[Illustration: PORTSMOUTH POINT.]
[Illustration: H.M.S. "VICTORY."]
We will follow Southampton Water down to its entrance, where the two
broad channels dividing the Isle of Wight from the mainland--the Solent
and Spithead--join, and at the point jutting out on the western angle
pass Calshot Castle, founded for coast-defence by Henry VIII., and now
occupied by the coast-guard. Skirting along Spithead, which is a
prolongation of the Southampton Water, without change of direction, at
about twenty miles from Southampton we round Gillkicker Point, forming
the western boundary of Portsmouth harbor. Here is Gosport, and east of
it is Portsea Island, about four miles long and two and a half miles
broad, on which Portsmouth is located, with its suburbs known as
Portsea, Landport, and Southsea. Portsmouth is on the south-western part
of the island, separated from Portsea by a small stream to the
northward, both being united in a formidable fortress whose works would
require thirteen thousand men to man, though the ordinary garrison is
about twenty-five hundred. The royal dockyard, covering one hundred and
twenty acres, is at Portsea, and at Gosport, opposite, are the
storehouses, the channel between them, which extends for several miles
between Portsea Island and the mainland, gradually widening until it
attains three miles' breadth at its northern extremity. This channel
affords anchorage for the largest vessels, and is defended by Southsea
Castle on the eastern side and Moncton Fort on the western side of the
entrance into Spithead, where the roadstead is sheltered by the Isle of
Wight. Portsmouth was a port in the days of the Saxons, who in the sixth
century called it Portsmuthe. It fitted out a fleet of nine ships to aid
King Alfred defeat the Danes, and its vessels ineffectually endeavored
to intercept the Normans when they landed near Hastings. In the
fourteenth century the French burned the town, but were afterwards
defeated with heavy loss. Ever since then the fortifications have been
gradually improved, until now it is one of the strongest British
fortresses. The Duke of Buckingham was murdered here in 1628, and part
of the house where he was killed still remains. In 1757, Admiral Byng
was executed here, and in 1782 the ship "Royal George" was sunk with
Admiral Kempenfelt and "twice four hundred men." The town of Portsmouth
contains little that is attractive beyond its ancient church of St.
Thomas a Becket, built in the reign of Henry II., and containing on its
register the record of the marriage of Charles II. with Catharine of
Braganza in 1662. This marriage took place in the garrison chapel, which
was originally the hospital of St. Nicholas, founded in the time of
Henry III. The chief place of interest is the dockyard at Portsea, the
entrance to which, by the Common Hard, or terrace fronting the harbor,
bears the date of 1711. Here they have many relics of famous ships, and
also vast numbers of boats, and all kinds of materials for building
war-vessels, especially iron and armor-plated ships, with the docks and
slips for their construction. Off the dockyard lies at anchor the most
famous of the "wooden walls of old England," the "Victory," the ship in
which Nelson died at Trafalgar, then the most powerful vessel of the
British navy. Near her is anchored another celebrated man-of-war, the
port-admiral's flag-ship, the "Duke of Wellington." The stores across
the harbor at Gosport are on a large scale, and are known as the Royal
Clarence Victualling Yard. In the southern part of Gosport is the Haslar
Hospital for sick and disabled sailors and soldiers. From Gillkicker
Point beyond, a sandbank stretches about three miles out from the shore
in a south-easterly direction, and is called the Spit. This gives the
name to the roadstead of Spithead, west of which is the quarantine
station of Motherbank. This is the great roadstead of the British navy,
and in the miles of docks, sheds, forges, basins, and shops of
Portsmouth harbor that weary the tourist, who thinks he ought to
dutifully go through them, are fashioned many of the monster iron-clads
that modern improvements have made necessary in naval architecture.