Passing From Hence, And Ferrying Over Foy River Or The River Foweth
(Call It As You Please), We Come Into A Large Country Without Many
Towns In It Of Note, But Very Well Furnished With Gentlemen's
Seats, And A Little Higher Up With Tin-Works.
The sea making several deep bays here, they who travel by land are
obliged to go higher into the
Country to pass above the water,
especially at Trewardreth Bay, which lies very broad, above ten
miles within the country, which passing at Trewardreth (a town of
no great note, though the bay takes its name from it), the next
inlet of the sea is the famous firth or inlet called Falmouth
Haven. It is certainly, next to Milford Haven in South Wales, the
fairest and best road for shipping that is in the whole isle of
Britain, whether be considered the depth of water for above twenty
miles within land; the safety of riding, sheltered from all kind of
winds or storms; the good anchorage; and the many creeks, all
navigable, where ships may run in and be safe; so that the like is
nowhere to be found.
There are six or seven very considerable places upon this haven and
the rivers from it--viz., Grampound, Tregony, Truro, Penryn,
Falmouth, St. Maws, and Pendennis. The three first of these send
members to Parliament. The town of Falmouth, as big as all the
three, and richer than ten of them, sends none; which imports no
more than this--that Falmouth itself is not of so great antiquity
as to its rising as those other towns are; and yet the whole haven
takes its name from Falmouth, too, unless, as some think, the town
took its name from the haven, which, however, they give no
authority to suggest.
St. Maws and Pendennis are two fortifications placed at the points
or entrance of this haven, opposite to one another, though not with
a communication or view; they are very strong--the first
principally by sea, having a good platform of guns pointing athwart
the Channel, and planted on a level with the water. But Pendennis
Castle is strong by land as well as by water, is regularly
fortified, has good out-works, and generally a strong garrison.
St. Maws, otherwise called St. Mary's, has a town annexed to the
castle, and is a borough sending members to the Parliament.
Pendennis is a mere fortress, though there are some habitations in
it, too, and some at a small distance near the seaside, but not of
any great consideration.
The town of Falmouth is by much the richest and best trading town
in this county, though not so ancient as its neighbour town of
Truro; and indeed is in some things obliged to acknowledge the
seigniority--namely, that in the corporation of Truro the person
whom they choose to be their Mayor of Truro is also Mayor of
Falmouth of course. How the jurisdiction is managed is an account
too long for this place. The Truro-men also receive several duties
collected in Falmouth, particularly wharfage for the merchandises
landed or shipped off; but let these advantages be what they will,
the town of Falmouth has gotten the trade--at least, the best part
of it--from the other, which is chiefly owing to the situation.
For that Falmouth lying upon the sea, but within the entrance,
ships of the greatest burthen come up to the very quays, and the
whole Royal Navy might ride safely in the road; whereas the town of
Truro lying far within, and at the mouth of two fresh rivers, is
not navigable for vessels of above 150 tons or thereabouts.
Some have suggested that the original of Falmouth was the having so
large a quay, and so good a depth of water at it. The merchants of
Truro formerly used it for the place of lading and unlading their
ships, as the merchants of Exeter did at Topsham; and this is the
more probable in that, as above, the wharfage of those landing-
places is still the property of the corporation of Truro.
But let this be as it will, the trade is now in a manner wholly
gone to Falmouth, the trade at Truro being now chiefly (if not
only) for the shipping off of block tin and copper ore, the latter
being lately found in large quantities in some of the mountains
between Truro and St. Michael's, and which is much improved since
the several mills are erected at Bristol and other parts for the
manufactures of battery ware, as it is called (brass), or which is
made out of English copper, most of it duct in these parts--the ore
itself ago being found very rich and good.
Falmouth is well built, has abundance of shipping belonging to it,
is full of rich merchants, and has a flourishing and increasing
trade. I say "increasing," because by the late setting up the
English packets between this port and Lisbon, there is a new
commerce between Portugal and this town carried on to a very great
value.
It is true, part of this trade was founded in a clandestine
commerce carried on by the said packets at Lisbon, where, being the
king's ships, and claiming the privilege of not being searched or
visited by the Custom House officers, they found means to carry off
great quantities of British manufactures, which they sold on board
to the Portuguese merchants, and they conveyed them on shore, as it
is supposed, without paying custom.
But the Government there getting intelligence of it, and complaint
being made in England also, where it was found to be very
prejudicial to the fair merchant, that trade has been effectually
stopped. But the Falmouth merchants, having by this means gotten a
taste of the Portuguese trade, have maintained it ever since in
ships of their own. These packets bring over such vast quantities
of gold in specie, either in MOIDORES (which is the Portugal coin)
or in bars of gold, that I am very credibly informed the carrier
from Falmouth brought by land from thence to London at one time, in
the month of January, 1722, or near it, eighty thousand MOIDORES in
gold, which came from Lisbon in the packet-boats for account of the
merchants at London, and that it was attended with a guard of
twelve horsemen well armed, for which the said carrier had half per
cent.
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