156 
JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
by boats or shipping, is filled in, and none others. First then let 
us consider how the improvement of our harbours is to facilitate 
the carriage by sea and on land. On the south-west coast we are 
specially favoured with several excellent natural harbours — 
harbours where Nature has done everything, and man compara- 
tively little. We have, first, Dartmouth ; secondly, Plymouth ; 
third, Fowey j and fourth, Falmouth, of the first class, and many 
lesser ones. But the three — Dartmouth, Plymouth, and Falmouth 
— are ports of the first importance in the kingdom ; and as the 
railway facilities between London and the West, and the Midland 
Counties and the West are improved, as certainly they will be, 
these ports will correspondingly increase in importance. Dartmouth 
is a very good harbour from which to start, but not by any means 
so easy to make in rough weather. Two important lines call on 
their outward voyages here. 
Plymouth Harbour is after all the great south-west Channel 
port. The only harbour which at all competes with it here is 
Falmouth. Let us compare our Plymouth Harbour with some of 
the other first-class harbours, either completed or in course of 
completion. I would draw your attention to the table which I 
have prepared, and which shows Plymouth Harbour compared 
with Portland, Holyhead, and Dover harbours. 
Table I. 
HARBOURS OF REFUGE OF THE FIRST CLASS COMPLETED OR 
IN COURSE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Name. 
Sheltered Areas 
in Acres 
at Low-water. 
Plymouth . j 
Acres. 
5 fathoms, 800 
3 „ 1380 
Low-water, 1840 
Portland . j 
5 fathoms, 1290 
3 ,, 1590 
Low-water, 1800 
Holyhead . j 
5 fathoms, 330 
3 „ 575 
Low-water, 667 
Dover . . j 
5 fathoms, 150 
3 „ 200 
Low- water, 420 
Depth 
at Entrance at 
Low-water. 
42 0 
54 0 
50 0 
40 0 
Total Length 
of 
Breakwater. 
ft. in. 
5100 0 
8100 0 
7900 0 
Completed, 2200 ft. 
Projected, 6500 ft. 
Cost 
of Works 
Executed. 
1,517,000 
1,033,000 
1,285,000 
800,000 
1,590,000 
