426 Mr. Hardy's Account of Eyemouth Fort. 



conveyed orders to the Earl of Bedford, the English warden, 

 to seize the position. Bedford, a prudent and judicious man, 

 writes, 18th August, 1565, to Elizabeth, acknowledging the 

 receipt of " her letters for the taking and fortifying of Aymouth, 

 to the utmost of his power, but lays before her the many diffi- 

 culties in taking and sure keeping thereof, and so he will 

 wait further orders."* He again writes to the Earl of Lei- 

 cester, from Berwick, 26th October, 1565 ; "I am advertised 

 foure or five wayes that the Scottish Queen meaneth to take 

 Aymouth, and that shortly. I have written heretofore that 

 it hath been often viewed, and now I write that it will be 

 fortifyed."t But nothing was done eventually. Queen 

 Mary, 15th July, 1566, accompanied by 800 or 1000 horse, 

 passed through the town ; Sir John Forster, the English 

 warden depute, escorting her with 60 horse, to near Eye- 

 mouth. The fort of Eyemouth henceforth disappears from 

 the page of history. I cannot enter upon the annals of the 

 town. In later times, two circumstances, interesting to us 

 as naturaliats, have been chronicled, although, perhaps, now 

 forgotten. Two whales were brought ashore. 1752, '' on 

 Friday, the 19th instant (June), another account says the 

 12th, a whale appeared near the shore of Eyemouth, and, 

 having received some hurt, as is supposed, it could not get 

 to sea again, and was, without much difficulty, killed and 

 hauled on shore by the fishermen. It measures 52 feet in 

 length. "$ Again, on the 15th September, 1817 (harvest had 

 scarcely commenced then), " a dead whale was towed into 

 Eyemouth harbour by the fishermen. It measured 62 feet 

 in length. Both its jaw-bcnes were broken. Eyemouth, for 

 several days, was crowded with visitors, to get a sight of 

 this monster of the deep."§ 



• Keith's Hist. III., p. 339. 



t Keith's Hist. III., p.;.')76. 



X " Newcastle Journal," June 27, 1752. 



§ " Berwick Advertiser." 



