HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL IMPORTANCE. 205 



for Scilly, lying at the point of England, and looking 

 into both channels, no ship could pass, but a privateer 

 might speak with it from one of these sounds. This 

 the Parliament ministry in the latter end of the civil 

 wars of Charles I. quickly experienced as soon as Sir 

 John Granville had garrisoned and fortified Scilly. 

 Whitelock tells us that continual complaints were made 

 to the then managers of affairs at London, of the taking 

 of ships by the privateers at Scilly, so that at last they 

 were obliged to send Admiral Blake and Sir George 

 Askue to dislodge the cavaliers from a post which gave 

 them such opportunities of distressing their trade." 

 Surely a post of this importance needs a stronger gar- 

 rison than five invalids ? Five may do for the " con- 

 tingent" of a small German prince ; nay, in one sublime 

 instance, five is the sum total of the standing army, 

 but in that case the principality itself is of commen- 

 surate importance. 



What has been already hinted will suffice to show 

 that these patches of rock, on which ribald Cockneys 

 doubted whether English were spoken, and flounces 

 worn, are islands dignified by historical and political 

 associations. These Cockneys may be further assured 

 that not only is English spoken here, but spoken with 

 a purity of accent, and intelligent discrimination of 

 diction, which I remember in no other part of the 

 English dominion. The Scillians are a remarkably 

 healthy, good-looking race — the black eyes and long- 

 eyelashes of the children making one's parental fibres 

 tingle with mysterious pleasure as the ruddy rascals 



