AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 29 



that some provision must be made to prevent the pond from 

 being entirely emptied, so as to preserve the fish.* 



We may now turn our attention to some other topic. 

 There is an erection in Fore Street, known by the name of 

 the " Timber House," of which some remarkable things 

 are said. Listen to this — " I am told that Mr. Lavers 

 reversed the usual order of things, by commencing at the 

 top, and building downwards." " Yes — so he did." " How 

 did he manage this architectural feat ? " " Can't tell'ee, 

 but so he did," We should think this problem as diffi- 

 cult of solution as Euclid's " Pons Asinorum." Once 

 upon a time, a man really kept his donkey on the roof 

 of this house. Although not remarkably up in the world 

 himself, yet he took care that his " Mulley," f at least, 

 should occupy an elevated position in life, and so he had 

 his stable on the flat roof; and the animal used to walk 

 up and down the long flights of stairs which connected 

 his home with the street below, (as our informant said,) 

 " like a Christian." The eccentric owner of the donkey 

 also had a sort of garden laid out upon the house-top. 



Hawkins mentions six bridges within the limits of the 

 town : it would puzzle a stranger to find them, for they 

 are now little more than covered Avater-courses. Thcy 

 were as follows:— the first called pre-eminently "The 

 Bridge," was near the bottom of the town, the second 

 is Gallant's bridge, at the further end of Mill Street ; the 

 third, Duck's bridge; the fourth, Quay bridge; the fifth, 

 Duncombe's bridge; and the sixth is that which crosses 

 the stream dividing the two parishes. Previous to the 



* This information is mostly gathered from minute books bclonm'nr>- to 

 the Water Trust. 



f Provincial name for a Donkey. 



