separated and distinguished by their interposition. They lie in latitude 49 degrees, 57 minutes, North; longitude 6 degrees, 43 minutes, West; bearing about West-by-South from the Land's End; due West from the Lizard; North-West from Ushant; and South-East from Cape Clear. They are distant from the latter place, 51 leagues; from Ushant, 34; from the Lizard, 17; and from the Land's End (whence they may be seen by the naked eye, on a clear day) between 9 and 10 leagues. From London, their distance is 320 miles.a

a Although it is not intended, in this work, to follow the examples of Heath and Troutbeck, by inserting a variety of articles connected merely with the local navigation of the Isles, and therefore wholly uninteresting to the general reader; yet it may be remarked, as an observation of the accurate Dr. Halley, that in the charts extant in his time, they were laid down too far Northerly; in some instances, full 50 deg. 10 min. This, as he adds, was not without a good effect so long as the magnetic variation continued Easterly; but since it became Westerly, as it has been from the year 1657, ships steering in Easterly by the compass, get the variation to the Northward of their true course, which may expose them to mistakes and danger, especially if Scilly be reckoned in or above 50 degrees. He contends that the in-draught of St. George's Channel is not sufficient to occasion these accidents; and therefore advises masters of ships coming into Channel to "steer on a course as much to the Southward of the East, as the variation, at any time, is Westerly; which will exactly keep their parallel. And also that

Soon after leaving the Land's End, the shadowy forms of the Islands are seen, apparently combined in one long low line, stretching on the verge of the horizon like a slight cloud. St. Martin's Head, (the Northernmost point of the Islands, on which is a white day-mark) is first perceived; but the Isles and rocks lie in such clusters, that the divisions and channels between them can only be discerned on a near approach. These groups shift their forms continually, according to the different points of view in which they are contemplated. At the distance of ten or twelve miles, the Islands appear in one connected mass, yet with numerous abrupt ridges; but, seen from each other, the Islands of St. Mary's, St. Martin's, and Tresco, seem nearly level at top, and about the same height, their head-lands being terminated by carns or piles of rock.

they come out of the ocean on a parallel not more Northerly than 49 deg. 40 min. which will bring them fair by the Lizard."

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I have only further to observe on this head, that although Heath, agreeably to Halley's suggestion, has laid down St. Mary's Castle in lat. 49 deg. 55 min. and St. Agnes' Light-house in 49 deg. 53 min. 30 sec.; recent and more accurate observation has fixed the former in the situation mentioned on the preceding page; and St. Agnes in lat. 49 deg. 54 min. N.; lon. 6 deg. 19 min. W. (See Mackay's Navigator.)

St. Mary's gently diminishes towards its Southern and Northern extremities: The Hugh, being separated from the main part of the Island by a broad pool or bay on each side of a low neck of sand, looks like a contiguous Isle. St. Agnes, Samson, and Bryher, in every direction, have a very irregular and hilly appearance. There is nothing engaging in the general aspect of this British Archipelago: Rugged ridges, utterly destitute of trees;their sides tinted with a dull brownish hue of scanty vegetation;-their bases streaked by long and broad beaches of white sand, or darkened by sombre rocks of every variety of size and form ;—such are the prominent features of the Scilly Islands. The Eastern Isles are uninhabited; and but few houses, or other works of man, being visible on the other Islands as seen from St. Mary's Road, the general appearance is certainly dreary and uninviting. The stranger is, therefore, somewhat agreeably surprized, on entering the Pool, at finding a harbour, quay, town, and garrison, with such other objects as the eye has been usually accustomed to contemplate in a small sea-port.

Scilly consists of six principal Islands, all of which are inhabited ;-eleven smaller Islands or Isles, each containing from ten to eighty acres ; -twenty one Islets, containing from one to nine acres respectively; and an immense num

ber of rocks, apparent or sunken, some surrounding the Islands,-others endangering the navigation of the Sounds, and others stretching away, under every diversity of scopulous proportion, above four miles into the Atlantic Ocean, to the great peril of vessels which may approach too near in stormy weather.

The whole quantity of land on the Islands is about 4600 acres, more than half of which are capable of cultivation, as will be shewn in a subsequent chapter.

The names, dimensions, and population of the Islands, in the present day, are as follow:

Those places distinguished in the preceding lists by an asterisk (*), are so full of rocky eminences as to be utterly incapable of cultivation. Many of the other Islets are so small, and lie at such a distance from the principal Islands, as to be also wholly useless.

The

rest bear a short coarse grass, and are fit for feeding cattle in Summer, when a few families visit them for some weeks, for the purpose of cutting sea-weed for kelp.

The whole circuit traced by the Islands and rocks of Scilly amidst the interfluent seas (Pednathise being the Southern point; the Crim rock, the West; Biggall, the NorthWest; White Island, near St. Martin's, the Northern; and the Hinjack rock the Easternmost point) is about ten leagues. The circuit described by the inhabited Islands is six leagues.