or 
\ 
Yo the Editor of the Monibly Magazine. 
SIR, 
At a time whefPferious alarms are felt 
on the fubjeét of a French invafion, 
and when minifters are adopting the 
ffrongeft meafures of defence, in mott 
parts of the ifland, will you permit me, 
through the medium of your excellent 
Mifcellany, to call the public attention 
to an important, but neglected and de- 
fencelefs part of the country ? 
Miitrorp-Harsour has been often 
celebrated for its natural advantages and 
excellencies ; it is alfo generally confider- 
edasa place of great national importance; 
for its fituation and fafety render it a 
very proper place for the execution of the. 
naval part of a project of invafion. Spe- 
culators have propofed various methods 
of fecuring it; the moft plaufible of 
which is, rendering it the ftation of a 
divifion of the channel fleet. The mere 
in{peétion of a map will convince any one, 
that this would alfo greatly add to the 
fafety of Ireland. Government has like- 
wife entertained fuch an idea of its con- 
fequence, as to take fome meafures to- 
wards fortifying it, a brief account of 
which, with its prefent power of defence, 
will, I hope, not be unacceptable to your 
readers. 
The firft attempt to fortify this har- 
bour was made by queen Elizabeth, carly 
in the year 1588, to proteét this part of 
the kingdom from the threatened Spaui/b 
invajion: two forts were then ereéted, 
one on each fide of the mouth of the 
harbour. They were dug in the cliffs, 
not far above high-water mark. The 
ruins of them are ftill vifible, and are 
called Angle and Dale Blockhoufes. They 
do not appear to have ever been com- 
pleted, nor is it known that any cannon 
were mounted on them. The tradition 
here is, that ftrong chains were thrown 
acro{s the entrance of the harbour, from 
one of thefe houfes to the other, and 
firmly fixed in the rocks. The diftance 
between the Blockhoufes is about 300 
yards. Great judgment was ihown in 
the choice of thefe fpots: they com- 
“Mand the entrance of the jardour fo 
completely, that a few heavy guns placed 
here would render it highly dangerous 
for any hoftile veffel to attempt paffing 
them. 
The next attempt to fortify Milford- 
harbour was made as late as the year 
1757, when it was ordered to be forti- 
fied by an aét of parliament, which 
@ppointed commiffioners, and granted 
40,000]: towards carrying on the works, 
b 
MontuLy Mac, No. XIV. f 
Unfortified State of Milford- Haven. 09 
Thefe commiffioners, after one year’s 
deliberation, delivered a refort to the 
Houfe, in confequence of which another 
act was paffed,in 1759, to alter and amend 
the former. Engineers were now added 
to the commiffioners, another fum, of 
10,000l. was granted, and batteries 
were ordered to be erecied at Peterchurch= 
point, Weft Lanyon-point, and Neyland-point. 
Thefe places were fixed upon, in con- 
{equence of the report of the former 
commiffioners, who were direéted in 
their choice by reafons with which the 
public are not yet thoroughly acquainted. 
Some perfons, at the time, propofed the 
fite of the o/d Blockhonfes, which, from 
the above account, muft appear highly 
proper. But queen Elizabeth’s miffers 
were nomore! Others recommended the 
Stack Rock, which rifes above water, be= 
tween Angle and Dale, at no great dif- 
tance from the entrance. The harbour 
between thefe places is very wide; and 
forms two fine bays, very commodious 
for landing an army. ‘This rock com- 
manding both the mouth of the harbour 
and thefe bays, would have been a! very 
good fituation for a fort. Indeed, a 
imall fum expended on either of thefe 
places, would have afforded comfort- 
able fecurity. They were, however, 
attended with one dreadful inconvenience: 
their diftance from Pembroke, the neareft 
genteel town is no lefs than eight miles; 
the officers and engineers muft have put 
up with indifferent accommodations ; 
and how troublefome muft it have been 
to pay vifits, attend affemblies, &c. ! 
The importance of this matter muft 
ftrike every reader, and, until he can 
difcover a better reafon, jultity the aban~ 
doning of thoie diftant and expofed fitu- 
ations! Of the three poimts mentioned, 
in the laft aét of parliament, which are 
within mutfket-fhot of one another, Peter- 
church is the only one on which any works: 
has been begun. ‘This is a low and level 
fpet, on the north fide of the harbour, 
projecting a confiderable way into it: it 
1s within one mile of the town of Pem- 
broke, but nine miles from the mouth 
of the harbour, in a right line., Neyland 
point is a little higher up, on the oppofite 
or north fide. ‘The water between thefe 
two points is much narrower than it is 
all below, or for a confiderable way above. 
A ridge of rocks, called the Carrs, vifi- 
ble at low water, runs almofi acrefs the 
harbour, from Peterchurch-point to 
Lanftadwell, a little below Neyland. 
This would render it dangerous for a 
fhip of the line to Venture fofarup. In 
{pite 


