132 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



rampart for defence, seems conclusive ; it has 

 a spacious ditch behind it, and completely 

 commands the valley. The situation and 

 character of this bottom and bay so precisely 

 suit the idea of a " nest of pirates," and pre- 

 datory invaders, that it gives a great color 

 to the generally-received opinion. 



Proceeding round the edge of this bay, 

 we come to a point of land, in advance of 

 which, rather to the southward, is an isolated 

 rock, called the "Mewstone." This is a 

 celebrated resort of the cormorant ; several 

 dozens of these birds may be seen at once 

 sitting with their wings expanded, drying 

 and sunning themselves. They afford good 

 practice with ball ; for they will let one 

 approach within rifle shot of them. Still 

 going westward along these cliffs (which 

 here take the name of the " Warren," from 

 their being inhabited by myriads of rabbits, 

 who lodge among the crevices of the rocks), 

 we come to the next object worthy of notice, 

 a large rock lying off in the sea, called 

 the " Goat." A little further on, is " Steeple 

 Cove ;" so called from a great rock resembling 

 a steeple. We now arrive at " Roberdeau 

 Point,"'' doubtless so called, from the name 

 of some French Captain whose ship was lost 

 here. Next are the " Raven Rocks," exceed- 

 ingly romantic ; and a short distance further, 

 is " Roden " or u Randen " cove. There 

 exists a tradition, that in the year 176 — , a 

 foreign ship, loaded with marble statues, was 

 wrecked here ; and that the statues were car- 

 ried to Powderham Castle, near Exeter, the 

 seat of the Earl of Devon. But what should 

 have given rise to this story, it is at this dis- 

 tance of time difficult to determine. 



The " Hamstone " is now reached. It is 

 a small rock, situated a little distance from 

 the shore, a trifle to the westward of which 

 is " Sewer Mill Bay." At the entrance of 

 this bay, is a picturesque cluster of rocks, 

 consisting of one large and several small ones, 

 called the " Parson and Clerks." On the 

 high land near this place, is the Signal House 

 belonging to the preventive station at Sal- 

 combe. A few hundred yards from the top 

 of the cliff stands a huge detached rock, called 

 " Isel Tor." This object is peculiarly grand ; 

 and viewed from a point twenty or thirty 

 yards below, and a little to the westward, 

 is one of the most magnificent rocks that can 

 be seen, being of vast dimensions and per- 

 fectly picturesque in form. All the scenery 

 of these bottoms and heights is very mag- 

 nificent and picturesque. About a gunshot 

 to the westward of " Sewer Mill Bay," is 

 " Dragon Bay," so called from a ship (belong- 

 ing to London, called the Dragon) having 

 been wrecked here, in 1757. In this vessel 

 perished the family of Chambers, consisting 

 of a sister and three brothers, who were 

 returning from Jamaica. '1 he flat downs 



and bottoms, for some distance westward of 

 this, are called "Cat-hole," as they were 

 anciently the resort of wild cats. At the 

 entrance west of these downs, is a waste piece 

 of ground, near two monstrous large stones, of 

 equal sizes. Here is said to have been the 

 principal resort of the fairies (in Devonshire, 

 called Pixies, or Piskies), and here they have 

 been reported to have been seen playing 

 their games and vagaries. 



Our next object worthy of notice, is a 

 cavern called " Ralph's Hole." This cavern 

 faces the sea (which is seen foaming at a 

 depth of at least four hundred feet below), 

 and is about twenty feet in length, 

 seven broad, and eight high. The rock 

 at the west corner of the entrance (by 

 doubling which this cavern is alone ap- 

 proached) projects to within two or three feet 

 of the edge of the precipice ; in such a 

 manner, that a single person within might 

 easily defend his habitation against a host of 

 foes. Only one person is able to pass at 

 a time, and that with considerable difficulty ; 

 so that intruders might successively be 

 tumbled into the sea. The tradition is, that 

 one Ralph, in order to avoid the bailiffs (for 

 he was a pirate or malefactor who had fled 

 from justice) made this his place of abode for 

 many years ; and with a prong for his weapon 

 kept the catchpoles at bay. On Sundays he 

 wandered abroad, and his wife assisted him 

 through the rest of the week in getting 

 provisions. In what period this happened 

 does not appear, but it is certainly of a very 

 old date. 



The Eddystone Lighthouse may be dis- 

 tinctly seen from any of the high land on 

 this part of the coast. It is nearly in the 

 line which joins the Start, the Prawle, and 

 the Lizard. Near this place are the " Wind- 

 stone Pits ; " these are a number of 

 tremendous and deep fissures. It seems 

 probable that some convulsion of nature 

 divided the cliffs about this place, and shat- 

 tered the immense rocks in pieces. Adjoining 

 these, is " Ousehole Cove." Here opens a 

 noble view of Bigbury Bay, the Rame Head, 

 and entrance to Plymouth sound, the Eddy- 

 stone, the coast of Cornwall, &c. Not far 

 from this place, and at a distance of at least 

 three hundred and fifty feet from the top of 

 the cliff, (which from not being so perpendicu- 

 lar as the rest of the cliffs, is just practi- 

 cable) an attempt was made, in the year 1770, 

 by one Easton, who resided at Dodbrook, to 

 open a copper mine, but on the produce 

 being assayed, and proving to be mundic, 

 the attempt was given up, and the adventurer 

 had the empty honor of leaving the shaft 

 — his name 7 



C. F. T. Y. 



Stoekleigh Pomeroy, Devon. 



(To be Continued in our next.) 



