122 THE LAND'S END 



Here it must be explained that by " place " several 

 things are meant the appearance of the buildings, if 

 it be a town or village ; its scenery and physical con- 

 ditions generally ; and, finally, its inhabitants, their 

 physique, dress, speech and character. 



Now that I know Penzance fairly well, having 

 visited it a dozen or twenty times, occasionally stay- 

 ing a week or longer in it, I am glad to be able to go 

 back to my very first impression, which, fortunately, 

 I did not leave wholly to memory. 



The first visit was on a Tuesday, which is market 

 day in Penzance, always the best day on which to visit 

 a country town if one is interested in the people and 

 their domestic animals. Although in midwinter, the 

 day was exceptionally mild and very fine, and arriving 

 early, I spent some hours in strolling about the 

 streets, peeping into the churches, and visiting the 

 public gardens, the sea-front and cattle -market. 

 The town itself, despite its fine situation on Mount's 

 Bay, with the famous castle on the island hill, opposite 

 Marazion, on one hand and the bold coast scenery 

 by Newlyn and Mousehole on the other, interested 

 me as little as any country town I have seen. Streets 

 narrow and others narrower still, some straight, some 

 very crooked, with houses on either side, mostly 

 modern, all more or less mean or commonplace in 

 appearance. The market, too, was curiously mean, 

 and the animals poor ; it was a surprise to see such 

 cattle in a district which is chiefly dependent on dairy 

 produce. The cows were small, mostly lean and all 

 in an incredibly rough and dirty condition, their 



