while the ramparts and houses give back the sound of the tread of the marching feet, the rattle of the brass drums, and the blare of martial music, with a thousand reverberations. The regatta of the Royal Western Yacht Squadron, or the sailing of a squadron, offers a sight equally inspiriting in the Sound. On the Mount are several official buildings: the Government House, built for the lieutenant-governor, 1795, whose place of residence was removed from Plymouth in 1725; the house of the Port-Admiral, built 1757; the Laboratory of the Ordnance; a battery, and the Semaphore for communicating with ships in the Sound or at Hamoaze, once the first of thirty-two similar stations on the road to London. It required only fifteen minutes to communicate the arrival of Napoleon in the Sound to the Admiralty; but the electric telegraph not only occupies less time, but is independent of interruption by darkness or weather. The Duke of Wellington was appointed Governor of Plymouth Dec. 9, 1819.

cannon.

The fortifications of Plymouth, begun by Bishop Stratford, by permission of a patent roll dated 5th Richard II., and continued in 1430, consisted merely of a curtain, with a square castle and circular bastions at the angles, and forts extending to Millbay: in 1512 and 1595 the defences were augmented. In 1708 they mounted 165 pieces of At Millbay now are prisons capable of holding 3000 men, and the point is defended by the West and East King's Batteries. On the opposite shore, at Mount Pleasant, is a redoubt and a Tudor block-house, between which and the castle, until the reign of Charles II., was laid a boom chain. Facing the Sound are Ligonier batteries and the citadel, with the north-west and northeast ravelins, and the breaching battery between them. The Prince of Wales' battery, Stonehouse redoubts, the western King's battery, and Mount Wise command the Hamoaze and approaches to the Dockyard. Staddon battery protects Bovisand; and Maker and Picklecombe defend the west passage. A series of detached forts, projected on the Cornish shore, will render Plymouth impregnable.

DEVONPORT.

DEVONPORT has only risen into importance since the year 1761, although William III. enlarged a naval arsenal established there in the year 1689. The Dockyard of Ply. mouth was commenced in 1689, and very great improvements were effected in 1698, which included an additional single dry dock, at a cost of 12,2457.; a wet dock, 17,4897; outside gates, 51577.; a rope-walk, 51467; three mast-houses, 1138: the value of the yard and buildings was returned at 67,0951. A new dock was opened June 15, 1771. In 1774, Lord Egmont, who then presided at the Board of Admiralty, recommended a further enlargement on an extensive scale; the estimate of the cost was stated to be 379,1707., and by the end of 1773, 153,5857. had been actually expended on the works, which included three slips, a double dock, two single docks, and a mast-pound. The number of persons employed in 1774 was 2522; in the yard 1995, and 527 in the ordinary. Under 31st Geo. II. fortifications were commenced, and continued by another act (21st Geo. III.) during the succeeding reign. Until 1824 the town was known as Plymouth Dock, where Frank Mildmay "found middies as plentiful as black boys at Port Royal." It then received by royal permission the name of Devonport, and in 1838 obtained the elective franchise for the return of two members. On the north-east and south the town is enclosed by the King's Interior Boundary Wall, 12 ft. high, begun 1787 by the Duke of Richmond, who caused the present sea-walk, Richmond Walk, to be constructed. Outside the wall are the Lines, with a ditch hewn out of the limestone rock from 12 ft. to 20 ft. in depth, planned by Smelt 1755, and begun 1756. There are three gates the North Barrier, leading to the Tamar; Stoke Barrier, towards Tavistock; and Stonehouse Barrier, to Plymouth. In 1779 these works were in bad condition, and General

Dixon, R.E., was in despair for lack of men, when Francis Bassett (afterwards Lord de Dunstanville) appeared at the head of one thousand Cornish miners, and completed the lines in 1783. They were condemned as useless by the Duke of Wellington. On the west side of Devonport are the Dockyard and Gunwharf. The Dockyard (of which George Biddlecombe, the author of a valuable professional work, is Master Attendant,) is enclosed from North Corner to Mutton Cove, on the south, by a wall of slate and limestone, 30 ft. high; the establishment covers 96 acres, 40 having been leased of Sir W. Morice and enclosed in 1728, and 31 in 1768; 64 acres are now held from Sir John St. Aubyn, at 50s. an acre. The shore-line to Hamoaze is 3500 ft.; the breadth of the yard in the middle is 1600 ft., and at the extremities 100 ft. The sea-wall was begun Jan. 1816, and the first stone laid Jan. 1819; the structure is raised on piles 60 ft. long; the entrance is in Fore Street. A flat paved road, planted with esms, leads to the Admiral Superintendent's House. In front of the thirteen residences of the officials is a double row of lime trees: in this first court are the Chapel, built 1700; the Guard House, Navy Pay Office, and Dockyard Surgery. There are five docks-New Union, built and faced with Portland stone by Bailby, 1762, 239 ft. by 56 ft. (26 ft. deep); New North, built 1789, 272 ft. by 56 ft. (27 ft. deep); Graving Slip, Froward Point, 142 ft. by 69 ft.: South Dock, 197 ft. by 49 ft. (23 ft. deep); Head, 223 ft. by 52 ft.; Stern, 192 ft. by 52 ft. William III. constructed the South Dock and George III. added other docks, hewn out of slate. At the present time the South Dock admits a line-of-battle ship, being 261 ft. long, with an entrance 65 ft. broad, and a depth of 28 ft. at high-water spring-tides. Northward are two docks in one, with a middle gate to separate them; they are now considered useless, and it is intended to combine them into a dock of 400 ft. in length to admit ships of the largest class. Again northward is a dock 201 ft. long; the fifth measures 234 ft., but it is also to be enlarged. The graving-slip, 169 ft. long, dry at low water

adjoins the Camber, a canal 70 ft. wide, communicating with the boat pond, and convenient for the discharge of stores. An iron swing-bridge connects it with the southern part of the Dockyard, where there are building-slips, mast-houses, ponds for spars, timber-sheds, saw-pits, smitheries, hemp and rope houses, &c. A terrible fire in 1840 destroyed the Talavera and Imogene, and seriously injured the Minden; the whole loss was estimated at 80,000l. The Chain Cable Storehouse, built 1844-8, cost 40,000l. The Anchor Smithery, fronting the Anchor Wharf, is 210 ft. square; the fierce red glare of forty-eight forges, and the furnaces fanned by steamworked bellows; the dusky volumes of smoke; the blinding flashes and sparks that leap from the metal as it is wrought; the dark forms of the swarthy smiths; and the reverberation of the blows of their sledge-hammers and the Nasmyth-compose a scene and sounds the most unearthly. The Spinning Houses are of limestone, three stories high, and each 1200 ft. long; the new Rope House is of iron; the Mould, or Model Loft, contains sections of engines and plans of the lines of ships. Round a square, 450 ft. by 300 ft., are two ranges of iron sheds, Sail Lofts, over the Rigging Houses, 480 ft. long, with storehouses on the other sides of the square. At the extremity of the Camber was the boundary of the yard till 1763. Near the wharf are three slips (the area of one of the roofs amounts to one acre), and the Boiling Houses: to the north of the former is the Mast House. A small mound, called King's Hill, since the visit of King George III., was the former Bunker's Hill, and had a battery of five 9-pounders. A dockyard, according to the theory of its operations, is presumed to supply yearly three line-ofbattle ships, three frigates, six corvettes, and smaller vessels; the rest of the labour is devoted to fitting ships and accidental works. A line-of-battle ship costs 115,000l., a frigate 90,000l., a sloop 40,000l., taking the finest specimens of each class. At Portsmouth the expenses of the yard for 1858 were 21,2747.; at Devonport, 23,2531. The wages of 2593 artificers at Portsmouth, 165,6047.; at Devon

port, 2565 workmen were employed, at a cost of 155,6591. The Steam Factory at Portsmonth, with 739 men, cost 21507.: at Keyham, with 625 men, 1,8937. The Victualling Yard at Weovil, with 120 men, cost 4,0067. at Cremill, with 114 men, 4,555l. The Hospital at Haslar cost 61847.; at Stonehouse 4060l. The gradual increase of the British fleet is of great interest: in 1546, there were 58 vessels; in 1578, 24, of 10,506 tonnage; in 1641, 42, tonnage 22,411; in 1658, 157, tonnage 56,000; in 1760, 412, tonnage 321,134; in 1793, 498, tonnage, 433,226; in 1859, 402, tonnage 420,159, guns 8,202. In 1578 the largest ship was of 1,000 tons. The Duke of Wellington cost in hull and labour, 30,6527.; materials, 75,6397.; masts, &c., 19,2247.; engines, 46,2207.; her annual cost, exclusive of the pay of the crew, is 14,3257. There are, of the important rates, in 1859, 95 ships of the line, 96 frigates, 214 corvettes, &c., and 162 gunboats. The Gun Wharf, separated from the dockyard by Corner Street, occupies 4 acres of ground, and was dug down into the schistose rock 30 ft. deep. It contains the guns and carriages of ships in ordinary: in the upper story of the buildings, constructed by Sir John Vanbrugh, 1718-25, is an armoury.

A tunnel, 900 yards long, leads from the north side of the Dockyard to Keyham yard. The first stone of this establishment was laid by Lord Auckland in 1846. The entrance is from Morice Town. On entering the yard, the Admiral Superintendent's house, and the reservoirs to be used in case of fire, are observable. There are three spacious docks, fitted with caissons, hewn out of the slate, and faced with granite; the south dock is 370 ft. by 80 ft., at the entrance; the second, 307 ft. by 80 ft.; the third of equal size, but 4 ft. deeper, and so capable of receiving H.M.S. Duke of Wellington with her guns and stores aboard. It occupies 72 acres, the site of Moon Cove: the south basin, 600 ft. long by 450 ft. broad, entered from the river, with an area of 6 acres, and an entrance 80 ft. broad, has a quay line of 1570 ft., and the north basin will have one of 2240 ft. When complete it will measure 1,000 ft. by 450 ft. and communicate with the river and south basin.