Here Is Also A Very Great Fishing For Pilchards; And
The Merchants For Falmouth Have The Chief Stroke In That Gainful
Trade.
Truro is, however, a very considerable town, too.
It stands up the
water north and by east from Falmouth, in the utmost extended
branch of the Avon, in the middle between the conflux of two
rivers, which, though not of any long course, have a very good
appearance for a port, and make it large wharf between them in the
front of the town. And the water here makes a good port for small
ships, though it be at the influx, but not for ships of burthen.
This is the particular town where the Lord-Warden of the Stannaries
always holds his famous Parliament of miners, and for stamping of
tin. The town is well built, but shows that it has been much
fuller, both of houses and inhabitants, than it is now; nor will it
probably ever rise while the town of Falmouth stands where it does,
and while the trade is settled in it as it is. There are at least
three churches in it, but no Dissenters' meeting-house that I could
hear of.
Tregony is upon the same water north-east from Falmouth--distance
about fifteen miles from it--but is a town of very little trade;
nor, indeed, have any of the towns, so far within the shore,
notwithstanding the benefit of the water, any considerable trade
but what is carried on under the merchants of Falmouth or Truro.
The chief thing that is to be said of this town is that it sends
members to Parliament, as does also Grampound, a market-town; and
Burro', about four miles farther up the water. This place, indeed,
has a claim to antiquity, and is an appendix to the Duchy of
Cornwall, of which it holds at a fee farm rent and pays to the
Prince of Wales as duke 10 pounds 11s. 1d. per annum. It has no
parish church, but only a chapel-of-ease to an adjacent parish.
Penryn is up the same branch of the Avon as Falmouth, but stands
four miles higher towards the west; yet ships come to it of as
great a size as can come to Truro itself. It is a very pleasant,
agreeable town, and for that reason has many merchants in it, who
would perhaps otherwise live at Falmouth. The chief commerce of
these towns, as to their sea-affairs, is the pilchards and
Newfoundland fishing, which is very profitable to them all. It had
formerly a conventual church, with a chantry and a religious house
(a cell to Kirton); but they are all demolished, and scarce the
ruins of them distinguishable enough to know one part from another.
Quitting Falmouth Haven from Penryn West, we came to Helston, about
seven miles, and stands upon the little River Cober, which,
however, admits the sea so into its bosom as to make a tolerable
good harbour for ships a little below the town.
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