mm TUT? x— — "■"■> » ^~ LHISTORY OF mount's bay 9 COMPRISING SAINT MICHAELS MOUNT, MARAZION, PENZANCE, NEWLYN, MOUSE- HOLE, &C. &C. a A Gem set in the silver Sea." PENZANCE; PRINTED AND SOLD BY J. THOMAS. 1820. PREFACE. In compiling a work of this nature, the chief object in view, has been to supply, at a moderate expence, an ancient and modern history of the most interesting parts of Mount 's Bay, which is esteemed more antique and romantic, than any other part of England. With this view, the compiler has been induced to cull from the various publications on this district, an ac- count of every thing remarkable in it; in doing which, he has omitted all abtruse arguments, or disputable points, being well aware that to the generality of readers they afford little or no entertainment. Under these impressions, the com- piler ventures to recommend this work to a generous public, as it will afford ample amusement to the tra- veller, resident, and native. Penzance, 11th May, 18CO. THE HISTORY OF mount's bay. BEFORE we proceed to investigate the towns and villages in this dist- rict, it will be necessary to give a brief account of this delightful and justly celebrated Bay, which is situ- ated at the most western extremity of England ; it is formed by an irre- gularly curved outline of several miles in extent, whose southern and west- ern points form the promontories of the Lizard and Land's End. The Mount's Bay presents a most delightful and interesting view to tra- vellers, as its shores are sprinkled with towns, villages, churches, cotta- ges, and villas; and near its eastern margin, a pile of rocks, supporting a A <; venerable chapel and tower on their bu mm it, start abruptly from the waves and present amosl singular and plea- sing appearance, this is St. Michael 1 * Mount, from which this pleasant part of our Island derives its name. The climate of this Bay is the principal circumstance which has contributed to its celebrity, and has proved so inviting and beneficial to consumptive patients; notwithstan- ding its southern latitude, the sum- mers are never sultry, on account of the winds which gently blow from the surrounding seas; whilst the cold of winter is equally ameliorated, so that frosts are but of a few hours du- ration, and those snow storms which come from the north and east, and bury the fields of every other part of England, are generally exhausted be- fore they reach this favored spot, or are dissolved by its warm breezes ; — indeed our winters are nothing more thau languid springs, as all green- bouse plants in other places, are here constantly exposed all the winter, notwithstanding which they flower most luxuriantly during the summer; ^.it might also be observed, that when pot-herbs of all kinds, are destroyed in other counties, our markets are constantly supplied; — and here a fa- vorable opportunity occurs of placing upon record a testimony of the mild- ness of this spot, during the last win- ter, (1819) when the cold was so dreadfully severe, the rivers frozen up, and the fields buried with snow in every other part of Great Britain, the Mount's Bay was nearly exempted from snow, and the frost was so gentle, that the huntsman was not deprived of his sport for a single hour. From the peninsular situation of Cornwall, and its proximity to the atlantic ocean, over which it blows nearly three quarters of the year, the weather is certainly very subject to rain, and it is found that when other ft parts of England suffer by drought, that Cornwall lias seldom any reason to complain; this peculiarity seems highly congenial to the inhabitants, as well as to their soil, a Cornishmaif never enjoys better health and spirits than in rainy weather, and there is a popular adage, that f 7/ie land of Corn- wall will bear a shower every weekday and two on a Sunday ;" it may however be remarked, that the rains in Corn- wall are rather frequent than heavy, and excessive, indeed it has been sa- tisfactorily ascertained by experience that the actual quantity is not greater than in other Counties; there is very rarely a day so thoroughly wet, but that there is a considerable intermis- sion, nor so obscure, but that the sun often penetrates the gloom; notwith- standing the supposed moisture of Cornwall, the dry and porous nature of the soil soon disposes of any water, so that after a very short cessation of rain, the most delicate invalid may safely venture abroad to enjoy the delightful walks, which every where surround this Bay. — Having given a brief sketch of the Bay, we will now introduce to our readers, some histo- rical account of ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT. This sublime spectacle is situate within the range of the parish of St. Hillary, and is one of those rare and singular objects which impress the mind with sensations of veneration, pleasure, and astonishment, the in- stant it is seen: its situation is about thirteen miles from the most western land in England, in the inmost recess of the Mount's Bay. This mountain, which is surrounded with the sea six hours out of twelve, is about 400 yards from the shores of Marazion. At its base it is upwards of a mile in circumference; and from the sand which lies around it, to the summit of a tower which crowns its apex, 10 the height is about "ioO feet. At high water it appears, from its being insu- lated, and from that vast expanse of horizon which is seen in every direc- tion, to be considerably diminished in its circumference; but even this variation adds much to the beauty and enchantment of the scene; and it then seems to be a mass of natural rocks and acclivities, partly clothed with verdure, and terminating in a point that is crowned with the tri- umphs of art. At low water, it may be easily approached over a kind of causeway formed of pebbles and shingle, and raised a little above the common bed of sand, across which it stretches. On reaching the Mount, it assumes its real maguilude, and many of its rocks appears gigantic and terrible, from their extraordinary elevation. The general stratum consists of a hard granite, in which transparent quartz is the predominant substance. 11 Viewed from various directions, its appearance presents a diversity of as- pects; in some places its ascent being nearly perpendicular, and in others •of an easy and gentle acclivity. But although in themselves these rocks are completely craggy and barren, yet they furnish interstices and occa- sional plains, in which verdure is produced, sufficient to support about twenty sheep, and a vast number of rabbits, which from time immemorial have found a residence on the Mount. Of late years some plantations of fir have been introduced, which still tend to heighten the beauty of the scene, as they wave their branches over the gloomy rocks which they shade. Even a distant view of St. Michael's Mount excites ideas of solemn grandeur; but the effect is considerably heightened, when the spectator gradually ascends its crag- gy sides, and slowly winds his way to their summit, among pendant rocks and awful precipices, from which he 12 looks down on diminishing objecU below, and catches the hie of enthu- siasm, from a recollection of departed ages, and from a vast expanse of sea and I-.ind that becomes instantly ex- posed to his view, This celebrated Mount has at different times been distinguished by various names, its ancient Cornish appellation signifying its being formerly, a " hoar rock in the midst of woods." In the book of Landaif it is called Dinsul, a word which signifies a hill dedicated to the sun; or, if it is a contraction of Dimis- whal, it signifies a hill difficult of ascent. In the beginning of the sixth century, if not long before, it was cal- led St. Michael's Mount : afterwards by the Saxons it was denominated Mychelstow ; and according to Scaw- en, St. Michael de magno Monte. *' St. Michael's Mount," we are in- formed by Worcester, "was originally enclosed with a very thick wood, dis- tant from the oceau six milss ; the 13 Cornish name of it Carreg Lug en Kug" Worcester is the oldest wri- ter who gives the signification of it, he informing us, that the Mount was formerly denominated Le Hore llvk in the Wodd. When this hill was first dedicated to religious worship, can hardly be ascertained with certainty; there can be little doubt that it was very early, perhaps as soon as Christianity first gained a footing in Cornwall. At that early period, such hills and romantic situations were deemed congenial to sanctity, and quickly attracted the notice of such as wished to live reti- red from the world. — Hence, hermits and pilgrims of both sexes, renoun- cing the delicacies of life, retired among rocks, and took up their abode among hills difficult of access, where they became admired for their aus- terities, and honoured by novices and probationers, who were ardent to suc- ceed them in their holy enterprizes; B u especially as their habitations were dignified with miracles, which cre- dulity was ever willing to allow, and ready to believe. The pilgrims in those days, had a tradition, that these hills were occa- sionally visited by the inhabitants of the celestial regions; among the rest Michael the archangel was presumed to be very fond of perching among these rocks, and rendering himself visible to the credulons monks, nibo were ever ready to substitute imagi- nation for fact: — The monks who first inhabited the Cornish Mount, laid claim to this angelic vision, and even pretended to shew the spot on which the angel sat, on an awful pile of rocks, that seemed most difficult of access, and which thenceforth ob- tained the honorable name of Saint Michael's Mount, It was from the circu instance of this supposed angelic visit, that the ancient Cornish name of this Mount, which designated its 15 situation was abandoned, and thaf of St. Michael became substituted in its stead. Even the chair has been preserved in the memorials of tra- dition; and in the building erected on the summit of the hill, a projecting stone, which is no other than the car- case of a stone-lantern, extends from the tower, over a horrid mass of rocks below; which is still viewed by cre- dulity and ignorance, as the actual chair in which the archangel sat. To this supposed chair the fool-hardy and presumptuous still occasionally repair, under a full persuasion, that if a married woman has sufficient re- solution to place herself in it, by a magic virtue which it possesses, it will, invest her with the regalia of "petticoat government:" If a married man sits in it, he will receive ample powers :for the management of his house. The earliest transactions of a mili- tary nature that are recorded con- 16 cerning this Mount, took place while Richard I. was engaged in the holy wars: — It was then seized by Henry de la Pomeroy, who fortified the place in behalf of Richard's brother John, who was then contending for the crown of England. But on the re- lease of Richard, Pomeroy so dreaded his vengeance, that he caused himself to be bled to death; after which the Mount surrendered to the Archbishop of Canterbury. From this time for* ward this place continued rather a school of Mars, than a temple of peace; for shortly after the overthrow of the party of Henry VI. at Barnet Field, John Earl of Oxford, who was one of the principals, reached this place by sea, and, with his followers, procured admission, disguised in the nabits of pilgrims ; but having gained an entrance, he threw off the vizor which he wore, mastered the garri- son, seized the place, and having ful- ly fortified himself, secured by his valour what he had won by his policy, 17 until some advantageous terms indu- ced him to surrender. In one of these attacks Sir John Arundell was slain between Marazion and the Mount. Jn the reign of Henry VII. Lady Ca- tharine Gorden, wife of Perkin War- beck, took refuge here, until the dis- asters of her husband obliged her to submit to Lord Daubeney. During the Cornish rebellion in the reign of Edward VI. many families fled to the Mount, and there endeavoured to se- cure themselves from the vicissitudes which then distracted the country: but the Mount being besieged by the returning rebels, who took the plain at the bottom of the rock by assault at low water, they proceeded towards the summit, rolling before them trus- ses of hay to deaden the shot that were poured from the fortifications ; being reduced through waut of pro- visions, they soon surrendered to the insurgents. During the civil war the Mount was secured and strongly for- tified by the king's adherents; but IS they were reduced after an obstinate conflict, by the troops under Colonel Hammond. These commotions drove the peaceable inhabitants from its shores; so that for some time the Mount became nearly depopulated. Sir John St. Aubyn, the father of the present Sir John, made many im- provements on this rock, to wliom the increase of buildings and inhabi- bitants is to be attributed, who by rendering the pier sufficiently capa- cious to contain upwards of fifty small vessels, and to afford security to them and to the fishing boats, has induced the inhabitants of Marazion to erect cellars near the spot. The number of residences has since been augment- ed to Upwards of seventy, which forms asmall town composed of three short streets, and the inhabitants a boot 250 ; although at the beginning of the last century there was only one d\velli:i^- bouse besides the fortress in tht place. ID The ascent to the summit of the Mount at present is by a steep and rugged passage fronting to the north, which about midway (in war time) is defended by a few cannon ; and near the summit is the principal battery which protects the entrance of the bay. The apex of the rock is occu- pied by the remains of the ancient monastic buildings, which were con- siderably altered by the late proprie- tor, and have been much improved by the present possessor: the chapel, which is stili unfinished, is of the Gothic order; from which, we may ascend by a narrow stone stair-case to the top of the tower, the prospect hence, is of the grandest description, and is perhaps as striking as any that can occur to 'mortal eye;' " the im- mense extent of sea," says Or. Ma ton, " raises the most sublime emotions, the waves of the British, Irish, and Atlantic seas all roll within the com- pass of the sight;" whilst the eye is relieved from the uniform, though 2fr imposing; grandeur of so boundless an horizon, by wandering over a land- scape, which Claude himself might have transfused on his canvass. In levelling a very high platform some years since, in order to erect the altar, a low Gothic doorway was discovered, closed up with stone in the southern wall, which had been concealed by the raised platform : — the doorway being opened, a passage was found to descend, containing ten steps, which led to a vault of stone under the church, about nine feet long, seven feet broad, and nearly as many high; in this vault was found the skeleton of a very large man, without any remains of a coffin. This discovery gave rise to various con- jectures; but the more rational con- cluded, that these were the remains of some wretched man, who for some crime had been condemned to die by hunger in this dungeon, and that he had literally undergone the penalty 21 of his sentence. " Great must have been that crime, or barbarous those days, that could have given to death so many horrors." The bones of the unhappy victim were taken up from their dark abode, in which they had been immured for unknown ages, and interred within thebody ofthe church. At the same time upon taking up the old pavement, the fragment of an in- scribed sepulchral stone of some Pri- or was taken up ; there was also a grave stone not inscribed, which antiquaries have supposed to have covered the remains of Sir John Arundel of Terrice, knight, slain on the strand below, in the wars of York and Lancaster. In the tower of this chapel are six sweet toned bells, which frequently ring when Sir John St. Aubyn is resident; at this time also choral service is performed, and on a calm day, the undulating sound of the bells, and the swelling notes of the c 2* organ, as heard on thp water, pro- duce an effect which it is impossible • describe. A spacious apartiuent near the chaptjl, now called the Chevy Chace ftooin, was formerly the rcfeetory of the monastry. This is curiously ornamented with a very singular frieze, representing iu stucco the various modes of hunting the wild bull, stag ostrich, fox, hare, and rabbit. At the upper end of this room are the royal arms, with the date of 1G44, and at the opposite end the arms of the St. Aubyn family. Formerly water was scarce here; for whatever virtue might be attribu- ted to the magic wand of Cadoc in the fifth century, it is certain that the inhabitants had no other water than that which the clouds supplied. But about fifty years since, a well being cut through a very hard rock, a tine spring was found at the depth 23 of about thirty seven feet, in the im- mediate vicinity of a tin-lode. Tin- ore is said to be plentiful all over \he Mount. Human bones have frequent- ly been dug up in various places on this consecrated spot, wherever the soil was found deep enough for in- terment. On the 1st of November 1755, (be- ing the day of the great earthquake at Lisbon) about two o'clock in Khe afternoon, a most extraordinary phe- nomenon was observed at St. Michaels Mount, during a dead calm. After the sea had ebbed about half an hour, it rose suddenly six feet in height, retired again in ten minutes, and this, periodical flux and reflux continued every ten minutes for two hours and half, which caused the vessels and boats, that lay at the pier-head to whirl about in a strange manner. In June 1814, a dinner was given to niriety-threepersons at this Mount, 24 and Mr. Robert James, aged 93, presided at the table. The remains of several ancient for- tifications are to be found on the road leading to the castle; and to the mineralogist, the antiquary, the his- torian, the poet, and the painter, St. Michael's Mount will ever be an ob- ject of particular interest, and real satisfaction, la coming from the Mount to Ma- razion, we pass a large mass of Gra- wacke, known by the name of the Chapel Rock, on which tradition re- ports a chapel to have once stood, dedicated to the Virgin Mary ; but no vestige of it has been discernible within the memory of man: The rock on which this chapel must have stood, is about 150 yards in circumference, but the level part of it, on which alone the building could have been erected, is about 45 feet long, and 18 or 20 feet broad. Of the use to which the chapel was applied, the reports of 25 tradition are not uniform. According to one account, it was erected pur- posely for the inhabitants of the town of Marazion ; but according to ano- ther, and more prevalent account, it was appropriated to the use of pil- grims, who came to visit the priory on the Mount, but who were com- pelled to pass through some initiatory rites in this chapel, before they as- cended the sacred hill. This rock, though now about 100 yards from the main land, is said to have been contiguous with it. MARAZION or MARKET-JEW This corporate and market town is in the parish of St. Hillary, stand- ing on the sea shore, on the eastern side of the Bay, and is well sheltered from cold winds by a considerable elevation of land to the north, still however, as it is exposed to the 2G south-west, it is far less eligible a<; a place of residence for invalids, than Penzance. The town contains about 1100 inhabitants; its principal sup- port, if not its origin, according to some ar.thors, was derived from the resort of pilgrim*, and other religious devotees, to the neighbouring saCred edifice on St. Michaels Mount; but its name, indisputably, was derived from the Jews, who traded here seve- ral centuries ago, and held an annual Market for selling various commo- dities, and purchasing tin and other merchandize in return. By the charter of Queen Elizabeth, the government of -this town is vested in a mayor, eight aldermen, and twelve capital burgesses, with a power to hold a weekly market, and two annual fairs. In the preamble to this charter it is stated, " that Mar- ghaisewe was a tradiug borough town of great antiquity, and that it suffered considerably dilapidation in the days 27 of Edward VI. when a number of rebellious people entered and took possession of the town, and laid many of the buildings in ruin." From this disaster the town never fully reco- vered ; and from the growing influence of Penzance, the suppression of the priory, and the loss of the pilgrims from whom it derived its principal importance, its dignity gradually de- clined, until Marazion became as it now appears. It has been asserted on good autho- rity, that under this charter of Eliza- beth, this town formerly sent members to parliament; and Dr. Borlase in his MSS. mentions Thomas Westlake and Richard Mills, Esqrs. as two members who were actually returned for Marazion in the year 1(558; but it does not appear that they ever took their seats. It is also probable from some original letters which passed between the sheriff of Cornwall and the mayor of this borough, during the 2B protectorate of Cromwell, that the inhabitants were solicitous to recover their long neglected rights, but their efforts proved ineffectual. Hals and Tonkin, adverting to the fact of which Leland speak> of Market-jew being " humid a Gallis" assert " that a party of French sol- diers landed from a fleet then cruising in the channel, took the town and ac- tually set it on fire; but they found themselves opposed by Carminow or Erisey, at the head of a powerful par- ty, who compelled them to retreat to their ships." — But they do not men- tion the date when this calamity occurred. From Tonkin's MSS. it appears, that "the inhabitants of Market-jew have a tradition, that the greatest part of their houses (in which there is fine old carved work) were built with oak-trees that grew between the Mount and NewJyn." — He also says 29 " that off the Long-Rock (between the Mount and Penzance) may be seen in a clear day, about 20 feet under water, a firm wall running out directly to the south, and that for a long way; this (they say) was the wall of the park there. " The trade of this town at present consists chiefly in the pilchard fishery, and the importation of corn, flour, timber, coals, and iron for the use of the inhabitants and the neighbouring mines. The parish church is about two miles distant from this place, but for the accommodation of the inhabi- tants, a chapel of ease has long been established in the town, in which di- vine service is regularly performed by a lecturer, whose salary is defrayed by private contributions. There are also three meeting houses in this place, belonging to the Quakers, Methodists, and Baptists. On the east of Marazion, many yards of the cliff have been washed D 30 away, within the last forty years, for nearly half a mile in length; the soil of the cliff being soft, and the spring tides pressing against it with consid- erable violence. About eighty or ninety years since, a spring tide was driven by a dreadful hurricaue with such violence against the town, as to beat down a whole row of houses, and to carry them, with their foun- dations into the sea. A va^t number of hazel-boughs with perfect nuts adhering to them, have been found between Mount and Penzance, below the natural bed of soil : — And about half-way between Marazion and Chyandour, about 300 yards below high-water mark, were seen a few years ago, by Mr. Giddy of Penzance, upon an extraordinary recession of the tide, several stumps of trees in their native soil, with the roots shooting out from them, and with their stems apparently cut off: These trees had been felled, uuder 31 an apprehension of the coming en- croachment; while the whole trees had been either surprised or neglected. • The level green over which the road from Marazion to Penzance passes, is evidently nothing more than the surface of a continued bar of sand, behind which, towards the land, lies a large tract of marshy ground, over which the tide, no doubt, formerly flowed. Some years since, Mr. R. Moyle of Marazion, undertook to rescue a portion of this bog from its unprofitable condition; and by his spirited exertions, he so far succeed- ed, as to bring about seventy acres into useful land, from which both corn and potatoes have beeen produ- ced in several crops. For this noble and successful effort, be received from the Society for the promotion of arts, manufactures, and commerce, a gold medal; and a handsome premium from the Agricultural Board. — The land is now getting fast into decay. 32 On cutting open the drains through this unprofitable bog, the labourers discovered an earthen pot, in which they found nearly a thousand Roman copper coins; many of which were much corroded by the salt water, to which they have been exposed for ages ; but the impressions on several, were sufficiently legible to furnish evidence, that they were the emperors who lived between the years 260 aud 350. Very great exertions are now car- rying on by Messrs Bolitho, on the western part of this green, and the water being already drained, there is every reason to believe, they will be well rewarded for the trouble they have taken, as they are likely to gain about an hundered acres of useful land. On the right as you pass over this green from Marazion to Penzance, on an elevated spot, appears Ludgvau 33 Church, that forms so prominent a feature on the shores of this Bay, which will be visited with respect by the Antiquary when he learns that it jcontains the mortal remains of Dr. Borlase, the venerable and learned author of the Natural History and Antiquities of Cornwall ; from the latin inscription on his tomb it ap- pears that he was 52 years rector of this parish, also forty years vicar of his native parish, St. Just: and that he died in the 77th year of his age, universally beloved and respected by all who knew him. Gulval Church also forms a most interesting feature on the shores of the Bay, being situated at the bottom of a gently declining hill, and beauti- fully surrounded with trees ; in it there is to be seen a monument to the memory of Arthur Harris Esq. who was governor of the Mount in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, which will be found an object of curiosity, 34 as it marks the literary conceit and quaintness of those days. It is worthy of notice, that in this parish, (and in Madron) two crops of potatoes are produced in the season, through the mildness of the climate. The early sort is planted for the first crop, which is got off time enough for the next to come to maturity before the winter. They plant the kidney potatoe about Christmas, or a few weeks before it, •which they draw in May, and plant in the same ground the apple potatoe. A gentleman of the neigbourhood, had by this management, in the first crop, from one acre, 100 Cornish bushels of twenty-four gallons each; and in the second crop, 200 bushels ; so that from one Cornish acre, which is one acre and one fifth, statute measure, he produced 900 Winchester bushels of potatoes in one year. The cultivation of this valuable root upon the largest scale is strongly recom- meuded, and the use of ore- weed as an excellent manure for them. 85 At Chyandour there is a smelting- house for tin, where also a very ex- tensive trade is carried on by Messrs. Bolitho, to whom the neighbour- hood are much indebted for the very great improvements they have made in the embellishments of the scenery. PENZANCE. This is a corporate and market town, and the most westerly one in the kingdom, being only ten miles from the Land's End. The town is pleasantly situated on the north-west side of the Bay, and from the temperature of the atmos- phere, the mildness of the seasons, the beauty of the prospect, and the exhiliarating purity of the gentle breezes which play upon the bosom of the waters, and scatter health upon the shores, have conferred on Pen- 36 zance and its vicinity, a degree of celebrity, which few persons who have visited this neighbourhood, will think injudiciously bestowed : Per- haps without any exception, ihis town can boast of a warmer climate than any other in England ; this circum- stance, added to the enlivening pros- pects with which it is encircled, ren- ders this spot singularly inviting to invalids. The rains indeed which frequently fall, may operate to its disadvantage, in the estimation of those who wish constantly to walk abroad; but these rains are rather in- convenient than pernicious, as per- haps neither Italy nor the south of France can boast a more salubrious atmosphere. To this place many valetudinarians annually resort, and the benefits they receive, leave them in general but little reason to regret their journeys. It is not without sufficient reason that Penzance has been denominated the 37 Montpelicr of England. Its ancient name was Buriton; its present appel- lation signifies, in Cornish, the Holy Headland. It is one of the stannary, ©r coining towns, and consists of six principal streets, intersecting each other, the principal one having the road from Marazion to the Land's End passing through it. There are also several rows of elegant houses, namely, the Parade, North Parade, Regent Terrace, Wellington Terrace, Park Corner, &c. &c. and in the vi- cinity of the town are several pleasant walks through shady dingles and over swelling hills, which open to the view the numerous genteel resi- dences that decorate the adjacent country. The trade of Penzance consists chiefly in timber, hemp, iron, coals, salt, flour, fruit, wine, spirits, hides, groceries, cloths, linens, and every other kind of merchandise imported ; and in tin, copper, fish, oil, potatoes, Ike. &c. that are exported. E 0, and •enlarged in 1818, at a considerable expence. The friends commonly cal- led Quakers, had a chapel erected in this town as early as l(*50, their present chapel was built in 1777, in which divine service is performed. The Jews have a synagogue, which was built in 1807; but prior to this, they had one that was erected in 1768. The Roman Catholics in this place not being very numerous, they have no place of worship. In 1779, was born at Penzance, Sir Humphrey Davey, a character that would reflect honour on any age ^r any county. He was descended from an ancient and respectable fa- mily. The earlier part of his educa- tion was received under Dr. Cardew, at Truro, which he left in a few years to acquire the profession of a surgeon GO and apothecary, under a medical gentleman at Penzance. Here his genius for chemistry first displayed itself, in varying the experiments of the most clebrated pneumatic che- mists, andadaptingthem to vegetables, exclusively produced ontheseashore. These were communicated to Dr. Beddoes, who, sensible of Mr.Davey's merit, engaged his assistance at a medical establishment, just then be- ginning at Bristol. Mr. Davey intro- duced himself to the public by a treatise "On the nature and relation of light and heat." The credit justly acquired by this work, and by sub- sequent essays, added to his success- ful delivery of a course of lectures at Clifton, procured for him the notice of the Royal Institution in London, where he now holds the situation of chemical lecturer, and by his lectures and experiments contributes largely to the natural information on subjects l>efore unknown, or imperfectly con- sidered. Some of his discoveries are 57 of the most wonderful nature, and have afforded a greater insight into the mysteries of nature than those of any individual who has preceded him. .Mr. Davey has obtained the praise and esteem of all the foreign societies, as well as of his own country ; and the National Institute at Paris gave him their prize of 3,000 livres, for his paper on chemical affinities. Early in 1812, he received the honour of knighthood from his royal highness the Prince Regent; and he still se- /luously employs himself in the pro- secution of his lectures, experiments, and discoveries. By his vigorous intellect and scientific talents, Sir Humphrey has not only exalted him- self in the scale of public reputation, as a chemist, but he has shone also as a poet : — His interesting poem, called " Mount's Bay," possesses con- siderable merit, and pages of it have been frequently quoted in works descriptive of the scenery in the neighbourhood. 58 It should also be remembered that Penzance was the early residence of Admiral Lord Exmouth. In taking up the stone floor of an old house near the Quay, in October 1813, the workmen discovered a hu- man skeleton, which, apparently, had lain there a considerable time. The premises were anciently occupied a> a public house, and some aged people recollected the circumstance of a sailor who was in the habit of fre- quenting it, and who had in his pos- session a plenty of money, being sud- denly missed, conjectures ran that he was murdered; but no proof being produced to that effect, the subject and enquiry dropped. This discovery of the skeleton now puts the melan- choly reflection beyond a doubt, and the perpetrators of the horrid deed have long since answered for their cruelty before the Supreme Judge of all human actions, whether open or concealed. It is remarkable that 59 this dwelling had been long unoccu- pied, from a report of its being haunted. In July 1757, a monk or angel-fish was taken at Penzance, in a trammel- net, whose nature appeared to be between the the dog-fish and the ray. The belly was white, and the back of a dusky or brownish hue. In no part of Cornwall is Midsum- mer celebrated with more hilarity than at Penzance and its neighbour- hood ; for on the 23d of June, the young people are all alert in the pre- parations for their favourite festival. No sooner does the tardy sun with- draw himself from the horizon, than the young men begin to assemble in several parts of the town, drawing after them trees, and branches of wood and furze; all which had been accumulating week after week, from the beginning of May. Tar-barrels are presently erected on tall poles, in the market-place, on the quay, and 60 in all of the principal streets; while pretty female children trip up and down in their best frocks, decorated with garlands, and hailing the Mid- summer-eve as the vigil of St. John, The joyful moment arrives! the tor- ches make their appearance! the heaped-up wood is on fire ! the tar- barrels send up their intense flame ! the ladies and gentlemen parade the streets, walk in the fields, or on the terraces that command the bay ; thence they behold the fishing towns, farms, and villas, vieing with each other in the number and splendour of their bonfires : the torches quickly moving along the shore, are reflected from the tide ; and the spectacle, though of the cheerful kind partici- pates of the grand. In the mean time rockets, crackers, squibs, &c. resound through every street; and the screams of the ladies, on their return from the shew, and their precipitate flight into the first passage, shop, or house, that happens to be open, heighten 61 the colouring and diversion of the night. Then comes the finale; no sooner are torches burnt out, than the inhabitants of the quay-quarter, (a great multitude), male and female voung, middle-aged, and old, virtu- ous and vicious, sober and drunk, take hands, and forming a long string, run violently through every street, lane, and alley, crying r an eye! an eye ! an eye ! ' At last they stop sud- denly, and an eye to this enormous needle being opened by the last two in the string, (whose clasped hands are elevated and arched) the thread of populace run under and through ; and continue to repeat the same, till weariness dissolves the union, and sends them home to bed; which is never till near the hour of midnight. Next day, (Midsummer day) the cus- tom is, for the country people to come to Penzance in their best clo- thes, about four or five o'clock in the afternoon ; when they repair to the quay and take a short trip on the H G2 water; on which occasion a number of boats are employed, most of which have music on board : — after one car- go is dismissed, another is taken in ; and till nine or ten o'clock, at night, ' the bay exhibits a pleasant scene of sloops, sailing-boats, rowing-boats, sea-sickness, laughter, quarrelling, drum-beating, horn-blowing, &c. &c. On the shore there is a kind of wake or fair, in which fruit and confection- ary are sold, and the public-houses are thronged with drinkers and dan- cers. Such is Midsummer in this part of Cornwall ; and on the eve of the feast of St. Peter, which follows so closely upon it, the same things are acted over again. The town of Penzance is well de- fended from the fury of atlantic storms, it is large and populous, con- taining about 4200 inhabitants, and is 283 miles from London, 109 from Exeter, and 27 from Truro. <33 The road from Penzance to Newly n is over a level green about a mile in length, passing through the village of Street-an-nowan, wttich contains about 300 inhabitants ; in it there is a respectable meeting-house belong- ing to the Methodists, where divine service is regularly performed ; there is also in this village, a Sunday School for poor children. NEWLYN. This is a large fishing village in the parish of Paul, situate near the west- ern shores of the Bay, and for popu- lation and extent may be reckoned equal to many towns, it consists of one principal street, nearly half a mile in length, with three or four small streets branching from it. "O In this village there is a small, but commodious pier, capable of con- M tainin^ vessels of one hundred tons burthen ; but is chiefly employed by the numerous fishing boats belonging to the pla^.e, which exceeds four hundred in number. In no part of Cornwall are the fish- eries carried on to a greater extent, than in this village, and the neigh- bouring one of Mousehole; and here it will not be improper to give an account of the manner of conduct- ing them, beginning with the pilchard, which is the principal: preparations for which are generally commenced about the end of July, at which time the pilchards are expected to pay their annual visit. They make their appearance chiefly in the evenings; so that the boats rarely go to sea before four o'clock, or continue lon- ger than ten. Sometimes they again go out early in the morning, and oc- casionally take fish about the rising of the sun. The boals, scattered at a little distance from each other, wait 65 those indications of a shoal, with which the men are well acquainted. These are, the jumping of some of the pilchards above the surface of the water; the ascent of bubbles from the bottom, and a particular hue of red- ness which the water acquires when the shoal is large. After having as- certained the direction in which the shoal is moving, they proceed to en- close them in the large net in the fol- lowing manner: — The end of the net being thrown over board, the charge of which is committed to the follower, to prevent it from being dragged away, the seine-boat is rowed gently by some of the men, while others cast the net overboard. They always take a cir- cular course. ; and their first care is to .secure with the net that part to which the fish were swimming; and finally so to carry the net around them, that they shall be hemmed in on every side. The whole time considered necessary for two strong men to throw the net overboard, is from four to six «fi minutes. The net immediately spreads itself, the corks on one edge render- ing it buoyant, and the leads on the other causing it to sink to the bottom ; for if the depth of the water exceeds the width of the seine, there is little or no probability of securing any fish, however large the shoal may be. As the circle which they take in throw- ing the seine into the water, is gene- rally larger than the net can compass, its two extremities are at a distance from each other when all is in the water. Ropes therefore are carried out from each end, which cross each other, by which the men on board the two large boats warp them toge- ther until they are brought in contact. When this is done, the two extremities, (if the shoal is thought to be large) are lifted from the bottom and laced together with the utmost expedition. While this is doing, every method is adopted to agitate the water, and drive back the body offish from this only aperture through which they can 67 possible escape. This being done, the fish remain within an enclosure, the seine forming a circle round them, extending from the surface to the bot- tom of the sea. To secure the seine in this position, if they find it neces- sary from the probable quantity of fish enclosed to let it remain in the water, grapnels are carried out at some distance on every side, and thrown to the bottom ; the ropes from which are fastened to the rope at the upper edge of the net; — these grap- nels preserve the seine in its circular position against the influence of the tides, and the changes of the weather. The shoals of fish vary from one hundred to two thousand hogsheads; and however doubtful it may appear to a perfect stranger, it must be ob- vious to every reflecting mind, that following the process thus described, there can be no more difficulty or la- bour to enclose two thousand hogs- heads than five, as the same work must be accomplished in either case, 68 except that of lacing the seine toge- ther and securing it with grapnels, which, with small shoals is unneces- sary. It has been found by exper- ience, that a large shoal is more easily secured than a small one, as such large bodies move with less rapidity. The stop-seine beiug thus lodged in the water and made secure, the tuck-seine is carried within the en- closure. This seine is made like the former, only it is not so long, but it is wider in the middle. It is then thrown around nearly parallel with the former; but being within the con- fines, less care is necessary, than was before observed. Being carried round the fish, the foot-rope is drawn with its leads along the bottom, and after- wards raised in a gradual manner to the surface of the water; so that the fish lie in an enormous bag of net ; this net is then gathered up round them, until they are drawn to the surface of the water; when the two 69 large boats are laden, and the remain- ing part is turned back into the large enclosure. The boats then proceed to the shore, were women are waiting ,.to receive them into the cellar for curing. Another method of taking pilchards is with nets having larger meshes, in which the fish get entangled. These driving nets, as they are termed, are drawn after their respective boats, fastened only at one end, through which the pilchard is arrested as it attempts to pass. These boats and nets are always at a considerable distance from the shore, lest by ap- proaching too near they should dis- perse the shoals the seines are waiting to take. The quantity thus taken is very small; but the pilchards are remarkably fine, and the expence of the adventure is of little importance. The pilchards being brought into thi j cellars, are laid down individually i 70 jn layers, first on the floor, which is gently inclined, that the oil issuing from the bulk may fiud its way into a receptacle placed for the purpose. The quantity of salt allowed by. government for each hogshead is iiv*- bushels, each weighing eighty-four pounds. For this salt, which is fref of duty, a bond must be given by the fish-curers. The time allowed by the fish-curers for their pilchards to lie in bulk, is sometimes regulated by the wishes of the merchant, who is always ready to avail himself of the foreign markets. The customary time is four weeks, and from thence vary- ing to five or six: but no established rule prevails. Government commands thirty-three days. The fish taken from the bulk are carried to large troughs, in which they are washed, and completely cleansed from the salt, filth, and coa- gulated oil, which they had acquired while lying in bulk, They are then 71 laid in loose casks in much the same manner as when they were in the bulk, with this variation, that they partake of the circular form of the barrel. After being pressed and filled up again, the barrels are then headed up, branded with the curer's name, and exported as occasion may require, Pilchards that are caught early and are fat, have generally been thought to yield one hogshead of oil from ten hogsheads of fish. But it frequently happens that double this quantity will not yield more, The oil varies in price, from ,£20 to ,£28 per ton. The common price of pil- chards may be estimated at about £3. 3s per hogshead. The skim- mings which float on the water in which the pilchards are washed when taken from the bulks, is called gar- bage, and is sold to the soap-boilers at fifteen-pence per gallon. The dr 2,s which remain in the oil reser- voir, are sold to the curriers at about 72 si xteen- pence per gallon en an average; but in scarce seasons it is worth more. Few things are more precarious than the adventurers in the pilchard fisheries. The first outfit of a seine, with its boats, oars, sails, ropes, nets, and a quantity of salt sufficient to cure 500 hogsheads of fish, if pur- chased new, cannot be estimated at less than ,£1000. On this coast, an average year of one seine may be es- timated at 250 or 300 hogsheads ; but it frequently happens that many seines scarcely take a single fish. The preparations for the water con- sist of three boats, two large ones and a small one : each large boat con- tains seven men, and in the small one are the master, another man, and two boys. The seine boat and the follower are names by which the two large boats are distinguished ; and the small one is called the lurker. 73 To meet the general uncertainty of the pilchard fisheries, government, in addition to the salt duty free, has granted a bounty of 85. 6d. on every hogshead offish actually exported to a foreign market. During the late war with France, the Italian ports being shut against us, induced the adventurers and mer- chants to explore a new market. This they found among the planters in the West Indies, who have occa- sionally purchased great quantities for the support of their slaves. The length of the voyage, and the heat of the climate, have however rendered some expensive precautions neces- sary. Instead of being closely pres- sed, and packed in loose barrels, it has been found necessary to carry them to market in tight casks filled with pickle. In some cases this ad- venture has been successful ; but as a permanent market the consumption is not equal to the supply which the 74 county can afford The return of peace has re-opened the markets in the Mediterranean; and from the de- mands which have been made, the intercourse promises to be again es- tablished in all its former prosperity. Besides pilchards, mackarel and herrings make their periodical appear- ance in immense shoals. Mackarel are taken in large nets called drift- nets, which are of various lengths, from TOO to 1000 fathoms, and about ten fathoms deep. These nets are cast, or shot, from the boats, at the ebbing or flowing of the tide, and al- lowed to drift with the stream ; the bottom of the net being kept down by weights, and the top part supported by corks. The iish are caught by being entangled in the meshes, but their flavour is unpaired, and the fish are oi'ten partial'- injured from the struggles which they make to disen- gage themselves, and the length of time which elapses before they can 75 expire in their own element. From April to September, and sometimes later, the mackarel rarely ever for- sakes /the Cornish coasts; the place of their principal resort is this neigh- bourhood, and when fresh it is held in universal estimation. From this neighbourhood, the London, Bristol, Exeter, and Plymouth markets, are supplied with fresh mackarel ; and in the western parts of this county, the vast numbers that are salted, form in winter, among the lower and mid- dling orders of society, one of the necessaries of life. This coast abounds with turbot, dories, mullet, cod, ling, conger, hake, haddock, pullock, whiting, sole, plaice, gurnet, bream, cray-fish, crab, &c. &c. the greater part of which are caught with hook and line. In Newlyn there is a small market, held on Saturdays, chiefly for but- cher's meat, but the principal part of 70 the inhabitants having business to Penzance, they purchase their com- modities there. In this village there arc meeting- houses belonging to the Baptists and Independents, in which divine service is regularly performed. Newlyn contains about 90O inha- bitants, the greater part of which are employed in the fisheries. On the road from hence to the village of Mousehole, which is about a mile distant, we pass a platform, which during the late war, was a battery, forming a great security to the Bay, from enemy's ships, or pri- vateers, should any of them be indu- ced to visit any part of it. Adjoining to this battery stands a furnace for the purpose of making shot red hot. During the war, this battery was go- verned by a small party of the royal artillery. 77 JSEHC This large and popolous village is also situated in the parish of Paul ; and was formerly a market-town, and place of considerable trade, but was burnt by the Spaniards in the year 1595, with Newlyn, and the greater part of Paul church. From this dis- aster Mousehole never recovered. At Mousehole was formerly a cha- pel of ease, which also served as a sea-mark; but it was destroyed by the encroachment of the ocean before the year 1414. The dried ling of Mousehole are esteemed as a very superior fish. This village is rendered notable by antiquaries as having been the resi- dence of old Dolly Pentreath, the last woman known to speak the Cornish language: — In the former period of her life she supported herself by sel- 78 ling fish, and was well known in the market of Penzance, where at twelve years of age, she sold her wares in the Cornish language, In the year J7G8, she was visited by the Honor-, able Dairies JBarrington, whose report, that he had met with a woman in this county able to converse in the verna- cular tongue, not meeting with that degree of credit to which its accuracy was entitled, occasioned him to make further enquiries concerning her ; but this was not till several years after- wards, when he found (1773) that she was still living, and in tolerable health, though in her eighty-seventh year: she was then maintained partly by the parish, and partly by foriune- telling, and gabbling of Cornish. In the year 1776, the same gentleman mentions her as still being alive, though exceedingly deaf; and it ap- pears from her epitaph, which was formerly in Paul church-yard, that she lived to the great age of 102. Her epitaph was both in Cornish and 79 English ; and as the sentiment it ex- presses is somewhat whimsical, we shall insert it, Coth Dol Pentreath canz ha Deaw Marir en Bedans en Powl pleu Na en an Eglar ganna Poble braz Bet en Eglar Hay Coth Dolly es ! Old Dol Pentreath, one hundred age & two, Both born, and in Paul Parish buried too; Not in the Church 'mongst people great and high, But in the Church-Yard doth old Dolly lie! Respecting Paul church, a curious fact lately occurred. — Not long since, the roof of the southern porch was repaired ; when on removing the slates, &c. a wooden supporter of the roof exhibited marks of the fire which had partially injured it. The carpenter, Bodinnar, aware of the curiosity, preserved the wood thus burnt, which is distributed in pieces among the neighbouring gentlemen. We cannot but remark, how well the circumstance of a single supporter of 80 the roof of the porch being burnt, (and that the one nearest the body of the church) confirms a tradition still current in the west, — namely, "That the Spaniards met some fe- males carrying wood and furze, and driving the women into the church, compelled them to let down their burdens near the south porch, the door of which they set open, to re- ceive the blast of a strong south wind. The direction of the wind consumed the church, but preserved the porch, though when the flame got to its height it might momentarily affect the part of the porch nearest the door." On this subject, we may add, that the thick stone division at the back of Trewarveneth seat (which has puzzled many people) is a part of the old church, which escaped the fire. There is a tradition, that a far- mer's wife found a Spaniard drunk and asleep in a corn-field, and that she cut his throat with a sickle. Another tradition is, that a farmer 8J cunningly set his furze-rick on fire, and ran from it in apparent trepida- tion ; whence the Spaniards thinking that one of the parties had fired the village, passed by without molest- ing it. In Paul church is the following curious notice of its having been burnt;— "The Spanger burnt this church in the year 1595." In Mousehole there is a small pier, capable of admitting vessels of one hundred tons burtheu ; but is chiefly used by the fishing boats- In this village there is a meeting-house be- longing to the methodists, in which divine service is regularly performed. Mousehole is situated about two miles south-west of Penzance ; is about half of a mile from Paul church- town ; and contains about (J00 inha- bitants, the greater part of which are employed in the fisheries. 82 CLUS Having therefore completed the task we assigned ourselves, and given a true account of the places mentioned herein, we now take our leave, the traveller will receive ample gratifica- tion whenever he visits this interesting district of the British Empire ; whilst the capitalist may see what great op- portunities are presented for the ad- vantageous exercise of money ; and the valetudinarian, we hope will re- ceive ample benefit from those mild, and genial breezes, which clothe our fields with perpetual verdure, and impart to the inhabitants the enviable blessings of long life and health. FINIS. Thomas, Printer, Penzance. THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DA" STAMPED BELOW. * t *&* jM