Drawn by F. Tonkin.

A GVIDE to MOVNTS BAY and LANDS END.

A
GUIDE
TO THE
MOUNT's BAY
AND THE
LAND's END;

COMPREHENDING THE
TOPOGRAPHY, BOTANY, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES,
ANTIQUITIES, MINING, MINERALOGY
AND GEOLOGY OF
Western Cornwall.

SECOND EDITION.

To which is added, for the information of Invalids,
A DIALOGUE ON THE PECULIAR ADVANTAGES OF THE CLIMATES
OF PENZANCE, DEVONSHIRE, AND THE
SOUTHERN PARTS OF EUROPE.

By a PHYSICIAN.

"Auditque suis tria littora campis."

LONDON:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY W. PHILLIPS,
GEORGE YARD, LOMBARD STREET:
SOLD ALSO BY T. VIGURS, PENZANCE; AND W. AND C. TAIT,
EDINBURGH.

1824.

TO
THE VICE PATRONS, PRESIDENT,
VICE PRESIDENTS,
AND MEMBERS
OF
The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall,
THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED,
AS A HUMBLE, YET SINCERE TRIBUTE OF RESPECT,
FOR THE ZEAL AND LIBERALITY WITH WHICH THEY CONTINUE
TO UPHOLD
AN INSTITUTION
"WHICH HAS RENDERED THEIR HOME THE SCHOOL OF
SCIENCE,
AND THEIR NATIVE RICHES INCREASING SOURCES
OF PROSPERITY."

TO THE READER.

This little volume has been republished, at the earnest solicitation of numerous friends and applicants, and with such additions and improvements as the present extended state of information appeared to render necessary. In obeying this call, the author trusts that he may, in some degree, remove the prejudice to which the carelessness of his provincial compositor must, on the former occasion, have exposed the work.

Since the publication of the first Edition, Penzance, and the District of the Mount's Bay, have become objects of greatly increased interest; the successful establishment of the Geological Society,—the erection of commodious Sea Baths,—the growing confidence of the Public, and of the medical profession, in the superior mildness of the climate,—and the general amelioration of every thing connected with the wants and comforts of a winter residence, have powerfully operated in augmenting the influx of strangers and invalids, into this formerly obscure, and comparatively neglected district. Such considerations, it will be acknowledged, were quite sufficient to sanction the propriety and expediency of the present undertaking, but the author must in candour allow, that they would scarcely have prevailed, had not another powerful motive been in silent but effectual co-operation—the "Antiquæ vestigia Flammæ,"—a secret lingering after the pursuits of Geology have, for once at least, seduced him from a resolution he had formed on quitting Cornwall,—that of abandoning a science which can never be pursued except with enthusiasm; but which, from its direction and tendency, is wholly incompatible with the duties of an anxious and laborious profession.

As the work is calculated for the guidance of those who may seek the shores of the Mount's Bay, for its genial atmosphere, the introduction of some general observations upon the subject of Climate, appeared essentially necessary. For this purpose, the form of a Dialogue has been preferred to that of a Didactic essay; by which much circumlocution is avoided, while the only interesting parts of the question are thus made to appear in a more prominent and popular point of view.

The Cornish Dialogue, introduced in the Appendix, for the sake of illustrating the provincial Dialect, has been composed after the model of the well known "Tim Bobbin," which was written for the accomplishment of the same object, with reference to Lancashire. From the direction in which it came into the hands of the author, he is inclined to consider it as an hitherto unpublished production of the celebrated Dr. Walcott.——Valete.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.
OF THE MOUNT's BAY, AND THE LAND's END
DISTRICT.
(Page [1].)

The Mount's Bay—Its Topography and Scenery, [1].—Northern Shores, their aspect cheerless but interesting, [3].—Minerals and Antiquities, [4].—The Climate of Mount's Bay, [5].—Meteorological Records, [5].—Vegetation, [6].—Tender Exotics flourish in the open air, [7].—Proofs of superior mildness from the animal kingdom, [9].—Coolness of the Summer, [10].—Rain; Storms, [11].—Hurricane of 1817, [14].—Encroachments of the Sea, [16].—The Bay formerly a woodland, [17].—Causes of the Sea's inundation, [18].—Rapid decomposition of the Cornish hills, [19].—Penzance—an eligible residence, [22].—Its situation most beautiful.—Extraordinary fertility of the neighbouring lands, [23].—Corporation—Pier—Chapel—Meeting Houses, [24].—Penzance a Coinage Town, [25].—Public Dispensary, [25].—Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, [26].—Its Cabinet of Minerals, [27].—Laboratory, [29].—Accidents from explosion in Mines prevented by the scientific efforts of the Society, [30].—Mineralogical Collection of Joseph Carne, Esq. [31].—Penwith Agricultural Society, [32].—Penzance Market, [33].—Wild fowl and fish abundant and cheap,—Newlyn Fish-women remarkable for their beauty, [33].—Public Hot and Cold Sea Baths, [34].—Beautiful prospect from the waiting room, [35].—Packet to Scilly, [35].—Ancient Customs—Festivities at Midsummer, [36].—Penzance remarkable in history from having been burnt by the Spaniards, [38].—Tobacco first smoked in this town, [39].—The birth place of Sir Humphry Davy, [40].—List of Indigenous Plants of Western Cornwall, [41], &c.

EXCURSION I.
(Page [45])
TO SAINT MICHAEL's MOUNT.

An object of the very first interest—Excursion by water—By land, [45].—The Eastern Green celebrated as the habitat of some rare plants, [46].—Marazion, or Market Jew, [47].—Its origin and Charter, [47].—Chapel Rock, [48].—Arrival at Saint Michael's Mount, [49].—Conical form of the hill—Its dimensions—Town at its base—The Pier—Interesting as a geological object, [50].—Why—Its scenery most magnificent—Geological structure, [51].—Militates against the Wernerian doctrines—De Luc's improbable explanation, [51].—Dr. Berger's gratuitous assumption, [52].—Plutonian views, [52].—Western base of the Mount—Beds of Granite, [53].—Quartz veins—Interesting contents of the veins, [55].—Pinite discovered in this spot, [55].—Other minerals, [56].—Lodes of Tin and Copper—Remains of a Tin Mine—Veins of Mica, [57].—The Tamarisk, [57].—Ascent to the Castle, [57].—Ancient Fortifications—The Chevychace room, [58].—The Chapel, [59].—Mysterious discovery in the Chapel, [59].—More Discoveries—Ascent to the top of the tower—Prospect hence of the grandest description, [60].—Saint Michael's Chair—Its origin and supposed mystic powers—A remnant of Monkish fable, [61].—The modern Apartments, [62].—The Natural History of the Hill—Formerly cloathed with wood—Its old Cornish appellation, [62].—Once at a distance from the sea, [63].—Ecclesiastical History—Monkish Legends of the vision of Saint Michael, [63].—Saint Keyne's Pilgrimage to the Mount in the fifth century, [64].—The Confessor's Endowment, [65].—Ancient instrument A.D. 1070 found amongst its registers, [65].—Annexed to a Norman Priory at the Conquest, [66].—The Nunnery—Its establishment broken up—The connection of the Priory with Normandy destroyed, [67].—Granted by Henry the Sixth to King's College Cambridge, [67].—Transferred by Edward IV. to the Nunnery of Sion in Middlesex, [68].—Bestowed upon Lord Arundel at the Reformation, [68].—Its Private History continued, [69].—Military History.—Pomeroy's Treachery—Monks expelled—Monks restored, [70].—The Mount is again reduced by the Earl of Oxford, [71].—who in his turn is compelled to surrender to the forces of Edward the Fourth, [71].—The Lady Catherine Gordon, wife of Perkin Warbeck, flies to the Mount for safety, [71].—Besieged by the Cornish rebels in the reign of Edward VI., [71].—Reduced by Colonel Hammond during the Civil war of Charles the First, [72].—The Mount supposed by Sir Christopher Hawkins and Dr. Maton to be the Ictis of Diodorus Siculus, [73].

EXCURSION II.
(Page [74])
TO THE LAND's END, LOGAN ROCK, &c.

Intermediate objects worthy of notice, [74].—Castle Horneck, [75].—Rose Hill—Trereiffe, [76].—The country wild but susceptible of cultivation, [77].—Furze—Boulders of Granite, [77].—Capable of numerous applications in rural œconomy, [78].—Cornish Granite, (provincially, Growan), when in a state of decomposition is used as a manure, [79].—Theory of its operation, [79].—Form of the Felspar crystals, [79].—State of Agriculture—The Farm of John Scobell, Esq. at Leha, [80].—Arish Mows, [81].—Ancient Stone Crosses, [81].—Druidical Circle at Boscawen Un, [81].—Opinions concerning the origin of such circles, [82].—Chapel Euny, and its mystic well, [82].—Caerbran Round, [83].—Other Hill Castles, [84].—Chapel Carn Bre—Its origin, [84].—Commands a very extensive view, [85].—Sennan Church-town—The First and Last Inn in England, [85].—The Village of Mayon or Mean, [85].—Table Mean the vague tradition concerning, [86].—The Land's End, [86].—A Spot of great geological interest, [87].—Grotesque appearance of its granitic rocks, [87].—The Armed Knight, Irish Lady, and Dr. Johnson's Head, [88].—Cape Cornwall, and Whitsand Bay, [88].—Historical recollections, [88].—The Long-Ships Light-house, [89].—Tradition of the Lioness, [91].—The Wolf rock, [91].—The Scilly Islands, [92].—Ancient Accounts—Six of the Islets only inhabited, [92].—Saint Agnes, [93].—The Light-house, [93].—Civil Government of the Islands, [93].—Present inhabitants all new comers, [94].—A robust and healthy race, [94].—Their employment, [96].—Experience great distress, [96].—Curious fact with respect to the migration of the Woodcock, [98].—Climate and Geology, [99].—Return to the Land's End—Fine rock Scenery at the Cape near the Signal Station, [101].—Tol Pedn Penwith, [102].—Cornish Chough—A Cliff Castle, [102].—Castle Treryn—Stupendous Rock Scenery—The Logan Rock, [103].—Its weight, [103].—How and whence it came, [104].—A natural production, [104].—Its appearance easily reconciled with the known laws of decomposition, [105].—Used probably by the Druids as an engine of superstition, [105].—Plants—Geological phenomena, [106].—Rare Shells to be found in Treryn Cove, [107].—Saint Buryan, once the seat of a College of Augustine Canons, [108].—Church Tower commands a very extensive prospect—Remarkable ancient Monument in the church, [109].—Ancient Crosses, [110].—The Deanery, [111].—The supposed Sanctuary, [111].—Return to Penzance by a circuitous route, through the parish of Saint Paul, [111].—Boskenna, the romantic seat of John Paynter, Esq., [112].—A Druidical circle, called the Merry Maidens, [112].—Sepulchral Stones called the Pipers, [113].—Carn Boscawen, Pensile Stone at, [113].—Trove or Trewoof, the remains of a triple entrenchment at, [113].—The romantic valley of Lemorna, [113].—Kerris, supposed Druidical monument at, [114].—Paul Church, [114].—Epitaph of Dolly Pentreath, [115].—Mousehole and Newlyn, Colonies of Fishermen, [116].—Geological phenomena, [117].

EXCURSION III.
(Page [119])
TO BOTALLACK MINE; CAPE CORNWALL; AND THE
MINING DISTRICT OF SAINT JUST.

Plan of the excursion, [119].—Nancealverne, the seat of John Scobell, Esq.—Poltair, of Edward Scobell, Esq.—and Trengwainton, of Sir Rose Price, Bart. [119].—Original Paintings by Opie, [120].—Village of Madron, [120].—Madron Well and Baptistry; Ancient Superstitions attached to it, [121].—Lanyon Cromlech (represented in the title page of this work) known by the name of the Giant's Quoit, [122].—Its supposed origin, [123].—Men-an-Tol, [124].—Men Skryfa, or the Inscribed Stone, [125].—Chun Castle, [126].—Stamping Mills, Burning Houses, or Roasting Furnaces, [127].—Cavern at Pendeen, [126].—Pendeen Cove, [128].—Geological phenomena, [128].—The Gurnard's head, [129].—Minerals to be found in this district, [130].—Axinite at Trewellard—Prehnite—Stilbite—Mesotype, [131].—The Crown Engine of Botallack—Extraordinary Scenery of the spot, [132].—Descent to the Engine, [133].—The workings of the Mine extend under the bed of the Atlantic ocean, [133].—Mineralogical observations, [134].—Cape Cornwall, [136].—Little Bounds Mine, [136].—Its workings under the sea, [137].—Curious Stalactites found there, [138].—Caraglose Head, a spot well worthy the stranger's notice, [138].—Portnanvon Cove, [139].—Saint Just Church Town, [139].—Ancient Amphitheatre, where Tournaments are held at this very day, [140].—Botallack circles, [140].—Antiquarian speculations, [141].

EXCURSION IV.
(Page [143])
TO SAINT IVES, HAYLE, HUEL ALFRED, &c.

Embowered Village of Gulval—Kenegie the seat of J. A. Harris Arundel, Esq.—Rosmorran, the retired cottage of George John, Esq., [143].—Ascent to the great Granite ridge, [143].—Castle an Dinas, [144].—Atmospheric Phenomenon, [144].—Saint Ives, [145].—The Pilchard Fishery—Confusion and bustle which are occasioned on the appearance of a shoal, [146].—Natural History of the Pilchard, [147].—Period of its appearance, [148].—How discovered by the Huer, [149].—Necessary outfit for the fishery, [149].—The Great Net, or Stop Seine—How shot, [150].—The quantity of fish usually secured—Tucking, a beautiful sight, [152].—Driving Nets, [153].—Fish brought to the cellars and cured—lying in bulk, [153].—Packed in hogsheads, headed up, and exported, [154].—The great importance of this fishery to the county, [155].—Refuse fish used as manure, [155].—Their fertilizing powers increased by lime, [156].—The Herring Fishery, [156].—Tregenna Castle, the seat of Samuel Stephens, Esq.—Knill's Mausoleum, [157].—Quinquennial Games instituted, [158].—Hayle Sands—The Port of Hayle, [159].—Desolate appearance of the district, [161].—Sand-flood, [162].—Recent Formation of Sandstone, [163].—Investigation of the causes which have operated in consolidating the sand, [166].—Huel Alfred Copper-mine, [169].—The Herland Mines, [170].—Saint Erth—Trevethoe, [171].—Tin Smelting, [173].—Ludgvan Church—The tomb of the venerable and learned Dr. Borlase, [174].

EXCURSION V.
(Page [176])
TO REDRUTH, AND THE MINING DISTRICTS IN ITS
VICINITY.

The country uninteresting to the traveller in search of the picturesque, but affording a rich and instructive field of Mineralogical inquiry, [176].—Antiquity of the Cornish Tin Trade, [177].—Stannary Courts—Copper Ore of comparatively modern discovery, [178].—Lead, Cobalt, and Silver ores, [180].—Average width of the metalliferous veins—Depth of the principal mines, [181].—North and South veins, or Cross Courses, [181].—Heaves of the Lodes—A remarkable instance in Huel Peever, [182].—Costeening, the meaning of the term—Method of Working the Cornish Mines, [183].—Blasting the rock with gunpowder, [186].—Descent into a Mine, [186].—Interior of a Mine, [187].—Temperature of Mines, [189].—Mines considered as property, [190].—Various processes by which the ore is rendered marketable, [191].—Spalling, [191].—Stamping, [192].—Dressing, [193].—Vanning, [194].—Burning, [194].—The Standard Barrow, [195].—Names of Mines, whence derived, [196].—Number of Mines, [196].—Stream Works, [197].—Gold found there, [197].—Clowance, the seat of Sir John St. Aubyn—Pendarves, the seat of E. W. W. Pendarves, Esq.—Tehidy Park, the mansion of Lord de Dunstanville, [198].—Dolcoath Copper Mine, [198].—Cook's Kitchen, [199].—Redruth—The Great Steam Engine at Chacewater, [200].—The Consolidated Mines—Huel Unity—Poldice, [202].—Hints to the Collectors of Cornish Minerals, [202].—Mineralogical Cabinets—That in the possession of Mr. Rashleigh, [203].—Of Mr. Williams's Collection, [206].—Saint Agnes, [208].—Carn-breh Hill—The supposed grand centre of Druidical worship, [209].—Imaginary monuments of the Druids—Their true nature developed, [209].—Cleavelandite found in the porphyritic granite on the summit of the hill, [212].—Carn-breh Castle, [213].

EXCURSION VI.
(Page [214])
TO KYNANCE COVE AND THE LIZARD POINT.

Fundamental Rocks of the Lizard Peninsula, [215].—Alternate beds of Slate and Greenstone at Marazion—Cudden Point—Acton Castle—Pengerswick Castle, [216].—Tregoning, Godolphin, and Breage Hills, [217].—Huel Vor, a great Tin Mine, [218].—Portleven Harbour—Helston, [219].—Its Borough—The ancient and singular festival of the Furry commemorated in this town, [220].—The Furry-day Tune, [222].—Penrose, the seat of John Rogers, Esq., [223].—The Loe Pool, an extensive fresh-water lake, [224].—Interior of the Lizard Peninsula, [225].—Gunwalloe Cove—Bolerium—Mullion Cove—Geology of this line of Coast, [226].—Serpentine Formation—Goonhilly Downs—Erica Vagans, [227].—Soap Rock, [228].—Copper found in this district, [229].—Kynance Cove—Asparagus Island—The Devil's Bellows, [229].—Explanation of the phenomenon, [230].—Lizard Light-houses, [231].—Geology of the Eastern Coast of the Peninsula, [232].—Frying Pan Rocks near Cadgwith, [233].—Diallage Rock—Mr. Majendie's researches in this district, [233].—Coverack Cove, a spot of the highest geological interest, [234].—Professor Sedgwick's Observations thereon, [235].—Tregonwell Mill, the habitat of Menacchanite or Gregorite, [236].—Concluding Remarks, [237].

APPENDIX.
Part I.

A Dialogue, between Dr. A. a Physician, and Mr. B. an Invalid, on the comparative merits of different Climates, as places of Winter residence p. [239]

APPENDIX.
Part II.

An Account of the First celebration of the Knillian Games at Saint Ives p. [260]

A Cornish Dialogue [267]

Carn Breh—An Ode hitherto unpublished, by Dr. Walcot [271]

A GUIDE
TO THE
MOUNT'S BAY
AND
THE LAND's END.

INTRODUCTION.

Of the Mount's Bay, and the Land's End District.

At the most western extremity, and in the lowest latitude of Great Britain, is situated this delightful and justly celebrated Bay. It is bounded by an irregularly curved outline of many miles in extent, the extreme points of which constitute the well known promontory of the "Lizard," and the singular headland, "Tol-Pedn-Penwith," near the "Land's End."

From the Lizard, the shores pass northward and westward, and gradually losing, as they proceed, their harsh and untamed features, swell into sloping sweeps of richly cultivated land, and into hills glowing with the freshest verdure. As the coast advances, and at the same time spreads itself southward, it unites to its luxuriant richness a bolder character, and, rising like a vast amphitheatre, it opposes a barrier to western storms, while it presents its undulating bosom to the sun, and collecting his rays, pours them again with multiplied effect, upon every part of the surrounding country. The shores now pass westward, and extend to the Land's End, in their approach to which they become more rocky and precipitous, and occasionally exhibit some of the finest cliff scenery in the island, displaying by splendid natural sections the exact structure and relations of the rocks of which the country is composed.

The western shores are sprinkled with picturesque villages, churches, cottages, and villas; and near the eastern margin of the bay, a pile of rocks, supporting a venerable chapel on its summit, starts abruptly from the waves, and presents an appearance of a most singular and beautiful description—this is Saint Michael's Mount, an eminence equally celebrated in the works of the poet, the naturalist, the antiquary, and the historian.

If we pursue the coast, and, turning round the western extremity of our island, trace its outline as it proceeds northerly, and then easterly to the Bay of St. Ives, a very different country presents itself; instead of the undulating curves, and luxuriant herbage of the southern shores, the land is generally high,—the vallies short, narrow, and quick of descent, and the whole landscape affords a scene of incomparable cheerlessness; on the summit of almost every hill the granite is to be seen protruding its rugged forms in the most fantastic shapes, while the neighbouring ground is frequently covered for some distance with its disjointed and gigantic fragments, tumbled together in magnificent confusion; scarcely a shrub is seen to diversify the waste, and the traveller who undertakes to explore the more desolate parts of the district, will feel as if he were walking over the ruins of the globe, and were the only being who had survived the general wreck; and yet Ulysses was not more attached to his Ithaca, than is the Cornish peasant to his wild and cheerless dwelling.

"Dear is that shed to which his soul conforms,
"And dear that hill which lifts him to the storms."

Nor let the intelligent tourist despair of amusement, for he will find much to interest, much to delight him. There is not perhaps a district in Great Britain which presents greater attractions to the mineralogist or geologist; and there is certainly not one which, in so small a compass, has produced so many species of earthy and metallic minerals, or which displays so many geological varieties. At the same time the antiquarian may here occupy himself with the examination of the rude relics of antiquity, which lie scattered on all sides—nothing is more pleasing than that sacred enthusiasm which is kindled in the mind by the contemplation of the faded monuments of past ages, and surely no spot was ever more congenial to such sensations. But to return from the digression.

The Climate of Mount's Bay is the circumstance which has principally contributed to its celebrity, and is that which renders its shores so beneficial to invalids. Its seasons have been aptly compared to the neap tides, which neither ebb nor flow with energy; for, notwithstanding its southern latitude, the summer is never sultry, while the rigour of winter is so ameliorated, that thick ice[1] is rarely seen; frost, if it occurs, is but of a few hours duration; and the snow storms which, coming from the north and east, bury the fields of every other part of England, are generally exhausted before they reach this favoured spot, or their last sprinkling is dissolved by the warm breezes which play around its shores.

The records lately collated and published by Dr. Forbes, from the meteorological journals of Messrs. Giddy, eminent surgeons at Penzance, afford abundant proof that this neighbourhood enjoys a mean summer temperature under, and a mean winter temperature greatly above, the mean of places similarly situated as to latitude, but differing in the latter being placed at a distance from the sea; for the mass of water held in the vast basin of the ocean preserves a far more even temperature than the atmosphere, and is constantly at work to maintain some degree of equilibrium in the warmth of the air; so that in the summer it carries off a portion of the caloric from it, while in the winter it restores a part of that which it contains.[2]

The same registers have, moreover, recorded a fact with respect to the Penzance climate which renders it still more acceptable to the invalid,—the comparatively small annual, monthly, and daily range of its temperature. Nor are the indications of the thermometer the only test upon which we need rely,—the productions of nature will furnish striking elucidations, and amply confirm the justness of our meteorological observations. From the vegetable kingdom we derive conclusive evidence of the mildness of our winter, since all green-house plants may be preserved with far less care and attendance than in any other part of England; myrtles[3] and geraniums, even of the tenderest kind, and many other exotics, are here constantly exposed during the winter, and yet they flower most luxuriantly in the summer. The Hydrangea attains an immense size in our shrubberies, as does also the Verbena Triphylla. The great American aloe (Agave Americana,) has flowered in the open air at Mousehole, at Tehidy park, and in the Scilly islands. To these we may add a long list[4] of tender exotics, all of which are flourishing in the neighbourhood of Penzance, and it has been justly remarked that were ornamental horticulture to become an object of attention in this neighbourhood, as it is in many other parts of England, this list might be very considerably extended. Amongst the rare indigenous plants of this district, the Sibthorpia Europæa may be particularised as affording a remarkable proof of the mildness of our winter. This elegant little plant when transplanted into the midland counties is killed even in the most sheltered gardens. Nor must we pass over unnoticed the more substantial proofs of the same fact, as furnished by our winter markets, for at a season when pot-herbs of all kinds are destroyed by frost in the eastern counties, our tables are regularly supplied in abundance;[5] and so little is the progress of vegetation checked during the months of winter, that the meadows retain their verdure, and afford even a considerable supply of grass to the cattle.

Nor is the animal kingdom deficient in proofs of the congenial mildness of western Cornwall. We are indebted to the Rev. W. T. Bree, of Allesley, Warwickshire, for the following remarks, which were communicated by him to Dr. Forbes of Penzance, and published by that gentleman in his Observations on the Climate of this neighbourhood.

"One of the most remarkable instances of the mildness of your climate is the unusually early appearance of frog's spawn: this I observed at Gulval on the 8th of January. According to White's Naturalist's Calendar (which was made from observations taken in Hampshire, a warm and early county,) the earliest and latest appearances there specified, are February 28th, and March 22d. Taking therefore the second week in March as the average for its appearance, you should seem, in this instance, to be full two months earlier than Hampshire."

"In this neighbourhood (near Coventry) I rarely see any of our species of Swallow, except perhaps an occasional straggler, before the second week in April, but in the year 1818 I was not a little gratified at observing upwards of a score of Sand Martins, (Hirundo Riparia,) sporting over the marsh between Gulval and Marazion, on March 31st. The wind at that time was N. W. and the thermometer at 50° in the shade at noon. The Chaffinch (Fringilla Cœlebs,) I heard, in Cornwall, begin to chirp his spring note the last day of December. With us he is seldom heard until the beginning of February. The Viper, (Coluber Berus) a great lover of warmth and moisture, occurs more frequently in Cornwall than in the midland counties."

We have already stated that our summers are as remarkable for coolness, as our winters are desirable for mildness. This circumstance necessarily renders our fruit inferior in flavour to that which is produced in the inland counties; indeed the grape very rarely ripens in the open air, and the apricot tree seldom affords any fruit, except in a few favoured spots. The tree of the greengage plum is nearly equally unproductive. The walnut and the common hazel-nut very seldom bear fruit. Apples for the table, however, are plentiful and good; and our strawberries may be considered as possessing a decided superiority.

Why then, it may be asked, should not this climate be as eligible to invalids as that which they are generally sent across the Channel to enjoy? In reply we will venture to assert, and without the least fear of being contradicted by those, whose experience renders them competent judges, that it is not only equally beneficial, but far more eligible, unless, indeed, the patient can possess himself of the cap of Fortunatus, to remove the difficulties and discomfiture of a continental journey. But since the present volume is, in some measure, written for the information and guidance of those who are seeking a winter's residence, in pursuit of health, the author has been induced to subjoin a short essay, in the appendix, for the purpose of examining the comparative pretensions of the several places to the reputation for superior mildness and salubrity, which they have acquired.

From the peninsular situation of Cornwall, and its proximity to the Atlantic ocean, over which the wind blows, at least, three-fourths of the year, the weather is certainly very subject to rain, and it is found that when other parts of England suffer from drought, Cornwall has rarely any reason to complain; this peculiarity seems highly congenial to the inhabitants, as well as to the soil; a Cornishman never enjoys better health and spirits than in wet seasons, and there is a popular adage, that "the land will bear a shower every day, and two upon a sunday;" this, like most of our popular sayings, although it requires to be understood with some grains of allowance, is founded on observation and experience. The philosophical explanation of the fact is obvious; the shallowness of the soil, and the large proportion of siliceous matter which enters into its composition, together with the nature of its rocky substratum, necessarily render a constant supply of moisture indispensable to its fertility. And we here cannot but admire the intelligence displayed by Nature in connecting the wants and necessities of the different parts of Creation with the power and means of supplying them; thus in a primitive country, like Cornwall, where the soil is constantly greedy of moisture, we perceive that the rocks, elevated above the surface, solicit a tribute from every passing cloud; while in alluvial and flat districts, the soil of which is rich, deep, and retentive of water, the clouds float undisturbed over the plains, and the country very commonly enjoys that long and uninterrupted series of dry weather which is so congenial and essential to its productions.

It deserves, however, to be noticed, that the rains of Cornwall are, in general, rather frequent than heavy.

"Not such as wintry storms on mortals shed
Oppressing life, but lovely, gentle, kind,
And full of every hope, and every joy,
The wish of Nature."——

It has been satisfactorily ascertained, by means of the rain guage, that the actual quantity of rain that falls is rather under the mean of the whole of England; and Dr. Borlase observes that "we have very seldom a day so thoroughly wet, but that there is some intermission, nor so cloudy, but that the sun will find a time to shine." This circumstance may, perhaps, in part depend upon the narrow, ridgelike form of the peninsula, over which the winds make a quick, because they have a short passage, and therefore do not suffer the clouds to hang long in one place, as they frequently do in other situations; we are, besides, much indebted to Ireland for this moderation of the elements; she may be truly denominated the Umbrella of Cornwall, for were not the vast body of clouds, which the winds bring from the Atlantic, attracted and broken by her hills, we should most probably be deluged with more constant and excessive rain.

Notwithstanding the supposed moisture of the Mount's Bay, the air is not less fit for respiration, nor less beneficial to the valetudinarian, than that of drier situations. The porous nature of the shelfy substratum soon disposes of any excess of water; so that, after a short cessation of rain, the invalid may safely venture abroad to enjoy the delightful walks which surround the bay; at the same time, the numerous promontories which distinguish this coast, promote a constant circulation of breezes around their extremities, so that mists seldom linger, and we never experience those sultry calms, or suffocating fogs, which not unfrequently infest other parts of our island.

As Cornwall is directly exposed to the expanse of the Atlantic ocean, lying south-west of it, we cannot be surprised that the winds, which blow so generally from that quarter, should occasionally produce very violent storms. Their approach is frequently predicted by the experienced fisherman, from the agitation of the water along shore, a phenomenon which is called a "ground swell;" and which is probably occasioned by a storm in the Atlantic, with the wind west; in which case, as the storm proceeds eastward, the waves raised by it will outgo the wind, and reach the eastern coast long before it. A tremendous instance of this kind occurred, during the residence of the author of these pages, on the night of Sunday, January 19th, 1817. The storm assumed the character of a hurricane, and acting in conjunction with a spring tide, impelled the waves with such fury, that they actually broke over the mast heads of the vessels which were lying within Penzance harbour, and bore down every thing before them; two of the four pillars recently erected for the reception of a light were thrown down, and several of the foundation stones of the pier removed. The windows of the bath-house were demolished, and the whole of its furniture washed into the sea. The green between Penzance and Newlyn was torn up, and several boats, lying on the strand were actually carried into the neighbouring meadows. The towns of Newlyn and Mousehole suffered corresponding damage, and several of their houses were washed away. The road between Marazion and St. Michael's Mount was torn from its lowest foundation, and stones of more than a ton in weight, though clamped together with massy iron, were severed and removed from their situation. The turnpike road between Penzance and Marazion was, in many places, buried with sand; and in others, broken up by the violence of the waves, and covered by the sea to the depth of from three to five feet. Had the violence of the storm lasted but a few hours longer, who will venture to say that the two channels would not have been united by the inundation of the low land which constitutes the isthmus, and the district of the Land's end been converted into an island!

The sea is encroaching upon every part of the Cornish coast. In the memory of many persons still living, the cricketers were unable to throw a ball across the "Western Green," between Penzance and Newlyn,[6] which is now not many feet in breadth, and the grandfather of the present vicar of Madron is known to have received tithes from the land under the cliff of Penzance. On the northern coast we have striking instances of the sea having made similar inroads. This however is the natural result of the slow and silent depredation of the water upon the land; but at a very remote period we are assured by tradition, that a considerable part of the present bay, especially that comprehended within a line drawn from near Cuddan point on the east side, to Mousehole on the west, was land covered with wood, but which, by an awful convulsion and irruption of the sea, was suddenly swept away. "If we trace the north-west shore of the bay, from the Mount westward to Newlyn, the ebb tide leaves a large space uncovered; the sea sand is from one to two or three feet deep; and under this stratum of sand is found a black vegetable mould, full of woodland detritus, such as the branches, leaves, and nuts of coppice wood, together with the roots and trunks of forest trees of large growth. All these are manifestly indigenous; and, from the freshness and preservation of some of the remains, the inundation of sand, as well as water, must have been sudden and simultaneous; and the circumstance of ripe nuts and leaves remaining together would seem to shew that the irruption happened in the autumn, or in the beginning of winter. This vegetable substratum has been traced seaward as far as the ebb would permit, and has been found continuous and of like nature. Another proof of these shores having been suddenly visited by a tremendous catastrophe, has been afforded by the nature of the sand banks constituting the "Eastern," and "Western Greens," and which will be found to be the detritus of disintegrated granite; whereas the natural sand, which forms the bed of the sea, is altogether unlike it, being much more comminuted, different in colour, and evidently the result of pulverised clay-slate:"[7] but when did this mighty catastrophe occur, and what were its causes? These are questions which are not readily answered; the event is so buried in the depths of antiquity, that nothing certain or satisfactory can be collected concerning it; although it would appear from the concurrent testimony of Florence of Worcester,[8] and the Saxon Chronicles, that a remarkable invasion of the ocean occurred in November 1099. With respect to the causes of the phenomenon we are equally uninformed; let the geologist examine the appearance of the coast with attention, and then decide with what probability De Luc attributed the catastrophe to a subsidence of the land. It must not, however, be concealed that many geologists have questioned the probability of the occurrence altogether, and argue from the appearance of the coast, "whose rocks beat back the envious siege of watery Neptune," that no very important change in the hydrographical outline of the Cornish peninsula can have taken place, during the present constitution of the earth's surface. If Saint Michael's Mount be in reality the "Ictis" of Diodorus Siculus, we have certainly a decisive proof that no material change has taken place for the space of eighteen centuries at least; for the Historian describes the access to this island precisely such as it is at the present period—practicable only at low water for wheel carriages.

Nor is the corroding operation of the other elements upon the hills of Cornwall less evident and striking; no where are the vestiges of degradation more remarkable; granitic countries usually present a bold and varied outline, whereas the aspect of Cornwall, with some few exceptions, is comparatively tame, and even flat. "I went into Cornwall," said a geologist of well known celebrity, "to see an example of a primitive country; but, instead of an example, I found an exception." The same observation would apply to the agricultural character of the county, for its fertility is much greater than that which usually occurs in a country composed of primitive rocks.

All that peninsular portion of Cornwall which is situated to the westward of a line drawn from the estuary of Hayle on the north, to Cuddan point on the south, has been distinguished by the appellation of the Land's End District. It is about thirteen miles long from east to west, and five or six miles broad from north to south, and contains, by superficial admeasurement about 54,000 statute acres. It has been remarked that the small extent of this district, and its peninsular character, preclude the existence of rivers of any magnitude; its varied and uneven surface, however, gives it a great profusion of small streams and rivulets, which add greatly to its value. We shall take occasion to introduce some remarks on its agriculture, in our excursion to the Land's End.

Penzance.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Skaiting, as an amusement, is entirely unknown among the young men of Penzance. The marsh between this place and Marazion, which is generally overflowed in the winter season, and which offers, when frozen, a very fair field for the skaiter, has not been more than four times during the last thirty years sufficiently solidified to admit of that diversion, viz. in the years 1788, 1794, 1814, and 1819.

[2] It is this fact that permits the cultivation of many species of plants in the open ground about London, which in the vicinity of Paris will not live without a green-house.

[3] These plants thrive in the open air, and commonly attain a height of ten or twelve feet; they may be seen trained on the front of some of the houses in Penzance to double that height. A sufficient quantity of cuttings was obtained from a tree of this description, covering one of the houses, in the course of six weeks, to supply the oven with fuel for three months!

[4] The following catalogue was drawn up by the Rev. T. Bree, of Allesley, Warwickshire, viz.

Amaryllis Vittata.
Arum Colocasia.
Azalea Indica.
Buddlœa Globosa.
Bocconia Cordata.
Coronilla Glauca, &c.
Calla Æthiopica.
Cistus Salvifolius.
Chrysanthemum Indicum.
Camellia Japonica.
Cyclamen Persicum.
Canna Indica.
Cheiranthus Tristis.
Dahlia (many varieties.)
Daphne Indica.
Eucomis Striata.
Fuchsia Coccinea.
Geranium (several species of the African G.)
Hypericum Coris.
— Crispum.
— Balearicum.
Hydrangea Decolor.
Haustonia Coccinea.
Hemerocallis Alba.
Lavandula Viridis.
Lobelia Fulgens.
Myrtus Communis.
Mesembryanthemum Deltoideum.
Melianthus Major.
Mimulus Glutinosus.
Magnolia Tripetala.
Metrosideros Lanceolata.
Olea Fragrans.
Pittosporum Undulatum.
Phylica Ericoides.
Protœa Argentea.
Punica Nana.
Solanum Pseudo-Capsicum.
Teucrium Frutescens.
— Marum.
Verbena Triphylla.
Westringia Rosmarinacea.

[5] Cabbages are ready for the table as early as February; Turnips before the end of March; Broccoli, against Christmas; Green Peas are generally ready by the middle of May. But the most remarkable exception, perhaps, to the ordinary routine of the culinary calendar is to be found in the growth of the potatoe. It is customary for the gardeners in the vicinity of Penzance to raise two crops in one year. The first being planted in November is gathered in April, May, and June; the second crop is planted immediately on taking up the first, and as late as to the middle of July. The first or spring crop has, in general, no other defence from the cold of winter than the stable dung used as manure, and it is rarely injured by the frost! Such is the ordinary practice of the market-gardener; but Mr. Bolitho of Chyandour, has constantly new potatoes at Christmas, and through the whole of January and part of February, raised in the open garden, with no other shelter than that afforded by some matting during the coldest nights.

[6] Mr. Boase has lately published, in the 2d volume of the Transactions of the Cornish Society, a very interesting letter upon this subject, (in the possession of Mrs. Ley of Penzance, who is the present representative of the Daniel family.) It was written, in the reign of Charles II. to the then proprietor of an estate, which included part of the "Western Green;" and that part is there estimated at thirty-six acres of pasturage!

[7] See "A memoir on the submersion of part of the Mount's Bay, by H. Boase, Esq." in the 2d volume of the Cornish Transactions.

[8] "On the third of the nones of November," cries Florence of Worcester, "the sea comes out upon the shores, and buried towns and men, very many, oxen and sheep innumerable." While the Saxon Chronicle relates that "this year eke, on Saint Martin's mass day, sprang up so much the sea flood, and so myckle harm did, as no man minded it ever afore did."

PENZANCE.

Having offered a rapid coup d'œil of the country we are about to examine, we shall now conduct the stranger into Penzance,[9] as being a town well calculated to afford him an eligible residence; many of the various objects of interest are within the range of a morning's ride, and he will meet with every accommodation that may be required for the performance of his excursions; if his pursuit be mineralogy and geology, it is in this town that he will find others zealously engaged in the study of the same science, from whom he will readily obtain much local information; while in the collection of the Geological Society, so liberally opened for the inspection of every scientific stranger, he will see well defined specimens illustrative of the districts he may be desirous of exploring.

The reader of this Guide, therefore, must thoroughly understand that in the arrangement of the subsequent "Excursions," the various objects of interest, to which it directs him, are described in an order best adapted to the convenience of the resident at Penzance.

Penzance is the most western market town in the kingdom; about ten miles from the land's end, and 282 miles W.S.W. of London. It is beautifully situated on the north-west shore of the Mount's Bay, on a declivity jetting into the sea. The lands in its vicinity having a substratum of hornblende rock and slate, are not exceeded in fertility by any soil in the kingdom; a belt of land around the town, which consists of about a thousand acres, producing an annual rent of £10,000! The town is well defended by surrounding hills from the fury of Atlantic storms. It is large and populous, containing more than six thousand inhabitants. The Corporation[10] consists of a mayor, recorder, eight aldermen, and twelve common-council men; by whose funds,[11] unaided by any parliamentary grant, a very commodious pier was erected about fifty years ago, and which has lately been considerably extended, so that it is now more than 600 feet in length, and is the largest pier in Cornwall. It has, moreover, received the addition of a light which is displayed every night, from half flood to half ebb, and is consequently extinguished as soon as there is less than nine feet of water within the pier. At high water there is now at Spring tides 22 feet[12] of water, which is about five feet more than that at the pier of Saint Michael's Mount. The expenses incurred by these late improvements are to be paid by a new tariff, established by an act passed in the year 1817.

The mother church is situated at Madron, but there is a chapel of ease in the town, dedicated to Saint Mary, the simple and unassuming spire of which forms a very interesting object in the bay.

Besides the established church, there are several places of religious worship. The Wesleyan Methodists' chapel, built in the year 1814, is the most complete and capacious meeting-house in the county. There are, moreover, appropriate places of worship for the Independents, Baptists, and Quakers, and a synagogue for the Jews.

Penzance is one of those towns to which the tinners bring their tin to be "coined" as it is called, that is, to be assayed and licensed by the officers of the Duchy, who take off a piece from the corner[13] of each block; and if they find it sufficiently pure, stamp the former with the Duke's arms. The stranger will be much struck by the singular sight of many thousand blocks of Tin, which lie in heaps, like worthless rubbish, about the street,[14] each weighing about 320 lb. and may perhaps be worth from £18 to £20. The Tin intended for the Mediterranean trade is here formed into bars, while that designed for exportation to the East Indies is cast into ingots.

There is a Public Dispensary, supported by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants, aided occasionally by the donations of those invalid strangers, who, grateful for the reestablishment of health in themselves, eagerly adopt this mode of contributing to its restoration in others. Few institutions for the accomplishment of a similar object, have proved more extensively beneficial; and none, we will venture to add, were ever superintended with more humane attention.

To the scientific visitor, Penzance possesses an interest of no ordinary degree. In the year 1814, Dr. Paris, who was at that time the resident physician, succeeded, through the support of the nobility, gentry, and mine agents of the county, in establishing a society for the cultivation and promotion of mineralogical and geological science; and, when we consider the immense advantages of its locality, the ability of its members, and the zeal and munificence of its patrons, we cannot be surprised to find that the short period of nine years has been sufficient to raise it to a respectable rank amongst the eminent institutions of this country. His present Majesty, having graciously condescended to become its patron, it is now denominated the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall. The Marquis of Hertford, Lord Warden of the Stannaries, and The Right Honourable Lord De Dunstanville, are its Vice-Patrons, and Davies Gilbert, Esq. M.P., the President; while amongst its officers and members it has enrolled the names of many individuals of the first rank and science in the kingdom. Two volumes of the Society's Transactions are already given to the public, from which a fairer estimate may be formed of the value of its labours, than from any sketch which the limited pages of this "Guide" could possibly afford; we shall, however, for the information of our scientific readers, present, in the Appendix, a list of the different memoirs which each volume contains. The splendid and extensive series of minerals, already exceeding four thousand specimens, which are deposited in an elegant and spacious museum,[15] offers a most honourable and durable testimony of the zeal and talent with which this department has been conducted; while to the student in mineralogy it affords a most desirable and solid system of instruction; indeed it has already excited such a spirit of inquiry among the miners, as to have led to the discovery of several minerals before unknown in Cornwall.

There is also an œconomical department, containing specimens in illustration of the various changes which the ores of Tin, Copper, &c. undergo in the processes of dressing and smelting. Models are likewise to be seen of the machinery which is employed in such operations. The whole has been admirably arranged under the skilful direction of the Curator, E. C. Giddy, Esq.

In the geological department of the Museum are complete series of specimens illustrative of the serpentine formation of the Lizard,—of the slate formation of the "Land's End District,"—of the limestone formation of Veryan, and of the hornblende rocks of St. Cleer near Liskeard. There is besides an interesting series of "Elvans"[16] from different levels in many of the principal mines of the county, together with a collection of veins of metallic and earthy substances.

Among the earthy minerals, we may particularize, as unusually fine, the specimens of Calcedony, Sodalite, Haüyne, Petalite, Colophonite, Vesuvian, &c. In the metallic department, we may notice the Carbonate of Lead, Specular Iron, Arseniate of Iron, the Oxide, Carbonate, Arseniate and Phosphate of Copper, Native Gold from the Tin-stream-works of Cornwall, Arsenical Pyrites, Uranite, Uran-ochre, Native Nickel, &c. Here also may be seen a mineral, hitherto almost unknown,—a Sub-carburet of Iron; it was analysed by that late eminent chemist, the Rev. W. Gregor, who received it from the hands of the Rev. J. Rogers of Mawnan. It was found in a vein about half an inch wide, intersecting either hard Clay-slate or Graywacké. Among the saline minerals in the cabinet are Glauberite, and Sassoline or native Boracic acid.

A Laboratory, containing the necessary apparatus for analytical operations, is attached to the establishment.

In conclusion, we will venture to affirm, that the advantages and enjoyments which such societies are calculated to afford are not only obtained without any expense to the country in which they are encouraged, but that they actually repay in wealth and emolument much more than they require for their support. Had the Cornish Society been earlier called into existence, we should never have heard of the most valuable productions of our country having been thrown into the sea, nor of their having been used as materials for the repair of roads, or the construction of cottages: on the contrary, how many thousand tons of ore might have been gained?—how many years of unprofitable but expensive labour saved? and how many individual adventurers preserved from disappointment, or rescued from ruin? Amongst the efforts made by this Society to improve the theory and art of mining, through the application of science, not the least interesting and praiseworthy is that which relates to the prevention of accidental explosion in the methods of blasting rocks with gunpowder, by the introduction of "Safety Instruments."

How little aware is the great mass of the community at what an expense of human suffering and misery the ordinary necessaries of civilized life are obtained! Few of our readers, we will venture to say, have ever heard of the dreadful extent of the accidents which have occurred in the mines of Cornwall from the use of iron rammers, in the process of charging the rock with gunpowder, in order to blast it. Hundreds have been thus sent to an untimely grave, or, what perhaps is still worse, have been so mutilated as to remain blind and helpless objects of misery for the rest of their days, while their wives and children have been thus driven, in a state of destitution, to the hard necessity of seeking from charity that pittance which honest industry could no longer supply. We must refer the reader for a full account of this appalling subject to Dr. Paris's Memoir, in the first volume of the Society's Transactions, entitled "On the Accidents which occur in the Mines of Cornwall, in consequence of the premature explosion of Gunpowder in blasting rocks; and on the methods to be adopted for preventing it, by the introduction of a Safety Bar, and an instrument termed the Shifting Cartridge."

We earnestly, therefore, entreat the Society to persevere in those laudable efforts, which have already ensured for it the respect of the learned, and the gratitude of the public.—Floreat.

Besides the instructive collection of the Geological Society, the splendid cabinet of Joseph Carne, Esq. may now be seen in this town, for since the first edition of this "Guide," the Cornish Copper Company have given up their smelting establishment at Hayle, at which place Mr. Carne formerly lived as the resident partner. Among the principal excellencies of this collection we may notice Prehnite, in a variety of forms; Axinite in the usual forms of that mineral; Stilbite in flat four-sided prisms, terminated by pyramids; Mesotype radiated; Garnets in twelve, and twenty-four sided crystals; Pinite in six and twelve sided prisms; Uranite in quadrangular tables with the angles sometimes truncated, and also in forms much resembling cubes and octohedrons; Uran-ochre; Native Bismuth; and Specular Iron ore, little inferior in beauty to that brought from Elba,—all of which are from Saint Just. From other parts of Cornwall are Sulphate of Lead (Vellenoweth Mine) in a variety of forms, more especially in one resembling an octahedron; Grey Sulphuret of Copper (Crenver mine), the best defined crystals of which are very obtuse dodecahedrons, and six sided prisms; in some specimens the dodecahedron is so placed upon the summit of a prism as to produce the whimsical appearance of a nail, which from its rarity is sought after by mineral collectors with considerable avidity. Two specimens of rarity also in this collection are the Yellow, and Grey Sulphuret of Copper, in forms approaching that of Cube; the latter is pseudomorphous.

The Penwith Agricultural Society holds its meetings, and distributes its premiums, in this town. Nothing can be more in place than such an institution. Geology and Agriculture are kindred sciences, and it has been truly observed that there is no district in the British Empire where the natural relations between the varieties of soil and the subjacent rocks can be more easily discovered and traced, or more effectually investigated, than in the county of Cornwall; and no where can the information which such an enquiry is capable of affording, be more immediately and successfully applied for the improvement of waste lands, and the general advancement of agricultural science.

The market of Penzance, for the goodness, variety, and cheapness of its commodities, is certainly not surpassed by any other in the kingdom; to the great quantity of salt usually mixed with the food of the swine, is perhaps to be attributed the delicacy and richness of the pork; whilst, owing to the fine pasturage of the neighbourhood, the heifer beef is superior, beyond comparison, to the Scotch. It is worthy also of notice, that during the winter season the market is filled with a variety of wild-fowl, woodcocks, snipes, &c. which are offered for sale at extremely low prices. The market is held on Thursdays and Saturdays; but every description of fish in season, as Red Mullet, John Doree, Turbot, Sole, Mackarel, Whiting, Pilchard, Herring, &c. &c. may be purchased from the Newlyn fish-women, who are in daily attendance at their stalls, and whose fine symmetry, delicate complexions, curling ringlets, and the brilliancy of whose jet black eyes, as they dart their rays from beneath the shade of large gypsey hats of beaver, fill the traveller with admiration.

We beg leave to introduce the reader to two of these Nymphs of the Cowel.[17]

Whilst speaking of the delicacies of the table we must not omit to mention the clotted or clouted cream of this and the neighbouring county,[18] a luxury with which the epicures of other parts are wholly unacquainted.

The town of Penzance is rapidly extending itself; new houses are continually rising in commanding situations; and, since the publication of the first edition of this work, Hot and Cold Sea Baths have been completed upon a suitable scale of convenience. The waiting room belonging to this establishment commands a prospect of very singular beauty. St. Michael's Mount rising boldly in front, forms a striking relief to the extended line of coast which constitutes the back ground; while the undulating shores on the left, skirted by the little village of Chy'andour, are well contrasted, on the opposite side, with the busy scene of the pier, and the numerous vessels in the harbour.

In enumerating the advantages this town holds out as a residence to invalids, it deserves notice that a packet sails every Friday to the Scilly Islands, and returns on the following Tuesday. The distance is about fourteen leagues, and, with a fair wind, the passage is generally accomplished in six hours; but with contrary winds it has sometimes, though very rarely, exceeded two days.

In a town so remote from the metropolis, and in a great degree insulated from the other parts of the empire, it is not extraordinary that we should find the traces of several very ancient customs. The most singular one is, perhaps, the celebration of the Eve of Saint John the Baptist,[19] our town saint, which falls on Midsummer Eve; and that of the Eve of Saint Peter, the patron of fishermen. No sooner does the tardy sun sink into the western ocean than the young and old of both sexes, animated by the genius of the night, assemble in the town, and different villages of the bay, with lighted torches. Tar barrels having been erected on tall poles in the market place, on the pier, and in other conspicuous spots, are soon urged into a state of vivid combustion, shedding an appalling glare on every surrounding object, and which when multiplied by numerous reflections in the waves, produce at a distant view a spectacle so singular and novel as to defy the powers of description; while the stranger who issues forth to gain a closer view of the festivities of the town, may well imagine himself suddenly transported to the regions of the furies and infernal gods; or, else that he is witnessing, in the magic mirror of Cornelius Agrippa, the awful celebration of the fifth day of the Eleusinian Feast;[20] while the shrieks of the female spectators, and the triumphant yells of the torch bearers, with their hair streaming in the wind, and their flambeaus whirling with inconceivable velocity, are realities not calculated to dispel the illusion. No sooner are the torches burnt out than the numerous inhabitants engaged in the frolic, pouring forth from the quay and its neighbourhood, form a long string, and, hand in hand, run furiously through every street, vociferating "an eye,"—"an eye,"—"an eye"! At length they suddenly stop, and the two last of the string, elevating their clasped hands, form an eye to this enormous needle, through which the thread of populace runs; and thus they continue to repeat the game, until weariness dissolves the union, which rarely happens before midnight.

On the following day (Midsummer day) festivities of a very different character enliven the bay; and the spectator can hardly be induced to believe that the same actors are engaged in both dramas. At about four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the country people, drest in their best apparel, pour into Penzance from the neighbouring villages, for the purpose of performing an aquatic divertisement. At this hour the quay and pier are crowded with holiday-makers, where a number of vessels, many of which are provided with music for the occasion, lie in readiness to receive them. In a short time the embarkation is completed, and the sea continues for many hours to present a moving picture of the most animating description.

Penzance is remarkable in history for having been entered and burnt by the Spaniards, in the year 1595. From time immemorial a prediction had prevailed, that a period would arrive when "Some strangers should land on the rocks of Merlin, who should burn Paul's Church, Penzance, and Newlyn." Of the actual accomplishment of this prediction we receive a full account from Carew, from which it would appear that on the 23d of July, 1595, about two hundred men landed from a squadron of Spanish gallies, on the coast of Mousehole, when they set fire to the church of Paul, and then to Mousehole itself. Finding little or no resistance, they proceeded to Newlyn,[21] and from thence to Penzance. Sir Francis Godolphin endeavoured to inspire the inhabitants with courage to repel these assailants; but, so fascinated were they by the remembrance of the ancient prophecy, that they fled in all directions, supposing that it was useless to contend against the destiny that had been predicted. The Spaniards availing themselves of this desertion, set it on fire in different places, as they had already done to Newlyn, and then returned to their galleys, intending to renew the flames on the ensuing day; but the Cornish having recovered from their panic, and assembled in great numbers on the beach, so annoyed the Spaniards with their bullets and arrows, that they drew their galleys farther off, and availing themselves of a favourable breeze, put to sea and escaped.

It is worthy of remark, that when the Spaniards first came on shore, they actually landed on a rock called "Merlin." The historian concludes this narrative by observing that these were the only Spaniards that ever landed in England as enemies.

In recalling the historical events which have invested this town with interest, we had nearly omitted to state, that a tradition exists here, that Tobacco was first smoked by Sir Walter Raleigh in Penzance, on his landing from America. By the Philosopher of a future age Penzance will, doubtless, as the birth place of the illustrious Sir Humphry Davy, be regarded with no ordinary share of interest; and to those who may be led to perform a pilgrimage to the early laboratory of this highly gifted philosopher, the vignette at the head of the present chapter will be found materially useful in directing his steps.[22]

It would be inconsistent with the plan and objects of the present work to enter into the details of biography, that duty must be reserved for an abler pen, we shall therefore only state that the present distinguished President of the Royal Society was born in this town in the year 1779, and that after having received the earlier part of his education under Dr. Cardew at Truro, he was placed with a respectable professional gentleman of Penzance, of the name of Tonkin, in order that he might acquire a knowledge of the profession of a surgeon and apothecary. His early proofs of genius, however, having attracted a gentleman well known for his strong perception of character, he was fortunately removed to a field better calculated to call forth the latent energies of his mind. The result is too well known to require comment.

In the vicinity of the town are delightful walks through shady dingles, and over swelling hills, from whose summits we catch the most delicious sea and land prospects; and which are not a little heightened in beauty and effect by the glowing aerial tints so remarkably displayed in this climate at the rising and setting of the sun. Here too the Botanist may cull, in his rambles, a great variety of rare indigenous plants; with a catalogue[23] of which we shall now close the present chapter.

LIST OF INDIGENOUS PLANTS OF WESTERN CORNWALL.

Alisma Damasonium (Star-headed Water Plantain) between Penzance and Marazion.
A—— Ranuncoloides. Marazion Marsh.
Anchusa Officinalis (Common Alkanet) St. Ives, &c.
Anethum Fœniculum, common near Marazion.
A—— Graveolens. Marazion Marsh.
Aquilegia Vulgaris (Common Columbine) St. Ives, Goldsithney, &c.
Antirrhinum Orontium (Lesser Snapdragon) Gulval, Land's End.
A—— Montspessilanum (Bee Orchis) Penhryn.
Anthemis Nobilis (Common Chamomile) passim.
Anthyllis Vulneraria (dwarf with a red flower.) (Kidney-Vetch, Ladies' Finger). Downs, Whitsand Bay.
Aspidium Oriopteris (Heath Shield-fern) Gear Stamps and New Mill.
Aspidium Dilatatum. Variety. (Great Crested ditto) Moist Banks.
Asplenium Marinum (Sea Spleenwort) St. Michael's Mount, Land's End, Logan rock.
A—— Lanceolatum (Lanceolate ditto) Gulval, St. Michael's Mount, Lemorna Cove, &c.
Bartsia Viscosa (Yellow Viscid Bartsia) Cornfields near Hayle.
Brassica Oleracea (Sea Cabbage) Cliffs, Penzance.
Briza Minor (Small Quaking-grass) Cornfields between Gulval and Ludgvan.
Bunias Cakile (Sea Rocket) Beach between Penzance and Newlyn.
Campanula Hederacea (Ivy-leaved Bell-flower) Trevaylor Bottom, Gear Stamps, &c.
Chironia Littoralis (Sea Centaury) Beach between Penzance and Marazion.
Cochlearia Officinalis (Common Scurvy-grass) Cliffs near the Sea, common.
Convolvulus Soldanella (Sea Bindweed) Whitsand Bay, Marazion Green.
Cucsuta Epithymum (Lesser Dodder) common upon Gorse.
Cynosurus Echinatus (Rough Dog's-tail Grass) Ludgvan.
Daucus Maritimus (Wild Carrot) Land's end, Logan rock, Botallack, &c.
Dicranum Cerviculatum (Red-necked Forked Moss) Gulval, Scilly.
D—— Crispum (Curled ditto) St. Mary's, Scilly.
Drosera Longifolia (Long-leaved Sun-dew) Marsh between Marazion and Penzance.
Erica Vagans (Cornish Heath) Lizard Peninsula.
Erodium Maritimum (Sea Stork's Bill) Sea shore, common.
E—— Cicutarium (Hemlock's Stork's Bill) ditto.
Eryngium Maritimum (Sea Holly) Sea shore, common.
Euphorbia Peplis (Purple Spurge) Marazion Green.
E—— Portlandica (Portland ditto) Scilly Islands.
Exacum Filiforme (Least Gentianella) Marazion Marsh, beyond the half way houses.
Genista Pilosa (Hairy Green-weed) Kynance Cove.
Gentiana Campestris (Field Gentian) Downs, Whitsand Bay, Lizard, &c.
Geranium Columbinum (Long-stalked Crane's-bill) Ludgvan.
G—— Sanguineum (Bloody Crane's bill) Kynance Cove.
Glaucium Luteum (Yellow Horned Poppy) Scilly Islands.
Helleborus Viridis (Green Hellebore) between Rosmorran and Kenegie, near the brook.
Herniaria Hirsuta (Hairy Rupture wort) between Mullion and the Lizard.
Hookeria Lucens (Shining Feather-moss) Trevaylor Bottom. Between Rosmorran and Kenegie.
Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense (Filmy-leaved fern) Among the loose stones at Castle An Dinas, on the east side.
Hypnum Scorpioides (Scorpion Feather-moss) Gulval, Zennor, &c.
H—— Alopecurum, variety (Fox-tail ditto) Gulval.
Illecebrum Verticillatum (Whorled Knot-grass) Gulval, Gear Stamps, Land's end.
Inula Helenium (Elecampane) Gulval, The Mount, St. Ives, Scilly.
Iris Fœtidissima (Stinking Iris, Roast Beef Plant) Madron.
Linum Angustifolium (Narrow-leaved pale Flax) St. Ives.
L—— Usitatissimum. Near Redruth.
Littorella Lacustris (Plantain Shoreweed). In a watery lane near Penzance.
Mentha Odorata (Bergamot Mint) Burian.
M—— Rotundifolia (Round-leaved Mint) Between Penzance and Newlyn, Whitsand Bay.
Myrica Gale (Sweet Gale, Dutch Myrtle) Marsh, Gulval, and Ludgvan.
Neckera Heteromalla (Lateral Neckera) Trevaylor Bottom, Try, &c.
Neottia Spiralis. Between Penzance and Marazion.
Orchis Pyramidalis (Pyramidal Orchis) near Hayle.
Ornithogalum Umbellatum (Common Star of Bethlehem) near Marazion.
Ornithopus Perpusillus (Common Bird's-foot) Gulval, Carne, &c.
Osmunda Regalis (Royal Moonwort) Poltair.
Panicum Dactylum (Creeping Panick Grass) Marazion Beach.
Pinguicula Lusitanica (Pale Butterwort) Bogs in the neighbourhood.
Pyrethrum Maritimum (Sea Feverfew) Sea-shore.
Rubia Peregrina (Wild Madder) Hayle-Helston, &c.
Reseda Luteola (Wild Woad, Dyer's Weed) Coarse lands beyond Marazion.
Rumex Sanguineus (Bloody-veined Dock) Gulval.
Ruscus Aculeatus (Butcher's Broom) Lemorna Cove, &c.
Salvia Verbenacea (Wild English Clary) St. Ives, Scilly, &c.
Samolus Valerandi (Brook-weed or Water Pimpernel) Land's end, &c.
Santolina Maritima (Sea Cotton weed) Marazion beach.
Saponaria Officinalis (Soap-wort) St. Levan, Tresco Island, Scilly.
Saxifraga Stellaris (Hairy Saxifrage) Logan rock.
Scilla Verna (Vernal Squill) St. Ives, near Zennor, Morvah, opposite to Three Stone Oar.
Scirpus Fluitans (Floating Club Rush) Gulval Marsh.
Scutellaria Minor (Lesser Skull-cap) Bogs, Gulval.
Scrophularia Scorodonia (Balm-leaved Figwort) St. Ives, Gulval, and Chyandour, plentifully.
Sedum Anglicum (English Stonecrop) very common.
S—— Telephium (Orpine or Livelong) Logan rock.
Sibthorpia Europæa (Cornish Moneywort) Moist banks, Gulval, Madron Well, Trereife Avenue; Helston, &c.
Silene Anglica (English Catchfly) common in Cornfields.
Solidago Virgaurea (Common Golden-rod) Penzance, &c.
Spergula Nodosa (Knotted Spurrey) near Marazion.
Spiræa Filipendula (Common Dropwort) Kynance Cove.
Stachys Arvensis (Corn Woundwort) Cornfields, common.
Tamarix Gallica (French Tamarisk) The Mount-Lizard, Scilly Islands, but very probably introduced.
Trichostomum Polyphyllum (Fringe Moss) Gulval, Kenegie, &c.
Trifolium Subterraneum (Subterraneous Trefoil) near the Sea-shore.
Verbascum Nigrum (Dark Mullein) Gulval.
Utricularia Vulgaris (Common Bladderwort) between Rosmorran and Kenegie.

FOOTNOTES:

[9] Penzance signifies, in Cornish, Holy-head, i. e. holy headland; and the town appears to have been so called in consequence of a small chapel, dedicated to that universal patron of fishermen, Saint Anthony, having formerly stood on the projecting point near the present quay. When it became necessary to adopt arms for the town, the true origin of its name was forgotten or overlooked, and the holy head of Saint John emblazoned. It would, however, appear from the Liber valorum, that Buriton was the old name of Penzance,—a sound which to the ear of the antiquary is full of historical intelligence, for the addition of Bury to the name of a town signified that it was a town with a castle; thus, Buriton signified Bury-town, i. e. the Castle town. Some cellars near the quay are to this day called the Barbican cellars; thus tradition points out the castle to have been upon, or near, the site of the present chapel.

[10] Penzance was first incorporated in the reign of king James, in 1614; which charter was confirmed by Charles II.

[11] The history of these funds exhibits a curious instance of the increase in value which property undergoes, in a series of years, from the progressive improvements of the district in which it lies. The revenue of the Corporation, nearly £2000 per annum, is derived from an estate which was purchased from one Daniel, in the year 1614, for the sum of £34, and 20 shillings a year fee farm rent, payable out of the same to the vender and his representatives for ever. This estate is described in the writings to be "a three corner plot with a timber house (then) lately erected thereon, together with the tolls, profits, and dues of the fairs, markets, and of the pier." The increase of its value has arisen from the enlargement of the market now held on the spot, and from the dues arising from the improved and extended pier.

[12] We are desirous of recording this fact since it continues to be erroneously stated in the publication called the "Coasting Pilot," as well as in all charts, to be only 13 feet, as it was before the improvements. From the perpetuation of this error the masters of vessels unacquainted with the place, refuse to credit the pilots, when informed by them of the depth of the water.

[13] The operation is termed "Coining," not, as is very generally supposed, from the stamping of the Duke's arms, but from the cutting off the corner of each block, from the French word coin, a corner. For every cwt. so stamped, the Duke receives four shillings, producing an annual revenue of £10,000.

[14] Since the first edition, the place of coinage has been changed from the middle of the town to a large area near the quay.

[15] The rooms originally occupied by the Society, and which are represented in the vignette at the head of this chapter, becoming too small to accommodate the growing collection, a capacious and handsome suite of rooms were erected in the year 1817; to which are now attached a public library, and a room for the reception of newspapers. The former was established in 1818, under the auspices of Sir Rose Price, Bart. and with the support of above a hundred subscribers in the neighbourhood.

[16] See a paper "On Elvan Courses," by J. Carne, Esq. in the first volume of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall.

[17] The Cowel is the provincial name of the peculiar basket in which they convey their fish, and is carried by means of a string round their hats, as represented above. Its name has been supposed to have been derived from its resemblance in position and appearance to the Monk's cowl.

[18] The custom of obtaining the cream from new milk by coagulation from heat, is peculiar to Devonshire, Cornwall, and the opposite coast of Brittany, and is supposed to be of Celtic origin. The butter obtained by beating up this cream does not differ much in flavour from that procured by churning new cream, except the process be carelessly conducted, when it will acquire a smoky taste.

[19] It is reasonable to advert to the Summer Solstice for this custom, although brought into the Christian Calendar under the sanction of John the Baptist. Those sacred fires "kindled about midnight, on the moment of the Solstice by the great part of the ancient and modern nations. The origin of which loses itself in antiquity;" See Gebelin, and also Brand's Observations on Popular Antiquities.

[20] The fifth day of the Eleusinian feast was called "the day of the Torches," because at night the men and women ran about with them in imitation of Ceres, who, having lighted a torch at the fire of Mount Ætna, wandered about from place to place, in search of her daughter Proserpine. Hence may we not trace the high antiquity of this species of popular rejoicing.

[21] Will not this historical fact explain the peculiar cast of beauty possessed by many of the Fish-women residing in this village.

[22] The house is the first on the left of the ascending footway, and its only two small windows visible in the vignette, are situated immediately beneath the clock of the market house tower.

[23] Many of these plants were enumerated in the former edition of this work, to which are now added some others, from the catalogue published by Dr. Forbes, in his observations on the climate of Penzance.

EXCURSION I.

TO SAINT MICHAEL'S MOUNT.
"This precious stone, set in the silver sea!"
Richard II. Act 2. scene 1.

The traveller no sooner catches a glimpse of this extraordinary feature in the bay, than he becomes impatient to explore it; anticipating this feeling we have selected it as an object for his first excursion, and in its performance we promise him an intellectual repast of no ordinary kind.

To proceed to the Mount, by sea, the stranger may embark at Penzance pier, from which it is not more than two miles distant; by this arrangement an opportunity will be afforded for witnessing a fine panoramic view of the coast; should, however, his inclination, or the "tyranny of the winds and waves" oppose this project, he may proceed by land through the little village of Chy'andour, over a semicircular beach covered with fine sand of about three miles in extent. Between this sand and the high road is the "Eastern Green," celebrated as the habitat of some rare plants, viz. Panicum Dactylum (in a line with Gulval church); Chironia Littoralis; Alisma Damasonium; Neottia Spiralis; Euphorbia Peplis; Euphorbia Paralias; Santolina Maritima; Convolvulus Soldanella, &c. On the beach the Conchologist may collect some fine specimens of the Echinus Cordatus, which is the only shell ever found there. In the marshes on the left side of the road the common observer will be struck with the extreme luxuriance of the Nymphæa alba, while the Botanist may reap an ample harvest of interesting plants, viz. splendid specimens of Montia Fontana, as large as the figure of Micheli; Illecebrum Verticillatum; Sison Inundatum; Apium Graveolens; a rare variety of Senechio Jacobæa; Alisma Ranunculoides; Stellaria Uliginosa; Pinguicula Lusitanica; Scirpus Fluitans; Exacum Filiforme; Drosera Longifolia; Scutellaria Minor; Myrica Gale, &c.

Before our arrival at Saint Michael's Mount, the only intermediate object worthy of notice is the town of Marazion, or Market Jew as it is sometimes called. It stands upon the sea shore, on the eastern shoulder 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 south-west, which is the prevailing wind, it is far less eligible as a place of residence for invalids than Penzance.

The town contains more than 1100 inhabitants; its principal support, if not its origin, according to some authors, was derived from the resort of pilgrims and other religious devotees to the neighbouring sacred edifice on Saint Michael's Mount; but its name was indisputably derived from the Jews who traded here several centuries ago, and held an annual market for selling various commodities, and purchasing tin, and other merchandize in return. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth it obtained a charter, vesting its government 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 Marghaisewe was a trading borough town of great antiquity, and that it suffered considerable dilapidation in the days 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 does not appear to have ever recovered, while from the growing importance of Penzance, the suppression of the Priory, and the loss of the Pilgrims, from whom it derived its principal resources, its consequence gradually declined, until at length it dwindled into its present condition.

It has been asserted on good authority, that under this charter of Elizabeth, the town formerly sent members to Parliament, and Dr. Borlase in his manuscripts, mentions the names of Thomas Westlake, and Richard Mills, Esqrs. as those of the two members who were actually returned for Marazion in the year 1658. It does not, however, appear that they ever took their seats. It would seem, moreover, from some original letters which passed between the Sheriff of Cornwall and the mayor of this borough, during the protectorate of Cromwell, that the inhabitants were solicitous to recover their long neglected rights; but this effort proved ineffectual.

In going from Marazion to the Mount, we pass a large insulated rock, known by the name of the "Chapel Rock," whereon the Pilgrims, who came to visit the Priory of Saint Michael, are said to have performed certain devotionary and superstitious ceremonies, in a kind of initiatory chapel, previous to their admission to the more sacred Mount; there is not, however, the slightest vestige of any masonry to be discovered, and it would therefore seem more probable that it merely derived its name from its vicinity to the shrine of Saint Michael. The rock is composed of well marked Greenstone, resting on a bed of clay-slate, and which, in its direction and dip, will be found to correspond with the slaty rock on the western base of the Mount.

We arrive at Saint Michael's Mount.—The rock of which it is composed is of a conical form; gradually diminishing from a broad, craggy base, towards its summit, which is beautifully terminated by the tower of a chapel, so as to form a pyramidal figure. On its eastern base, is a small fishing town, holding about 250 inhabitants; and a commodious pier,[24] capable of containing fifty sail of small vessels, and which proves to the proprietor of the Mount a considerable source of revenue.

The height from low water mark to the top of the chapel tower is about 250 feet, being 48 feet higher than the monument in London. In circumference at the base, the Mount measures nearly a mile, and is said to contain about seven acres of land; such, however, is the effect of the vast extent of horizon, and the expanded tract of water which rolls around its base, that its real magnitude is apparently lost.

In a mineralogical point of view, this eminence is certainly the most interesting in Cornwall, or perhaps in England; who can believe that this little spot has occasioned greater controversy, and more ink-shed than any mountain in the globe? yet such is the fact; let us therefore before we ascend walk around its base and examine the geological structure which has excited so much attention. The scenery too is here of the most magnificent description; rocks overhang rocks in ruinous grandeur, and appear so fearfully equipoised, that, although secure in their immensity, they create in the mind the most awful apprehension of their instability, whilst the mighty roar of the ocean beneath, unites in effect with the scenery above.—All around is sublime.——But the Geology, enough of the picturesque.

The body of the rock is composed of Slate and Granite; the whole northern base consists of the former, but no where does it extend to any height, the upper part, in every direction, consisting of Granite. On the south side this Granite descends to the water's edge, and it continues to constitute the whole of the hill, both on the eastern and western side, for about three-fourths of its whole extent. Where the granite terminates numerous veins of it appear in the slate, in many different directions; while the granite in its turn, encloses patches of slate. In the vicinity of the former rock the latter is found to contain so much Mica, as to resemble Micaceous Schist, or fine grained Gneiss, for which it has been erroneously taken by some of our earlier observers. And, while at some of these junctions there would seem to be a mere apposition of the two rocks, at others, the intermixture is so complete as to render it difficult to say to which of the two certain considerable masses belong.

Here then is the phenomenon which has invested the spot with so much geological interest. Here is Granite, which Werner conceived to be a primary formation, and around which he supposed all other rocks to have been deposited, if not of a later date, at least contemporaneous, in origin, with slate. How is this anomaly to be explained? De Luc at once asserts what we presume no rational observer can for one moment believe, that the rock of which these veins are composed is not true Granite, but "Pseudo-granite"! Dr. Berger attempts to surmount the difficulty by a different expedient, and declares that they are not veins! but prominences from the granite beneath, which have been filled up by the subsequent deposition of clay-slate. It might, says Sir H. Davy,[25] with nearly as much reason be stated, that the veins of copper and tin belong to a great interior metallic mass, and that they existed prior to the rocks in which they are found. The advocates of the Plutonian theory have, as might have been supposed, eagerly availed themselves of the support which this phenomenon is so well calculated to afford their favourite doctrine. They accordingly affirm that the granite has been raised up through the incumbent slate, into whose fissures it has insinuated itself. Upon these theories we shall offer no comment; it is the humble task of a "Guide" merely to direct the attention of the traveller to the phenomena themselves, and then to leave him to deduce his own conclusions from their appearance. In the fulfilment of this duty we recommend the geologist to proceed to the western base of the Mount, where he will find near the water's edge, what have been considered by Dr. Thomson as "two large beds of granite in the slate, with veins running off from them; the position and appearance of which are such as to leave no doubt but that the great body of the granite has been deposited posterior to the slate formation." Mr. Carne, on the other hand, contends that "these granitic bodies cannot with any propriety be called 'Beds in the Slate;' one of them," says he, "is a granite vein, and although six feet wide near the granite mass, it becomes gradually smaller as it recedes, and dwindles to a point at the distance of 80 feet. The other is a part of the granitic mass, from which some veins appear to diverge; and, in no part does it overlie the slate."[26]

The whole body of the Granite of the Mount is traversed by an uninterrupted series of quartz veins, which run parallel to each other with wonderful regularity. They are very nearly vertical, and their direction is east and west. On the north-east side of the Mount many of them can be traced into the incumbent slate; a circumstance which strongly supports the idea of the cotemporaneous origin of these two rocks. In the investigation of these veins the Mineralogist may pass many an hour with satisfaction, we shall therefore point out some of the more leading phenomena which deserve his attention. De Luc observed that "that part of the vein termed in Cornwall the Capel, and on the Continent Selebanque, and which is the first stratum adherent to the sides of the fissures, changes as it passes through different kinds of strata, sometimes consisting of white Quartz, sometimes of Mica." Dr. Forbes[27] says, that "occasionally, though rarely, the line of division between the vein and the rock is tolerably distinct; frequently, however, there is rather an insensible gradation of the matter of the one into that of the other, than an obvious apposition of surfaces." The exterior parts of the veins consist of a bluish quartz, very compact, and uniformly containing a great deal of Schorl. This schorlaceous character is much more distinct towards the sides or walls of the veins, their centre being generally pure quartz; and, commonly, crystallized. In most of the veins there is a central line, or fissure, which divides them into two portions; this is formed by the close apposition and occasional union of two crystallized, or, as they may be called, drusy surfaces.

Since Veins must be considered as having once been the most active laboratories of Nature, so may they now be regarded as her most valuable cabinets of mineralogy. In those of Saint Michael's Mount may be found crystals of Apatite, from a very light to a very dark green colour, and exhibiting most of the modifications of form[28] which are common to that mineral; Oxide of Tin; Felspar; Mica beautifully crystallized in tables; Topaz in small whitish or greenish crystals,[29] both translucent and opaque, and which are extremely numerous, many hundred being observable on the face of some small blocks of granite that have fallen from the precipices.

Pinite has been said to have been also discovered in this spot. Besides which may be found that rare mineral, the Triple Sulphuret of Copper, Antimony, and Lead; Sulphuret of Tin; Malachite; Fluor Spar; and Wolfram. The occurrence of this latter mineral was, we believe, first noticed in the earlier edition of the present work, and is important in as far as its presence is generally supposed to afford decisive evidence of the primitive formation of the mountain masses in which it occurs.

This spot also presents us with several lodes of Tin and Copper; the latter may be traced for a considerable distance from the eastern to the southern base of the hill. The lode of Tin was formerly worked at the Mount, and a considerable quantity of ore obtained; any farther excavation, however, threatened to injure the foundations of the castle, and it was therefore prudently abandoned.

The remains of the Mine may be seen on the south side of the hill, and should be visited by the mineralogist, who will find in the Drift,[30] Tin crystals and Carbonate of Copper, besides some other minerals. Veins of Lead are also discoverable in the rocks. Mr. Carne[31] has lately directed the attention of the mineralogist to the veins of Mica, which have hitherto only been found in the granite of this singular spot. They are seldom more than half an inch wide; and, although tolerably straight, are very short. They generally consist of two layers of Mica in plates, which meet in the centre of the veins. Some of the masses of Granite which constitute the summit of the Mount have the appearance of an old wall retaining, in parts, a coating of plaster; this is the effect of decomposition, and of the capel having in many places remained attached to the face of the rock, after the vein itself has crumbled down.

The Botanist will also find some amusement among the rocks; he will observe the Tamarisk, (Tamarix Gallica) growing in their crevices, and relieving by a delicate verdure the harsh uniformity of their surfaces. This shrub was probably imported from Normandy by the Monks. Asplenium Marinum and Inula Helenium are also to be seen among the rocks—but let us leave the Botanist and Mineralogist to their researches, while we climb the hill and examine the venerable building on its summit.

We ascend on the north-eastern side, by a rocky winding path, in the course of which, several remains of its ancient fortifications present themselves; thus, about the middle of the hill, there is a curtain, parallel to, and flanking the approach, at whose western end is a ravelin, through which every one is to pass, walled with three embrasures, and at the angle in the eastern shoulder is a centry box to guard the passage, and there was formerly also an iron gate; after having passed this ruin, we turn to our left, and ascend by a flight of broken steps to the door of the castle, whose appearance is much more monastic than martial. The most ancient parts of the building are the Entrance, with the Guardroom on the left hand; the Chapel, and the former Refectory, or common hall of the Monks. The other parts are of a modern date, although the style of their architecture confers upon them a corresponding air of antiquity.

The Refectory, or Common Hall, from the frieze, with which it is ornamented, appears to have been fitted up, since the reformation, as a dining room for a hunting party, and is popularly denominated "The Chevy-Chace Room." The cornice represents in stucco, the modes of hunting the wild boar, bull, stag, ostrich, hare, fox, and rabbit. At the upper end of this room are the royal arms, with the date 1644; and, at the opposite end, those of the St. Aubyn family. The room is 33 feet long, 16 wide, and 18 high, and has a solemn and imposing appearance, which is not a little heightened by the antique and appropriate character of its furniture and ornaments.

The Chapel exhibits a venerable monument of Saxon architecture; its interior has lately been renewed in a chaste style of elegance, and a magnificent organ has been erected. During these repairs, in levelling a platform for the altar, under the eastern window, a low gothic door was discovered to have been closed up with stone in the southern wall, and then concealed with the raised platform; when the enclosure was broken through, ten steps appeared descending into a stone vault under the church, about nine feet long, six or seven broad, and nearly as many high. In this room was found the skeleton of a very large man, without any remains of a coffin. The discovery, of course, gave rise to many conjectures, but it seems most probable, that the man had been there immured for some crime. The bones were removed and buried in the body of the chapel. At the same time upon raising the old pavement, the fragment of an inscribed sepulchral stone of some Prior 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 Trerice, Knight, who was 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 note of the organ, as heard on the water, produce an effect which it is impossible to describe.

From the chapel, 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 immense extent of sea," says Dr. Maton, "raises the most sublime emotions, the waves of the British, Irish, and Atlantic seas all roll within the compass of the sight," whilst the eye is relieved from the uniform, though imposing grandeur of so boundless an horizon, by wandering on the north and west, over a landscape, which Claude himself might have transfused on his canvas.

On one of the angles of this tower is to be seen the carcase of a stone lantern, in which, during the fishing season, and in dark tempestuous nights, it may reasonably be supposed that the monks, to whom the tithe of such fishery belonged, kept a light, as a guide to sailors, and a safeguard to their own property; this lantern is now vulgarly denominated Saint Michael's Chair, since it will just admit one person to sit down in it; the attempt is not without danger, for the chair, elevated above the battlements, projects so far over the precipice, that the climber must actually turn the whole body at that altitude, in order to take a seat in it; notwithstanding the danger, however, it is often attempted; indeed one of the first questions generally put to a stranger, if married, after he has visited the Mount,—did you sit in the chair?—for there is a conceit that, if a married woman has sufficient resolution to place herself in it, it will at once invest her with all the regalia of petticoat government; and that if a married man sit in it, he will thereby receive ample powers for the management of his wife. This is probably a remnant of monkish fable, a supposed virtue conferred by some saint, perhaps a legacy of St. Keyne, for the same virtue is attributed to her well.

"The person of that man or wife,
Whose chance, or choice attains
First of this sacred stream to drink,
Thereby the mastery gains."

On the north-eastern side of the fabric are situated the modern apartments. They were erected by the late Sir John St. Aubyn upon the ruins of the ancient convent, in clearing away which, cart loads of human bones were dug up, and interred elsewhere, the remains probably both of the nuns and of the garrison. All that deserves notice in this part are two handsome rooms leading into each other, from which the prospect is of the most extensive description. In the first parlour, placed in niches, are two large vases, with an alto relief of statuary marble in each, relating to Hymeneal happiness.

Let us now take a review of the various interesting events, which the traditionary lore of past ages represents as having occurred at this spot, and first of the natural history of the Hill itself.

The Natural History.—The rock of the Mount has worn the same aspect for ages; tradition however whispers, that at a remote period it presented a very different appearance,—that it was cloathed with wood, and at a considerable distance from the sea! Its old Cornish name, "Carreg Lug en Kug," that is, the hoary rock in the wood, would seem to add some probability to the tradition. It appears also from the original charter of the Confessor, that the Mount was in his time only nigh the sea, for he describes it expressly as Saint Michael near the sea, "Sanctum Michaelum qui est juxta mare." What this distance was the charter does not inform us, but the words of Worcester, who gained his information from the legend of Saint Michael, are sufficiently decisive, "this place was originally inclosed within a very thick wood, distant from the ocean six miles, affording the finest shelter to wild beasts." With respect to the period and causes of the catastrophe which have changed the face of this country, we have already offered some observations.

Ecclesiastical History.—The Mount appears to have been consecrated by superstition from the earliest period; and, according to monkish legends, from the supposed appearance of the archangel Saint Michael to some hermits, upon one of its craggy points. Tradition has not preserved the place where the vision appeared, but antiquarianism has attempted to supply the deficiency by conjecture; the spot was denominated "Saint Michael's Chair," and is said to be one of the large rocks overhanging the battery, an appellation which has been erroneously transferred to the carcase of a stone lantern, situated, as we have just stated, on the tower of the chapel. Our poet Milton alludes to this vision in the following passage of his Lycidas—

"Or whether thou to our moist views deny'd
"Sleeps't by the fable of Bellerus old
"Where the great vision of the guarded mount
"Looks towards Namancos and Bayonas hold.
"Look homeward Angel now, and melt with ruth,
"And O ye dolphins, waft the hapless youth."

Spencer also makes mention of this spot in a manner which proves that it was universally hallowed by the devout.

"In evil hour thou lenst in hond
"Thus holy hills to blame,
"For sacred unto Saints they stond,
"And of them han their name,
"St. Michael's Mount who does not know
"That wards the western coast."

Very little is known with respect to the ecclesiastical history of the Mount, previous to its endowment by Edward the Confessor. From what may be collected, however, from expiring tradition, it would appear that so early as the end of the fifth century, Saint Keyne, a holy virgin of the blood royal, daughter of Breganus Prince of Brecknockshire, with her cockle hat and staff, performed a pilgrimage to Saint Michael's Mount: now it is fair to conclude that it was before this time a place universally hallowed, or a person of Saint Keyne's rank would not have paid it such a visit; thus then was it renowned for its sanctity for at least five hundred years before the grant and settlement of it by the Confessor; before this period, however, it was probably little more than an hermitage, or oratory, with the necessary reception for pilgrims.

The Confessor found monks here serving God, and gave them by charter the property of the Mount together with "all the land of Vennefire (a district probably in Cornwall), with the towns, houses, fields, meadows, land cultivated, and uncultivated, with their rents; together with a port called Ruminella (Romney in Kent), with all things that appertain, as mills and fisheries," first obliging them to conform the rule of the order of Saint Benedict.

The peculiar respect in which this church was held may be estimated from an instrument recorded by William of Worcester, and asserted to have been found amongst its ancient registers.

"To all members of Holy Mother Church, who shall read or hear these letters, Peace and Salvation. Be it known unto you all, that our Most Holy Lord Pope Gregory, in the year of Christ's Incarnation, 1070, out of his great zeal and devotion to the church of Mount Saint Michal, in Tumba, in the county of Cornwall, hath piously granted to the aforesaid church, which is entrusted to the Angelical Ministry, and with full approbation, consecrated and sanctified, to remit to all the faithful, who shall enrich, endow, or visit the said church, a third part of their Penance, and that this grant may remain for ever unshaken and inviolable, by the authority of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, he forbids all his Successors from attempting to make any alteration against this Decree."

We learn from the same author, that in order to encrease, as much as possible, the influx of votaries to the shrine, the above decree was placed publicly on the gates of the church, and enjoined to be read in other churches.

When the Normans came in, Robert Earl of Morton and Cornwall became the patron of this religious house, erected buildings, and gave some lands, but from a superior affection for Normandy, he abridged its liberties, and annexed it to the monastery of Saint Michael de periculo Maris, on the coast of Normandy, to which situation the Mount is said to bear a striking resemblance; from this time, it became only a cell dependant upon, and subordinate to that foreign priory. As these Monks were of the reformed order of Benedictines, and of the Gilbertine kind, a nunnery was allowed in their vicinity; this they would make us believe was done with no other view, than to shew the triumph of faith over the impulse of sense, but it certainly must be confessed, to speak even most charitably of it, that such an union amid the sequestration of solitude, carries a strange appearance with it to our protestant suspiciousness. The remains of this convent, we have already said, were removed by the late proprietor, and the New Buildings, as they are called, erected on their site; from the appearance of the carved fragments of stone, and other marks of architectural distinction, found among the ruins, the Nunnery appears to have been by far the most costly and magnificent part of the edifice, the result we presume of Monkish gallantry. Its establishment appears to have terminated at the time Pomeroy surprised it, (an account of which transaction is recorded under the military history,) but the Priory continued a cell to Saint Michael's in Normandy, until that connection was destroyed, and all the alien priories were seized in the reign of Edward the Third.

Henry the Sixth granted this Priory to King's College, Cambridge, but it was afterwards transferred by Edward the Fourth to the nunnery of Sion, Middlesex; and so it continued until the general dissolution; at which period its revenues were valued at £110:12s. per annum, a considerable sum at that time, especially as the number of Monks maintained on the foundation never exceeded six; this sum, together with the government of the Mount, which was then a military post, was bestowed on Hugh Arundel, who was executed for rebellion in the year 1548. On his death it was demised to John Milliton of Pengersick, Esq., to William his son, and further to William Harris, Esq. of Hayne in Devonshire, connected by marriage with the family of Milliton. Queen Elizabeth, by Letters Patent, in the 29th year of her reign, demised it to Arthur Harris[32] of Kenegie, Esq. a younger son of the above William Harris, for life. It is in the Patent (which recites the former grants to the Millitons) described as in the note[33] below. Arthur Harris was about this time appointed Governor of the Mount, and held that appointment until his decease in 1628. It was then granted, it is supposed, in trust for the Earl of Salisbury, from whom it passed to Francis Bassett, Esq. who being imprisoned by the usurping powers in the reign of Charles the First, was obliged in order to purchase his liberty to part with it to John St. Aubyn, Esq. in whose family it now remains. The present Baronet seldom visits it, a circumstance universally regretted, for no gentleman better understands how to grace the venerable seat with Knightly dignity and splendor: Sir John too is a zealous mineralogist, and might by his presence in Cornwall contribute essentially to the progress of that science; in one respect his absence is fortunately supplied by the vigilance of his agents, and every geologist ought to feel obliged to them, we allude to the care with which they protect the picturesque and mineralogical beauties of the rocks by opposing the sacrilegious removal of any part of them.

Military History.—From the time of King Edward the Confessor, to the middle of the reign of Richard the First, the Mount appears to have been exclusively the sacred nursery of religion; the earliest transaction of a military nature was during the captivity of Richard the First, in Germany, when Henry de la Pomeroy, of Berry Pomeroy in Devonshire, having stabbed a serjeant at arms who came to summon him to appear for a heavy crime, fled into Cornwall, and cast himself upon the protection of John, Earl of that province, who readily supplied him with an armed force, for he was then aspiring to his brother's throne; with this, Pomeroy went in disguise to the Mount, and under a pretence of visiting his sister, who was in the nunnery, gained admission, and treacherously reduced it to the service of the said John; upon the return however of the King from imprisonment, he surrendered the garrison on mercy, although, despairing himself of pardon, he soon died, or as some say, caused himself to be bled to death; after this event, the Prior and the Monks were restored to the full possession of their cells, revenues, and chapel; a small garrison however was still maintained, to defend it against the sudden invasion of enemies, and in this condition, "manned out with carnal and spiritual soldiers," did the Mount remain for a space of 275 years, when another military transaction occurred to disturb its repose. After the defeat of the Lancastrians at Barnet, in the eighteenth year of Edward the Fourth, John Vere, Earl of Oxford, one of the most zealous partisans, fled from the field, set sail for Saint Michael's Mount, and having disguised himself, together with a few attendants, in the habits of pilgrims, obtained entrance, massacred the unsuspecting garrison, and seized the fortress, which he valiantly defended for some time against the forces of Edward, but was at length compelled to surrender. Sir John Arundel de Trerice, Sheriff of Cornwall, at the command of the King, marched thither with posse comitatus to besiege it, but he fell a victim on the sands, at its base, and lies buried in the chapel.

In King Henry the Seventh's reign, the Lady Catherine Gordon, wife of Perkin Warbeck, the pretended son of Edward the Fourth, remained here for safety, but after the flight of her husband, she was taken prisoner by Giles, Lord Banbury, and carried before that King.

During the Cornish commotion in the reign of Edward the Sixth, many of the superior families fled to the Mount for security, and were besieged by the rebels, who took the plain at the bottom of the rock by assault, at the time of low water, and afterwards the summit, by carrying great trusses of hay before them to obstruct the defendants sight, and deaden their shot. This situation, together with the fears of the women, and the want of food, obliged the besieged to surrender. During the civil contentions in the reign of Charles the First, the fortifications of the Mount were so much increased, that the works were styled "impregnable and almost inaccessible." The Parliament forces, however, under the command of Colonel Hammond, reduced the place, and liberated the Duke of Hamilton, who was there confined; a service which the historians of that period represent as full of danger and difficulty, and this was the last military transaction that occurred upon this romantic spot. Several batteries were erected by government during the late war, to command the western part of the bay, the eastern being too shallow to allow the entrance of large vessels.

We cannot conclude this account of the Mount without observing, that several antiquarians have considered it as the Ictis of Diodorus, whither the Greek merchants traded for Cornish Tin; the limits of this work will not allow us to enter upon the discussion, but we beg to refer the curious reader to an ingenious work, published by Sir Christopher Hawkins,[34] and to Dr. Maton's "Observations on the Western Counties." It is curious, and satisfactory, that these gentlemen should have arrived at the same conclusion upon the subject, and by nearly the same train of reasoning, without any previous communication with each other.

Sancreet.

FOOTNOTES:

[24] This Pier has lately been considerably enlarged at the expense of Sir John St. Aubyn. The work was completed only in the last Summer (1823), and will now admit vessels of five hundred tons burthen.

[25] Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, Vol. i. p. 41.

[26] Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, Vol. ii. p. 73.

[27] Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, Vol. ii. p. 369.

[28] See Mr. Phillips's "Elementary Introduction to Mineralogy." We shall on all occasions refer to this work without reserve, as being a book which is, or ought to be, in the hands of every scientific traveller. Its copious catalogue of English habitats renders it extremely valuable.

[29] The mineralogist is apt to overlook these Topazes, or to regard them as common quartz crystals, to which they bear a great resemblance, until we inspect their prisms, which will rarely be found to be six-sided; there is also another simple mark of distinction—in the quartz crystal the striated appearance on its surface is horizontal, whereas on the Topaz it is longitudinal.

[30] A Drift is a trench or foss, cut in the ground to a certain depth, resembling a channel dug to convey water to a mill wheel.

[31] Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, Vol. ii. p. 56.

[32] Ancestor of William Arundel Harris Arundel, Esq. of Kenegie.

[33] "Firmam nrtsm sti michis ad montem in dco nro cornub ac tot illum scit domu mansional sive capital messuag nrm vocat Sainte Michaells Mounte als dict the Priorie of Sainte Michalls Mounte in dco com nso cornub quondm menastr de Sion in com nro midd spectan & ptinen habendum & tenendum ad tmnm & pr tmno vite natural ipsius Arthuri Harris. Reddendo inde annuatim nob hered & successoribs nris viginti sex libras tres decem solid et quatuor denar legalis monete Angel." &c.

[34] See Sir C. Hawkins's Tract on the Tin Trade of the ancients in Cornwall, and on the Ictis of Diodorus Siculus.

EXCURSION II.

TO THE LAND's END.—LOGAN ROCK, &c.

"The Sun beams tremble, and the purple light
Illumes the dark Bolerium;—seat of storms,
High are his granite rocks; his frowning brow
Hangs o'er the smiling ocean. In his caves,
Where sleep the haggard spirits of the storm,
Wild dreary are the schistose rocks around,
Encircled by the waves, where to the breeze
The haggard cormorant shrieks; and far beyond
Are seen the cloud-like islands, grey in mists."
Sir H. Davy.

In an excursion to the Land's End the traveller will meet with several intermediate objects well worthy his attention, more worthy, perhaps, than the celebrated promontory itself, as being monuments of the highest antiquity in the kingdom. They consist of Druidical circles, Cairns, or circular heaps of stones, Cromlechs, Crosses, Military Entrenchments, and the obscure remains of Castles. Many of these venerable objects, however, to the eternal disgrace of the inhabitants be it spoken, have of late been much mutilated, and indeed some have been entirely demolished. That the noblest monuments of Greece should have been converted into lime by the barbarous Turks, or that the temple of Diana should have furnished a cement for the voluptuous apartments of the Haram, are instances of degeneracy which we might have been prepared to witness in such a people; but that the venerable remains of British antiquity, the silent but faithful monuments of men and days long past, which are so interesting from their connection with the primitive history of our island, should in this enlightened age have been sawed into gate posts, or converted into pig-troughs, is really past all endurance.—But to proceed.—In riding from Penzance to the Land's End, which is about ten miles distant, the first objects to be noticed are two beautiful villas, well wooded, and adjoining each other,—Castle-Horneck, the seat of the Borlase family, and Rose Hill, the property of the Rev. Uriah Tonkin. The sea and land views from these houses are of the most enchanting description. In viewing the latter place, the stranger will scarcely believe that the spot which now exhibits so rich a pastural scene, was a few years since a deformed and barren rock! but what cannot gold effect, or where is the wild which its magic cannot convert into fairy land? The cost of the gunpowder alone for blowing up the rocks to facilitate their removal amounted to several hundred pounds.

About a mile farther west, the road passes another villa, Trereiffe, the ancient seat of the family of Nicholls, who have been proprietors of the great tythes of the parish of Madron from the period of the reformation. It is now the residence of the Rev. Charles Valentine Le Grice, into whose possession it has passed by marriage. The scenery about this place is of a very exquisite cast, and, from the richness of the land, and luxuriance of its productions, it may be fairly denominated the garden of the Mount's Bay. After passing through a shady avenue, from which we catch a delicious peep of the sea bounded by a grotesque group of rocks, we take leave of the picturesque, and plunge into a country of a very different aspect and description,—rough, wild, and unsheltered; never was contrast more complete or striking, not a tree is seen to break the extended uniformity of the hills, nor is there a single object, with the exception of a few scattered monuments of antiquity, to recommend it to notice. The agriculturist may, perhaps, view the district with somewhat different sensations, for the downs are certainly improveable, and those portions which have been brought into tillage have amply rewarded the labour of the adventurer: indeed in several districts cultivation has even spread to the very brim of the ocean.

The natural product of the high lands is only a thin turf interspersed with heath, fern and furze,[35] and many huge blocks of granite are disseminated in all directions; this circumstance has materially impeded the progress of cultivation, for in order to remove these boulders it is necessary to blast them with gunpowder; the fragments, however, become useful in their turn, and are employed in making enclosures, which bear the provincial name of hedges. This stone, commonly called Growan, is, moreover, wrought into columnar masses, eight or ten feet long, which are used as supporters to sheds and outhouses, or gates posts, and bridges over rivulets. It is also the material of which common rollers, mill-stones, salting and pig troughs are made; in short, few stones are converted to more various purposes of rural œconomy, and it accordingly forms an article of some commercial value. The mode of splitting it into the required forms is somewhat curious; it is effected by applying several wedges to holes cut, or pooled as it is termed, in the surface of the stone at the distance of three or four inches from each other, according to its size and hardness; the harder the mass, the easier it may be split into the required form; the softer, the less regularly it separates. The blocks of granite employed in the construction of the Waterloo Bridge over the Thames were procured from the downs in the vicinity of Penhryn.[36]

The Granite of the Land's End district is remarkable for its coarse grain, and the large proportion of its felspar, which, according to the observations of Dr. Paris, may be estimated as high as from 70 to 90 per cent. It moreover possesses an earthy texture, which greatly accelerates its decomposition. This circumstance will in some measure account for the unusual fertility of the growan soil in the parishes of Saint Burian, Sennen, and Saint Levan. It will moreover explain the theory of a practice, which would otherwise appear absurd, that of actually applying the disintegrated growan to certain lands as a manure!

On a closer examination of this Granite, the prismatic crystals of felspar will often be found to exhibit that structure which Haüy calls hemitrope; more often, they are termed macles, and are compounded of two crystals intersecting each other at particular angles.

The Botanist as he rides along in the Summer months will observe amongst the gorse (Ulex), which is abundant on each side of the road, the parasitical plant Cuscuta Epithymum, (called Epiphany by the country people,) winding its spiral structure in all directions, and producing from its reddish hue a beautiful contrast.

The farming of this country is in general slovenly, and certainly very far behind any other part of the kingdom,[37] although it is but just to acknowledge that Leha, a farm situated near the Land's End road, forms a pleasing exception to this general remark. The proprietor, John Scobell Esq. of Nancealverne, has here introduced the Drill Husbandry of Northumberland, which would seem to be well adapted to a country so infested with weeds, those hungry invaders of the farmer's property, and usurpers of his soil. The farmers have a peculiar practice, obviously suggested by the inconstancy of the weather, that of putting up their wheat, barley, and other kinds of grain, in the field into what are called "Arishmows." The sheaves are built up into a regular solid cone about twelve feet high; the beards all turned inwards, and the butt end only exposed to the weather. The whole is finished by an inverted sheaf of reed or corn and tied to the upper rows.

The first objects of antiquity which we have to notice are the stone crosses placed by the roads' side; some of them still retain their original situation, while others, broken and mutilated, have been converted into the various purposes of rural œconomy. They appear to have been originally designed as guides to direct the pilgrim to the different churches. A few of the more remarkable of them are represented as vignettes in different parts of the present work, from which the reader will become acquainted with their general appearance.

At Boscawen-Un, in a field about a quarter of a mile west of Leha, we meet with one of the most ancient British monuments in the kingdom; "a Druidical circle," as it has been pronounced, consisting of nineteen stones, some of which have fallen, placed in a circle of about twenty-five feet in diameter, having a single one in the centre. There is considerable doubt and obscurity with respect to the origin and intended use of these circles, of which there are many similar examples in Cornwall. Camden is inclined to consider them as military trophies, while Borlase deems it highly probable that such monuments were of religious institution, and designed originally and principally for the rites of worship; at the same time he conceives "they might sometimes have been employed as places of council and judgment, and that, whilst any council or decree was pending, the principal persons concerned stood, each by his pillar, and that where a middle stone was erected, as at Boscawen-Un, there stood the Prince or General elect." This must certainly be acknowledged as one of the most extraordinary specimens of antiquarian dreaming ever presented to the public.

About half a mile to the right of the high road stands an object of later origin, but not of less interest to the antiquary; the ruins of a small oratory, or baptistry, dedicated to Saint Euinus, and commonly known by the name of Chapel Euny. It is situated near a well, whose waters have been long supposed to possess very extraordinary virtues, and to have performed many miraculous cures. There is a similar ruin, which we shall hereafter have occasion to notice at Madron; and it is worthy of remark that these wells do not possess any mineral impregnation; the sick, however, at this very day, repair to them, while the credulous attempt to read the future in the appearance of the bubbles produced in their waters by the dropping in of pins or pebbles. This mode of divining is perhaps one of the most ancient superstitions that have descended to us, and was termed Hydromancy. The Castalian fountain, and many others amongst the Grecians, were supposed to be of a prophetic nature; thus, by dipping a fair mirror into a well did the Patræans of Greece receive, as they vainly imagined, some notice of ensuing sickness, or convalescence.

On the summit of the hill above these ruins, are situated the remains of Caerbran Castle or Round (that is Brennus's Castle) which is thus described by Borlase. "It is a circular fortification, consisting first of a deep ditch, fifteen feet wide, edged with stone, through which you pass to the outer vallum, which is of earth, fifteen feet high, and was well perfected towards the north-east, but not so towards the west; within this vallum, passing a large ditch about fifteen yards wide, you come to a stone wall, which quite rounded the top of the hill, and seems to have been of considerable strength, but lies, now, like a ridge of disorderly stones; the diameter of the whole is ninety paces, and in the centre of all is a little circle."

There are no less than seven of these hill castles, as they are termed, although they might with more propriety be called strong entrenchments, to be seen at this time within five miles around Penzance; all so placed on the hills as to admit of immediate communication with each other by signal. From several of them we have views of the North and South Channel, but from all of them either that of one sea or the other. Much doubt has arisen concerning their origin. Mr. Polwhele attributes them to the Irish, while Dr. Borlase, like an orthodox antiquary, who takes shelter, whenever he is bewildered, under the sanction of a popular name, at once boldly decides upon their Danish origin.

The lonely ruins of Chapel Carn Bre next attract our notice; they are situated upon the extremity of a high granite ridge, overlooking the surfy recess of Whitsand Bay; from their great elevation they are visible from every part of the country, although they scarcely form a skeleton of the original building, and in a short time, probably, not a vestige will remain to mark the consecrated spot. It appears to have been a Chantry, erected for the performance of religious service for the safety of mariners. It is not for the inspection of these ruins that we direct the stranger to ascend the hill, for they are too insignificant to merit attention, but it is for the purpose of his viewing the extensive prospect which its summit commands,—a wild expanse of waters occupying twenty-nine points of the compass!—From this spot also Saint Michael's Mount has a singularly fine effect, appearing as if placed in the centre of a lake at a distance from the ocean.

We now proceed to Sennan Church-town,[38] which according to barometrical admeasurement is 391 feet above the level of the sea. It is about a mile from the Land's End, and is celebrated for containing the Ale-house whimsically called "The First and Last Inn in England." On the western side of its sign is inscribed "The First," and on the eastern side "The Last Inn in England."

The last village towards the Land's End is named Mayon or Mean. In this place is the large stone spoken of by Dr. Borlase under the name of "Table mean," and concerning which there is a vague tradition that three kings once dined together on it, in their journey to the Land's End.

On the turf between this village and the Land's End, the Botanist will find Bartsia Viscosa, and Illocebrum Verticillatum, the latter of which is peculiar to this county.

Having arrived at the celebrated Promontory, we descend a rapid slope, which brings us to a bold group of rocks, composing the western extremity of our island. Some years ago a military officer who visited this spot, was rash enough to descend on horseback; the horse soon became unruly, plunged, reared, and, fearful to relate, fell backwards over the precipice, and rolling from rock to rock was dashed to atoms before it reached the sea. The rider was for some time unable to disengage himself, but at length by a desperate effort he threw himself off, and was happily caught by some fragments of rock, at the very brink of the precipice, where he remained suspended in a state of insensibility until assistance could be afforded him! The awful spot is marked by the figure of a horse-shoe, traced on the turf with a deep incision, which is cleared out from time to time, in order to preserve it as a monument of rashness which could be alone equalled by the good fortune with which it was attended.

Why any promontory in an island should be exclusively denominated the Land's End, it is difficult to understand; yet so powerful is the charm of a name, that many persons have visited it on no other account; the intelligent tourist, however, will receive a much more substantial gratification from his visit; the great geological interest of the spot will afford him an ample source of entertainment and instruction, while the magnificence of its convulsed scenery, the ceaseless roar, and deep intonation of the ocean, and the wild shrieks of the Cormorant, all combine to awaken the blended sensations of awe and admiration.

The cliff which bounds this extremity is rather abrupt than elevated, not being more than sixty feet above the level of the sea. It is composed entirely of Granite, the forms of which present a very extraordinary appearance, assuming in some places the resemblance of shafts that had been regularly cut with the chisel; in others, regular equidistant fissures divide the rock into horizontal masses, and give it the character of basaltic columns; in other places, again, the impetuous waves of the ocean have opened, for their retreat, gigantic arches, through which the angry billows roll and bellow with tremendous fury.

Several of these rocks from their grotesque forms have acquired whimsical appellations, as that of the Armed Knight, the Irish Lady, &c. An inclining rock on the side of a craggy headland, south of the Land's End, has obtained the name of Dr. Johnson's Head, and visitors after having heard the appellation seldom fail to acknowledge that it bears some resemblance to the physiognomy of that extraordinary man.

On the north, this rocky scene is terminated by a promontory 229 feet above the level of the sea, called "Cape Cornwall," between which and the Land's End, the coast retires, and forms Whitsand Bay, a name which it derives from, the peculiar whiteness of its sand, and amongst which the naturalist will find several rare microscopic shells. There are, besides, some historical recollections which invest this spot with interest. It was in this bay that Stephen landed on his first arrival in England; as did king John, on his return from Ireland; and Perkin Warbeck, in the prosecution of those claims to the crown to which some late writers have been disposed to consider that he was entitled, as the real son of Edward the Fourth. In the rocks near the southern termination of Whitsand Bay may be seen the junction of the granite and slate; large veins of the former may be also observed to traverse the latter in all directions.

In viewing the whole of the scenery of this stern coast "it is impossible" says De Luc, "not to be struck with the idea, that the bed of the sea is the effect of a vast subsidence, in which the strata were broken off on the edge of what, by the retreat of the sea towards the sunken part, became a continent; the many small islands, or rocks of granite, appear to be the memorials of the land's abridgement, being evidently parts of the sunken strata remaining more elevated than the rest." There is a small Archipelago of this kind called the Long-ships, at the distance of two miles west of the Land's end; on the largest of these rocks is a light-house, which was erected in consequence of the very dangerous character of the coast, by a Mr. Smith, in the year 1797, who obtained a grant from the Trinity House, and was rewarded for a limited number of years by a certain rate on all ships that passed it. This period having expired, it is at present under the jurisdiction of the Trinity House.[39] The tower is constructed of granite, the stones of which are trenailed on the same plan as that adopted by Smeaton in the construction of the Eddystone light-house. The circumference of the tower at its base is 68 feet; the height from the rock to the vane of the lantern, 52 feet; and from the sea to the base of the light-house it is 60 feet; but notwithstanding this elevation its lantern has been often dashed to pieces by the spray of the ocean during the winter's tempest! The management of this establishment is entrusted to two men, who during the winter are often, for two or three months, confined to this sea-girt prison without the possibility of communicating with the land; they accordingly lay in a store of provisions, as if they were about to embark for a long voyage.

We have already stated that the historians of Cornwall, from Leland, Norden, and Carew, downwards, have all recorded the ancient tradition of a considerable portion of the Mount's bay having been formerly woodland. They have likewise handed down the concurrent tradition relative to the supposed tract of land which once connected the islands of Scilly with Cornwall. This tract, to which we are told was given the name of the Lioness ("the Silurian Lyonois,") is said to have contained one hundred and forty parish churches, all of which were swept away by the resistless ocean! As to the Cornish word Lethowstow, or Lioness, by which the sea between Scilly and Cornwall is distinguished, we may observe, that the appropriation of such a term is sufficiently accounted for from the general violence and turbulence of the sea, just as the celebrated rock lying south of the channel between the Land's end and Scilly retains the name of the Wolf,[40] from the howling of the waves around it. Those who may wish for farther evidence upon this subject may consult Mr. Boase's excellent memoir "On the submersion of part of the Mount's bay," published in the second volume of the Transactions of the Geological Society of Cornwall.

We shall in this place make a short digression, in order to afford some account of the Scilly Islands, which are situated in a cluster about nine leagues, west by south, from the Land's end, and are distinctly visible from it.

The Scilly Islands were called by the Greeks Hesperides and Capiterides, or the Tin Isles, and by this name they are mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, and Solinus. They must, however, have undergone some material revolution since the age of these writers, for we fail in every attempt to reconcile their present state with the description which they have transmitted to us; and what is very unaccountable, not a vestige of any ancient mine can be discovered in the islands, except in one part of Trescow; and these remains are so limited, that they rather give an idea of an attempt at discovery, than of extensive and permanent mining. We are strongly inclined to believe that the Tin of those days came, in part at least, from the opposite coast of Saint Just, but of this we shall hereafter speak more fully. In the time of Strabo we learn that the number of these Islands did not exceed ten, whereas at present there are upwards of one hundred and forty, but of which the following only are inhabited, viz. Saint Mary's, Saint Agnes', Saint Martin's, Trescow, Bryer, and Sampson. It is curious that the name of the cluster should have been derived from one of the smallest of the islets (Scilly), whose surface does not exceed an acre. The number of inhabitants amounts to about two thousand, nearly half of which reside in Saint Mary's, which contains 1600 acres; it possesses three towns, a pier, a garrison, a custom house, and some monuments of British antiquity.

At Saint Agnes is a very high and strong light-house, which was erected in the year 1680. Its present machinery was designed by the ingenious Adam Walker, the well known lecturer on Natural Philosophy, although it has lately undergone some modification at the suggestion of Mr. Wyatt. The machinery consists of a triangular frame attached to a perpendicular axis, which, by means of an appropriate power, is made to revolve once every three minutes. On each face of the triangle are arranged ten parabolic reflectors of copper plated with silver, each having an argand lamp in its focus. By this device the light progressively sweeps the whole horizon, and by its regular intermission and increase is readily distinguished from every other on the coast.[41]

The civil government of these islands is chiefly managed by twelve of the principal inhabitants, who meet monthly at Heugh Town, St. Mary's, and settle differences by compromise. The Duke of Leeds holds the islands by lease for thirty-one years from the year 1800, at the rent of £40, besides paying the fine of £4000, as a renewal.

The reader is no doubt anxiously waiting to be introduced to the classical descendants of the Grecian or Phœnician race,—Whether they have been swallowed up with the "Lioness," or washed into the ocean by the tempests, we know not; but certain it is that the present inhabitants are all new comers;—Phœnician or Grecian, there are none.—Jenkins, Ellis, Hicks, Woodcock, Ashford, and Gibson[42] are names which would even defy the ingenious author of the Diversions of Purley to trace to a classical source.

The Scillonians are a robust and healthy people, and were it not for the facility with which they obtain spirits, they would attain a very advanced age. It is a common saying amongst them, and is no doubt intended to express how highly favourable the spot is to longevity, although it obviously admits of another construction, that "for one man who dies a natural death, nine are drowned." It has been remarked that a deformed person is not to be found in the islands; but we apprehend that this fact requires an explanation very different from that which is usually assigned; it cannot be received as any test of the salubrity of the spot, or of the superior healthiness of the race; the fact is simply this, that exposure to inclement weather, want of proper food, and those various privations which necessarily increase as we recede from the luxuries of civilization, kill, during infancy, those feeble subjects which might, otherwise, have become deformed during the progress of their growth. It is for the same reason that we so frequently observe the troops of barbarous countries composed of the most athletic individuals, for the hardship of their service weeds out the feeble and invalid. We have already alluded to the tenacity with which the Cornishman clings to his native soil, but the attachment of the Scillonian, if possible, is still stronger to his desolate rock. What a striking contrast does this form with the roving inhabitant of an alluvial country, where every object, it might be presumed, was calculated to excite and sustain the strongest attachment; but this principle of Nature is wise and universal,—the plant is easily loosened from a generous soil, but with what difficulty is the lichen torn from its rock.

The islanders are chiefly employed in Ashing, making kelp from the Algæ, which is disposed of to the Bristol merchant for the use of the glass manufacturer, and in pilotage. From a combination, however, of unfortunate circumstances, in addition to the fatal blow given to the smuggling trade, by the activity of the preventive service, the inhabitants were reduced to such extreme distress that it became necessary in the year 1819 to appeal to the generosity of the public in their behalf; and, notwithstanding the great difficulties of the times, the sum of nine thousand pounds was collected for their relief. In this great work of charity it is but an act of justice to state, that the Society for promoting Christian knowledge, by their purse, as well as by their writings, performed a very essential service. The funds thus obtained were in part appropriated to the relief of the immediate and pressing distress under which they laboured, while the remainder was very judiciously applied towards the promotion of such permanent advantages as might prevent the chance of its recurrence. A Fish-cellar was accordingly provided in the island of Trescow, for the purpose of storing and curing Ash; boats adapted for the Mackarel and Pilchard Fisheries were purchased, and others were repaired; nets and various kinds of tackling were also at the same time liberally supplied. By such means have the inhabitants of these cheerless rocks been enabled to avail themselves of some of the resources which Providence has placed within their reach, and their families have been thus enabled to exist without the dread of absolute starvation.[43] Much, however, still remains for philanthropic exertion, and should this humble volume fall into the hands of those, who are enabled by the superior gifts of fortune to contribute to the wants of their unhappy brethren, we may perhaps serve their cause by stating that any donation, however small, will be received by Henry Boase, Esq. at the Penzance Bank. The greatest benefit would arise from the extension of their fisheries, for in consequence of the peculiar situation and convenience of these islands, the Cod and Ling fisheries might be carried to almost any extent; and, while boats in any part even of the Mount's Bay, would be weather-bound with the wind W.S.W. to S., they can proceed from Scilly into the channel, without the least difficulty. The Scillonians, however, have as yet been unable to avail themselves of the advantages of their locality; the want of proper boats prevents their proceeding in the pursuit of their occupation, farther than four or five leagues from the land.

During the summer months various species of fish are caught with hook and line; among the smaller kind, which are salted by the Scillonians for their winter consumption, are "Bass, Wrass, Chad, Scad, Brit, Barne, Cuddle, Whistlers," &c. all of which are included by the islanders under the general appellation of "Rock-fish."

There is a very curious fact noticed here with respect to the Woodcock. These birds generally arrive in Scilly before they are observed in any part of England; more frequently with a north-east,[44] though sometimes with a north-west wind, and are often so exhausted as to be caught in great numbers by the inhabitants, especially near the light-house, the splendour of whose light appears to attract them, and striking against its lantern they not unfrequently fall lifeless in the gallery. It is for the naturalist to consider from whence they migrate.

The Climate of these islands is both milder and more equable than that of Cornwall, but this advantage is counterbalanced by the frequent occurrence of the most sudden and violent storms. By those who have kept journals it has been found that not more than six days of perfect calm occur in the course of a year, and that the wind blows from between S.W. and N.W. for more than half of that period.

With respect to Geology, these islands will afford but little variety; with the exception of some beds of Porphyry at Saint Mary's, and some beds of Chlorite, containing Pyrites, in the same island, they consist entirely of Granite, and are doubtless a continuation of the Devonian range, although the rock assumes an appearance less porphyritic; it contains, however, veins of red Granite. At the Lizard Point in the island of Trescow, a variety of granite occurs, in which the felspar is of a remarkably pure white, and might, we should conceive, be advantageously employed in the manufacture of Porcelain. In some chasms of this rock, and in the centre of large masses, the Mica is of a silvery hue, and occurs crystallized in its primitive form. In the same island is a remarkable cavern, in the centre of which is a pool of fresh water. The porphyritic beds in Saint Mary's are interesting on account of the distinct appearance of stratification which they display, and Mr. Majendie thinks that an undoubted instance of stratified granite is to be seen near the same spot. The Granite of Scilly is very liable to decomposition; whence has arisen all that fancied statuary of the Druids, of which we have spoken in another place. The Islands are undoubtedly undergoing a gradual diminution. At no great distance of time Saint Mary's will probably be divided by the sea, and a channel formed through the low land between the New-town and the south-east side of the garrison. This might perhaps be prevented by throwing down masses of granite from a neighbouring hill, so as to form a barrier against the sea. The object may be worthy of attention, as the sea in winter, with a high tide, has been known to pass over this land, and the effect of its forcing a channel there would be to divide the garrison from the rest of the island. If the Geologist proceeds to a spot behind the quay, and between the front of the garrison-hill and that island, he will be gratified by the discovery of a process the very converse of that which we have been just describing. In these places the granitic sand is becoming indurated by the slow infiltration of water holding iron in solution, and which appears to be derived from the decomposing hills above it. Some fine specimens of this "regenerated" granite have been placed in the Geological Society's cabinet at Penzance.

We now return to the Land's End,—from which we should proceed to visit a promontory, called "Castle Treryn," where is situated the celebrated "Logan Stone." If we pursue our route along the cliffs, it will be found to lie several miles south-east of the Land's End, although by taking the direct and usual road across the country, it is not more than two miles distant; but the Geologist must walk, or ride along the coast on horseback, and we can assure him that he will be amply recompensed for his trouble.

From the Cape on which the signal station is situated, the rock scenery is particularly magnificent, exhibiting an admirable specimen of the manner, and forms, into which Granite disintegrates. About forty yards from this Cape is the promontory called Tol-Pedn-Penwith, which in the Cornish language signifies the holed headland in Penwith. The name is derived from a singular chasm, known by the appellation of the Funnel Rock; it is a vast perpendicular excavation in the granite, resembling in figure an inverted cone, and has been evidently produced by the gradual decomposition of one of those vertical veins with which this part of the coast is so frequently intersected. By a circuitous route you may descend to the bottom of the cavern, into which the sea flows at high water. Here the Cornish Chough (Corvus Graculus) has built its nest for several years, a bird which is very common about the rocky parts of this coast, and may be distinguished by its red legs and bill, and the violaceous blackness of its feathers. This promontory forms the Western extremity of the Mount's Bay. The antiquary will discover in this spot the vestiges of one of the ancient "Cliff Castles," which were little else than stone walls, stretching across necks of land from cliff to cliff. The only geological phenomenon worthy of particular notice is a large and beautiful contemporaneous vein of red Granite containing Shorl; is one foot in width, and may be seen for about forty feet in length.

Continuing our route around the coast we at length arrive at "Castle Treryn." Its name is derived from the supposition of its having been the site of an ancient British fortress, of which there are still some obscure traces, although the wild and rugged appearance of the rocks indicate nothing like art.

The foundation of the whole is a stupendous group of Granite rocks, which rise in pyramidal clusters to a prodigious altitude, and overhang the sea. On one of those pyramids is situated the celebrated "Logan Stone," which is an immense block of Granite weighing above 60 tons. The surface in contact with the under rock is of very small extent, and the whole mass is so nicely balanced, that, notwithstanding its magnitude, the strength of a single man applied to its under edge is sufficient to change its centre of gravity, and though at first in a degree scarcely perceptible, yet the repetition of such impulses, at each return of the stone, produces at length a very sensible oscillation! As soon as the astonishment which this phenomenon excites has in some measure subsided, the stranger anxiously enquires how, and whence the stone originated—was it elevated by human means, or was it produced by the agency of natural causes?—Those who are in the habit of viewing mountain masses with geological eyes, will readily discover that the only chisel ever employed has been the tooth of time—the only artist engaged, the elements. Granite usually disintegrates into rhomboidal and tabular masses, which by the farther operation of air and moisture gradually lose their solid angles, and approach the spheroidal form. De Luc observed, in the Giant mountains of Silesia, spheroids of this description so piled upon each other as to resemble Dutch cheeses; and appearances, no less illustrative of the phenomenon, may be seen from the signal station to which we have just alluded. The fact of the upper part of the cliff being more exposed to atmospheric agency, than the parts beneath, will sufficiently explain why these rounded masses so frequently rest on blocks which still preserve the tabular form; and since such spheroidal blocks must obviously rest in that position in which their lesser axes are perpendicular to the horizon, it is equally evident that whenever an adequate force is applied they must vibrate on their point of support.

Although we are thus led to deny the Druidical origin of this stone, for which so many zealous antiquaries have contended, still we by no means intend to deny that the Druids employed it as an engine of superstition; it is indeed very probable that, having observed so uncommon a property, they dexterously contrived to make it answer the purposes of an ordeal, and by regarding it as the touchstone of truth, acquitted or condemned the accused by its motions. Mason poetically alludes to this supposed property in the following lines.

"Behold yon huge
And unknown sphere of living adamant,
Which, pois'd by magic, rests its central weight
On yonder pointed rock: firm as it seems,
Such is its strange, and virtuous property,
It moves obsequious to the gentlest touch
Of him, whose heart is pure, but to a traitor,
Tho' e'en a giant's prowess nerv'd his arm,
It stands as fix'd as Snowdon."

The rocks are covered with a species of Byssus long and rough to the touch, forming a kind of hoary beard; in many places they are deeply furrowed, carrying with them a singular air of antiquity, which combines with the whole of the romantic scenery to awaken in the minds of the poet and enthusiast the recollection of the Druidical ages. The Botanist will observe the common Thrift (Statice Armeria) imparting a glowing tinge to the scanty vegetation of the spot, and, by growing within the crevices of the rocks, affording a very picturesque contrast to their massive fabric. Here too the Daucus Maritimus, or wild carrot; Sedum Telephium, Saxifraga Stellaris, and Asplenium Marinum, may be found in abundance.

The Granite in this spot is extremely beautiful, on account of its porphyritic appearance; the crystals of felspar are numerous and distinct; in some places the rock is traversed by veins of red felspar, and of black tourmaline, or schorl, of which the crystalline forms of the prisms, on account of their close aggregation, are very indistinct. Here may also be observed a contemporaneous vein of schorl rock in the granite, nearly two feet wide, highly inclined and very short, and not having any distinct walls. On the western side of the Logan rock is a cavern, formed by the decomposition of a vein of granite, the felspar of which assumes a brilliant flesh-red, and lilac colour; and, where it is polished by the sea, exceeding even in beauty the Serpentine caverns at the Lizard.

Mr. Majendie observed in this spot numerous veins of fine grained granite, which he is inclined to consider as cotemporaneous; he also observed what, at first sight, appeared to be fragments, but which, upon closer examination, he pronounces to be cotemporaneous concretions; for large crystals of felspar may be seen shooting from the porphyritic granite into these apparent fragments. These phenomena are extremely interesting in a geological point of view, and well deserve the attention of the scientific tourist.

In Treryn cove, just below the site of the castle, Dr. Maton found several of the rarer species of shells, as Patella Pellucida, P. Fissura, Mytilus Modiolus, Trochus Conulus, Turbo Cimex, and T. Fascitatus (of Pennant.)

Before we quit this coast we beg to state, for the information of the geological tourist, that the Granite which we have just traced from beyond the Land's End to this spot, continues until within half a mile of the signal post near Lemorna cove, where it meets with a patch of slate, and is lost for about the space of three quarters of a mile. At the western extremity of this junction (Carn Silver) the mineralogist will find embedded Garnet-rock with veins of Epidote and Axinite. Here may also be seen the rare occurrence of a granite vein penetrating both the slate and the granitic rock.

But let us return.——About two miles north-east of the Logan rock, and in the high road to Penzance, stands the town of Saint Buryan, which though now only a group of wretched cottages was once a place of very considerable note, and the seat of a College of Augustine Canons; the latter was founded by Athelstan after his return from the conquest of the Scilly Islands, A.D. 930. The remains of the College were wantonly demolished by one Shrubshall, Governor of Pendennis Castle, during the usurpation of Cromwell.

The Church tower stands on the highest point in this part of the country, being 467 feet above the level of the sea; it consequently forms a very conspicuous object, and is so exposed to the rains from the Atlantic, that the stones carry a deceptive face of freshness with them which lends an aspect of newness to the whole building. From the top of the tower the prospect is of a very extensive kind, commanding the whole range of the surrounding country, and an immense surface of sea. In clear weather the Scilly Islands may be easily distinguished in the horizon, especially with a setting sun, when they appear to project from the brilliant ground of the western sky like figures embossed on burnished gold.

Both from the history and appearance of this edifice the antiquary will enter it with sensations of awe and veneration, but he will find with regret that the ancient Roodloft has been lately removed, from an idea that it deadened the voice of the preacher, and that the parishioners have also converted the original forms into modern pews, a change which has cruelly violated the venerable uniformity of the interior. There is a singular monument in the church, in the shape of a coffin, having an inscription around the border in very rude characters, and now partly obliterated; it is in Norman French, and has been thus translated.

CLARICE
The wife of Geffrei de Bollait lies here
God of her soul have mercy
They who pray for her soul shall have
Ten days Pardon.

On the middle of the stone is represented a Cross fleury, standing on four steps; the monument is said to have been found many years ago by the sexton, while sinking a grave.

Opposite the great door in the church-yard stands a very ancient Cross, on one side of which are five balls, and, on the other, a rude figure intended to represent the crucified Saviour. We here present our readers with a sketch of this singular monument.

Buryan Church-yard.

Another Cross stands in the road, and faces the entrance into the church-yard, of which also we have introduced a delineation.

Buryan.

The Deanery is in the gift of the Crown, as a royal peculiar, and is tenable with any other preferment. The Dean exercises an independent jurisdiction in all ecclesiastical matters within the parish of St. Burian, and its dependent parishes of St. Levan, and Sennan. He is the Rector, and is entitled to all tithes. A Visitation court is held in his name, and the appeal from it is only to the King in council. Athelstan is said to have granted to this church the privilege of a Sanctuary, and a ruin overgrown with ivy; standing on an estate called Bosliven, about a mile east from the church, is thought to be its remains, but Mr. Lysons justly observes that the Sanctuary usually comprised the church itself, and perhaps a certain privileged space beyond it, and that the ruins to which the tradition attaches, are probably those only of an ancient chapel.

From St. Buryan the traveller may at once return to Penzance, which is about six miles distant, but as no object of particular interest will occur in the direct road, it is unnecessary for us to attend him thither. Should he, however, be inclined to extend his excursion, he will receive much gratification in returning by a somewhat circuitous route along the southern coast, through the parish of Saint Paul. In this case, we may first proceed to Boskenna, the seat of John Paynter Esq. a highly romantic spot, abounding with woodcocks, and which under the direction of a skilful landscape gardener might be made to emulate in beauty any of the charming villas that adorn the under-cliff of the Isle of Wight. On this estate there is a superficial quarry of decomposing granite, which the mineralogist ought to visit, for the purpose of obtaining some remarkably fine specimens of felspar in separate crystals, which may be easily removed from the mass in which they lie imbedded.

At Bolleit, in a croft near Boskenna, and adjoining the high road, is to be seen a circle of stones very similar to that we have already described (p. [81],) except that it has not a central pillar; the appellation given to these stones is that of the "Merry Maidens," on account of a whimsical tradition, that they were once young women transformed like Niobe into stones, as a punishment for the crime of dancing on the Sabbath day. In a field on the opposite side of the road there are two upright stones standing about a furlong asunder, the one being nearly twelve, the other sixteen feet in height. They are probably sepulchral monuments; the same ridiculous tradition, however, attaches to them as to the circle, and has accordingly bestowed upon them the appellation of the "Pipers."

At Carn Boscawen, on this coast, is to be seen a very extraordinary group of rocks, consisting of a large flat stone, the ends of which are so poised upon the neighbouring rocks, as to leave an opening underneath; Dr. Borlase, with his accustomed zeal, insists upon its Druidical origin, and ever ready to supply the deficiency of both history and tradition by the sallies of an active imagination, very confidently informs us, that "this said opening beneath the pensile stone was designed for the seat of some considerable person, from which he might give out his edicts, and decisions, his predictions, and admissions to Noviciates"!—Risum teneatis geologici?

In our road to Saint Paul, we pass Trouve, or Trewoof, an estate situated on the side of a woody hill, overlooking a romantic valley, which is terminated by Lemorna Cove, a spot which should be visited by every stranger who delights in the "lone majesty of untamed Nature." Within the estate of Trouve are the remains of a triple entrenchment, in which runs a subterranean passage; and, it is said, that during the civil wars a party of Royalists were here concealed from the observation of the forces of Sir Thomas Fairfax. There is a fine chalybeate spring on this estate.

At Kerris, in the parish of Paul, about five miles from Penzance, is an oval enclosure called "Roundago," which is stated to have been connected with Druidical rites; time and the Goths, however, have nearly destroyed its last remains, so that the antiquary will require the eyes of a Borlase to recognise its existence by any description hitherto given of it.

Paul Church is a very conspicuous object from its high elevation,[45] and interests the historian from the tradition, already stated, of its having been burnt by the Spaniards, upon which occasion the south porch alone is said, in consequence of the direction of the wind, to have escaped the conflagration. A pleasing confirmation of this tradition was lately afforded during some repairs, when one of the wooden supporters was found charred at the end nearest the body of the church. It also deserves notice that the thick stone division at the back of the Trewarveneth pew, which has so frequently occasioned enquiry, is a part of the old church, which escaped the fire. In the church is the following curious notice of its having been burnt, "The Spanger burnt this church in the year 1595."