Chapter III: Part 3

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

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

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

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

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

REDCLIFFE CHURCH AND BASIN, BRISTOL.

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

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

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

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

(near Bristol.)]

CLIFTON.

THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

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

ADDRESS TO THE BRISTOL FOUNTAIN.

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

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

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

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

BATH.

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

WARTON.

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

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

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

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

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

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

TINTAGEL CASTLE.

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

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

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

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

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

_Devon._]

PLYMOUTH.

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

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

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

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

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

_DEVON._]

MOUNT EDGECUMBE.

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

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

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

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

BRIXHAM.

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

W. STEWART ROSE.

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

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

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

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

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

EXMOUTH.

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

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

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

BUDLEIGH-SALTERTON.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_LOOKING TOWARDS THE SOUTH-WEST._]

VIEW FROM THE BEACH AT SIDMOUTH,

LOOKING TOWARDS THE SOUTH-WEST.

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

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

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

_DEVONSHIRE._]

CAVES AT LADRAM BAY.

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

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

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

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

WEYMOUTH