H a r b o u r .
fitted up, and has a handfome gallery, which, with the roof, is fup.'
ported by molt beautiful ranges of pillars. Befides, is a prefbyterian
meeting, one o f feceders, of anabaptifts, and quakers.
The workhoufe is thinly inhabited ; for few of the. poor chufe to
.enter. Thofe whom necefiity compels, are moil ufefully employed;
with pleafijre I obferved old age, idiocy, and even infants of three
years of age, contributing ,to their own lupport, by the pulling of
oakem.
The harbour is artificial, Tout a fine and expenfive work, on- the
fouth end, guarded by a long pier, where the fhips may lie in great
¡fecurity. Another is placed farther out, to break the force of the
fea ; and within theft; are two longftrait tongues, or quays, where
the vefiels are lodged : clofe to the ihore, on the fouth fide, is another,
covered with what is called here a Steer, having in the lower
part a range o f fmiths fliops, and above an extenfive floor, capable
o f containing fix thoufand waggon loads o f coal, of 4200 lb. each.
But this is only ufed as a fort o f magazine : for above this are covered
galleries with rail roads, terminating in large flues, or hurries,
placed Hoping over the quay, and thro3 thefe the coal is difcharged
out of. the waggons into the holds o f the (hips, rattling down with a
noife like thunder. Commonly eight lhips, from a hundred and
twenty to a hundred tuns each, have been loaden in one tide'5 and on
extraordinary occafions twelve. Each load is put on board for ten
ihillings : and the waggons, after being emptied, are brought round
into the road by a turn frame, and drawn back by a fingle horie.
The greater part of the way from the pits, which lie about three or
four miles diftant from the hurries is down hill; the waggon is
fleered by one man, with a fort of rudder to direft i t ; fo that he
can
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can retard or accelerate the motion by the preflure he gives by it
on the wheel.
Many other works are projedted to fecure the port, particularly
another pier on the north fide, which when complete, will render
this haven quite land-locked. It is to be obferved, that in coming,
in vefiels lhould carry a full fail till they pafs the pier head,
otherwife they, will not becarried far enough in. The greateft part
of the coal is fent to Ireland, where about two hundred and eighteen
thoufand tons are annually exported.-
Spring tides.rife here twenty-four feet. Neap tides thirteen.
Vifit the collieries, entering at the foot o f a hill, , not diftant-
from the town,, attended by the agent: the entrance was a narrow
pafiage, bricked and vaulted,, doping down with an eafy de-
fcent. Reach the firft beds of coal which had been worked about
a century ago : the roofs jj are fmooth and fpacious, the pillars o f
fufficient ftrength to fupport the great fuperftructure, being fifteen
yards fquare, or fixty in circumference; not above a third-
of the coal having been worked in this place; fo that to me the
very columns feemed left as refources for fuel in future times..
The. immenfe caverns that lay, between the. pillars,, exhibited a-
moft gloomy appearance: I could not help enquiring here after-
the imaginary inhabitant, the creation of the laborers fancy,
Tfee fwart Fairy of-the mine; -
and was ferioufly anfwered by a black fellow at my elbow, that-
lie really had never met with, any.; but that-his grandfather
had
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