Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-05
THE SCllLY ISLES
Peril OF the Mariner-Far from the
Beaten Track.

LyOneSSe to the 8noie VI W.
which is a mistake. If there ever was
such a land at all it lay westward OF
Cornwall, and the Scilly Isles are Ito
: relics. The name of Arthur play .
like a lambert light about the ulstric''
but the period at which the SCENES
were separated from the mainlahu
must be far beyond the reach OF ms
tory. which in England can only eN-
plore about two thousand years baek-
| ward. The Lyonesse OF romance eN-
tended I'd the southwest OF Lana ;
End, and was connected IN race am"
legend with the Leon of Brittany. AS
a matter of geology the tradition mas
no satisfactory basis, though there are
traces of submerged forests i'll Mount ;
BAY. and the old Cornish name OF ST.
Michaers Mount represents that rock
as having once stood in the centre oil
| woodland. In reality the islands are
| the last upheavals of that backbone
| of granite which is so impressive on
Dartmoor and which again comes into
notice on the Bodmin Moors. True.
| ocean depths do not begin till far be-
| yond the Islands, SO that in its rela-
| ton to the great submarine platform
| Scillv NAV be considered structurally
attached to Britain. as Britain is to
the Continent. Some portion of the
vanished region may have survived.
| adjoining the coasts of Mounts Bay,
till the year 1899. when. according to
the Saxon chronicle. Lyonesse was
destroyed in a great tempest.
When we come to the genuine his
| tory of Scilly there are some interest
ing things To notice. The islands
seem TO have been used as a penal
settlement in Roman times; and in the
! sixth century they gave nome to the
Welsh St Samson. who became
Bishop of Dol, and who has left foot
prints in Guernsey as well as IN
Devon and Cornwall. The Isle OF
Samson is now uninhabited, but 1t
may have had a fairly large popula-
ton when the saint established an
eratory here: there are many traces
of early occupation. To many 1t IS
still more interesting as the home OF
Walter Besant's Armorel. Early in
the tenth century Athelstan made =.
eonoeering expedition through Corn
wall, and is said to have spied these
isles from the high land at st. Buryan
the day must have been uncommon
church on the spot where he stood if
he returned safely from their con-
quest. Probably he met with little
resistance on the islands. where he is
supposed to have founded Tresco Alb
hey. Later. in the same century. 4
Scillonian had the credit of convert
ing the fierce King Olaf of Norway.
After marrying the coast of Britain
and Ireland Olaf sighted the Settles
and ran his vessel into what is nov
the harbor of st. Marys A hermit
here gave him timely warning of
mutiny that was about to take place
among his own troops; he crushed the
revolt, but was severely wounded
Carried to the monastery al Tresco, he
was there nursed into health and
Christianity. conserving to receive
baptism. Perhaps not then. but GER
tainly later, Tresco belonged to the
wealthy Abbey of Tavistock. but in
1889 it passed to the Crown.
When Cornwall was created
duchy Scilly had not been included.
At the time of the Civil War the isles
were held for the king by Sir John
Grenville, who was clearly worthy
member of noble family. The
privateering kind, of warfare that he
the shipping of the commonwealth,
and at last Admiral Blake was sent
against him. Blake was too big
man to be resisted, and the islands
were taken. The Dutch had previous
~ endeavored to treat with Grenville.
and would have richly rewarded him
had he chosen to deliver the isles into
their hands; but though a foe Of the
existing government, Grenville was
| loyal to his country and would not
deal with her enemies.
During the French wars at the be-
ginning of the last century Sicily was
a general rendezvous for British
shipping awaiting convoy. The rest
of her history is chiefly associated
with shipwrecks and with flowers
The shipwrecks make a formidable
| list and are frequently added TO. The
| flowers give us record of small be-
ginnings and wonderful success, to-
gether with recent severe stress of
competition, difficulties and high cost
| of freight. 1t was in 1881 that the
| islands became the property of Au
gustus Smith. who was their great
| benefactor. He suggested that the
islanders should try what they could
do in raising early flowers for the
! London markets. and it is said that
the first few blooms We're dispatched
in hat box. Since then as many as
Ia hundred tons have been shipped
| from st. Marys in a single week.
! There was a spice of romance
about the manner in which the island
| gained it's cable connection with the
mainland. The government was TAX
ing over the monopoly of the tele
| graphs and was buying all existing
lines, and it seems that an imaginary
line from Scilly to the Cornish coast
| was faxed up so cleverly as to de-
ceive the government agents. But
perhaps it is better not to revive sleep
| ing ghosts of that nature; we do not
wish to think of trickery in connec-
ton with these Isles of the Blest.
| They lie, too far to be spoiled by the
tripper, in delightful atmosphere of
their own, invigorated with the fresh
est breath of the Atlantic and Tapped
| in the warm, Caressing waves of the
1 flr, L..