The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-07-03
Luntly LELAND.

| The death Of the owner Of I.undy Is.
land, England, is an event that suggests
some strange reflections. Mr.. IIeavan
wa was the owner of the little principality
| which he SO long ruled with patriarchul
| care, and he had an advantage which
few sovereigns nowadays possess, Of DE
ing uncontrolled by constitutions, cabl-
| net or Parliament. 1t is true that the
owner OF lIundy was not what in the
Old German Empire was called ':im-
mittelbar," but as Clovelly town is IL
good twelve miles Of stormy sea- from
his domain, the queens writ was slow
III running thus far. For many years
the Government has been anxious to buy
the island, in order, if necessary, to
| erect Notifications there; but Mr.. Heavan
holding that it was better to be first man
| i'll Lundy than the second in Britain,
stoutly refused to part with his. rocky
heritage. Lundy Island is one of the
portions OF what may be called unex-
plored Britain, over which the historian
and naturalist might linger longer than
it's diminutive area would appearto j,,sti-
~. Every V0yagcr who has passed up
or down the Bristol Channel knows it's
wild cliffs, noisy with sea-fowl, render
ed famous by the picturesque passage
mlwhich Charles Kingsley has celebrated
them. Every year hundreds of vessels
take shelter under these granite RAM
parts, and the steeple of st. Mary's
Redclltfe: is not more familiar to the
mariners who hail from the port of
Bristol than is the "Constable' of cod
Lundy." Sailors refer to the isle in
terms on affection, just as yachtsman
Dear Old Rock" and perhaps for the
same reason. 1t is the last bit of Brit
lsh soil they may see for long months
or years, and on their return it's gray
crags and flashing light are the first
tangible evidence Of the native land be-
ing once more in view. Vet in itself
the Island is us pr0Saic Il spot us can
well be imagined. 1t has the ruins of II
sca-king's stronghold, Pharos built Oh
the site Of st. Anne's $ chapel, a mansion
house, some granite quarricS, and Il few
dairy farms With the oif-lying "Slut''
1T comprises about two thousand acres,
and in all it is only three miles long by
one broad. Butter, gannets and granite
are its chief products, and though a few
sheep, goats, horses and cattle Craze the
heritage of its narrow valley, big blocks
OF stone form it's main export to the
outer world. Lundy is not a hospitable
spot, for apart from the difficulty of
reaching it except i'll open boats or in
Stone-bearing barges, the shores are
rocky and prccipitous, guarded by num-
erous treacherouS reefs, and the solitary
landlnS-place is surrounded by Jagged
points, which make strangers wary of
approaching it even when the sea is
smooth and the wind fair The Lundy-
ties are therefore not much troubled
with visitors, for though the q,larrymen
come and go, most of them arc natives,
and SO attached to the island that, unless
for run to Clovelly or Barnstaple, they
rarely care to leave their lonely home.
Like most islanders, they are a little
suspicious of Foreigners" from Glou-
ceSter and Glamorgan who are ignorant
OF mining and have the misfortune not
to be Devon folk. The soil is not more
than sufficient for those who find liveli-
hood Oh it, and island politics have al
ways tended to teach the lesson that
stray men from the mainland must be
regarded as bOding no good to the hon
est citizens of Lundy. Among other
traditions contirmatory Of this maxim is
the curious story of how in the reign of
William and Mary Il ship flying the
Dutch colors landed Il party Of men,
oStensibly for the purpose of buying one
OF their comrades in consecrated ground.
In reality they were Frcnchmen, and
tne CONN contained weapons with which
the marauderS armed themselves in the
church, after requesting the islanders to
leave them alone to their funeral rites.
Then issuing forth they desolated the
little farms, ham-stringing the horses
and bullocks, tlinging the sheep and
goats over the cliffs and stripping the
inhabitants of the very cloths they wore
The inhabitants of Lundy are therefore
wary of anybody seeking their hospital
lty, and manage to get Oh very we'll with
out newspapers and kilograms.
Tho Turkial,