EERNY COMBES. 
35 
an immense size, particularly Lastrea dilatata. Be¬ 
fore we reach the Abbey, we turn to the left, up 
a steep hill to the church, which is magnificently 
placed, and bears witness to the good taste of its 
founders. An ancient screen, in excellent preser¬ 
vation, is worth particular attention. It is most ela¬ 
borately carved, the upper part representing grapes 
and vine-leaves; it is quite a work of art, and pro¬ 
bably beguiled many an hour for the monks of the 
abbey near by. From the churchyard a stile leads 
into a broad turf road along the fields, to the quay. 
A wilder place than this can hardly be found. The 
quay itself is much the size of that at Clovelly, and 
built after the same fashion; but there is but one 
most dismal-looking house, with stores for the coals, 
etc., that are landed here. The broken, craggy, 
black rocks jut out into the sea and break the 
waves as they come rushing in like wild horses, and 
all around rise giant cliffs perforated with deep, 
mysterious caverns, where the Osmunda and the 
Sea Bern hang from their dripping roofs. A scram¬ 
ble over the wet rocks and lines of sand to these 
caves will enable a person to judge of the stupen¬ 
dous height of the cliffs. By night the scene is 
most grand and awful. 
Passing on, we keep at the edge of the cliffs 
(which at the back of the quay are no great height) 
