_Stay in England.-- Portsmouth.-- Plymouth.-- Devonport.--
Falmouth._
As the corvette was to remain, for the instruction of the midshipmen,
until all the naval establishments had been accurately examined,
I resolved to go on shore and travel from Portsmouth to Plymouth and
Falmouth, and then rejoin the corvette. On the 1st of May I went in the
boat, accompanied by Captain Ryk and Lieutenant Lejeune, to Portsmouth.
The sea ran very high, and the eight oarsmen made very little way
against the swell. As we entered the harbour where the waves were
exceedingly high, we turned so quickly that two seas struck our boat in
the side, and made us more than once fear that she would be foundered.
Nevertheless we arrived safely, though thoroughly wet.
I remained in Portsmouth three days, and as its situation and relations
were already known to me, I spent the time in reading, writing, paying
and receiving visits, and in strolling about in interesting society. For
a similar reason I allowed myself to make desultory observations.
According to the navy list, there are at Portsmouth sixteen ships in
actual service, mounting five hundred and eighteen guns; sixty-five
dismantled, with four thousand one hundred and forty-three guns, and
eighteen building, which are to carry seven hundred and fifty-six guns;
making a total of five thousand four hundred and seventeen guns.
Some of the lowest class of people were masquerading in honour of the
1st of May. Most of them were dressed as Jack-puddings; others were
ornamented with bladders: they marched through the streets to the sound
of music, stopped and danced before some of the houses, and collected
money. They also had a boxing match between two boys, which was
conducted as a regular combat. As soon as one boy was down, his
antagonist ceased to strike, and his second helped him up. One, however,
did strike a blow while the other was down, whereupon several of the
bystanders rushed upon the offender, held him fast, and gave him so many
punches in the ribs that he was completely discomfited; and this
terminated the fray. In the harbour about one hundred and fifty men were
shipped as recruits for the 89th regiment, stationed in the East Indies.
They came from the depôt at the Isle of Wight, and appeared to be very
weak and miserable.
The Marquis Palmella, who resided in the same hotel with me, set out on
the 3d of May with his family, a wife, eight children, and a numerous
suite, for London. I paid him a visit, and was introduced to his lady,
a very beautiful woman. The marquis, who is very generally esteemed,
suffered considerably during the last Portuguese counter-revolution, and
was kept prisoner for several days. During his stay at this place he has
constantly had two honorary sentries, and an hour before his departure,
a company of fifty marines, with three officers, and the band in full
uniform, marched in front of the hotel, and remained as a guard of
honour until he left Portsmouth. It was with real pleasure that I
remarked the excellent condition of this corps.
The royal marines, whose barracks I visited, and saw the men defile,
have an exceedingly fine appearance, and are highly esteemed. The
officers are promoted according to seniority; but since the peace, the
corps has been much reduced, and the officers are old in their grades.
The officers also are mostly persons without influence, and enter the
royal marines because unable to purchase rank in the army. The barracks
for the soldiers did not altogether please me: they are better regulated
and kept more cleanly in the Netherlands. It is a good regulation that
the bedsteads are iron, and that every man lies alone; but it is very
bad on the other hand, that they cook in the same room.
I visited, in company with Captain Ryk, the Ganges, a ship of the line
of eighty-four guns, built a few years since by Indian workmen, entirely
of Teak-wood. This hard and heavy timber is not only very lasting, but
has also the great excellence of not cracking in a warm climate. We were
received on board the ship with great attention, in the absence of
Captain Campbell, by Lieutenant Wright, who did the honours in a very
friendly manner. I cannot sufficiently admire the neatness observed in
this ship. They have an excellent mode of taking care of the rings,
bolts, weapons, and other iron, brass, and copper utensils, on board of
English ships of war. The forepart of the gun-deck is an extraordinary
apartment, the iron implements are varnished, and the others polished
and arranged along the whitewashed sides, so as to form figures and
inscriptions. When strangers visit the ship a sort of chandelier is
lighted, which produces a very beautiful effect. When we left the ship,
Lieutenant Wright had the politeness to take us in his barge to the
inner harbour, where the ships are laid up in ordinary. As we left the
Ganges, she saluted us with nineteen guns.
Ships in commission are painted black and white; when they go into
ordinary this paint is scraped off, and they are then painted brownish
yellow; if not again to be employed in active service they are painted
entirely black. We went on board of the _Nelson_, of one hundred and
twenty guns, in the harbour. She is a new ship, but lay in ordinary,
having been already affected with the destructive _dry-rot_. The injured
planks had been removed, and at present she is entirely sound. The
Nelson, Ganges, and all the recently built ships of the line have round
sterns. All of them have the wood work necessary for their equipment, as
for gun-carriages, &c. on board. In order to preserve this and the deck
from the influence of the weather, a large roof is built over them. From
the Nelson we went on board the royal yacht, the _Royal George_, which I
had already seen, but which I willingly examined once more, on account
of her elegant construction and great luxury. The magnificence of the
royal apartments, and those for the suite, are very strongly contrasted
with the birth-deck for the crew, which is both dark and confined. We
remarked here a patent iron camboose, which cooked all the food by means
of steam.
Having purchased the necessary provisions, especially Gamble’s preserved
meats, which keep fresh for a year, I went on the 4th of May, at 4 P. M.
on board the steam ship, Sir Francis Drake, to go to Plymouth, distant
one hundred and fifty miles. The engine is of seventy horse-power. The
ship was not very comfortably arranged; the main cabin was so near the
boiler that the heat was intolerable. Our passengers amounted to thirty
persons, only eight of whom were cabin passengers. About five o’clock a
gun was fired as a signal for sailing, and we stood out to sea. Spithead
road with the shipping lay to the left, and our course was between the
land and the Isle of Wight. Cowes with its beautiful gardens presented
an agreeable sight, about a mile to the westward of which stands a
castle called Egypt. It began to grow dark. We saw on the right hand the
extremely bright lights of _Hurst-castle_, and on the left the
light-house of the Needles, on the western extremity of the Isle of
Wight, which I visited two years ago. The white rocks of the Needles
were visible in the dark, and from the effects of frequent storms have
an entirely peculiar appearance. As we passed this dangerous place, the
wind increased, and the motion of the little ship, with the continual
jarring of the steam-engine, became exceedingly disagreeable. As the
birth allotted to me was too short, I was obliged to place my mattrass
upon the floor. The heat and strokes of the adjacent steam-engine, the
coughing of a catarrhous Irishman, and the squalling of a child in the
next cabin, long prevented me from sleeping. It was not until near
morning that I began to slumber, but was soon waked again by the
insupportable heat. I sought refuge upon deck, where nearly all the
company, without excepting the captain, were unwell.
The rocky English coast was in view in almost every direction; the town
of Dartmouth appears to be very finely situated. After a rather long and
unpleasant passage, we arrived in Plymouth Bay at 1 o’clock, P. M. We
passed a little to the left of the breakwater, a dam intended to protect
Plymouth road from the south-west storms, begun thirteen years ago, but
not yet completed: we were gratified with the view of Mount Edgecumbe
Park and Drake’s Island, on which is a small fort that forms a very
beautiful view from the three towns, Plymouth, with the citadel;
Stonehouse and Plymouth Dock, now called Devonport. This dock, with all
the ships building and repairing there, furnishes a beautiful and
imposing prospect.
After my arrival I paid a visit to the authorities of this place. The
admiral in chief, Sir James Saumarez, a worthy man, seventy years of
age, excited in me an extraordinary degree of interest. He has served
England for fifty-six years, and during the last war commanded for five
years in the Eastern Ocean. His actions are known to all the world, and
caused him to be distinguished with the grand cross of the order of the
Bath, which he has worn for twenty-four years.
Among the remarkable things of this place, is the court-house, which is
a new, oblong building, having on one of its small sides a broad
staircase leading to a portico, with four Ionic columns. The hall is
large and very conveniently arranged with galleries for spectators.
Beneath the dock for the prisoners is a trap-door, by which persons are
brought from the prison on the ground floor, for trial, and carried back
again, without being brought into contact with the public. The six cells
for prisoners in the lower part of the house are all arched with stone,
and furnished with iron bedsteads. The doors are of stout oak plank,
studded with iron; a small opening allows air and light to enter, though
very sparingly. The prisoners can walk daily for exercise in a corridor,
twelve paces in length, by three in breadth: they have a miserable
existence. We left this granite and marble abode of sorrow with very
unpleasant impressions. Scarcely had we left it, when our eyes fell upon
a monument, building upon a rock, which is to be a column one hundred
and one feet high, commemorating the change of the name of the town,
from Plymouth Dock to Devonport. This work did not dispel the
disagreeable feeling caused by the prison. Not far distant from this
monument stands a _Gothic_ church, and near this a school-house, in the
_Egyptian_ style. The crowding together within so narrow a space of such
various styles of architecture, exhibits a singular, I cannot say an
agreeable sight. We also examined the market, which is furnished with
numerous covered galleries, in which provisions, fish for instance, are
displayed upon marble tables. But marble is so common here, that the
foot-walks are paved with it: houses are also built therewith. The
houses in Devonport are not handsome: some of the old ones are entirely
covered with slate, which produces a disagreeable impression. In the
court-house there is a fire-place made of slate.
On the 7th of May we examined the dock-yard; there are eight ships here
in actual service, mounting three hundred and sixty-six guns; sixty-five
in ordinary, with three thousand five hundred and twenty guns, and
twenty-two building, which will mount upwards of seven hundred and
twenty; making in all, four thousand six hundred and six guns.
The dock-yard, with its admirable regulation, is perfectly described by
Dupin in his excellent travels in Great Britain. The work is known to
most readers, and for an accurate description of the dock I refer them
thereto. The entrance is really beautiful; you behold the greater part
of the dock-yard, which is terrace-shaped, beneath you; on the right
hand is the church and some offices, opposite to which are two cannon
employed more for show than defence. The houses are built of the gray
marble-like lime-stone, which is so common here. A new magazine is
rendered entirely fire-proof by this stone and iron; the different
store-rooms being separated by iron doors, so that in case of fire it
can be insulated. The rope-walk is a building two stories high, with
walks two hundred yards long. All the ships, as in other English docks,
are built under roofs, which are sometimes covered with slate, though
mostly with copper. To my surprise, the water is pumped out of the dry
docks by a horse-mill instead of a steam-engine. In one of the dry docks
we saw the unfortunate ship Fortitudo[I-2] repairing. All her timbers
were decayed; her copper destroyed, and she required three new masts;
her repairs cost the house of _Roelands_ of Antwerp eight thousand
pounds. There is at this dock a huge iron kettle, in which ship timber
is boiled in sea water in order to protect it from the dry rot. About
two thousand two hundred men are daily employed in this yard, and some
earn thirty-six shillings a week.
[Footnote I-2: A Netherland merchant ship, employed to carry
troops to the East Indies, whose wretched condition was not
discovered until she was in the main ocean, and was obliged to
make for Plymouth for repairs.]
After a stay of about two hours at the dock-yard, I went in company with
the admiral to _Hamoaze_, where the fleets in service and dismantled lay
at anchor. We went on board the flag ship Britannia, and were received
in a very friendly manner by Captain Pipon, who showed us the ship
throughout: every thing was as admirable as in the ships at Portsmouth.
From the Britannia, which saluted us with twenty-one guns, we went on
board the St. Vincent, which in every respect resembled the Nelson at
Portsmouth.
On the 6th of May, which was Sunday, and the town consequently very
quiet, I went first to visit the marine barracks, and thence to
Plymouth, which I had not yet seen. It is about a mile distant from
Stonehouse. The entrance is agreeable, exhibiting several new houses,
and a large quadrangular building, ornamented with columns, which
contains the theatre and _Royal Hotel_. But as soon as one advances a
little farther into the town the scene changes, the streets are all
narrow and precipitous, badly paved, and without side-walks; the houses
are badly built, and angular, and the sun cannot shine into the streets.
The harbour that is forming at Catwater appears to be visited, and the
bay presents a noble prospect. We passed by a road cut in the rock to
the citadel, to visit the vice-governor, Major General Sir _John
Cameron_; but he was sick. We walked round the ramparts of the citadel,
and enjoyed at every point an admirable view, to which the fine weather
contributed its full proportion. At noon we walked to Stoke, a village
in which the inhabitants of Plymouth have country seats. At this place
it is customary, as far as practicable, to bury the dead on Sunday; we
therefore met funeral processions in most of the streets, which did not
particularly raise our spirits.
On Monday I went with Sir James Saumarez in the Britannia’s barge to
examine the breakwater. We first visited the stone quarries at
_Catwater_, whence the stone for the breakwater is procured. The land
where this quarry is situated was purchased from various proprietors.
The rock, which is lime-stone, is blasted with gunpowder. Many of the
blocks of stone weigh five tons and upwards. They are lifted by iron
cranes, by which one workman is able to raise a ton and a half, and
placed upon small four wheeled iron cars, which run on rail-roads to the
quay where the vessels lay which are to convey them to the breakwater.
These vessels, which are built expressly for this service, can carry
eighteen of the heaviest of these blocks; the lighter stones are carried
in hired vessels. At the quarry we were received by the secretary of Mr.
Whitby, who planned the breakwater, and at present superintends the
work. A cave was discovered in the rock containing rhinoceros bones in
good preservation, and some time after, another cavern was found
containing the bones and teeth of bears. From the mount above the
quarry, there is an extensive and exceedingly beautiful prospect. From
this place we went to Bovisand-bay, where, under the direction of Mr.
Whitby, a quay and reservoir of fresh water is building for the navy.
The water is collected from two springs into a reservoir twenty feet
deep, situated between the hills. Thence it is to be conducted through
iron pipes for nearly an English mile to the quay. These seventeen cocks
will each deliver two and a half tuns of water a minute. The watering
boats will land at the quay, and in a very short time return with their
lading to the ships. In the valley near the reservoir is Mr. Whitby’s
handsome dwelling, from which he can survey the whole work, and
consequently may from his own chamber control the workmen.
The breakwater suffered exceedingly by the terrible storm of the 22d and
23d of November, 1824. It is now to be rendered more permanent in the
following manner:--The stones most exposed to the waves are to be hewed
and clamped together with iron. I fear, however, that this work will
also be destroyed, unless a couple of perpendicular dams be built
touching the principal dam, to break the force of the waves before they
reach the latter. The old works are in so ruinous a condition that we
were nearly wrecked upon them. On this account we stood farther off, and
went on board of the Thetis frigate to pay a visit to Sir John
Phillimore. Sir John, in honour of our presence, displayed all his
flags. The marines, with their officers, stood near the mizen-mast, and
with the crew marched round the deck; some of the latter were armed with
pikes, some with sabres, and others with battle-axes. I was delighted
with the perfect order and neatness which universally appeared. Both
cabins were very elegantly arranged and ornamented with mahogany. As we
took leave, the yards were manned, and a salute given. It was now high
water, and we passed between _Drake’s Island_ and _Mount Edgecumbe_
through a passage called the _Bridge_, which is dangerous on account of
rocks. We touched twice upon them without injury, as fortunately the
wind was slight: we landed at the beautiful stone stairs of _Mount
Wise_.
On the day following, I visited the Marine Hospital, in company with Sir
John Phillimore. This is an admirably managed and richly endowed
institution.[I-3] The building was begun during the seven years war. It
can accommodate two thousand sick or wounded: we found but about seventy
persons in the hospital, and among these some officers and midshipmen.
It appeared to me that the plan of having eight separate buildings, each
three stories high, was a very good one, as the spreading of contagious
diseases, or of a conflagration, can be so much more easily prevented.
Each ward contains sixteen bedsteads, all of iron; the bedsteads for the
officers are of wood, and furnished with curtains. There are also beds
in the wards for the nurses, which, in all the English marine hospitals,
are females, whose attendance is preferred for its greater gentleness to
that of male assistants. The sick are brought from the ships to the
hospital by water, and go, or are carried up a wide stone stair to the
receiving office. They are then stripped and bathed in the hospital to
which they are sent, and their clothes are marked, and kept in a
particular magazine. An iron crane is employed to land those who are
badly wounded. In all the wards, as well as in the different
store-rooms, and the apothecary room, the greatest order and cleanliness
is observable.
[Footnote I-3: For minute description of this hospital, see
Dupin.]
The church does not appear to me to be arranged in correspondence with
the rest of the establishment. It is small, and has a store-room on the
first floor, so that the patients find it occasionally very troublesome
to attend upon worship. A covered colonnade surrounds the quadrangular
court-yard which encloses the building, under which the patients, in bad
or hot weather, can exercise. The middle of the court-yard is a
well-kept grass-plot.
For maniac patients there is a proper house, built remote from the
others. The wash-house stands also aloof. In bad weather, the wash is
dried by steam. The wash is hung upon frames, which fold together, and
may be run in and out for the convenience of taking off the dried pieces
and adding the wet. Eight of such frames may be folded together and
occupy a very small space. There is also a very appropriately managed
bathing-house for the use of the patients, in which they may not only
have all sorts of baths, but with the greatest convenience. The
superintendents, physicians, and officers, have their dwellings in front
of the hospital, in a spacious place planted with trees. The
commissioner at the head of the institution, is Captain _Creyke_,
a pensioner, eighty years old, who first served at sea in 1759, and
accompanied Commodore _Wallis_ in his first voyage round the world.
Before we left the hospital we took a glance at his beautifully situated
and tastefully arranged house. We then visited the Plymouth Library,
established by subscription about twenty years ago, which does not yet
appear to be very rich. The establishment consists of three apartments,
the book-room, the reading-room, and the director’s meeting-room. The
library serves properly for a reading club, like our literary society at
Ghent. On the 10th, I dined in company with Admiral Saumarez and Sir
John Phillimore, with the officer’s mess of the twenty-fourth regiment
of infantry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Fleming.
On the ensuing day, the admiral accompanied us to Mount Edgecumbe Park;
this is a truly noble situation, yet, in time of war, as this position
is indispensable to the defence of the dock-yard, it is necessary to
convert it into a fortification. The ground is very advantageously
employed in the disposition and embellishment of the park: it is not
encumbered with buildings; the green and bath-house are the principal,
and in the construction of these the marble of the vicinity has been
very happily used. The trees are chiefly beech, some of them apparently
very old, sickly, and injured by the sea-air. There are also three great
cedars of Lebanon, which do not thrive well in an English park. The
Castle of Mount Edgecumbe is ancient, and externally resembles a state
prison; we did not examine it internally. We saw the monument of Lady
Mount Edgecumbe, who died in 1806, to whom the park is indebted for most
of its improvements. It is told of her that she was twice buried; the
first time she remained three days in a vault, lying in her coffin, and
was aroused by a thief cutting off her finger to steal a ring: she left
the grave, took refuge in a neighbouring house, made herself known, and
was reconveyed to her castle, where she subsequently lived several years
and gave birth to children. _Relata refero._ On the sea-shore, near the
_bridge_ that we passed two days since, Lord Mount Edgecumbe has erected
a battery of twenty-one iron six pounders, which he fires upon all
festival occasions. We embarked at this battery to visit the rock lying
in front of Stonehouse, called Devil’s Point, which is to be partly
levelled to make room for a new victualling office. The work is scarcely
begun. A cellar was dug out of the rock and a wall built in the sea to
support the foundation. This was effected by means of a diving-bell. The
bell containing the workmen, remained while we were present, nearly four
hours under water. Government intends to construct a new water-reservoir
at this place, which will probably render that of Bovisand unnecessary.
Drinking water is brought to Plymouth in iron pipes from Dartmouth,
which is eighteen miles distant, so that in time of war the supply might
readily be cut off.
Next day I went by land to visit the Castle of _Saltroun_, situated six
English miles from Plymouth at the end of Catwater, and belonging to
Lord Morlay, who resides in London. The road passes through a delightful
valley; on the right is Catwater, to the left the ruins of castles on
the heights: there are also here numerous terrace-shaped strawberry
beds, the fruit of which is exceedingly good. Close to the entrance of
the park we crossed the Catwater upon an old, very narrow, stone bridge
of five arches. Through the park, a beautiful road leads from the valley
to the loftily situated castle. It rained excessively, and as we could
see nothing from the park, we restricted ourselves to the castle, which
was built probably about sixty years ago, and has a very large apartment
in the basement. A very spacious vestibule leads to the library, in
which are a number of splendid family portraits and pictures of some
once celebrated actresses. The best picture is a portrait of Sir Joshua
Reynolds, painted by himself. Four plaster columns resembling
_verd-antique_ are excellent imitations. From the library a small
apartment opens into the picture gallery. In both rooms are several
paintings by Carlo Dolce, Andrea Del Sarto, Teniers, Wouvermans, Ostade,
Kuyp, Vandermeulen, &c. I cannot assert that all these are original
paintings. In the parlour, ball-room, and dining-hall, there are also
numerous pictures. Some of these are attributed to Angelica Kauffman,
others to Reubens, Van Dyke, Sassoferrato, Guido Rheni, Titian,
Ruysdael, Parmegiano, &c. However, I have seen the originals of many of
them at Antwerp and Ghent, and of one of the Parmegianos in Windsor
Castle. Among the statues and busts, I especially remarked a copy of the
Florentine Venus, by Canova, and a copy of Hebe by the same master. The
staircase of the castle is fine, and adorned with pictures by Angelica
Kauffman. The mantel-pieces, all of Italian marble, ornamented with
_bas-reliefs_, are also very remarkable. The bad weather accompanied us
throughout our return to Plymouth. On this occasion I remarked that the
pavement was taken up in several streets, and Macadamized, which is much
better for the horses and houses.
[Several succeeding days were spent in excursions to different places in
the vicinity, in company with the Admiral and Sir John Phillimore; and
one day on a water party accompanied by ladies.]
On the 19th of May, in a small boat belonging to the Fortitudo, I made,
with great pleasure, an excursion to Trematon Castle, which I had
formerly understood was once the residence of the ancient Princes of
Cornwall. Sir John Phillimore had been so polite as to inform the
proprietor, Mr. Tucker, chief director of the neighbouring mines, whose
son is an officer on board the Thetis, of our coming. On landing, we
found a carriage sent by Mr. Tucker to meet and convey us to the castle.
I observed here a water-mill, behind which was a large walled basin that
is filled by the flood tide, and closed by a gate. During the ebb tide
the gate is opened and the mill set to work. It reminded me of the
_bassins de chasse_, in some of our harbours.
Trematon Castle is situated upon a height. Besides the walls furnished
with loop-holes which form a quadrangle, the castle consists of but two
towers, one quadrangular, which forms the entrance, and the other a
round one, somewhat higher. As Mr. Tucker holds this castle of the king,
the royal arms are over the portal. In the court-yard of the castle, Mr.
Tucker has built a tasteful house, and, by removing part of the adjacent
wall, has obtained a beautiful prospect from his dwelling, comprising a
view of most of the Hamoaze with the shipping, Anthony’s Park,
Devonport, and part of Plymouth Sound. Mr. Tucker holds several
important posts in the navy, and during Fox’s ministry he was secretary
to the admiralty. At the overthrow of that administration, he retired to
his native place with a pension of two thousand pounds per annum, and
the office of secretary to the duchy of Cornwall; here he is highly
esteemed, enjoys great influence, and has his property principally
vested in the mines. After receiving us in a very friendly manner, and
introducing his family, he took a seat in the carriage.
We went eight miles further to a silver mine, the only one in England.
It belongs to a company of five stockholders, of which Mr. Tucker is the
principal. The country is very hilly, the road sometimes narrow and
steep, so that it was frequently necessary to lock the wheels. A part of
the way was over the good road from Saltash to Callington; we also
passed near to Pentilhe castle. The land is generally good, with the
exception of a heath, of which England contains a number under the name
of “commons.” The silver mine is situated in a deep valley of Fulliford
common. The mine is named St. Vincent, in honour of the deceased
admiral, who was a great patron of Mr. Tucker. The mine has been but
five years in progress, and produces so little that it sinks two hundred
pounds per month for the stockholders. The vein of silver, whose
presence is judged of certainly by iron-stone, is cut at right angles by
a vein of copper. This copper they are breaking through in hopes of
greater success. The mine has five shafts; the deepest is rather more
than three hundred feet deep, and serves as a working-shaft: two others
are used for pumping out the water. One pump is worked by a steam-engine
of seventy horse-power, the other is worked by a compound lever, which
is about a quarter of a mile long, moved by a water-wheel of forty feet
in diameter. The wheel is overshot, and the water for working it is
obtained from a small brook, aided by the water pumped up by the steam
machine, and conducted to it by a small canal. The lever is composed of
long wooden beams, bound together with iron straps, and hangs by tripods
placed at determinate distances.
The ore raised from the mine, is pounded, washed, and roasted in the
usual manner. In order to separate the silver from the ore, the
following mixture is added to an ounce of the powder; red lead, two
ounces; red tartar, five pennyweights; nitre, nine pennyweights; borax,
four pennyweights; lime, one-quarter of an ounce; common salt, two
ounces; pounded fluor spar, one-quarter of an ounce. The whole is thrown
into a red hot iron crucible, which is placed on a glowing coke fire for
five minutes. The crucible is then taken off and the melted mass poured
into a ladle, allowed to cool and the dross removed. Some copper still
remains in the mass, so that the silver is again smelted with some lead,
and poured into a small vessel made of bone ashes: the lead is oxydated
and the silver remains pure. An ounce of ore produces one-fourth of an
ounce of silver.
The mine is extremely damp, and as I had not felt entirely well for some
days, I did not descend, neither did any of the company. We returned to
Trematon, and in order to examine the noble spot to which we were going
more thoroughly, I mounted the box, and enjoyed a great treat. To the
left I looked down a deep valley upon the Tamer; farther off, upon the
Hamoaze, and to the right, far over Cornwall. Falmouth is said also to
be in sight. In his tastefully arranged house, Mr. Tucker has a very
interesting collection of minerals and metals of the vicinity. He
possesses a valuable library, and his wife has a remarkable collection
of shells. In the quadrangular tower of the castle, he has fitted up a
billiard room, and arranged on the walls numerous curiosities: ancient
weapons, and implements from the South Sea Islands, the tatoed and dried
head of a New Zealand chief, with his dress; pieces of worm-eaten
ship-timber from the Indian Ocean, with one of the worms in spirits;
Indian weapons; an American tomahawk; a human skull, found thirty feet
under ground in Cornwall; a marble bullet, with which an English ship
was struck in the Dardanelles, in 1807; articles from the field of
Waterloo; and a weeping willow leaf from over _Napoleon’s_ tomb! Above
the clock in this tower, is placed the bell of the Spanish ship
_Salvador del Mundo_, taken and burnt by Lord St. Vincent. The round
tower, of which only the outward wall is standing, formerly served for a
prison. The walls of this tower, as well as all the rest of the castle,
are overgrown with ivy. A wooden staircase within, leads to a circular
gallery, which affords a beautiful prospect. A narrow passage cut
through the walls, leads to the garden, which contains numerous hot
houses and a very fine orangery. From this spot Mr. Tucker accompanied
us, by a very shady foot-path, back to our boat. I remarked near the
Castle of Trematon, as about other English castles, and public walks,
a vast flock of rooks, which roost there, making a great filth and
noise. The rook is much esteemed, and I hear that the people foster
them, and have their eggs hatched under pigeons, as they are thought to
destroy vast numbers of injurious insects.
Amid all this friendly, agreeable, and learned society, these
entertainments and excursions, my impatience became great, and augmented
from day to day, from hour to hour. My time was precious, yet the
greater part of it was lost here. I waited with increasing anxiety for
the arrival of the Pallas, which still did not appear. More than once I
resolved to leave behind all I had on board of the corvette, and go to
the United States in a common packet. In the meanwhile various
considerations deferred my departure from day to day, until finally on
the 30th of May the Pallas arrived.
While waiting for the ship, I derived much pleasure from a visit made
with Sir John Phillimore to the country seat of Colonel Ginnis, formerly
of the army. He lives in a beautiful park, a charming situation, five
miles from Plymouth, not far from the left bank of the _Tamer_, with
five lovely and handsome daughters. His house is very tastefully
arranged, and ornamented with paintings by himself. He has a peculiar
talent for landscape painting, both in oil and water colours. He has
thus preserved representations of the most beautiful situations visited
in the course of his numerous journeys. He passed nine years in North
America, and showed us views of wonders of nature, which I hope soon to
admire myself. His view of the cataract of Niagara, and Falls of
Montmorenci, gave me great pleasure.
Sir John Phillimore also accompanied me to see Mr. _Harris_, a surgeon,
who has invented a new lightning conductor for ships. He has, for the
sake of experiment, had the model of a frigate built, which he floats in
a tub of water. There is a conductor to each mast, from which copper
rods, secured close to each other, run down the mast to the keel,
through which they pass into the water. Mr. Harris asserts, that the
lightning passes down these rods without affecting any thing in the
vicinity. To prove this, he wound around the mast a paper filled with
fine gunpowder, through which the lightning was sent without exploding
it. To prove farther, that the electricity can produce combustion after
passing through water, he connected the conductor below the keel by a
copper wire, with the touch-hole of a small cannon, which was floated in
the tub. When the electricity strikes the conductor on the mast, the
cannon is instantaneously fired. The cloud is represented by a frame
stuffed with cotton, which hangs by a silk thread, and is connected with
an electrical machine. Mr. Harris has a fine collection of philosophical
apparatus; the lightning rod of his house communicates by conductors
with a chime of bells, which are set to ringing whenever an electric
cloud passes over the house; this happened during our visit. Mr. Harris
has published a small pamphlet relative to his ship-conductor, of which
he presented me with a copy. We were very much gratified with his
experiments, and were grateful to him for his politeness.
The delay of the Pallas also afforded me an opportunity of seeing an
East India ship launched. She was called the _City of Rochester_; was
built in London, and had sailed on her first voyage last autumn, for
Bengal, but off the heights of Plymouth was struck by a tremendous
hurricane with so much power as to wreck her to a degree that required
rebuilding. I had an opportunity of examining her while on the stocks,
and was pleased with her construction. She is intended to carry
passengers. On the quarter-deck she has a parlour and two state-rooms,
like the captain’s quarters in a ship of the line, and below, the rooms
are distributed, as in the wardroom of a ship of the line, with this
difference, that in a transport ship the chambers are larger and neater
than in a ship of war. In each state-room there is a toilette, with a
_water-closet_, which is exceedingly good and comfortable. As I had
never seen a ship launched before, I was much interested. She rested
upon two ways, and was retained by two wedges; at a given signal these
were knocked away, and then by her own weight she was slowly and
majestically launched into the water, amid the acclamations of a great
crowd of people.
The celebrated General _Mina_, a victim of the troubles which existed in
unfortunate Spain, met with a hearty welcome in England. But the humid
climate of this island did not agree with him, and he was afflicted with
rheumatism. Plymouth has the reputation of enjoying a very fine climate,
and together with the great medical skill of Dr. _Hammick_, who has
charge of the Marine hospital, is very much praised. For both these
reasons, General _Mina_ had selected Plymouth as his residence.
I cultivated his acquaintance, and was witness of a very interesting
ceremony in honour of him. The Spanish committee in London had voted him
a sword, and a member of this society, Mr. _Bowring_, the same person
who in 1824 was arrested in France, on account of a pretended
treasonable correspondence, and soon after liberated again, was
commissioned to present this sword to the general in a solemn manner. It
was on the 2d of June, when a numerous and selected company met at the
Royal Hotel of Plymouth, to attend this ceremony. As the general was
introduced to the company, Mr. Bowring informed the public of the object
of the meeting, and praised the merits of the brave general. He then
addressed the general in Spanish, informed him of the decision of the
committee, and finally displayed the diploma which accompanied the
sword: this was drawn up in English and Spanish with great calligraphic
splendour. The diploma and sabre were then presented to the general. The
sword has a gold hilt, with the general’s arms on it, and a richly gilt
sheath, the sides of which were beautifully embossed with emblems of the
general’s services. _Mina_ returned an answer in Spanish, and gave it to
Mr. Bowring. One of the company quickly translated it into English, for
the benefit of the public, whose long-continued applauses expressed
their admiration of the brave general. Mr. Bowring invited me to a
friendly entertainment that was to be given to _Mina_; unfortunately I
was obliged to decline it, as I had already made another engagement.
[The 5th of June was fixed upon for the sailing of the Pallas for
Falmouth, but bad weather and high head winds detained her until the
7th. On the 9th, at 6 A. M. she arrived at _Falmouth_.]
This tolerably long town lay at the foot of a hill, on our left, and
contains seven thousand inhabitants. It has by no means a brilliant
appearance, as it is, like Devonport, built of grey limestone, and the
roofs are slated. It is not visible from the sea, as a hill intervenes,
upon which the citadel stands. On the right side of the bay there is an
old castle, called St. Mawes, with about five houses, tenanted by poor
fishermen; this castle is one of the often-mentioned _rotten boroughs_:
it formerly was a town, and still sends two members to parliament.
The hills are mostly cultivated; some are employed as pastures. Trees
are very rare, and few ships lay in the harbour. We anchored not far
from the frigate Astrea, a guard-ship, and saluted her with eleven guns,
which she returned. When we fired a salute on our arrival at Spithead,
the oil was spilled from the _sympisometer_, and Captain Ryk was obliged
to obtain a new one from London. To avoid a similar catastrophe, the
sympisometer and chronometer were both kept in hands during this salute.
The frigate Astrea, commanded by Captain King, serves as a depôt for all
the packets, which sail hence to all parts of the world lying south and
west of England, and are collectively under command of Captain King. The
packets were formerly private property; the conveyance of the mail to
foreign parts, was consequently not only very irregular, but a wide door
was opened for smuggling.--On this account, the government, after having
contracted with the former proprietors of the packets, assumed the sole
direction. When a packet is no longer retained in service, a corvette or
brig, commanded by a lieutenant of the navy, is substituted. At this
time thirty-four packets were in service, of which fifteen were vessels
of war, commanded by navy officers, the others were the old packets in
charge of their former captains.
Soon after our arrival we were visited by the consul of the Netherlands,
Mr. Lake, who brought me several letters. We afterwards received a visit
from Captain King, a very entertaining old gentleman. At eleven o’clock,
Captain Ryk and I went on shore, where we found a crowd assembled to
witness our landing. We took lodgings in the Royal Hotel, a large,
tastefully-arranged building, though in a very filthy street. We were
much annoyed by the fish-market, which was immediately opposite to us;
in this we saw very large and fine fish, as well as enormous shrimps,
which are here very cheap. We repaired to the Custom House, where I made
the necessary arrangements relative to the landing of my baggage, after
which we visited Mr. Lake and Captain King. The latter lived without the
limits of the city, near the bay, in a house, which, though old and
small, is very handsomely situated in a garden, and commands a very fine
prospect of the bay. The house is also historically remarkable: it was
once inhabited by Oliver Cromwell.
The citadel, named Pendennis Castle, stands, as has been already
remarked, on an eminence near the entrance of the bay, which it defends.
It occupies the entire height, and is not overlooked by any other
fortress. The soil consists of slate, and many of the works are cut out
of the rock. It has six bastions, and on the water side, two batteries,
each of about twenty pieces. A furnace for heating shot stands near the
upper battery, and the lower, which lies close to the shore, is attached
by its left wing to an old tower erected during the reign of Henry VIII.
The fortress was built in Cromwell’s time. At the southern point stands
an old tower, built of granite and surrounded by a ditch, which was
erected in the reign of Henry VIII. This tower, the original fortress,
serves at present as the dwelling of the commander. It may be compared
with the French _tours modelés_. From the pinnacle, a tolerably
extensive prospect of the surrounding country may be obtained. The day
on which I visited the fortress with several officers from the Pallas,
was very favourable, and yet a fog on the hills, descended into the vale
between the fortress and the city of Falmouth, so that some time elapsed
before we could see the rocky shore of the sea. These fogs are said to
appear very frequently, even on the finest summer days. The fortress,
which is capable of containing a garrison of two thousand men, was
merely occupied by a detachment of veterans. There is an arsenal in it,
where we saw nearly four thousand stands of arms for infantry and
marines, besides a number of sabres, &c. all very handsomely arranged.
I observed in this, as in other English fortresses, that even during
peace, nearly all the cannon are suffered to remain mounted on the
walls, and the fortresses are enclosed with palisades. Truly! many
persons find the business of keeping the carriages in good order very
profitable, and the palisades also serve instead of hedges!
The Dalcoath mines are about fourteen miles from Falmouth. The
stockholders of these mines, held a meeting on the 13th of June, to
settle their accounts. I rode thither with Mr. Lake, Captain Ryk, and
some officers of the Pallas. But having already visited many mines, and
learnt from experience that nothing is generally seen but small and low
passages, that much inconvenience is experienced from dampness and
filth, and my object being to visit America, I thought it by no means
necessary to enter these subterraneous regions. Coals are not found in
the province of Cornwall. The ore is therefore sold in heaps, at about
seven pounds and a half sterling per ton, and conveyed by water to
Wales, where, as is well known, stone-coal is found in abundance; it is
there smelted. The Dalcoath mines occupy a large extent of ground, and
have seven shafts, one of which is three hundred and forty fathoms deep.
The pumps are worked by means of steam-engines, the cylinder of one of
which is seventy-six inches in diameter. We were told of an engine in
the neighbourhood, whose cylinder was one hundred inches in diameter.
Nearly eight hundred people work daily in the Dalcoath mines, whose
wages are proportioned to the product of their labour. The ridge
consists of granite and schist. The metals are copper and tin. The veins
of these metals lie close together, frequently cross each other, and are
so rich, that in general it yields a third of its weight in pure metal.
The stone is broken and washed, and the copper separated from the tin,
after which the ore is collected into heaps for sale. The breaking of
the stone into small pieces is performed by women, some of whom were
very handsome. I remarked also, that the stone was drawn up the shaft in
iron, and not in wooden buckets, as is customary in other countries. The
company to which these mines belong is said to realize great sums;
however a deficit occasionally occurs. This was the case at the present
settlement of accounts, and for this reason the gentlemen, about twenty
in number, with a permanent director, Mr. Rennel at their head, were not
in the best humour. At the dinner, which naturally closed the
transaction, many local concerns, which did not particularly interest
us, were discussed. Many toasts, which all referred to localities, were
drank. At last, it occurred to the gentlemen to drink the health of the
king of the Netherlands, which I returned by drinking the health of the
royal family of England. The dinner consisted, according to the English
fashion, of very solid food--roast-beef, plumb-pudding, &c.
Our course led us through Penryn, a small place, about two miles from
Falmouth, containing about three thousand inhabitants, and but poorly
built. It has a harbour, and lies at one extremity of Falmouth Bay. Coal
ships from Wales, and vessels with grain from Ireland, principally visit
this port. Cornwall is too hilly to allow the necessary grain to be
raised, and the mines occupy so much space, and withdraw so many poor
people from farming, that by far the largest portion of grain must be
brought from other quarters. The road, which, though hilly, was in a
good state, led through many pastures which were enclosed with hedges.
The few trees which are seen, have not attained a great height. In the
new plantations I observed some larches. The houses are built of stone,
many of granite, here very common and cheap, and roofed with slate. Many
new houses are erected on speculation, because the population rapidly
increases. We also passed through Redruth, a hilly and angular town, of
about three thousand inhabitants, who are principally miners. The town
is surrounded by mines, whose general aspect is by no means pleasing. On
an eminence not far from Redruth, we saw some ruins which are said to be
the remains of a Druid temple. In the mines I observed a superstitious
practice, which I find to prevail also in ships and farm houses;
a horse-shoe is nailed over the door to keep off witches. When at
Dalcoath, we found ourselves only a mile and a half distant from Bristol
Channel, and saw St. Agnes’ Beacon, a high mountain in the
neighbourhood. We at last arrived at Tehidy Park, belonging to Lord
Dunstanville; this is principally a new settlement, which appears to
great advantage in a region like this, which is not rich. We stopped at
the dwelling house to view it. It is a tolerably large, square building
with four porches, and contains several paintings by Van Dyk, Lely,
Kneller, Hudson, and Sir Joshua Reynolds; however, I doubt whether the
former be genuine. I was particularly pleased with a very good portrait
of the celebrated Fox. We saw also several statues, copies of the best
antiques and cameos of _verd_ and _jaune antique_.
I had frequently seen sketches of St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, and
had long wished to see the mount itself. I accordingly took advantage of
my present leisure to visit it. The mount lies in Mountbay, opposite
Marazion, twenty-three miles distant from Falmouth. I left this place
June 14th, at noon, the weather being very warm. The road leads through
Penryn, and then inclines to the left towards the ridges, constantly up
and down hill, through heaths, where few traces of culture were
observed; the houses stand detached, and have a miserable appearance. On
the heights, however, we had occasionally a prospect towards the western
ridges of Cornwall. Trees are few in number; we observed mines here and
there. Thirteen miles from Falmouth lies Helstone, a little mining town
of two thousand five hundred inhabitants, containing some neat houses,
but miserable pavements. The court-house stands in the middle of the
town, under which is the market. On the other side of Helstone we came
to a beautiful valley, where we saw trees again, and by means of a stone
bridge we passed over Looe, a small stream, which at a short distance
empties into the sea. As far as Marazion the region is agreeable; hilly
indeed, but better cultivated. We approached the sea on the left; on the
right we had the ridges, among which we discovered some neat farms. As
we approached Marazion, which lies on a descent towards the sea, we
enjoyed the really fine view of Mountbay and of St. Michael’s Mount.
In Marazion we stopped at the Star Inn, and immediately took a boat to
reach the mountain, which is a short distance from the shore. The rock,
which at low water joins the shore, consists of granite, is a mile in
circumference at its base, and is two hundred and fifty feet high. At
its foot there is a small fishing village of about thirty houses, with a
harbour formed by two new piers. By means of very inconvenient steps
which are cut out of the rock, we reached an old castle, standing at the
highest point, and belonging to the family St. Aubyn. This is the same
family, whose chief, Sir John St. Aubyn, owns almost all the houses in
Devonport, and a large portion of the ground of the dock-yard. In former
times, St. Michael’s Mount was a cloister. Adapted by its isolated
situation for a fortress, art has contributed but little to its
strength, and added merely a pair of bastions, and platforms, on which a
few small cannon belonging to the owner of the mount, are at present
standing. It sustained several sieges in former times. We were conducted
to a Gothic chapel with ancient, painted window-glasses, after which we
examined the castle. In this, however, we found nothing remarkable,
except the old refectory of the cloister, called the _chevy-chace-room_,
with strange bas-reliefs, representing ancient hunting scenes. In this
hall are very old pieces of furniture; one chair is said to be three
hundred, another five hundred years old.
The windows of the castle command a very fine prospect towards Mountbay
and its shores, in which Marazion and Penzance, which are three miles
distant from each other, appear to very great advantage. Not far from
the latter place, the Thetis lay at anchor. I regretted extremely that
my time would not allow me to visit my gallant friend, Sir John
Phillimore. A steeple rises above the church of the castle, which I,
however, did not ascend, being fatigued, and the steps in a neglected
state. We rode back to Marazion, which was formerly called Marketzew,
and has eleven hundred inhabitants, and passing by Helstone, we arrived
about one o’clock at night, much fatigued, at Falmouth. Penryn, to which
I made several excursions, contains a row of newly-built, elegant
houses, with handsome gardens and a catholic church. The beautiful
terrace on which the new houses stand with their gardens, is called the
Green Bank, and is a very agreeable promenade.