90 



THE BRITISH ISLES. 



above tier on the hillsides. Dartmouth has a convenient harbour. It was the 

 birthplace of Newcomen, the improver of the steam-engine. Higher up on the 

 Dart rises Tofiics, with the ruins of an ancient castle, and still farther inland is 

 As/ibiirhn, a mining town, almost in the centre of the cider district of South 



Hams. 



Several towns of note are seated upon the shore of Tor Bay. Brixham, on its 

 south side, is the principal fishing town of Devonshire, about two hundred trawlers 



Fiff. 48.— Smeaton's Ehuystone Lighthouse. 



belonging to its port. Its harbour is protected by a breakwater. It was here 

 that William of Orange landed in 1688. Paignton, in the centre of the bay, has 

 a small harbour. Torquay, on the northern side of the bay, rises in terraces 

 above the magnificent quay, whilst the surrounding heights are studded with 

 villas. It is the most important seaside resort on the south coast of England 

 to the west of Brighton, its equable climate and the shelter afforded by the 

 surrounding heights also attracting a large number of persons suffering from 

 consumption. The influx of bathers and invjlids has caused the population of 



