AN AMUSING LETTER

409

ascent is well worth making. From Cromwell's Castle, when the tide is low, Hangman's Island can be reached by walking and then the island of Bryher.

The church of Tresco is on the east side of the island— a modern structure with low square tower. The churchyard contains subtropical trees, such as yuccas, aloes, and dracænas, and is pleasingly bright with an abundance of flowers. It is, in short, one of the delightful gardens of the Scillies. Many of the tombstones rècord here, as in all the Scilly cemeteries and churchyards, the burials of drowned persons. Prevalent names on the tombstones were Ellis," "Pender," "Jenkins," interspersed with one or two "Prideaux." On Sunday afternoon I saw children from Bryher crossing in boats to go to church here, a rather quaint sight which irresistibly recalls what I have seen in the island districts in Sweden.

I saw no houses "to let" in Tresco, and no placarded posters or displayed advertisements on the walls or elsewhere of any description. To many people this will be a great recommendation to visit the island. The few roads are scrupulously well kept, for there is next to no traffic, friends on the islands being visited by boat; in short, the spot reminds one more of a private gentleman's park, and forcibly recalls, in general effect, Monte Carlo.

The return voyage by the sailing-boat to St. Mary's from Tresco took just forty-five minutes, and on landing I met the entire police force on the pier—one man.

66

One of the most amusing bits of writing I have come across is the letter written by the inhabitants of the Scilly Islands to be published in England when the disputes between the King and Parliament of England ran very high in 1642: Having understood by fisher-boat that came from England of certaine discords arising between the King and parliament upon what ground and small reasons we cannot apprehend, so that the whole land is like to be divided into fractions for quicking quarrels in the church windows, we smelling your danger afarre off, and out of a deare affection to ourselves, esteeming our lives to be precious in our estimation, doe therefore earnestly and hartily desire that we may dissemble ourselves together in a posture of warre, and that we may have bills, bowes, arrows, and speares,

and all kind of murdering engines sent us, whereby we may according to our necessity arme our corporall bodyes, and if our enemies should appeare in field (which we hartily wish they may never doe) we may kill them seven miles before they come neere us, and moreover we desire that we may have some redd terrible ill looking vizards sent to us, together with a ship full of the strongest garlike, so that having put on those fearful vizards we may affright our enemies with our very lookes, and blow them away with our strongsented breaths." The same letter says: "Our intention towards the King and parliament are as clear as glasse, and more transparent then the obscure malignity of those countrey animals, and quarrelling cavaliers, men of great stomachs, better feeders than fighters"; and then they go on modestly to allude to themselves, "we therefore knowing that foolish modesty can never make us thrive in worldly favour, have joined all the strength of our wits together, and little enough to draw forth and describe the face and picture of our sorrows and grievances." And then, "being poor innocent creatures of the island of Silley, that have golden fleeces on our backes, whereby to tempt any injuries, nor have any lawyers among us to pole our estates, nor any swaggering friends and acquaintances that will be ready to borrow money of us, and never pay us again, nor any detractors or backbiters to blast our reputation are therefore like a people much troubled in minde that wee should live unworthy of wrongs and injuries, which are so common and frequent in England." They say that they desire to know more of the "doctrines, opinions, and tenets of the Roundheads,' being so like to us the inhabitants of Silley, for all their doctrines, opinions, and tenets which they maintain doe all smell strong of the isle of Silley." The meaning of this remarkable epistle seems to be that they would like to know how the wind blows, that they prefer to be left alone, and that they of the two sides incline to the Roundheads, as they call them. They desire "that howsoever discontents may arise," 66 we name no

body we desire that the noyse of warres may be silenced, and peace generally throughout the land embraced, and no noyse heard in our Jerusalem." I fancy many in England at that troublous time desired much the same.

CHAPTER XLI

THE SCILLY ISLES: BRYHER, PENINNIS DOWN, ST. MARY'S, ELIZABETH CASTLE, PULPIT ROCK, WRECKS, BULBS, ROCKY

HILL GARDENS

THE

HE island of Bryher possesses a remarkable shellbeach, upon which I landed. The shore is simply composed of a mass of shells in incalculable numbers, some, I believe, being rare. This island is three miles from St. Mary's and to the west of Tresco, from which it is separated by a narrow channel, from the midst of which rises Hangman's Rock, looking exactly like a miniature St. Michael's Mount. The circumference of Bryher is about three miles, and it contains some three hundred acres, and sufficient objects of interest, and fine sea views, to make it worth visiting.

Not far from the shelly beach is the plain, solidly constructed church built in 1742 by the S.P.C.K. and enlarged by the late Mr. Augustus Smith. I noticed that the roof slates were cemented on, to withstand the onslaughts of the wind, eloquently telling of the roughness of the blasts which at times sweep these islands. The tombstones in the little, plain churchyard around the simple edifice were almost entirely confined to families of the names of Stedeford, Jenkins, Trevellick, Pender. One epitaph, to a gentleman who died aged ninety-six, says :—

"This is to let you see

I've had the fifth generation on my knee." Not far from the church is a Methodist chapel, where the service is conducted by the people themselves, who, I ascertained, go to church as well when service is held there by the Tresco clergyman, who comes across for that purpose.

As I passed this Methodist chapel-it was on Sunday