THE SCILLY ISLANDS. O 



islands to a cluster of barren rocks or dangerous 

 shoals. 



However extensive and fertile these islands may 

 have been in former times, no vestiges of mines, or 

 other antiquities now exist : they are surrounded by 

 dangerous sunken rocks, probably the more durable 

 remains of former islands, which have been swallowed 

 up by the " remorseless deep.'' 



In the year 1651, Sir Jno. Grenville and his " Cor- 

 nish boys" retired to Scilly and set the Parliamentary 

 fleet and army at defiance ; and although fifty ships 

 and a large land force, were sent agaist him, he ob- 

 tained from Admirals Ayscue and Blake honorable 

 terms of capitulation. On October the 22nd, 1705, 

 the flag ship of Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovel and 

 three other ships of war were wrecked among these 

 rocks, and all on board perished. 



The islands and dry rocks composing this group 

 are very numerous, six only are now inhabited, viz. 

 St. Mary's, Trescaw, St. Martin's, St. Agnes, Samson, 

 and Bryer. The inhabitants are computed at 2,600, 

 of which St. Mary's contains 1,300. Many of the 

 uninhabited islands support sheep, of which there 

 may be about 10,000 on these islands ; they have 

 also some very lean kine, a few horses and asses, 

 employed for agricultural purposes, particularly in 

 conveying seaweed from the strand to their fields. 

 The soil is almost entirely a decomposed granite, 

 with a little clay, and decompositions from marine 

 and other vegetables : the produce is a good crop of 

 potatoes, (of which considerable quantities are ex- 

 ported) onions and other culinary vegetables. Some 

 barley, rye, and a little wheat are grown on the best 

 land. They have also some furze, heath, and a few 

 stunted shrubs.- The sea is the great mart of these 

 islands, every living creature depends in a great mea- 

 sure on the ocean for its support : man lives on fish, 

 sea fowl and such other food as ships, or the tempest 

 may bring him : he eagerly fixes his eye on the ocean, 



