unded by embattled walls, is
Pennsylvania Castle. It was built by the grandson of the great William
Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in America, and was so called after
it. Its large windows show that it was not intended as a fortification,
and, of course, a few shot from a modern gun would knock it to pieces.
On the further side of a dip or valley, on the summit of a point of rock
commanding a magnificent view along the coast, stands a far more ancient
edifice, a tower in the shape of a pentagon, commonly said to have been
built by William Rufus, and called Bow and Arrow Castle from the small
circular apertures pierced in the walls for shooting arrows. There are
large brackets above them, from which were suspended planks for the
protection of the garrison when hurling their missiles at the foe.
We talked a good deal about the Quaker Penn, who, being the son of the
renowned Admiral Sir William Penn, sacrificed all the advantages which
his social position afforded him for the sake of the gospel, and with
the hope of spreading its benign truths among the heathen of the New
World, and of affording refuge to those driven forth from their native
land by persecution.
On getting round the Bill of Portland we saw ahead the sandy cliff of
Bridport, two hundred feet in height, with dark and rugged eminences
beyond, the Golden Cap of brighter hue rising above them. We now stood
across West Bay, towards Torquay. Finding the tide against us, we kept
close enough in shore to be able to distinguish places with our glasses.
The first harbour off which we came was Bridport, a town of
considerable size. The port is formed by two piers, with a basin
further in. A number of vessels for the Newfoundland fishers are fitted
out here. About a couple of miles from the entrance is the Pollock
Shoal; but our craft drew so little water that we might have passed over
it without danger of striking.
To the west of Bridport we saw Charmouth, with its lovely wooded
heights, and next to it Lyme Regis, which has a breakwater running out
of it called the Cobb, within which there is shelter for vessels. Once
upon a time it was a place of considerable trade. During Cromwell's
days the town was strongly Republican, and held out gallantly against
Prince Maurice, who came to invest it, even the women putting on red
cloaks and men's hats, to look like soldiers. It was here also that the
unfortunate Duke of Monmouth landed, to try and gain a kin
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