FOOTNOTES:

"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 havepaid 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 ofVennefire(a district probably in Cornwall), with the towns, houses, fields, meadows, land cultivated, and uncultivated, with their rents; together with a port calledRuminella(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 thefaithful, who shallenrich,endow, orvisitthe said church, athird partof theirPenance, 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 ofSaint 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 reformedorder 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 theNew 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 ofMonkish 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 transferredby 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 Governorof 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 wasduring 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 atBarnet, 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 withposse comitatusto 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 defendantssight, 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 theIctisof 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 bySir Christopher Hawkins,[34]and toDr. Maton's"Observations on the Western Counties." It iscurious, 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]SeeMr. 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 Englishhabitatsrenders it extremely valuable.[29]The mineralogist is apt to overlook these Topazes, or to regard them as commonquartz 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 thequartzcrystal the striated appearance on its surface is horizontal, whereas on theTopazit is longitudinal.[30]ADriftis 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 vocatSainte Michaells Mounteals dictthe Priorie of Sainte Michalls Mountein 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 theIctisof Diodorus Siculus.

[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]SeeMr. 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 Englishhabitatsrenders it extremely valuable.

[29]The mineralogist is apt to overlook these Topazes, or to regard them as commonquartz 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 thequartzcrystal the striated appearance on its surface is horizontal, whereas on theTopazit is longitudinal.

[30]ADriftis 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 vocatSainte Michaells Mounteals dictthe Priorie of Sainte Michalls Mountein 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 theIctisof Diodorus Siculus.

TO THE LAND's END.—LOGAN ROCK, &c.

"The Sun beams tremble, and the purple lightIllumes the dark Bolerium;—seat of storms,High are his granite rocks; his frowning browHangs 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 breezeThe haggard cormorant shrieks; and far beyondAre seen the cloud-like islands, grey in mists."Sir H. Davy.

In an excursion to theLand's Endthe 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 ofDruidical circles,Cairns, or circular heaps of stones,Cromlechs,Crosses,Military Entrenchments, and the obscure remains ofCastles. Many of these venerable objects, however, to the eternal disgrace of the inhabitantsbe 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, andRose 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 barrenrock! 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 thesebouldersit is necessary to blast them with gunpowder; the fragments, however, become useful in their turn, and are employed inmaking enclosures, which bear the provincial name ofhedges. This stone, commonly calledGrowan, 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, orpooledas 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 ofDr. 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 thegrowansoil 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 disintegratedgrowanto 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 whichHaüycallshemitrope; more often, they are termedmacles, andare 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 plantCuscuta Epithymum, (calledEpiphanyby 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 thatLeha, 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 theDrill 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.

AtBoscawen-Un, in a field about a quarter of a mile west ofLeha, 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 obscuritywith respect to the origin and intended use of these circles, of which there are many similar examples in Cornwall.Camdenis inclined to consider them as military trophies, whileBorlasedeems 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 atBoscawen-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 toSaint Euinus, and commonly known by the name ofChapel 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 noticeat 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 termedHydromancy. 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 ofCaerbran Castleor Round (that isBrennus's Castle) which is thus described byBorlase. "It is a circular fortification, consisting first of a deep ditch, fifteen feet wide, edged with stone, through which you pass to the outervallum, 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 tohave 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 thesehill 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. Polwheleattributes them to the Irish, whileDr. 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 ofChapel Carn Brenext attract our notice; they are situated upon the extremity of a high granite ridge, overlooking the surfy recess ofWhitsand 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 markthe 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 toSennan Church-town,[38]which according to barometrical admeasurement is 391 feet above the level of the sea. It is about a mile from theLand'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 namedMayonorMean. 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 findBartsia Viscosa, andIllocebrum 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 iscleared 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'sEnd, 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 ofshaftsthat had been regularly cut with the chisel; in others, regular equidistant fissures divide the rock into horizontal masses, and give it the character of basalticcolumns; 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 theArmed Knight, theIrish Lady, &c. An inclining rock on the side of a craggy headland, south of the Land's End, has obtained the name ofDr. 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 formsWhitsand 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 considerthat he was entitled, as the real son of Edward the Fourth. In the rocks near the southern termination ofWhitsand Baymay 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, thatthe 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 acontinent; 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 smallArchipelagoof this kind called theLong-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 jurisdictionof the Trinity House.[39]The tower is constructed of granite, the stones of which aretrenailedon 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 theLioness("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 wordLethowstow, orLioness, 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 theWolf,[40]from the howling of the waves around it. Those who may wish for farther evidence upon this subject may consultMr. Boase'sexcellent 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 theScilly Islands, which are situated in a cluster about nine leagues, west by south, from the Land's end, and are distinctly visible from it.

TheScilly Islandswere called by the GreeksHesperidesandCapiterides, or theTin 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 ofTrescow; 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 exceedten, whereas at present there are upwards ofone hundred and forty, but of which the following only are inhabited, viz.Saint Mary's,Saint Agnes',Saint Martin's,Trescow,Bryer, andSampson. 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 ofinhabitants 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.

AtSaint Agnesis 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, andGibson[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 agenerous soil, but with what difficulty is the lichen torn from its rock.

The islanders are chiefly employed in Ashing, making kelp from theAlgæ, 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; boatsadapted 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 byHenry 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 theWoodcock. 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 ofPorphyryat Saint Mary's, and some beds ofChlorite, containingPyrites, 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. Insome chasms of this rock, and in the centre of large masses, theMicais 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, andMr. Majendiethinks 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 betweenthe 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 calledTol-Pedn-Penwith, which inthe Cornish language signifies theholed headland in Penwith. The name is derived from a singular chasm, known by the appellation of theFunnel 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 ofred GranitecontainingShorl; is one foot in width, and may be seen for about forty feet in length.

Continuing our route around the coast we atlength 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.

Back to Index Next