THE CORNISH RIVIERA

Described by SIDNEY HEATH

Pictured by E. W. HASLEHUST

[Illustration]

BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED

LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY

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[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO FOWEY HARBOUR]

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BEAUTIFUL ENGLAND

_VOLUMES READY_

BATH AND WELLSBOURNEMOUTH AND CHRISTCHURCHCAMBRIDGECANTERBURYCHESTER AND THE DEETHE CORNISH RIVIERADARTMOORDICKENS-LANDTHE DUKERIESTHE ENGLISH LAKESEXETERFOLKESTONE AND DOVERHAMPTON COURTHASTINGS AND NEIGHBOURHOODHEREFORD AND THE WYETHE ISLE OF WIGHTTHE NEW FORESTNORWICH AND THE BROADSOXFORDTHE PEAK DISTRICTRIPON AND HARROGATESCARBOROUGHSHAKESPEARE-LANDSWANAGE AND NEIGHBOURHOODTHE THAMESWARWICK AND LEAMINGTONTHE HEART OF WESSEXWINCHESTERWINDSOR CASTLEYORK

BEAUTIFUL IRELAND

LEINSTERULSTERMUNSTERCONNAUGHT

BEAUTIFUL SWITZERLAND

LUCERNEVILLARS AND CHAMPERYCHAMONIXLAUSANNE AND ITS ENVIRONS

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

 PageEntrance to Fowey Harbour _Frontispiece_

Truro Cathedral from the River 8

Polruan 14

The Harbour, Fowey 20

View of Falmouth Harbour 26

St. Michael's Mount 32

On the Lerryn River 38

Penzance from Newlyn Harbour 42

In the Harbour, Newlyn 46

Land's End 50

In St. Ives Harbour 54

The Cliffs, Newquay 58

[Illustration]

THE CORNISH RIVIERA

PLYMOUTH TO LAND'S END

 "By Tre, Pol, and Pen, You may know the Cornishmen. "

The majority of our English counties possess some special feature, someparticular attraction which acts as a lodestone for tourists, in theform of a stately cathedral, striking physical beauty, or a wealth ofhistorical or literary associations. There are large districts of ruralEngland that would have remained practically unknown to the multitudehad it not been for their possession of some superb architecturalcreation, or for the fame bestowed upon the district by the makers ofliterature and art. The Bard of Avon was perhaps the unconscious pioneerin the way of providing his native town and county with a valuable assetof this kind. The novels of Scott drew thousands of his readers to theNorth Country, and those of R. D. Blackmore did the same for the scenesso graphically depicted in _Lorna Doone_; while Thomas Hardy is probablyresponsible for half the number of tourists who visit Dorset. 

Cornwall, on the contrary, is unique, in that, despite its wealth ofCeltic saints, crosses, and holy wells, it does not possess anyoverwhelming attractions in the way of physical beauty (the coast lineexcepted), literary associations, beautiful and fashionable spas, ormediæval cathedrals. 

History, legends, folklore, and traditions it has in abundance, whileprobably no portion of south-west England is so rich in memorials of theCeltic era. At the same time one can quite understand how it was that, until comparatively recent years, the Duchy land was visited by fewtourists, as we count them to-day; and why the natives should think andspeak of England as a distant, and indeed a foreign, country. Certain isit that less than a quarter of a century ago those who crossed the Tamarand journeyed westward into the sparsely populated Cornish towns andvillages, were hailed as "visitors from England". 

Bounded on the north and south by the sea, cut off on the east by theTamar, the delectable Duchy was a singularly isolated strip of landuntil the magic connecting link was forged by Brunel. Indeed it is nottoo much to say that Cornwall owes its present favourable position as ahealth resort almost entirely to the genius of Brunel and the enterpriseof the Great Western Railway. 

The lateness of the railway development of Cornwall is somewhatremarkable when we remember that the county contained, in thepicturesque Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway, the third line opened forpassenger traffic in the kingdom. A quarter of a century later Plymouthwas connected with the outer world, but for long after the historicports and towns of the southern seaboard had been gradually linked up, the splendid isolation of the northern coast remained untilcomparatively recent years. It is but a short time ago that the only wayof reaching Newquay was by means of a single mineral line that ran fromPar Junction. Contrast this with the present day, when there is a choiceof no less than five trains by which passengers can travel fromPaddington to Newquay, to say nothing of the morning coach which meetsthe South Western train from Waterloo at Wadebridge. The famous CornishRiviera expresses, that do the journey from Paddington to Penzance in afew hours, have become a familiar feature to those who live in thewestern counties, and few seaside resorts, situated three hundred milesfrom London, are so favoured by railway enterprise as the beauty spotsof Cornwall. 

This is essentially a county that is best toured by railway. The placesand towns most worth visiting lie far apart, and are divided by a gooddeal of pleasant but not very interesting country, and one can obtain amore than sufficient amount of walking along the vast stretch ofseaboard. 

The line from Plymouth to Truro crosses the fine estuary of the Tamarupon the Albert Bridge, one of Brunel's triumphs, and runs along thenorthern bank of the river Lynher. Almost at the head of the river isSt. Germans, where, for those who can spare the time, a stay of a fewhours may be profitably made. According to tradition it derives its namefrom St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, who visited Britain in 429, andagain in 447. From 850 to 1049 the town was the seat of the bishopric ofCornwall, which was afterwards incorporated in the see of Devon. Thechurch is a good one with an ancient porch highly enriched with carvingsand traceries. The greater part of the present building dates from 1261, and it occupies the site of the ancient Cornish cathedral. 

[Illustration: TRURO CATHEDRAL FROM THE RIVER]

The fine ancestral home of Port Eliot, the residence of Lord St. Germans, was formerly called Porth Prior, from an Anglo-Saxon religioushouse granted to Richard Eliot in 1565, but of this original building notrace whatever remains above the ground. Within the house are some goodportraits of the Eliots, including a large number by Sir JoshuaReynolds. 

From St. Germans our journey lies through pleasant vales and woodedhills to Liskeard, a quiet little market town situated partly on theslope of a steep hill, and partly in a valley traversed by the Looe andLiskeard Canal. The district abounds in mysterious piles of rock such asthe Trethevy Stone, and the Hurlers; while the student of folklore willnot fail to be attracted by the sacred wells of St. Keyne and St. Cleer. The latter was used formerly as a Bowssening Pool, and held in greatrepute for its efficacy in restoring the insane to "mens sana in corporesano". Not far away is the interesting church of St. Neots', with aquantity of very fine mediæval glass. 

The site of the old castle of Liskeard is preserved to some extent in atree-planted public walk, while in the ancient Grammar School, "PeterPindar" (Dr. Wolcot) and the learned Dean Prideaux received theireducation. St. Martin's Church has a set of curious gargoyles, whileportions of a nunnery, dedicated to St. Clare, are said to have beenbuilt into the walls of one of the houses. In 1644, during the CivilWar, Charles I was here, and again in the following year. 

From Liskeard, Looe may be reached either by rail, road, or canal. Theroad passes St. Keyne, where the waters of the well are said to possessa remarkable property, according to Thomas Fuller, who says, "whetherhusband or wife came first to drink thereof, they get the masterythereby". The well has been immortalized in Southey's well-known ballad, _The Well of St. Keyne_. 

 "A well there is in the west countrie, And a clearer one never was seen, There is not a wife in the west countrie But has heard of the well of St. Keyne. "

The ballad goes on to relate that a traveller, sitting beside the well, met a countryman, with whom he had a long chat about its tradition:

 "'You drank of the water, I warrant, betimes, ' He to the countryman said; But the countryman smiled as the stranger spoke, And sheepishly shook his head. 

 "'I hastened as soon as the wedding was o'er, And left my good wife in the porch; But faith! she had been quicker than I, For she took a bottle to church!'"

St. Keyne or St. Keyna, the tutelary saint of this well, is said to havebeen a pious virgin, the daughter of Braganus, Prince of Brecknockshire, who lived about the year 490. She is also said to have made a pilgrimageto St. Michael's Mount, and to have founded a religious establishmentthere. 

Two miles in a southerly direction is Duloe, where some upright stoneshave been conjectured to be portions of a druidical circle sometwenty-eight feet in diameter. A little to the west of the twin villagesof East and West Looe is Trelawne, an ancient seat of the Trelawnyfamily; but the house is not shown to visitors, although a request toview the fine collection of pictures, which includes a portrait byKneller, is generally granted. Kneller's portrait is of the famousbishop, Sir Jonathan Trelawny, whose counterfeit presentment recalls thestirring times when every Cornish village echoed with the defiantstrain:

 "And shall Trelawny die? and shall Trelawny die? There's thirty thousand underground shall know the reason why. And shall they scorn Tre, Pol, and Pen? and shall Trelawny die? There's thirty thousand Cornish boys will know the reason why. Trelawny he's in keep, and hold; Trelawny he may die, But thirty thousand Cornish men will know the reason why?"

The villages of East and West Looe are among the most picturesque on thesouthern seaboard. The estuary on the sides of which they are situated, is confined between lofty hills whose slopes are covered with allotmentgardens and orchards. The bridge that crosses the creek a quarter of amile from the haven mouth, was erected in 1855, when it displaced aremarkable old bridge of fifteen arches. In the days of the third Edwardthe combined Looes furnished twenty ships and a contingent of 315 menfor the siege of Calais. 

Some delightful boating excursions may be made from Looe, the one mostin favour being that to Watergate up the West Looe river, which uniteswith the main stream half a mile above the town. The stream winds amonglofty hills, covered with rich and abundant verdure. 

The ancient Guildhall of West Looe, said to have been built originallyas a monastic chapel, is a picturesque old building, the framework ofwhich is composed of ships' beams. The cage for scolds has disappeared, but the stocks, of a very barbarous kind, have been placed across anopen gable. The building was re-consecrated in 1852, since when serviceshave been regularly held within it. 

The eleven miles that separate Fowey from Looe should be traversed onfoot by way of Talland, Polperro, and Polruan. Talland Church isdelightfully placed, while its tower is connected with the main buildingby means of a porch. The bench ends within are very interesting, particularly a set with finials in the form of winged figuresadministering the Eucharist. These pew ends are quite unlike any othersin the country, and they are somewhat of an ecclesiastical puzzle. FromTalland a rocky coast walk of less than two miles leads to Polperro, with the narrowest of all the narrow little ravines that offer shelterto the mariner on this exposed portion of the coast. The antiquaryLeland describes it as "a little fischar towne with a peere". It is anextraordinary jumble of habitations which press upon each other soclosely that it is only by wriggling through the narrow streets andturnings that one can make any progress at all. 

There is no coast track west of Polperro and both the roads to Fowey arevery hilly. The pedestrian should proceed by way of Lansallos, where thechurch in the Perpendicular style forms a conspicuous sea-mark. FromPolruan the descent to Fowey is very steep, but the view of the harbourfrom the high land is one of great charm. 

As we look at the little stranded and sunlit port to-day, it isdifficult to realize that Fowey once shared with Plymouth and Dartmouththe maritime honours of the south-west coast. In those days Looe, Penryn, and Truro were regarded as creeks under Fowey. The harbour, which is navigable as far as Lostwithiel, a distance of eight miles, isformed mainly by the estuary of the river Fowey, the town stretchingalong the western bank of the harbour for a mile. 

Seen for the first time Fowey is a revelation. Much known and rather toomuch visited, it is yet one of Cornwall's most picturesque andinteresting towns. Nature and art have combined to make it so; the artof the old village builder, not the so-called art of to-day. A modernelement exists, but it is of small proportions. May it always remain so. 

Standing on the heights one looks down upon the river below. On eitherside is a jumble of ancient houses with leaning and weather-stainedwalls. It is doubtful if we ought to admire such ill-ventilated andout-of-date dwelling houses, in this essentially scientific age. But thegeneral effect of line, of light and shade produced by a mass of brokenand highly unconventional contours--gables where there should bechimneys, and chimneys where one is accustomed to look for doorposts--ishighly satisfactory and pleasing from the artist's point of view. 

Steep hills and zigzag roads, at every alarming angle of declivity, intercept the labyrinth of houses, which stand on each other's heads, orpeep over each other's shoulders, and settle down on the ledges of theriver bank. 

[Illustration: POLRUAN]

As the principal Cornish seaport, the town sent Edward III no less thanforty-seven ships and 770 mariners for the Calais expedition--a quotaexceeded only by the eastern port of Yarmouth. Leland tells us that theplace rose rapidly into importance "partely by feates of warre, partelyby pyracie; and so waxing riche felle all to marchaundize, so that thetowne was hauntid with shippes of diverse nations, and their shippeswent to all nations". When the Cinque Ports of Rye and Winchelseathreatened to oust Fowey from its position as the premier Channel port, the Cornishmen defeated the mariners of Kent in a desperate sea fight, when they quartered the arms of the Cinque Ports on their own scutcheon, and assumed the title of "Fowey Gallaunts". They then made war on theirown account against the French, and became little better than piratesready to attack the ships of their own and every country, in port or onthe high seas. They became such a thorn in the side of the king, EdwardIV, by reason of their continuing to capture French ships after peacehad been concluded, that the angry monarch caused them to be enticed toLostwithiel, where their ringleaders were taken and hanged. From thisperiod Fowey's maritime position began to decline. The inhabitants werecompelled to pay a heavy fine, and the whole of their shipping washanded over to the port of Dartmouth. 

Carew tells us that sixty ships belonged to Fowey at that period. Thetwin forts of Fowey were erected in the reign of Edward IV to protectthe roadstead from the ravages of the French. Standing something likethose below Dartmouth, on each side of the water, a thick boom or chainstretched across the mouth of the river would be sufficient protectionagainst vessels propelled by sails. The last gallant action performedby these forts was in 1666, when they were assisted by the then almostnew fort of St. Catherine. A Dutch fleet of eighty sail of the line wasoff the town in the hope of capturing an English fleet bound forVirginia, which had put into Fowey for shelter. A Dutch frigate of 74guns attempted to force the entrance, but after being under thecrossfire of the forts for two hours, was forced to tack about andregain the open sea. 

Sir A. T. Quiller-Couch writes thus of Fowey in _Troy Town_. "Thevisitor, " says he, "if he be of my mind, will find a charm in Fowey overand above its natural beauty, and what I may call its holidayconveniences, for the yachtsman, for the sea-fisherman, or for onecontent to idle in peaceful waters. It has a history, and carries themarks of it. It has also a flourishing trade and a life of its own. "

The church of St. Fimbarrus, almost hidden from view except from theharbour side, is mainly of fifteenth-century date, although portions maywell be a century earlier. The roof of the tall tower is richlydecorated, and the north aisle is undoubtedly the remnant of a muchearlier edifice. There are two good brasses and some interestingmonuments, also a memorial to Sir John Treffry, who captured the Frenchstandard at the battle of Poictiers. 

The most important piece of domestic architecture in the neighbourhoodis Place House, the seat of the Treffry family. This is a fine Tudormansion, that is said to occupy the site of a royal palace, reputed tohave been the residence of the Earls of Cornwall. Leland records that onone occasion, when the French attempted to take the town, "the wife ofThomas Treffry with her servants, repelled their enemies out of thehouse, in her husband's absence; whereupon he builded a right faire andstrong embattled tower in his house, and embattled it to the walls ofhis house". The ancient church also is worth a visit, and among its manymemorials is an elaborate monument to one of the Rashleigh family, another of the old Cornish families, whose history seems to be asancient as the legends of the county. The inscription on the tombreads:--

 "JOHN RAISHELEIGHE LYVED YEARES THREESCORE THREE AND THEN DID YEILDE TO DYE, HE DID BEQVEATHE HIS SOVLE TO GOD HIS CORPS HEREIN TO LYE. 

 "THE DEVONSHEIRE HOWSE Y^t RAISHELEIGHE HEIGHT WELL SHEWETH FROM WHENCE HE CAME; HIS VIRTVOVS LIEF IN FOYE TOWNN DESERVETH ENDLESS FAME. 

 "LANION HE DID TAKE TO WIFE, BY HER HAD CHILDREN STORE, YET AT HIS DEATHE BOT DAVGHTERS SIXE, ONE SONNE HE HAD NOE MORE. ALL THEM TO PORTRAHE VNDER HERE, BECAVSE FITTE SPACE WAS NONE, THE SONNE, WHOSE ONLI ECHARGE THIS WAS, IS THEREFORE SETT ALONE. "

For the yachting man Fowey is very attractive, although during theseason the small harbour is rather too crowded with craft. The entrancepresents difficulties to the unexperienced amateur, but once inside theheadlands there is usually no difficulty in securing a safe andconvenient berth. 

The favourite anchorage is off Polruan, but there is deep water for aconsiderable distance beyond that straggling village. 

The river excursions from Fowey are full of charm, but so much dependson the state of the tide. The short trip by boat to Golant, a distanceof two miles, should not be missed. The village occupies a cleft on thehillside, where the gardens and orchards reach down to the water's edge. Luxulyan, with its deep sylvan valley and large perched blocks of stone, is another favourite spot for excursions. 

At the head of the river stands Lostwithiel, with a church whose towerthe late Mr. G. Street, R. A. , was wont to designate "the pre-eminentglory of Cornwall". Near the church are the ruins of Restormel Castle, while the Fowey and the little river Lerryn are good fishing streamswhere plenty of salmon and trout fishing may be enjoyed. 

For the pedestrian there is a large choice of walks within a moderatedistance, to Par Harbour, St. Blazey, and St. Austell, the last with afine church, on the walls of which is a well sculptured representationof the Veronica. The shore rambles are equally numerous and attractive. 

Cornwall may be said to possess three capitals. Launceston the historiccapital, Bodmin the town of Assize, and Truro the ecclesiastical andcommercial centre. To reach the last named for the purposes of ourpresent journey, the visitor cannot do better than take train at ParJunction. Truro itself cannot be said to possess much in the way ofcivic beauty or historical interest, although it is an excellent centrefor touring purposes. Moreover it has, pending the completion of thefine structure in the course of erection on the banks of the Mersey, thehonour of possessing the only Protestant Cathedral erected in thiscountry since the Reformation. The name "Truro" is thought to be derivedeither from _Tru-ru_, the three streets, or _Tre-rhiw_, the village onthe slope (of the river). There is a general impression that Truro is onthe river Fal, but the truth is that the triangular piece of land onwhich the city stands, is washed on the east by the river Allen, and onthe west by the Kenwyn. Between these two streams lies modern Truro, with its stately cathedral rising high above the houses that surroundit. Truro's most eminent son, Samuel Foote, was born in 1720 at the townhouse of his father's family, the Footes of Lambesso. The house, now theRed Lion Hotel in Boscawen Street, has retained a good many of itsoriginal features, including a very fine oak staircase. Foote isgenerally considered to be the greatest of the dramatic authors of hisclass, while in power of mimicry and broad humour he had few equals. Inlate life he lost his leg through an accident in riding, a circumstancethat led to his producing a play, _The Lame Lover_, in which his loss ofa limb might be made a positive advantage. In all, his plays anddramatic pieces number about twenty, and he boasted at the close of hislife that he had enriched the English stage with sixteen quite newcharacters. 

Truro was also the birthplace of the brothers Richard and John Lander, the explorers; Bode, a painter of some merit; and Richard Polwhele, thehistorian of Devon and Cornwall. 

[Illustration: THE HARBOUR, FOWEY]

The cathedral is not entirely a modern building, for it has incorporatedwith it the south aisle of the old parish church of St. Mary, with itslong associations with the municipality. The narrow lanes and streetssurrounding the stately pile of buildings differ essentially from thegardens and canonical residences that are the pride of so many of ourmediæval cathedrals; but they make a fitting environment for the motherchurch of a working ecclesiastical centre. 

Of several interesting houses in the neighbourhood the most important isTregothnan, the residence of Lord Falmouth. The mansion is beautifullyplaced upon high ground, the views from which include the numerouswooded creeks of the lovely Fal, and the wide expanse of FalmouthHarbour, studded with the shipping of many nations. The house wasdesigned by Wilkins, the architect of the National Gallery, and is inthe Early English and Tudor styles. 

The gatehouse of Tregothnan is situated at Tresilian Bridge, the spotwhere the struggle between Charles I and Cromwell was brought to a closein Cornwall, by the surrender of the Royalists to General Fairfax. 

The ecclesiologist will find many interesting old churches in thisneighbourhood, of which perhaps that at Probus is the most important, asit is the least known. The tower is over one hundred feet in height, being the highest in the county, and is exceptionally rich in delicatecarvings and clustered pinnacles. The present building is mainlyPerpendicular, but the foundation of a church here is attributed bytradition to Athelstan, who is said to have established a college ofsecular canons dedicated to St. Probus. The chancel screen is modernwith the exception of the lower portion, which has been made up of theold fifteenth-century bench ends. A full and highly interesting accountof this church, by Canon Fox Harvey, appeared in the _Truro DiocesanMagazine_ for 1905. Above the woods of Tregothnan, on the left bank ofthe Truro, stands the fourteenth-century church of St. Michael Penkivel, with numerous brasses to the memory of the Boscawens; while on the rightbank of the Fal is Trelissic, a classical building whose portico is anexact reproduction of the temple of Erectheus at Athens. 

All visitors to Truro make their way to the historic port of Falmouth bywater, when they travel along a length of river scenery that possessesno equal in beauty with the exception perhaps of a somewhat similarreach of the romantic Dart, in the adjoining county of Devon. Anymention of the Dart, however, as a possible rival to the Fal, is muchresented by Cornishmen, and one that had better be left unsaid withinthe boundaries of the delectable Duchy. 

The old port of Falmouth is situated in a sheltered bay with theglittering sea beyond. Landward lie the villages of Mabe andConstantine, with their great granite quarries, and beyond them wideexpanses of undulating and treeless land that is not devoid of beauty. Here the climate is so mild that hydrangeas become large bushes, and theeucalyptus attains the proportions of a forest tree. The port roseperhaps to its greatest height of prosperity in the days of the fourthGeorge, when the famous Falmouth packets--ten-gun brigs officered bynaval men--carried the mails to various Mediterranean ports, and to theNorth American and West Indian stations. A well preserved relic of thesegood old days may be seen at Swanpool, where, in a cottage built byCommander Bull, may be observed a chiselled relief of the old"Marlborough" packet at the top angle of the façade. As a port Falmouthhas not kept pace with the steady growth in the size of steamships, although the opening of the railway to Truro set Falmouth cogitatinggreat schemes in the way of spacious docks and large hotels. Some of usdo not regret that the town's maritime ambitions have been but partiallyrealized. We have many busy and flourishing seaports, but there is onlyone Falmouth, with its quaint little alleys leading to the waterside, inconvenient and hopelessly behind the times, yet picturesque beyonddescription and redolent of the spirit of the past. One of the mostpleasing views of Falmouth is that obtained from the little township ofFlushing across the harbour, once a quite fashionable suburb, but now arather poor little fishing village. 

The excursions from Falmouth, and the places of interest that lie withineasy reach are too numerous to mention, for their very names are anattraction to the inquisitive topographer. Mylor lies over the hills ofFlushing on the beautiful waters of the Fal; St. Mawes and the fishingtown of Gerrans are equally near; while the most hardened tourist couldnot fail to wish to visit a village endowed with the charming name ofSt. Just in Roseland. 

A reference should be made to the fine promontory of Pendennis, almostsurrounded by the sea, on the summit of which stands the historic castlethat has played no small part in our island story. 

There are two road routes from Falmouth to the Lizard--the regular routethrough Helston, and the other, a trifle longer, by way of the woods ofTrelowarren, the seat of the Cornish Vyvyans. The most enjoyable way, however, of viewing this well-known promontory is to sail from Falmouth. Those who would woo the charms of the Cornish coast from the watershould remember that even on the calmest day sailing along this exposedseaboard is no child's play, but a serious business. As a matter of factno one who is not intimately acquainted with the coast should take aboat out of the harbour without an experienced man on board, and noamateurs should attempt unaided, to sail the lugsail boats in generaluse among the fishermen. The best boat for yachting in these waters is aten or fifteen ton cutter or yawl, such as can be hired at Falmouth forquite a moderate sum. But the coast is a dangerous one, for although themorning run past the dreaded Manacles, Helford river, St. Keverne's, andright down to the Lizard, may present no difficulties, the returnevening journey, with a stiff breeze from the land making a choppy sea, and the puzzling lights at the complicated entrance to the anchorage, are disturbing elements that make one feel thankful to have the skipperon board to guide the little craft through the maze of shipping, andpick up her moorings. For small boat sailing the waters of the Fal areideal, but here also, as on the salt waters beyond the river mouth, great care is required by reason of the wind cutting down the creeks andgullies with practically no warning. What a halo of tragedy lies overthe dreaded Manacles! and what wonderful escapes some fortunate vesselshave had. The author once saw a schooner of five hundred tons thread thenarrow channels of the needle-pointed rocks in safety, but the feat wasregarded by his companion, an old sailor of Falmouth, as little short ofa miracle. As a matter of fact captains who get their ships among theManacles are so anxious to keep the news from reaching the owners thatthey hang a sail over the names of their ships. 

By a glance at the map it is obvious to anyone that no vessel going upor down the Channel need be within a dozen or more miles of theManacles. Yet many still get there; and few are fortunate enough to getaway without becoming total wrecks. Not only on account of nearness oftime do the _Mohegan_ and the _Paris_ disasters take undoubtedprecedence in the Manacles' victims, but on one occasion the loss oflife was appalling. The _Mohegan_ was a steamship of 7000 tons in chargeof Captain Griffiths, the commodore of the Atlantic Transport Company. At half-past two on her second day out she signalled "All well" atPrawle Point. Four and a half hours later, when the light was good andthe wind not high, she dashed into the Vase Rock, one of the outerManacles, and within twenty minutes all except the upper portions of hermasts and funnels were beneath the water. How the _City of Paris_ got onthe rocks is equally a mystery, for she is computed to have been twentymiles out of her proper course when she struck, and the weather was fineand the night clear. 

[Illustration: VIEW OF FALMOUTH HARBOUR]

As Mr. Albert Bluett says: "We have the uncontradicted statements ofseamen of all classes, that the bell-buoy, fixed to one of the outerManacles, is utterly inadequate to warn vessels of their nearness todanger. And when the sounds of that bell came in the landward breeze towhere I stood looking across the reef, they seemed, not a message ofwarning to those who cross the deep, but as the death-knell of thehundreds of men, women, and children who have breathed their last in thesea around the Manacles. "

There is no doubt that generations of smugglers and wreckers existed allalong this exposed and dangerous coast, and the lawlessness of theCornish folk in such matters as smuggling, and pilfering from wrecks, earned for them a very unenviable reputation. The deeds of JackRattenbury, of Beer, and the daring exploits of Harry Paye, of Poole, fade into insignificance by comparison with the doings of John Carter, who was known and feared all along the wild Cornish seaboard. He wasknown locally as the "King of Prussia", owing, it is said, to hisresemblance to Frederick the Great. Be this as it may, Bessy's Cove, asmall bay a few miles to the west of Helston, has, since Carter's day, been known as Prussia Cove, a striking tribute to the power of thesmuggler. At this cove Carter widened the harbour, fortified thepromontory that overlooks it, and adopted the numerous caves for thestorage of illicit cargoes. These splendid and natural storehouses maystill be seen, together with the "King of Prussia's" house, and theremains of the battery he erected; for this intrepid smuggler did nothesitate to open fire on any of the king's ships that ventured withinrange of his guns. Carter flourished in the middle of the eighteenthcentury, and it is difficult for us to realize to-day that such a stateof lawlessness could have existed in the days of our great-grandparents. 

The difficulties of patrolling the coast in the days before steamships, and the passive assistance he must have received from the people, enabled Carter to carry on a very profitable trade, although henaturally had many escapes from capture. 

Even when arrested in the act of conveying kegs of brandy to hiscustomers, he appears to have found no difficulty in proving an _alibi_. The reason for this of course is that smuggling was regarded with morethan toleration by the people and the gentry alike, while even the localadministrators of justice had an interest in the ventures. The resultwas that it was impossible for the Revenue officers to obtain aconviction, for the magistrates regarded the flimsiest _alibi_ as excusesufficient for them to set the "King of Prussia" at liberty. 

At length the authorities appear to have realized that the ordinarylegal methods, as administered by the local magistracy, were quiteuseless. Accordingly a strongly armed Revenue cutter sailed for PrussiaCove with orders to storm the stronghold and destroy the battery. As thecutter's instructions were not sent through the usual local channels, there was no leakage of the commander's intentions, and having receivedno warning of the expedition, the smugglers were taken completely bysurprise. As soon as the hostile intentions of the cutter were revealed, Carter opened a heavy fire on the small boats that conveyed the landingparty; but after a fierce fight, in which there were heavy casualties onboth sides, a landing was effected, and the fortress carried by storm. The work of dismantling the fort was considered of more importance thanthe immediate capture of the smugglers, and nothing seems to be known asto whether they were ever arrested and tried. 

For the exploration of the Lizard and Kynance districts there is nobetter centre than Helston, although those who find little to interestthem in the interior of the peninsula may be advised to proceed directto Lizard Town, as being in closer proximity to such attractive spots asMullion and Cadgwith. Helston itself is an oldfashioned town that hasnot many attractions for the modern tourist. It is a borough of someantiquity, and once possessed a Norman castle which fell into ruin inthe reign of Edward IV. The annual festival known as Helston Flora Dayis generally considered to be a survival of an old Roman custom. It wasoriginally held on the 8th of May, but in recent years has taken placeon any convenient date. The greatest attraction of the place to-day isthe Loo or Loe Pool, a large sheet of water two miles in length and fivein circumference. This is quite one of the largest natural lakes in thesouth of England, and is a favourite resort for anglers. It is separatedfrom the sea by a bar of shingle, scarcely three hundred yards wide atlow tide. On this bar, in 1807, the _Anson_, a 40-gun ship, was wrecked, with a loss of sixty lives. One of the small inlets of this lake, Penrose Creek, is well known to botanists as the home of the littleplant _Nitella hyalina_. The weed is found in four feet of water, occupying less than twelve square yards, and is not known to exist inany other locality in Great Britain. 

Mullion Cove is considered by many people to be the most beautiful spotalong the Cornish Riviera. It certainly has many attractions for theartist, and its caves and crags have been photographed, sketched, andpainted _ad nauseam_. 

No one with antiquarian tastes should neglect to visit the church ofMullion Church-town, a good Perpendicular building that was restored in1870. The many features of interest include portions of the old roodscreen, and a very fine set of carved bench ends which are justlyconsidered to be the richest in carving of any in the west of England. 

The view from the high land above the cove is one of great beauty, withSt. Michael's Mount rising abruptly from the waters of the bay, andbeyond it the clustered houses of Penzance. 

Kynance Cove is an equally charming place that lies one and a half milesto the north-west of the Lizard. The bay is studded with a quantity ofscattered rocks, which rejoice in such curious names as Devil's Bellows, Devil's Throat, the Letter Box, &c. At Landewednack in the parish ofLizard Point, the last sermon in the ancient Cornish language is said tohave been preached in 1678. The church is one of the most beautifullysituated along these wild southern shores. 

The first view of Penzance from Marazion (known locally as Market Jew)is one that is never forgotten. Right before us, rises the famous St. Michael's Mount, capped with its architectural adornment; to the rightthe bay swings round in a semicircle to Penzance, beyond which is theharbour of Newlyn, the village that has played so great a part in thehistory of our modern school of painting. 

Certainly nowhere else in England is found the like of St. Michael'sMount, with its curious mingling of a mediæval fortress and modernresidence; of antiquarian treasures and up-to-date conveniences. At thefoot of the rock is a tiny harbour and a cluster of cottages, and herealso is a kind of station for the railway, which carries coal, provisions, and luggage up to the top of the Mount. When the tide is outthe Mount can be reached along a causeway, but the road is very roughfor walking, as one would expect from its peculiar position on the bedof the sea. 

The Mount is really a pyramidical mass of granite, a mile incircumference, capped by a cluster of castellated buildings. The steepascent up the side of the rock is commanded by a cross-wall pierced withembrasures, and a platform mounting two small batteries. The houseitself has a few interesting points and an excellent chapel with somegood details of the Decorated and Perpendicular periods. From the summitof the rock a superb panorama of the Cornish coast and thewide-spreading Channel may be obtained. The mythical legends andtraditions that have grown up around this solitary rock bear muchresemblance to those that are told about its French counterpart, theMont St. Michel of Normandy. The romantic legends of both concern greatheroes and super-terrestrial beings doing battle with evil dragons andfiendish monsters. 

[Illustration: ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT]

The Mount is certainly a very attractive spot, and, by the kindness ofthe owner, access to the castle is generally allowed. The building hasbeen much modernized during recent years, but many of its originalfeatures remain. Some alterations at the chapel led to the discovery ofa blocked-up Gothic doorway, which, being opened, revealed a flight ofstone steps terminating in a dark vault, wherein lay the skeleton of aman. The old refectory of the monks is the most distinctive feature ofthe present house. The Mount is a parish without a public-house, theonly one which ever existed there having been closed a few years ago. 

In an old volume on Cornwall, published in 1824, we learn that "Turbotare caught in great plenty during the Summer Season. In Mount's Baythere have been instances of 30 being taken in an evening with the hookand line. When plentiful, they are sold from 4_d. _ to 6_d. _ per pound. "Leland writes: "Penzantes about a mile from Mousehold, standing fast inthe shore of Mount Bay, is the Westest Market Town of all Cornwall, Socur for botes or shypes, but a forced pere or Key. Theyr is but aChapel yn the sayd towne, as ys in Newlyn, for theyr paroche Chyrches bemore than a mile off. "

The neighbourhood of Penzance is rendered very attractive by the varietyof its scenery, and the glorious bay offers unlimited opportunities forboating and fishing. The mother church of Penzance is that of Madron ashort distance away. The building stands 350 feet above the sea andcontains some old memorials, including a tombstone to the memory ofGeorge Daniell, a local benefactor. His epitaph reads:

 "Belgia me birth, Britaine me breeding gave, Cornwall a wife, ten children, and a grave. "

Madron Well is a chalybeate spring once in much esteem for its curativeproperties, and its prophetical powers in respect to love and marriage. The holy well here, situated on the moor about a mile to the north-westof the church, was partially destroyed during the Parliamentary wars, byMajor Ceely of St. Ives. 

One of the most delightful excursions from Penzance is that to Mouseholeand Lamorna Cove, and one for which the whole of a day should beallotted. 

While in the neighbourhood of Penzance the visitor who is fortunateenough to be a good sailor should not fail to make the trip to theScilly Isles, although the passage is generally a trying one. Theislands consist mainly of low rocks, covered with gorse and heatherwhere their slopes are not given over to flower growing, that greatindustry of these solitary isles. The coastward sides of the downsterminate in granitic rocks which are a terror to navigators. Evenunder the guard of three lighthouses and a lightship, thousands of liveshave been lost on the Scillies, and there is a prodigious litter ofwreckage wedged in among the granite boulders. Probably the worstdisasters were the wreck of Sir Cloudesley Shovell's fleet in 1707, andthat of the _Schiller_ in 1875. Of the hundreds of lesser calamitiesthere is no record. St. Agnes is perhaps the worst offender, and thelighthouse keeper there is a gloomy man. It has been fittingly said thathis landscape of rocks must be about as enlivening to him as a squaremile or so of tombstones. 

Penzance itself is a town of many attractions of the civilized order, and the whole of the neighbourhood is lovely. It is the most westerlytown in England, and one that has a good deal of ancient history. Theolder part of the town, lying between Market Jew Street and the harbour, has retained a good deal of its ancient domestic architecture, but thechurches have no features of any particular interest. 

The fishing village of Newlyn is a picturesque but ill-built group ofold cottages, fish-cellars, bungalows, and artists' studios. As an artcentre it has played, and is still playing, a very considerable part, while many of the native models of the place look out from gilded framesin half the picture galleries of Europe. It must unquestionably be themost painted spot in the British Isles, and it would be difficult tofind a single nook or corner that has not been depicted on paper orcanvas. One of the curious little streets bears the exotic name of "Ruedes Beaux Arts", a reminder of the fact that it was in a dwelling ofthis street that Frank Bramley painted his dramatic picture "_A HopelessDawn_", now in the Tate Gallery. There is a considerable artists' colonystill resident here, although a good many of those who first brought theplace into fame have migrated to pastures new, and particularly to theneighbouring port of St. Ives. At the same time Newlyn is still, andalways will be, a magic word in art circles, for here such painters asStanhope Forbes, Frank Bramley, J. A. Gotch, Walter Langley, SydneyGrier, Chevalier Tayler, to mention but a few, introduced a new ifsomewhat exotic phase into the traditions of British art. Mr. A. Stanhope Forbes, A. R. A. , writes: "I had come from France, where I hadbeen studying, and wandering down into Cornwall, came one spring morningalong that dusty road by which Newlyn is approached from Penzance. Little did I think that the cluster of grey-roofed houses which I sawbefore me against the hillside would be my home for so many years. Whatlodestone of artistic metal the place contains I know not, but itseffects were strongly felt, in the studios of Paris and Antwerpparticularly, by a number of young English painters studying there, whojust about then, by some common impulse, seemed drawn towards thiscorner of their native land. .. . It was part of our creed to paint ourpictures directly from nature, and not merely to rely upon sketches andstudies which we could afterwards amplify in the comfort of a studio. "

The road from Penzance to Land's End being rather dull and devoid ofinterest, the best way to reach the outlying promontory is by one of theG. W. R. Motors that make the regular journey. A stay of a short time isusually made at the Logan Rock, perched on the summit of a pile ofcrags. To reach it involves rather a breakneck scramble down and stiffclimb up, and it is doubtful if the satisfaction of having done the featis equal to the amount of fatigue involved. The stone rocks to aconsiderable degree, but less than it did before it was upset in 1824 byLieutenant Goldsmith, who was commanded to replace it by the Admiralty. St. Buryan Church and Cross are both worth inspection. The former has atower ninety feet in height, while the latter has been attributed to theRomano-British period. It is a plain little erection of stone standingon a base of five steps. On one side is carved in low relief a fullyclothed figure of the Saviour with hands extended horizontally. 

The first aspect of Land's End, with its covering of turf, worn smoothby the feet of many trippers, is disappointing; and it is only when webegin to wander about the lesser used trackways that it is possible torealize that this is no ordinary promontory, but a lonely headlandbroken into a hundred beetling crags, with huge granite boulders piledone on another, forming a stalwart bulwark against the onrushing wavesof the Atlantic. In the crevices of these miniature precipices purpleheather and golden gorse have set them here and there, while the silverlichens have clothed the scarred surfaces of rock with a tender grace. The wind-swept downs that cap the lonely headland are also not without acertain beauty, from the very nature of the surrounding waste of wildgrey sea. 

As we gaze over the waters from the top of this lonely rock, we thinkinstinctively of the lost land of Lyonesse, that antiquaries andgeologists tell us once stretched from our feet to the Scillies. 

[Illustration: ON THE LERRYN RIVER]

That such a denudation actually occurred is of course within the boundsof geological possibility, if we take the precaution to date theincident far enough back, to remote and prehistoric days. There islittle credence to be attached to the local traditions, which affirmthat fishermen on a calm, clear day, have seen the ruins of house andcastle, cottage and farm, covered with dulse instead of stonecrop; orthe shattered spires of one or two of the reputed "hundred and twentychurches". If such a kingdom ever existed it was long before themediæval era, and a spired church belongs to the Gothic period. 

Sir Richard Carew, the friend and contemporary of Raleigh and ofCampden, assures us not only that proofs of the lost kingdom remained inhis day, but that the fishermen's nets frequently brought up portions of"doors and windows" from the submerged houses. 

At the same time there is probably a certain rough truth in the oldlegends, the details having been added from time to time. As Mr. ArthurSalmon says: "When we speak of a lost Lyonesse we are not dealing withabsurdities. We must only be careful to date it far enough backward, orrather to leave it without date. It is an alluring vision on which wecan linger without the sense of being actually unhistoric. "

Certain is it that if we examine _The Life and Death of Prince Arthur_, the _History of Merlin_, or the _Mort d'Arthur_, we shall find"Cornewaile" and "The Lyonesse" spoken of with an airy indifference asto their geographical limits. Thus it may possibly be that, by the titleof Lyonesse, Leonois, or any other of the various renderings of thename, it was intended to cover such portion of the west country as laybeyond that part of Devonshire, which, down to so late as the year 410of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, continued to be known as Cornwall. 

It is well worth while to stay the night at the little hostel near theLand's End for the purpose of viewing this westernmost piece of Englandunder the magic spell of a stormy sunset or a misty dawn. The sun sinksbeyond the vast expanse of open, wide, and illimitable sea, heaving witha deep and mysterious ground swell as the long waves roll shorewards. Between the great pinnacles of rock blue chasms yawn and pass away, andthe bases of the nearer rocks are momentarily hidden by the foam of thesurging waves. 

Far out, far beyond where the Longships lighthouse blinks its warninglight over the waste of waters, a solitary ship goes down into thewestern horizon; and the golden clouds of summer follow her, one by one, into the bosom of the night. 

The holiday season, with its bands of health-seeking and somewhat noisytourists, is not the best time of the year for a visit to Land's End. Asa show place it has been compelled to provide certain conveniences forthe traveller, and these jarring notes of modernity are ratheraggressive. There is much to be said for Mr. W. H. Hudson's plea for anational fund that shall purchase the Land's End; but one fears muchwater will have flowed around the historic headland before a "Societyfor the Preservation of Noble Landscape" becomes an accomplished fact. 

About a mile from the cliffs stands the rocky little islet of Carn Brâs, whereon is situated the Longships lighthouse. Although such a shortdistance away this lighthouse, and that on the Wolf Rock seven milesoff, are frequently cut off from all communication with the mainland bystress of weather. The submerged crags that fringe this portion of thecoast are many, while the larger of those whose jagged points appearabove the water, are the Armed Knight, the Irish Lady, and Enys Dodman, the last being pierced by a fine natural arch about forty feet inheight. The Cornish name for the Armed Knight was "An Marogeth Arvowed", and it was also called Guela or Guelaz, the "rock easily seen". 

To enjoy fully these western cliffs, one should stay in the locality forsome days; be on the spot at all hours, see the mists of morning and themellow tints of evening when all is calm and peaceful. At such timesthose who love the sea breezes, and the hoary rocks bearded with mossand lichen; those who are fond of the legends and traditions of thepast, will find much to interest them at the Land's End. It is afavourite spot with artists, many of whom come year after year to depictits frowning cliffs and heaving belt of sea, for, curiously enough, thegrandest effects of the waves are frequently seen in calm weather, whenthe heavy ground swell causes the waves to break with great force on therocks. 

In his criticism on Turner's picture of the Land's End, Ruskin wrote:

 "At the Land's End there is to be seen the entire disorder of the surges, when every one of them, divided and entangled among promontories as it rolls, and beaten back post by post from walls of rock on this side and that side, recoils like the defeated division of a great army, throwing all behind it into disorder, breaking up the succeeding waves into vertical ridges, which, in their turn, yet more totally shattered upon the shore, retire in more hopeless confusion, until the whole surface of the sea becomes one dizzy whirl of rushing, writhing, tortured, undirected rage, bounding and crashing, and coiling in an anarchy of enormous power, subdivided into myriads of waves, of which every one is not, be it remembered, a separate surge, but part and portion of a vast one, actuated by eternal power, and giving in every direction the mighty undulation of impetuous line, which glides over the rocks and writhes in the wind, overwhelming the one and piercing the other with the form, fury, and swiftness of lambent fire. "

[Illustration: PENZANCE FROM NEWLYN HARBOUR]

LAND'S END TO NEWQUAY

No visitor to Cornwall can fail to notice the remarkable number ofwells, situated near stone circles, dolmens, cromlechs, or churches thathave replaced them in more modern times, for well-worship wasundoubtedly one of the most persistent of the pagan customs with whichthe early Christian missionaries had to deal. Sir Norman Lockyerwrites:--"It seems to be accepted now that well-worship in Britainoriginated long before the Christian era; that it was not introduced bythe Christian missionaries, but rather they found it in vogue on theirarrival, and tolerated it at first and utilized it afterwards, as theydid a great many other pagan customs. "

It is of course quite easy to understand how a once devout customdegenerated into mere superstition, how some wells came to be called"wishing wells", &c. , in which the modern village maidens drop theirpins, in much the same way as their pagan ancestors left offerings toinvoke the aid of the tutelary saint. 

The superstitions attached to the wells of Cornwall are as strongto-day as ever they were in the past, and there seems little reason todoubt that the good condition of wells, cromlechs, and other antiquitiesin the county, is due to the widespread traditions that dreadful harmwill befall those who disturb or mutilate any ancient remains. 

Sennen Cove lying immediately to the north of Land's End is a verycharming little spot that shows signs of becoming a fashionablewatering-place. The church, situated a mile inland, is dedicated to St. Senan or Senannus, one of those numerous Irish saints who showed such apredilection for the land of Cornwall. It is a low, weather-beatenstructure with a good tower, and standing nearly 400 feet above thelevel of the sea, it forms a conspicuous land- and sea-mark. Within, there is a mutilated alabaster figure that is thought to haverepresented the Virgin and Child, and a small piece of mural painting. East of the church, a few yards from the roadside, and near the end of asmall cottage, is the stone known as the Table Mên, a block of granitenearly eight feet in length, and three feet high. The word "main", or"mên", is the old Cornish for "stone". Here, according to tradition, agreat battle took place between King Arthur and some Danish invaders, and the stone is also said to have been used as a royal dining table, when the number of kings who dined here is given by some oldtopographers as three, while others speak of seven. Hals gives theirnames as follows: "Ethelbert, fifth king of Kent; Cissa, second king ofthe South Saxons; Kingills, sixth king of the West Saxons; Sebert, thirdking of the East Saxons; Ethelfred, seventh king of the Northumbers;Penda, ninth king of the Mercians; and Sigebert, fifth king of the EastAngles; who all flourished about the year 600". Merlin, the Wizard, whoappears to have prophesied something about every nook in the kingdom, foretold that a yet larger number of kings will assemble around thisrock for a similar purpose on the destruction of the world. A rock nearLanyon Cromlêh claims a similar honour, and the same story is attachedto another at Bosavern in the parish of St. Just. 

Sennen Cove is situated on the curve of Whitesand Bay, which terminatesto the northward in the fine bluff headland of Cape Cornwall. It wasonce a favourite spot for smugglers and wreckers, and here Athelstan, after his final defeat of the Cornish, started to conquer the ScillyIsles. Stephen landed here on his first arrival in England, as didPerkin Warbeck when he sought to seize the crown he claimed. King Johnis also said to have landed here on his return from Ireland. CapeCornwall, a mile and a half from the village, is one of the mostprominent headlands of the western coast, but being in theneighbourhood of the great mining district it is somewhat neglected byvisitors, a remark that applies to the whole of this portion of thecoast as far as St. Ives, the great exception being Gurnards' Head. Theinland country is bleak and barren, with a number of mining shaftscapping the hillocks, with the result that the uninviting hinterland hasinspired few people with the desire to explore a really grand and rockypiece of coast. 

Nearly a mile south-west of Cape Cornwall are the Brisons, two fearfuland dangerous rocks, rising about seventy feet above high-water mark. Brison is Cornish for prison, and tradition affirms that these rockswere once used as prisons. 

North of the cape is Kenidjack headland, Porthleden being the name ofthe cove that divides the promontories. Skirting the coast fromKenidjack many fine bits of rocky scenery are passed. Botallack Head, with its old engine houses perched on its rocky crags, has a singularlysavage appearance. The mine is one of the oldest in Cornwall, and theancient workings continued for a considerable distance under the bed ofthe sea. The Levant, another submarine mine to the north, has alsoconsiderable workings beneath the sea. 

[Illustration: IN THE HARBOUR, NEWLYN]

The next point of interest is Pendeen, or Pendinas, the "castledheadland", near to which is Pendeen House, now a farm, but once aseventeenth-century manor house, in which the celebrated Cornishhistorian and antiquary, Dr. William Borlase, was born in 1695. Hecorresponded with Pope to whom on one occasion he sent a Cornishdiamond, which was thus acknowledged by the poet: "I have received yourgift, and have so placed it in my grotto, that it will resemble thedonor, in the shade, but shining". The famous cave called the PendeenVau, was discovered a few yards from his home. For his day he was quitean enlightened antiquary, and although modern research has shown his_Antiquities of Cornwall_ to be full of pitfalls for the unwary, it is abook that has formed the basis for many an interesting volume on thecounty. The church of Pendeen occupies as bleak a site as could anywherebe found in England. It was designed and built by Robert Aitken thefamous Cornish missioner. It was fashioned on the plan of the ancientcathedral of Iona, and was built almost entirely by the peoplethemselves. 

A little eastward of Pendeen is the church town of Morvah, "the place bythe sea", which has traditions relating to mermaids. Northward isPorthmorna, or Porth Moina, the Monk's Port, formed on one side by thefine cliff of Bosigran, where the rocks of granite have a pale reddishtint; so that when lit up by the sun they have a very brilliantappearance. A few years ago the bleak hills and towering cliffs in thislocality were a favourite haunt of the peregrine falcon, the cliff hawk, while the blue rock dove, and Baillon's crake have been found in thedistrict. Bosigran lies just under Cairn Galva, whose boldly-formedoutline is a conspicuous landmark. Just beyond Porthmeor is theGurnard's Head, the finest and most romantic point on the north side ofthe Land's End, and one of the show places of the county. The ancientname for the headland was Treryn Dinas. Portions of a small chapelremain on the isthmus, and there was once a holy well close by. 

The village of Zennor, about a quarter of a mile distant, lies in a wildand stony district. Within the very interesting church are some quaintbench ends, one of which depicts a mermaid, complete with comb, mirror, and fishy tail, but the carving is of a very primitive order. On ZennorBeacon is the famous Zennor Quoit or Cromlech, the largest in Cornwall, and one of the finest in the country. Between Zennor and St. Ives a wildtract of country forms the parish of Towednack with an ancient churchwithin which is a true chancel arch, a constructional feature that is ofrare occurrence in Cornish churches. 

The irregularly built little town of St. Ives, which has not inaptlybeen called the "Art Centre of England", is made up of two distinctparts. The older portion, which consists of oldfashioned houses, andnarrow tortuous streets, is situated on a low spit of land called the"island", while "up-along" on the higher ground above the station, isthe favourite and fashionable holiday resort. The ancient name of theplace, Porth Ia, perpetuates the memory of another Irish saint, Ia, whois claimed as a convert of St. Patrick, and who is said to have floatedfrom the shores of the Emerald Isle to those of Cornwall on a miraculousleaf, "by which", Mr. Arthur Salmon tells us, "is clearly meant acoracle of the kind still to be seen in parts of Wales". The cell of St. Ia stood on the site of the present parish church, which is said tocontain her bones, and this saint is not to be confounded with those ofSt. Ive, near Liskeard, or St. Ives in Huntingdonshire. The position ofSt. Ives, on the western slope of an extensive bay, and with tworemarkably fine sandy beaches, is one of uncommon beauty. The finestviews of the town and the neighbourhood are those obtained from thegrounds of the Tregenna Castle Hotel, and from the Battery Rocks. 

A lofty hill to the south of the town, has a pyramidical erection ofgranite in memory of John Knill, born in 1733. The obelisk bears threeinscriptions: "Johannes Knill, 1782"; "I know that my Redeemer liveth";and "Resurgam". After serving his apprenticeship to a solicitor, Knillbecame Collector of Customs, and afterwards Mayor of St. Ives. Longbefore his death, which took place in 1811, he erected this mausoleum onWorvas Hill, but it was never applied to its purpose, as he was buriedin London. Among the provisions of a curious will he ordained that"certain ceremonies should be observed once every five years, on thefestival of St. James the Apostle; ten pounds to be spent in a dinnerfor the mayor, collector of Customs, and clergyman, and two friends tobe invited by each of them, making a party of nine persons, to dine atsome tavern in the borough; five pounds to be equally divided amongstten girls, natives of the borough and daughters of seamen, fishermen, ortinners, each of them not exceeding ten years of age, who shall, betweenten and twelve o'clock of the forenoon of that day, dance for a quarterof an hour at least, on the ground adjoining the mausoleum, and afterthe dance sing the 100th Psalm of the old version, to the fine old tuneto which the same was then sung in St. Ives Church; one pound to afiddler who shall play to the girls while dancing and singing at themausoleum, and also before them on their return home therefrom; twopounds to two widows of seamen, fishers, or tinners of the borough, being sixty-four years old or upwards, who shall attend the dancing andsinging of the girls, and walk before them immediately after thefiddler, and certify to the mayor, collector of Customs, and clergyman, that the ceremonies have been duly performed; one pound to be laid outin white ribbons for breast-knots for the girls and widows, and acockade for the fiddler, to be worn by them respectively on that day andon the Sunday following". The observances have been duly carried outsince the death of John Knill. The next observance will be in 1911, andwhen once at St. Ives the present writer was fortunate enough to witnessthe quaint ceremonies that are enacted every five years around themausoleum of John Knill, who has succeeded in making a posthumous namefor himself at a very trifling cost. 

[Illustration: LAND'S END]

It was at St. Ives that Anders Zorn, the celebrated Swedish artist, painted his first picture with oils, a fine work that now hangs on thewalls of the Luxembourg. The sketcher from nature who clambers alongthis rocky coast in search of colour notes or impressions, willperpetually experience the difficulty of not knowing where to halt, always a difficult problem for a painter in a new territory. Many arethey who have seen the day draw to a close with nothing accomplished. This is not the result of idleness, but on account of the feeling ofexpectancy, the ever-alluring idea, that by going a little farthersomething really uncommon will be found. Points of interest innumerablewill be passed in the pursuit of this beautiful will-o'-the-wisp, thisperfect composition which never can, and never will, materialize onpaper or on canvas. 

Hayle and Lelant are both worth visiting. The former has a fine beachfor bathing, and the latter is renowned for its golf course. Lelant is avery ancient town whose fine old church is the mother church of bothTowednack and St. Ives. 

Redruth and Camborne are important mining towns to which no one would goin search of the picturesque, and the bleak and barren surroundings maynot inaptly be called the "Black Country" of Cornwall. Gwennap Pit, nearRedruth, was the natural amphitheatre where John Wesley preached withmarked success to thousands of Cornish miners. For the antiquary thereare many interesting remains at Carn Brea, a rocky eminence overlookingthe town, and capped with a monument, erected in 1836, to Francis, Baronde Dunstanville and Basset, of Tehidy. 

The best mine to explore, should one's tastes run in that direction, isthe Dolcoath Mine, near Camborne station. The mine yields both copperand tin, and has reached the depth of 2250 feet. Portreath is to acertain extent the port of Redruth. The cliffs are rather fine and theseas exceptionally so in rough weather, but as a good deal of refusewater from the mines is discharged here the result is that the sea fora considerable distance is frequently tinged with a thick reddishcolour. 

Between Portreath and St. Agnes the coast scenery is rendered veryattractive by reason of the number of coves into which it is broken, such as Porth Towan, a very favourite spot with visitors. 

The little town of St. Agnes is steadily growing in popularity, whileSt. Agnes Beacon is of great geological interest, and from the summit afine view is obtained of the Cornish coast from Trevose Head to St. Ives. 

Opie, the painter, was a native of St. Agnes, where he was born in 1761. The house is passed on the way to Perranporth, and is known as "HarmonyCottage". Opie's artistic talent is said to have been first recognizedby "Peter Pindar", when that worthy resided at Truro. A large number ofhis early paintings may still be seen in many of the houses in thevicinity of his birthplace, although a considerable number have beencarried off by discerning collectors. 

A few years ago Perranporth was nothing but a small cluster offishermen's cottages, but the fine stretches of golden sand and someimposing masses of arched rocks have brought many visitors, for whomincreased accommodation has had to be found. One and a half miles fromPerran Round, an ancient amphitheatre, are portions of an old church, long hidden in the sand, over which St. Piran, or St. Piranus officiatedin the sixth century. The church of Perranporth is a chapel of ease toPerranzabuloe, i. E. , _Piran-in-sabulo_. 

Although Max Müller satisfied himself that St. Piran was a purelymythical figure, and that the word "Piran" meant merely a "digger", others assure us that there is enough evidence to satisfy a court of lawthat Piran was connected with the school founded by Patrick, and that inthe fifth century he was a missionary in Cornwall. Excavations are beingmade constantly around this little church half-buried in the fine sand, and many important discoveries have resulted. There appears to be littledoubt that the church shares with Gwithian oratory the distinction ofbeing the earliest Christian edifice of which any considerable portionsremain in England. At the same time it is as well to bear in mind thatthe part of the material structure revealed by the spade is some twocenturies later in date than St. Piran, the patron saint of the Tinners. 

[Illustration: IN ST. IVES HARBOUR]

"There is a charm in the Cornish coast which belongs to no other coastin the world. " So wrote Dean Alford many years ago, and no portion ofCornwall possesses greater charm than the section as seen from NewquayBeacon. Like so many of its neighbouring holiday resorts, Newquay was avery small and not very well known little place until the Great WesternRailway gave it four trains a day from London, advertised its charms inthe press, and depicted them in glowing colours on innumerable posters. The result is that Newquay has boomed to such an extent that it is nowthe great centre of attraction on the north coast. Twenty years agoNewquay was little more than a cluster of cottages, but so rapid hasbeen its development that we seem to be centuries away from the dayswhen there was no fashionable hotel on the Headland, and when the placewas reached along a jolting little mineral line from Par Junction. 

The town itself is not old enough to be interesting, and as it possessesno "front" but few of its streets command a view of the boldpromontories, fine beaches, tidal inlets, and the singularly blue sea, that make it such an attractive place for a holiday. 

As Mr. J. Henwood Thomas says: "One of the chief glories of Newquay isits grand headland. Running right out into the Atlantic it forms a bold, natural pier, in comparison with which the costly artificial piers whichare to be found at most watering-places of repute are mere toys. Nothingcan be more exhilarating than a walk to the extreme end of this jaggedpromontory. It is like breathing a vitalizing essence. "

Here, on the beaches of Newquay and Fistral Bay, one may go to theverge of the waves, and breathe the ozone that rises from the line ofbreakers, without the necessity of making detours to avoid fruit-stallsand bathing-saloons. Fortunately the fine sands around Newquay have notyet become a mart for sweetmeats and cocoanuts, nor are they the happyhunting ground of the negro minstrel and other troupes of fantasticentertainers. 

The chief, and one might say the only glory of North Cornwall, is themagnificent line of coast, particularly that portion of it bounded byBedruthan Steps on the one hand, and Watergate Bay on the other, withMawgan Porth and Beacon Cove lying between. 

At low tides Watergate Bay has a splendid stretch of sands, more thantwo miles in length, and along the cliffs here sea-pinks, sea-lavender, and golden samphire may be found, although the last named is becomingextremely rare. The cliffs along this portion of the coast are piercedby numerous shady caves and caverns, some of which, like the CathedralCavern and the one known as the Banqueting Hall, are of vast extent, andare not infrequently used for concerts and other entertainments held inaid of local charities. 

In spite of the necessary changes and improvements due to the everincreasing number of visitors, there is still much that is primitive tobe seen around Newquay. Almost every ruin, rock, and church has itslegend, more or less ancient and authentic, and once off the beatentrack there is much that will interest the lovers of saint and folklore, as well as the admirers of coast scenery of a bold and broken kind. 

All visitors to Newquay make their way to Crantock "churchtown", situated on the western side of the Gannel, a small tidal stream whichis crossed by means of a plank bridge. The village of Crantock isancient and interesting, but the great attraction of the place is thechurch. Less than a dozen years ago the fabric was in a ruinouscondition until the vicar succeeded in raising sufficient funds withwhich to preserve the building. In his appeal for help, an appeal thatwas well responded to by the visitors to Newquay, the vicar explainedthat "the foundation dates from the sixth century, when the CelticBishop, Carantoc--or Cairnech--whose name the church bears and who was acompanion of St. Patrick, first founded a religious cell here. Thechurch became collegiate before the time of King Edward the Confessor, and continued so, with large endowment, until it was utterly despoiled, and its community scattered by King Henry VIII. "

The circular font bears the date 1473, and many portions of early work, including the twelfth century walls and arches, are likewise to be seenwithin the building. The font, which is thought to be late Norman, bearsa date cut in bold relief on the side:--

 "ANNO DOMINI MILLESIMO CCCC^o Lxxiij (1473). "

There were once small columns supporting the heads still to be seen ateach angle, but these have disappeared. 

Mr. Arthur Salmon tells us that tradition speaks of Crantock as havingbeen once part of a large town or district named Langarrow, or sometimesLanguna, most of which now lies beneath the sand-towans. "This town issaid to have had many fine churches and buildings, vying with the bestcities in the Britain of that day, which seems to have been the tenthcentury. "

[Illustration: THE CLIFFS, NEWQUAY]

Be this as it may, and there is no doubt a good deal of truth in thetradition, we do know that until comparatively recent years the nowsand-choked estuary of the Gannel had a sufficient depth of water forfishing craft and coasting schooners; while old historians assure usthat the channel could at one time be navigated by ships of largetonnage. It is quite possible that the "new quay" of the now fashionablewatering-place owes its existence to the silting-up of the estuary thatgave access to the old quay at Crantock. In Carew's _Survey of Cornwall_reference is made to "newe Kaye, a place in the north coast of thisHundred (Pider), so called, because in former times, the neighboursattempted, to supplie the defect of nature, by art, in making there aKay, for the Rode of shipping". 

An old well in the centre of the village is said to be a "holy" one, butthis has been disputed by antiquaries. 

The weird and uncanny cry of the "Gannel Crake" is heard by everyone whowoos the charms of a romantic coast after the sun has set beyond thewestern sea. It is said to be the cry of some species of night gull, butis traditionally referred to by the superstitious natives as the cry ofa troubled spirit that ever haunts the scene. 

A short distance inland from the porth is St. Columb Minor, the churchof which, together with that of St. Columb Major some six miles fartherinland is said to be dedicated to Columba, a maiden saint who is not tobe confounded with the great Irish saint of the same name. St. ColumbMinor is the mother parish of Newquay and possesses a fine lateDecorated church with a remarkably good western tower, said to be thesecond highest tower in the county. The village is quite a large onefrom which some fine views of the coast may be obtained. Close at handis Rialton, from which the statesman Sidney Godolphin took his title, and where, in the surrounding park and dells, many sketches were made byStansfield, when he visited the district with his friend CharlesDickens. 

Rialton Priory is a much desecrated building that once belonged to thepriory of Bodmin, it having been erected towards the end of thefifteenth century by Thomas Vivian, prior of Bodmin. In 1840 someonecarried off a large amount of the priory's ancient stonework toSomerset, where it was placed in private grounds, but the Crown made anorder for it to be returned and re-erected at Rialton. 

St. Columb Major occupies the crown of an eminence, the conjectured siteof a Danish fortress. The church is large, mainly early Decorated, andof much beauty. In the chancel is the pre-Reformation stone altar, marked with the five crosses, and supported on slabs of granite. Thishad been buried beneath the floor and was discovered during somerestorations in 1846. Other noteworthy features are the window of thesouth transept and the grotesque carvings that adorn the font. There arealso three good brasses commemorating members of the Arundell family. 

The whole of this neighbourhood is famous for its "hurlers" and"wrestlers", a memento of which could be seen at the Red Lion a fewyears ago, for here the landlord used to exhibit with pride the silverpunchbowl given to his grandfather (Polkinhorne) when that worthyescaped defeat in a wrestling bout with Cann, the champion of theadjoining county of Devon. 

The art of wrestling appears to have died out, but the once popular gameof hurling is revived once a year, either in the village itself or alongthe sands towards Newquay. The ball used is about the size of a cricketball, and after being coated with silver is inscribed:--

 "St. Columb Major and Minor, Do your best; In one of your parishes I must rest. "

At one time the game was very common throughout Cornwall, and manyinteresting records relating to it are in existence; but at the presentday only the two parishes of St. Columb keep up a survival of thisancient game. 

The whole of the St. Columb district is rich in large tracts of wild andpicturesque country, which include such heights as Denzell Downs, St. Issey Beacon, and St. Breock Downs, near which last stand the "NawMean", or, in modern English, the Nine Maidens. At the present timethere are but eight of these upright stones, which tradition assertswere originally maidens who were turned into stone for dancing on Sundayto the strains of a fiddler, who shared the same fate, as witness a tallpillar of rock near by called the "Fiddler". 

On the drive from Newquay to Bedruthan Steps no one should fail to makea halt at Mawgan, or, to be strictly accurate, St. Mawgan in Pydar, either on the outward or the return journey. The village is a pretty onethat lies in the centre of the beautiful Vale of Mawgan, or Lanherne, which stretches from St. Columb to the porth, or cove on the coast. Mawgan possesses an ancient parish church and a Roman Catholic conventand chapel. The church is a very fine Perpendicular building with atower 70 feet in height. The building was restored by Butterfield, butcontains some interesting old screenwork and a number of well-carvedbench ends. The brasses include that of a priest, _circa_ 1420; CecilyArundell, 1578; a civilian, _circa_ 1580; and Jane, daughter of Sir JohnArundell, _circa_ 1580. This last is a palimpsest, made up of portionsof two Flemish brasses, _circa_ 1375. The churchyard contains abeautifully sculptured fourteenth-century lantern cross, of mediævaldate, in the form of an octagonal shaft. Under four niches at the summitare sculptured representations of: God the Father with the Dove bearinga crucifix; an Abbot; an Abbess; and a King and Queen. The height ofthe cross is 5 feet 2 inches, the breadth of the head being 1 foot 1inch. 

The convent, the "lone manse" of Lanherne, was originally the manorhouse of the Arundells, which was, in the last years of the eighteenthcentury, presented by a Lord Arundell of Wardour to a sisterhood ofCarmelite nuns who had fled from Antwerp in 1794. One or two of thepictures in the convent chapel are attributed to Rubens. Strangers mayattend service in the chapel, but the nuns, like those of the order ofSt. Bridget at Syon Abbey, Chudleigh, are recluses of the strictestkind. 

While at Mawgan a stroll should be taken through the groves ofCarnanton, the old-time abode of William Noye, the "crabbed"Attorney-General to Charles I, whose heart, we are told by hisbiographers, was found at his death to have become shrivelled up intothe form of a leather purse. 

A mile beyond Mawgan Porth are the far-famed Bedruthan Steps seven milesfrom Newquay. Here the visitor will find a fine stretch of cliffscenery, with a succession of sandy beaches strewn with confused andbroken masses of rock, and some large caverns that are well worthexploring should the state of the tide permit. The largest of thesecaverns is of vast extent and is said to be unrivalled in this respectalong the whole of the Cornish seaboard. At low tide the great spurs ofrock embedded in the sand have a fantastic beauty, while one of thelargest of them bears a more than fancied resemblance to QueenElizabeth, and is named after her. Another is known as the GoodSamaritan, as against these jagged points an East Indiaman of this nameonce came to grief, when the local women folk are said to havereplenished their wardrobes with a quantity of fine silks and satins. 

The coast beyond Bedruthan, by Trevose and Pentire Heads, Padstow, Tintagel, Boscastle, Bude, and Morwenstowe, although abounding in wildand rugged scenery, and full of romantic and literary associations, isbeyond our present limits. This being so we may conclude with the wordsof J. D. Blight, one of the most learned of the older school of Cornishantiquaries:

 "Those who wish to behold nature in her grandest aspect, those who love the sea breezes, and the flowers which grow by the cliffs, the cairns and monumental rocks, all hoary and bearded with moss, those who are fond of the legends and traditions of old, and desire to tread on ground sacred to the peculiar rites and warlike deeds of remote ages, should visit the land of Old Cornwall. "