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.
[Illustration: BATH.]
BATH.
"O'er ancient Baden's mystic spring
Hygeia broods with watchful wing,
And speeds from its sulphureous source
The steamy torrent's secret course;
And fans the eternal sparks of latent fire
In deep unfathomed beds below,
By BLADUD's magic taught to flow--
BLADUD, high theme of Fancy's Gothic lyre!"
WARTON.
The origin of Bath, like that of other celebrated towns, is involved in
obscurity. To its medicinal springs, however, it is solely indebted for
the great reputation it has enjoyed for centuries, as a sanctuary for
the afflicted, a cheerful asylum for the invalid, and as a favourite
point of reunion, where social pleasure and mental cultivation were sure
of a kindred reception among the many gifted spirits who have sought
health or relaxation in its shades. The comparative quiet which here
prevails is not without its importance to the invalid; after the
dissipation of a season in Town, a retreat to Bath is like the
tranquillity of a monastery after the excitement of a military campaign.
This was more particularly felt and acknowledged as long as the
continent remained shut; but during the last twenty years the temptation
to foreign travel and the fame of certain continental spas have annually
diverted from home a great many of those whose cases, it is probable,
would have benefited in an equal measure by resorting to the thermal
waters of Bath. Travelling, however, is of itself a sanatory process;
and to this, to the changes of scene, of society, of diet, and to the
mental excitement produced by a succession of new scenes and incidents,
the invalid is more indebted than to any of the numerous _spas_, to
which the credit of a cure is so generally ascribed by the recruited
votary. This is a fact well known to the physician, and corroborated by
the results of daily experience. When such means are impracticable,
however, the society and the waters of Bath furnish excellent
substitutes; and the testimonies in their favour are too well supported
by ancient and "modern instances" to require any eulogium in a work like
the present.
The trade of Bath, like that of most great watering-places, is greatly
dependent on its visitors. Hotels and lodging-houses are numerous,
elegant, commodious, and fitted for the accommodation of all classes of
society. Property, nevertheless, has suffered much depreciation of late
years, owing to various causes, and not a little to the preference given
to those continental spas already alluded to, by which many of the
streams which used to flow in upon Bath as a regular source of
prosperity have been greatly diminished or entirely dried up.
The public amusements of Bath are numerous and liberally conducted. Of
these the most important are the subscription assemblies and concerts,
at which a master of the ceremonies presides--a functionary of high
authority, who holds his office in regular descent from the hands of the
celebrated Beau Nash. The latter gentleman, by a peculiar union of good
sense, "effrontery, wit, vivacity, and perseverance, acquired an
ascendancy among the votaries of rank and fashion which rendered him a
species of modish despot, to whose decrees it was deemed a part of the
loyalty of high breeding to yield in silent submission." The assemblies
are held in the Upper Rooms, in the vicinity of the Circus, which were
erected in 1791, at an expense of twenty thousand pounds. The Ball-room
is one hundred and five feet long, forty-three feet wide, and forty-two
high. The Lower Assembly-rooms stood near the Parade, and were also very
elegantly fitted up, though on a less extensive scale, but were
destroyed by fire in 1820. The theatre is a handsome edifice, fitted up
in splendid style, with three tiers of boxes, and the roof divided into
compartments, containing the beautiful paintings by Cassali which
formerly occupied a similar place in Fonthill Abbey.
In the vicinity of Bath, especially on Lansdown and Claverton Downs,
there are delightful spots for equestrian exercise. Races take place on
the former of these the week after Ascot races.
Bath is eminently distinguished for its numerous public charities, its
literary and scientific institutions, its society for the encouragement
of agriculture, the arts, manufactures, and commerce; its clubs,
subscription-rooms, libraries, schools, and hospitals.
The diseases in which the waters of Bath are resorted to are very
numerous, and in many instances consist of such as are the most
difficult and important of all that come under medical treatment. In
most cases the bath is used along with the waters as an internal
medicine--first adopted in the case of King Charles. The general
indications of the propriety of using these medicinal waters are chiefly
in cases where a gentle, gradual, and permanent stimulus is required.
Bath water may certainly be considered as a chalybeate, in which the
iron is very small in quantity, but in a highly active form, whilst the
degree of temperature is in itself a stimulus of considerable power.
[Illustration: TINTAGEL CASTLE.]
TINTAGEL CASTLE.
This Engraving, after Mr. Jendles' spirited sketch, embraces not only
Tintagel Castle, but one of those more useful erections which modern
science has rendered available to commercial purposes, and intended for
the shipment of ores from the neighbouring mine. The different character
of the erections which crown the opposing cliffs mark the widely
separated eras of their erection, while both become objects of deep
interest to those who see in the ruins of the one hand, and the
progressively improving mechanism of the other, a type of the spirit
which animated our warlike ancestors to maintain their dominant power
over their native soil, converted in their more peaceful descendants
into a determination to make the best use of the treasures it contains.
Tintagel Castle is situated partly on the extremity of a bold rock of
slate, on the coast, and partly on a rocky island, with which it was
formerly connected by a drawbridge, and is of great antiquity. This
castle is said to have been the birthplace of King Arthur, but his
history is so blended with the marvellous, that his very existence has
been doubted, and the circumstances connected with his birth are
certainly not amongst those parts of the relation which are most
entitled to credit. It was, however, said by Lord Bacon, that there was
truth enough in his story to make him famous besides that which was
fabulous.
In the year 1245, Richard Earl of Cornwall, brother to King Henry III.,
was accused of having afforded an asylum in Tintagel Castle to his
nephew David, Prince of Wales, and in the reign of Henry III. the castle
and manor of Tintagel were annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall. So little
remains of the walls of this ancient and formerly impregnable castle,
that the date of its erection cannot even be conjectured from the style
of the architecture: it is certain that the castle was in a dilapidated
state in 1337, in which year a survey was made. There was then no
governor, but the priest who officiated in the chapel of the castle had
the custody of it, without fee. It is described as a castle sufficiently
walled, in which were two chambers beyond the two gates, in a decayed
state. A chamber, with a small kitchen for the constable, in good
repair; a stable for eight horses, decayed; and a cellar and bakehouse,
ruinous. The timber of the great hall had been taken down by command of
John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, because the hall was ruinous, and the
walls of no value.
In the reign of Richard II., Tintagel Castle was made a state prison,
and in 1385, John Northampton, lord mayor of London, was committed to
this castle. Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was also a prisoner here
in 1397. "The ruins of Tintagel Castle," says the Rev. R. Warner, "claim
dominion over unqualified desolation; over one wide and wild scene of
troubled ocean, barren country, and horrid rocks: its situation and
aspect quite chilled the tourist," and in continuation of his
description, he introduces the less sublime remark, "that to look at it
was enough to give one the tooth-ache."
Tintagel was made a free borough by Richard Earl of Cornwall, and, as
well as Trevenna, about a mile distant from each other, forms part of
the borough of Bossiney, which formerly sent two members to parliament.
Although not incorporated, it is governed by a mayor. At Trevenna is an
annual fair for horned cattle on the first Monday after the 19th of
October; and at Tintagel is a school supported by the mayor and free
burgesses. The church, dedicated to St. Simphorian, is a vicarage, in
the patronage of the dean and chapter of Windsor. It was formerly
appropriated to the abbey of Fonteverard, in Normandy, but having passed
in the same manner as Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire, was given, by
King Edward IV., to the collegiate chapel of St. George at Windsor.
[Illustration: PLYMOUTH.
_Devon._]
PLYMOUTH.
The view of Plymouth is taken from the grounds of Mount Edgecumbe,
looking across the lower part of the Sound. About the middle distance is
St. Nicholas' Island; beyond which are perceived the ramparts of the
citadel. Between the citadel and the point of land to the right, where
several small vessels are seen, is the entrance of the creek called the
Catwater.
The towns of Plymouth and Devonport--the latter until 1824 having
usually been called Plymouth Dock, or briefly, Dock--stand nearly in the
same relation to each other as Portsmouth and Portsea, except that they
are not contiguous, the distance between them being about a mile and a
half. Plymouth is the old borough, and Devonport is the modern town; the
latter, indeed, has been entirely built within the last
hundred-and-fifty years, since the establishment of the royal dockyard
by William III., in 1691. Each town returns two members to Parliament,
this privilege having been conferred on Devonport by the Reform Bill;
and the municipal government of each is vested in separate authorities.
Plymouth and Devonport, with Stonehouse, which lies between them, may be
considered as forming one large town, which occupies a parallelogram
about two miles and a half in length by one in breadth, and contains,
with the suburbs of Morice-town and Stoke, about a hundred thousand
inhabitants.
Plymouth harbour, or, as it is generally called, Sutton Pool, is on the
land side nearly surrounded by houses, and the entrance to it from the
Catwater is protected by two stone piers, about ninety feet apart.
Plymouth has a considerable coasting trade with London, Bristol, Hull,
Newcastle, and other parts of England, and also carries on a direct
trade with the Baltic, the Mediterranean, America, and the West Indies.
The principal exports are copper, tin, and lead-ore, manganese, granite,
and pilchards. There are about fifty decked fishing-boats belonging to
Plymouth, which not only supply its market and that of Devonport with
plenty of excellent fish, but also furnish a considerable quantity for
Bath, London, and other places. The fish most common in Plymouth market
are hake, basse, gurnards, pipers, tub-fish, whiting-pouts, soles,
mullets red and grey, and John-Dories. Quin, that he might enjoy the
latter fish in perfection, took an express journey from Bath to
Plymouth. The export of granite, and other kinds of stone for the
purposes of building, is greatly facilitated by a railway, which extends
from about the middle of Dartmoor to the quays at Sutton Pool and
Catwater. The larger class of merchant-vessels generally anchor in the
Catwater; and in time of war it is the usual rendezvous for transports.
It is sheltered from south-westerly gales by Mount Battan, and is
sufficiently spacious to afford anchorage for six or eight hundred sail
of such ships as are usually employed in the merchant service. There are
about 320 ships belonging to Plymouth, the tonnage of which, according
to the old admeasurement, is about 26,000 tons.
Though the neighbourhood of Plymouth affords so many beautiful and
interesting views, the town itself presents but little to excite the
admiration of the stranger. It is very irregularly built; and most of
the old houses have a very mean appearance, more especially when
contrasted with some of recent erection. Several large buildings, within
the last twenty or thirty years, have been erected at Plymouth and
Devonport, in the _pure Grecian style_; and the two towns afford ample
evidence of the imitative genius of the architects. At the corner of
almost every principal street, the stranger is presented with
reminiscences of Stuart and Revett's Athens.
Plymouth citadel is situated to the southward of the town, and at the
eastern extremity of the rocky elevation called the Hoe. It commands the
passage to the Hamoaze, between St. Nicholas' Island and the main-land,
as well as the entrance of the Catwater. It was erected on the site of
the old fort, in the reign of Charles II., and consists of five
bastions, which are further strengthened with ravelins and hornworks.
The ramparts are nearly three-quarters of a mile in circuit; and there
are platforms for a hundred-and-twenty cannon. The entrance to the
citadel is on the north, through an outer and an inner gate. Within the
walls are the residence of the lieutenant-governor, officers' houses and
barracks for the garrison, with a magazine, chapel, and hospital. In the
centre of the green is a bronze statue of George II., the work of an
artist named Robert Pitt, and erected, in 1728, at the expense of Louis
Dufour, Esq., an officer of the garrison. An excellent panoramic view of
Plymouth, Saltram, the Catwater, the Sound, Mount Edgecumbe, and other
places, is to be obtained from the ramparts, round which visitors are
permitted to walk.
[Illustration: MOUNT EDGECUMBE.
_DEVON._]
MOUNT EDGECUMBE.
The view of Mount Edgecumbe is taken from Cremhill point, a little to
the south-east of the entrance of Stonehouse Creek. About the centre of
the view is perceived a battery, near to the Old Blockhouse which was
erected in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; between the masts of the brig,
which is sailing in towards the Hamoaze, the house is seen; and to the
left, in the distance, is Cawsand Bay.
For upwards of two hundred years the situation of Mount Edgecumbe,
whether looking towards it or from it, and the beauty of the grounds in
its vicinity have been the subject of general admiration. In visiting
Mount Edgecumbe from Plymouth or Devonport, the most usual way is to
cross at the ferry from Cremhill point. The gardens generally first
claim the visitor's attention. Near the lodge, on the left, is a garden
laid out in the Italian style, and surrounded by a bank planted with
evergreens. In this garden is the orangery, and opposite to it is a
beautiful terrace, on which, and in the grounds below, are several
statues. The visitor is next shown the French flower-garden, which is
planted with the most beautiful shrubs and flowers, and was the
favourite retreat of Sophia, Countess of Mount Edgecumbe, who died in
1806, and to whose memory a cenotaph, consisting of an urn and a tablet,
is erected within its bounds. The English garden and shrubbery display
less art, but are no less beautiful than the imitative gardens of Italy
and France. In it is a bath of the Doric order, and a secluded walk
leads to a rocky excavation, overspread with ivy and other creeping
plants, amidst lofty evergreens: fragments of antiques are scattered
amidst heaps of stones in this romantic dell. In the pleasure-grounds, a
path continued along the edge of a cliff, which affords interesting
views of the picturesque sinuosities of the coast, leads to a verdant
lawn, from which the sides rise with a gentle ascent in a semicircle.
The acclivity above the lawn is thickly shaded by a succession of trees,
which form a magnificent amphitheatre, and display an endless variety of
foliage. From different parts of the amphitheatre, Barn Poole presents
the appearance of an extensive lake, without any visible communication
with the sea, from which it appears to be separated by the diversified
line of coast, that forms its boundary on every side. At the entrance of
a wood near this spot is an Ionic circular temple dedicated to Milton,
whence the path continues on the margin of the cliff, through
plantations and shrubs, which fringe the rocky coast down to the brink
of the sea. In the more open part of the park is a mock ruin, intended
as a picturesque object from the grounds and from the opposite shore. A
cottage near the cliff is overhung with beautiful evergreen oaks, the
windows of which command pleasing sea views in opposite directions.
After ascending a perpendicular rock, by a winding path of perilous
appearance, the great terrace at the arch presents itself, having the
appearance of a perforation in the cliff, the base of which is washed by
the waves of the Sound.
The walks round the grounds are extremely pleasing, and from many points
excellent views are obtained of Plymouth Sound, the Hamoaze, Devonport,
and the surrounding country. It seems, however, doubtful if the
circumstance of a nobleman's seat commanding a view of a large town, at
the distance of less than a mile, be an advantage to it. It is perhaps
not altogether pleasant to have a _country_ seat overlooked by, and
overlooking, a large town. Dr. Johnson, alluding to the view of Mount
Edgecumbe, has observed, that "though there is the grandeur of a fleet,
there is also the impression of there being a dock-yard, the
circumstances of which are not agreeable."
The house at Mount Edgecumbe was erected about the year 1550, by Sir
Richard Edgecumbe, who was sheriff of Devonshire in the thirty-fifth
year of the reign of Henry VIII., in the castellated style, with
circular towers at the corners. About seventy years ago, those towers
were pulled down, and rebuilt in their present octangular form. In the
principal rooms is a collection of family portraits, including a few by
Sir Joshua Reynolds.
[Illustration: BRIXHAM.]
BRIXHAM.
"Here busy boats are seen: some overhaul
Their loaded nets; some shoot the lightened trawl;
And, while their drags the slimy bottom sweep,
Stealthily o'er the face o' the waters creep;
While some make sail, and singly or together
Furrow the sea with merry wind and weather."
W. STEWART ROSE.
In the Engraving of Brixham Quay, from a painting by Edward Duncan, the
view is taken from the eastward. To the right, from the end of the pier,
several of the larger class of fishing vessels belonging to the place
are perceived lying aground; while, further in the harbour, a merchant
brig is seen discharging her cargo. In the foreground, to the left, the
attention of a group appears to be engaged by a small ship which a young
fisherman holds in his hands.
Brixham lies about a mile and a half to the westward of Berry Head, the
southern extremity of Torbay, in the county of Devon, and is about
twenty-eight miles south of Exeter, and one hundred and ninety-eight
west-south-west of London. As a fishing town, Brixham is one of the most
considerable in the kingdom. The total number of fishing vessels
belonging to the place is nearly two hundred, of which, about one
hundred and ten are from thirty to forty tons burden, and the rest from
six to eighteen tons. Besides these, there are several yawls and smaller
boats which are employed in the fishery near the shore. For years past
about seventy of the larger class of fishing vessels have been
accustomed to proceed to Ramsgate, for the purpose of catching fish in
the North Sea for the supply of the London market. They usually leave
Brixham in November and December, and return again towards the latter
end of June. The Brixham fishermen send a great quantity of fish to the
Exeter, Bath, Plymouth, and Bristol markets. The principal fish which
they take are cod, ling, conger-eels, turbot, whitings, hake, soles,
skate and plaice, with herring and mackerel in the season. A quantity of
whitings are generally salted and dried at Brixham. On the coast of
Devonshire dried whitings are called "buckhorn," a name sufficiently
expressive of their hardness and insipidity. Besides the vessels
employed in the fishery, there are ships belonging to Brixham which are
chiefly engaged in the West India, Mediterranean, and coasting trades.
A weekly market, with a market-house at the water-side, was established
here in 1799, and in 1804 a stone pier of great strength was erected at
the expense of the nation. The population of the place is about 5,000.
One of the most memorable events in its history is the landing there of
William Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., on the 5th of
November, 1688. The view of Torbay, from the cliffs above the town, is
in the highest degree interesting, especially when enlivened, as it
frequently is, by a fleet of fishing-boats dotting its placid waters,
and stretching far into the British Channel.
At an early period the manor of Brixham was held by the Nevants and the
Valletorts; but after divers ownerships it was divided into twelve
quarters, one of which was purchased by twelve fishermen of Brixham
Quay, and divided into as many shares; some of these have been much
farther subdivided, yet their owners, be their shares ever so small,
have the local denomination of Quay Lords.
Brixham Church Town is about a mile distant from the quay. The church is
a spacious structure of the date of the fourteenth century, with an
embattled tower, and the peculiarities of the architecture of that
period. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and contains several
monuments of considerable antiquity, the inspection of which will repay
the antiquarian for the visit.
Torquay, one of the most fashionable watering-places on the Devonshire
coast, is situated on the opposite side of Torbay, at a distance of
about five miles by water; but if the journey be made by land, the curve
of the bay extends it upwards of nine. It is sheltered from the north
winds by the promontory of Hope's Nose, and a range of lofty hills which
form its northern boundary. It is rapidly increasing in extent, and is
spoken of in terms of the highest admiration by most of the visitors.
The houses are chiefly built of a kind of marble found in the vicinity,
and are so scattered among the hills and dales as to command delightful
views of the surrounding country. On the coast the rock scenery is truly
magnificent, and from the heights the eye ranges over a wide extent of
cultivated land, abounding in every variety of nature, and terminated by
the distant outline of the mountain tops.
[Illustration: EXMOUTH.]
EXMOUTH.