Guernsey Pictorial Directory and Stranger's Guide Part 4

_Land._--The price at which it is rented will scarcely be credited by strangers, as it must be exceedingly inferior, if it does not fetch 3l. per vergee, which is at the rate of 7l. 10s. per statute acre. The Couture, which is the best sample, may be valued at 5l. per vergee per annum. Land for building, in the vicinity of the town, is so enormously high, that at times it has fetched one thousand pounds per English acre.

_Letters._--Are delivered in the town and suburbs, almost immediately after the arrival of the packet. In the country it is not so, for it sometimes happens that the packet is signaled as early as eight o'clock, whereas the letters have not been delivered until four o'clock in the evening.[A] The Post-Office Packets come in regularly twice a week, Sundays and Thursdays, unless prevented by exceedingly severe weather.

[A] This delay evidently proceeds from want of more letter-carriers, and which I have since heard is the case. According to my Jersey diary, letters were regularly brought to my house at Le Hocquette, about two miles and a half from town, between one and two o'clock, provided the packet had a tolerable pa.s.sage.--_Mem. Aug. 10, 1840._

_Light-house._--Also called the Round-house, is situated at the head of the South pier, and was erected for the convenience of mariners approaching the road-stead and harbour in the night. It is a large lantern, in which several gas-burners are introduced, and the light may be seen coming through the Small Russel from the Northward, the Great Russel from the Eastward, and from the Southward when rounding St Martin's Point.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Light-House.]

_Libraries._--There are two: one belonging to the Mechanics' Inst.i.tution, and Redstone's circulating library, in both of which are reading rooms. In the former lectures are delivered throughout the winter.

_Manufactories._--Are few, the princ.i.p.al being those for potatoe spirit, vinegar, Roman cement, bricks, soap and candles, paper and cordage. The main portion of the spirit, vinegar, cement and bricks is for exportation; whilst the soap, candles, and cordage are for local consumption. The largest distillery is at the Bouet, near Ivy Castle, belonging to Messrs Valpy and Laine. It has a steam-engine, and every necessary apparatus for distilling spirit from native potatoes, when it is exported for the London market, where it is rectified. Three years' export of this article is as follows: 1834, 8,468 gallons; 1835, 52,639 gallons; 1836, 17,644 gallons.

_Margaret Church, St._--The parish church of the Forest was consecrated on the 3d September, 1163. It has a nave, North aisles and chancel; and has a low tower and octagonal spire at the junction of the chancel and nave. The North aisle is of modern structure, with plain granite lintels, and a square-headed piscina in the East wall. One of the South windows appears to have been divided into two lights, with an orbit between, and the rude ornamented heads cut out of blocks of granite. Like every thing else, this window has submitted to the chisel of modern art, wherefore the ornamental portions have been worked off in order to form a segmental head. The inside wall of the chancel is splayed, and the East window semi-circular and cinque-foil. The East and West sides of the tower are longer than the others, consequently impart to the spire an ugly and deformed appearance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Forest Church.]

_Martellos._--Are round towers situated on the coast in different parts of the island, at stated distances, particularly on the Northern or vale side, and are garrisoned with soldiers in time of war.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_Martin's Church, St_--Consists of a nave, chancel and aisle. The two former, with the tower, which is at the junction of the two, are of the early English style, and the latter with the windows of the building of modern formation. There was once a slab that contained a bra.s.s plate representing a lay-man or merchant with his lady. The stone is still there, but much defaced, and probably in a few years will entirely disappear. The porch, facing the South, which is of the decorative style, is the most elegant in the island. The corner b.u.t.tresses are terminated with ornamental pinnacles of crochets and finials, and are set diagonally at one stage.

According to the "Dedicace des Eglises," this church was consecrated on the 4th of February, 1199, in the tenth year of the reign of Henry II, king of England.

[Ill.u.s.tration: St Martin's Church.]

_Meat_--Is very good, and surpa.s.ses that of Jersey, but is dearer than in England, though to an English resident, if he draws his income from England, it will not appear so, considering there are 18 ounces to the pound, and that he gets from 5 to 6 per cent premium for his money. Beef sells at 5d. to 8d. per lb.; mutton, 6d. to 8d.; veal 5d. to 7d.; pork 4d.

to 6d.; bacon, 6d., 9d. and 11d.

_Meat Market, the_--Is commodious, clean and airy, and is perhaps one of the most convenient, both for buyer and seller that can be found in any part of the world, and is as well furnished with meat as any market in England.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Meat Market.]

_Mechanics' Wages_--Are regulated according to occupation and ability.

Journeymen smiths and ironmongers earn from 12s. to 24s., carpenters average about 18s., masons and plasterers 15s., tailors (in the busy season) 20s., printers 10s. to 18s., shoe-makers 10s. to 15s., shopmen 15s.

per week.

_Militia_.--In time of peace, all subjects of her Majesty, not being natives of the island, and who do not possess real property therein, are exempt from the said service; but otherwise, after a residence of a year and a day, are as liable to be called on as the natives themselves. Also every subject exercising for his profit any trade, business, calling, or profession whatever, shall, after a year and a day, be subject to the laws, ordinances, and regulations thereof.

_Mills._--In the country wind-mills are common, as they may be seen in almost every parish, where from their being situated on eminences, occasionally beautify the landscape. They are not exactly after the English fashion, as they have a vertical top that shifts with the wind. There are also both in town and country water-mills driven by small rivulets, and steam-mills, but of the latter there is only one in the country, in the parish of St Martin. Of late years a new method or mill for grinding apples has been adopted. It consists of two cylinders furnished with knives crossing each other as they revolve; by which simple but improved process the apples are cut, bruised and prepared for the press cheese at the same time.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_Miscellaneous Societies_--Are, the Guernsey Mutual Insurance Society for Shipping,[A] Provident Society, Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, Church Pastoral Society, Church of England Society, Irish Society, Societe Evangelique, Irish Scripture Readers Society, Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, Bethel Union, Amie des Pauvres, Humane Society, Benevolent or Stranger's Friend Society, Charitable a.s.sociation, all of which have been inst.i.tuted since 1811.

[A] This Society commenced on the 31st December, 1838, with a mutual risk of only 14,000 and consists of a chairman, secretary, and a Committee of six persons. The amount insured in 1842 was more than 70,000. The amount of the present year is upwards of 66,000. Each vessel entered carries a flag composed of a white lozenge on a red ground, and the number is marked in blue figures on the white lozenge. The number of vessels on the Society's books for the present year is 87.

_Missionary Societies._--Are, the Church Missionary Society, Society for the Promotion of the Gospel in foreign parts, Wesleyan Missionary Society, London Society (Independents), Methodist, New Connexion Society, Moravian Society, Primitive Methodists Society, Bible Christian Society, Baptists Society, &c., all of which have been established from 1817 to 1840, and whose united contributions amount to 1,333l.

_Money._--French frank pieces form the current silver coin of the island, twenty-four of which are the legal tender for the Guernsey pound currency.

The frank is ten pence English, and is divided into single, double and five frank pieces. Notwithstanding the above is the active and lawful specie of the island, all things are bought and sold by the shilling English. Of late years the Government were about to introduce the English currency, but for great interests best known to the island, it was vigorously resisted. On an English shilling there is a premium of one half-penny, but on the sovereign fourteen pence.

_New Ground_--Is a fine piece of table land, purchased by the inhabitants of the town, in 1782, h for the purpose of forming a promenade, and which now from the luxurious growth of the trees, and other ornamental displays, vies with any thing of the kind on the Continent. The lower part figures as a grove, through which is a s.p.a.cious gravel walk, canopied in summer with dense foliage. The smaller walks are only partially shaded, but have seats and resting places tastefully arranged. On the North side is Beau Sejour, the residence of Mr Harry Dobree, which has all the character of an English villa, and may strikingly remind one of those in the New Forest.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Beau Sejour.]

_Newspapers_--Are, two in English and one in French. The English are the _Star_ and _Comet_, published on Mondays and Thursdays. The French, the _Gazette de Guernesey_, published every Sat.u.r.day. The former are 2d. each, the latter 1-1/2d.

_Omnibuses_--Are four: the _Defiance_, _Favourite_, _Victoria_, and _Nelson_. One starts from the Town Church for St Sampson's every morning at 8, 9, and 12 o'clock, and in summer to St Saviour's and different part of the island every Sat.u.r.day afternoon. Pic-nic parties are taken to any part of the island.

_Oxen_--Arrive to considerable size, and in the country are employed at the plough and in drawing carts. After a certain servitude, or when they are seven or eight years old, they are fattened and sold to the butcher. Their size and weight are of such importance as to have attracted the notice of Quail; for in his report he says: "Those of 1200 lbs. or 60 score, appear not unfrequently, and from the evidence of the clerk of the market, there was one which attained the weight of 1500 lbs."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_Parsnips_--Are the best farming crop in the island, and are cultivated to some extent. They are chiefly used for fattening cattle and hogs, from which the pork and ox beef derive a superior flavour. They are also given in small quant.i.ties to milch cows during the winter, thereby imparting to the milk and b.u.t.ter a richness which would not be obtained were the animal fed entirely upon dry fodder.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 1, is the original Guernsey Parsnip, No. 2, the Jersey Parsnip.]

_Pa.s.sports._--Persons about to take their departure for France must provide themselves with pa.s.sports, which are obtained gratis at the Secretary's Office, Government-House, between the hours of ten and twelve o'clock.

_Peat_--In the Northern parts of the island is found in great abundance, and a load, which will go much further than a ton of coals, is sold at about 1l.[A] It is dug up on the sea sh.o.r.e and the adjacent marshes in the neighbourhood of Grande Roque, and is used by the English in that part of the island, the natives preferring vraic on account of the superior ashes which it yields. It is not so good as the Welsh peat; and is called in the vernacular tongue of the island _gorban_, or a G.o.d-send, a name given it by one of the ancestors of the present Baillif, who first discovered it as being a valuable article of fuel. At the Amballes, a place near town, and situated considerably above the level of the sea, peat was found when digging for the foundation of the gas-works, June 12, 1830, at about forty-five feet from the surface, under a block of granite.

[A] A correspondent of the _Horticultural Chronicle_ advises its being mixed with coal, when it makes a fine cheerful fire, useful in certain cookery, and were it not for the gas of the latter, would be much more pleasant than wood.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Peat-heaps, with a View of Roc-du-Guet, or Watch Rock.]