THE GUIDES, HANDBOOKS, ETC., OF THE THREE TOWNS. 403 
THE GUIDES, HANDBOOKS, ETC., OF THE THREE 
TOWNS. 
BY MR. J. BROOKING ROWE. 
(Read at the Anniversary Meeting, May 1, 1877.) 
A Few notes on the various handbooks of this neighbourhood 
published from time to time during the last eighty or ninety years 
may not be uninteresting. For some little time past I have been 
collecting books of this kind, and I have the pleasure of showing 
to the Society this evening copies of nearly all, if not the whole 
of, those that have been printed. 
The earliest handbook that I have met with is, ‘“‘ The Plymouth 
Dock Guide, or an Authentic Account of the Rise and Progress of 
that town, with the Dockyard, and whatever is worthy of notice 
in the towns and villages surrounding it, as Plymouth and Garrison, 
Plympton, Saltram,’”’ and so on; ‘likewise the times of coming in 
and going out of the mail coaches, diligences, waggons, &c.; to 
which are added distances of roads from Plymouth Dock to several 
of the principal cities and towns in England, especially such as are 
west of London. Plymouth Dock: printed by and for E. Hoxland, 
bookseller and stationer, next door to the Fountain Inn, Fore 
Street.”? The date of thisis 1791. It is a small 12mo volume of 
eighty-six pages, in rather large type, including three pages of 
catalogue of Mr. Hoxland’s stock, mainly patent medicines and 
perfumery, but which seems to have also comprised stationery, 
musical instruments, umbrellas, and parasols. In spite of the 
length of the title the contents are meagre. The first ten chapters 
relate to Plymouth Dock, and contain a description of the town, 
the yard, church and chapels, and places of amusement. Chapter 
eleven is headed, “ Places out of the town,” which prove to be 
Stoke, East Stonehouse, and Plymouth. The remaining four chap- 
ters contain accounts of Mount Edgcumbe, St. Germans, and other 
places adjoining. 
No doubt this little book was found of use, and had a ready 
