the case is different, and were it not for the sheep now kept by the Seigneur, it would often be impossible to obtain meat. Those, however, who are enabled to exist on other food than beef and mutton, will find no difficulty in supplying the requirements of nature. Certainly the island is not worse off now than formerly, and the following account of the resources of Sark, borrowed from an author already quoted, and referring to its condition three centuries ago, is quite sufficiently accurate at the present time, to supersede any remarks we might be inclined to offer in reference to the matter.

"For belly timber, our three staple commodities are fish, fowl and rabbits. Of the first, a little industry will purchase us a hundred sorts, particularly a large fish we call a vrack-fish (rock fish), which we split, and nailing it to our walls, dry it in the sun, for part of our winter provision. As also a large shelfish, taken plentifully at low tides, called an Ormond,* that sticks to the rocks, whence we beat them off with a forck or iron hook. "Tis much bigger than an oyster, and like that, good, either fresh or pickled, but infinitely more pleasant to the gusto; so that an epicure would think his pallat in paradice, if he might but always gormondise on such delitious ambrosia.

"For fowl, your city cannot be better furnisht with woodcocks or widgeons, besides the abundance of duck, mallard, teal, and other wild fowl, with clift pidgeons, with which at some seasons almost the whole island is covered.

"Of conies we have everywhere exceeding plenty; and yet least we should want, nature has provided us with a regular warren, placing at a small distance in the sea an island, of about half a mile every way over (the Ile des Marchands, or Brechou), which is inhabited by nothing else, whither we commonly go a ferreting, and have thence such abundance, that it has been confidently told me some families here have made £15 or £20

Ormond, ormer (aureille de mer). The sea-ear or Haliotis. It is still largely Pusumed in Sark and the other islands, though not found on the coast of England.

a year only of their skins. If all this rich fare will not content you, we have a most excellent pottage made of milk, bacon, coleworts, mackarel, and gooseberries, boyled together all to pieces, which our mode is to eat, not with the ceremony of a spoon, but the more courtly way of a great piece of bread, furiously plying between your mouth and the kettle."*

As in the other islands, the sea-weed is used in Sark for agricultural purposes; but owing to the extreme difficulty of approach, it is found more economical to lift it by machinery to a convenient level, than draw it up from the beach. A large quantity of the sea-weed is imported from Herm.

Taken as a group, it may be observed in conclusion, that the islands of Guernsey, Sark, and Herm, are the loftiest, and project furthest out to sea, of all the Channel Islands. They thus approach most nearly in character to oceanic islands, and in all respects are most independent of the adjacent land, whether of France or England.

A belt, two miles wide, running due east and west, through the south of Guernsey and Great Sark, includes the highest land in the whole group of the Channel Islands, and the general slope of the land to the north of such imaginary belt is northwards-that to the south, southwards. It thus forms the dividing line of the whole district. On the north side of the belt the land slopes gradually, on the south side much more abruptly; so that the depth of thirty fathoms, or 180 feet of water, which be considered the greatest depth of sea in the neighbourhood, is distant more than six miles to the north, but only one mile to the south. These generalisations may seem unimportant, but they point to conclusions which will be considered in another chapter.

may

"News from the Channel," &c., ante, p. 78.

FROM the rocks off Jerbourg and St. Martin's Point in Guernsey, to Cape Grosnez, the nearest point of Jersey, is a distance of seventeen and a-half statute miles, of which about thirteen miles is a channel, having from twenty-five to thirty-five fathoms water, the bottom consisting of rock, coarse stones, shingle, and shell-sand or shells. This channel is called 'la Déroute;' and from it, eastwards, to the Normandy coast, the water gradually shoals. Before reaching the northern coast of Jersey, and about three miles distant from it, there is a succession of almost continuous banks and shoals, which reach to the French coast. The rocks above water reduce themselves into three principal groups :

one to the west, called the Paternosters; another, nearly central, called Dirouilles;' and a third, to the east, called the Ecrehou rocks. Between the eastern extremity of the latter rocks and Cape Carteret, the nearest French land, there are unsafe channels, interrupted by violent over-falls; sand-banks, almost exposed at low water, and some rocks. There is a tolerably good channel between the Dirouilles and Ecrehou into Bouley Bay, on the north coast of Jersey; but on the whole, the navigation along the north of the island, and also between Jersey and France, is very dangerous, except for vessels of small burden.

Jersey is a compact island, of oblong form, ranging east and west, and situated between north latitudes 49° 15′ and 49° 10′, and between west longitudes 2° 03′ and 2° 15'. It is about eleven statute miles in length, from east to west, and in some places half that width. It is estimated to contain 39,580 English acres, or about sixty-two square statute miles,—this estimate including all the land to low water mark. Of this area, about 25,000 acres are under cultivation.

The distance of Jersey from the nearest point of France is not more than sixteen miles; but there is at present no convenient or safe approach to any port on the coast of Normandy nearer than Granville, which is about thirty miles distant. The usual communications are from St. Helier's with St. Malo, on the coast of Britany, situated due south, and with Granville to the

east.

In Jersey, a belt of elevated land, from 250 to 300 feet above the sea, ranges from east to west, rising very abruptly from the north coast, and less abruptly from the south-east and west coasts; differing, therefore, in this respect, from Guernsey, where the slope is towards the north, and more gradual. The natural drainage of the island is by several small pellucid streams, rather deeply intersecting the land. Of these streams, the largest enter St. Aubin's Bay. One small group is lost in the sands to the cast, near Gorey; and another is lost in a similar manner at

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

93

St. Ouen's, on the west coast. Several small streamlets fall into the sea, in miniature cascades, over the cliffs on the north and

north-west coasts.

On the east, south and west, the coast of Jersey consists of large, open bays, each terminated by rocky headlands. Within these bays the country remains low and flat for some little distance, except where rolling sand hills intervene. In this respect there is little real resemblance to any part of Guernsey, though the bays between Lihou and Grande Havre, in that island, are not at first sight very dissimilar.

On the north, north-east and north-west shores of Jersey there is much picturesque rocky and cliff scenery, of the same kind as that on the south coast of Guernsey, but more indented and inferior in height. Here are the principal steep cliffs, caverns, arched rocks and large semi-detached masses of rock, or separate islets. The island throughout is well wooded; in the interior the numerous cross roads being almost concealed by the overhanging branches of trees planted in the hedges or fields adjoining. The wood often grows on the slopes of the hills, even to the water's edge, and is generally distributed so as to give a peculiarly rich and pleasing expression to the landscape, either from the little bays or wherever a wide and distant view can be obtained.

Almost the whole island is broken up into small enclosures by lofty hedges. In the western part of the parish of St. Brelade (on the south-west of the island) is an extensive tract, at some height above the sea, called the Quenvais, covered with drifted sand, and below, but near it, to the west, is the sandy district of St. Ouen's. Wet places occur in several of the valleys; but the principal marshes are near the sea, one at the lower end of St. Peter's valley; another near St. Ouen's pond, in the bay of that name; another within Grouville Bay, near Gorey; and one between St. Helier's and Plat Rocque, on the south-eastern coast.