Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-04-06
SCENES IN CORNWALL.
NINE GIRLs.-CARN BREAST. MICHAEL's
MoUNT.-MARAZIoN, AND PENZANCE-

ALL Pleasantly DEscIIBED FOR THE READERS OF
THE DEMOCRAT.
Our outlook FROM Filtrick differed very much
from the pretty stretches of sea and land we had
admired at Trebah. We still looked out upon
the sea, but it was St. Georges instead of the
English channel and we were nearer the north
instead of the south coast of Cornwall. Besides
/ between Us and the sea were some five or six
miles of country he heart of the mining eoun-
try. The noble hill called earn Brea was the
principal feature in the landscape, and next the
sea was the large estate belonging to Mr.. Bassett
and called Tehidy; but all else seemed to be COW
cred with the gray and red borrowings and
| washing Of the numberless mines, which with
their tall SIC okestacks, engine houses. and other
buildings in all stages of ruin and prosperity,
swarmed around the foot of earn Brea, and in
the directions of Camborne and Redruth. 1t
was not an enhancing view, although il was In
teresting.
We devoted one morning to the workings of
West Bassett mine, the captain kindly taking us
everywhere except down the mine. 1t was very
interesting and gave good idea of the cares
expenses and difficulties in the way of mining
for tin or copper in Cornwall-so elaborate when
compared with the simple method of mining and
| cleaning of ores in the neighborhood of Mineral
Point. When 1 first visited a Cornish mine, 1
| considered the mine girls the most curious fea-
ture of the mine, not even the huge bob halt
| in and half out of the engine house. At that
| time must have been guilty of staring, for the
remarks the girls passed upon me made a lasting
| impression. At West Bassett we saw scores OF
mine girls of all ages, as young as twelve and as
old forty years They were breaking stones
| with long handled hammers, were filling bar
rows, shoveling ore, watching the red puddles
| in the wash houses, and doing other kinds of
| work. 1t was quite remarkable to see how spot
| less they kept themselves. Their white sun bon
nets, white aprons and light dresses presented
quite contrast to the grfmy clothes of the men.
We were told that the girls kept polished boots
| for walking in to and from work, and that they
! took great pride in their personal neatness. We
met gangs of them several times going from
| work and they looked quite picturesque with
| their sun bonnets perched up above their round,
rosy faces. They like the out door life and pre-
fer it with its ten to eighteen pence day to liv
| ing in service in good home with better wa
ges.
L was obliged to decline an invitation to the
| dinner that was to be given that day at the mine
Offices which were i'll large building close by.
l had recollections of dinner at West Tolgus in
1874 when the "adventurers' or SPECTATORS in
mine stocks acted as if they had not eaten any
| thing for days and when l was only too glad to
get away before the brandy and water had circu-
| lated and the speeches began. The captain OF
West Bassett insisted, however on our trying the
| cold punch which he had made himself.
| After leaving the mine we walked over to earn
Brea about a mile distant. 1t was beautiful.
| clear day, and the view from the hill was mag
nifcent, especially of the richest part of mining
district. In the direction of Camborne there
seemed to be a forest of tall chimneys and en-
CINE houses. The prettiest part of the view, how
ever, was the north coast from st. Agnes to st.
Ives, with the deep blue sea beyond. The west
side of the hill covered with iurze and
heather in full bloom and so thick and sturdy
| was the furze that we could walk on it in places
as the sod. At a distance the bloom gave an
Undesirable pretty, purplish golden haze TO the
ground. OF coure we visited the monument, the
celebrated Druid sacrifcial stones, and the
quaint little castle perched on the large granite
rocks on the end of the hill overlooking Red
ruth. History is dumb in regard to earn Brea
castle. 1t is safe to say that there are Roman
remains in the neighborhood, and 1t sounds well
to say that perhaps the castle is of ancient British
origin. The view of Redruth from there is very
fine. As had to go 10 the bank in Redruth
left our party on earn Brea, stumbled down
through the bracken and furze, and entered Red
ruth by way of the ''church walk" think it is
called. 1t was Friday-market day-and as en-
| tered near where the post Office used to be, l
found the narrow crooked Fore street full OF
people. l think it would be hard to find a more
peculiar, crooked old street. / found the old
fish women still in authotity and obstrueting the
already too narrow street with their baskets and
their own portly persons. | went through the
| market house and found it greatly improved,
with a roof over it and the market men in white
coats instead of the blue gowns or smock frocks
they wore when first visited Redruth. In fact,
Redruth seemed to be improving in n great
many respects. Above the market house are
now a fine Baptist chapel, temperance coffee
house and the post Office. When went in the
direction of Sparnon Fields found even greater
changes. fine street has been opened through
them and on the upper side was a number of
| handsome detached hoXses. 1 quite missed the
the fields and by the sides of which on market
days blind beggars used to be stationed implor-
ing passers-by to pity the poor blind" The
| best view of Redruth is from railway carriage
as one passes over the town on the high and
rather shaky viaduct. One then catches Gimp
SEES OF pretty places that otherwise he would not
have dreamed were there.
suppose the mining district of Cornwall fur
nishes the best specimens of the Cornish patois
! or brogue, as well as of the Cornish accent. The
most peculiar words are doubt relics of the
ancient Cornish dialect which died natural
death in the last century with the celebrated
Dolly Pentreath At the present day the accent
is modifying rapidly owing to many modern
causes, and one hears very good English in the
Cornish towns. 1 doubt whether in all Cornwall
broader Cornish" can be heard than is spoken
by some of the inhabitants of Iowa county.
The day after our visit to earn Brea we went to
the far-famed ST. Michael's Mount, spending the
greater portion of the afternoon there. 1t was
very fine day. On reaching Narration, or MAR
ket Jew" the famous old town once occupied by
Jewish tin merchants we found the tide in To
Narration it is said the Phoenicans came to pur-
chase tin. From there one has q magnificent
view of the Mount and its beautiful castle. At
low tide one can walk to it as 1t is but quarter
of mile from the main land. We read that once
upon a time it was in the midst of dense forest
six miles from land and was built by the giant
Cormoran, famous at this late day for having
been slain by Jack-the- Giant-killer. That was
the time before the misty, fabulous land of Ly-
onesse, reaching from the Lands End to the
Scilly Isles and covered with smiling fields
was submerged. AT later day, but still long
ago, another giant inhabited the Mount, and he
used to wade to Market Jew and seize upon the
cattle whenever he grew angry. Still later ST.
Michael appeared in vision to the then occu-
pier of the mount, and from that event the
mount takes its name. 1t is now owned by the
st. Aubyn family, and the castle is used by Sir
John st. Aubyn as a summer residence. A blind
boatman rowed us over to it, and luckily we
were allowed to go through the castle although
the family was there. 1t is very beautiful and
stately inside and out with magnificent view
overland and sea from every point. Projecting
from its tower is rock supposed to give power
to the person sitting it first and thus like the
well of St. Keyne, il is much resorted TO by hus-
bands and wives.
From Narration we took cab to renzance
distant around the curve OF the beautiful
Mounts Bay some three or four miles st.
Michael's Mount looked beautiful and real from