POLLACK AND PILCHARDS 89 



there was monotony in the gleam of its scales and in 

 the reek of its remains, was not the fish the cause of 

 that beautiful fleet of red-winged craft, that, with 

 hoarse shouting from the men and creaking of 

 cordage from the masts, streamed out between the 

 piers at the moment of our arrival ! Our waggon- 

 ette slid down the steep track on a gradient so 

 appalling that the little churchyard, lying in a 

 dell on our right, looked like being our next change 

 of address. It was nearly high water that first 

 evening, and the only eyesore in the harbour was 

 the mass of unfinished work on the then incom- 

 plete pier. Such a scene held no place for these 

 insignia of the contractor. Still, the pier has 

 been a great boon, and the generosity of the laird 

 of Carhaeys never took a more beneficent direc- 

 tion than in facilitating its completion. There 

 was there still is, and I hope there always will 

 be another great project under discussion at 

 that time, the linking up of Mevagissey and the 

 iron road by a light railway. Then indeed would 

 the little place fall between two stools. It is 

 wanting in the elements of success as an ordinary 

 vulgar watering place, particularly for the child- 

 ren's holidays. The sandy beaches are some dis- 

 tance away, and the cliffs and quays are unsafe 

 for children at play. The medical adviser would 

 probably pronounce against the smell from the 

 harbour at low tide (which never yet did any harm) 



