Guernsey Pictorial Directory and Stranger's Guide Part 6

_Shooting._--Heretofore, every person was allowed to carry a gun, and no protection granted for game; but now the Royal Court have enacted certain restrictions respecting guns, dogs and ferrets; but as they are exceedingly mild, it will not be amiss to mention there is excellent sport in snipe,[A]

woodc.o.c.k, plover,[B] fieldfare, and blackbird shooting; as during the winter months there is a great influx of these birds. So lenient indeed are the laws respecting shooting, that an informer cannot gratify any malicious view, unless he resign all damages awarded by the Court towards some charitable inst.i.tution or purpose; moreover, it is believed shooting is encouraged for the purpose of initiating youth for the service of the rising militia. Shooting in an orchard is under a penalty of 20l., as it destroys the bud.

[A] In a memorandum dated October 31, 1842--"Went down to Grande Rocque with my gun;--observed flocks of the red-legged crow at an immeasurable height in the air. On alighting, they eagerly sought small sh.e.l.ls that covered the plains by myriads. Returning home late in the evening, I heard, for the first time, at some alt.i.tude, the cacephata attagenarum, or harsh sounds of a number of snipes. A similar thing occurred in Jersey, therefore I take it for granted that snipes generally visit these islands about this time." Again, for June 9th of the present year, I have:--"Fair, but windy day.--Went out to Woodlands, to fetch some arbutus wood for engraving, where I was informed a bittern was shot in an adjoining garden, by a man named Abraham Machon; also, that in severe winters, among other birds driven here, are wild swans; that a few years since, several of these birds lodged on some rocks in the Valle, and were so exhausted as to suffer themselves to be taken by the hand, of which two were exhibited in the Market and fetched 10 shillings each.

[B] Besides the plover, we have the occasional influx of a a number of pewits, and as proof that the flocks are not small, Mr Henry Le Lacheur, jun., of the Forest, killed nine at one shot, during the severe frost of 1837.

_Societies, Bible._--The British and Foreign Bible Society, established 1812--contributions 420l. Guernsey Auxiliary to the Trinitarian Bible Society, established 1836--contributions 48l. Ladies' a.s.sociation to ditto, established 1831--contributions 85l.

_Spirits, Wines, and Cordials._--The best Cognac brandy is always imported from France, and is never less than 6s. or more than 7s. per gallon.

Inferior brandies distilled from beet-root, potatoes, or apples, may be obtained from 2s. 6d. to 4s. per gallon, and rises in quality according to price. The best hollands is 3s. 4d. and the best Jamaica rum 4s. 4d. per gallon. Liqueurs and cordials are equally moderate; creme de noyau, noyau rouge, creme de fine orange, ditto de citron, ditto de framboise, ditto des Barbades, ditto de canelle, &c., are all 3s. per bottle, and we may add as somewhat less, parfait amour, Jamaica shrub, ratafia de cinq fruits, and curacoa double, which latter article may be had for 1s. 8d.

The prices of wines are as follow: best port, 25s. per dozen; best sherry, 22s. ditto; fine malmsey, 28s.; ampurdam, 8s.; benicarlo, 8s.; hock, 15s.

to 38s.; mountain, 8s. 6d. to 12s.; Teneriffe, 11s.; Syracuse, 24s.; Constantia (pints), 12s.; Calcavala, 12s.; Bucellas, 10s.; Vidonia, 18s.; Grenache, 8s. 6d.

French red wines (clarets)--Chateau Margaux (pints), 18s.; La Fitte, 36s.; Leoville, 28s.; La Tour de Carnet, 24s.; St Julien, 18s.; St Emilion, 15s.; Medoc, 12s. French white wines--Champaign (white and pink), 50s.; in pints, 26s.; burgundy (sparkling), 24s.; hermitage, 36s.; chateau grille, 18s.; haut sauterne, 24s.; Barsac, 24s.; grave, 10s. to 15s.; roussillon sec, 8s.

6d.; rancio, 12s.; picardan (sec), 18s.; cornas, 15s.; crosse, 18s.; tavel, 10s., together with numerous others. There is 1s. 6d. per dozen allowed on the above when the bottles are returned, as they have been included.

_States_--Are of two kinds, the administrative and elective. The administrative States are composed of the Baillif and twelve Jurats, eight Rectors from the parishes, the Attorney-General, six deputies from the town parish, and nine from the rural parishes, in all thirty-seven members. The States of election are composed as above, with the addition of the Constables and Douzeniers of each parish. The town parish alone sends forty-eight members; formerly it only returned twenty-four. This body corporate is the little parliament of the island, and every inhabitant is supposed to be represented therein. They are convened by a printed notice, called a _Billet d'Etat_, issued by the Baillif, and communicated to every and each of the members at least a week before the time of meeting.

_Taxes_--Are not levied on strangers, unless they become proprietors of land or enter into some business. The tax or rate on the native is about one-ninth that of England; for a more curious detail of which, the reader is referred to the History of Guernsey, by Jonathan Duncan.

_Thieves_--Until of late years were totally unknown here, and but for the continued vigilance of the present constabulary force would be considerably on the increase. Strange to relate, hardly ever a native is caught committing the slightest depredation on his neighbours; convicted rogues and thieves being, for the most part, from Somerset and Dorset,[A]

especially the latter. Formerly, from the leniency of the law, they were merely banished to the place from whence they came; but now, from a better understanding of the rights of society, they are sent to the hulks of their own country, waiting a further removal to Van Dieman's Land.

[A] It appears that starvation, want of food, raiment, and depression of wages are the chief causes that drive these labourers and wretched mendicants to the Channel Isles; for, according to an article--"The Labourers of Dorsetshire"--in Lloyd's weekly London newspaper for March 19th of the present year, it appears by a respectable reporter of the Corn League, that for starvation, abject want, total ignorance, depravity, and lowness of wages and raiment, that that county exceeded every thing on record. According to a letter in the "Morning Chronicle," the reporter of the League was strictly enjoined to keep at some distance within the base of truth, that there might be no room for contradiction, and to that rule he rigidly adhered; nevertheless, it appears the poor people never taste tea, coffee, nor sugar;--animal food five or six times in the year, and beer the same. Those who live near the sea, chiefly exist upon turnip tops, and because they have no money to procure salt, boil them in sea water.

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_t.i.thes_--Yield but a slender income to the Clergy, in consequence of the great breadth of potatoes under cultivation, on which the farmer is exempt; but the rectors have had, of late years, an increase of income taken from the revenues belonging to the Crown in this island, so that all the livings of the country parishes are not less than 101l. nor more than 166l. per annum. St Peter-Port, on account of its casualities, yields 480l. per annum. t.i.thes are fixed on the twelfth and ninth portion of corn and apples.

_Tonnage Dues._--English vessels not registered in Guernsey, pay 6d. per ton on all goods landed and loaded; but when from a French port 6d. per ton on the tonnage of the vessel. Foreign vessels pay the same, measured as British tonnage. Fishing vessels and yachts are exempt, but pay the pa.s.s on leaving the harbour. Vessels exporting coals are exempt; but those landing wines, whether for the inhabitants or on strangers' account, pay a duty of fifteen sous per ton.

[Ill.u.s.tration: New Torteval Church.]

_Torteval Church_--Is comparatively new, the old one having been pulled down in the year 1815. The tower and spire of this church are round, like a sugar-loaf, and of considerable height; and the ascent to the top by a kind of cork-screw flight of steps. The interior affords room for a much larger congregation than the parish now produces. The pulpit is erected under a dome or arch in the centre of the chancel, immediately opposite the communion table, and is said to impart a strange tone to the clergyman's voice.

The old church of which the engraving at page 85, represents, had a nave, chancel, South aisle, porch, and low, square tower, pinnacled and surmounted by an octagonal spire at the West end of the nave. It was built by Sir Phillip De Carteret, in the year 1140, in consequence of a vow made at sea. Sir Phillip was the son of Sir William De Carteret, co-Lord with the King of France of the barony of Carteret in Normandy.

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_Trees_--Most commonly met with are, the Guernsey elm, oak, ash, and poplar, with a sprinkling here and there of Turkey oak. The Guernsey elm, which is a tall, poplar-like tree, is peculiar to the soil, and may be seen beautifying almost every sylvan district. The New Ground or parade, is almost wholly circ.u.mgirt with this fine forest tree, which, in connexion with Carey Castle, is an object of much attraction when seen from the roads; insomuch that the latter has the appearance of a n.o.ble mansion in the midst of a large and thickly wooded park. Contrary to England and most other countries, the trees in various districts are stunted down to pollard fashion, of which the annexed engraving is a faithful representation, after the first year.

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[Ill.u.s.tration: Old Torteval Church.]

_Valle Church, the_--For antiquity, is the second church in the island, and is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel. It has undergone a complete modernization, and a new roof has just now been put up. A monumental bra.s.s was once inlaid in a stone situate in the East end of the North aisle, which was supposed to represent the Abbot of St Michael. The chancel which forms the original church, is said to be of a later Norman style than that of St Sampson's, and there is still preserved its consecration, which happened in the year 1117. The pillars are round, and the supporters of the fabricated roof are wrought with a kind of zig-zag moulding. The East window of the North aisle, if examined narrowly, exhibits a kind of fret-work, and is divided into three lights.

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

_Vergee._--A measure of ground, two and a half of which complete an English acre. A vergee lets from 1l. to 6l. per annum, and may be purchased from 20l. to 100l.; but the purchaser may either pay the whole or in part, when the remainder stands over as mortgage, which is divided into quarters and called "rents."

_Vraic_--Is sea-weed, and is eagerly sought after by the farmers, both as fuel and manure for their grounds, than which, they uphold nothing can be better. The ashes, as a manure, are certainly unrivalled, and so appreciated are their value, that "no sea-weed, no corn," has pa.s.sed into a proverb. They are sold at about 1s. 6d. the Guernsey bushel.

_Weights and Measures._--The pound is two ounces more than the English; thus, twenty-eight ounces Guernsey, are thirty and a half avoirdupois. The weights at the meat-market are under the direction of the States. They are of solid bra.s.s, beautifully bright, with their numbers engraved on them, and are locked up every night by the clerk of the market. Defalcations of weight in meat, b.u.t.ter, or bread, is punished with a heavy penalty, and if among the b.u.t.ter women, the whole of their stock is seized by the constable whose duty it is to investigate the matter, and confiscate it for the benefit of the town hospital.

_Wheat, Oats, and Barley._--The red wheat is preferred on account of its producing heavier crops, and being less subject to the ravages of small birds, which are very numerous here, especially sparrows. Wheat, during the last twenty years, has been about two-thirds of the price at which it has been sold in England. In the summer of 1830, wheat was twenty shillings per quarter, Guernsey measure; whilst the price in England at the same time was sixty or seventy shillings per quarter. At one time, the rigorous corn-law was about to be extended here; but the inhabitants bestired themselves, and succeeded in warding off the terrible blow, for which they were greatly indebted to the exertions of the late venerable Baillif.

Barley generally follows wheat, and is considered by agriculturists of an excellent quality, so much so, that when Quail wrote, one would have thought that it was chiefly used for bread. It is sold to the brewers for malting, at 3s. the Guernsey bushel, (56 lbs. English.)

Oats and rye are not much grown, as they are obtained on the Continent much cheaper than they can be raised, and in respect to the keeping of a horse are much more reasonable than in England.

_Wood for firing._--In the country, may be obtained at the following prices: liberal sized f.a.ggots, consisting of ash, elm, or apple tree, fetch from 18s. to 1l. per hundred. Should a still greater moderation of price be regarded, old ship planks in the neighbourhood of the pier may be had.

Norwegian and Swedish deals, twelve feet long, nine inches broad, and three inches thick, are sold for 2s. and 2s. 6d. each, or 15l. per 120, as there is no duty on them, or any other kind of timber.

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THE STRANGER'S GUIDE;

OR,

WALK ROUND THE ISLAND.

The first thing that a stranger, on landing, seeks, is rest and quietude; for which purpose, he generally locates himself at one or other of the hotels. Ordering dinner, he prepares an appet.i.te by a walk in and about the town, which he will find to be a quiet, though thriving place, with good handsome shops. He may be arrested by the town church, which is as handsome a structure as any in England; and in many of its portions displays some cunning specimens of the ancient chisel. Should he be thinking of becoming a resident, he may probably stroll into the shambles, the fruit and poultry markets, and from thence to that splendid area the fish-market, where doubtless, if the slabs are in the same condition as in the earlier part of the morning, he will exclaim: "Well, this beats any thing of the kind I have ever seen!" On deliberating on the building and its vast supply, he will put us down as a fish-eating people, unless by enquiry he finds that vast quant.i.ties are exported. Having communed within himself on the various markets, he will not be a little amused with the fantastic head-dresses of the Norman women.

Proceeding through the town, he may visit the Grange, Rohais and St Andrew's roads, where he will find handsome, uniform buildings, much after the style of his own country; and having as it were by necessity pa.s.sed the College, he will stop short to give it an extra consideration best known to himself. By the bye, he may fall in with the New Ground or parade, with which he can scarce fail to be pleased, as it is the admiration of every one.

Having procured a tolerable appet.i.te, he will, in all probability, sit down to a dinner of John dorey or turbot, which, with the addition of a piece of roast beef as good as that of old England, and a good supply of delicious vegetables and fruit, may be a further proof of the qualities of Guernsey.

After dinner being generally considered an interlude for good feelings and a kindly impression, the visitor no doubt will be anxious to chat with his neighbour on the economy of living in Guernsey and so on, or in his absence may skim the pages of a Guide or Almanack. Such being the case, he retires to bed to dream of the morrow's excursion, which, in all probability, will be towards the outskirts of the town; in which case, should he select the Rohais, he had better drop into Luff's nursery, as he will find in it much to interest the florist and the horticulturist. Taking a circuitous bend to the left through the fields adjoining Mr Martin's, he will fall in with Havilland Hall, the present residence of the Governor, which from over the hill has a fine appearance, and is seen to its best advantage. It is remarkable for its alt.i.tude, and an entrance of four lofty Doric columns, which but for a gentle swell in the middle, would be somewhat grand. The rest can scarce fail to be admired, as it consists of a deep ravine, babbling brooks, hanging woods, sheltered vale and cultivated farm.