(_Concluded from page 262_.)
A view of the western side of Jersey, is calculated to impress a stranger
with an idea that it is a barren, unproductive island; but no supposition
could be more erroneous, as, in fact, a great proportion of it may
be described as orchard. The extent of ground planted, with fruit
trees--apple, pear, and plumb is prodigious; and consequently cider--and
very excellent cider too--is one of the staple products of the country, and
a favourite beverage among the natives. At the Union Hotel, St. Helier,
boarders were allowed to quaff as much as they had a liking for, without
being subjected to any additional charge.
About three miles inland from St. Helier, is a singular structure named
Prince's Tower, erected on an artificial mound or tumulus, and embowered
in a grove of fine trees. The extensive prospect it commanded, and the
indubitable antiquity of the masonry, induced me to apply for permission to
ascend it; and I was rewarded with a bird's eye view of nearly the whole
island, and a vast sweep of the French coast extending almost from Cape de
la Hogue to Avranches. An Englishman had lately taken up his abode in the
tower, which, with the adjacent pleasure ground, he rented at forty pounds
a-year. His object was to render it a place of resort to the inhabitants of
St. Helier, and his advertisements promised that the "delightful emotions
excited by its unrivalled scenery, and the harmonious chat of the feathered
tribe, should not be counteracted by the comfortless sensations of hunger,
thirst, and weariness." The interior of the tower was neatly and
appropriately fitted up. One apartment was designated the chapel; and in
the highest room were several telescopes, mounted so as to traverse to any
point of the compass, for the gratification of visitors.
But it is the traditionary history of Prince's Tower that renders it
interesting in the eyes of the islanders. In former times it was known by
the name of La Hogue-Bye, and the following legend, quoted from _Le Livre
noir de Coutances_, gives the origin of its celebrity:--In remote times,
a moor or fen in this part of Jersey, was the retreat of a monstrous
serpent or dragon, which spread terror and devastation throughout the
island. At length a valorous Norman, the Seigneur de Hambye, undertook to
attempt its destruction, which, after a terrible conflict, he accomplished.
He was accompanied in this adventure by a vassal of whose fidelity he had
no suspicion, but who, seeing his lord overcome by fatigue, after having
vanquished the reptile, suddenly bethought himself of monopolizing the
glory of the action. Instigated by this foul ambition, he assassinated his
lord, and, returning to Normandy, promulgated a fictitious narrative of the
encounter; and, to further his iniquitous views, presented a forged letter,
which he said had been written by De Hambye to his widow, just before his
death, enjoining her to reward his faithful servant, by accepting him as
her second husband. Reverence for the last injunction of her deceased lord,
induced the lady to obey, and she was united to his murderer. But the
exultation of the homicidal slave was of short duration. His sleep was
disturbed by horrid dreams; and at length, in one of his nightly paroxysms,
he disclosed the extent of his villany. On being arrested and questioned,
he made a full confession, and was tried, found guilty, and publicly
executed. De Hambye's widow, in memory of her lord, caused a tumulus of
earth, to be raised on the spot where he was buried; and on the summit
she built a chapel, with a tower so lofty, as to be visible from her own
mansion at Coutances.
So much for the fable. As to the word _Hogue_, there are several places
in Jersey called _Hougues_, which are always situated on a rising
ground. The word has evidently originated from the German _hoch_, from
which is derived our English _high_. A _hougue_, therefore, means a
mound or hillock, and in the present instance, the addition of _bye_ is
obviously a contraction of Hambye; and, in accordance with the foregoing
tradition, means literally the _barrow_ or tomb of the _Seigneur de
Hambye_.
The chapel at la Hogue is said to have been rebuilt in imitation of the
Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, by one of the popish deans of Jersey, in the
reign of Henry VIII. La Hogue-bye remained for many years in a dilapidated
state, till about 1790, when the late Admiral d'Auvergne, a native of
Jersey, better known under his French title of Duke of Bouillon, became its
owner by purchase, and hence it obtained its present name. At his death, in
1816, it was purchased by the late lieutenant-governor, Lieutenant-General
Sir Hugh Mackay Gordon, whose heirs afterwards sold it to Francis le
Breton, Esq., to whom it now belongs.
The most prominent object in the noble panoramic view from the top of
Prince's Tower, is a huge fortress on the eastern side of the island,
called the Castle of Mont Orgueil. It crests a lofty conical rock, that
forms the northern headland of Grouville Bay, and looks down, like a grim
giant, on the subjacent strait. The fortifications encircle the cone in
picturesque tiers, and the apex of the mountain shoots up in the centre of
them, as high as the flag-staff, which is in fact planted upon it. During
war a strong garrison constantly occupied Mont Orgueil, but now a corporal
and two privates of artillery composed the whole military force. The
corporal, a quiet intelligent man, who spoke with much horror of paying a
visit to the West Indies, which, in the mutations of his professional life,
he had a prospect of doing at no distant period, acted as _cicerone_,
and, among other places, introduced me into a small circular apartment,
forming one of the suite appropriated to officers, which he said had been
the habitation of Charles II. when a wanderer. This prince, when his
unfortunate father fell into the hands of the regicidal party, found a
loyal welcome in Jersey. Here he was recognised as king, when in England
they sought his blood: here he remained in security, when his fatherland
afforded him no asylum. During his lonely sojourn in this remote portion of
his hereditary dominions, he is said to have employed himself in making a
survey and delineating a map of the island. The natives, flattered by the
confidence he reposed in them, and justly proud of nine centuries of
unblemished loyalty to the throne of Great Britain, still refer to his
residence as a memorable event; and in no other part of the British
dominions, is the memory of the "merry monarch" more respected. When
Cromwell, after the disastrous issue of the battle of Worcester, sent an
expedition, under Admiral Blake, to reduce the island, it made a most
gallant and protracted defence; and had not circumstances conspired to
favour the Invaders, their victory would have been dearly purchased.
Mount Orgueil, in point of historical association, is by far the most
interesting spot in Jersey. A part of the fortifications, according to
tradition, are coeval with Caesar's incursions into Gaul; and the islanders
hold it famous in their oldest story, and of antiquity beyond record. In
1374, the celebrated Constable du Guesclin passed over from Bretagne at the
head of a large army, including some of the bravest knights of France, and
encamped before this fortress, then called Gouray Castle, into which the
principal inhabitants had retired for safety; but after a siege of several
months, he was obliged to draw off his forces in despair, and quit the
island. Henry V. added much to the strength and beauty of Gouray--made it
a depot of arms, and conferred on it the proud name of Mont Orgueil. About
1461, Nanfant, the governor, a dependent of Henry VI. was prevailed upon,
by an order of Queen Margaret, to surrender it to Surdeval, a Frenchman,
agent of Peter de Brezé, Count of Maulevrier; but though de Brezé kept
possession of it for several years, the natives, under the command of
Philip de Carteret, Seigneur of St. Ouen, a family long illustrious in
Jersey annals, prevented him from completely subjugating the island. Sir
Richard Harliston, vice-admiral of England, afterwards re-captured Mont
Orgueil, and put an end to Maulevrier's usurpation.
A small pier, intended to facilitate the landing of stores, and shelter
the numerous oyster vessels that resort to Grouville Bay at the dredging
season, projects into the sea, immediately under the castle guns. The bay,
like that of St. Aubin, is defended by a regular line of martello towers,
several of which are built far within flood-mark, on reefs that form part
of the Violet Bank. The adjacent country is a perfect garden, and numerous
secluded villas and cottages are scattered among the umbrageous and
productive orchards that spread around. A small village, called Goree,
lies a short way southward of Mont Orgueil. In former times, it was a
sutling-place for the garrison; now it is only the rendezvous of a few
oyster-fishers. In the auberges here, (every alternate house retailed
liquor), brandy sold at a shilling a bottle.
The road leading directly from Grouville to St. Helier runs parallel with
the southern shore, among corn fields, orchards, and hamlets, and is the
best in the island. I travelled it after sunset, and found myriads of toads
hopping across it in every direction. These reptiles are extremely common
in Jersey; while, in the neighbouring island of Guernsey, if popular report
may be credited, they are not only unknown, but cannot exist, as has been
ascertained by importing them from less favoured countries. This exemption
in favour of Guernsey, is in all probability a mere fable, originating with
some ignorant native, the absurdity of which no person has been at the
trouble to expose. Lizards and small snakes are also numerous in Jersey;
and at night-fall, a chorus of crickets resounds from every hedge.
The Jersey cattle are small; but like the pigmy breed of the Scottish
Highlands, their flesh is delicate, and their milk and butter rich. The
butcher market at St. Helier is supplied chiefly from France. There are
sportsmen in Jersey as well as in other countries, but game is neither
various nor abundant. The list, however, includes hares, rabbits, the
Jersey partridge, a beautiful bird, with pheasant eyes, red legs, and
variegated plumage; and several varieties of water fowl. In severe winters,
flocks of solan geese, locally denominated "barnacles," frequent the
shores.
The Romans, the pioneers of discovery and civilization in Europe, conferred
on Jersey the name of Caesarea, in honour of their leader; and Caesar and
Tacitus concur in describing it as a stronghold of Druidism, of which
worship many monuments still exist. The aborigines were doubtless sprung
from the Celtic tribes spread over the adjacent continent; but the present
inhabitants are universally recognised as the lineal descendants of the
warlike Normans, who, under the auspices of the famous Rollo, conquered and
established themselves in the north of France in the ninth century. It was
first attached to the British crown at the conquest; and though repeated
descents have been made on it by France during the many wars waged between
the countries since that remote era, none of them were attended with such
success as to lead to a permanent occupation of the island. The islanders,
proud of an unconquered name, and gratified to recollect that they
originally gave a king to England, not England a king to them, have been
always distinguished for fidelity to the British government; and their
unshaken loyalty has, from time to time, been rewarded by immunities and
privileges, highly conducive to their prosperity, and calculated to foster
that spirit of nationality, which is invariably distinctive of a free
people. They are exempted from those taxes which press heaviest on the
English yeoman, and from naval and military service beyond the boundaries
of their own island. The local administration of justice is still regulated
by the old Norman code of laws, and this circumstance is regarded by the
natives as a virtual recognition of their independence; but strangers, when
they inadvertently get involved in legal disputes, have often cause to
regret its existence. In cases of assault, particularly the assaulting of a
magistrate, even though his official character be unknown to the offender,
a severe punishment is generally awarded. We heard several instances of
military officers, who had been guilty of raising an arm of flesh against
jurats in night frolics at St. Helier's, narrowly escaping the penalty
attached to this heinous infraction of the laws--a penalty which would have
left them maimed for life.
The introduction of Christianity, and final extirpation of idolatry, is
said to have occurred in the sixth century. In the latter days of the reign
of popery, Jersey formed part of the diocese of Coutances in Normandy,
where the ancient records of the island were deposited; but at the
Reformation, in the reign of Elizabeth, it was attached to the see of
Winchester--an annexation, however, merely nominal, for the island is in
reality exempt from the dominion of the church of England. The inhabitants
are a well-disposed and peaceable race, but not particularly distinguished
for enthusiasm in religion. The peasantry are orderly and industrious; the
merchants enterprising; and the seamen, a numerous class, hardy and
adventurous. The _aggregate_ of the people live more after the French
manner than the English; that is, they substitute fruit and vegetables, in
a great measure, for animal food, and cider for ale. Neither men nor women
are distinguished for personal beauty, though we noticed several very
comely dames in our perambulations; and notwithstanding the boasted purity
of their descent from the ocean-roamers of the north, they have many of the
anomalous features of a mixed race.--_Edinburgh Journal of Natural and
Geographical Science_. No. I.
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