The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Vol. 2

The environs embrace some of the most striking and romantic scenery, as well as historical sites, in England; and so close at hand that many of the finest features enter into the same picture. Washed by the crystal Derwent and finely wooded, – with rocks, and fountains, and precipices, scattered at random through the charming landscape, – the visitor is tempted to pass much of his time in the open air, which accelerates the cure the water has begun. Romantic foot-paths, meandering along the rocky acclivities, and opening at short intervals upon enchanting points of view, allure the indolent to that salutary exercise which seldom fails to reward the piéton with increased strength and exhilaration of spirits. The roads in the vicinity are kept in the best possible order, and, owing to the nature of the soil, rain is so speedily carried off, or absorbed, that the invalid may indulge in out-door exercise without apprehension.

That portion of Matlock in which the invalid is most interested consists of the Old Bath, the New Bath, the Hotel, and several commodious lodging-houses, situated on the south-east side of the Derwent. These, with the various additions and improvements recently effected, offer to his choice all that can be desired in point of comfort and convenience. The buildings are of stone, elegantly constructed externally, and presenting internally an arrangement admirably adapted to the purposes of their erection. The servants of the establishments are well conducted, and attentive to their several duties; and the vigilance with which every department is regulated is a subject of commendation with every visitor.

The water of Matlock is remarkable for its sparkling purity; it springs from limestone rock in a copious stream; and, having a temperature of sixty-eight degrees of Fahrenheit, is to be considered as a thermal water. It has been found to contain a small portion of neutral salt – probably muriate of soda – and an earthy salt, chiefly calcareous. Of the latter, when the water is exposed to the air, a deposition is quickly effected, and incrustations formed upon every substance immersed in it – some curious specimens of which are seen at what are called the Petrifying Wells.

In a medical point of view, the water of Matlock may be employed in all those cases in which a pure diluent drink is advisable; but it is chiefly used as a tepid bath – or at least as one which exceeds the extreme limits of a cold bath. On this account, it produces only a slight shock on immersion, and is, therefore, peculiarly fitted for those delicate and languid habits that cannot exert sufficient reaction to overcome the effects of the common cold-bath, and on which the benefit it produces chiefly depends. It forms a good intermediate bath between that of Bath or Buxton and the sea, and may be recommended as a preparative for the latter. The abundant supply of water always at the same temperature is a circumstance in favour of natural baths; while the purity of the air and exquisite beauty of the situation must always render Matlock a favourite resort for the invalid and man of taste. To the geologist it presents a wide and interesting field of observation. Few districts in England comprise within the same limits so great a proportion of poetical and historical scenes.

CONWAY CASTLE, NORTH WALES

"Tantôt c'est un vieux fort, qui, du haut des collines,
Tyran de la contrie, effrei de ses vassaux,
Portait jusqu'au ciel l'orgueil de ses crénaux;
Qui, dans ces temps affreux de discorde et d'alarmes,
Vit les grands coups de lance et les noble faits d'armes
De nos preux chevaliers…
Aujourd'hui la moisson flotte sur ses débris."

Conway, or more properly Aberconway – so called from its position on the river of that name – makes no inconsiderable figure in the page of ancient history. It appears, on the testimony of Suetonius, the Roman governor in Britain, that the chief motive entertained by his countrymen in their occupation of this coast was a pearl fishery at the mouth of the river Conway; a specimen of which, presented by Sir R. Wynne to the Queen of Charles the Second, is said to have found a place among the jewels that now adorn the British diadem.

The town of Conway is large, though not populous, and in situation and appearance highly picturesque. It is surrounded by lofty embattled walls, a mile and a half in circumference, well preserved, defended by twenty-four round-towers and four gates, and presenting at all points a striking picture of the ancient style of fortification. From the side towards the river ran two curtain-walls, terminating in watch-towers, but of which only one remains.

The castle, a truly grand and imposing structure, was built in 1284; an epoch which gave origin to so many of those native fortresses, which will long continue to be the subject of interest and admiration to every traveller in this romantic country.

Conway had, unlike Carnarvon and other fortresses situated on a level, no imposing portal to usher into the interior. Its two entrances were small, both practised for security, between an advanced work flanked by two small towers, one ascending by winding stairs from the river, the other, from the interior of the town, crossed the defensive moat by means of a drawbridge, and passed through a portal and outwork of small turrets into the great court of the castle. This stands on a rock, its courts flanked by eight enormous battlemented round-towers of unequalled beauty of proportion, those next the river having in addition small turrets. Of these towers, all are perfect as to their exterior save one, called Twr Dwu, or the broken tower, of which the lower portion, with the rock that supported it, has fallen away, exposing to view the immense solidity of its fractured walls. The interior of each tower was occupied by several stages of spacious apartments, the flooring and roof of which are entirely gone, with the fire-places, and lancet windows, the interior yawning in vacant desolation, blackened, weather-stained, and overgrown with rampant weeds and briers. There were stairs to ascend to the upper apartments from the courts below, and a way round the battlements which may still be followed out. The interior of the castle consists of two courts, comprising the different apartments. As we enter the grassy area, surrounded by ivied walls, and picturesquely surmounted by the battlemented turrets, the great hall appears on the right; three spacious windows of pointed architecture, and formerly highly enriched with mullions and tracery, lighted it on the side next the court, and the side wall, furnished with six lancet windows, with recessed and raised seats, looking out upon the creek, which, running up from the Conway, defended the walls on the south. Two carved fire-places of ample dimensions warmed the immense and royal apartment, supported by several gothic arches, some of which, clothed with ivy, still span the vacant space above, while beneath, among nettles and brambles, yawn the offices below. At the extremity of the hall is a noble arched window. The walls are now mantled thick with ivy, and the nettle and bramble overgrow what remains of the floor of this royal apartment, where Edward, whose statue in Westminster Abbey is of unequalled beauty, and Queen Eleanor, with masque and antique pageantry, entertained the throng of knights and barons bold, who had assisted in the subjugation of the Welsh, who besieged, however, the potent monarch in his own castle, and would have starved him into a surrender, but for the timely arrival of a fleet bearing soldiers and provisions. Since that period, its history is little remarkable. It was held in the civil war, for Charles I., by Archbishop Williams, who, being superseded by Prince Rupert, assisted the Parliamentarians in effecting the reduction of the place.

CONWAY QUAY

The district of Conway is mostly agricultural, and possesses no distinct manufactures by which the prosperity of the town and its population can be greatly promoted. A few small trading-vessels belong to the port; and here also ships of burden are occasionally repaired. The great improvement to the harbour is the erection of the quay; and the channel of the river having been deepened, and every impediment to the navigation removed, it may be anticipated that a speedy increase of trading intercourse will succeed its former languor and inactivity. The exports consist chiefly of timber, slate, and lead; and the imports, of coal from Flint and Liverpool, and of tea, sugar, cotton, with various other articles of domestic consumption.

The chain-bridge, which constitutes so beautiful a feature in the picture of Conway, was erected by Mr. Telford, of whose genius Wales possesses several of the noblest monuments. That immediately under notice – constructed on the same principles as the bridge over the Menai, but much smaller in its proportions – is three hundred and twenty feet between the supporting towers, and eighteen feet above high-water mark. Nothing can be more elegant and beautiful, as it appears lightly spanning the river, and suffering the eye to penetrate its net-like fabric, so as scarcely to offer an obstruction to the landscape which shines through it. The scenery at this point is exceedingly interesting, and presents the works of nature, and art, and human genius, in striking combination.

The town of Conway, before the formation of the railroad, was one of the most old-world places imaginable, unique for its faded and forlorn appearance, small as is the area enclosed, a considerable portion being occupied by open spaces and gardens. Everywhere entered by gothic portals, and as its interior was traced, with the defensive wall everywhere in sight, it transported the beholder back to the middle ages, more than any other walled city in England. There is a singular and picturesque variety of ancient houses; some at the head of the street leading to the castle, curiously carved, appear almost as old as the castle itself; others with their gable roofs, and black rafters, are of later date, and the Plas Mawr, or great mansion, in the principal street, prominently challenges the traveller's attention with its air of faded magnificence and singular construction. It is of Elizabethan architecture, and the arms of England, with initial letters E. R. and R. D., supposed to be Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, as well as those of R. W., Robert Wynne of Gwydir, sheriff of Carnarvon in 1591, and founder of the house, occur frequently, and the place is lavishly adorned with various decorative devices of the age – swans, owls, ostriches, mermaids, ragged staves, &c. The church contains little to interest beyond its front, and an inscription to a certain Nicholas Hooker, of Conway, gentleman, of a very anti-Malthusian import, the said Nicholas, though the father of twenty-seven children, being but a degenerate copy of his father, who could boast —O si sic omnia!– of no less than forty-one.

Numerous and delightful are the rambles about this most picturesque place, which is backed by bold heathy hills and green sequestered valleys. One of the prettiest is to Gyffin, about a mile distant, which may be reached by following up the shores of the creek, south of the castle, and the small stream coming down into it. The little church is very ancient, and contains some curious paintings worthy of inspection; it is half buried, and so unpretending is the building in aspect, that it may be passed almost without noticing its sacred character. There is an excellent view of the town and castle from the upper road on the return; the long line of walls may be traced from the highest point, as they sweep round and join the castle, the whole space thus enclosed resembling in its outline the Welsh harp, as often suggested. The river and hills appear finely beyond. The artist especially should not omit to view Conway from this, perhaps its finest point of view.

So unique is, or rather was, Conway Castle in picturesque effect, that it is difficult to mention any particular point from which it appears to greater advantage than another. From the quay, or the river, from every eminence around, seen in front or flank, near or distant, either by itself, or where the walls of the town prominently enter into the composition, it is, or rather was, alike unequalled. The tourist who is not pressed for time, and delights to hover around so magnificent a memorial of past ages, will study it at every point. On taking a solitary walk round the walls, he may fancy himself tracing the abandoned battlements of some old gothic town of the Orient, Rhodes, or Antioch, or the Saracenic defences of Jerusalem; a dream which may hardly be long indulged at present; for now, as Hood says,

"That iron age, which some have thought
Of mettle rather overwrought,
Is now all overcast,"

and its crumbling memorials are sharing the same fate. Furness Abbey is turned into a railway station, and the passing train thunders through the very centre of old, castellated Conway, reminding us, while it indeed scares away all romantic daydreams, of the happy change from feudal oppression and border warfare, to the fusion of jarring interests, and the progress of enlightened civilization.

THE MENAI BRIDGE

The Menai Bridge, one of the many triumphs of modern engineering, arose from the following circumstances. During the summer of 1818, Mr. Telford, the engineer, was engaged on a survey of the extensive line of road from the metropolis to Holyhead – that point of the Welsh coast nearest to Ireland, and situated in the Island of Anglesea. Between this island and the Caernarvon coast flows that arm of the sea familiar to every reader as the Menai Straits, through which the tide rushes with great velocity, owing to local peculiarities well known to all who have navigated that portion of the Channel. There were at this time five or six ferries across the strait; but these, owing to the circumstances mentioned, were generally difficult, and seldom without danger; so that the intercourse between the opposite shores being much impeded, was a source of daily inconvenience to the inhabitants. This was more particularly felt from the fact that one of the staple productions of Anglesea was its cattle, which, when sold for the inland counties or the London market, had to be driven into the water, and compelled to cross the strait by swimming, which was attended with risk of property as well as inconvenience. These circumstances were brought before the eyes of Telford, and his ever-active and ingenious mind set instantly to work, in order to remedy the evil by providing new facilities of intercourse. The result of his reflections and mature calculations on this engrossing topic was the possibility of throwing a bridge across the Menai.

The grand obstacle was a deep rapid tide-stream with high banks. To have erected a bridge of the usual materials would have obstructed the navigation; and any attempt to erect piers in the shifting bed of the sea must have inevitably proved a failure. Telford therefore recommended the erection of a suspension-bridge; and the plan, after due consideration, being approved by government, the work was commenced in 1820, carried on with great spirit, and in 1826 brought to a most successful termination. It is partly of stone, partly of iron, and consists of seven stone arches. These arches connect the land with the two main piers, which rise on an elevation of fifty-three feet above the level of the road, over the top of which the chains are suspended, each of which measures from its fastenings in the rock, one thousand seven hundred and fourteen feet. The topmasts of the first three-masted vessel which passed under the bridge were nearly as high as those of a frigate, but they cleared twelve feet and a half below the level of the roadway. The suspending power of the chains is calculated at two thousand and sixteen tons; and the total weight of each chain is one hundred and twenty-one tons.

Since the day it was first opened, the Menai Bridge has been the wonder of every traveller, an object of pilgrimage for scientific men of all countries, and a source of daily advantage to the United Kingdom, which no other work would have supplied. "The visiting of the Menai Bridge," says Mr. Smith, in his Guide to Snowdonia, "forms a new era in the lives of those who have not had that pleasure, and is a renewed luxury to those who have. There is something to be admired at every step: the effect of a passing carriage; the vibration caused by the mere application of the hand to the suspending-rods; the depth of a hundred feet to the level of the water; the fine view of the Straits in both directions; the lofty pillar erected in honour of Lord Anglesey; the diminutive appearance of persons on the shore; the excellence and strength of the workmanship, the beauty of the arches over the road through the suspension-piers, and the echo in them, all conspire to fascinate and detain the spectator. There is so much elegance, beauty, and magnificence, in this grand work of art, that it harmonizes and accords perfectly with the natural scenery around; and although in itself an object of admiration, still, in connexion with the features of the landscape, it heightens the effect of the general view."

"Seen, as I approached it," says Mr. Roscoe, "in the clear light of an autumnal sunset, which threw a splendour over the wide range of hills beyond, and the sweep of richly variegated groves and plantations which covered their base; the bright river, the rocky picturesque foreground; villas, spires, and towers here and there enlivening the prospect – the Menai Bridge appeared more like the work of some great magician than the mere result of man's skill and industry." Such were the encomiums lavished upon the first bridge which crossed the Menai; but men have since learned to view this structure with diminished admiration. Telford's great work no longer stands alone. The tubular bridge of his great successor, Stephenson, has taken its place beside the older and lighter work, and the very fact of its existence tends to diminish the wonder with which the first was looked upon.

PORT PENRHYN AND BANGOR

Bangor, although a city and the oldest see in the principality, is inconsiderable in size and population; but the natural beauty of its situation, the advantages which it commands from its inland as well as maritime connexion, and its excellent society, render the town and environs a most desirable place of residence, as well as a favourite resort for those families and individuals who employ the summer months in the pursuit of health, recreation, or improvement. The numerous walks, rides, and drives in the vicinity, all enhanced by their immediate and varied prospects of the sea, offer those facilities to health and enjoyment which cannot be too highly appreciated either by the tourist or resident. The city consists principally of one irregular street, fully a mile in length, with a fine vista towards the Menai – a name which the genius of Telford has rendered familiar to all the admirers of science and art. The houses are well-built, of a moderate size, neat in their appearance, and present to the stranger's eye a pleasing air of domestic comfort and progressive improvement. In the latter respect, no year passes away without contributing something to the public ornament or utility – objects which are zealously patronised by the influential inhabitants, and encouraged by those numerous and spirited visitors, estimated at fifty thousand annually, whom business or relaxation attract to the place. But to convey the best proof of the advances which Bangor has realised in the scale of provincial importance, and in all that has immediate reference to social and local improvements, we need only state that at the commencement of the present century the number of houses was only ninety-three, but that now it amounts to nine hundred or upwards. During three-quarters of the year a regular communication between Bangor and Liverpool is kept up by the steamboats that ply along this romantic and much-frequented coast, and which contribute greatly to the interests of the place. The environs are enlivened by many picturesque villas, and every accommodation is provided in the hotels and private lodging-houses for the reception of visitors.

The great object of general interest at Bangor is its cathedral, – a very ancient and venerable structure, – the foundation of which was among the earliest of those primitive temples which marked the triumphant progress of Christianity on the British soil. It is understood to have been founded by St. Daniel, at the commencement of the sixth century, and bears the sainted name of the founder. The choir was built by Bishop Deane, in or about 1496, and is used only for the cathedral service. The nave, built by Bishop Skivington in 1532, is fitted up as a parish church; and in one of the transepts the service is read in the Welsh tongue.

The free school, – founded in 1557 by Dr. Glynn, brother of the bishop of that name, – five daily schools within the parish, the central National school, four Sunday-schools, and almshouses, give a most favourable impression of the religious and civil advantages enjoyed by the inhabitants of Bangor, who evince a spirit and zeal worthy of those blessings which, in comparison with other and far more populous towns, place them in so enviable a position.

The principal export is the product of the slate-quarries, which is conveyed on a railway from Llandegai, six miles distant, to port Penrhyn, at the egress of the river Cegid into the Menai. This port is now capable of receiving vessels of large burden. It is nine hundred feet in length, and in all respects well adapted for the trading-craft which here take in their cargoes. The slates are of all dimensions, from large tombstone slabs down to the smallest size for roofing. For cyphering-slates, inkstands, and other fancy articles, there is a manufactory near the port. At a short distance is a handsome building containing hot and cold sea-water baths, with rooms for dressing and refreshment. The construction of this establishment, with its terrace and other appurtenances, is said to have cost the late Lord Penrhyn thirty thousand pounds. In the straits of Menai there is a good fishery, near Garth Ferry. There is a weekly market every Friday; and fairs are held in April, June, September, and October. No stranger should neglect to visit Penrhyn Castle, one of the finest baronial mansions in Europe.

BEAUMARIS, ANGLESEA

"I have stood gazing on Snowdon and Plinlimmon, the vale of Clwyd, the straits of Menai – lake, river, sea, and land – till they seemed of themselves to say, Stranger, well mayst thou gaze! we merit thine admiration – we are of God!"

Beaumaris is finely situated on the picturesque banks of the Menai, where it opens into the bay, and presents many attractions derived from its historical monuments, its natural advantages, and modern improvements. As the principal town in the island and county of Anglesea, it has long been a place of fashionable resort, and being at the same time the borough and market-town, it is a scene of considerable activity, cheerfulness, and animation. It is in general well built; particularly one street, the houses of which are large and commodious, and of superior design and execution. Of the original wall by which it was once enclosed, considerable portions still remain – sufficient to demonstrate, by their massive strength and durability, the iron features, and the no less iron policy of feudal times. The castle – erected by Edward the First, and now an imposing ruin close to the town – covers a large space of ground, but stands too low to produce that effect upon the spectator which it would have done had it, like so many of its cotemporaries, occupied an isolated and commanding position. It is surrounded by a deep fosse, with an entrance between two embattled walls on the east, with round and square towers. The gate opens into a spacious court, measuring fifty-seven yards by sixty, with four square towers, and an advanced-work on the east, called the Gunner's Walk. Within these was the keep – the body of the castle – nearly square, having a round tower at each angle, and another in the centre of each façade. The area forms an irregular octagon, of the dimensions above named. In the middle of the north side is the hall, twenty yards long by twelve broad, with two round towers, and several others about the inner and outer walls, built of a bluish stone intermixed with square stones, which produce a rather novel and pleasing effect.

There appears to have been originally a communication round the whole buildings of the inner court by means of a gallery two yards broad, and which still remains nearly entire. In various recesses in different parts of the sides of this gallery are square apertures, which appear to have had trap-doors or openings into a dungeon beneath. The two eastern towers served also as dungeons, with a dark and narrow descent to each – sufficiently characteristic of the dark and despotic purposes to which they were applied. On the east side of this building are the remains of a very small chapel, arched and ribbed with painting and intersecting arches; also some Gothic pilasters and narrow lancet-headed windows, and various compartments, with closets constructed – after the manner of those times – in the centre of the massive walls.

When Edward the First built the town, and erected it into a corporation, he endowed it at the same time with various lands and privileges of considerable value, in order to secure more firmly his possessions in the island, and changed its name from Bonover to Beaumaris, in allusion, it is supposed, to its low but pleasant situation. He caused also a canal to be cut, in order that vessels might be brought up close under the battlements to discharge their cargoes, as the iron mooring-rings affixed to the walls clearly indicate.

The church, which forms a prominent feature in the picture of Beaumaris, is a spacious and very elegant structure, having a lofty square tower, visible at a great distance, and presenting in all its proportions and compartments a fine specimen of ecclesiastical architecture. The other public buildings consist of the county-hall, the town-hall, the free-school, and the custom-house; each possessing, in an eminent degree, every ornament and accommodation befitting buildings of their class and destination. The view from the green commands a striking prospect of the most interesting portion of the Menai Strait, bounded in the distance by the Caernarvon mountains, which gradually overtop each other till they unite in the majestic Snowdon, whose summit – now belted with clouds, and now glittering in the sunshine – asserts his claim to undivided empire as "Sovran" of the British Alps.

With respect to trade, Beaumaris can hardly be said to enjoy any exclusive advantages: the vessels belonging to the port are generally hired by neighbouring merchants and others, who have trading connexions with Liverpool and other ports on the English and Irish sides of the Channel. The bay, though not spacious, is safe and commodious, and affords shelter and good anchorage for vessels that take refuge here in tempestuous weather. The town has a weekly market on Wednesdays, and three annual cattle fairs in February, September, and December. During the season it is much resorted to as bathing-quarters, and has everything to recommend it as a summer residence. A steam-boat plies regularly between this and Liverpool, thereby affording every facility to visitors, and presenting in the passage a rich succession of beautiful, picturesque, and sublime scenery, which successively invites and fascinates the eye of the spectator.

HOLYHEAD

Holyhead is familiar to every reader as the favourite point of rendezvous for all who are on their way to the Irish capital. By the admirable arrangements of the Post-office, and the sure and swift-sailing packets that are here in regular attendance, a passage across the Channel is now a matter of as much certainty, as to time, as that of the mail from London. The perfect order and the surprising expedition with which passengers and despatches may thus be forwarded to and from Dublin are the general theme of admiration amongst foreigners, and a means of vast accommodation to our own commercial houses. During a long series of years the improvement of Holyhead has engaged the special attention of Government; every suggestion, entitled to the approbation of skilful and experienced engineers, has been liberally carried into effect: so that in the present day it seems hardly possible that any packet-station can offer greater facilities for all the purposes of Government, or for the interests of social and commercial intercourse, than Holyhead. The steam-vessels which carry the daily mails are of the best possible construction, commanded by experienced naval officers, and affording excellent accommodation for the passengers who are constantly passing to and fro between the British and Irish shores.

The harbour of Holyhead is shaped by the natural cliffs which overhang the sea, on the verge of which stand the ancient sanctuary of the place and its cemetery. The foundation of this church – originally a small monastery – dates from the close of the fourth century: it was long afterwards remodelled into a college of presbyters by one of the Lords of Anglesey; and, after undergoing many alterations suitable to the varying taste of the ages through which it has passed, it assumed its present appearance – that of an embattled edifice built in the shape of a cross.

Under the Head – the mountain from which the harbour takes its name, and which overshadows the town – are two rocky eminences nearly opposite the church, both of which are crowned with ruins which carry the mind far back among the bright days of Cambrian independence. In the rock is a wide and lofty cavern, supported by natural columns, on which tradition has conferred the title of the Parliament-house; and it is not to be denied that patriotic legislators have been often worse accommodated. This curiosity requires to be visited in a boat. On the highest point stands an uncemented circular stone wall, about ten feet in circumference, which is conjectured to have served as a pharos in ancient times; for this coast has a perilous celebrity attached to it, and no vessel could safely approach the haven by night without a warning signal of this kind.

The pier of Holyhead is admirably constructed. It is built on a small island north of the harbour, called Inys-halen, and combines in an eminent degree the requisites of security and accommodation in a work of such importance to the interests of trade. The foundation was laid in 1809, under fortunate auspices; and the grand object, which had been so long and anxiously cherished, was happily accomplished, under the able direction of Mr. Rennie, within a comparatively short period. It has a depth of four fathoms water, so that vessels of heavy burden can ride at anchor in perfect safety. At the extremity is a lighthouse, finely proportioned, substantially built, and highly ornamental as well as useful to the pier and harbour.

The pier extends a thousand feet in length; and close adjoining to it are the Custom-house, with several respectable family houses, among which are those for the harbour-master and resident engineers. The lighthouse contains twenty lamps and reflectors, at an elevation of more than fifty feet above the sea, and exhibiting in every direction a steady blaze of light. At the present time, works for improving and enlarging the harbour are proceeding on a very extensive scale, and bid fair, upon completion, to render Holyhead one of the first harbours of the United Kingdom.

THE SOUTHSTACK LIGHTHOUSE, HOLYHEAD

"Approaching it from the water, its singular aspect, its wild site and deserted air – the lighthouse towering seventy feet in height – the neat, comfortable dwellings close under its guardian wing – the sounds of life and industry mingled with the lashing of the sea – and the cry of innumerable birds, ever circling above and around – were altogether of so unwonted a character, that, had I been transported to the antipodes, I could not have felt more unfeigned surprise." – Roscoe.

Few objects on the British coast excite more individual interest than the subject of this illustration. The singularity of its position, the difficulties which attended its erection, the grand objects of humanity to which it has been made subservient, are all calculated to interest the heart, and afford scope for the imagination.

The Southstack islet is about thirty yards from the rock known as the Head; and on this the lighthouse was erected in 1809, under the direction of Captain Evans, of the Royal Navy. Its form is that of a round tower, the foundation of which is a hundred and forty feet, and the light two hundred feet above the sea – so that it embraces within its sphere the whole bay of Caernarvon. The approach by water to this remarkable sanctuary of human life is well calculated to make a lasting impression upon every visitor, and should never be omitted where a favourable opportunity is presented by the state of the weather. It is here that the extremes of natural desolation and human industry are brought into juxtaposition; where human enterprise has established an asylum amidst the ruins of nature, the war of waves, the wreck of tempests, to shed the "light of hope" over the heart of many a despairing mariner.

Happily for the cause of humanity, vast efforts have been made, and are continually making, to diminish where they cannot entirely remove the dangers which have so long invested our native coast; and it is impossible to calculate the number of lives and the amount of merchandise which have thus been saved from imminent destruction. Much, however, still remains to be effected – much that is really practicable – and it is earnestly to be desired that the attention of Government should be constantly directed to those points on which the science of the engineer can be most beneficially employed. Holyhead in particular is still susceptible of vast improvements; and with the addition of a capacious outer harbour, sufficient to admit merchant-vessels and others of larger size than those now frequenting the port, it would speedily realize all that could be wished for by those most interested in the welfare of the place, and in the prosperity of trade. This is also a subject well deserving of attention on the part of the Admiralty; for, with proper accommodation, her Majesty's ships, in the event of a war, might be advantageously stationed at this port, so as to secure free intercourse, and serve as a protection to the coast, which is now in a defenceless condition and open to any attempt at hostile aggression. We are happy that this question has received the consideration of her Majesty's Government; and feel assured that the steps which are now making towards the accomplishment of so great a desideratum will ensure the grateful approbation of the public, and the increased prosperity of Holyhead.