TORBAY, a fine and commodious bay on the coast of Devonshire, of great importance to the naval power of the British empire, celebrated as the place where King William with his army landed in the year 1688. The bay is formed by two capes or promontories; that on the east, called Hob's-nose, and that on the west, called Berry-head. It is distant from the Bill of Portland thirty-seven miles, and the circumference is about twelve miles, so that there is sufficient space for the whole British navy to ride in security. Near the entrance are four islets or large rocks, called the Oristone, the Loadstone, the Thatcher, and the Shag-rock: but they present no danger, as there is a good passage between them, and a depth from six to ten fathoms of water close to them. Ships may anchor in this bay in six, seven, eight, or nine fathoms water. The ground is a strong clay, and very good for holding. Within the bay they are secure against all winds; but a gale from the east brings in a great swell, which ships can avoid by anchoring about a mile from Brixham pier-head, in seven fathoms of water.

Few parts of England so powerfully strike the beholder as this bay when viewed from a ship at anchor in it. The thick foliage of the fruit and other trees which are distributed on the sides of the lofty hills that surround the bay, the elegant gentlemen’s seats interspersed among them, the villages with the spires of the churches on the land, the two towns of Brixham and Torquay with their handsome rows of houses, and the great number of vessels of all descriptions, from the smallest fishing-boats to the largest ships that sail on the ocean, present a picture which can scarcely be rivalled on any other spot of the globe. The mildness of the climate has gradually induced the building of large distinct mansions, and has also augmented two towns, which from hamlets have become populous places, deserving here to be noticed. Brixham, or, as it was formerly called, Brixholme, is on the south side of the bay. It is the greatest fishing place in the kingdom, and one of the finest nurseries for seamen. It has a convenient pier, and a complete watering wharf, from which a store of water can be supplied to a fleet with great facility and expedition. The parish church nt Brixham is a fine old structure; and at a mile and a half from thence, at the quay, a church has recently been erected. capable of seating 1200 persons. This place has of late been visited by strangers in the summer for sea-bathing, and in the winter for the benefit of enjoying a mild climate. The population of the parish of Brixham amounted in 1821 to 4503, and in 1831 to 5015. Torquay is situated in the cove of Torbay, two miles from the promontory called Hob’s-nose. It is sheltered from the waves by a ridge of rocks; and it cannot be exceeded in romantic beauty and picturesque scenery. Here a new pier, projecting southwest from the eastern cliff, affords complete protection to shipping from the southern winds. The regularity of the buildings raised for the accommodation of visitors adds neatness and beauty to the place; and the park, with a new carriage-way to it, and a plantation on one side, is no small embellishment to the place.

Torquay exhibits a remarkable instance of rapid creation, and ranks as one of the most esteemed of the sea-bathing places; possessing all the advantages of the mild climate of the most southern part of the British islands. It is exempted from exposure to the winds from the north and the east by the lofty hill which intervenes. Though there is much bathing company in the summer, yet in the winter, if the visitors are not more numerous, they are more select; as many invalids, or those who feel symptoms of a pulmonary kind, resort to Torquay to pass the severer months, and not only from the neighbouring counties, but from the more northerly parts of England, and even of Scotland. It has every convenience for the purpose of sanatory retirement that the best watering place affords. Provisions are good and cheap; and the rides in the vicinity, though rather hilly, arc kept in good condition. This place is in two parishes. One of these is Tor-Moham, whose population amounted in 1821 to 1925, and 1831 to 3582, and it has rapidly increased since the last of these dates. The other parish is Mary Church, whose inhabitants amounted in 1821 to 1050, and in 1831 to 1204. By calculation in the present year, 1840, Torquay itself is stated to have 6000 residents, exclusively of those strangers that resort to it in the two seasons between which the parliamentary enumerations have been taken. The objects in the vicinity that engage the attention of visitors are, Tor Abbey, an ancient edifice; Poole’s Hole, a very curious cavern; Kent’s Hole, one much larger, with three entrances, and a roof thirty feet high. There are several fine seats in the neighbourhood.