34 PORTLAND BEACH. 



day was almost as mipropitious as could be, the wea- 

 ther being cold and rainy. 



The zeal of an explorer, however, is not to be so 

 easily quenched ; and accordingly, accompanied by a 

 gentleman of the town, I crossed the Bay, in one 

 of the steamers that ply daily between Weymouth 

 and Portland. 



The island has but one commodity, stone; and 

 that is abundant enough. A massive quay is built of 

 huge square blocks, whose weight and form are suffi- 

 cient to ensure their stability ; at least I suppose so, 

 for no trace of cement is visible at the joints. Simi- 

 lar blocks are piled on each other, all over the 

 wharves and their approaches, so that the passengers 

 have to thread long narrow alleys between cyclopean 

 architecture ; thinking, as they wind along, of the 

 Pyi'amids, or the ancient temples of Thebes. We 

 walked along the shore towards the Breakwater, but 

 it was most laborious work, and as unproductive as 

 toilsome. The shore is formed of loose angular 

 blocks and rolled boulders of the same freestone, over 

 which walking is difficult and hazardous ; and rood 

 after rood we pass, without discerning a tuft of sea- 

 weed, except of the commonest kinds, and those — as 

 Ulva, Enteromoiyha, Cladopliora, &c. — stunted and 

 ill- grown. Of course animals are equally scarce, ex- 

 cept such as haunt the open sea; for no pools can exist 

 among these shifting masses, and besides some two 

 or three rock-loving species, as Actinia mesemhryan- 

 tJiemum, and Troclius umhilicatus and T. cinerarius^ 

 we saw absolutely nothing here. The Trochi indeed 

 were unusually fine j and the former species, which is 



