riety of apartments, partly the relics of the ancient conventual buildings, and partly of modern erection, but of corresponding architecture, and forming altogether an imposing and beautiful pile. The Refectory, a large and venerable room, is ornamented with a singular cornice, representing the modes of hunting various animals, and is commonly called the Chevy Chace Room. The Chapel is a venerable building, which has lately been restored, with a strict attention to the original architecture, and is now fitted up with stalls, &c. in the manner of a cathedral. A fine-toned organ has also been erected, and the choral service is occasionally performed. The tower is furnished with six bells, whose sweet tones, wafted on the wind, produce a delightful effect.

From the top of this tower, a prospect of almost boundless extent, and unrivalled beauty, is obtained: the waves of the British and the Irish Channels, and the Atlantic Ocean, all roll beneath the eye, and on the north and west a landscape is beheld, to which the most gifted painter must despair of doing justice. At one of the angles of the tower is a stone lantern, in which a light was formerly placed by the monks, as a warning to the mariner or fisherman: it is now called St. Michael's Chair, and is traditionally said to confer on the person sitting in it, if married, sovereign authority over his or her partner in the conjugal yoke: from this notion it is much visited, but whether the result corresponds with the expectations of the pilgrims, we have been unable to ascertain.

The Cornish appellation of this Mount signifies the Grey Rock in the Wood; the propriety of this name is vouched for by the tradition that it was formerly so situated, although at a very remote period, and is strengthened by the discovery of roots and stumps of trees, at low water, in various parts of Mount's Bay. As early as the fifth century it appears to have been consecrated to religious purposes, and the resort of pilgrims. At a subsequent period Edward the Confessor founded a Priory here, which subsisted until the Dissolution, when it was granted, with its revenues, to Humphrey Arundel, and has since passed through various hands to its present possessor, Sir John St. Aubyn.

In the time of Richard I, Henry Pomeroy, of De

vonshire, having committed a murder, fled into this county, and received from Prince John, who was then attempting to seize his brother's crown, an armed force, with which he undertook to secure the Mount for his patron. Having a sister in the Nunnery, (which was attached to the Monastery abovementioned), he gained admission on pretence of visiting her, and found means of admitting his followers, who took possession of the place, expelled the religious, and fortified it for John. On the return of Richard, however, Pomeroy surrendered, and caused himself to be bled to death; the Monks were restored, but as it was considered right to continue a garrison here, the Nuns were not reinstated. After the battle of Barnet, in 1471, the Earl of Oxford, a distinguished partisan of the House of Lancaster, obtained possession of this fortress by stratagem, maintained his position for a considerable period, and at length surrendered on honourable conditions. In the reign of Henry VII, Lady Catherine Gordon, wife of Perkin Warbeck, the real or pretended son of Edward IV, was left here, for security, by her husband, when he set out on his ill-fated expedition; she was afterwards seized by Lord Daubeny. In the reign of Edward VI, the Mount was besieged and taken by the insurgents, during the commotions mentioned at p. 595: and in the Civil War such additions were made to its fortifications, as to render it, in the opinion of the Royalists by whom it was garrisoned," impregnable, and almost inaccessible" it was, however, reduced in April 1646, by the Parliamentary forces, commanded by Colonel Hammond; and with this event terminates the military history of St. Michael's Mount.

The

MEVAGIZZEY, a considerable fishing-town, about -four miles from Tregony, is pleasantly situated on St. Austle's Bay, and has a romantic appearance when viewed from the neighbouring hills. Church is an ancient but small building, the tower of which fell down some years ago, and has not been rebuilt. The Harbour is spacious, and the Fishery is carried on to so great an extent as almost exclusively to support the inhabitants, whose number, in -1821, was 2450.

Near this town are several elegant seats, among which may be mentioned Heligan, the residence of the Rev. Mr. Tremayne, remarkable for its fine gardeus and shrubberies; and Caerhays Castle, a modern edifice, of a castellated form, built from the designs of Mr. Nash, by Col. Trevanion, which is situated amidst extensive plantations, and is very elegantly fitted up...

ST. MICHAEL'S, 248 miles from London, is called a Borough, and is represented in Parliament by two Members, although its inhabitants are scarcely more numerous. About 60 years ago it contained 30 houses, each householder having a vote; it afterwards fell into the possession of a person who pulled down the cottages as they became vacant, for the purpose of lessening the number of electors; and it is now reduced to three or four tenements, whose inhabitants, it may be presumed, do not offer any very obstinate resistance to the wishes of their landlord.

ST. NEOT's is a village about four miles from Liskeard, which has a fine Church, of the architecture of the fifteenth century, standing on a rising ground. At the west end is a square tower, with pinnacles at each corner, and the buttresses, by which the walls are supported, are terminated by a similar ornament. The interior is of handsome appearance, and is rendered peculiarly interesting by its numerous painted windows, which, although much defaced, and repaired with plain glass, still exhibit a rich specimen of the skill of our forefathers in this now neglected art. One of the windows represents, in twelve compartments, the life and miracles of St. Neot, who, according to legendary story, was related to King Alfred, which monarch is said to have founded a Monastery here, in the Church of which the Saint was interred; and a chest in the present fabric is shown as containing his bones, above which is a long inscription in doggrel rhyme; according to other accounts, however, these precious relics were conveyed to the town in Huntingdonshire which bears his name. This cenotaph was broken open in 1795 by some drunken boors, who expected to discover a mine of wealth; but its only contents were found to be a small quantity of earth or dust, adhering in clots.

John Anstis, Garter King at Arms, and a wellknown writer on heraldry and antiquities, was born in this parish in 1669, appointed to the above office in 1714, and died in 1744.

NEWPORT, a village adjacent to Launceston, to which it appears like a suburb, is yet a distinct Borough, and returns two Members to Parliament, the voters being two persons called Vianders, (who are annually chosen at the Manor-Court,) and the inhabitants paying scot and lot, of whom the total number does not exceed 30. The Church of Newport is a small fabric, dedicated to St. Thomas, and pleasantly seated near the foot of the hill over which the greater part of the houses are scattered.

PADSTOW is situated on the northern coast of the county, 243 miles from London, and is of great antiquity; a religious house, stated to be the first in the county, having been founded here about the year 432, according to some accounts by St. Petroc, a Briton, or, if we believe others, by St. Patrick, the celebrated Hibernian apostle, who floated hither from Ireland, on an altar, which was long preserved in the Church as an incontestable evidence of the truth of this almost incredible occurrence!

The Church is an ancient edifice, with a curious font, and numerous monuments: there were several Chapels formerly in this parish, but scarcely a vestige of any of them now exists. Here is a Charity School, two Sunday Schools, and other benevolent institutions for the relief of the indigent.

Padstow is a place of considerable trade, and has a good Harbour; iron, coals, timber, and other articles are imported, and the exports consist principally of corn, malt, and tin. The population, in 1821, was 1700 persons. A weekly Market, and two annual Fairs, are held here.

Dr. Humphrey Prideaux, author of the valuable work on the "Connexion of the Old and New Testaments," and several other publications, was born at Padstow in 1648, educated at Oxford, and, after several minor preferments, appointed Dean of Norwich in 1702. He died in 1724.

Place House, the residence of the Rev. Mr. Burne, a handsome mansion of ancient date, but repaired

and enlarged a few years ago at considerable expense, is situated a little above the Church, and commands a fine sea-view. This coast is lined with formidable rocks, and numerous sand-banks; and scarcely a year elapses without the occurrence of some disastrous shipwreck.

PENRYN.

This is a large town, pleasantly situated at the head of a branch of Falmouth harbour, 266 miles from London. It had formerly a Collegiate Church, founded by Bishop Stapylton, but the remains of this edifice are now hidden by other buildings. Penryn appears to have belonged to the Bishops of Exeter, from whom it received several privileges, but was not incorporated until 1621, when its government was vested in a Mayor, eight Aldermen, 12 Common-Councilmen, and other officers, who, with a portion of the inhabitants, have the privilege of electing two Members of Parliament: the manner in which they have thought fit to avail themselves of this privilege has more than once subjected their conduct to the scrutiny of the House of Commons, and it would be difficult to determine on what grounds they escaped the fate of Grampound and East Retford. The population of this place, in 1821, was 2933 persons.

The

The town is composed of several streets of ancient and irregular buildings; in the centre of the principal one is the Town Hall and Market House, an edifice by no means remarkable for beauty. Market is held weekly on Saturday, and four annual fairs are kept. The parish Church is at St. Gluvias, a village on the opposite bank of the river; it is a spacious and handsome building, with a fine tower, and contains several monuments. Half a mile from this Church is a barn, formerly attached to a house, said to be the scene of the tragical incident upon which Lillo founded his " Fatal Curiosity." Carclew, the mansion of Sir C. Lemon, is situated about two miles from Penryn, near another branch of the Fal, and is a handsome stone building, of the Ionic order, containing several fine apartments, ornamented with some valuable paintings: the park is extensive and well wooded, and the prospects are delightful.

PENZANCE

Is the most westerly market-town in England, and