We shall now proceed to a description of the coast of west side of the island, beginning with that of Cumberland. The coast of this county, and of the de tached part of Lancashire, called Furness, forms al most a semicircle, beginning at the mouth of the Eden, and terminating at the isle of Walney. Toward the Solway Frith, it is marshy, indenting the country af terwards with the bay of Kilbride. Workington, near the mouth of the Dement, is the first place of conse quence that presents itself. A little to the south of this, is Whitehaven, situated on a small bay, surround ed with naked hills. It is supposed to have received its name from the white cliffs, which lie on one side of its port. About two leagues to the south of Whiteha ven, the promontory of St Bees Head stretches out into the sea. It is noted for the resort of sea-fowl.
The line of sea coast of the county of Lancaster is very rudely indented by the Irish Sea ; and will be most intelligibly described, by dividing it into three peninsulas. Of these the first is comprehended be tween the river Dudden, which divides it from Cum berland, and the Ken, which separates it from West moreland. The second lies between the Ken and the Ribble ; and the third between the Ribble and the Mersey, which is the boundary between this county and Cheshire. The first of these, called Furness, al ready adverted to, presents a line of coast of nearly SO miles. The long and narrow isle of \Valney forms the bulwark of this part of the coast of Lancashire, against the waves of the Irish Sea; between it and the main land are some islets. The port of this district is at UI vertone, situated on a shallow arm of the sea, into which the Leven and other streams flow. This arm, as well as the broad estuary which separates Furness from the rest of Lancashire, is crossed, though not without danger, by horses and carriages at low water. In front of Lancaster, the bay of Morecambe forms a deep gulf, fed by the Dudden, the Ken, and the Lune.
The second part of the sea coast between Westmore land and the Ribble, is more extensive, as well as flatter than the former division ; to the south of the Lune, the marshy tract surrounding Poulton, on the Wier, succeeds; afterwards the coast is indented by the great estuary of the Ribble, descending from below Pres ton.
In the last division between the Ribble and the Mer sey, the Lancashire coast makes another swell : in no part is it bold or high, and, as it approaches the southern confines of the county, it becomes quite flat.
The sea coast of Cheshire is neither extensive nor in teresting, being formed entirely of that broad neck of land, which stretches far into the Irish Sea, between the Mersey and the Dee.
The coast of North Wales, from the mouth of the Dee, is for a long space marshy ; but near Holywell, in Flintshire, the mountains advance towards it, though they again recede and give place to marshes, at the ter mination of the vale of Clwyd. As we enter Caernar vonshire, the first object on the coast that presents it self is the promontory of Landudno, a steep precipice hanging over the sea, and stretching out far to the north, at the mouth of the Conway : this promontory forms one of the horns of a great bay, with Trwynder point in Anglesey, at the Menai Straits. Beyond the Conway is the once tremendous precipice of Penmaen mawr, overhanging the sea, now safely crossed by a good road. The coast here is very rocky. The south ern extremity of the coast of this country is formed by the peninsulated hundred of Lyn; here many sharp points of land run out into the sea, with bays between them. Off the most westerly point of this peninsula
lies the small isle of Bardsey.
The Menai Straits, which separate Anglesey from Caernarvonshire, abound in peculiar beauties,—some times appearing landlocked, like a great lake, and at other times assuming the form of a large navigable ri ver, flowing with several curves, nearly in a direction from north to south. The form of the island of Angle sey is nearly that of a parallelogram ; that part of its coast which borders on the Menai Straits, is finely wood ed ; its northern, eastern, and western points, are sharp and narrow, and the southern angle is more rounded. In a peninsula which stretches out far to the west stands Holyhead ; this peninsula terminates in a high moun tain, hollowed by caverns, and frequented by falcons and sea fowl ; from Holyhead, the shore inclines to the south-west, and thus completes the figure that the island forms. Off the eastern point, is the steep rocky islet of Priestholme ; and off the northern point is another, call ed the Skerries, or the Isle of Seals.
The north-west horn of the great bay of Cardigan, which is the most considerable indenture made by the sea on the west side of our island, and which is equally distributed between North and South Wales, is formed by the coast suddenly turning round the point of Aber daron. The sea coast of Merionethshire, which lies in this bay, is wild and mountainous : the only port in this county is Barmouth, on a little arm of the sea, into which several small rivulets discharge themselves. Below Aberystwyth, the coast of Cardiganshire fronts the west for some distance, after which it diverges to wards the north : the extent of this county along the shore is nearly 4,0 miles ; it has suffered greatly from the depredations of the sea, having been formerly ce lebrated for numerous towns, but containing now only a few poor villages. A promontory on the north of St David's, in Pembrokeshire, forms the southern horn of the bay of Cardigan. The sea coast of Pembrokeshire is in general hilly, with steep or perpendicular cliffs : its north-eastern point is at the mouth of the Tivy. The first remarkable place is Aberkikor Bay, formed by Kenmaes Head on the north, and Pendrowy Head on the south ; next succeeds Newport bay ; and after that Fishgard Bay : hence the coast tending to the south west winds round Strumble Head, to that of St Da vid's, off which lies Ramsey island, together with a group of rocks called the Bishop and his Clerks; these are frequented, in the breeding season, by vast numbers of sea fowl, many of which are unknown in every other part of the island. The large bay of St Bride's suc ceeds; and beyond some islands which lie on its south ern side, is the entrance to the celebrated Milford Ha ven; this is an inlet of the sea, indenting deeply the southern coast of Pembrokeshire, and occupying a large space of that county, with its great basin, and the different creeks into which it branches off. It is fed by some inconsiderable streams from the interior of the country, few of which are dignified with any certain ap pellation, though most of them from small rivulets be come extensive estuaries, when they unite with the main basin. Near Pembroke Castle, Milford Haven ex pands, inclining chiefly to the west, but near its mouth, turning abruptly southward ; and when viewed from within, appearing perfectly land-locked : the ports of Hubberston, Haiken, and Milford, occupy one of the many bays near the centre of this great sheet of water.