esulat and elegant plan of the founder. 
ough the taste in architecture was conti- 
hually changing, so scrupulous was the ad- 
erence to the original design, that the church 
Seems rather to have been created at once in 
perfect state, than have slowly grown to 
consummate beauty. Even Grandison, 
who, if we may judge from his screen, had a 
taste florid in ‘the extreme in architecture 
chastised his ideas within the church, an 
felt the simple grace of Quivil’s design.” 
_ The account of Torbay is singularly 
imperfect, being comprised in a dozen 
a of quotation from Mr. Gilpin, de- 
scriptive merely of its picturesque situ- 
ation. Plymouth, however, is treated 
of in a manner more worthy of its im- 
portance: its antient history and present 
state are well detailed, and the vast 
Naval establishments at this port are 
mentioned with laudable minuteness. 
Mount Edgecumbe deserves and has 
obtained a spirited and characteristic 
description; and Mr. Smeaton’s inte- 
resting narrative of the building of the 
Eddystone lighthouse, has furnished ma- 
terials for twenty very entertaining 
‘pa S. 
' The account of Tavistock is in some 
Tespects unsatisfactory: the only em. 
ployment of the inhabitants which we 
find mentioned is, the manufacture of 
serges for the East India company, 
which we believe is at present almost 
wholly superseded by the working of the 
‘copper-mines on the Cornish. side of the 
‘town. The institution for the study of 
‘Saxon literature, established at this place 
Prior to the reformation, is a very ex- 
‘traordinary and honourable distinction ; 
og any nptices which the authors could 
have procured relative to this Saxon 
school, would have been received by the 
iblic with eagerness and gratitude. 
_. The best specimen of topographical 
‘Mescription in the whole volume is the 
iccount of Tiverton, a respectable ma- 
ufacturing town, remarkable for the 
severe misfortunes against which it has 
had to struggle, and a striking instance 
‘of the amazing power of commerce 
founded upon manufacture, in repair- 
|ing the heaviest losses. In 1591, when 
Tiverton was the principal seat of the 
woollen manufacture in Devonshire, the 
plague was introduced by a traveller, 
which, in a few months, destroyed or 
drove away a large proportion of the 
: Scarcely had this scourge 
ee Ee a ee a ee ee ae 
population. ] 
passed over, when, in 1598, four hun- 
dred houses, and several places of wor- 
BRITTON AND BRAYLEY’S BEAUTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES, 
423 
ship, were laid in ashes, by an atciden- 
tal conflagration; some of the ittha- 
bitants, and a great number of horses, 
lost their lives on this occasion, atid the 
value of property destroyed was esti- 
mated at one hundred and fifty thousand 
pounds. ‘Tiverton, however, continued 
to be the staple of the woollen trade, 
and in the course of a few years, had not 
only recovered its losses, but was bes 
comé one of the most thriving towns in 
the west of England, two thousand 
pounds in ready money being expended 
every market-day in the purchase of - 
Wool and yarn. Its tising prosperity 
was laid waste in 1612, by a second fire 
still more déstructive than the former. 
With thé exception of the church, the 
schools, alms-houses, and about thirty 
inferior houses, the rest of the town was 
wholly ruined; goods and utensils were 
destroyéd to a vast amount, and all 
classes of inhabitants were reduced to 
the utmost distress. Even after this 
dreadful blow the spirit of industry, 
though chécked, was not destroyed: in 
1625 the resident population amount+ 
ed to six thousand persons, and at the 
breaking out of the civil wars was ine 
creaséd to eight thousand. The stormy 
times that ensued, and the disastrous 
reigns of Chatles II. and James II. 
checked thé prosperity of Tiverton, 
which however recovered its lost ground 
under William III. and Anne. In 173i, 
a third fire broke out, which destroyed 
three hundred houses, and occasioned 2 
clause in the act for rebuilding the town, 
prohibiting the use of thatched roofs. 
The supply of the German and Brabant 
markets again restored the prosperity of 
the place: but the rivalship of Norwich, 
more fatal than the plague or fire, pal- 
sied the industry of the inhabitants: the 
woollen trade of Yorkshire then brought 
on the general decline of the western 
manufactures, in which Tiverton has 
borne its share ; the population, accord- 
ing to the late enumeration, amounting 
only to six thousand five hundred. ; 
Many eminent men have been natives 
of Devonshire; of whom various no- 
tices and anecdotes are inserted in the 
descriptions of the places where they 
were born. 
guished are, the great naval comman. 
ders Drake, Sir Richard Granville, Sir 
J. Hawkins, and Sir W. Raleigh; the 
poets Gay and W. Browne; Granger, 
the biographer; and Sir Joshua Rey- 
nolds ; Judge Bracton, Dr. Thomas Bod- 
Among the most -distin-, 
