THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Januaby 3, I860, 
209 
placed so near this stream, that it is said boatmen in former 
times were wont to moor their craft to a tree on the lawn. 
Recent embankments have added a considerable amount of useful 
space to the grounds on this side; but the site of the house, it is 
needless to say, remains as before—only a few feet above the 
level of high-water mark ; while in its immediate vicinity the 
ground rises on all sides to a considerable altitude, affording 
abundance of the best sites possible for the residence of a noble¬ 
man—the country around being as hilly as is convenient for 
cultivation, without assuming that wild character which poets 
and novelists call the romantic. On the contrary, the Cornwall 
hills in this part of the country are well timbered and cultivated, 
and present as great a degree of fertility as the best districts in 
England. 
While making these observations on the county, I may remark 
that a railway journey from Plymouth to Truro is perhaps second 
to none in the kingdom for the beauty of the country it passes 
through—hill and dale; rural districts and mining districts ; 
wild romantic moors and an interesting sea-board; thriving 
towns and decayed ones, with nothing about them but the interest 
of their having once furnished senators to the British Parliament. 
It is not my purpose to moralise on this and other subjects, but 
to describe certain features about this interesting place worthy of 
being better known. 
The mansion of Port Eliot, the noble seat of Earl St. Germains, 
is placed in a low situation on the southern shores of a stream, 
which, when the tide is in, is swelled into the condition of a 
broad river or estuary; the ground, rising gradually from the 
mansion both cast, south, and w T est, gives it the appearance of 
being very low. The building also is not lofty, being more wisely 
built for convenience than for show ; it, however, presents specious 
fronts on all sides, the rising ground on the south side making it 
appear one story lower than on the north side. The liower 
garden is on the east side, but dressed grounds surround it on 
the north and south sides also ; the west front being the entrance, 
and partaking more of the park than the pleasure-ground cha¬ 
racter. The grounds are more remarkable for their extent, and 
for the One specimens of trees and shrubs which they contain, 
than for any great amount of floral decoration ; although there is 
a nice series of flower-beds radiating in lines to one of the principal 
windows on the east side. The ground rising from the house on 
that side showed the flowers to great advantage; but the early 
part of the past summer, Cornwall, contrary to its usual custom, 
had suffered from a long period of dry weather, which retarded 
the growth of everything, and it was only when rain fell at the 
end of July that growth of any kind took place. They were, 
however, in a promising condition when I saw them ; and some 
very large Pomegranate trees planted against the mansion on that 
side, as well as Magnolias and other things which had been taken 
up and replanted to allow of some alteration being done, showed 
signs of improvement from the beneficial change to rain from 
prolonged dry weather. It is needless to say that they had 
suffered much; but Mr. Lynch, the intelligent gardener there, 
thought they would come round again. 
Beyond the flower garden mentioned above on the east side, 
the ground continues to rise for some distance, and from detached 
specimens of Pines and shrubs at length merges into a shrubbery 
intersected with walks, with occasional fine specimens of trees 
and other objects—not the least interesting being the Bamboo, 
which thrives here remarkably well. One of these walks leads to 
a bathing-house by the side of the stream before alluded to; 
while other features, as grottoes, seats, &c., diversify the whole. 
Good peeps of the adjacent country are also seen. A fine bridge 
of the Cornwall Railway forms a good object of mechanical skill; 
but healthy thriving trees and shrubs, some Pinuses especially 
being fine specimens ; and ever and anon a plant as a Magnolia, 
Myrtle, or other half-hardy shrub, would be encountered in the 
wood, which elsewhere w'e are only accustomed to see against a 
wall, and that in the most favourable position too. Doubtless 
the beneficial effects of a salubrious climate are well seconded by 
a fertile soil, which seemed to be a dark loam resting on a subsoil 
of slate, or stone of that character. The part of the grounds near 
the mansion was in good keeping. "Where shrubberies may be 
estimated by scores of acres, and walks and drives amount to 
miies, good taste as well as economy would forbid that every 
portion should be in the same snug trim as the suburban front of 
some quarter acre or so, where the eye sees every part of it at 
once. I mention this here without reference to any particular 
place; for, however neat and well-managed a flower garden or 
the immediate precincts of a house may be (and that at Port 
Eliot was so in spite of extensive alterations that had been made), 
the more distant parts ought to assume more of that natural 
appearance becoming the scenery by which they are surrounded 5 
the roads, walks, and other features alone showing that art had 
been at work. This mode of dealing with the more distant 
grounds was very wisely acted on at Port Eliot ; for some drives 
and walks extending some miles in a north-westerly direction, 
though beautifully fringed with Rhododendrons and other ever¬ 
greens, yet partook of that sylvan character which befits a place 
a good distance removed from the dwelling. 
One of these drives was by the side of the tidal river; the 
ground on the other side, being closely wooded, rose abruptly in a 
picturesque manner, exhibiting every feature of rocky glen, open 
glade and precipice, and richly clothed by Eern, with a suitable 
mixture of evergreen, must at all times be a delightful promenade. 
Another walk led to high rocks of blue slate, with a sort of 
cavern-like fissure, affording a legend of local import. But one 
of the most singular features of the place was a summer-house at 
the distance of some miles from the mansion, on the precipitous 
rocky coast of the British Channel. This summer-house exposed 
to the fierce south-westerly gales, which drive their spray a con¬ 
siderable distance inland, was remarkable for the fine healthy 
evergreens which surrounded it. Evergreen Oaks, Aucubas, and 
Laur ustinuses, seemed to thrive as well there as in the most favoured 
position inland; and Mr. Lynch told me that Scarlet Geraniums 
often stood through the winter unprotected, while the deep blue 
water of the Atlantic (for at this western district it may be called 
so), was immediately under our feet. A ziz-zag pathway leads 
down the otherwise almost perpendicular rocks. But the salu¬ 
brity of these south-west winds is so favourable to vegetation, 
that I was told Potatoes were often cultivated in sheltered corners 
amongst the rocks, and sent to London in April. Euclisias and 
other flowers were in profusion, while the enchanting sea view 
is magnificent, the bold rocky coast not being less than from four 
to five hundred feet above the water level. 
In the kitchen garden at Port Eliot there were some excellent 
Pines, mostly of the Providence kind ; Mr. Lynch being famous 
for Pine culture. Some good Orange trees were also enjoying 
themselves out of doors, and in their tubs formed a nice group in 
an interesting part of the grounds ; but the long dry weather had 
told on .the vegetation here as well as elsewhere. The Potatoes 
having partially ripened in the early summer, had begun to put 
forth small tubers as a second crop. This, of course, was fatal 
to the quality of those then taken up for table, otherwise there 
seemed to be no disease. I was told in some parts of the county 
the crop was satisfactory and good. Apples and Pears as far as 
I could judge were more plentiful than they are about London, 
but the crop was far from being a full one. 
Not the least remarkable feature in this fine place is the noble 
old church adjoining the pleasure-ground, and, like the mansion, 
fronting the west. This venerable fabric was once a cathedral, 
before the sees of Cornwall and Devon were united into one at 
Exeter. The western front, with its deeply enriched archway, 
presents a fine specimen of the architecture of bygone days. But 
the body of the church has been modernised and adapted to the 
large population of the district. A tablet records the names of 
several bishops who successively held sway here; but there is 
little else to attract the antiquarian in the inside. The village of 
St. Germains has likewise lost its once important position of being 
an incorporated borough, sending two members to Parliament. 
The Reform Bill of 1832 did away with that privilege, and, 
like many other places of similar note in Cornwall, St. Germains 
fell into decay in its political capacity ; but in a social respect it 
has doubtless advanced—a rural and mining population seemingly 
enjoying all the advantages of a prosperous state of things. 
Few people go from home without meeting with something 
different from what is in common use there. In Cornwall I was 
struck with the way in which they managed their out-standing 
corn. The sheaves instead of, as with us, being placed in shocks, 
were carried and piled up in a sort of stack of about half a load 
or so. The stack was arranged in such a way that the cut ends 
of the sheaves all pointed outwards and downwards too, and 
formed a sort of cone, a single large sheaf being inverted and 
opened out forming the apex. This plan gave the ends of 
sheaves every chance to dry and harvest, supposing any weeds 
to be in them. They would, of course, be stacked in larger 
quantities the usual way afterwards ; but in rainy districts this 
plan might be copied with advantage. 
Amongst implements I noticed a ring-harrow, which was said 
to be of great service. It has no teeth, but is merely a sort of 
