17 
the dark, and from the effects of frequent storms have an entirely 
peculiar appearance. As we passed this dangerous place, the wind 
increased, and the motion of the little ship, with the continual 
jarring of the steam-engine, became exceedingly disagreeable* 
As the birth allotted to me was too short, I was obliged to place 
my mattrass upon the floor. The heat and strokes of the adja¬ 
cent steam-engine, the coughing of a catarrhous Irishman, and 
the squalling of a child in the next cabin, long prevented me from 
sleeping. It was not until near morning that I began to slumber, 
but was soon waked again by the insupportable heat. I sought 
refuge upon deck, where nearly all the company, without ex¬ 
cepting the captain, were unwell. 
The rocky English coast was in view in almost every direc¬ 
tion; the town of Dartmouth appears to be very finely situated. 
After a rather long and unpleasant passage, we arrived in Ply¬ 
mouth Bay at 1 o’clock, P. M. We passed a little to the left of 
the breakwater, a dam intended to protect Plymouth road from 
the south-west storms, begun thirteen years ago, but not yet com¬ 
pleted: we were gratified with the view of Mount Edgecumbe 
Park and Drake’s Island, on which is a small fort that forms a 
very beautiful view from the three towns, Plymouth, with the 
citadel; Stonehouse and Plymouth Dock, now called Devonport. 
This dock, with all the ships building and repairing there, fur¬ 
nishes a beautiful and imposing prospect. 
After my arrival I paid a visit to the authorities of this place. 
The admiral in chief, Sir James Saumarez, a worthy man, seventy 
years of age, excited in me an extraordinary degree of interest. 
He has served England for fifty-six years, and during the last 
war commanded for five years in the Eastern Ocean. His actions 
are known to all the world, and caused him to be distinguished 
with the grand cross of the order of the Bath, which he has worn 
for twenty-four years. 
Among the remarkable things of this place, is the court¬ 
house, which is a new, oblong building, having on one of its small 
sides a broad staircase leading to a portico, with four Ionic columns. 
The hall is large and very conveniently arranged with galleries 
for spectators. Beneath the dock for the prisoners is a trap-door, 
by which persons are brought from the prison on the ground 
floor, for trial, and carried back again, without being brought 
into contact with the public. The six cells for prisoners in the 
lower part of the house are all arched with stone, and furnish¬ 
ed with iron bedsteads. The doors are of stout oak plank, stud¬ 
ded with iron; a small opening allows air and light to enter, 
though very sparingly. The prisoners can walk daily for exercise 
in a corridor, twelve paces in length, by three in breadth: they 
have a miserable existence. We left this granite and marble 
Vol. I. 3 
