater part of which is yet standing.

Previous to the Norman Conquest, there was undoubtedly a castle or
fortress at Dover, probably near the spot where the keep or principal
tower of Dover Castle now stands. Previous to the death of Edward the
Confessor it appears to have belonged to Harold, afterwards King of
England; for William, Duke of Normandy, who was then probably devising
measures to secure to himself the English crown, refused to allow Harold
to depart from Rouen, till he had taken an oath to deliver up to him
"the Castle of Dover and the well of water in it," on the decease of
Edward. After the battle of Hastings, the Conqueror marched without
delay to Dover, took possession of the castle, and put the governor to
death. It appears that he also burnt the town, which perhaps might not
have received him with sufficient humility, in order to terrify others
into immediate submission to his authority. The foundation of the
present keep of Dover Castle was laid by Henry II. in 1153, the year
before he succeeded to the English crown on the death of King Stephen.
The ground plan is nearly a square, and the building, in its general
appearance, bears a great resemblance to Rochester Castle, which was
erected according to the designs of Bishop Gundulph--the architect of
the White Tower in the Tower of London--in the early part of the reign
of William Rufus. The walls of the keep of Dover Castle are from
eighteen to twenty feet thick, and are traversed by galleries
communicating with the principal apartments. The summit is embattled;
and the top of the northern turret is 93 feet high from the ground, and
about 465 feet above the level of the sea, at low water. The view from
the top is extremely grand and interesting, including the North
Foreland, Reculver Church, Ramsgate Pier, Sandwich, and a great part of
the intermediate country, with the straits of Dover, the town of Calais,
and the line of the French coast from Gravelines to Boulogne. In 1800, a
bomb-proof arched roof was constructed, and several large cannon mounted
on it. During the late war the fortifications were greatly strengthened,
the old towers on the walls repaired, and additional quarters for
soldiers constructed, in order that the garrison, in the event of
invasion, might be able to withstand a regular siege.




[Illustration: SANDWICH.

(Kent.)]




SANDWICH,

KENT.


    Her walls are crumbling down--the gate,
    Through which her merchants wont to pour
    Is all dismantled: adverse fate
    Has cast a blight upon her shore.
    Her streets and shipless haven show
    The tenure of all things below.

The history of Sandwich, as one of the Cinque Ports, presents a striking
example of the fluctuation of trade, and the uncertain tenure by which
all mercantile property is held, when supported by merely human
ingenuity and enterprise. A very slight operation of nature is
sufficient to paralyse the hand of ambition, and to strike the once
productive landscape with sterility. Harbours, where our forefathers
have counted the thickly crowded masts of stately merchantmen, are now
deserted or forgotten. Many of the channels through which riches were
once poured into this county, have been gradually dried up; while new
ports and harbours have been opened on various parts of the coast, where
commercial enterprise has fixed her abode. But, like their predecessors,
these also may be deserted in their turn, and silently co-operate in
that ever-progressive scheme of nature, by which, as the old and
familiar scenes of our youth become changed or obliterated, others are
called forth to take their place. The existence of a shoal, or the
shifting of a sand-bank, may mar or diminish the prosperity of a city;
and to the great local changes which this part of the Kentish coast has
undergone, the decay of Sandwich, as a harbour, is chiefly to be
ascribed. Where fleets of merchantmen once rode in safety; where the
busy scenes of lading and unlading once offered pictures of maritime
prosperity, the fishing-craft of the place can hardly find anchorage,
and all the characteristics of a flourishing port have disappeared; so
that it may be affirmed, with a truth too evident, that--

    "The balance has shifted--prosperity's ray
    No longer enlivens her harbour and bay."

The town of Sandwich includes the parishes of St. Clement, St.
Mary-the-Virgin, and St. Peter-the-Apostle. St. Clement's Church is a
very ancient and spacious structure, with a massive tower, a noble
specimen of the Norman style of ecclesiastical architecture. St. Mary's
is also a church of considerable antiquity as well as St. Peter's; but
both have been considerably damaged by time and accident. The Guildhall
is an ancient and handsome edifice. The Free Grammar-School, endowed
with exhibitions, was founded in 1563; and among the charitable
institutions are the Hospitals of St. Thomas and St. John, in which a
number of aged persons of good character, but in reduced circumstances,
are comfortably supported. The Hospital of St. Bartholomew is a
munificent foundation, from the funds of which sixteen decayed tradesmen
of respectable character, and others, members of the corporation, are
supported in comparative affluence.

Sandwich was originally enclosed by walls and partly fortified. It had
eight gates, one of which, called Fisher's Gate, is considered by
architects and antiquaries as well deserving of inspection, for the
excellence of its design and workmanship. It illustrates a period when
the craft had reached its zenith in this country, and when the
Templars--the Vaubans of their day--still exercised the mysteries of
architecture.

Ship-building and rope-making, as well as a foreign trade with Norway,
Sweden, and Russia, in iron, timber, and hemp, are still carried on in
Sandwich though comparatively to a very small extent. The home trade,
chiefly with Wales and Scotland, consists of flour, seed, hops, malt,
fruit, &c. but of the once celebrated woollen trade of Sandwich not a
vestige is left. The weekly market-days are Wednesday and Saturday, with
a cattle-market every alternate Monday, and annual fairs on the second
of October and fourth of December.




[Illustration: RAMSGATE.]




RAMSGATE,

ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOUR.


The view of the entrance to Ramsgate harbour, engraved from a painting
by E. W. Cooke, is taken from the southward, and its fidelity will
immediately be recognised by every one who has seen the place. It is
blowing a stiff breeze, which causes a swell; and the fishing smack,
seen entering, is lowering her sails, that she may not have too much
_way_ when she gets within the harbour. To the left is the lighthouse,
which stands near the end of the western pier; and the extremity of the
eastern pier is perceived to the right.

The cost of Ramsgate harbour, dock, lighthouse, and other requisite
buildings, is said to have amounted to £650,000. The form of the harbour
is nearly circular, and its area is about forty-six acres. The length of
the eastern pier, following its angles, or "cants" as they are
technically termed, is about 2000 feet, and that of the western about
1500. Their general width is about 26 feet, including the thickness of
the parapets; and the width of the entrance to the harbour between their
heads is 240 feet. The harbour is maintained by a tonnage duty on all
ships passing, whether sailing on the east or west of the Goodwin Sands,
and by a duty on coals and stones discharged in the harbour.

The light displayed from the lighthouse is stationary, and is only
exhibited when there is ten feet water between the pier heads. In the
day time a flag is hoisted while there is the same depth of water at the
entrance of the harbour. In spring tides, the depth of water increases
to sixteen feet in about an hour from the time that the ten-feet signal
is displayed; in about two hours to twenty feet; and in three hours, or
about high water, to twenty-one feet. In neap-tides the depth of water
at those periods respectively is fourteen, seventeen, and eighteen feet
between the pier heads.

During the summer, Ramsgate is much frequented by visitors from London,
who come by the daily steam-packets to enjoy the benefit of sea-bathing,
for which the beach to the southward of the pier affords excellent
opportunity. Powerful steam-packets ply every day between London and
Ramsgate, and the passage up or down is usually made in seven hours.
There are several excellent hotels and many convenient lodging-houses at
Ramsgate, and the charges generally are moderate. At the close of the
year, when the summer visitants have all retired to their several
homes, another description of persons make their appearance at
Ramsgate--the Torbay fishermen, who generally establish their rendezvous
there from December to June, for the sake of fishing in the North Sea.
It seems probable that Ramsgate, as a port, will continue to increase
very considerably in importance; and, in the event of a continental war,
when steam-vessels are likely to be much employed, its eligibility as a
place for the embarkation of troops, and as a packet station, will
doubtless not be overlooked. It not unfrequently happens, in stormy
weather, that the Dover packets enter Ramsgate with safety, when they
cannot approach their own harbour.

The South-Eastern Railway Company have extended their line to Ramsgate,
and the route, though rather circuitous, secures a large share of
patronage from that portion of the pleasure-seeking visitants of our
coasts to whom the stiff breezes and heavy swell, generally found off
the North Foreland, are the reverse of gratifying.

George IV., on his departure to visit his Hanoverian dominions in 1821,
embarked at Ramsgate; and to commemorate the event, an obelisk was
erected by subscription of the inhabitants. The popularity of Ramsgate,
as a watering-place, was greatly increased by the partiality evinced for
it by her present Majesty, when Princess Victoria, who, with her august
mother, the Duchess of Kent, honoured it with several successive visits.

Camden, in his Britannia, gives the people of the Isle of Thanet, and
more particularly the inhabitants of Ramsgate, Margate, and Broadstairs,
the following character: "They are, as it were, amphibious, seeking
their living both by sea and land, and turning to account both elements.
They are fishermen and ploughmen, farmers and sailors; and the same man
that holds the shafts of a plough, turning up a furrow on land, can also
take the helm at sea. According to the season, they make nets, catch
cod, herring, mackerel, and other fish; go to sea, and export their own
commodities--and those very men also dung the ground, plough, sow,
harrow, reap, and house the corn." The inhabitants of Ramsgate, and of
the Isle of Thanet generally, no longer retain this amphibious
character; the "division of labour," the advantages of which are so
strikingly pointed out by political economists in the manufacture of
pins, has abridged their multifarious pursuits; the same man does not
now till the earth and plough the sea; and few indeed are to be found
who can handle an oar as well as a flail: the consequence is, that we
have better boatmen and better agriculturists.




[Illustration: BROADSTAIRS.

(Kent.)]




BROADSTAIRS.

ISLE OF THANET.


    "True to the dream of fancy, Ocean has
    His darker tints; but where's the element
    That chequers not its usefulness to man
    With casual terror?"

        CAMPBELL.

This delightful watering-place, nearly equidistant from Margate on the
north, and Ramsgate on the south, enjoys its full share of popularity;
and, judging from many recent improvements, offers increasing
attractions to the numerous visitors who make Thanet's "sea-girt shore"
their summer residence. To those who prefer tranquillity and retirement
to scenes of bustle and holiday festivity, Broadstairs will present many
advantages over its more gay and animated rivals; and to the studious
and contemplative nothing can be more congenial than the society which
generally meet once a year in this interesting spot. To the invalid it
is favourable from the same causes, offering few temptations to gaiety
or indulgence, but affording every facility for retired and intellectual
enjoyment. The sea-view is magnificent; and the numerous vessels which
are constantly passing and repassing give a most agreeable animation to
the waters in front, which are walled in by lofty cliffs, from which the
visitor inhales the fresh sea-breeze, as it first strikes the land, and
carries its invigorating influence through his frame.

Broadstairs has long been the periodical residence of many distinguished
literary men, most of whom have acknowledged the benefit derived from
its bracing climate, and verified their opinion by repeated trials. If
pure air could be as readily administered as certain medicinal
compounds, there would be little necessity for so often deserting the
courts and counting-houses of the metropolis in search of health; but so
long as this "draught" cannot be made up according to nature's
prescription, it is cheering to know that on the coast it may be had
ready prepared, and without "mistake" or "adulteration."

It was while overlooking a scene like that which opens upon the visitor
at Broadstairs, and while sensibly feeling all the salubrious influence
of the breezes, that seemed to welcome and caress him when exchanging
the pleasures of town for poetry and contemplation on the coast, that
the Bard of Hope broke out into these noble and impassioned lines:--

    "Hail to thy face and odours, glorious Sea!
    'Twere thanklessness in me to bless thee not,
    Great beauteous being! in whose breath and smile
    My heart beats calmer, and my very mind
    Inhales salubrious thoughts. How welcomer
    _Thy_ murmurs, than the murmurs of the world!
    Tho', like the world, thou fluctuatest, to me
    Thy din is peace, thy restlessness repose.
    Even gladly I exchange yon spring-green lanes,
    With all the darling field-flowers in their prime,
    And gardens haunted by the nightingale's
    Long trill, and gushing extasies of song,
    For these wild headlands and the sea-mew's clang!"

Broadstairs appears, in addition to its attraction as bathing-quarters,
to have formerly enjoyed a considerable share of trade in the fisheries;
but this source of revenue having dried up, recourse was had to
ship-building, which is still carried on to a small extent. Its chief
dependence, however, is on the number and respectability of its
visitors, many of whom retire here for several months annually with
their families, and, by a liberal expenditure, do much to support the
markets and to encourage local industry. The bathing-place is at the
mouth of the harbour, under the cliff, and is provided with every
accommodation to be found at the larger watering-places. There are two
or more excellent hotels, and two extensive public libraries, commanding
magnificent views of the sea and the shipping--from a fishing-boat to a
seventy-four--passing to and from the Downs, at all hours of the day.
The place is still further enlivened, as well as benefited, by the
London steamers, which here land or embark passengers in their way to
and from town.




[Illustration: WRECK IN KINGSGATE BAY.

(Isle of Thanet.)]




KINGSGATE,

NEAR BROADSTAIRS.


    "Olim Porta fui Patroni Bartholomæi,
    Nunc Regis jussu REGIA PORTA vocor,
    Hic exscenderunt Carolus Secundus Rex
    Et Jacobus Dux EBOR. 30 Junii, 1683."

So named in consequence of its having been the point at which King
Charles II. and his brother, the Duke of York, disembarked on their way
from London to Dover, as recorded in the preceding inscription. It
consists of a narrow sloping passage, cut through the chalk cliff, and
communicating with the beach for the convenience of the fishery formerly
carried on in this neighbourhood. It was originally known as "St.
Bartholomew's Gate," from the circumstance of its having been completed,
according to tradition, on the festival of that Saint, and therefore
placed under hallowed auspices. The eastern side of this portal,
opposite the sea, bears, in Saxon characters, ~God Bless Barth'lem's
Gate~. It is about a mile from Broadstairs, and in the midst of scenery
which Henry Lord Holland did much to embellish by great liberality and a
correct taste in architecture. His marine residence here was built after
the model of Cicero's villa on the shore of Baiæ, near Naples; but being
subsequently purchased by some monied speculator, who had most likely
never heard of Cicero, it was despoiled of its rich Italian marbles,
curtailed and barbarised in its proportions, and metamorphosed into
three insignificant dwellings. Around it were several fantastic
buildings, intended to represent various Gothic ruins; the most
considerable of which was the convent, containing the remains of a
chapel and five cells, which once afforded an asylum to poor families.
Nearer the cliff is a rude Gothic structure, erected on the larger of
the two tumuli, called Hackendown Banks, which, according to tradition,
marks the spot where a sanguinary conflict took place between the Saxons
and the Danes, in which the latter were defeated. On opening these
barrows, graves were found excavated in the solid chalk, of an oblong
oval form, about three feet long, and covered with flat stones. In one
of them were discovered three urns of coarse, black, ill-burnt earth,
which, on being exposed to the air, crumbled to pieces. On a tablet
erected by Lord Holland is a Latin inscription, to the memory of the
Danes and Saxons, who here fought a sanguinary battle for the possession
of Britain; the natives having before been perfidiously and cruelly
expelled. The village of St. Peter, situated on a conspicuously wooded
eminence, is much frequented by pleasure parties from the three
bathing-places adjacent. The church is a fine, venerable structure, the
steeple of which, of great strength and solidity, is remarkable for a
rent from top to bottom, occasioned, it is said, by the shock of an
earthquake, which was severely felt along this coast in 1580.

The North Foreland, the most eastern point of England, and supposed to
be the "Cantium" of Ptolemy, forms a bold projection on the line of
cliffs between Broadstairs and Kingsgate. On this promontory stands the
North Foreland Lighthouse, which has proved an incalculable safeguard to
the navigation of the Downs, which, independently of the near vicinity
of the Goodwin Sands, is attended with great risk in dark and stormy
weather. The lights consist of patent lamps, with large magnifying
lenses twenty inches in diameter, which are lighted at sunset, and kept
burning till after daybreak. From the top the view of the straits and
French coast is most extensive, and on this account it is much resorted
to by strangers. The date of its erection is that of the landing of King
Charles at Kingsgate, already noticed.

The Goodwin Sands, which here protect the Downs from the swell of the
Northern Ocean, are about seven miles from the coast, ten miles long,
and two or more in breadth. They consist of a more soft, fluid, porous,
spongy, but withal tenacious substance, than the neighbouring sands, and
are consequently of such a quality, that when a ship strikes upon them
there is but very little chance of her getting off: the nature of the
sand being to swallow its prey in a few hours, while the surf, which
breaks over them, frustrates all attempts to approach the ill-fated
vessel. When the tide, however, has ebbed sufficiently, these sands
become so hard and firm that cricket-matches have been played upon them.
But woe to him who does not quit so treacherous a field at the proper
moment; for on the return of the tide they are instantly converted into
quicksands, that float to and fro with the waves.




[Illustration: "THE WESTMINSTER" AND "CLAUDINE," ASHORE NEAR MARGATE.]




SCENE NEAR MARGATE.

TWO VESSELS ASHORE.


    At night, beneath a cloudless moon,
      Yon gallant vessel plough'd her way;
    But storms arose:--next day at noon,
      A stranded wreck that vessel lay!
    So man, beneath a flattering sun,
      Puts forth in pride his slender sail;
    But while he dreams of treasure won,
      His bark is shatter'd in the gale.--W. B.

Along the west side of the Isle of Thanet the sea has made very
considerable encroachments; many of the ancient landmarks have been
washed away, and naturally exposed to the fury of the north and east
winds, great portions of the cliffs have gradually disappeared in the
sea. The same causes continuing in active operation, the effects are
annually perceptible upon the boundary line, which defends this coast
from the Northern Ocean. But the damage sustained in the east is amply
compensated for in the west of England, where a territory fit for the
accommodation of 20,000 or 30,000 inhabitants might be gained from the
tide-mark at little comparative outlay. We allude to the projected
improvements on the Lancashire coast, particularly Morecambe Bay, and
the estuary of the river Duddon.

Margate had originally a natural inlet of the sea; and in the reign of
Edward I. Gore-end church, in consequence of the sea's encroachment, was
removed inland. "Margate," says Leland, "lyeth in St. John's paroche in
Thanet, a v. mile fro Reculver; and there is a village and a peere for
shyppes, but sore decayed." Owing to its natural position, Margate has
never been able to establish a foreign trade. In 1787, the old wooden
pier having become ruinous, it was cased with stone, and extended
further into the sea; but a tremendous gale having soon after come on,
the works were demolished; and a fresh act of parliament being obtained
for that purpose, a fine, strong, and convenient mole was erected on a
new plan, where a public promenade, with an extensive prospect, affords
a beautiful source of recreation to the visitors, while at the same time
it shuts out from observation the hurry and bustle of the harbour.

In 1748, a tremendous storm from the southward drove a number of vessels
from their anchorage in the Downs, many of which were wrecked under
these cliffs. The vast sacrifice of life and property thus occasioned
induced the shipping and mercantile interests to think of increasing the
capacity of Ramsgate harbour, an account of which appears in this work.
Winds from the south-east and south-west are those by which the safety
of the shipping in the Downs is most endangered. Vessels breaking adrift
in the latter at night, with strong south-west and southerly gales, says
an experienced naval officer, should run into the North Sea, through the
Gulf Stream; if in distress, and the attempt uncertain, the only
alternative is to run for Ramsgate harbour or on the Sandwich flats.
Along this coast nine lug-boats, called _hovellers_, are employed for
the relief of vessels in distress. They vary from twenty to twenty-seven
tons burthen each, draw five feet water, and are usually manned with a
crew of ten men, who are always on the out-look for vessels requiring
their assistance. By their proverbial courage and exertions, many lives
are annually saved from vessels wrecked on the neighbouring coast and
shoals, and much valuable property restored to its owners. When it
becomes a salvage case, they lay their claims before one of the
commission courts, appointed by the Lord Warden, who make an award
agreeable to the service performed. Several of these boats are stationed
at Margate, Ramsgate, Deal, and Dover; but those of the latter only have
the privilege to enter continental ports, by license from the
Custom-house. In the most severe and boisterous weather several of these
boats cruise in the Narrows of the Channel, and are frequently the means
of rendering, under desperate circumstances, important service to the
shipping interest.




[Illustration: CHATHAM.]




CHATHAM DOCK-YARD.


The view of the Dock-yard at Chatham is taken from the opposite side of
the Medway, a little above Upnor Castle, which was built by Queen
Elizabeth to defend the passage of the river. To the left is seen a
sheer hulk, so called from her "sheers"--two strong pieces of timber of
great height, inclining towards each other and joined together at the
top--which are used for the purpose of raising and placing in their
proper situations the lower masts of ships of war. Further to the right
are perceived the large roofs of the building-slips and dry-docks;
nearly abreast of which are two ships of war laid up in ordinary. A-head
of those vessels are two others of the same class; and further up the
river, directly in front, a view is obtained of part of the town of
Chatham.

The Dock-yard of Chatham lies at a short distance to the northward of
the town of that name, and on the right bank of the river Medway. The
first dockyard at Chatham for the service of the navy was established by
Queen Elizabeth. It was situated higher up the river than the present
yard, on a narrow slip of land, and had only one dock. In 1622 a new
dock-yard was formed by James I., and the site of the old one, which was
too circumscribed for the service of the increasing navy, was assigned
to the Board of Ordnance. In the reign of Charles I., additional
dry-docks and building-slips were formed and several store-houses
erected.

Chatham dock-yard is enclosed on the land side by a high wall, and the
principal entrance is through a lofty gateway to the south-west, above
which are the royal arms, and on each side an embattled tower. Strangers
wishing to see the yard are furnished with a ticket by the
superintendent of the dock-police on entering their names in a book kept
at a lodge within the gate. There are four docks and seven
building-slips at Chatham, most of which are covered with immense roofs.
To the south-westward of the docks there is a long range of store-houses
facing the river, and having in front a spacious quay, part of which is
occupied as an anchor wharf. Behind this line of buildings, which is
upwards of a thousand feet in length, is the ropery, where cables and
all other kinds of ropes are manufactured for the use of ships of war.
Beyond the docks to the northward, are the mast-ponds and sheds for
storing timber, on the right; and on the left is the boat-house. At the
smith's shop anchors and other articles of iron work are made for the
use of the navy; and towards the north-eastern extremity of the yard is
a saw-mill, erected by Mr. Brunel, the inventor of the block-machinery
at Portsmouth. The mill is situated on an eminence, and the timber
intended to be cut is floated through a tunnel from the Medway into an
elliptic basin, from which it is raised by machinery to the level of the
mill. The saws are put in motion by a steam-engine; and the timber,
after having been cut, is conveyed away by trucks running on railways to
different parts of the yard. When M. Charles Dupin, the celebrated
French author of several works on the dock-yards, roads, bridges, and
harbours of Great Britain, visited Chatham in 1817, he objected to this
saw-mill being erected on an eminence; but he seems to have overlooked
the consequent advantage of the timber being thence conveyed by a gentle
slope, with very little labour, to the different docks and slips,
without interfering with any of the other works.[14] The commissioner
has a handsome residence within the walls of the yard, and there are
also many excellent houses, which are occupied by the officers and
principal artificers. A neat chapel, of brick, for the convenience of
the officers and workmen, was erected within the yard in 1811. At one
period during the late war, the number of men employed was 3000.

The Ordnance Wharf is situated to the south-westward of the dock-yard on
the site of the old yard established by Queen Elizabeth, and it is still
frequently called the Old Dock. The guns are placed in rows, and have
painted on them the name of the ship to which they belong, and their
weight of metal; the carriages are also placed separately, but under
sheds. Large piles of shot are seen in various parts of the wharf; and
there is also within its boundary an armoury, where various kinds of
weapons--chiefly muskets, pistols, pikes, and cutlasses--are arranged in
admirable order.

A fund--commonly called the Chest of Chatham--for the relief of disabled
seamen, was established there by Queen Elizabeth on the recommendation
of Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins, in 1588--the seamen of the
royal navy, after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, having agreed to
give up a portion of their pay for the relief of their wounded and
disabled brethren. The Royal Marine Hospital of Chatham is one of the
finest establishments of the kind in Great Britain, and from the
elegance of its plan, the extent of its buildings, and its commanding
position, forms a truly noble feature in the landscape.

[14] _Quarterly Review_--Dupin, _On the Marine Establishments of France
and England_.--No. XLIII. p. 41.




[Illustration: GRAVESEND.]




GRAVESEND,

FROM THE THAMES.


The great facilities of communication with the metropolis, the salubrity
of the air, the beauty of the surrounding scenery, and the public
amusements by which it is enlivened, have all contributed to render
Gravesend the most frequented town on the river Thames. The thousands of
visitors who here keep holiday during six or eight months of the year,
have insured resources to the inhabitants more to be depended on than
the fluctuations of trade. New houses, new streets, hotels,
reading-rooms, public baths, and pleasure-gardens, have all appeared in
succession since the introduction of steam on the river, and now present
attractions rarely to be met with in any inland or maritime town of like
size. The harbour, generally enlivened by East and West Indiamen at
anchor; the incessant passing and repassing of steamers to every part of
the coast and kingdom; with private yachts and pleasure-boats skimming
past, or lying off the piers, with their holiday freight of joyous
citizens, give a never failing interest and spirit to the whole picture;
and present, in a short sojourn at Gravesend, more animation and variety
than is to be met with at any other part of the river. The rides and
drives inland are highly varied and picturesque. Cobham Hall--the
ancient seat of Lord Darnley--and its magnificent park-scenery, with the
village and ancient church adjoining, are objects that well repay a
summer-day's excursion. Springhead, famous for the water-cresses which
it supplies to the London markets, is one of the most rural and
picturesque retreats in Kent; while Gad's-hill, to which Shakspeare has
given immortality, as the scene of the robbery of the Sandwich
merchants, said to have been perpetrated by Henry the Fifth--when Prince
Hal--and his dissolute companions, is within an easy walk.
Windmill-hill, the highest object in the background of the picture, is
proverbially famed as commanding one of the finest panoramic views in
the county.

The bathing-establishments are on a large scale, admirably constructed,
and managed with great punctuality and attention. Adjoining the Clifton
Baths is a delightful pleasure-ground, agreeably varied with walks and
seats, and ornamented with trees, shrubs, and flowers. From this
eminence, which overhangs the Thames, a charming prospect is open at all
times to the groups of visitors by whom it is frequented.

The gardens, now known as the Rosherville-gardens, have been opened of
late years for dancing, music, and fireworks during the season, and have
become the chosen resort of numerous societies and schools, who here
celebrate their anniversaries. A large dining-hall and other necessary
adjuncts have been erected for their accommodation, including a handsome
pier, at which most of the steam-boats call, on their passages to and
from the other piers.

The Town-pier--having superseded the old and unpleasant process of
boating--is a structure of vast convenience as a landing place, and is
besides of excellent design and execution. It consists of insulated
columns, or piles of cast-iron, supporting a floor or stage, and extends
into the river about fifty feet beyond low-water-mark. In summer this
stage is covered with an awning, under which visitors can promenade,
sheltered from sun or shower, and enjoy the entertainment furnished by
an excellent band of music, which takes its daily station on the Pier.
Below the Town-pier is another pier, or jetty, extending nearly a
hundred feet into the water, called the Terrace-pier--so called from
having attached to it an extensive terrace or promenade, and a
beautifully arranged lawn or shrubbery, for the use of those who
frequent the pier.

During the last ten years, Gravesend has several times suffered very
severely from fires, causing great destruction in the more closely-built
portions of the town; these calamitous visitations, though deplorable in
their immediate consequences, have not been without their beneficial
results, by affording an opportunity for widening and improving the
thoroughfares in their vicinity, and of which due advantage has been
wisely taken.

For many years, the steam-boat companies monopolized the traffic from
London to Gravesend, their superior vessels, rapid speed, and moderate
fare, set every other species of conveyance at defiance; but they have
been compelled to admit a formidable rival to their trade, in the
all-absorbing railway, which now surpasses them in quickness, and places
itself upon an equality in respect to price and accommodation. The
North-Kent line passing through Woolwich and Erith, has penetrated into
the heart of Gravesend, and by filling up the Thames and Medway canal,
made an iron road to the ancient city of Rochester. But, although the
skill of the engineer and wealth of the capitalist has thus succeeded in
bringing this fashionable watering-place and the old cathedral town into
closer connection with our giant metropolis, they have not been able to
overcome those natural obstacles to the rapid progress of the locomotive
engine--hills and valleys, without having recourse to that most
disagreeable of all roads, the subterranean--and the difference between
rushing through their sombre excavations, amid the clatter of the
machinery and the hissing of the liberated steam, and calmly gliding on
the quiet surface of the beautiful Thames, must, we think, be such as to
render the journey by the river at all times the most popular with those
who travel for pleasure.




[Illustration: LONDON FROM GREENWICH PARK.]




LONDON,

FROM GREENWICH PARK.


    How glorious is the scene that here expands,
    Where, 'mid her lofty towers, Augusta stands,
    Drawing, in tribute to her daring helm,
    And boundless trade, the wealth of every realm;
    And stretching forth her hand o'er land and main,
    To check the proud, and break the captive's chain!

It may be safely affirmed that they who have witnessed the view of
London, from Greenwich Park, have beheld a scene which neither time nor
circumstances can ever obliterate, and to which it may be doubted if
Europe itself could furnish a rival. It is a point to which foreigners
and strangers uniformly advert, in expressing their admiration of the
British capital and its environs; and to which, during the fine season,
multitudes resort for the sake of the delicious park-scenery and the
magnificent prospects which it commands. From the base of the National
Observatory to the cupola of St. Paul's, the objects which it embraces
are of the most variegated and imposing character. In the fore ground is
the palace of the former "Kings and Queens of England,"--now the noblest
Hospital in the world--with all its stately appendages. In the centre of
the picture is the Thames--the great "highway" by which the fleets of
commerce are continually pouring the treasures of the world into the
heart of the metropolis. In the back ground--here in bold relief, and
there dimly shadowed in the horizon--are seen the towers and temples of
London, with the majestic dome of St. Paul's presiding over the whole in
glorious pre-eminence. Turning to the east, the scene presents new
objects of interest and admiration. The shipping off Blackwall--the
Docks--the vast traffic by which the river is continually agitated--the
steamers passing and repassing, their decks crowded with company, and
the bands of music occasionally striking up, as they pass the Royal
Hospital, the national air of "Rule Britannia,"--all produce an effect
upon the spectators, which, in point of animation, cannot be surpassed.
What gives peculiar interest to the picture, is the appearance of the
"ancient mariners" who are continually in sight--pensioners who have
given their legs and arms as pledges to British independence, and now
pass the evening of their days in every comfort to which a
weather-beaten seaman can aspire--

                      Heroes, every one,
    Ye might as soon have made the steeple run;
    And then his messmates, if you're pleased to stay,
    He'll one by one the gallant souls display.

This magnificent Hospital presents an imposing range of buildings in the
Grecian style of architecture, extending several hundred feet along the
right bank of the Thames, and divided into two wings by a noble lawn,
with a descent to the water's edge by a handsome flight of steps. The
wings recede a considerable space from the river and are crowned in the
distance by two lofty domes, behind which rise the acclivities of the
royal park, covered with trees of centuries, and undulating with
variegated masses of verdure. Through the midst of these, and occupying
the site of the original fortress of Greenwich, rises that celebrated
Observatory which has so frequently engaged the attention of scientific
Europe; and with which the names of Flamsteed, Halley, Bradley, Bliss,
Maskelyn, Pond, and Airey, are so emphatically connected.

To the history of Greenwich Hospital we can only very briefly advert.
After the rebellion in 1715, the forfeited estates of the Earl of
Derwentwater, amounting at that time to six thousand pounds per annum,
were voted by parliament to this hospital; and with the numerous
benefactions since bestowed by private individuals, it is now enabled to
provide for nearly three thousand inmates. Every Pensioner receives a
liberal allowance of provisions and clothes, with a shilling a week for
pocket-money. The nurses--widows of seamen, and of whom there were
lately a hundred and five--in addition to provisions, have each an
annual allowance of from eighteen to twenty pounds. A library is
provided for the exclusive use of the Pensioners. The office of governor
of Greenwich Hospital is generally conferred on veterans of the highest
rank and standing in the service,--such as Hood, Keats and Hardy, the
friend and companion of Nelson.




[Illustration: THE PORT OF LONDON.]




THE PORT OF LONDON.


The Port of London commences at London Bridge. The forest of masts which
rises in direct view--thickening in perspective till it is lost in the
distance--announces the vast extent of that Commerce which stretches its
arms to the "uttermost parts of the globe." The Pool, as this part of
the river is called, extends from London Bridge to Deptford,--a distance
of nearly four miles, with an average breadth of from four to five
hundred yards. It consists of four divisions, called the Upper, Middle,
and Lower Pools, and that occupying the space between Limehouse and
Deptford. The Upper Pool extends from London Bridge to Union Hole--a
space of about sixteen hundred yards; from this to Wapping New Stairs
forms the Middle Pool--about seven hundred yards. The Lower Pool extends
from the latter point to Horseferry Pier, Limehouse--about eighteen
hundred yards. The fourth Pool occupies the space between Limehouse and
Deptford--about two thousand seven hundred yards.

The Custom-House, which is a prominent feature in this View, was first
erected in 1559--very shortly after the accession of Queen Elizabeth;
but, having shared the fate of the other public buildings in the great
fire of London, it was rebuilt, two years after by Charles the Second.
By a similar calamity, however, this was also burnt to the ground in
1718, and a third erected, which--strange to say--was also consumed in
1814. The fourth, which is the present magnificent structure, was opened
for business in May, 1817. It was erected from the designs of David
Laing, Esq.; but, in consequence of certain defects, which threatened
destruction to a considerable portion of the building, the Long Room, as
it is called, was _shored_ up, the front next to the river taken down,
and the present front as shown in the Engraving, was substituted by Mr.
Smirke. The whole is erected on an extensive and magnificent scale.

The London and St. Katherine's Docks are seen a little to the right, and
afford accommodation to a vast number of shipping. The London Dock
covers twenty acres: fourteen tobacco-warehouses cover an acre each; the
cellars occupy three acres, and can accommodate twenty-two thousand
pipes of wine. The St. Katherine's Dock covers the extensive area of
ground which a few years ago was occupied by the parish of St.
Katherine; the whole of which, comprising above twelve hundred houses,
was bought and pulled down, at an outlay of two millions sterling, for
the construction of these magnificent basins and warehouses, with which
nothing that mercantile enterprise has hitherto effected can bear a
comparison. The old parish church of St. Katherine was built on the site
of an ancient monastery founded in the twelfth century by Matilda of
Boulogne. A rich hospital and various benefactions have belonged to this
parish ever since its original endowment; for the perpetuation of which
a handsome church and several dwelling-houses were erected near
Gloucester Gate, Regent's Park, the emoluments connected with which were
bestowed by the late Queen Adelaide, in whose gift they were, upon
persons belonging to the royal household, or otherwise recommended to
her Majesty.

In front of these docks is a spacious steam-packet wharf; and from this
point to Rotherhithe the river--here called the Middle Pool--is
generally so crowded with shipping at anchor, or rapidly passing up and
down, that it requires both skill and caution on the part of the
helmsman to avoid collision. It is here that strangers can form an exact
idea of the vast traffic by which the Thames is continually animated,
and to which there is no parallel in the cities of commercial Europe.

Notwithstanding the obvious utility of wet-docks, and the vast trade of
the British Metropolis, there was no establishment of this sort on the
Thames till nearly a century after a wet-dock had been constructed at
Liverpool. The inconvenience arising from the crowded state of the river
at those periods when the fleets of merchantmen were accustomed to
arrive, the very insufficient accommodation afforded by the legal quays
and sufferance-wharfs; the necessity under which many ships were placed
of unloading in the river by means of fighters, and the insecurity and
loss of property thence arising, had been felt and complained of as an
intolerable grievance. But so powerful was the opposition to any change,
made by the private wharfingers and others interested in the support of
the existing order of things, that it was not till 1793 that a plan was
projected for making wet-docks for the Port of London, yet the activity
and enterprise of the merchants and shipowners of the metropolis have,
since that date, amply compensated for their lost time, and the docks of
London are now models of superiority in that peculiar department of
civil engineering.

Though not included in the engraving, the recent improvements which have
been effected in its vicinity by the public spirit of the Corporation of
London, demand a passing tribute of admiration. The New Coal Exchange is
an edifice worthy of the purpose for which it was designed--the mart for
the sale of one of Great Britain's most valuable products; and
Billingsgate is now a market fitting for a city containing two millions
of inhabitants.




[Illustration: THE TOWER OF LONDON.]




THE TOWER OF LONDON.


This celebrated fortress is situated on the east side of the City, a
short distance from London-bridge, near the banks of the river Thames.
It at first consisted of no more than what is at present called the
White Tower, traditionally reported, without any authority, to have been
built by Julius Cæsar, though there is the strongest evidence of its
being marked out and a part of it first erected by William the
Conqueror, in the year 1076, doubtless with a view to secure to himself
and followers a safe retreat, in case the English should ever have
recourse to arms to recover their ancient possessions and lost
liberties.

The death of the Conqueror, however, in 1087, about eight years after he
had commenced this fortress, for some time prevented its progress, and
left it to be completed by his son William Rufus, who, in 1098,
surrounded it with walls and a broad and deep ditch, which is in some
places about one hundred and twenty feet wide, into which water from the
river Thames was introduced. Henry III., in 1240, ordered a stone gate,
bulwark, and other additions to be made to this fortress, and the
ancient tower to be whitened, from whence it was called the White Tower.
In 1465, Edward IV. greatly enlarged the fortifications, and built the
Lion's Tower, for the reception of foreign beasts, birds, &c., presented
to the kings of England; the zoological collection have, however, long
since been transferred to more eligible quarters in the Regent's-park.
By the command of Charles II., in 1663, the ditch was completely
cleansed, the esplanade rebuilt with brick and stone, and sluices were
erected for admitting and retaining water from the Thames, as occasion
might require.

The Tower is in the best situation that could have been chosen for a
fortress, lying near enough to protect the metropolis and the seat of
commerce from invasion by water. It is parted from the river Thames by a
commodious wharf and narrow ditch, over which is a drawbridge. Upon this
wharf is a noble platform, on which are placed sixty-one pieces of
cannon, nine-pounders, mounted on handsome iron carriages, which were
fired on state holidays, but small pieces are now used for those
purposes.

Parallel to the middle part of the wharf, upon the walls, is a platform,
seventy yards in length, called the Ladies' Line, from its being much
frequented in the summer evenings, as on the inside it is shaded with a
row of lofty trees, and without affords a fine prospect of the shipping
and of the boats passing and repassing on the river. The ascent to this
line is by stone steps, and, being once upon it, there is a walk almost
round the walls of the fortress without interruption, in doing which the
visiter passes three batteries: the first called the Devil's Battery,
where there is a platform on which are mounted seven pieces of cannon;
the next is named the Stone Battery, and is defended by eight pieces of
cannon; and the last, called the Wooden Battery, is mounted with six
pieces of cannon.

The wharf, or esplanade, which is divided from Tower-hill at each end by
gates, is opened every morning for the convenience of a free intercourse
between the respective inhabitants of the Tower, the City, and its
suburbs. From this wharf is an entrance for persons on foot, over the
drawbridge already mentioned; and also a water-gate under the
Tower-wall, commonly called the Traitor's-gate, through which it has
been customary, for the greater privacy, to convey traitors and other
state prisoners by water to and from the Tower; the water of the ditch
had here a communication with the Thames, by means of a stone bridge on
the wharf. Over this water-gate is a regular building, terminated at
each end by a round tower, on which are embrasures for pointing cannon.

The principal buildings are the church, a small edifice, dedicated to
St. Peter ad Vincula, the White Tower, the Governor's House, the Bloody
Tower, the Offices of Ordnance, of the Keepers of the Records, the Jewel
Office, the New Spanish Armoury, the New Horse Armoury, the Grand
Storehouse, in which is the small armoury, the train of artillery, and
the tent room; the New Storehouse, wherein are three armouries; handsome
houses for the chief and inferior officers; the Mess-house for the
officers of the garrison, and the barracks for the soldiers. In addition
to these, there is a street called the Mint, which includes nearly
one-third part of the Tower. The principal part of the houses were
formerly inhabited by the officers employed in the coinage, but now by
the military and various persons employed in the different offices.

The ravages of the fire which occurred in this fortress a few years
since have now been repaired, and its ancient walls strengthened and
improved in accordance with the rules of fortification adopted by the
best engineers of the day. The stagnant moat which formerly encircled it
has been drained and converted into an exercise ground for the soldiers
in the garrison.








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