New-York tribune., 1908-03-09
A CORNISH PORT
Wamng Prosperity-Good Art 5u.
Not Sea Po1cer.
Falmouth. Februarv "a


richly endowed with mineral wealth IN =,
xind-swept hills and with natures larz-zz :.
loneliness in its seagirt coasts and hi~ss-
favored by position "a EnEiands sourhe-r,o,.
and westernrnost lookout over seas. It has b..,
like Ireland. a land Of wasted resource. 49,
neglected opportunities. where a fur calendar !.
local saints has never brought II good Iurk s-+
where exile from the home soil IS the common
heritage. and neither racial humor nor baov-
ancv of spirits is clouded by pathos of uovs-,v
among nsaer folk and miners The tide "a,
never ceased TO ebb ana flow. anG Co-nisar,s,
have been waiting 70 1sve y sweep them on .,
urosperttv. but generation after generation ~
cold. gray sea has ni-rored their failures ard
disappointments-
Here at Falmouth Is the largest and safes. q,
Cornish harbors. with anchorage for mods-,
feet IN an estuary fed by numerous streams ars
with an outlet a mile wide into a and Isek.s
bav Apparently designed BY nature as a st--uz
hold Of maritime energy and commercial eurs~-
nrise Il has never taken advantage Ot fts -.
sources and position When ancient Fowey. m
the coast was sending out expeditions % tss
Crusades and ships for the siege of Calais. ths-.
we're only few fisherrnen's hUts the mouth
Of the Fal Penryn. with shailowe- water :,
the tidal basin. was the safer. because the r-.
inaccessible. port. and Truro. s-iIl further II
land. with z dribbling little creek. vas ever
more important. and between them they blocked
the growth Of Falmouth even after Henry VII
had fortified the headlands Of Pendsn1is and 3
1rawes. and Elizabeth had strengthened rhe d.
fences
The voyages OF discovery were made ron
Plymouth and Bristol. and Devon sailors rsths
than Cornish fishermen sailed with Grsuvlls -
Virginia. with Gilbert 20 Newfoundland a-i
with Frobisrer TO Greenland Falmouth was an
INSIGNIFICANT huddle Of cabins whsn ths Aruass
Dassed. and Il was from Biddeford. Ba-nsIaals
Dartmouth and Plymouth that Lord Howard II
Ellington. Drake Hawkins and other ssadors
-an ont n harry II and 40 pluck the Spaussn
feathers one by one" II Raleigh looked n az
the FaI On his return from Guiana IL vas ron
stress Of weather. and the adventurous corsars
who were ravaging the Spanish Main and capt
urinE treasure ships never hailed from ths
Cornish port II was not until the reign o.
Charles II after Arundsls heroic dstence -
Pendennis against the Cr0Tnwsiiizns rhat Fa-
mouth enjoyed royal favor and was incorporated
as a town. and such prosperity as = rad 90
couple Of centuries was due 70 its p-osaic p-1vi-
lege IS a calling port for mail packets.
II Falmouth has no stored past apart e-1n
the six months siege OF the haro0- fortress.
also fs has no commercial prestige 70 dignity is
present and 70 offer promise OF future p-os-
peritv L ceased long ago 70 rival Liverpool.
Queenstown. Southampton and Plymouth Il ths
mail service and outgoing and incoming s-tcs
never fail 70 give the MANAGES vide be--h-
With a stationary population below thr-een
thousand II is apparently cut oT rom tns ger
eral life of progressive England and forced BACK
upon its fisheries and minor industries There
is mimic fleet of trawling boats. fishing soops
and Yachts in the basin behind The piers. ard
there are a Few breweries and roperies among
the riverside warehouses and Yards Cargoes q
piIcharcs are sent to the Mediterranean and
Penryn granite and Truro tin and copper are
shipped 70 Plymouth or London; but II is DE-
clining port. dependent upon tuvalids in winter.
trippers in summer and artists a al seasons
for such scant measure OF prosperity as II mas
Falmouth lacks even the energy required FOR
conducting the long. narrow street Of Stone
houses sloping toward the waters edge Int5
picturesque pleasure resort = The houses were
painted in bright colors. there might BE- sitnpsss
of Spain on rockbound coast. OF with a little
ingenuity and preconCerred effort bizarre e.
fects might be produced through trickins CIT
the cottages with dorrner windows and balconies
as at CloveIIy. A more generous display q
palms and exotics might easily be made in pub
lie and private gardens. and the a-tracrTeness
of the town increased ii many ways Falmouth
scorus foreign afectarions and artistic r-sar1sn-
and with Celtic aIoofness and lack o. 7raetIcai
ability waits for a revival u correFca
activity. which is never likely 70 cons
Yet Falmouth II spite of It's naglsc- 81 oppCr-
tunities for improving It's position IS as 5eaur-
ful as Galway and many an irish cnasr r7Sn-
There is no finer town walk IN Cornwall thsn
the long reach from the ancient Church G, 81
Glavias III Penryn 20 Pende1nls Point Ihs
winding river rapidly b-oadens into a capaciors
harbor Uttered with fishing craft. and tAs rS'
piers point northward 70 the spacious Cs-ricA
Roads. where a feet OF warships might lie a.
anchor. and when the rambling maze ot PRE-
cipitous alleys with their Jacobs ladders n2s
been pierced. there is clean shingle of sand o.
the rim Of the outer bay; and pretty road rus
beyond the historic castle and modern oarTscAs
TO the rocky headland commanding oroa'
prospect OF the Southern coast as far as LIE
Helford River and the Manacles- TEe Vs1s
OF river. inner bay and outer ocean are siAs
glorious prosaiC as NAV be the clusters .
stone houses and inartiSrIc the Ciu-re-ec sloV7s
Of the fisherrnen's rocky ridge Although 'a1l'
is no staircase street up the cliffs as al tioF7l
". harbor OF outer bay seems 20 rise vsrtca-,
from abysses underneath and the eoioriAs :
tranquil reaches Of water lights up in Pai'
tnts or darkens in deeper tones VIE even
shifting Of the cloud fresco OF thu sky
Falmouth is the natural haunt OF water pam
ers. for river. harbOr. bay and outer A'izA-
can be seen here together under all condi''1- c
of light. The climate IS So salubrtous tha'
can work in the open air al the year -
Ny Heny. who has lived here continuously
over twenty-five years. has seagoins -
boat and makes his sketches and often n''' -.
his pictures al sea. Mr.. Stanhope FoF010
leader of the Newlyn school. paints snore - -.