“ 
“work of an umbreila. 
‘commedious in general; the ftreets are 
Marrow, dark and dirty, and without or- 
1805. | 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
SHORT refidence at the following 
A town, in the laft fummer, enabled 
me to make the obfervations which I fend 
for the perufal of the readers of the 
Monthly Magazine. 
Teignmouth, a confiderable fea-port 
and’ watering-place in Devonfhire, is, as 
its name imports, fituated at the entrance 
of the river Teing, which takes its rife in 
the foreft of Dartmoor. [It is beautifully 
fituated for its commiand of the fea, hav- 
ing in its front the entrance of the river 
Lee, with the adjoining white rocks near 
Budley and Sidmouth; the weftern fide 
commanding the entrance into Torbay.— 
The mouth of the harbour has a bar, 
which makes it difficult to enter, but 
there is good anchorage within ; and the 
river is richly ornamented on each fide, fo 
farup as Newton Bufhel, with numerous 
villages, and hilis and valleys of fine ver- 
dure. There is a paflage-boat from 
‘Teignmouth to Shaldown, on the oppofite 
fide of the river, which is a place chiefly 
inhabited by Newfoundlaid merchants, 
and fifhermen. Abouta mile from this 
is Ringmore, whofe inhabitants are of the 
fame clafs ; but fhip-building is carried 
on, in addition, with much fuccefs,— 
Thefe two places appear as branches be- 
longing to Teignmouth, and have rifen 
into repute only a few years fince. There 
are fome lodging-houfes at each ; but the 
inconvenience of the paffage over prevents 
their increafing very rapidly. The Nefs, 
juit by the bar, on this fide the water, is 
a romantic mafs of large ftones, abounding 
with the limpet, or patella vulgaris, and 
the common mufcle ; and Stoke Common, 
which caufes many a weary walk, affords 
a delightful profpe& of the furrounding 
country, amply compenfating the trouble 
of afcending to it. Wehere meet with 
numerous fyecimens of the Erica. 
Teignmouth is divided into two pa- 
rifhes, called Eaft and Weft, and contains 
about twelve or fourteen hundred inhabi- 
tants. The church at Eaft Teignmouth 
is clofe to the water-fide, and is confidered 
to have been built by the Saxons or 
Danes. It isnot only very gloomy, but 
inconvenient and irregular. The church 
at Welt Teignmouth is modern-built, and 
fomething like a crofs; and the roof is 
‘curioufly fupported. by branches from a 
y supp yf 
pillar in the centre, fimilar to the wire- 
The town is in- 
Montuiy Mac, No 129. 
Account of Teignmouth and its Vicinity. 
433 
der; the ftyle_ of building mo% confuled 
and taftelefs ; perhaps lath and plaifter 
coloured yellow or white, with green 
doors and window-frames ; but as it -is 
not frequented for the comforts of a happy 
fire-ficie, the Walk, as it is called, and 
the various furrounding . profpeéts, com- 
penfate for every other inconvenience,— 
This name is given to an excellent gra- 
velled path, of about fix hundred feet in 
length, by the fide of the fea, whofe mar- 
gin prefents a moft beautiful hardened 
beach of fine fand, continuing upwards 
of two miles in length, towards one end 
of which the rocks gradually rife to eighty 
or one hundred feet, prefenting here and 
there, as a relief to their majeftic rugged 
front, patches of elegant verdure. The 
conchologift meets with few fhells worth 
Notice : in general they are of the moft 
common fpecies. The bathing-machines 
are numerous, and are run into the water 
with very little trouble by women, as the 
flope is gradual: they are much ufed by 
invalids, as well as a warm {alt-water 
bath, which has lately been erected. The 
town has twice been nearly deftroyed by 
the French ; and at Eaft Teignmouth, in 
front of the Bella Vifla, when the winds 
have much difperfed the fands, the fites 
of fome of the houfes are to be feen.— 
This bas occafioned an obfervation, that 
the fea gains on our weftern coalt, be- 
caufe here it often paffes where houles 
formerly ftood ; but it fhould be remark- 
ed, that. the prefent buildings are often 
inundated by the water ; and if they were 
not erected, it would make a ftill farther 
progrefs into the town ; for it is only on 
a ftrong ealterly wind and fpiing-tides 
that the fea breaks fo high, high-water 
mark being confiderably below where the 
ruins appear. The fhipping belonging 
here is under the management of the Cui- 
tom-haoufe at Exeter. The Newfound- 
land trade was followed with great advan- 
tage fome years ago, but is not now {fo ex- 
tenfive ; and this decline is not applicable 
here only, but to the other ports in the 
neighbourhood, fuch as. Topiham and 
Dartmouth, the latter of which was once 
the moft confiderable, but is now leis than 
Teignmouth ; and the Fopiham mer- 
chants are ‘ng longer known. A confide- 
rable coafting-trade is carried on with Li- 
verpool, the veffels leading with white- 
clay for the potteries in the north, and re- 
turning with coal, fait, &c. for the wef. 
The article of clay has within thefle few 
years become a valuable produ& to the 
owners of land in the parifh of Teing 
3% . Grace 
