brought forward into public notice. With the disappearance of their language, the Cornish have lost almost all those provincial peculiarities in cus toms and amusements, which distinguished them from the inhabitants of other English counties. Their dangerous wrestling and hurling matches are now of much rarer occurrence than heretofore; the spirit of sport has nearly evaporated, and that of industry supplied its place. The occupations in the mining countries fill up the time of those engaged in them too effectually to allow leisure for prolonged revels, or frequent festivities; and in the other parts of Cornwall, the constant pursuits of steady labour have banished the traditional times and seasons of vulgar riot and dissipation. Though the "they could not speak it readily; but that they understood "it, being only ten or twelve years younger than Dolly Pen"treath. I continued nine or ten days in Cornwall after "this; but found that my friends, whom I had left to the "the eastward, continued as incredulous almost as they were "before, about these last remains of the Cornish language, "because (amongst other reasons) Dr. Borlase had supposed, "in his Natural History of the county, that it had entirely "ceased to be spoken; it was also urged, that as he lived "within four or five miles of the old woman at Mousehole, "he consequently must have heard of so singular a thing as "her continuing to use the vernacular tongue."-Archeol. vol. iii. p. 180, 182. 1 husbandry of the Cornish be not yet arrived to that systematic excellence which many other counties can boast; yet of their dairies let no man speak but in terms of the highest eulogy. If the praise of Herefordshire cider, and Oxford ale, deserve to be sung in Miltonic verse, the Clouted Creamt of Cornwall puts in still more substantial claims to the notice of the lofty muse. Devonshire had regaled us with this delicious article, before we reached Cornwall, but as soon as we had tasted the clouted cream of the latter, accompanied by the excellent coffee which we found at every inn throughout the county, we acknowledged it was only here that this production could be had in perfection. Philips, and T. Warton. † The usual method of making Clouted Cream is as follows: The milk is suffered to stand twelve hours, or longer if necesary, till the cream, which naturally separates from it, float to its surface. It is then put over a charcoal stove, (an improvement upon the method of the old housewives, who performed the process over the kitchen fire, whence it contracted a smoaky taste,) and submitted to a heat that produces boiling as nearly as possible. Here it continues till it be thoroughly scalded, when it is taken off, returned to the dairy, and in about ten or twelve hours a thick crust of cream rises to the surface of the vessel, which is the excellent article in question. The varied luxuries of the Cornubian dairies, indeed, were so delicious, as greatly to increase our respect and value for the gentle beast by whose udder they were supplied; and we should, without the least hesitation, have placed the cow at the head of the English domesticated animals, had we not recollected the many and powerful claims of the horse to this preference; who not only administers to our pleasure, convenience, and ease; performs with willingness the drudgery appointed him to compleat; enhances the pleasure of our sports, and accelerates the transactions of our business; but, what is more than all, conveys us, with rapidity and safety, when separated from it by distance, into the bosom of that family, without whose participation no enjoyment can be complete; without whose society, novelty itself soon ceases to interest; and all that is beautiful, gay, and magnificent in external nature, if it do not become insipid, loses at least half its power to charm. In addition to the facts produced in favour of the migration of Woodcocks, I had forgotten, whilst mentioning that subject, to adduce a circum ́stance relative to the history of this bird, as connected with the Land's-End, which would greatly have strengthened the affirmative of the question. We were told by our guide that two winters ago, the wind suddenly shifting to the north-east, when these birds were on their passage to England, and blowing strongly from that quarter, the poor voyagers were exhausted before they could reach the land, and falling into the sea, were drowned, drifted on shore, and picked up, in vast numbers, by the peasantry. A modern poet has prettily adverted to a casualty, which it should seem, not unfrequently attends the migration of the woodcock. "Ill fares it with him then, "On stormy seas mid-way surpriz'd: no land, 66 High-bounding o'er the waves, urg'd by despair, "He seeks the rocking masts, and throws him down "Amid the twisted cordage:-thence repell'd, "If instant blows deprive him not of life, "He flutters weakly on, and drops at last, Helpless and flound'ring, in the whit'ning surge." FOWLING, a Poem, in five books, Cadell and Davies. 1808. Richard Cruttwell, Printer, Stamp-Office, St. James's-Street, Bath. |