435 
ISLE of 
railed by art. The tradl oflavsd betwixt this and the fea 
is perhaps about halt' a mile broad, rather uneven and 
biHocky in its appearance indeed, but of fo rich a foil, 
and fo finely cultivated, that no part of the ifiand can 
boaft a more excellent produce. Here fir Richard Woriley 
eredled a neat cottage, and planted a vinery, which is 
now- in a profperous irate. To its advantageous fituation, 
the natural warmth, no doubt, greatly contributes: its 
expofure is to the iouth: the cliff, which rifes fo much 
above it, is a natural garden-wall (heltering it from the 
northern blafts, and reflecting the folar rays with re¬ 
doubled force. The fine fprings and natural cafcades 
which adorn this favourite fpot may aifo operate to the 
fame fertilizing effedl; but, how'ever this be, it is altoge¬ 
ther one of the moll pleafing and lingular objedls of the 
kind that is any where to be met with. It is by moll 
fuppofed, and perhaps not without reafon, that this part 
of the land formerly gave way, feparated froip what is 
now' the cliff, and fettled in this furprifing form. This 
may feem the rather probable, as the report is, that at a 
fmall diftance there is fuch another fall under the water. 
After leaving this curious phenomenon, and getting 
round a pretty large cape, we are brought into Chale 
Bay, fo denominated from the parifii of Chale, by which 
it is environed. This bay is lined with one continued 
chain of thofe tremendous rocks which are fo often fatal 
to the haplefs mariner. The fituation of it is fuch as to 
occafion a mod violent roll of tide into it, fo that fhips 
failing upon a lee-lhore, and efpecially in the night, are 
unwarily driven upon thefe rocks, and often beat to 
pieces. Few winters pafs without misfortunes more or 
lefs of this kind, of which fome people have made a very 
lucrative perhaps, but certainly a very barbarous, advan¬ 
tage. Of late years indeed, fuch difallers have fallen un¬ 
der the immediate regulation of proper officers, and all 
plundering difcouraged by the puniftiment of its deteflion. 
However fmall the advantage of this may finally be to the 
merchant, humanity will delight in the fuppreffion of all 
cuftoms of fuch extreme depravity. 
The next objedt which particularly ftrikes our atten¬ 
tion, is a long range of white cliffs near a village called 
Freffiwater: they are of a chalky fubftance and of prodi¬ 
gious magnitude; fome of them rife to the height of fix 
hundred feet above the fea which wadies them. They 
excite curiofity alfo on this fingular account, that in the 
fummer months they are inhabited by incredible numbers 
of exotic birds, which feem to affemble here purely to 
enjoy the advantage of thefe warm and glowing rocks to 
hatch their eggs, and be nurferies for their young. Their 
firft appearance is generally about the middle of May, and 
they produce a new generation fit to emigrate by about 
the middle of Augult following, at which time they take 
themfelves off, and we fee no more of them till the next 
breeding-feafon. They are of two or three different fpe- 
cies, as is plain from their beaks and plumage; and, 
whill'c with us, they get their fubfiftence out of the fea: 
for this reafon their flefii is too rank for human food, 
but they are not altogether ufelefs: the filherman is glad 
of their carcafes for his bait, and the upholfterer will give 
a good price for their feathers; their eggs, which are 
about the fize of thofe of a duck, are faid to be full as 
good for culinary purpofes. The country people there¬ 
fore want not motives to exercife their fkill and dexterity 
in taking them. They have a way of doing it, which, 
for its oddity, may deferve to be noticed In the firft 
place, a large flake or iron bar is driven into the top of 
the cliff; to this is fattened a cart-rope, or fomething of 
like ftrength, having at the other end of it a ftick put 
crofs-wife for the adventurer to fit upon, or fupport him- 
ielt by; and with this fimple apparatus he lets himfelf 
down at the front of this horrid precipice; there he at¬ 
tacks his intended prey as it files in or out of its neft, 
and fecures as much as he can of it. See farther under' 
Bird-catching, vol. iii. p. 54. Many of the ftrangers 
who frequent the ifiand are far lefs excufable perfecutors 5 
W I G H T. 
we mean fuch as have no other objefl but that of mere 
diverfion in going out in boats to fhoot the birds. The 
report of a gun caules fuch numbers of them to fly out 
and hover round t.ieir affailants as are altonifhing ; and it 
may be amulement to fome people merely to wound 
and deftroy ; but, fince their fiefh is wholly unfit for 
food, can humanity fubfcribe to this wanton recreation ? 
or may it not rather be reproved in the language of the 
pelted frogs? “ What is fport to you is death to us.” 
Upon leaving thefe temporary colonifts, we pleafantly 
arrive at the weftern extremity of the ifiand. This pre- 
fents us with a full view of that remarkable group of 
rocks fo well known by the name of the Needles. They 
are fo called in reference to their (harp and craggy points. 
Several of them are at confiderable diftances from the 
land, as well as from each other; and, as they rife to the 
height of many feet above the water, they appear at a 
diftance like the remains of fome broken towers, which 
had been ftiattered and thrown down by an earthquake. 
They are, neverthelefs, of nature’s own curious but un- 
poliffied workmanfhip, and have doubtlefs flood for im- 
memorable ages without any material changes. Nothing 
however is an abfolute proof againft the injuries of time: 
it is but a few years fince that one of thefe folid py¬ 
ramids yielded to the fury of a florin, and fell, to the 
no fmall furprife of thofe who were within hearing of 
the mighty crafh. 
When we have cleared thefe rocks (which in the fea- 
man’s phrafe is going through the Needles), we re-enter 
the Solent before-mentioned, where the lcgne becomes 
more familiar and domeftic. Inftead of maffy rocks and 
toweling cliffs, we have lands in view which rife with a 
more eafy elegance, and the portus objtMu laterum favours 
us with a more calm and placid fea. In the courfe of 
this paffage we are entertained with a fight of the cattles 
of Hurft and Calfhot, Lutterell’s Tower, the town of 
Lymington, &c. on the one fide, and the towns and 
cattles of' Yarmouth and Cowes on the other, till the 
whole circuit is completed. 
Before we quit this channel, however, it may be pro- 
per to obferve, that a number of paftage-veffels are con- 
ilantly employed upon it, to keep up the mutual inter- 
courfe which either pleafure or bufinefs may call for. 
There are among thefe three in government-pay, called 
packet-boats, which carry the mails to and from South¬ 
ampton and Cowes, taking pafiengers, either with or 
without horfes or carriages; and one of them is always in 
readinefs to be hired on any emergency. Befiaes thefe, 
there are divers other veffels which make it their bufinefs 
to go and return daily, between Yarmouth and Lyming- 
ton, Ride, Cowes, and Portfmouth. By.thefe and other 
means, both ftated and accidental, there ieeins little or no 
reafon to complain of the detached and infular fituation 
of this part of Hampfhire. 
One of the higheft and moft remarkable hills in the 
ifiand is named St. Catharine’s, on which there are ftiil 
the remains (vifible at a great diftance) of an ancient 
hermitage, dedicated to the honour of that faint, from 
whence the mountain itfelf took, and ftiil bears, her name. 
The hill is feven hundred and fifty feet above high-water 
mark. The hermitage is an odlagon, each fide being four 
feet, and the height from its bale to the lummit thirty- 
two feet; as fuch, it makes a very confpicuous and ufeful 
objedl at fea. This hill is fo near the fea as to admit of a 
full view of it to the fouth, and on the other points it 
pre.fents a very extenfive .profpedt of the ifiand. Thera 
are other ftations where the fea may be feen partially, at 
eight, ten, or more, places at a time: one of thefe is on. 
the north fide towards Ride, called the Abbey of Quarr. 
This religious houfe, with lands for its fupport, was con¬ 
firmed to God and the Roly Virgin, by Richard earl of 
Exeter, and the fon of Baldwin, to pray for the fouls of 
his fattier and mother. At the fuppreffion, it was valued 
at 134I. 3s. ud. per annum. It was firft built anno 113-v. 
It plow contains very few veftigea of its ancient dignity. 
In 
