!>T. PETER-PORT IX BYGONE TIMES. 347 



Fountain-street has been embalmed in many of the poems of 

 George Metivier who was himself, as he tells us— "Nai dans la 

 Rue d'la Fontaine," — born in Fountain-street. 



Going back to the north again. It has often been said that 

 the Pollet was originally called La Rue des Forges ; Smith- 

 street at the same time having been called La Rue Chasse- Vassal 

 or Cache-Vassal ; but this statement I am presumptuous enough 

 to question. My theory is that only the upper part of Smith- 

 street (that outside the gate) Avas known as La Rue de Chasse- 

 Vassal, the lower part being La Rue des Forges. At any rate I 

 find the Pollet called " Le Pollet " as far back as 1581, and 

 frequently after that. This name of Le Pollet, I have no doubt, 

 was taken from a suburb of Dieppe which was so called, and 

 which has a somewhat similar topographical position, although 

 of much greater extent and importance than its Guernsey 

 namesake. The phrase "lafalaize du Pollet," used in Guernsey 

 documents in I08I, is the very one which writers upon Dieppe 

 use with reference to their quartier. The Dieppe and St. Peter- 

 Port Pollets appear to be the only ones in existence, and 

 historians of Dieppe can come to no satisfactory decision as to 

 the derivation of this name which has been borne by a part of 

 their town since the year 1283 if not longer. 



I can only briefly refer to a few other points : the water- 

 mills of St. Peter-Port : the Upper, the Middle and the Lower 

 Mill or Moulin de la Mer, which last stood at the south side of 

 the present Market-steps, and was removed in 1870. Where 

 Mill-street now stands, there was a path along the mill-race, 

 mentioned as leading from Contre Croix or Porte-vase to 

 Fountain-street. Li 1580 it was enacted that the mill-race must 

 be kept in good repair ; in l(i27 that Mills must not be worked 

 on Sundays : in 1781 it was forbidden to place obstacles in the 

 douit of the Town Mills from the New Mill to the Moulin de 

 la Mer. In 1432 the Miller complained to the Royal Court that 

 the neighbours threw their old hats and dead cats into the 

 stream, but he got nothing for his pains except an order to 

 strain the water before he used it. The stream continued daily 

 to pour many gallons of Original Guernsey P)Ouquet tipon the 

 bed of the Town harbour. 



Another very interesting paper might be written on the 

 more recent improvements of the town. It might tell how the 

 whole hill-side below Clifton was carted away to make room 

 for the Commercial Arcade ; of the streets removed to gain 

 space for the new Markets ; of Mr. John Havilland De 

 Saumarez opening up his estate for building purposes, laying 

 out Havilland-street, John-street, Saumarez-street, and Union- 

 street ; the first house erected, New-Town House, No. 8, 

 Saumarez-street, is dated 1804. The townsfolk were astonished 

 at his audacity and declared that in the first gale the chimneys 



