Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-03-23
All Graphically Described for the
Readers OF The Democrat

EY OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT.
Last summer was wet and backward in Eng
land as well as in the United States. Farmers
seemed to despair of their corn being ct to cut
before the rains of winter should come on. Al
though il was the 18th of August when we went
down to Cornwall from London, hardly sign of
harvesting could we see in the counties we
passed through. Even in Cornwall itself. the
most southern and the mildest of English coun-
ties, the wheat, oats and barley stood in the
fields uncut. All this, although source of
trouble to the farmers, was in our favor. We
had come to see the Cornish country and thus
found it green and beautiful as in early summer.
1t was quite dark when we reached Falmouth
station. Friends were there waiting for Us and
We were soon driving out of the town, climbing
the steep hill leading to the west 1t was pref
ty sight to look back at the twinkling lights OF
the town and shipping and 10 watch the flashing
lights of the lighthouse across the hsrbor of st.
Mawes. drive of five miles over perfect roads,
up hill and down, in deep shaded lanes, by the
sea shore, and over hill tops whence we could
see lights out at sea, brought us TO our destins
ton. Lucky we had had no rain and the scent
of the sea mingled with the perfume of the
honey -suckle in the hedges and now and then
with faint Whit of burning peat had quite
refreshed US after our tiresome journey from
London 1t was delightful the next morning TO
wake, and see the fields and woods, the beauti
full Helford river, and the headlands one of them
Rosemullon Head, a patchwork of fields and
crowned with quaint old Norman church EN-
powered in trees. Beyond all was the sea dotted
here and there with sails
1t rained almost without cease the first week
of our stay in Cornwall 1t does not rain always
in England as some people think In fact have
seen the earth parched and vegetation burnt
there as well as in America. But last summer was
a wet one, and the last few days of August were
especially wet The clouds seemed to be upon
US all the time. They swept from off the sea on
the land, part of the time like huge pillows of
mist and part of the time as wet as veritable
pillows of ocean. 1t was good weather for the
compile xion. 1t did not hinder us from exploring
the lanes about Trebah. from going to Fal-
mouth, or from making sundry other excursions
in the neighborhood to Passage, Durgan Mawnam
Smith, and up the Helford river. To my mind
there is no prettier country in Cornwall in
England than along the coast from Falmouth
west to the Lizard promontory. Winter is al
most unknown roses bloom outdoors all the
year round, and both sea and land combine to
make as pretty scenery as one can see anywhere.
1t is delightful to visit any of the show places in
the neighborhood, especially those belonging to
the Fox family. At Glendurgan with its ex-
quisite slopes and glimpses of the sea, we saw
fuchsias and geraniums covering one side OF the
house, palms and cam elias growing in the open
air. and Gala lilies blooming in the ponds with
the water lilies At Penjerrick, the home of the
late Miss Caroline Fox, whose memoirs have
been lately published and widely read we
found even more astonishing proofs of the de
lghtful mildness of the climate. 1t was very
interesting to us to know that through these
beautiful grounds many of Englands most ia
nous men and women have strolled, that even
Thomas Carlyle. 1.-THE sage OF Chelsea had been
wont there to express his enjoymentof the scene.
In the neighborhood we noticed some very deep
lanes, the sides of which reached in some places
to the height of from fifteen to twenty feet. The
hedges were covered with ferns, blackberry
bushes and flowers, and on top were elm and ash
trees, which east dense shade OH the roadway
beneath. 1t was very pleasant TO walk through
these cool, leafy tunlels One could fancy them
in early spring with sides spangled in pale
primroses and deeper cowslips, the rocks squab-
bling in the budding trees overhead. Even the
far-famed lanes of Jersey and Guernsey can not
surpass the deep irregular ones of Cornwall.
We visited Falmouth several times market
day, ordinary day, and once in the evening
when we attended the exhibition the Royal
Cornwall Polytechnic society, which was well
worth seeing. This society was established in
1855 and is quite noted throughout England; III
fact it lays a claim and well-fouuded one, TO
the honor of being the original model, out of
which have grown the International exhibitions,
which in the last half century have done so
much for mankind. We found the handsome
hall lighted by electricity, and filed with
great many beautiful things works of art, novel
inventions, models of machinery, etc. South
Kensington had sent several cases filled with
treasures of art. The bulk of the machinery
exhibit was in the Drill Hall in another part of
the town, but we had not time to visit it. 1t was
owing to the eXertions of the Fox family which
is so closely connected with everything belong
ing to Falmouth that the POLYTECHNIC" was
started and kept up, having last year celebrated
its Jubilee" or fftieth anniversary. 1t may be
worth while noting that a member of the Fox
ia mily was appointed U. s. Consul at Falmouth
by George Washington, and shat a member oc-
cupies the same position now.
Falmouth is very pretty place on one of the
safest and most beautiful harbors in England 1t
is comparatively new place, although to an
American it looks old enough having been
founded by Sir Walter Raleigh iii the reign of
Henry VIII-the sixteenth century. The two
castles guarding the harbor, ST. Mawes aud Pen
dennis castles, were built at that time Charles
ii is said to have been hidden in Pendennis cas-
tie at one time during the civil war. When /
visited the castle in 1874 garrulous old woman
took me about and allowed me to climb in
dark recess where she stated Prince Charles lay
hid. Queen Henrietta Maria embarked from
Falmouth when she fed from England, and re-
mains of oliver Cromwelrs camp when he be-
sieged Pendennis castle are still to be seen
there. To many Cornish people now in Ameri-
ca, Falmouth is chiefly to be remembered as the
port whence they sailed for the new world, the
yoyGge often taking from six to twelve weeks. /
suppose Falmouth has changed but little since
that time. There is still the same long, crooked,
narrow, water-side street, generally well filed
with fish women, soldiers from the castle, and
sailors from all parts of the world. There are
still the smells of fish and tar, the displays of
marine stores and the crowd of idlers on the
Market strand.
For modern Improvements one must see the
be autiful castle drive, visit the handsome new
hotel, and the terraces of pretty houses ON the
hills above the town with their well trimmed
hedges of holly. box, bay and laurel. Falmouth
has many pretty residences, and next to Pen
zance seems to be the favorite seaside resort in
West Cornwall. 1t was well filed with visitors
last summer.
We spent few very pleasant days at Tregedna,
a delightful place where the house was complete
ly smothered in front with jessamine and roses.
The weather was all that could be wished and
We enjoyed exceedingly our excursions in the
neighborhood, and through the shaded lanes
hung in blackberries to the pretty beach at
Mainporth. One misty afternoon we spent in
fishing out in the channel, and in visiting the
caves along the shore. Overlooking the beach
and perched on the tow of a sharp wooded hill
was the romantic place called The Crag,' com
handing a fine view of the channel Coming
from there one evening we had opportunities of
testing two kinds of Cornish stiles both made of