92 



THE BRITISH ISLES. 



at the foot of steep cliffs, has grown from a small fishing village into a fashion- 

 able watering-place. 



Exmouth commands the entrance to the estuary of the river Exe. It is charm.- 

 ingly situated, and is much resorted to by sea-bathers. Ascending the Exe, we 

 reach Topsham, which has ship yards and rope-walks, and is connected by a ship 

 canal, 15 feet deep, ^vith the city of Exeter. The Exe is said to have been formerly 

 navigable for sea-going vessels as far as the quays of Exeter, but the municipality 



Fig. 50.— ToK Bay. 



Scale 1 : 120,000. 



Under 5 Fathoms. 



Over 5 Fathoms. 

 1 Mile. 



having offended the neighbouring nobility by forbidding inhabitants of the town 

 to appear in the livery of a lord without previously obtaining the license of the 

 mayor and his council, an Earl of Devon had the water dammed above Topsham, 

 and thus caused the river to silt up rapidly. The village of Topsham, which 

 was his property, then became the port of the w^hole district. It is, however, far 

 more reasonable to suppose that the Exe became silted up through the slow opera- 

 tion of natural ao^encies. 



