KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



199 



at sea and on shore — the Ramillies, a fine ship 

 of 74 guns, and 734 men, commanded by Capt. 

 Taylor, was lost here, about three miles west- 

 ward of the Bolt Head, where she was em- 

 barged in consequence of mistaking the "Bolt 

 Tail " for the " Rame Head," and erroneously 

 conceiving that they were driving into Ply- 

 mouth Sound. Finding (when too late) that 

 they were driving ashore, they let go their 

 anchors and cut away their masts ; riding 

 safely till the evening, when the gale in- 

 creased to such a degree that the cables 

 parted, and she drove upon the rocks. Out 

 of a crew of 734 men, only one midship- 

 man, and twenty-five men were saved. 

 These jumped from the stern of the ship on 

 to the rocks ; as the cliffs just here are 

 not very steep they managed to make good 

 their landing. 



Having seen the tremendous seas that, 

 during an ordinary gale of wind, dash so terrifi- 

 cally on this iron-bound coast, I have often 

 wondered how it was possible for any human 

 being to be saved; and though there have been 

 many vessels wrecked within my recollection 

 under these cliffs, there have never been any 

 of the crews left to tell the tale. Ramillies 

 Hole is so peculiarly situated that it can 

 only be entered by boats at certain tides and 

 winds, in very calm weather, when there is 

 no swell on the sea. It cannot even be seen 

 from any part of the cliffs. Some of the 

 guns of this ill-fated ship may yet be seen 

 near the mouth of the cavern, at very low 

 spring tides, when there are not more than 

 five or six fathoms of water. 



The cliff westward of this place is called 

 " "Whitchurch ;" next to which is " Redthroat 

 Cove." Both take their names from the 

 color of the strata on the sides of the cliff. 

 A few yards from the edge, is a very lofty 

 barrow, having a large pit on the top, as if 

 it had been opened, though possibly it might 

 have been used as a watch-station. 



"We now come to the " Bolt Tail," a large 

 area containing many acres of sheep pasture. 

 This area formed a noble and strong fortifi- 

 cation, of great simplicity, apparently im- 

 pregnable ; being defended on the north, 

 south, and west, by the sea, and by an im- 

 mensely strong rampart and ditch to the east 

 against the land. Leaving the Bolt Tail, 

 we enter " Hope Cove," in which is situated 

 the little village of Inner Hope (in the parish 

 of Marlborough), so justly renowned for its 

 lobsters and crabs, the largest of which may 

 be purchased here at from Is. to Is. 6d. 

 each. There is a splendid sandy beach in 

 the form of a half moon, nearly half a mile 

 in length ; and further westward are innu- 

 merable masses of dark rocks of every shape 

 and form that can be conceived. 



At the other end of the Cove, is the 

 village of Outer Hope, situated in the 



parish of South Huish. On a lofty pro- 

 montory is the signal staff of the Coast - 

 Guard Station ; and under the cliff, the pre- 

 ventive house, with the residences of the 

 officer and men. Leaving these, and walk- 

 ing further round the bay, into the parish 

 of Thurlstone, w r e come to a remarkable 

 perforated rock, standing some distance 

 from the shore, known by the name of 

 " Thurlstone Rock." It is thirty feet high, 

 forty feet long ; and the archway twenty 

 feet high by ten broad. At low water it is 

 sometimes left dry ; but at high water the 

 sea often breaks over it. In a south-west 

 gale, the noise of the wind and the sea 

 dashing over it, may be heard at, a con- 

 siderable distance ; this is regarded by the 

 inhabitants as indicative of approaching 

 rain. 



The curiously-arched rock on the coast of 

 New Zealand, of which an engraving is 

 given in Cook's Voyages, does not appear 

 to be more extraordinary or of greater 

 dimensions than this on the Devonshire 

 shore. In the summer of 1803, some of 

 the volunteer artillery in the neighborhood 

 amused themselves by firing at this rock ; 

 but fortunately its resistance was superior to 

 their ill-judged attempts. At the bottom of 

 Bigbury Bay, at the mouth of the river 

 "Aune,"or "Avon," stands St. Michael's 

 Rock, commonly called " Bur "or" Burro w " 

 Island. It is several acres in extent, and 

 about a quarter of a mile long, by the same 

 in breadth ; rising with a steep ascent from 

 every side to the centre. Camden mentions 

 the ruins of a chapel as having once stood 

 there ; but these have long since vanished, 

 and are supplanted by a pleasure- house, of 

 one room, which crowns the summit. The 

 island swarms with rabbits ; and may be 

 approached at low water by a dry path. A 

 pilchard fishery was established here some 

 years since, by a company of respectable 

 persons residing in the neighborhood ; and 

 is still carried on with great success. 



At the east end of this parish, and about 

 half a mile to the north of Marlborough 

 Church, is an entrenchment in the shape of 

 an egg, the ellipse being rather more 

 flattened at one end than the other. This 

 entrenchment commands the roads leading 

 from Kingsbrklge as well as from Modbury 

 and Plymouth, to Marlborough, Salcombe, 

 and Fort Charles, (an account of which was 

 given in Kidd's Journal, for Februar.). 

 Its length from east to west, is thirty-six 

 perches ; and from north to south at the 

 widest part, twenty-two perches. The north- 

 west parts of the ditch are thirty feet broad 

 at the top, and five or six deep. The east 

 and south, from three to four feet wide, and 

 ten to fifteen in depth. The south-west end 

 of this excavation is now planted with apple 



