YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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THE

CHANNEL ISLANDS ;

JERSEY, GUERNSEY, ALDERNEY, &c.

[THE RESULT OF A TWO YEAR'S RESIDENCE.]

HENRY D. INGLIS,
Author of " Spain in 1830, " " The Tyrol," &c

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

LONDON :
WHITTAKER, TREACHER, ARNOT, & Co.
AVE-MARIA lane.
1834.

CONTENTS.— VOL. I.
 Page
CHAPTER I.— The Channel Islands little known
in England; and j.their claims to be known;
approach to Jersey ; coast scenery ; first impres
sion : St. Helier and its environs ; causes of
prosperity ; the Market Place, and its attraa-
tions ; the Square, and its coteries and loungers ;
streets and shops ; Churches ; Fort Regent ;
charming views  7
CHAPTER II. — General aspect.of Jersey ; valleys,
and streams ; ivy ; view over the island ; cha
racter of the valleys ; dells, orchards, cattle ;
the new roads, and the old lanes ; military objec
tions to the new roads  31
CHAPTER III. -The town of St. Aubin, situation,
inhabitants. Grouville, and its church; the
island churches ; the town of Gorey ; Mont
Orgueil Castle ; magnificent prospect ; the oyster
fishery of Gorey ; traditions ; Prynne, and his
poetry; the island hamlets ; farm houses ; manor
houses ; villas, and gardens ; flowers ; a few
words on climate  ¦  49
CHAPTER IV.— The sea coast; bays, coves, and
creeks; plan of a journey; druidical remains;
Rozel bay, and its attractions ; Boulay bay ; its
aptitude for a naval station ; Greve de Lecq ;
charming seenery ; St. Brelade's bay ; the church
and chapel ; rosed'amour. Natural defences of
Jersey ; rocks, and rock scenery ; tides and cur
rents ; traditions  68
CHAPTER V. — The Inhabitants of Jersey. —
The condition of the country people ; their cha
racter; independence; penuriousness ; industry;
saving habits ; facts and illustrations ; the " quid
pro quo;" mode of life ; a Jersey farm house ;
cooking ; peculiarities of life ; dress ; holidays,

VI. contents. Page
and amusemerits ; personal appearance ; reputa
tion for honesty ; vraic gathering, and its
accompaniments ; ancient usages  79
CHAPTER VI.— The upper classes in Jersey ;
condition, and character ; the influence of party
spirit, and its bitterness ; society ; distinctions ;
language ; religious differences ; formation of
the upper class ; the liberal professions  102
CHAPTER VII.— Composition of the resident so
ciety ; position of the native, and the resident
society; mode of life of the residents ; Jersey as
a place of residence ; markets, and prices of
provisions ; house rent ; incidental expenditure ;
enumeration of other advantages, as a residence ;
disadvantages ; comparison of Jersey as a resi
dence, with the principal continental resorts  114
CHAPTER VIII.- Civil government. The court
of Judicature ; and its constitution ; election of
Judges ; party spirit and its results. - The States,
or Legislative body, and its constitution ; the
Governor and his emoluments ; the Lieutenant-
Governor ; the island militia ; value of Jersey.
Finance. The Clergy. Education and public
institutions; the stateof the public press in Jersey. 139
CHAPTER IX. — Agriculture in Jersey. —
Backward state of agriculture, and its causes :
high rent in Jersey ; value of land ; advance of
tillage ; general husbandry ; wheat harvest ; the
reaping field ; return from land ; odd customs ;
multifarious uses of parsnip ; potato land; joint
stock labour and stock ; orchards, and manufac
ture of cider ; vraic, or sea-weed, as manure;
wages of labour ; cattle of Jersey ; the Jersey
cow, and her privileges ; the dairy, sheep, and
horses ; the agricultural society  178
CHAPTER X.— Commerce of Jersey  201
CHAPTER XL — On health and disease in Jersey,
in relation to the influences of climate, &c, by
Dr. Scholefield  239

CHANNEL ISLANDS, &c.

CHAPTER I.

The Channel Islands little known in England ; and
their claims to be known : approach to Jersey ;
coast scenery ; first impressions ; St. Helier's and
its environs; causes of prosperity; the Market
Place, and its attractions; the Square, and its
coteries and loungers ; streets and shops ;
Churches ; Fort Regent ; charming views.
It cannot I think, be doubted* that less is
known in England of the Channel Islands, than
of any other colony or dependency of the British
crown, of equal size and importance. The
Channel Islands have a population exceeding
sixty-five thousand, and Jersey alone has a ship
ping, reaching twenty-one thousand tons. And
VOL. I, B

8 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS,
yet, I will venture to assert, that more is actually
known, and more accurate information is to be
gathered from authentic sources, respecting the
smallest of the colonies which lie in the Atlantic
or Indian oceans, than respecting Jersey or
Guernsey. And this is the more extraordinary, when we
consider, that there are certain points of interest
attached to the Channel Islands, peculiarly their
own ; and which essentially distinguish them
from the other colonies and dependencies of
Great Britain. Among these may be enumerated,
their connexion with the Norman Conquest and
long dependence upon the British crown ; their
separate and independent constitution, — and the
peculiar laws by which they are governed ; their
singular privileges ; their native civilized inha
bitants ; their vicinity to the coast of France ;
and the general use of the French language.
Let me not be supposed to speak disparagingly,
of the works which have already been written,
respecting these Islands. In these works, the
history and political constitution of Jersey and
Guernsey have been well elucidated : but we

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 9
cannot refer to their pages, for information re
specting their present condition, — as little, for
those sketches of their moral and natural aspect,
which in these days, usually result from the ob
servations of an intelligent traveller. Something
therefore seemed to be wanting : and with the
view (among others) of attempting to supply the
deficiency, I left England in the end of April
1832, with the intention of residing a year or two
in the Channel Islands.
The features of the scene, as the traveller ap
proaches Jersey, vary with the state of the tide.
Enormous ridges, and extensive beds of rock, lie
along the whole of the southern coast of the
Island; and the rise of the tide being no less than
forty-five feet, the shore at low water, to one ap
proaching from England, presents a most rugged,
and uninviting aspect. It was my good fortune
however, to arrive at high water ; and I believe
no one in such circumstances, can sail round
Noirmont point, and stretch across the mouth of
St. Aubin's bay towards the harbour of St,
Helier's, without the most lively admiration of
the scene. There is indeed, all that constitutes

10 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the beautiful and the picturesque : there is the
noble brim- full bay, stretching in a fine curve of
many miles ; its sloping shores charmingly diver
sified with wood, and cullivated fields, and thick
ly dotted with villas and cottages : there is, on
the left, close ;to the vessel as she sails by, the
grey, and imposing fortress, called Elizabeth
Castle, built on a huge sea-girt rock, — while in
front, is seen the town, commanded by its lofty
stronghold, — and backed by a fine range of
wooded and cultivated heights.
Little is seen of the town, in entering the har
bour, or in making one's way to any of the
hotels ; and that little", .is the worst part of it.
At Jersey, as at other ports, whether of England
or of foreign countries, the traveller is annoyed
by the importifhities of porters ; but there is one
annoyance from which he is free, — he may take
his carpet bag in his hand if he please, without
asking leave of a custom-house officer ; and he
may have, the satisfaction of seeing his trunks
carried before him to the hotel, without the
tedious delays incident to revenue regulations.
This puts one in too good a humour to find fault
with porters.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 11
Of the town of St. Helier's, and its neighbour
hood, I should say, that first impressions are
favourable. These do hot arise from the excel
lence of streets, — the beauty of public edifices, —
or the splendor of private houses : they have a
higher source, — and arise from those indications
of general prosperity, which are everywhere
visible. It is true indeed, that general distress
cannot exist in any great degree in England,
without in some degree, afiecting the prosperity
of these Islands, whose exports are chiefly to the
British and British Colonial markets. But it is
not difficult to distinguish between those effects
which result from permanent, and from tempo
rary causes : and although^, during the last two
or three years, the same causes which have affect
ed the prosperity of England, have made them
selves to be felt in Jersey, more especially that
pestilence which desolated wherever it appeared*
— I would nevertheless venture to say, that a
stranger cannot perambulate the streets and
neighbourhood of St. Helier's, without remarking
the unerring signs of prosperity. He will every
where perceive the hand of improvement ; he
VOL. i. b*

12 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
will see public works' in progress ; he will see
shops and houses tenanted ; he will see neither
beggars nor rags ; and will recognize in the
general aspect of the population, that look of
independence and aisance, which can exist only
in those favoured spots which pauperism has not
reached. Nor are these favourable impressions to be
gathered only in the town of St. Helier's. They
will be strengthened tenfold by a walk in the
environs. The town, I have said, lies fronting
the sea, and is backed by a range of heights : but
betwixt these heights and the town, there is a,
level, varying from a quarter of a mile, to a mile
and a half in breadth. This level forms a semi
circular suburb, the arch of which is not less
than three miles ; and the whole of this space is
occupied by villas and cottage residences, with
their gardens and orchards, — the property chiefly
of the native inhabitants of Jersey ; and occupied,
either by themselves, or by the English residents
to whom they are let. These residences are not
confined to the level ground : they encroach upon :
the heights also, — adorning the slopes, and

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 13
crowning the eminences ; arid the general neat
ness of the exterior of these villas, with the sub
stantial garden walls, the luxuriant foliage, and
frequent vineries, strongly confirm the impres
sions which have been awakened in walking
through the town.
Let it be recollected too, that some chief causes
of the prosperity of this Island, are independent
of the dicta of fashion. The caprice of a
monarch may elevate or "depress Brighton, ac
cording as the whim of a season carries him
there, or keeps him away ; and the prosperity of
a Cheltenham or a Bath, is at all times subject to
fashion, the laws of which, are so capricious as
to be inscrutable. But Jersey possesses those
solid advantages both to its native inhabitants
and to residents, which prove an overmatch for
the caprices of fashion. These advantages will
be enumerated by and bye.
The general aspect of St. Helier's and its envi
rons, is altogether un-English. A regular and
extensive fortress overlooking an English town,
is nowhere to be seen ; and to any one who has
travelled in Switzerland, and who walks in the

14 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
environs of St. Helier's, recollections of Swiss
towns cannot fail to be awakened. Baden, Basle,
Berne, Zurich, — around which, houses, gardens
parterres, orchards, meadows, groves, and rocks
are so charmingly intermingled, are instantly re
called ; and in the glimpses which are occasion
ally caught of the bay, the resemblance is height
ened by the alchemy of imagination, which easily
pictures the lake of Geneva, Zurich, or Lucern.
Of the town itself, I should say, that in point
of externals, it is much upon a level with Eng
lish country towns of the same size ; the streets
are perhaps upon the whole somewhat narrower ;
and there is a greater paucity of public edifices :
but like them, it has its better and its worse
quarters; its rows of modern houses, and its old
filthy alleys ; its churches and its chapel ; its
square, and its market place. But the two
latter deserve more particular mention.
Let every one who visits St. Helier's, hie him
to the market place on a Saturday morning.
There, one may judge not only of the produce of
the Island, but of its population, I have seldom
seen in any market — save and except Thoulouse,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 15
which I look upon as the ne plus ultra for garden
produce — a finer display of vegetables, fruits,
and flowers, than in the market of St. Helier's.
It is a very general custom for the heads of fami
lies to make their own markets ; and therefore a
pretty fair sample of the resident population may
be always seen there in fine weather. Nor is
market-going in St. Helier's altogether matter of
business ; it is true that at the earlier hours, both
ladies and gentlemen may be seen intent on sup
plying the larder ; and it startles one at first, to
see gentlemen walking about with an armfull of
cauliflowers or artichokes, — or with a couple of
mullet or mackrel, dangling from a string passed
through the gills : but somewhat later in the
day, the market changes its character and be
comes a promenade; there are abundance of
nodding feathers and smart ribbons to be seen ;
and talk and gossip, succeed to enquiry and
cheapening. I shall speak afterwards, of the
quality and prices of provisions ; at present, I
shall merely say, that to a stranger, the display
of edibles, is very satisfactory. It must be ad
mitted however, that the market place is not

16 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
sufficiently roomy ; and, that in order to gratify
oneself with the display of country produce, and
the faces of the country girls who bring their
butter an&eggs to market, one must submit to be
elbowed and jostled more than is altogether
agreeable. By and bye I shall speak more in
detail, of the market place and its contents.
The Square, or Royal Square, as it is called,
deserves a page to itself. In Spain, the square
would be an Alameda; but in Jersey, it is the
resort only of the male lounger. Here, at most
hours of the day, may be seen, groups of threes
and fours, posted here and there, discussing
Island politics ; others, single, or in pairs, are
seen strolling leisurely to and fro, perfect exam
ples of the " far'niente :" others again, in twos
and threes, more intent on health and exercise,
than conversation, may be observed for hours
together, walking from end to end, at the top of
their walking speed ; while a few gossips are seen
seated on benches at the door of an eminent
pastry-cook's shop, whiling away the too tedious
hours. But this is not all. The Court House is
in this square ; and before and after its sittings,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 17
a promiscuous crowd, composed of clients,
lawyers, judges, and lookers-on, is congregated
about the door, intent upon what is about to be,
— or busily occupied with that which has been ;
for I have nowhere so much as in Jersey, seen
individual causes, and private disputes, occupy
public attention. In this same square too, are
all the booksellers shops, and the reading rooms,
and newspaper offices : the town church too,
stands close by ; it boasts also, one of the princi
pal hotels ;" and as all the chief thoroughfares of
the town communicate with it, the reader may
easily giiess what sort of a place is the Royal
Square of Jersey. I ought to mention, that this
square is not what in England is understood by
a square : it is an open space flagged with
smooth stones, and resembles rather a French
" place," or a Spanish " paseo," than an English
square. In walking through the streets of St. Helier's,
one is not struck either by the meanness or the
magnificence of shops, or of houses. The former
are in general greatly superior to those which
are seen in a small continental town, — but much

18 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
upon a par with those we find in a flourishing
English country town. There is perhaps less
window display, — which is often the symbol of
poverty within ; but many of the shops in Jersey
are extensive establishments, and contain large
and varied stocks of the goods in which they
deal. As for the houses in the older and central
parts of the town, they are chiefly the residences
of the shopkeepers. The houses of those who
are unconnected with trade, and of many of the
most opulent merchants also, are to be found in
the outskirts, and in those newer streets which
form the outlets, where also, the English resi
dents principally reside. Some of these streets
are pretty,- — regular, and well built, and have
open space, and ornamented garden ground in
front of them. Two of these streets, the Terrace,
and the Crescent, are inhabited chiefly by the
English ; and the latter of these, is considerably
improved in its appearance by the theatre, which
forms the centre of the arch, and whose pretty
Greek portico is an agreeable relief to the plain
ness of the buildings that flanks it.
It is fortunate for the traveller, that Jersey

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 19
possesses other attractions than those offered by
its public buildings ; for these are devoid of either
beauty or interest : indeed, with the exception of
the old church, two of the chapels, the theatre
and the jail, there are none deserving the name :
and of these, one of the chapels, and the portico
of the theatre, have alone any claim to architec
tural design. For my own part, I am no admirer
of little white gothic churches set down in the
outskirts of towns. This has been long a pre
vailing fashion in England; but it seems to me,'
that the gothic stile needs something more than
pointed arches, and a pinnacled tower, to make'
it acceptable. Our first knowledge of these re
lics of other days, was obtained either from those
fabrics which addressed themselves to the imagi
nation, by their gigantic proportions ; and which
excited wonder by the perfection of their work
manship, — or from those smaller remains, which,
with equal perfection of workmanship, showed us
how much the interest of a building is enhanced
by beauty of situation. But these modern gothic
churches have none of those attributes which are
naturally associated in our minds with gothic
VOL. i, c

20 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
architecture, — neither size, nor elaborate sculp
ture, nor situation.
As for the parish church of St. Helier, it is
old and grey, and venerable enough, — built, so
far back, they say, as 1 341 : and will attract little
beyond a passing glance from the traveller. In
side however, there is a monument connected
with Jersey history, — a tablet to the memory of
Major Pierson, who was killed in action when
the French attacked the island in 1781. All the
other chapels are plain barn-like edifices, no way
ornamental to the town ; and by the bye, it is
certainly to be lamented, that since the expense
of erecting a building upon a correct architectural
design is not necessarily greater than that of
raising a shapeless pile ; and since the word of
God is not less efficacious, preached in a Greek
temple than in a barn, absurd puritanism should
have covered England and her colonies, with de
formity. One of the objects that chiefly attracts the no
tice of a traveller, is the extensive fortification, —
Fort Regent, — which, from almost every part of
the town and its neighbourhood, is seen over-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 21
topping the buildings. I was extremely pleased
by my first walk to Fort Regent ; for th.e view
from the road, as it ascends the hill, lays open
one of the most striking views which it has been
my good fortune to see. The magnificent bay of
St. Aubin, about four miles across its mouth, and
at least two in depth, is seen stretching in a fine
curve, to the opposite village which gives to it its
name, and which is seen half hid among the
wooded heights among which it lies. It was a
calm and beautiful May day ; the sea all the way
across the bay, had scarcely a ripple on it ; it
was high tide too ; and several small vessels were
trying ineffectually, to catch air enough to waft
them in and out of the harbour. I was strikingly
reminded of the view from Gibraltar, looking
across the bay towards the little town of Algesiras ;
only I missed the perfume of the geranium and
the acacia, and the jabbering of the monkeys
among the rocks.
But Fort Regent,, in which, one sees, nearly
a million of the national debt, deserves a more
particular notice, The foundation of this fort
ress was laid in 1806 ; and although I have not

22 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
been able to obtain access to the documents set
ting fqrth the precise expenditure, I have good
access to know, that from first to last, this erec
tion has cost the British nation not less than
£800,000 sterling.
I have no intention of describing the fortress.
Although the form of the rock upon which it is
constructed, has necessarily made it an irregular
fortress, it is nevertheless constructed on the best
principles. It possesses all the usual defences.
It has its bastions, and half bastions, and out
works, and glacis, — and excepting on the side
which faces the sea, a ditch, with a counterscarp,
and covertway, is carried all round. The whole
of the magazines and barracks aTe in the bas
tions, and under the ramparts, and are bomb
proof. The powder magazines are capable of
containing five thousand barrels.
This extensive, and expensive fortress, (the
utility of which is altogether questionable) affords
accommodation for only thirty-one officers, and
four hundred and forty-eight non-commissioned
officers arid privates, a number, utterly inade
quate to its defence against a regular siege.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 23
There is no doubt that in such an event, the fort
ress would be made to contain a greater number
than there is accommodation for ; but crowding
men in the bomb proofs, would engender disease ;
part of the barracks would be necessary for the
purposes of an hospital ; room would also he
required for the spare materiel of a siege ; work
shops for artificers ; store-rooms for provisions,
&c. ; and besides, the casemates under the bas
tions, which could alone be converted to these
purposes, would require to be kept clear of all
that might impede the working of the guns
which enfilade the bottom of the ditches.
Fort Regent is commanded by two eminences,
which although at least a thousand yards distant,
are sufficiently near to have been considered dan
gerous by the engineer ; for traverses have been
raised on the bastions, and across the curtains,
with the view apparently, of counteracting the
effects of an enemy's fire. The fortress is abun
dantly supplied with excellent water, from a well
two hundred and thirty-four feet deep, and ten
feet in diameter, bored through the solid rock.
It is doubtful, whether all this labour, and all
VOL. I. c*

24 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
this money, has not been after all, injudiciously
expended ; and whether Fort Regent be in rea
lity, any compensation to England, for the 30,
or £40,000 per annum with which it has saddled
her : and it is also the opinion of many, that if
a fortress of this nature were to have been erect
ed, it would have been placed more advanta
geously at Noirmont point, on the opposite side
of the bay. It is evident, that in case of a de
scent upon Jersey by a force superior to any
that could be opposed to it, the only use of a
stronghold is, to afford the means of succour
from England. This is no better secured by
erecting the citadel close to the town, than if it
had been raised on the other side of the bay, —
and in case of a siege, it involves the destruction
of the town, not only by an enemy, but by its
defenders also ; since in such an event, it would
be* necessary to clear away all that part of the
town which lies under the fort, as opportunities
would otherwise be afforded for making lod°--
ments, and for undermining.
This new and expensive defence of the Island
of Jersey, reduces to insignificance, the ancient,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 25
and more picturesque fortress called Elizabeth
Castle, which I have already mentioned as so
striking an object in approaching the Island.
Striking however, as this castle is, seen whether
from sea , or from shore, and interesting as it is
from some historical details connected with it, I
was some time in Jersey before I visited it, the
access to it, being by no means inviting. It is
not more than three quarters of a mile, from the
pier of St. Helier's, to Elizabeth Castle ; but in
order to reach it on foot, or on horseback, at low
water, one must make a long circuit, and traverse
a natural causeway little less than a mile long,
which the confluence of the tides has formed
between the castle and the shore. The whole of
the sands indeed, on each side of the causeway
are left by the ebbing tide ; but being too wet
and soft to be passable, one is obliged to keep on
the rough narrow elevation. The situation "?(
Elizabeth Castle will be tolerably well seen and
understood from the map.
Before visiting Elizabeth Castle, one has no
idea of its extent. The rock however, on which
it stands, is not less than a mile in circumference,

26 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
and I was surprised on passing through the gate
way, to find a wide grassy level, terminated by
extensive barracks and their appurtenances. As
may easily be believed, the views from the higher
pa<rts of the castle over the bay, and embracing
the town, and Fort Regent, are equally striking
and beautiful.
In war time, this fortress was an important
place, and no doubt presented to the eyes and
the eaTS of the traveller, a very different aspect
from that which it now presents. Decay seems
now to be creeping over it ; and although a soli
tary sentinel is still to be seen, pacing to and fro ;
and although pyramids of shot, still occupy their
accustomed places, grass and weeds have forced
their way through their interstices ; and the rows
of dismounted cannon show that the stirring
days of war have gone by. May the weeds long
grow, and the rust continue to creep over the
engines of death.
But Elizabeth Castle has its story, which I
must not altogether pass over. It was first
thought of in the year 1551, to raise a fortress
on this rock ; and a few years afterwards, (so the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 27
legend tells) the bells of the churches and other
sacred things, were taken, to be converted into
funds ; and being sent for sale to St. Malo, the
ship was of course lost as a judgment upon this
sacrilegious act. This delayed the erection of
the fortress, which however was begun during
the reign of Elizabeth, and was honoured by her
name. Many additions were made to this fort
ress in the reign of Charles the First, and it was
not till the year 1665, that the fortifications were
completed. I am not good at describing fortifi
cations, and shall therefore not attempt any de
scription of this. I will merely add, that it is an
irregular fortification, and has shown itself ca
pable of making a vigorous defence, as was proved
in the year 1651, when it was besieged by the
parliamentary forces ; and it is said to have been
the last of the king's fortresses which owned his
authority. When in Charles's reign, the young
prince took refuge in Jersey, he was accompanied
by Sir Edward Hyde, afterwards, the great lord
Clarendon, who, it is certain, resided for two
years in Elizabeth Castle, and there wrote a part
of his celebrated history.

28 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
I must not omit to mention, that on the summit
of a rock situated a little to the south of Eliza
beth Castle, and like it, accessible at low water,
may still be seen, the rude remains of a hermit
age, which was once the retreat of a holy man
from whose canonized name, the town of St. He-
lier is said to have derived its own. Elizabeth
Castle is not usually visited by the stranger. It
is not included in any of the " tours of the is
land," which the guide books recommend him to
take ; but both for its own sake, and for the sake
of the views to be enjoyed from it, a visit cer
tainly repays the trouble of making it.
Strangers arriving in Jersey, and anxious to
see what sort of people they have come among,
generally enquire, where the inhabitants walk ?
where is the promenade ? but in truth, the inha
bitants scarcely do walk, and there is no prome
nade ; and unless it be at church, I really do not
know where the inhabitants of Jersey are to be
seen. They talk of constructing a promenade;
but I really do not think the inhabitants deserve
it. Both to the west and to the east of the town,
there is a long stretch of fine hard sand, at all

THE CHANNEL ISBANDS. 29
times fit for a promenade, unless at full spring
tides, and yet, one may go there at any hour of
the day, without seeing a single individual pro
fiting by the advantages offered by nature. Why
then put art in requisition, to create a luxury
which will certainly be unappreciated by the in
habitants. JeTsey is not sufficiently continental
in its tastes, to relish a public promenade ; and
yet one would think, this is a taste which it would
not be difficult to acquire ; for it includes in it,
the desire of seeing, and of being seen : and cer
tainly it is felt to be a great convenience to the
traveller on almost every part of the continent,
who desires to learn something of the general
aspect of the population of a town, to have only
to ask the road to the public walk ; be it, boule
vard, prater, or prado.
I should say of the street population of St.
Helier's generally, that it offers little that is dif
ferent from any English town — especially a sea
port. There is certainly no difference in the
dress and appearance of the upper classes, unless
it be, that among gentlemen, jackets are as much
in use as long tailed coats — a taste which is ob
servable in the English sea ports,— and that but

30 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
moderate attention is bestowed upon the neatness
of apparel. Among the lower orders, the enor
mous flap eared pyramidal cap, worn by the
Norman women, is frequently seen ; and there is
indeed a French air, and an admixture of French
dress among the women of the inferior ranks.
The trade between Jersey, and tlfe nearest vil
lages of the French coast being constant, espe
cially during the fruit and game season, rows of
Norman peasant women may then be seen seated
outside of the market place with their capons,
partridges, hares, woodcocks, &c.
There is one thing however, that is very stri
king, in the aspect of the street population of
Jersey, — the extraordinary contrast exhibited be
tween business and idleness. The English resi
dents form a large proportion of the inhabitants ;
and the English residents have nothing to do.
There is therefore the constant contrast between
that portion of the population whose object, and'
I may even say, whose difficulty is, to get quit of
time,— and that other portion, the native inhabi
tants namely, whose object is, to make the most
it. The former, is certainly the more difficult,
and the more laborious task.

CHAPTER II.

General aspect of Jersey ; valleys, and streams ; ivy ;
view over the island ; character of the valleys; dells,
orchards, cattle ; the new roads, and the old lanes ;
military objections to the new roads.
The general aspect of Jersey, is wooded fertility,
— and the general character of its scenery, is
beauty. The scenery, even upon the coast, no
where rises into the sublime ; and although some
of its valleys and coves, exhibit glimpses of the
picturesque, beauty and softness are the prevail
ing features. One would scarcely expect to find,
in an island hardly forty miles in circumference,
any great diversity of scenery, or variety of surface,
— upon which indeed, the former is dependent:
but Jersey is everywhere undulating, broken into
hollows and acclivities, and intersected by nume
rous valleys, generally running north and south ;
most of them watered by a rivulet, and as rife in
VOL. 1. D

32

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.

beauty, as wood, pasturage, orchard, a tinkling
stream, and glimpses of the sea can make them.
There is one picturesque feature, which enters into
every view in Jersey; it is, that the trunks of
the trees, are, I may say without exception, en
tirely covered with ivy ; which not only adds to
the beauty of the scenery when the trees are in
leaf; but which greatly softens the sterility of a
winter prospect, and gives a certain greenness to
the landscape throughout the year. Nor is the
luxuriant growth of the ivy in Jersey confined to
the trees ; it covers the banks by the way side ;
creeps over the walls ; and even climbs upon the
rocks by the sea shore. About two miles to the
east of St. Helier's, there are several elevated
rocks, the. bases of which, are washed at high wa
ter, and which, higher up,' are entirely overgrown.
with ivy ; and from the natural outline of these
rocks, and their green covering, they have all the
appearance of ruins.
I have said, that the valleys generally contain
a stream ; and these, although insignificant in
comparison with the rivers to which we are ac
customed in England, are yet, more consider-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, 33
able than one might expect to find in so small an
island. Mr. Falle in his valuable history of Jer
sey, assigns, and I think correctly, as a reason
for this, the peculiar shape of the island, which,
although greatly diversified in its surface, is, as a
wholej an inclined plane, sloping from south to
north ; the consequence of which . is, that the
streams have a longer course than if the island
were most elevated in the centre, — 'and are more
likely to unite their waters, than if they flowed
to the sea in different directions ; and indeed, so
considerable are these streams, that nearly forty
mills are turned by them. None of, the Jersey
rivulets however, afford sport to the angler. This
may be partly no doubt owing to their scantiness ;
but not altogether so: for both in Scotland, and.
on the continent, particularly in Bavaria, I have
allured trout from moorland, or mountain rills,
quite as insignificant as the streams of Jersey.
Although in walking, or riding up some of the
Jersey valleys, the scenery of these individual
valleys is laid open, it is difficult by walking or
driving across the island, to obtain any view over
it. The roads are in many places, over-arched

34 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
with trees ; and even if they were not, as they in
variably are, skirted with trees,— the high banks,
covered with underwood and ivy, generally shut
out the prospect. Stand up in your vehicle, or
on your stirrups, or climb up one of the banks,
and the matter is not much mended ; a thick or
chard is sure to be on the other side ; and though
an open grass field, or a corn field, occasionally
seems to hold out expectations of a more open
prospect, these are probably bounded on the other
side by orchards, so that the view is still circum
scribed. It is fortunate however, since nature has refused
the means of obtaining a view over the island,
that art has supplied the defect : and indeed, I do
not know any district, in any country, where one
can post oneself more advantageously, for obtain
ing a correct idea of the general aspect of its sur
face. The chief elevation of this kind, is called
La Hougue Bie, but more generally known by
the name of Prince's Tower ; from the summit of
which, the eye embraces almost the whole island.
I have never failed to be delighted with the view
from this spot, which is not only interesting, as

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 35
at once laying open the whole character and ex
tent of the island, but as being in itself, inex
pressibly beautiful. Jersey appears like an exten
sive pleasure ground, — one immense park, thickly
studded with trees ; beautifully undulating, and'
dotted with cottages. Fertility is on every side
seen meeting the sea ; the fine curves of several
of the bays may be distinctly traced ; with their
martello towers, and other more imposing de
fences ; several of the larger valleys may be dis«
tinguished by the shadow which is thrown upon
one side ; while all around, the horizon is bounded
by the blue sea, excepting towards the east, where
the French coast is seen stretching in a wide curve
towards the south and north ; and in one direc
tion, approaches so near to Jersey, that the' white
sea beach is distinctly seen ; and in clear weather,
even the towns that lie near to the coast. The
prospect is altogether most charrning; and among
the many I have seen in my day, I know few that
please me' more.
The walk to this spot too, is a beautiful one ;
it is not above three miles ; and in this distance, a
tolerably correct idea may be formed of the envi-
VOL. I. D*

36

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.

rons of the town ; for the first part of the road
which leads thither, is skirted by villas, and cot
tage residences, and by fine wooded slopes upon
which they are built ; and passes one of the most
interesting of the island churches, — St. Saviour's,
— in the church yard of which, one may very well
linger a while in the shade of its trees, or looking
down from it, upon the town, and the bay of St.
Aubin. Government-house too, lies on the same
road. It is not well seen from the road ; and the
view of it would scarcely reward a walk up the
avenue, which may easily be known by the absurd
parade of a sentinel pacing to and fro, and a cor
poral's guard yawning in the lodge.
The tower of La Hougue Bie, stands upon an
artificial mound of some height, thickly planted
with trees, and evergreen shrubs; and in the
months of August and September, when the hy
drangeas are in blossom, the attractions of the
spot are greatly increased ; for these beautiful
shrubs, of the dimensions almost of trees, form
the avenues in the neighbourhood ; and at that
season, covered with their large blue flowers, the
effect produced is indeed most captivating

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 37
have nowhere seen the hydrangea so luxuriant in
its growth, as in the Channel Islands ; and the
flowers are most commonly blue, not pink, as we
are more accustomed to see them in England.
But I must not dismiss the tower of La Hougue
Bie, without briefly noticing the legend with
which it is connected.
It is said in the " Livre noir de Coutances,"
that this part of Jersey was infested by a mon
strous serpent, or dragon, which devoured all
within its range, and threatened in the end, to
depopulate the island. Now it so happened, that
there chanced to be living somewhere on the
opposite coast of France, a certain Norman noble
called De Hambie, a Hercules in strength, and a
Lion in courage ; and, he having heard of the
terror spread by this monster, resolved to encoun
ter and slay it, or perish in the attempt. In this
expedition, De Hambie was attended by his hi
therto trusty domestic ; and the heroic Norman
having found the dragon, encountered and slew
it. Some say, — he was suffocated by the pesti
lential breath of the monster ; others have it,
that while he slept exhausted with the fight, his

.38 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
servant murdered him. Be that as it may, De
Hambie was no more, — and the servant returned
to Normandy, relating to the bereaved wife of
his master, and solemnly asseverating, the wish
of his dying lord, that she should bestow her
hand upon his trusty servant. This she consented
to ; but conscience slumbers not, nor sleeps ; and
the murderer, whether in sleep, or in a fit of
delirium, confessed his crime ; and the whole
truth being drawn from him, he suffered the pu
nishment due to its enormity. The widow, as a
proof of conjugal affection, caused a mound of
earth to be raised' on the spot where her lord was
murdered ; and on the summit of it, a tower,
and chapel, of so great a height, that she might
be enabled to see it from her own castle at Cou-
tances. There are other versions of the legend,
but this is perhaps as good as any of them, — and
quite as authentic. j
The tower, although certainly the most advan
tageous spot for commanding a view of the island,
is not. the only one from which a view may be ob
tained ; Fort Regent; Mount Orgueil, — of which
I shall afterwards speak ; the heights above St.

THE CHANNEL- ISLANDS. 39
Aubin's ; and a tower on the south-east extremity
of the island, on the manor of Saumarez, all com
mand extensive prospects ; though from none of
them, as from Prince's Tower, is the whole island
seen spread out like a map at your feet.
The view from Prince's Tower, immediately
begets a desire to range over the island ; to pene
trate into the vallies and ravines ; to wander
through the fields, pastures, orchards and gar
dens ; and to descend to the bays and creeks,
which one pictures full of quiet and beauty : and
for my own part, I was not long in yielding to
this desire.
Every place has its lions ; every district in every
travelled country under the sun, has its accus
tomed drives ; and the traveller who visits Jersey
for a few days, for the purpose of seeing the is
land, will be placed in a jaunting car, and carried
across the island, — or taken the great round, and
little round, — and be told he has seen Jersey.
But there are many valleys up which the jaunt
ing car never travels, — many deep dells, where
there are no roads for cars,— many a tiny rivulet
that waters into fertility, green meadows dotted

40 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
with cattle that seldom raise their heads to look
on the stranger, — many little coves, inlets and
creeks, to which there is no trodden path ; and
therefore the traveller who seats himself in his
vehicle, gains but a very imperfect knowledge of
the outward aspect, and natural beauties of Jersey.
It is impossible in fact to gain any accurate
notion of the interior of Jersey, by following the
great roads only. In this island, there are two
descriptions of roads,— the ancient, and the new :
the latter are numerous, — wide, and well con
structed, — intersecting the island in many direc
tions,— and tending, more perhaps • than any
other alteration to which Jersey has been subject
ed, to improve the land, — and necessarily, the
condition of the people. It is to the public spi-
ritedness of Sir George Don, one of the late
Governors of Jersey, that the inhabitants owe
the advantage of which I am speaking : and it
will scarcely be credited, that the greatest possible
opposition was offered, to the construction of
roads. This opposition was of course fruitless ;
and Jersey can now boast of facilities for inter
course and for the conveyance of produce, quite

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.' 41
equal to those that are enjoyed in the most civi
lized parts of Europe.
But having passed this exordium upon the new
roads, let me recur to the old ones, with which,
at present, I have more to do, as I am occupied
in this chapter, not with the facilities offered for
trade ; but with the facilities offered to those who
desire to obtain a perfect acquaintance with : the
interior of the island. These old island roads,
are extremely narrow ; wide enough for only one
country cart ; extremely winding ; and. yet ut
terly regardless of maintaining a level, — descend
ing' into deep dells,— or climbing the heights,
with a view only to the termination. They have
generally a very narrow paved foot way, on one
side, — now however, greatly worn,— and every
where necessarily put of repair ; and these roads,
are almost without exception overarched by trees.,
Once plunge into these bye-ways, and you can
not tell when you may emerge from them. Their
number is almost uncountable ; they branch off
at all angles ; and it sometimes happens, that
the shade is so deep, and the banks so high, to
say nothing of the windings,— that one may walk

42 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
for miles without having any opportunity of
judging where one is, or in what direction one
has been moving.
But during a day's ramble through these roads,
much is seen of Jersey: it is true indeed, as I
have already said, that one may walk a long way
without catching a glimpse beyond the trees and
the banks ; but it is not universally so : beautiful
vistas are occasionally laid open ; quiet sequestred
dells crossed, where one may linger long with
nature ; and, as these roads were originally con
structed from the churches to the sea, embracing in
their turnings the farm houses, and other habita
tions, you are not only led by them to the old
Jersey houses, but also among the orchards and
pastures whence the people have derived their
independence. It is in such walks, that you will
see the cows, celebrated over all the world, breed
ing for export ; and the loaded trees, blooming
with the blossom, or bent with the fruit, to be
afterwards converted into the great export of the
island. I should like much to know, how many
miles of these old roads Jersey contains. Consi
dering their numerous branches, and sinuosities,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 43
— and the diameter of the island which they in
tersect, I should guess their whole extent to be
not less than from three to four hundred miles ;
and several persons with whom I have spoken,
and who are well acquainted with the island, con
sider this to be greatly below the truth.
But, by the stranger who visits Jersey, these
roads are altogether untravelled ; and even in the
little guide books which from time to time have
been written, — very nice little books in many re
spects — there is no counsel given, to follow these
roads ; nor any mention made of them, excepting
as roads which have been entirely superceded by
the better and more modern communications. It
is said, that of old, some of these were privileged
paths ; and were intended for those who had taken
sanctuary in the churches, and who had been
sentenced to exile, to reach the sea shore in safety.
These privileged paths, or rather, the privilege
of these paths, terminated of course at the re
formation. Notwithstanding the formation of
the new roads, the country people still make
great use of the old. It is almost always possible
to journey between one point and another by the
VOL. I. E

44 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
old as well as by the new roads,-^-only somewhat
more, circuitously ; and during the summer heats,
it is no small convenience to be able to reach the
neighbourhood of the town, with heavy market
baskets, through those shady paths that admit
but a straggling ray even of the noon-day sun.
In winter, it may easily be believed that these
lanes are dark and wet,-^and that the air in them
is damp ; and even in the later weeks of autumn,
it is wise to keep on the highways, as the decom
position of accumulated vegetable matter, and
the want of a free circulation of air, cannot be
otherwise than unwholesome. Walking through
the bye-paths of Jersey, one is struck with the
luxuriance of vegetation, — especially in the south
eastern parts of the island : the growth of ivy I
have already spoken of; the high banks, are
everywhere overspread with a multitude of shrubs,
and wild flowers ; and many kinds of garden
produce too, attain an enormous size ; I have seen
cabbages seven feet high, — and many other vege
tables of proportionate growth.
But before leaving altogether, the subject of
roads, let me observe, that although the new mi-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 45
litary roads of which I have spoken, contribute
greatly to the improvement of the island, it is
doubtful if they do not detract from its security
in a military point of view ; and yet, it was the
advantage expected to be derived from these
roads, in the defence of the island, that induced
government to grant £1000 towards their con
struction ; for it was at that time argued, that
greater facilities would by their means be offered
for the transport of the island force to any threat
ened point. But the question obviously is^ whej
ther the advantage secured by this greater cele
rity of transport, be not overbalancedj by having
opened greater facilities to a superior force for
penetrating into the interior, — which, before the
construction of the new roads, would have been
extremely difficult even in the face of a greatly
inferior foree.
If, before these military communications were
opened, an enemy1 had made good his landing1 in
any of the larger bays, the ground in front of
his position, would have required to be recon
noitred, before he attempted to advance into the
country. On leaving the beach, every acre of

46 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
ground would then have presented a fortified po
sition ; for every field is enclosed by a mound of
earth, six or eight feet broad at the base, scarcely
less in height, and surmounted by rows of trees,
and hedges of brambles ; and the only openings
would have been half a dozen of the narrow sunk
lanes flanked by these banks. It need scarcely
be said, that in an advance through these lanes,
an enemy would have been galled by a destruc
tive fire from behind these banks, on which can
non could have made no impression. To force
one of these embankments would have been
futile, because another would have been discover
ed at the distance of a musket shot farther. And
if an enemy should have attempted to move a
body of troops forward in one of these lanes, it
might probably terminate in the court-yard of a
farm house.
But all this intricacy is destroyed by the con
struction of the new roads ; and the difficulties
which would otherwise have been encountered by
an enemy, greatly smoothed. Good carriage roads
now lead down to the bays : these roads join a
circular communication, which runs round the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 47
island ; and crossing this, proceed in direct lines
to St. Helier's. Now therefore, an enemy has
only to keep the high road with the main body
of his troops, and thus gaining the heights which
surround the town, invest both it and Fort Re
gent. I ought perhaps to ask forgiveness of the
general reader, for this short military digression.
Of the state of cultivation of Jersey, I shall
have occasion afterwards to speak ; but remarking
at present on the general features and character
of the island, I would observe, that one sees but
very little waste land, — unless indeed, that which
is wasted by reason of the broad banks which
skirt the roads and paths, and the quantity of
wood. In rambling over the island however,
the description of wooded fertility which I have
given, will not be constantly applicable. On one
part of the island, — that towards the north west,
— ^you emerge from the orchards and deep dells,
and shady paths, and find open downs, which
reach to the sea in that direction. These are all
enclosed, and furnish good pasture ; and although
the beautiful and the picturesque, be here left
behind, these scenes are not without their charm.
VOL. I. E*

48 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
There is a freshness in the air, and a buoyancy of
spirit felt, in treading these high open grounds ;
the very contrast afforded with the rest of the
island, is pleasing, — since variety is always pleas
ing ; and these downs are besides, adorned by
several kinds of flowering heath, far excelling in
the size, and tint of its blossoms, any that is seen
growing wild in Britain. It even reminded me
of that which grows so abundantly in many parts
of Spain, particularly on the road by San Fe-
lippe, between Murcia and Valencia.

CHAPTER III.

The town of St. Aubin, situation, inhabitants. Grou-
ville, and its church ; the island churches ; the town
of Gorey ; Mont Orgueil Castle ; magnificent pros
pect ; the oyster fishery of Gorey : traditions ;
Prynne, and his poetry ; the island hamlets ; farm
houses ; manor houses; villas, and gardens; flowers ;
a few words on climate.
St. Helieb, although the chief town, is not the
only one. Jersey contains two other towns, and
many hamlets. Let me first speak briefly of St.
Aubin ; which gives a name to the magnificent
bay in which St. Helier's stands. In all the views
over the bay of St. Aubin, whether from sea or
land, this little town is a great adorner of the
landscape. To reach St. Aubin, one must either
cross the bay, from St. Helier's pier, in a boat,
which at high water, and with every wind but a
westerly wind, is practicable ; or else, drive round
the bay ; and even this drive, admits of variation.;

50 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
for there is a choice between the road, — which
runs all the way within a hundred yards of high
water mark, — and the fine hard sand, which
stretches almost the whole distance between St.
Helier and St. Aubin, and which is always pas
sable excepting at high water.
This is a beautiful drive, — for there is the union
of a sea view and a rich landscape ; a union rare
ly met with in England, where open downs, and
sand hillocks, almost invariably mark the neigh
bourhood of the sea. All the way to St. Aubin,
the road is skirted by a range of beautiful heights,
covered with wood, and meadows, and everywhere
presenting the aspect of perfect fertility. A little
before reaching St. Aubin's, the road leaves the
sea shore, — and ascends the eminence on the
other side of which St. Aubin is situated ; and
at the top of this eminence, one is at the entrance
of the town, and of the steep irregular street
which descends on the other side to the sea.
Nothing can be sweeter than the situation of
St. Aubin ; partly skirting the shore, and partly
lying on the rocky and well wooded heights, that
from the backs of the houses drop perpendicular-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 51
ly into the sea; and backed, and surrounded on
three sides, by a very fertile, and yet a picturesque
country. To the lover of quiet and seclusion,
St. Aubin is just such a place as might be cho
sen among a thousand. There are many good
houses in this little town ; for be it known, St.
Aubin was not always the quiet little nook it
now is. Once it was the chief town for trade ;
and here resided the principal merchants ; but
like other greater revolutions, St. Helier's rose,
and St. Aubin fell ; and its population now con
sists of those old residents who have still their
houses and a little property there, — and who,
with the surgeon, and a few shopkeepers, and
some ten or twelve English families who rent
houses, or live in lodgings, eke out the vegetative
population of this retreat from the world. Be
sides the flux and reflux of the tide, St. Aubin
has other little events to mark the progress of
time ; there is the rattling of the car over the ill
paved street, passing every day to and from St.
Helier. During the summer and autumn, there
are parties almost daily passing through to visit
the neighbouring country : then, it happens occa-

52 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
sionally, that in neap tides, a vessel of too large
dimensions to enter St. Helier's harbour, casts
anchor near St. Aubin, in the big roads, as they
are called in Jersey ; and this also is an event.
St. Aubin too, has its inn, and its marketplace;
and it also boasts its pier, projecting from a rock
on which a fortress is built, mouhting fourteen
gurts. At low water, the r6ck and harbour Eire
left dry, but at high water, there is a depth of
thirty feet within the pier. There are several
handsome villas in the neighbourhood of St. Au
bin, inhabited mostly by Jersey families, who
maintain among themselves a very friendly in-
tercourset I have spent twd or three long summer days
dellghtfuily, in the neighbourhood of this se
cluded village ; the surrounding country is beau
tiful and diversified ; the views o.Ver the bay en
chanting ; sheltered by the high cliffs, there is
seldom a rude wind to anHby attd distract one :
the usual dalttiHess of the sea, too, is in harmony ;
and after idling away a day among these quiet
scenes, one may chance to find a bit of frefeh fish,
and Ein indifferent good cutlet in the inn.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 53
There is no church in St. Aubin ; but St.
Brelade, of which I shall afterwards speak, and
in which parish St. Aubin lies,^-and St. Peter's
church, are neither of them at any great distance.
St. Peter is celebrated in Jersey by the valley
which bears its name ; and which has the repu
tation of being the most beautiful valley in the
island. It is certainly a pretty valley ; but those
who have explored the island, and followed the
bye paths, will scarcely allow it. the precedence.
I know several which I prefer to it, one espe
cially which enters from the north of St, Helier,
at a spot called the Town Mills,— which is not
only greatly more extensive than St. Peter's, but
more varied in its character.
The third town in Jersey, is Gorey, — now,
owing to its oyster fishery, a place of more im
portance than St. Aubin, and always more at
tractive to strangers, from its immediate vicinity
to Mont Orgueil Castle, — which, entitled as it, is,
to be called the pride of Jersey, is well worthy
of its name. The road from St. Helier to Gorey
is scarcely less beautiful than that from St. He
lier to St. Aubin; and is more varied in its

54 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
character. It does not skirt the sea shore, but
passes through a rich low country, wooded in its
immediate vicinity, but separated from the sea,
by low damp meadows, some parts of which, lie
several feet below high water mark. It is worth
one's while however, to make a circuit by the sea
shore, which presents at low water, an aspect of
singular ruggedness and desolation. Look over
the sea at high water, and a few points of dark
rocks are seen rising above the surface ; as the
tide falls, these increase in number, and magni
tude ; till, at low water, the whole of this part
of the coast, extending for four or five miles, and
at least two miles below high water mark, is co
vered by a terrific congregation of rocks of all
forms and dimensions, and of various heights;
forming a barrier far more effectual, than any
that art could raise for the defence of the island.
Absurdly enough, on some of the most distant of
these, martello towers are erected. The once
prevailing mania for martello towers, has been
extensively indulged in, in Jersey : all round the
island, these ruined defences are seen, — adding
somewhat to the picturesque aspect of the shore,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 55
but little I suspect, to the security of the island.
I must not forget however, that I am at present
on the road to Gorey.
Before reaching this town however, and after
passing a tolerably lofty ridge, one drops down
upon the church and hamlet of Grouville, — the
name of the parish in which Gorey lies. There
is the church, — and the parsonage, — and a public
' * house or two, — and two or three or four other
houses, and a few cottages, scattered about ; and
these, mingled . as they are, with gardens and
orchards, form a very pretty feature in the scene
ry of this part of the island. 1 think the church
of Grouville, one of the prettiest in the island ;
there is a great deal of quiet rural beauty about
it, and the neighbouring parsonage. Scarcely
will the interior of any of the churches repay a
visit to them ; but in general, their situation is
highly attractive : their plain towers, or steeples,
and ancient solid architecture, are in excellent
keeping with the close, and wooded scenery which
generally surrounds them ; and which has itself,
an antique character, from the quantity of ivy
which clings to the trunks of the trees, and the
VOL. 1. F

56 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
over-arching branches which in many places meet,
above the road. The churches of Jersey differ
very much in their antiquity, — and consequently,
considerably in their stile. That of Grouville,
is one of the most modern ; it was erected in the
beginning of the fourteenth century.
Mont Orgueil Castle is seen, some time be
fore one reaches the village of Gorey, which lies
at its feet ; but the village must be skirted before
reaching the castle. The village lies, partly close
to the sea and harbour, and partly on the height,
which rises towards the entrance to the castle ;
and in situation, has every thing to recommend
it." But it is owing to the oyster fishery, that any
peculiar importance attaches to this little town.
This fishery, is the chief support of Gorey, and is
of considerable importance to the island at large.
Upwards of two hundred and fifty boats are
employed in the fishery ; about one half of which
belong to the island ; and in recent years the
fishery has employed as many as fifteen hun
dred sailors, besides nearly a thousand persons
chiefly women and boys, in matters connected
with the fishery. The oysters after being brought

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 57
to Gorey, are sorted ; the large, are sent to St.
Helier for sale, — while the smaller are set apart
for the English market; and it is from the Gorey
fishery, that the Colchester oyster market is
chiefly supplied. It is computed that between
20 and £30,000 are annually returned into the
island, from the produce of the oyster fishery.
The oysters brought to St. Helier's market, are
of an inferior quality : they are course, and tough.;
and scarcely to be relished by those who have
been accustomed to the best Colchester oyster.
It may easily be believed, that during the sea
son, from the 1st of October to the 20th of May,
Gorey presents a good deal of bustle and anima
tion ; and the spectacle is not only animated, but
beautiful, when on a fine spring afternoon, the
fleet of fishing boats with full sails and bent masts
is seen under the influence of a gentle breeze,
making for their general rendezvous.
Some awkward disputes have arisen from time
to time, and now indeed exist between the English
and French authorities, respecting the fishing
boundaries ; which are not very clearly defined.
The oyster banks lie near to the French coast,

58 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
and it is not yet settled, whether the distance
from the French coast, within which, the fisheries
are permitted, is to be computed from low or high
watermark; a difference however of very mate
rial importance, as regards the productiveness of
the fishery, on a coast, where the tide recedes
nearly four miles. It is certainly of the utmost
importance, that this dispute be settled speedily.
Already, the fishery is somewhat on the decline ;
and unless the very disadvantageous provisional
arrangement entered into by the British govern
ment on the representation of Prince Polignac,
be changed, Jersey will lose altogether this impor
tant branch, of trade, which will be transferred to
the inhabitants of the opposite shores.
But the great attraction of Gorey, is its neigh
bour MontOrgueil Castle; certainlyone of themost
striking and picturesque, of any of these remnants
of antiquity, which in any country add ornament
to scenery, or interest to tradition. Its situation
is most commanding, standing upon the summit
of a rocky headland, which juts into the sea, and
stretching its walls, and mounds, inland, along
the neck of land, that connects the rock with the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 59
rest of the island. Whether seen from land or
from sea, Mont Orgueil is well entitled to the ap
pellation of an imposing ruin. In many parts,
the walls are yet entire ; but in other places,
massive as they are, they have yielded to the
pressure of time ; and the mantle of ivy, which
in most parts hangs from their very summits, is
in fine union with the grey tint of age, that here
and there is seen, where the walls are bare ; and
with the loop-holes, and " rents that time has
made.'' The ascent to the summit, is somewhat toil
some, — but one is amply repaid for the labour of
it, by the magnificence of the prospect. It em- ,
braces several of the bays which lie on either side,
— the richly wooded range of heights, that girds
the central parts of the island, — the village far
below, with its little harbour, and shipping, — the
whole expanse of sea, — and the distant coast of
France. This, in ancient days, was an important
place. Its origin and builder, are alike unknown ;
but it was a place of some consequence in the
reign of King John, by whose directions, its forti
fications were strengthened and enlarged. In
VOL. i. e*

60 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Falle's history of the island, this castle bears a
conspicuous part, — but these matters do not lie
within the scope of my work, which has reference
only to the present condition of the Channel Is
lands. Two noted persons have been inmates of Mont
Orgueil Castle ; Charles the Second, who re
mained in it several months, and whose apart
ment is yet shown, — and the well known Prynne,
who was a prisoner in it from August 1637, to
November 1640. While in confinement, he ce
lebrated it in verse, — and entitled his poem, " A
poetical description of Mont Orgueil Castle, in
the isle of Jersey, interlaced with some brief me
ditations from its rocky steep, and lofty situation."
Mont Orgueil is not now maintained as a mili
tary defence. Its garrison consists of a sergeant,
and two privates, whose duty is confined to hoist
ing a flag on holidays. A royal salute used to be
fired from the castle on such days ; and there are
still some mounted guns ; but this waste of pow
der has been discontinued.
I have now spoken of the general aspect of the
island, — of its capital, and its two smaller towns,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 61
and of one or two other objects of especial inte-
terest. I have no intention of describing, or even
of enumerating its hamlets ; these, I may observe
generally, are to be found in the neighbourhood
of each of the twelve churches; and some of
them, are entitled, almost to the appellation of a
village ; and besides these, several other small
villages, or large hamlets, are to be found along
the sea coast, both east and west of St. Helier.
The hamlets in Jersey, are like hamlets every
where else, — consisting perhaps, of a parsonage,
a school house, — a public house, — a blacksmith's
shop, — probably another small shop of all wares,
— a farm house, — and a few cottages : and these
dwellings are scattered about, and mingled with
orchards, and gardens. Of the interior of the
houses, I shall afterwards speak, when I am oc
cupied with their inhabitants.
Besides the farm houses which one meets with,
in exploring the island, you occasionally stum
ble upon a very large, massive, and shapeless
building, — evidently of some antiquity, and meant
to be the habitation of persons of some distinc
tion : perhaps there is an arched gateway, — Eitad

62 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
an uncouth emblem in stone surmounting it ; and
it may be, there is an avenue of well grown trees,
extending in a straight line from the gateway.
These are the manor houses, of which there are
several in the island. They are not worth going
expressly to see ; but if one stumbles upon them,
it may be worth while to stand still. I would
except the manor house of St. Ouen's, which I
think, repays a journey. It is a fine venerable
place ; but it is in a sadly delapidated condition.
Nor is the interior of the island altogether de
ficient in modern villas, and cottage residences ;
though these are not numerous, and not in gene
ral, remarkable for their beauty. Nearest to the
towns, these are of course more numerous ; but
they are also scattered here and there, over most
parts of the island ; and are generally prettily
situated ; and with the usual accompaniments of
orchard and garden-ground. And this leads me
to remark, as another feature of the external
aspect of Jersey, the pretty peeps* one gets into
the flower gardens ; and the variety of flowers
which one finds in them. It is seldom, — I might
say never,— that one sees a house or a cottage

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. . 63
not absolutely in a street, unaccompanied by less
or more garden ; and in many of the gardens,
especially those nearest to the town, a fine blow
of beautiful flowers is generally seen. Besides
the flowers and shrubs, that are met with in any
English garden, we find many that are usually
considered green-house plants in England. All
kinds of myrtles grow luxuriantly, and flower re
gularly in the open air ; the hydrangea is seen at
almost every other cottage door, — measuring,
perhaps, from eight to twelve feet in circumfe
rence, and four or five in height. The yerba
louisa, or lemon plant, is also .common. Trees
too, that are strange to English eyes, are seen in
the course of a morning's ramble, — particularly
the fig ; and I have pulled this fruit, in as great
perfection, from trees in Jersey, as anywhere in
the southern parts of the continent. Among the
timber trees too, the Spanish chesnut, and the
evergreen oak, are oftener seen than in England.
All of these little things, are distinctive features
in the external aspect of the island ; and cannot
be omitted in this general view.
The climate of Jersey, is always understood to

64: THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
be one of the chief attractions of the island ; and
although I cannot but think that its superiority
in this respect has been overrated, yet, it cannot
be doubted, that it has upon the whole, the ad
vantage of England. I do not at present speak
of climate, as connected with health ; to this sub
ject, a separate chapter will by and bye be dedi
cated, by a more competent pen. I speak of
climate, merely as its influences are felt by the
healthy ; and, as its greater or less excellence,
contributes to one's enjoyment.
That the climate of Jersey is warmer than that
of any part of England is certain. The mean
annual temperature for the last three years, end
ing with 31st December, 1833, I have ascertain
ed, from an unerring source, to be 52. 50.
This higher average than the climate of England
presents, arises more, from the higher tempera
ture of winter, than of summer. During the
three years ending with the commencement of
the present year, the thermometer never rose
abovs 83 ; nor ever fell below 27,* and was
* These results have been kindly communicated to me by
Dr. Hooper, of Jersey, whose therraometrical and meterologi-
cal observations have been accumulated during several years,
by the most accurate instruments ; and which, I believe, it is
the intention of Dr. Hooper by and bye to publish.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 65
during these years, but very rarely below the
freezing point. These facts sufficiently establish
the higher temperature of the climate of Jersey.
The climate of Jersey, approaches nearer to
that of Penzance than to any other part of Eng
land : but there are differences ; for although the
mean annual temperature of the two places differs
very little, the temperature is differently distri
buted over the months. The results of the ther^
mometer in Jersey are curious, as exhibiting the
mean temperature of the different months. The
following is the enumeration of the months, in
the order of their respective temperature, begin
ning with the highest ; viz. August, July, June,
September, May, October, April, November, De
cember, March, February, January- This dis
tribution of heat certainly differs materially from
any part of England. In England, March
would rank higher, and October, November and
December lower.
During the two years that I resided in the
Channel Islands, I never saw a flake of snow ;
nor any frost which did not yield during the
forenoon ; and from April till October, I should

66 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
say, fires are rarely necessary : and in one respect,
there is another decided point of superiority
which Jersey possesses : it is, the equability of
temperature during the twenty-four hours. In
England, a hot day, is often, in summer, succeed
ed by a chilly evening : but in Jersey, the chill of
evening rarely admonishes one, of the necessity
of closing the window. The dews however, are
extremely heavy, — so much so, that early on a
summer morning, one might easily believe, that
a light shower had recently fallen on the pave
ment of the streets.
More rain falls in Jersey, than in most parts of
England ; but less, it is believed, than in Devon
shire and Cornwall. I have not been able to
ascertain the average depth, for in the summer
of 1833, no rain fell during many months; but
this draught was amply compensated by the rains
of the following winter. The winter of 1833-34;
was an exception everywhere. At Jersey, there
was a succession of tempests from the beginning
of December, till the beginning of February.
High winds are certainly very prevalent in
Jersey; and this, as far as pleasure is concerned,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 67
almost balances the superiority of climate in
other respects. A perfectly calm day, even in
summer, is rare ; and generally speaking, even
the finest weather, may be called blowy weather.
The general superiority of temperature in Jer
sey, compared with England, will have already
appeared from the incidental notice of the pro
ductions found in the gardens ; and acquiring
full maturity without artificial heat. On the 5th
of January last, walking on the sea coast, I ob
served peas, a foot above ground ; growing within
a very few yards of high water mark ; and while
I am now writing (21st January) I have on the
table before me, a nosegay of narcessus, jonquils ;
stock, double wall-flower, rosemary in flower,—
myrtle in flower, polyanthus, mignonette, hya
cinth, and woodbine in full bloom. Making al
lowance for the extraordinary mildness of the
winter of 1833-34, in England as well as in Jer
sey, I think I may be warranted in doubting,
whether such a nosegay could have been gather
ed in England on that day, in one garden, where
no particular pains were taken in the cultivation
of flowers. VOL. I. G

CHAPTER IV.

The sea coast ; bays, coves and creeks ; plan of a
journey ; druidical remains ; Rozel bay, and its at
tractions; Boulay bay; its aptitude for a naval
-station ; Greve de Lecq ; charming scenery ; St.
Brelade's bay ; the church and chapel ; rose d'a-
• mour. Natural defences of Jersey ; rocks, and rock
scenery ; tides and currents ; traditions.
I have as yet confined myself to the external face
of „the island in the interior. I shall in this chap
ter speak of those numerous, and beautiful bays,
creeks, and coves, which are peculiarly character
istic of Jersey, and which by many, are consi
dered its greatest ornament.
The whole circumference of Jersey is indented
by bays, creeks, and coves, of all dimensions,—
from the wide bay whose curve measures four or
five miles, — to the little creek, which measures
but a few hundred yards across the mouth ; and
so different are these bays and coves from each
other, not only in their dimensions, but in their

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 69
forms, and in the natural scenery by which they
are surrounded, that if the traveller, who has but
a few days to spare for the natural beauties of the
island, enquires what he must see ? the bays, are
always enumerated, as among the objects most
worthy of observation.
My advice to one who might be desiro us of
exploring the coast, as well as the interior of the
island, would be, to make the circuit of the coast,
which, with the exception of some few headlands,
it is quite possible to do, — sometimes following
the bridle road, or the foot path which runs near
the sea ; sometimes making a path for one's self,-r*
and sometimes descending to the beach, and tak
ing advantage of low water, to double the cliffs
and promontories. This, I have myself done;
and I do not know that four or five days can be
passed more agreeably. To make this little jour
ney as it ought to be made, four or five days are
required ; for one is apt to linger long among the
quiet, sweet, and secluded spots, that by follow
ing the sea-line, are every hour almost, presenting
themselves. I need scarcely say, that accommo
dation for the night, is not to be had at the spot

70 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
where each day's journey might end; but by di
verging a mile or two from the coast, such sup
per and lodging may be had in one or other of
the hamlets, as ought to satisfy a traveller ; and
each day the circuit may be resumed, from the
point where it was left off the night before. The
details of such a journey, which would necessa
rily be altogether descriptive, and of considerable
length, belong rather to a guide book, than to a
work of this kind, and would be uninteresting to
the general reader who had no intention of visit
ing the island. I shall therefore speak only, of
those parts of the coast which are the most inte
resting. Ihave already spoken of St. Aubin's bay, which
is certainly the noblest of all the bays of Jersey :
for although the curve of St. Ouen's bay be consi
derably wider, it is not nearly so deep, — the curve
line of the former, measuring at least double the
width across its mouth. The beauty of St. Au
bin's bay depends greatly upon the state of the
tide, whose rise and fall is not less than forty feet.
At high water, this brimful bay is scarcely to be
excelled in the features of beauty and fertility.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 71
The other bays which I shall mention as deserv
ing of notice, are St. Catherine's bay ; Rozel bay ;
Boulay bay; GreVe de Lecq,and St. Brelade's bay.
The first of these I shall not dwell upon ; the
road to it, from Mont Orgueil Castle winds along
the cliffs, and skirts a small cove called Anne
port, near to which are some of those druidical
remains, which are found everywhere within a
certain degree of latitude, to interest the anti
quary, and astonish the vulgar. The antiquities
of the island, I shall leave to those who have
handled them, and pass on to St. Catherine's bay,
which although not equal in picturesque beauty
to some of those still to be mentioned, possesses
considerable attractions ; and an insulated tower,
at the southern point, adds greatly to the interest
of the scene.
But one of, if not the very sweetest of all the
bays of Jersey, is Rozel. This is indeed a very
beautiful spot : it is rather an inlet, or deep creek
than a bay ; and all the features that surround it,
are calculated to increase its attractions. High
cliffs and banks hem it in, — deep wooded glens
are seen branching into the interior ; there is a
vol. i. a*

72 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
little h'anbour too, — and a few fishermen's houses
scattered on the beach ; and the barracks, erected
not far distant, although not very picturesque in
their form, yet, owing to their untenanted and
delapidated state, are not altogether out of keep
ing with the general features of the scene. But
these barracks are now put to a use far different
from' that for which they were intended. Rozel
is the favourite spot for pic-nic parties ; and no
thing can be more convenient than a room in this
building, as a rendezvous after the scrambles of
the morning.
Boulay bay, on the northern coast, is not only
remarkable for the bold character of the scenery
by which it is surrounded : but it is important in
other respects. The idea has long been enter
tained by government, of constructing on some
part of the coast of Jersey, a naval station, which
in time of war, would not only be a safeguard to
the island, but an efficient protection to the trade
of the channel, as well as a convenient point of
observation, from which the movements of the
French coast, from Cherbourg to Brest, miu-ht be
watched. Boulay bay seemed to offer the greatest

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 73
advantages for this object. Its roadstead affords
easy access, and good anchorage, and there being
a considerable depth of water in Boulay bay,
when all the other bays of the island are dry, at
tention was naturally attracted towards it. Se
veral surveys have accordingly been made, and
soundings taken ; and it has been sufficiently as
certained, that by the' construction of a sufficiently
extensive pier, and breakwater, a haven might
be formed, capable of being employed as a naval
station. A pier on a limited scale, has been
sometime ago constructed by direction of the
States of Jersey, at a considerable cost ; and this
would of course form the commencement of the
government work,' should such a work be re
solved upOn. The latest survey was made little
more than a year ago ; and the result was equally
favourable to the plan; though the sum required
for the object, was estimated at a much larger
amount than was at first contemplated.
As an object of interest to the traveller, Boulay
bay is not without its attractions ; the rocks in its
neighbourhood, are bold, and precipitous ; and the
contrast between the wooded and cultivated shores

74 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
of many of the other bays,— and the naked, heath
covered heights that slope from the cliffs above
Boulay bay, are even agreeable.
Between Boulay bay, and the next spot I men
tioned, " Greve de Lecq," many interesting spots
will be found by the traveller who makes a circuit
of the whole coast ; and the lover of caverns, will
find abundant room for the indulgence of his cu
riosity. Greve de Lecq is not a bay, but a cove;
and to my mind, realizes the precise meaning of
the word, — such as I been used to affix to it, when
in perusing the voyages of old navigators, I have
read, that the vessel put into a deep and sheltered
cove, in some uninhabited island, in search of
wood and water. Such is Greve de Lecq ; ap
proached through a narrow and deep valley, of a
wild, but beautiful aspect,— bounded by nearly
perpendicular cliff's, — and offering, alike in its
form, and situation, and general features, a per
fect picture of a solitary island cove : here too,
the sea has worn caves among the rocks ; and
here, on a fine summer evening, when the sun
flames up the narrow valley, gilding the broad
leaved fern, and the clumps of oak that checker

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 75
the slopes ; and when all is still, but the low plash
of the little waves, one may linger, in the con
viction, that no island of more distant seas, offers
a sweeter scene.
I have mentioned one other bay, — that of St.
Brelade, which lies in the southern part of the
island, — and which, for many reasons, is one of
the most interesting of all the bays of the island.
The shores of this bay are sloping, — as are all
the southern shores of the island, — and are every
where covered with a small ground rose, of the
finest colour, and emitting all the fragrance of
the " rose d'amour." Excepting in the southern
parts of Bavaria, I have never observed this rose
elsewhere than in Jersey. St. Brelade's bay has
an attraction which none of the other bays pos-
ess. The ancient parish church stands on the
west side of the bay, quite at the water's edge,
elevated a little above it; the church-yard is
washed by the sea at high tide ; and on this side
of the bay, a picturesque back ground is formed
by rock, and wood, — and by a deep cleft, that
runs up from the shore. The church itself, is the
most ancient in the island ; it is extremely small,

76 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
and extremely plaiii ; and boasts neither tower
nor spire ; and one of the old chapels of the
island, which are anterior in the date of their
erection, to the churches, stands in the church
yard. There are many other remains of these
chapels in Jersey ; but this is the only one in any
tolerable preservation. The curious in antiqui
ties may find wherewithall to speculate upon, in
the vestiges of some rude paintings that are still
to be discovered on the walls of the chapel, and
which, in their day, were no doubt thought to
embellish them.
Take it all in all, the bay of St, Brelade is
perhaps the most attractive of the island baysi
Boulay bay is grander ; St. Aubin's nobler ; Rozel
and Greve de Lecq, more secluded ; but in none
of them, do we find so much, as in St. Brelade's,
the union of the barren, the wild, and the pic
turesque ; and in none of them, do the works of
man, harmonize so well, with the natural scenery
that surrounds them.
The coast, and shores of Jersey, present strong
natural defences: for independently of the pre
cipitous cliffs, which form almost the whole

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 77
northern shores of the island, — and of the enor
mous beds of rocks which in the southern and
eastern shores, stretch for several miles from high
water mark, great chains of rock extend at some
distance from shore, along both the north and
south of the island ; and numerous isolated rocks,
some of them elevated high, and others but a
little, above the surface of the water, lie scattered
in the surrounding sea. These, independently of
the direct dangers that arise from them, produce
a multitude of conflicting currents, which, joined
to the great force of the tide, render the naviga
tion of the shores of Jersey both difficult and
hazardous. If a vessel be seen in distress in a
heavy gale, it is usual to say, " if she be a Jer
sey vessel, she's safe enough, but if a stranger,
she'll be lost."
There are traditions, not only that the chain
of rocks of which I have spoken, formed in re
mote times, a part of the island, but that it was
connected by a bridge, with France. That the
former tradition may have some foundation, is
probable ; and indeed there are incontestable
proofs that considerable tracts of land, now lying

78 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
far within the range of the tide, were formerly
available to man : but that Jersey ever approach
ed at any period, the shores of the continent, is
an assertion too ridiculous to merit examination.
Marvels are always popular ; and the people of
Jersey are not less credulous than their neigh
bours. These traditions have probably originated
in the great fluctuations of the tide ; and the
shallowness of the sea in many parts. Around
Jersey, the tide, as I have already mentioned,
rises from forty to forty-five feet ; and on the
opposite coast, at St. Malo, the rise is not less
than fifty-five feet. The reader will be able to
form some idea of the distance which the tide
ebbs, by referring to the map, on which the dotted
line marks the sea line at low water.

CHAPTER V.

THE INHABITANTS OF JERSEY.

The condition of the country people ; their character ;
independence ; penuriousness ; industry ; saving
habits ; facts and illustrations ; the " quid pro quo ;"
mode of life ; a Jersey farm house ; cooking ; pecu
liarities of life ; dress ; holidays, and amusements ;
personal appearance ; reputation for honesty ; vraic
gathering, and its accompaniments ; ancient usages.
Now that I have given the reader, as I trust I
have, some idea of the appearance of the island
of Jersey, he may possibly feel some desire to
know, what sort of persons inhabit it. To this
subject, I shall devote the present chapter.
I need scarcely say, that the character, man
ners, and genius of a people, are not to be judged
of from what we observe among the upper, or
higher classes. These in all countries, resemble
each other; and although, from the isolated posi
tion of Jersey, and from other causes which I
VOL. I. H

80 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
shall afterwards enumerate, peculiar traits are
more observable among the upper classes of Jer
sey, than in larger communities, — yet, I shall
look in the first place, for national traits, among
the country people, — that largest class of the na
tives, who are at once, proprietors, occupiers, and
labourers of the soil. This, is, with few exceptions,
the condition of all the country people. These pos
sessions are from two, or three vergees, up to
twenty or thirty ; but that I may speak more in
telligibly, 1 may say, from one, up to ten or twelve
English acres. Some few properties may run up
to fifty, sixty, or even more acres, but this is ex
tremely rare. The wealth of a Jerseyman, is
not however to be estimated by the number of his
vergees. A man possessing but a limited number
of vergees, may be an extensive holder of rents,
secured upon other possessions : and this requires
a few words of explanation. A man who is in
want of money, charges his property with the
payment for ever, of any number of quarters of
wheat ; and these quarters, are transferable in
the market, and divisible, (i. e.) If A lends B a
sum of money, equal to twenty quarters annual

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 81
charge, — A may transfer these to C, D, E, and
F, five quarters to each ; and each of these again,
may transfer his claim to five different indivi
duals : so that quarter's, are a floating heritable
property, and are readily bought by any one who
happens to have a little spare money ; and as this,
includes almost every farmer in Jersey, there are
few who have not been purchasers, and are pro
prietors of some quarters.
It must always happen, that where men culti
vate their own land, and labour for their own
profit, a certain independence of character will
be engendered, — an independence, whose founda
tion is natural and just, — and which is in. itself,
honourable to the possessor. In Jersey, other
things contribute to foster this spirit among the
inhabitants, — particularly, the possession of cer
tain political rights and privileges, of which I
shall afterwards have occasion briefly to speak ;
and the isolated position of the island which they
inhabit. The spirit indeed, which animates the
mass of the people, — more especially, the infe
rior classes, is strongly republican ; and the blunt
independence of character and manner, as well

82 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
as other evidences of this spirit, bear no small
resemblance to the traits which attach to our
brethren across the Atlantic. The surplus labour
required upon the soil, beyond that which the
possessors and their families can give, — or upon
those properties which are in the hands of Eng
lish residents, is performed by English, Irish and
French labourers ; for, Jersey labourers are not
to be obtained for hire, though there is no diffi
culty in obtaining an exchange of labour, which
is more consonant with their notions of indepen
dence. Among female servants too, there is a
good deal of the American " help." There is no
absolute rudeness among them ; but there is
much of the free and easy ; and the same treat
ment which would be acceptable to an English
servant, would speedily offend the sensitiveness
of a Jersey born damsel.
It is a fact, that in all countries where we find
a love of independence, and where that indepen
dence of character, is generated by independence
in wordly circumstances, we also find a stron»
disposition towards avarice, and its natural ac
companiments, — parsimony, and excessive fru-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 83
gality. The origin of this, is not difficult to
account for: independence in worldly circum
stances, is absolutely essential towards indepen
dence of character and action ; and men there
fore, naturally employ the means by which this
independence may be secured. With acquisition
too, grows the love of it ; and thus, we may
easily comprehend how, in an isolated commu
nity, its members, gradually enriching themselves,
and perceiving yearly, the certain results of fru
gality, should acquire habits which border upon
the niggardly and sordid.
That this love of acquisition, and a strict fru
gality, form, with independence, another strong
trait of Jersey character, is undeniable; and al
though it be true, that these traits are sometimes
offensive, we scarcely can quarrel with that, which
presents to us a population without paupers; and
amongst which, there is no man who does not feel
himself above the contempt of the proud, and the
sneer of the rich.
The love of acquisition, and the economical ha
bits which accompany it, are incapable of being
separated ; and the same traits afford proof of
VOL. 1. H*

84 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
both, Of these characteristics, abundant evidence
may be found in the habits and manner of life,
among the country people of Jersey.
I have heard it said, that a Jerseyman will do
anything rather than put his hand in his pocket:
and judging by facts which have come to my
knowledge, I incline to put some faith in the
saying. It frequently happens, for example, that
rather than lay out money for inferior grain, to
feed poultry, a small Jersey farmer will use his
best wheat for this purpose : and several instances
have come within my knowledge, in which cows
have been all but starved, — fed on the most mi
serable offals, or sold, at any loss, rather than go
to market, and purchase proper food for them.
In these examples, which I am far from asserting
to be universally applicable, but which are cer
tainly- not unusual, we recognise avarice carried
so far as to defeat its own ends.
The strong disinclination to part with money, —
or, which is the same thing, — the disinclination
to consume that part of their farm produce which
is readily convertible into money, (unless by con
suming it, a greater expenditure is prevented,)

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 85
is strongly exhibited in case of illness. In case,
for example, of a nourishing broth diet being or
dered by a medical man, it is scarcely possible to
prevail with the patient to sacrifice a barn door
fowl, which next Saturday, would fetch eighteen
pence in the market : he would rather run up a
doctor's bill, and swallow physic.
The " quid pro quo" is also a tolerably general
rule of conduct. A loan is expected to be repaid
by a loan ; labour to be given for labour : and
here, independence of character, and love of mo
ney, go hand in hand. Rather than pay hire to
a labourer, a Jersey farmer will ask the assistance
of his neighbour ; but at the same time, feels, that
independence of character calls upon him to repay
that labour which he has borrowed. This is all
right : but the principle of " tit for tat," is at
times carried too far. I have known two young
ladies, in the course of a walk into the country,
call at a farm house, and after taking some bread,
tender payment for it, which was accepted : and
I have known others, who, having been drenched
with rain in the course of a walk, took refuge in
a farm house, the mistress of which, accepted

86 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
payment for having lighted a fire of sea weed, to
warm and dry them. But with all this penu-
riousness, a Jerseyman is altogether above ac
cepting pecuniary assistance from strangers ; and
holds in especial horror, the resort of parish cha
rity. May he long continue so to feel ; and to
prefer the rule of " quid pro quo," so long as it is
allied to that independence which abhors, because
it places him above the want of parochial relief.
The love of, and the spirit of independence,
have other necessories than penuriousness. In
dustry is one of them ; and it is sufficiently con
spicuous in the natives of Jersey. They may be
said to be, in all ranks, a hard working people;
and appear never to consider themselves above
their business, — a result, which in England, too
often accompanies success. With few exceptions,
" all work and no play," is their maxim to live
by ; and the inclination to make the most of time,
is observable among the country women, as well
as among the country men. If on a market
morning, you meet half a dozen women heavily
enough laden with vegetables and other country
produce, it is ten to one they have all contrived

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 87
to keep their hands unembarrassed, and are bu
sily employing thesn with the knitting needle :
and when sitting in the market place with their
fish, fruit or butter, few sit idle : e-yen in the
midst of winter, the knitting needle is still ia their
hands. I have even seen women on horseback,
knitting as they rode to market.
It may easily be surmised, that the mode of
life among the country people, is in conformity
with the national traits of which I have been
speaking. Let me first give the reader some
idea of a Jersey farm house. I take at a venture,
one of the middle order, the proprietor of which,
owns about fifteen vergees, or from five to six
English acres ; and is besides, not without his
" quarters." You enter a green shady lane,
branching from one of the main roads; and reach
a high wooded gate, flanked by two granite pil
lars, overgrown with drawf moss. Entering by
a small door on the left of the gate, you find
yourself in a rather dirty yard, paved with blue-
ish pebbles. On one side, stands the farm house
built of stone, solid and ungainly in its form, and
roofed with tile, or, it may be, with thatch. On

88 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the other side, stand the barns, byre, cider press
and hay stack, &c. The front of the house is
most probably covered with a vine, which some
times half shades the windows, and is religiously
preserved, although from the great abundance of
out-door vines, its value is little, and its utility
questionable. The farm house has two doors ;
one, leading you into the kitchen in common
use, — the other, opening into a passage, having,
what is called the best parlour on one side, and
the best kitchen on the other ; and opposite to
the front door, at the other end of the passage,
is the back door, leading into the garden — a very
faulty arrangement, by which a stiff breeze is
constantly kept up within the house.
If your visit be made about noon, you will find
a good fire burning on the hearth, boiling the
soup kettle. The fire is composed of " vraic,"
(of which I shall afterwards speak,) and a few
faggots ; and the soup which boils in the kettle,
is called " soupe a choux," — the staple of Jersey
country diet. This soup, which is also known by
the name of " soupe a la graisse," is made by
boilinsr tosrether. as much cnhhao-s InWl and

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 89
potatoes, as suffices for the family dinner. Some
times, but rarely, a little meat it added ; and
sometimes, parsnips, or turnips, take the place
of potatoes. This soup is the never failing din
ner of the great mass of the country people of
Jersey; and although tea for breakfast is now
pretty universal, soupe a choux is still used at that
meal by many. There is another soup, to which
this soupe a. choux occasionally yields, — conger-
eel soup, which is considered rather a delicacy,
and is not held contemptible even among the up
per ranks. For my own part, I have found it
sufficiently savoury to justify its reputation. It
is made thus : to three or four pounds of eel, add
three pints of water, — one of milk, one of green
peas, — a halfpenny worth of sweet herbs, and a
quarter of a pound of butter : boil all together
for about half an hour.
Among the better class of farmers, there are
occasional deviations from the " soupe a choux,"
or additions to it. About once a fortnight, a
dish of corned or pickled pork, or salted fish, is
admitted ; and roasted apples or baked pears,
are a frequent accompaniment. This diet costs

90 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
little : the lard, the cabbage, the milk, the ap
ples, the pears, are all farm produce, and not
valuable in the market ; and the conger-eel at
particular times, is extremely cheap and abun
dant. Milk, is scarcely at all used in a Jersey
menage ; it is all wanted for butter for the
market, or for indoor consumption. In fact, a
Jersey farmer lives upon that part of the produce
of his land, which is the least valuable; and car
ries the rest to market. The apple pies, and
gooseberry pies, which are so frequent in an
English farm house, are almost unknown in
Jersey. Roasted apples, and especially baked
pears, which require no sugar, and which are
always shaken off the trees in sufficient abun
dance for winter stock, are a good, and a cheap
substitute. The baked pear, (especially the
chaumontelle) is universally liked, — and is a
common addition at tea, not only amongst the
country people, but amongst the respectable
tradesmen of the towns. The pears are merely
put into a dish, with a very little water, and are
sent to the oven. They are quite sweet, enough
without snoar : but taste flat

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 91
Every Jersey family — I might almost say, of
all ranks — use cider. Of course the farmer uses
the produce of his own orchard ; and all coun
try people make their own bread, from their own
flour. The bakings are for the most part, once a
fortnight, — though some few bake weekly. I
cannot speak highly of the bread, which is usually
of two sorts, one whiter than the other.
The country people invariably drink tea, but
take no supper ; and at this meal, stewed pears
are a common substitute for butter, — though it
must be admitted, that butter is more freely used
in a Jersey menage, than any other article of
produce. In fact, excepting for tea and sugar, —
and of the latter, no great quantity is required, —
a Jersey farmer has no occasion to put his hand
in his pocket : and it is a small property indeed,
which does not afford a surplus beyond the value
of the few articles which must be purchased at
market. Neither is there much outlay in the
articles of dress. Many of the habiliments both
of the men and women are of worsted, which has
been subjected to the knitting needle ; and not
only stockings, and shawls, but petticoats, and
VOL. 1. I

92 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
even small clothes, are of this material, — the pro
duce of domestic industry. Men's clothes too,
are frequently fashioned at home, — though not
universally : and it is a curious fact I have to
mentiori, that the country tailors, are all women.
A J erseyman would consider the occupation of a
tailor beneath him ; and this trade is therefore,
in the country, in the hands of the females. A
female tailor receives 5d. per day.
Such, is a sketch of the everyday manner of
living among the Jersey country people ; and it
will be at once seen, that it is in perfect accord
ance with the traits of character to which I have
alluded. I am told that within the last ten years,
there has been considerable improvement in the
mode of life. Meat is more frequently seen in
the farm house ; and tea, has somewhat encroach
ed upon the sovereignty of " soupe a la graisse."
It must be admitted however, that even with these
improvements, the diet is not a generous one ;
and suffers sadly, in a comparison with the huge
sides of bacon, the new milk cheese, and the
pitchers of ale, which disappear bofore the farm
servants of our English counties.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 93
There are some few great holiday exceptions,
to the monotony of Jersey country life. Christ
mas, Easter, and New Year's Day, are the chief
feast days of the island. Christmas time is in
deed, a week of feasting and merrymaking. On
these occasions, there is a family gathering,
twenty or thirty perhaps, being assembled, inclu
ding all who are related to the heads of a family,
as far as cousinship. On these occasions the
"soupe a choux" is discarded; fresh pork is
substituted for its pickled relative : roast beef,
such as would not disgrace the table of an Eng
lish squire, takes its place: perhaps even the
market is defrauded of its goose, and puddings
even, " smoke upon the board." Mountains of
cakes too accompany tea ; and punch and hot
wine, laugh for once at frugality. Eating and
drinking, although the staple amusement, is not
the only one. Cards and dominoes are intro
duced, and sous are freely sported; while the
Christmas song, the laugh, and the jest, go round.
Dancing, so universal on such occasions in Eng
land, is rare in Jersey. I have often enquired
the cause of this. They say it is inconsistent with

94 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the solemn origin of Christmas. But dancing is
at no time, a very general recreation of the
country people ; and I suspect it is the prevalence
of sectarianism in Jersey, that chiefly stands in
the way of this pastime.
Easter is not only a season for feasting, but for
new dresses ; and a great fair which is then held
at Gorey, affords an opportunity of displaying
them. There is also a fair on St. John's day, in
the parish of St. John ; and upon this occasion,
more than any other, dancing is one of the
amusements. The most respectable Jersey farm
ers and their families, do not now frequent these
fairs, which are indeed chiefly attended by towns
people. When speaking of feasts and fairs, a few words
may not be misplaced, respecting the personal
appearance of the natives of Jersey. They are
not, generally speaking, a good looking people.
Of the stature and appearance of the men, a
better test cannot be obtained, than the island
militia ; and certainly, after a review of the two
or three thousand that compose this force, one
must decide, that the race offers few examples of

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 95
fine, well grown, forms, or of handsome counte
nances ; nor do I think the generality of the
womeu afford any contrast. Sufficient reasons
may be given for this ; constant intermarriage
will infallibly lead to a deterioration of the race.
An ungenerous diet, will also have its effect : un
wearied out-door labour is the enemy of beauty,
and unfavourable to erectness of form : and to
these must be added, want of sleep, which I look
upon to be a distinguishing characteristic of the
country people of Jersey. The English labourer
is early in the fields, — but then he goes to bed
betimes. The Jersey farmer, is yet earlier in the
fields ; but he is also late up. In most of the
Jersey country houses, lights are seen in the win
dows at eleven ; and in many, even towards mid-
nighs. This little sleeping, cannot fail to have
its effects both on the looks, and on the constitu
tion. In the dress of the country people, there is
nothing very remarkable ; nothing precisely na
tional. All the women wear shawls, generally
black, or grey ; and the bonnets, are almost in
variably black. 'To several enquiries which I
VOL. 1. I*

96 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS,
have made as to the reason of this predilection
for so gloomy an apparel, I have been more than
once answered, that it is convenient to have black
clothes in case of deaths in a family, — which, in
Jersey, does not mean, merely the members of a
family resident in one house; but all who are
connected, however remotely ; and in a spot,
where intermarriages are so frequent, and where
attachment to the country prevents emigration,
the occasions for mourning must necessarily be
very frequent.
It is generally said, that the Jersey people are
honest. This is a word however, of very wide
signification. If by honest, be meant, that one
is above stealing, — (and this is the general inter
pretation of the word in contradistinction to dis
honest,— though far from Pope's meaning of
" an honest man,") then, I should say, that ihe
natives of Jersey are honest. In the cases of
theft which come before the Court of Justice in
Jersey, Jerseymen are scarcely ever implicated ;
the delinquencies which arise from dishonesty are
almost invariably committed by English, Irish,
or French ; and the Jerseyman 'may certainly be

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 97
called, a trustworthy person. But I do not
know, that in those minor and unpunishable de
viations from perfect honesty which are found
in men's dealings, one with another, the inhabi
tants of Jersey are entitled to claim any supe
riority over their neighbours. I would rather
drive a bargain, — as the saying is, — with an Eng
lishman, than with a Jerseyman ; and among the
market people, who everywhere; and especially
in so small a community as Jersey, afford a fair
sample of national character, there is quite as
great a disposition to over-reach, as I have ever
found in any part of Europe, — certainly greater
than in France.
But I must not leave the country people,
their character, and mode of life, without advert
ing to an usage peculiar to these islands,— one
connected both with the domestic economy, and
with the agriculture of the islands. I allude to
the collection of sea-weed, — which is chiefly used
as manure, but which is also employed as a sub
stitute for coal and fire- wood.
This sea-weed is called in French, varech, —
and in Jersey dialect " vraic;" and a busy time

98 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
is the vraicking season in Jersey. This season is
fixed by the island legislature, — and is named
twice a year, commencing generally about the
20th July, — and the 10th March ; and continuing
each time about ten days. I have already spoken
of the beds of rocks that surround the island ;
and it is chiefly from these rocks, and islets, that
the vraic is gathered. I shall afterwards, in the
few observations I may have to make on agricul
ture, have occasion to speak of vraic as a manure ;
at present, I am only speaking of the collection
of vraic, as an island usage, which is singularly
striking to a stranger.
When the vraicking season begins, those whose
families are not numerous enough to collect the
needful supply, assist each other ; and the vraick
ing parties, consisting of eight, ten, or twelve per
sons, sally forth betimes, from all parts of the is
land to their necessary, laborious, but apparently
cheerful work. Although a time of labour, it is
also a season of merriment : " vraickins: cakes,"
made of flour, milk, and sugar, are plentifully
partaken of, — and on the cart which accompanies
the party to the sea- beach, is generally slung a

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 99
little cask of something to drink, and a suitable
supply of eatables. Every individual is provided
with a small scythe, to cut the weed from the
rocks, and with strong leg and foot gear. The
carts proceed as far as the tide will allow them ;
and boats, containing four or six persons, carry
the vraickers to the more distant rock3, which are
unapproachable in any other way.
It is truly a busy and a curious scene : at this
season, at half tide, or low water, multitudes of
carts and horses, boats, and vraickers, cover the
beach, the rocks, and the water ; and so anxious
are the people to make the most of their limited
time, that I have often seen horses smimming,
and carts floating, — so unwilling are the vraick
ers to be driven from their spoil by the inexorable
tide. But this sea weed is not as I have said employed
solely as manure ; but is also used as fuel ; and
for this purpose, it is collected at other times
than at the regular vraicking seasons, — not from
the rocks indeed, — but from the sea beach ; for
of course some of the weed is constantly detaching
itself from the rocks, and is borne to the shore by

100 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the tide. The collection of this sea weed, is a
constant employment with those who live near the
sea shore : and the produce of their labour is ei
ther used for fuel, or is sold to those who want it.
At almost all times, men, women, and children, —
but chiefly the two latter, — are to be seen at this
employment ; gathering, or spreading the weed
out to dry : they use a rake, or three-pronged
pitch fork ; and a wheelbarrow, in which it is
carried above high water mark to be dried. This
is the universal fuel of the country ; and it makes
a hot, if not a cheerful fire. Coal is scarcely at
all used ; and only a very small quantity of wood
along with the vraic ; and this even, not univer
sally. On feast days only, and family gatherings,
a coal fire is lighted in the best parlour.
There are some ancient usages and supersti
tions peculiar to Jersey, some of which are alto
gether laid aside ; though they are all fast falling
into disuse. I have heard of a singular usage
which did, and which, as some say, does still pre
vail in the parish of St. John. It is termed " faire
braire les po'eles," and consists in obtaining a large
brass boiler, — partly filling it with water ; and

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 101
encircling it with a covering of strong rushes :
strings, also of rushes, are attached to it ; and
these being wetted, the persons who surround the
cauldron, draw them rapidly through their hands,
by which, a vibration, and an accompaniment of
uncouth and inharmonious sounds, is produced.
At the same time too, others blow through cow's
horns, and swell the note of discord. This shows
a low state of civilization ; though doubtless, a
arbarous custom may be maintained for some
time after the intellect rejects it.

CHAPTER VI.

The upper classes in Jersey ; condition, and character ;
the influence of party spirit, and its bitterness ; so
ciety ; distinctions; language; religious differences ;
formation of the upper class ; the liberal professions.
I have hitherto been speaking of the Jersey coun
try people, the lower and middle classes, — among
whom also, I include a part of the town popula
tion. It remains to speak briefly of the upper
classes in Jersey, — those, who would in England,
occupy the middle station. I have already said,
that there is a similitude in the manners of the
upper classes of all countries ; but that the insu
lated situation of Jersey, and several other causes,
have preserved some strong national traits among
all classes in Jersey. I should say, of the upper
ranks, that they possess all the characteristic
traits which I have enumerated, as belonging to
the inferior classes, — onlv, in a milder form. It

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 103
would be absurd to expect generally, in an iso
lated community such as Jersey, those enlarged
views, and that absolute freedom from prejudice,
which may be looked for in larger communities.
There is usually, in every small district, and es
pecially in one distinguished by exclusive privi
leges, an overweening attachment to place, and
to all that belongs to it, that is too apt to inter
fere with the free exercise of judgment, in distin
guishing between good and evil. This is the ori
gin of whatever defects may be observable in
Jersey character. That blind attachment to
country, and all that belongs to it, which, among
the uneducated classes, is nearly allied to patriot-
ism, and even political independence, becomes,
among the higher ranks, a serious blemish, stand
ing much in thew7ay of improvement, and greatly
impeding the progress of civilization. It is cer
tain, that the number of Jerseymen who take any
interest in what passes elsewhere than the island,
is extremely limited. The proceedings of the
British Legislature are far less interesting, than
the proceedings of their own States. The proce
dure in a case before the Jersey Court of Justice,
VOL. 1. K

104 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
is a far more engrossing topic, than would be, the
impeachment of a king's minister : the politics of
Europe at large, would have no chance, weighed
in the scale against some local political conten
tion ; and if the same packet were expected to
bring the decision of kings arid nations, upon
peace or war, or the disposal of crowns, — and
also the decision upon an appeal to the Privy
Council upon some insular dispute, the latter
would be the subject of the first and most eager
questions by the crowds assembled on the quay.
There is one thing which has greatly contri
buted to circumscribe the views of the people,
and to foster the too exclusive insular interest. It
is, the existence of a bitter party spirit. The
whole inhabitants of Jersey are divided into two
factions, calling themselves laurel and rose ;
and which, in their mutual animosity, and ex
treme blindness, resemble the Guelfs and Guib-
belines of the middle ages. I may possibly have
occasion to allude again to these parties, when I
speak of the political constitution and privileges
of the island. At present I would only observe,
that the subjects upon which the animosity of

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 105
party is displayed, are necessarily local matters ;
and thus, a feverish interest is constantly kept up,
respecting insular politics, — often in themselves,
very unimportant ; and which occupy the public
attention, to the exclusion of matters which con
cern the great family of mankind.
It is utterly impossible, for any one unac
quainted with Jersey, to form any idea of the
length to which party spirit is carried there. It
not only taints the fountains of public justice, but
enters into the most private relations of life. A
laurel, and a rose man, are as distinct, and have
as little in common between them, as if they
were men, not only of different countries, but of
countries hostile to each other. The most admi
rable proposition, that wisdom and patriotism
united, ever contrived, if emanating from one
party, would be received with coolness, — or more
probably with open hostility by the other. In
private society too, the distinction is equally
marked : families of different parties, do not
mingle ; and even tradesmen are in a consider
able degree affected in their custom, by these dis
tinctions. I have known laurel rigorously ex-

106 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
eluded from the chaplets which were among the
destined rewards of young ladies at a public mu
sical examination ; and one hesitates even, before
placing a rose bud in the bosom, or a laurel sprig
among a lady's curls.
It may naturally be enquired, how indepen
dence of mind, for which I have given the people
of Jersey credit, can be coexistent with this bitter,
and undistinguishing party spirit ? The answer
is easy. The great mass of country people, and
of the tradespeople of the towns also, are of one
party ; and in their tenacious adherence to that
party, they believe, that they are defending their
island privileges, which they allege, are constantly
attacked by the opposite party, — consisting for
the most part of the better educated and higher
classes. Party spirit therefore with the great
majority of the inhabitants of Jersey, is insepa
rable from the preservation of their insular pri
vileges ; and is therefore fostered by insular inde
pendence. Among that party again, which forms
the minority of the inhabitants, but greatly the
majority of the upper and educated classes, there
is less sturdy independence of character. Na-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 107
tional traits, as I have already said, appear
amongst them, in a milder form. The mass of
the people, incapable themselves, of accurate
judgments in political matters, implicitly follow
their leaders ; believing implicitly, all the while,
that they are fighting the battle of independence :
but the party opposed to them, are capable of
forming more accurate judgments ; and in their
equally blind obedience to leaders, their indepen
dence is no way concerned.
This party spirit, so contemptible in itself, and
so perfectly unimportant to all excepting those
who are possessed with it, deserves this notice
only inasmuch as it materially influences the state
of society ; and acts as a dead weight upon the
progress of civilization, and upon the march of
improvement. It has crushed public spirit, which,
unless amongst a very few, has no existence : for
at all times, the petty triumph of party, is pre
ferred to the public good.
It was in speaking of the too exclusive and en
grossing interest which matters purely insular,
possess, in the minds of Jerseymen, that I was
led to speak of party spirit, as one great cause of
VOL. 1. k*

108 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
this. I would mention, as another, the universal
attachment to clubs. Almost every Jerseyman in
town, has his club There, every evening, ques
tions of insular politics are discussed and com
mented upon ; and there, consequently, party
spirit is inflamed, and the interest attaching to
local politics, riveted.
There is, generally, among the upper classes in
Jersey, a total apathy in all that regards litera
ture, science, and the belles lettres. This might
be expected from what I have already said. It is
not likely that literature and the fine arts will be
prized, where the affairs of the world at large,
are disregarded. An attempt was made, some
time ago, to establish a literary and scientific in
stitution. It met however with the success which
might have been expected ; and an exhibition of
paintings, which was opened in the summer of
1832 under the auspices of that society, created
little interest, and met with indifferent encourage
ment. That such a society was set on foot, how
ever, and that an exhibition of the fine arts was
attempted, prove, that there are some individuals
in the island, to whom the refinements of society
are not indifferent.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 109
Distinctions in society, in Jersey, are more
marked by party, than by station. 1 do not of
course, mean to say, that all ranks mingle ; but
there is no apparent line of demarcation in Jer
sey, as there is in Guernsey, between the old fa
milies, and those who have gained, and are still
gaining money and consequence in trade. Wealth,
in Jersey, levels other distinctions ; and in this,
Jersey is rather in advance of the rest of the
world. Aristocracy has no separate and exclusive
claims ; or if it has, they are not admitted. What
effect this has upon the tone of society, is a
question. It would be impossible however in
Jersey, for aristocracy to maintain an exclusive
society. Few families have not been indebted to
commerce ; and in an island, and amongst a
people, decidedly commercial, trade acquires that
importance, to which, from its great results, it is
entitled ; and the station of those who follow it,
competes successfully in public estimation, with
that which is maintained by ancestral inheritance.
There are not however, in Jersey, a great many
wealthy people, as that term would be under
stood in England. Fortunes, generally speaking,

110 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
are moderate : and those who are really rich, are
in a fair way of being richer ; for they do not
maintain that external display, or those expen
sive establishments which they could well afford ;
and which would be maintained by persons simi
larly circumstanced in England. I believe I may
safely say, that nobody in Jersey, spends £1,200
per annum ; and that, with two or three excep
tions, £800 per annum, is the extent of island
expenditure. Few close carriages are kept, —
and of the few who keep them, still fewer keep
horses for their exclusive use. Neither is there a
constant drain on expenditure from entertain
ments. Expensive dinners, are occasionally giv
en ; and at particular seasons, family dinners are
universal : but there is not as among the same
class in England, a constant interchange of civi
lities. It is therefore impossible that large sums
should be spent in Jersey ; more especially, when
we consider the absence of all those artificial
claims on expenditure, which are constantly aris
ing in larger communities, together with the
greater cheapness of many of the necessaries, and
of all the luxuries of life.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. HI
The unsettled state of language in Jersey, must
be admitted to be a great obstacle to the refine
ments of civilization. The use of a pure, language
as one universal medium of communication, offers
to the moral and intellectual condition of a peo
ple, as great a facility for improvement, as rail
roads, and steam, offer to commerce. But this
medium, Jersey has not yet the advantage of.
The universal language is still a barbarous dialect.
French, though the language of the Court pro
ceedings, and of the Legislature, is not in common
use even among the upper ranks ; nay, the use
of it, is even looked upon as affectation ; and al
though the English language be sufficiently com
prehended for the purposes of intercourse ; and is
most usually spoken in the best mixed society ; it
is certainly not understood by many, in its purity.
The constant use of a dialect, necessarily induces
a distaste for any other purer tongues. Their
beauties are not, and cannot be appreciated ; and
thus, an effectual barrier is opposed to that re
finement, which is the sure result of the know
ledge and appreciation of the productions which
belong to every perfected language, This disad-

112 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
vantage however, is gradually disappearing: and
with another generation will probably be no long
er felt. Children are now universally taught
English ; and amongst the young, there is an evi
dent preference of English. The constant inter
course of the tradespeople too, with the English
residents ; and the considerable sprinkling of
English residents in J ersey society, have also their
effect ; and it is probable, that in twenty years
more, English will be the language of the Legis
lature, the Judicature, and the people.
I have as yet, said nothing of religious feeling
and profession in Jersey. Although there are but
lew catholics in the island, the Diocese of Win
chester does not hold all the population in its
embrace. Methodists, independents, and bap
tists, comprehend a large proportion of the inha
bitants, especially, of the lower classes, and of the
country people ; and the divisions in the bosom
of the church, are scarcely less marked, than
those which exist between the different sects, and
the church from which they have separated.
The observance of the sabbath is strictly main
tained in Jersey ; and the inhabitants generally,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 113
may be designated, a church-going population.
Evangelical doctrines, are here, as elsewhere, the
most popular ; and calvinistic principles are on
the advance. There is a large and influential
class of churchmen in Jersey, whom many would
sneeringly call saints, — but who, in the exercise
of practical piety, deserve rather, the appellation
of christians.
The upper classes of Jersey, consist of those
who derive their incomes from land, or other
property, many of whom, are members of the le
gislative, or judicial bodies ; of the larger mer
chants and shipowners ; of members of the liberal
professions ; and of those who hold official situa
tions. These are not all of one grade, and one
circle in society ; but all may be properly included
among the upper ranks. Having mentioned the
learned professions, I may observe, that they are
not in an enviable state, — barely affording a re
turn for the expenses of education. In the me
dical profession, fees are on a miserably low
scale ; a full practice, scarcely affording a com
petency. Old usages however, are so greatly
prized in Jersey, that fees are likely for some
time to remain stationary.

CHAPTER VII.

Composition of the resident society ; position of the
native, and the resident society ; mode of life of the
residents ; Jersey as a place of residence ; markets,
and prices of provisions ; house rent ; incidental
expenditure ; enumeration of other advantages, as
a residence ; disadvantages ; comparison of Jersey
as a residence, with the principal continental resorts.
It is certain, that there is no colony, or depen
dency of Britain, in which there are so many re
sident English, as Jersey, — meaning by the term,
those who reside in a place, without tie or em
ployment : and, with the exception of some few
great cities, Paris, Rome, Brussels, and Florence,
I believe Jersey contains more resident English,
than any place abroad. And indeed, in those ci
ties, a great portion of the English may be rather
called a visiting, than a resident population.
When I visited Lausanne three years ago, there
were about four hundred resident English, — in

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. H5
the same year, at Tours, I gathered, that there
might be about three hundred more. It is need
less to enumerate other places, because these are
the two favourite resorts of our emigrating coun
trymen, and contain a much larger resident
English population than Pau ; Montpelier ;
Berne ; Caen ; Blois ; St. Malo ; Geneva ; Sienna,
or Pesa,— which, I think, include almost all the
spots much frequented by the English. As
nearly as I have been able to ascertain, the whole
number of English residents in Jersey, amounts
to, at least, three thousand, exclusive of the
tradespeople settled in the island. Of this num
ber, at least three-fourths consist of officers on
the half-pay of the army and navy, and their
families : the remainder, is made up of indivi
duals, who, either with large families to educate,
or with limited incomes, find economy an object ;
and including also, some few, who are attracted
to the island by the advantages of its climate. I
do not include that merely migratory summer
population, which glances at Jersey, on the way
to France, or in a short excursion from England.
The English society of Jersey, is quite distinct

116 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
from the native society : I do not say that they
never mingle ; but the intercourse is limited, and
unfrequent. At a large party, given by a Jersey
family, a few English will generally be seen ;
and at an English party, there is usually a slight
sprinkling of native inhabitants ; but there is far
from being any general intercourse. Those only
indeed, who have brought letters of introduction
to Jersey families ; or, who maintain an esta
blishment superior to their neighbours, receive
the civilities of the island families ; and these
civilities are for the most part confined to a for
mal dinner ; or a rare invitation to a large evening
party. Many of the English complain of want of hos
pitality on the part of the native families ; of a
deficiency in those attentions, which, as strangers,
they think they had reason to expect : but I
think they complain unjustly. It is certainly not
to be expected, that the respectable Jersey fami
lies should voluntarily make the acquaintance
of the English residents indiscriminately ; and if
those who carry introductions do not receive all
the attention which similar letters would receive

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 117
in England, all that can be said is, that every
place has its usages ; and the English have no
more reason to complain of the exercise of hos
pitality in Jersey, than of the exercise of that
virtue in most of the Continental countries which
are much frequented ; and every one who has
travelled much, knows, that to the generality of
travellers, French or Italian hospitality, is not
English hospitality. The mere fact that Jersey
derives advantage from the English who spend
their money in it, is no good reason for expecting
unwonted civilities. Strangers seek Jersey for
their own interest ; and receive, in the greater
command over the luxuries of life with a limited
income, the only return they had any right to
expect. I will admit however, that there is not
a perfectly cordial feeling between the natives
and the residents : the tradespeople indeed, and
others who owe almost their existence to the
English residents, would be fools not to express
the utmost respect for them, and not to rejoice iu
their neighbourhood. But there is nevertheless
a very different feeling on the part of the natives,
towards the residents, and towards] each other.

118 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS-
Towards the British government, and towards Bri
tain as a nation, there is no want of attachment
in Jersey : this may arise chiefly from the respect
which has been paid to the privileges of the island,
and the greater advantages which Jersey derives
from its connexion with Britain, than a connexion
with any other power could bestow upon it. I
think however, this attachment to Britain, is
somewhat of an abstraction. But, to return to
the English society.
The residents, owing to their great numhers,
are quite independent of Jersey society ; and are
certainly disposed to keep up much good fellow
ship amongst themselves. I scarcely think there
is a spot in Europe, where, among the same
number, there is such constant interchange of
visits. One very sufficient reason may be given
for the familiarity of intercourse maintained
among the English residents. Three-fourths, at
least, of the whole number, are naval and military
men, who have served campaigns together ; and
find pleasure in renewing their acquaintance and
fighting their battles over again. And even those
who have not been messmates, or shipmates,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 119
have many subjects of conversation, in common ;
and their information, recollections, and even
prospects, run much in the same channel. At
an English party in Jersey, almost every one is
Captain, or Major; and some few, Colonel.
But although there be a very general, and
familiar intercourse, amongst the residents, they
have naturally formed themselves into circles;
those composing the circles, differing only, in
their pecuniary means. Some only give and
take dinners ; others go to, and receive, evening
parties ; and others again, whose inclination, or
means, will not permit either of these modes of
social intercourse, form a still quieter circle, and
adopt a still less expensive mode of enjoying.
each other's society. Every one therefore finds
a circle suited to his circumstances. It must be
admitted, that unless to those who are fond of
cards, — the universal amusement, — the round of
visiting is somewhat monotonous. One sees
always the same faces ; and in a spot so circum
scribed as Jersey, conversation cannot have great
novelty. The favourite summer amusement, is the pic-

120 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
nic ; and for the enjoyment of this, Jersey is
well calculated : it. has so many secluded bays,
and pleasant nooks : and scarcely a summer day
passes, on which there are not several pic-nic
parties to different parts of the island.
But in speaking of the resident English popu
lation of Jejsey, it is natural to enquire what are
the attractions which Jersey presents ; and what
are the advantages over England which it pos
sesses ? for when we see it so extensively colonized,
we may conclude, that it posseses some that are
exclusive. The foremost of these, is unquestion
ably, the greater cheapness of living.
The beef and mutton with which the Jersey
market is supplied, is almost wholly French ; and
although it is not, in general, to be compared
with the best beef and mutton in the English
markets, neither is it to be complained of. I
have seen, about Christmas time, beef, that would
not have disgraced any market. Veal and lamb,
but especially veal , are to be found occasionally,
quite equal to the same articles in the English
markets. The supply, however, of the best meat,
is always (excepting about Christmas) mode-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 121
rate. The average price of all kinds of butchers
meat, may be stated at 6d. per lb. of 17J oz. The
best cuts of veal, may perhaps average a half
penny more. Pork jis excellent, and in the best
' season, decidedly superior to any I have tasted in
England. There is an immense consumption of
it during the winter months, in Jersey, and it
generally sells about 5d. per lb.
The poultry market is pretty well supplied,
especially with geese- Fowls are sold at about
2s, 6d. a couple ; a well-sized Turkey may be
bought for from 3s. to 5s. ; a good goose for
2s. 6d., and ducks at about Is. 6d. a pair. So
far, it will be observed, Jersey has very little the
advantage over very many of the English provin
cial towns ; and but a moderate advantage over
the metropolis.
Let us now come to what is usually called
country farm produce.
Jersey butter has the reputation of being excel
lent. This character, however, is not. without
exceptions ; and I do not, for my own part, look
upon it, as at all superior to that produced from
the best English daries. In the price of butter,

122 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS,
Jersey has a decided advantage over London, and
some advantage over most parts of England.
This is sufficiently proved by the large export of
butter, which can bear the expense of carriage,
and compete in the hands of the dealer, with the
dairies of Hampshire and Dorsetshire. The
average price of butter during the summer
months, — that is, from April to October, may be
stated at 10d., and during the rest of the year, it
is about 3d. higher. Eggs, during the summer
months, are 5d. per dozen, and, during the win
ter months, from 7d. to Is. Milk is 2d. per
quart, and it is generally excellent.
Let it be kept in mind, that all these prices
are calculated in Jersey currency ; that one shil
ling English, is thirteen pence, Jersey. If, for
example, you purchase one pound of meat at 6|d.,
the sixpence-halfpenny is paid by an English
sixpence; or if the price be 6d. you receive a
halfpenny back.
During the winter season, there is a separate
poultry market, which is entirely stocked with
French produce. Capons are then often very
plentiful, and excellent ; and may be bought of a

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 123
very large size, at 2s. 3d. Those of my readers
who know what a fine French capon is, will not
think this an exorbitant price. At this season
also, there are abundance of French partridges,
woodcocks, snipes, and hares. Partridges are
sold at about 2s. 6d. a brace ; woodcocks gene
rally a little higher; a fine hare costs from
2s. 6d. to 3s. The supply of game however, is
very irregular. A continuance of strong north
erly winds may keep the market empty for weeks ;
and if then, the wind suddenly shifts to the south,
capons and game may be had for half nothing.
Moor game is never seen in the Jersey market.
The vegetable and fruit market is most varied
and abundant. With the exception of the market
of Thoulouse, which I take to be the very best
for country produce in Europe, I do not remem
ber to have seen a better than that of Jersey. It
is difficult to particularize the prices of vegetables.
I should say, however, generally, that they are
not greatly lower, than in the most abundant
English markets. In the fruit market, all the
English out-door fruits are found ; with some,
that belong to more southern countries. The

124 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
common fruits, — such as apples, pears, plums,
aud the berry tribe, are scarcely cheaper than
they can be bought in Covent Garden ; and
some of them not so cheap, as in the best fruit
counties in England. Stiawberries are certainly
dearer. Peaches, however, I think are more
abundant, and cheaper, than they are in any part
England. But those fruits which are not forced
in Jersey, as they are in England, are of course
cheaper. Good out- door grapes, — which, if the
season be good, are very palatable, are sold at
about 6d. per lb. : and the finest hot house grapes
are not more than Is. Melons of the best spe
cies, and of a size that would cost 5s. or 6s. in
Covent Garden, may be purchased for from 8d.
to Is. 6d. French fruit is sometimes to be had
very cheap, — particularly cherries : but as the
excellence of a cherry depends altogether upon
its freshness, those which have been gathered in
France, are worth little.
The fish market of Jersey is very inferior to
what might be expected ; it is neither regularly
abundant, nor remarkable for its cheapness. The
Jersey fishermen, are not fishermen solely ; they

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 125
have generally some property adjoining the sea;
and do not always find it convenient to launch
their boats. The consequence is, that the market
is neither regularly nor abundantly supplied. The
fish commonly brought to market, are whiting,
sole, plaice, bass, grey and red mullet, John do-
rey, mackrel, gar, — a fish resembling anT eel ;
and several inferior kinds offish, which are not
worth naming. The conger eel is also very com
mon ; and most kinds of shell fish are very abun
dant and good. Turbot is rarely seen ; salmon,
still more rarely; haddock, never; cod, very
unfrequently ; and fresh ^herring, scarcely ever in
a palatable state.
The price of fish varies so greatly, that it is
difficult to state any average price. I may say,
however, that excepting the shell fish, none of
them are so cheap as the same, or equally good
fish cost in the fishy English seaports. Mullet
and bass, are perhaps, cheaper in Jersey ; but
then the haddock, cod, and herring of the Eng
lish markets are more than an equivalent. The
largest and finest lobsters may be bought for a
shilling ; and one may have as many fine prawns
for breakfast, as one can eat, for twopence.

126 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
So far, it will be seen that Jersey has no ad
vantage over any of the more abundant English
counties; and that excepting in the article of
butter, the advantage over even tne metropolis, is
small. It is to excisable commodities we must
look, for the advantage which Jersey possesses in
point of cheapness. Tea, that in England would
cost from 6s. to 8s., may be purchased in Jersey
at from 3s. 4d. to 4s. or 4s. 4d. The best gun*
powder tea costs 6s. 6d. Loaf sugar, sugIi as
would cost in London 10d., and in the country
lid., may be bought in Jersey for 6d. Raw su
gars are scarcely more than half their price in
England. Coffee is not more than two-thirds of
its price in England. Rice is 3d. per lb. ; cur
rants 4d. ; raisins for puddings about, the same.
These are the articles of foreign and colonial pro
duce the most in use ; but in all others of less
consumption, such as spices, oil, olives, dried
fruits, &c, the price is proportionately low. In
this large class of articles then, the produce of
foreign countries, which may now be almost all
classed' amongst the necessaries of life, Jersey
has a decided advantage ; and from this enume-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 127
ration, we have a direct illustration of the effects
of taxation, and of the extent to which it operates,
in depressing the condition of a people.
But it yet remains, to notice that large class of
taxed commodities, which are more properly
termed luxuries : I mean, wines and spirit. In
the low price of these, Jersey will compete with
any place in the world : for although, in the wine
countries, the superior wines may be drunk for
next to nothing ,in the districts which produce
them, Jersey has the command of all wines duty
free ; and consequently, the vintages of Frances,
Spain, and Portugal, are all, proportionally low-
priced. That there is a great deal of bad wine
in Jersey, is true ; but so there is in England ; ;
and so there is, in the countries which produce
wines. I have drunk vile Moselle at Luxem-
bourgh ; villainous Hermitage on the Rhone ;
and wretched Sherry in Cadiz. But, to be more
minute, — Port, from two to eight years old, and
of good quality, is from 22s. 6d. to 25s. per dozen ;
and inferior Port may be purchased at 15s.
Sherries, the same prices as Port. Bucellas I4s.
Marsala 12s. to 14s. Vidonia 20s. Mountain
VOL. 1. m

128 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
20. Tent 27s. 6d. East India Madeira 24s.
Vin Ordinaire 6s. to 10s. Light Clarets from 20s.
to 30s. First growths of best Clarets 45s. to 50s.
Cote Rotie 45s. to 48s. St. George 12s. Bur
gundy, Chambertin, 60s. Macon 25s. Vin de
Grave, Barsac and Sauterne from 15s. to 25s.
Champagne 50s. to 60s. Rhenish 17s. 6d. Hocks
40s. to 50s. All of these prices are stated in Jer
sey currency; consequently, Is. 8d. must be
deducted from every £1.
The catalogue of Spirits is still more imposing.
Cognac, such as is rarely to be met with in En-
land, costs 7s. per gallon ; Hollands, from 3s. 6d.
per gallon, to Is. a bottle. Jamaica Rum Is. to
Is. 4d. per bottle. Spirits, of inferior quality,
but not inferior to what is usually retailed in
England, may be had at greatly lower prices.
One may therefore enjoy a glass of Rum and
water, sugar included, for one penny ; and I am
not sure that a few drops of lemon juice might
not be squeezed into the bargain. A man may
comfort himself with a pint of old Port for lid. ;
or drain his bottle of St. George, — rather a racy
wine, for the same money ; or of Marsala,— better
than it is found in England, for one shilling.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 129
I have omitted in my enumeration, the impor
tant article of bread, the best quality of which,
sells at 2d. per pound, and common household
bread of an excellent quality at l^d.
There still remains to be noticed, one impor
tant item of expenditure, — house rent ; and here,
Jersey must suffer considerably, in a comparison
with England. A hou.se, such as in most parts
of England (of course excluding the metropolis,
and the best situations in the large towns)' would
be let for £30, would certainly cost £40 in Jer
sey ; and there are scarcely, in Jersey, any of
those small, though comfortable cottages with
gardens, which, in the cheaper and more remote
English counties are usually rented from £18 to
£25. A comfortable, and respectable and mode
rate sized house, in a good situation, and with a
little garden ground, cannot be had in Jersey
under from £35 to £40. The rent of a house
furnished, is generally nearly double the rent
unfurnished. It must be recollected, that when
rent is paid in Jersey, all is paid. There are
no taxes, and scarcely any rates. This however
is but a trifling advantage over the smaller de-

130 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
scription of houses in England, not situated in
the neighbourhood of the metropolis, or any of
the large towns : and in any comparison between
Jersey and England, as residences, it is evident
that the metropolis must be excluded ; because, if
expenses there, are greater, so are the agremens ;
and no one, whose object is economy, thinks of
pitching upon the metropolis as a residence.
In one respect, Jersey has an advantage over
any part of England, to those who mean to reside
permanently in it, and to furnish a house. Furni
ture may be purchased greatly cheaper. Jersey
made furniture can of course be sold at a low
rate comparatively with England ; since neither
mahogany, nor any other foreign timber pays
any duty ; and since also, labour is considerably
cheaper. Other more ornamental articles of fur
niture, are also cheaper than in England, owing
to the same causes, — such as mirrors, French
papers, and metals.
Servants' wages are about the same in Jersey,
as in England, and wearing apparel, is, generally
speaking, dearer than it is in England.
I have now I think, exhausted that important

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 131
subject, — expense of living. But I have still some
thing farther to say, on the advantages and dis
advantages of Jersey, as a place of residence.
The advantages yet to be enumerated, are indeed
minor, to that important one upon which I have
enlarged : still, they must not be omitted. The
most important of these, is climate : but, as this
has already been spoken of, and will afterwards,
in connexion with disease, receive a more length
ened notice, I at present only mention it, without
enlarging upon it.
The geographical position of Jersey, may be
named as an advantage. Situated as it is, within
fifteen hours' sail of England, and within four or
five hours' sail of France, it offers greater conve
nience for the resident, than any other resort
with which I am acquainted. Letters put into
the post-office in London, on Tuesday or Friday
evening, are delivered in Jersey, on Thursday
and Sunday morning. There are communications
by steam, twice a week to Southampton, as well
as to Weymouth ; and still oftener to the French
ports of St. Malo and Granville : so that excur
sions may be varied to different parts of England
VOL. 1. M*

132 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
and France, to the Isle of Wight, and to Guern
sey; and all, at a very moderate expense.
It is another advantage, that, in Jersey, one
lives under the protection of the British govern
ment ; though under the exclusive laws of Jersey.
The revolutions, and civil commotions, which, in
foreign countries, have driven hundreds from
their adopted homes, and have even endangered
their lives and their property, could never be
more than matters of curiosity in Jersey, and few
will deny, that the British government is a good
government to live under, to those who can enjoy
its blessings, exempt from the evils by which these
are accompanied, — taxation, and wide-spread
pauperism. Such, is a summary of the advantages, which
Jersey possesses as a residence.
The chief disadvantage, under which Jersey
lies, is the total want of amusements. There are
no field-sports ; there is no angling. There is a
theatre indeed ; and there are winter assemblies :
but the latter are few in number ; and not parti
cularly attractive ; and as for the former, there
is so little encouragement given to the drama in

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 133
Jersey, that the company is most commonly in
different. The native inhabitants do not suffi
ciently understand the English language, to
relish English drama ; and the residents are not
rich enough to afford of themselves, sufficient
encouragement to the theatre. It must also be
admitted, that naval and military men, are not
those amongst whom a taste for the drama is
likely to be found. Companies of French actors,
however, are tolerably well supported by the
native inhabitants.
Of good music, there is even a still greater
dearth. The native inhabitants do not encourage
music ; and the residents have come to Jersey to
economize. They prefer spending their surplus
income in seeing their friends at home and abroad,
— and in country parties, to frequenting public
amusements. The consequence is, that with the
want of musical taste, and the necessity for eco
nomy, concerts fare ill in Jersey. Fashion may
fill a room once ; but I question if Pasta and
Malibran together, could twice collect £70 in
Jersey. The residents cannot be blamed for not
doing that, which they did not come to Jersey to

134 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
do ; and the details of a former chapter, will have
sufficiently accounted for the want of interest in,
and love of the fine arts, shown by the native in
habitants. Attempts have been made to concen
trate the musical talent of the island, in a club :
but like every thing else in Jersey, which requires
co-operation, and implies public spirit, the at
tempt has been crowned with very indifferent
success. I ought to have mentioned, that the disposition
towards puritanism, which I have already said,
is prevalent in Jersey, is inimical to the success
of theatrical entertainments, — and in somedegreei
to all public amusements. Horse races, which
have been instituted two years, are of course, par
ticularly obnoxious to the religious classes ; and
their success has only been moderate.
I think I have stated tolerably fairly, the ad
vantages and disadvantages of Jersey,- as a resi
dence ; and I shall conclude this chapter with a
brief comparison between Jersey in this respect,
and the principal resorts of the English on the
Continent. In point of expense, Jersey differs very

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 135
little from most of these. Foreign and colonial
produce is dearer on all parts of the Continent ;
but on the other hand, house rent is higher in
Jersey, than in any place on the Continent fre
quented by the English, — excepting Tours. In
the smaller English resorts, — petty towns and vil
lages, for example, on the coast of Normandy and
Brittany, — all the necessaries, and many of the
luxuries of life, are greatly cheaper than they are
in Jersey. But except cheapness, these spots
have nothing to recommend them.
As for agremens, there is no doubt that all the
large cities resorted to by the English, have a
great advantage over Jersey ; and in the state of
society also, they will fully bear a comparison
with it. The theatres, the promenades, the spec
tacles, the galleries, of Paris, Florence, or even
Brussels, offer resourses, which may be sought for
in vain in Jersey. Jersey does not lie under any
disadvantage in comparison with the smaller re
sorts. It is true that the monotony of Pau, may
be broken by an excursion to Bagneres de Bi-
gorre, which all the world has. heard of, — or to
the village of Beiretz, in the bay of Biscay, which

136 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
verv few have heard of, — but which is neverthe-
less one of the most charming, and coolest of re
treats : and the beautiful tranquillity of Lausanne
may be interrupted by a ramble among the Swiss
mountains, — or an excursion on Lake Leman :
but these resources, are as expensive, and not so
full of variety, as those which Jersey offers, in
excursions to London, and Paris : and in Jersey,
there is greater room for selection in society, than
in those places where the more limited number
of residents, scarcely admits of different circles, —
or indeed, of choice. The English society of
Jersey, is not indeed unexceptionable ; nor is it
equal, in either polish, or intellect, to an equally
large circle in England : but good breeding, and
gentlemanly feeling, are always to be found among
those whose profession has been arms ; and among
the hundreds of residents in Jersey, there is no
difficulty in falling into a circle from which the
exceptionable are excluded.
In point of climate, Jersey takes a medium
rank ; I do not speak of it, as a resort of inva
lids; but of those who merely desire fine wea
ther, and neither an excess of heat or cold,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 137
Paris, Caen, Tours, Paw, Lausanne, are hotter
in summer, and colder in winter, than Jersey.
Brussels and Boulogne sur mer, are every way
inferior to it in climate. Florence, Nice, and
Pisa, have superior winters ; but are too hot in
summer : so that Jersey does not appear to suffer
by a comparison.
But there is one advantage which Jersey pos
sesses, over all continental places. It is more
English. English comfort is better understood
in it. English ways, more common. Houses
are English in their structure and conveniences:
one can have closed shutters, a snug room, and
a coal fire. Above all, the English language,
although not the language of the island, is suf
ficiently understood to make the use of a foreign
language unnecessary. And let me add, that
however many years, an Englishman remains
abroad, he never conquers the desire to return to
his native country. He cannot endure for ever,
the feeling that he is a foreigner ; and the con
sciousness, that he must lay his bones in a foreign
land. The murmur of English voices comes to
his ear ; he recals the appearance of an English

J 38 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
town, an English pepulation, and the aspect of
an English landscape ; and while fancy places
before him, the village, and the village church,
and the church-yard, — with its many tombs, and
tall sheltering trees, — he feels, that he would
rather be buried there ; and that his own coun
trymen might pause before his tomb, and English
children play and prattle upon his grave. Yes,
— let his sojourn be beautiful as it may, he feels
that he is a stranger ; and that not in life only,
but in death also, he has a home, — a home in his
native land. But these feelings are scarcely ex
perienced in Jersey. There is little to remind
an Englishman of his absence from his country.
He scarcely feels himself a stranger : and is
therefore spared that restlessness which would
infallibly come upon him, sooner or later, in a
foreign land.

CHAPTER VIII.

Civil government. The court of Judicature ; and its
constitution ; election of Judges ; party spirit and
its results. The States, or Legislative body, and
its constitution ; the Governor and his emoluments ;
the Lieutenant-Governor ; the island militia ; value
of Jersey. Finance. The Clergy. Education and
public institutions; the state of the public press in
Jersey.
It will have been gathered from the contents of
a former chapter, that the inhabitants of Jersey
regard their political constitution with no small
affection ; and indeed, so true is this, that reform
and change, are as unpopular words in Jersey,
as they are popular elsewhere. So slow is the
march of opinion in Jersey, that the political
constitution which pleased the islanders in the
days of king John, please them still ; and, as
regards the mass of the people, there is yet no
dawn of that crisis, which ever arrives, where intel
lect advances, and political institutions stand still.
vol. i. N

140 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
I shall briefly state what is the constitution of
Jersey ; in the hope, that by making its evils and
absurdities more generally known, one step may
be made towards amendment.
The legislative power in Jersey, resides in an
assembly called the States ; but in order to under
stand the constitution of this assembly, it is
necessary that I should speak of the judicial body.
The Roval Court, as it is called, consists of a
president, termed the bailly of Jersey, who is
appointed by the king ; and twelve judges, who
are elected for life, by the people ; — all heads of
families, paying parochial rates, being entitled to
vote ; so that, in fact, the judges are elected by
almost universal suffrage. This privilege of elect
ing their judges, the people esteem as their
highest privilege, — but which is, on the contrary,
the source of incalculable evil. I have already
mentioned the existence of party spirit in the
island ; and at no time does party run so high,
as at the election of a judge. Upon these occa
sions, the whole island is in a ferment : to vote,
is to stamp a man of one party or another : I
have known respectable tradesmen, who feared

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 141
the consequences of a vote, make an excuse for
leaving the island ; and I have known others,
swallow medicine to make themselves incapable
of attending, to give their suffrage. Firing of
guns, waving of banners,; and all the loudest
and most unequivocal expressions of triumph,
attend the result of an election ; and in fact, the
judge is borne into the seat of justice, on the
shoulders of a party.
It is scarcely necessary I think, for me, to
enlarge upon the bad effects of this system. The
bench, with one or two exceptions, is composed
of the most furious ,partizans ; the court of jus
tice is too often the arena for party feuds ; and it
is not impossible by glancing the eye along the
bench, and knowing who are the parties to a suit,
to guess with tolerable accuracy, what will be the
issue. But this is not the only evil of the system. No
qualification is necessary for being elected to the
office of judge. A farmer, a ship owner, a mer
chant, — any body, may be seated on the bench
by the electors. No previous acquaintance with
law or usage is required ; no preparatory educa-

142 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
tion, — no education of any kind requisite. The
electors, generally utterly uneducated themselves,
— and influenced by the most violent party spirit,
cannot be expected to fix upon the best qualified
individuals ; and thus, the bench is alike disqua
lified by party feeling, and by ignorance, from
exercising that sound and unbiassed judgment,
which alone gives respectability to a court of
justice. An attempt has recently been made on the part
of some of the upper classes, by way of petition
to the Privy Council, to obtain a change in the
constitution of the bench ; and a proposition has
also been made in the legislative body, for impor
tant alterations in the constitution of the island ;
but this proposition still vests in the people, the
power of electing their judges. It may perhaps
be doubted, whether in so small a community as
Jersey, where relationship, or connexion of one
kind or other, is so universal, Jerseymen be the
most proper persons to fill the judicial office :
but it is at all events certain, that so long as the
right of electing the judges is vested in the peo
ple, not only will the bench be defective in all

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 143
that constitutes a perfect judicature ; but that
party spirit will be encouraged, — which, at the
same time that it poisons the fountains of justice,
— crushes public spirit, — cripples legislation, —
and offers an impassable obstacle to the progress
of civilization.
I have no intention of enlarging on the juris
diction of the Royal Court. It has the power of
disposing of all cases civil and criminal, includ
ing the military code as regards the militia ; and
from the full court, an appeal lies to the Privy
Council. In criminal cases, juries decide ; and
the accused has many advantages. He is allow
ed counsel ; and from the petty jury which first
sits oil his case, and which decides by a majority
of voices, he has an appeal to a grand jury, con
sisting of twenty-four ; of which number, five
voices only, are sufficient to acquit him of the
charge. The jury in civil causes, has not yet made its
way to Jersey ; and for the same reason that I
doubt the possibility of perfect impartiality among
judges selected from so limited a community,
where intermarriages are so common,' — where no
VOL. I. N*

144 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
man is a stranger to another, and where the at
tachments to party are so strong, and so univer
sal, — I also doubt, whether the introduction of
juries in civil causes would be productive of much
advantage. Should the administration of justice
ever be vested in English judges, 1 have no hesi
tation in saying, that the introduction of Jersey
juries, would be impolitic. The same objections
which apply to juries in civil causes, is not ap
plicable to criminal cases. In these latter, men
are less likely to be influenced by private motives ;
or if they be, the accused will most probably be
a gainer : and besides, it very rarely happens,
that Jerseymen are the subjects of criminal prose
cutions. Delinquencies are almost always com
mitted by strangers.
Attached to the Royal Court, are the two king's
officers, — the procureur du roi, and the king's
advocate, who are appointed by the king ; seve
ral other officers, and six advocates, who are in
the nomination of the bailly, — an absurd, and
unjust nomination, both as regards the public
service, and the manner of appointment. There
ought to be no restriction upon the bar, excepting

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 145
that which depends upon competency ; and yet,
in this important particular,' there. is at present,
no regulation. No course of education is neces
sary ; no examination is required ; all is left to
the judgment of the bailly, — who, possessed of
such powers, and presiding over a court com
posed of men without legal education, ought to
be a man possessed of many acquirements ; and
distinguished by a sound and discriminating
judgment. It is but just to add, that there are
some gentlemen now at the bar, distinguished
for their acquirements ; and every way compe
tent to the discharge of their duties.
An enumeration of the laws of Jersey, does
not come within the scope of this work. I may
merely state, that they are founded on the ancient
Norman code ; and are swelled by municipal and
local usages ; by royal ordinances ; acts of the
States, confirmed by the king ; and by orders in
council, registred in the island.
I am now prepared to speak of the constitution
of the States.
The legislative body, is composed of thirty-six
members, besides the governor and the bailly,

146 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
consisting of : 1. The twelve judges, who being
judges for life, are legislators for life ; 2. The
rectors of the twelve parishes, nominated (with the
exception of the dean) by the governor, also legis
lators for life. 3. The twelve constables of the
twelve parishes, elected by the people triennially.
The king's officers and the viscomte, have also seats
in the States ; and may speak, but cannot vote.
It is scarcely possible to conceive a more faulty
constitution of a legislative assembly than this.
Here we have men framing laws, and executing
them, — judges to day, legislators to-morrow :
here we have a legislative body which is not a
representative assembly, — nora responsible assem
bly ; since one-third of the number, the clergy,
are nominated by the governor : and since two-
thirds — both the twelve judges and the twelve
clergy, are legislators for life, and are therefore
never called upon to account for their steward
ship. Only one-third part of the legislative
assembly is representative and responsible, — the
twelve constables, who are chosen triennially in
each parish, by the same electors who choose the
jurats ; and who are in fact the heads of the police

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 147
of each parish, and have under them, sundry
inferior officers and deputies.
The States possess the powers (under certain
limitations) which belong to any legislative body.
They originate and pass laws ; raise funds for the
public service ; enact appropriations of the reve
nue ; and preside generally, over the well-being
of the island. This assembly however, cannot be
convened without the assent of the governor, —
who has also a veto on its deliberations, for the
exercise of which powers, however, he is account
able to the king in council ; and all acts passed
by the States, if meant to continue in force more
than three years, require the king's assent.
The goverment of Jersey, is, as the reader pro
bably knows, a sinecure office, at present held by
Lord Beresford ; and which, I believe I am war
ranted in believing, will not much longer be
suffered to exist. The whole crown revenue of
the island is, with certain deductions, appropria
ted to the governor, and consists of the corn tithes
often of the parishes.
As the disposal of this revenue has lately been
brought under notice, by a parliamentary com-

148 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
mission, I will shortly state its amount, and de
ductions. The tables before me, have reference
to the revenue received and appropriated, of
1818, since which year, the amount has decreased
about £300.
Amount of Wheat, Rye, Beans, 7 «„. , ,, fi.
Barley and Oat rents  j *
Tithes  1414 11 6
Lands  446 7 5|
Fines  57 14 4J
Money Rents  32 7 4|
Tavern Licenses  13 15 0
Successions  75 15 11 J
Renunciations  88 12 4£
£2840 12 7
This amount was appropriated as follows :
Salary of the Bailiff.  £300 0 0
„ of the King's Procureur  100 0 0
,, of the King's Advocate  50 0 0
„ of the Greffier of the Royal > . r _ ,.
Court....  ...j 45 ° °
„ oftheVicomte  100 0 0
,, of the Officers of the Lower > OQ _ _
Fief Courts  5 2d 7 7
„ of His Majesty's two Re- ^ 300 0 0
„ of the Keeper of the Court > , ~ „ „
House  j 15 0 0
Annual subscription of the Gover- }
nor for prizes for boys in the > 20 0 0
Militia  )
Carried over  £953 1 7

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 149
Brought over  £953 7 7
Maintenance of Jail Prisoners, 7 or.a n n
and Jail account  S U U
Repairs to the Court House  69 5 6
Coroner's Inquests  21 0 0
Governor's Subscription to the 7 ia -m n
PublicSchool  j 1U 1U °
Dinners to the Court of Heritage . . 99 1 1 7
Do. to the Inspectors of Roads. 34 9 9,§
Rents due by the King  8 19 3
Covering and repairing the Gover- 7 0 ,0 n
nor'sPew........!  \ 8 18 6
Amount transmitted to theGovernor 1428 10 4J
£2840 12 7
It is evident that the charges upon the crown
revenue will vary from year to year. The amount
of the revenue also varies. The tithes will fluc
tuate according to the value of wheat, and the
quantity sown. The governor has also the king's
share of all contraband and prohibited goods,
and of all fines levied in consequence ; and on
seizures of tea, he receives two-thirds of the value,
after deducting the expenses. In the year to
which the table I have given refers, there, does
not appear to have been any seizures. In a sub
sequent year, 1828, I see £119 for seizures.
In the proposed abolition of the sinecure to
which the surplus crown revenue is appropriated,

150 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
would it not be advisable for the government to
draw in the first instance, the whole crown reve
nue of the island ; and take upon itself the pay
ment of the salaries, and other charges? There
is little that could be deducted from these items,
unless it be the dinners, and the repairs to the
courthouse, — the latter of which might be paid
from the island revenue or " impot," — a small
tax on the import of wines and spirits, of which
I shall afterwards speak.
At present, and for some considerable time past,
the duties of the governor have been -vested in a
lieutenant-governor, who is named by the king.
Although, as the representative of the British
government, — and in some degree, of the king,
this officer possesses some civil power, such as
having a negative voice in the States, and acting
in some emergencies, for the king's government,
his office is chiefly a military one ; and consists
in commanding the whole troops both regular
and militia in the island, and in exercising the
usual authority and privileges vested in a com
mander in chief.
The lieutenant-governor receives a small por-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 151
tion of crown revenue, different from, and not
included in, that drawn by the governor. Some
items of this revenue are curious, and illustrate
well, the rapacity of the priests in former times.
He is 'entitled to 197 capons ; 263 fowls ; 217
chickens ; 33 geese ; 684 eggs ; 97 loaves of
bread, and 2 hares. These are apportioned
among the different parishes, and may either be
paid in kind, or in money": when compounded
for, a capon is charged at 2s. Id. ; a fowl at Is.
3d. ; two chickens, at Is. 3d. ; a goose at Is.
10|d. ; eggs at 7|d. per dozen ; a loaf of bread
atljd.; 2 hares at Is. 3d. The whole amounts
to about £48. Besides these articles the lieute,-
nant-governor is entitled to the rent of some
houses, of a grass meadow, of the king's warren,
and to an allowance for signing the registers of
vessels, and for passes to vessels for clearing
outwards. These altogether, supposing the hou
ses and lands lei, do not much exceed £160.
The differences, which unhappily have lately
arisen in the island, between the lieutenant-gover
nor, and the legislative assembly, seem to show
that the powers of the lieutenant-governor, are
vol. i. o

152 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
not sufficiently defined ; and indeed, lead to the
conclusion, that military men are not the best
individuals to fill offices, the duties of which are
partly civil; and that in the government of a
colony or dependency, it would perhaps be wise,
to separate altogether, the military, from the
civil authority. With regard to Jersey, its go
vernment requires peculiar tact and delicacy ;
both because of the peculiar privileges enjoyed,
and so highly rated by the inhabitants ; and be
cause of the importance of attaching the inhabi
tants to the English government, so long as its
possession be considered a matter of importance ;
and since also, in war time, the safety of the
island depends, in some degree, upon the fidelity
and efficiency of the island militia. A governor
of Jersey, ought to be extremely careful how he
jostles with island privileges ; and even in exer
cising his military government, mildness, and
caution, are greatly to be commended. Some
little deficiencies in these, have lately led to
misunderstandings, which have risen into deadly
feuds. The militia too, is not so popular a service
as it once was ; and in consequence of a somewhat

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 153
rigid discipline,— and some unnecessary severities,
a pretty general feeling has been engendered, by
no means favourable to the system wlrich Go
vernment professes to be desirous of encouraging.
There is no doubt however, that the position of
a resident governor in Jersey, is a difficult posi
tion. There is so much jealousy of privileges,
and so bitter a spirit of faction, that no governor,
did he possess even the virtues of a Titus, with
the wisdom of a Solomon, could hope to please
all parties.
I have mentioned the militia of the island.
This is a large and efficient force, in which all
persons between the ages of 17 and 65 are liable
to serve. The regiments are six in number ; and
muster, with the artillery, which consists of twen
ty-four light six pounders, about 2500 men. They
are in an excellent state of discipline ; are greatly
attached to their island officers ; and have proved
themselves, in actual service, worthy of being en
trusted with the defence of the island.
The expense to the British government, of
maintaining this force, is considerable : and I
think, that without injuring its efficiency, the

154 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
British government might be relieved from this
expense. The whole sum paid to inspectors, as
sistant inspectors, and drill sergeants, amounts to
a very considerable sum ;* and there appears to
be no sufficient reason why the large island reve
nue should not be charged with this burden. Nor
is this the only burden which might either be
shifted, or altogether removed.
But I may perhaps be permitted to doubt, whe
ther the mode usually adopted for ascertaining
the possibility of making reductions, be the best
that could be adopted. A lieutenant governor of
a colony is requested to. make a return of his own
emoluments ; and, as an example, that no depen
dence can be placed upon such returns, the re
turns of such emoluments, transmitted by the
present lieutenant governors of Jersey and Guern
sey, were entirely different, though their. emolu
ments arise from precisely similar sources. I do
not mean to impugn the integrity of either : but
the returns made by them individually, were
framed according to the understanding which
each had, of what government required of him.
When a similar return was required from Sir
* For note see conclusion of the work.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 155
Colin Halkett, a late lieut.-governor of Jersey, he
returned simply 10s. 6d. per day, his allowance as
governor, making no mention of staff or military
allowances of any description.
Nor is it perhaps to be expected, that governors
of colonies, when requested to state what reduc
tions may be made in their government, will be
guided in their answer, solely by a regard for the
public purse: the more offices, Ihe more patro
nage; and there is also a feeling of delicacy,
which cannot but be felt, in recommending the
abolition of offices held by those who are proba
bly upon terms of friendship with the governor.
I need scarcely say, that in these general observa
tions upon the subject of reductions, I have
Guernsey, as well as Jersey in view.
But let us for a moment, sinee we are upon the
subject of expenditure, enquire very briefly into
the value of the Channel Islands, as British pos
sessions. It has been calculated, and I have reason to
know that the calculation is a correct one, that
during war, the expense to the British govern
ment, of maintaining the military establishments.
vol. i. o*

156 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
in Jersey alone, nearly reached half a million per
annum.* This enormous sum arises from the pay
of a large body of troops, — the wear and tear of
warlike instruments, — and the enormous price of
provisions, defrayed by government : and it is
perhaps a question worth putting, whether the
advantages resulting to England from the pos
session of these islands, be worth the cost of main
taining a large additional force for their protec
tion. The ground, upon which the value of these
islands to Britain, is commonly based, appears to
me an unsound one. It is commonly said, that
if in the hands of the enemy, the trade of the
channel would be placed in peril ; and this con
clusion is not an unnatural one to be at first sight
taken up, when we recollect the number of priva
teers belonging to these islands in the early part
of the last war ; and the great loss sustained by
the enemy, in consequence of them. But it ought
to be recollected, that the introduction of steam,
has since then, materially affected the question.
A steam frigate or two (especially if a breakwater
were constructed in Portland roads,) could keep
the channel free of sailing privateers ; for it may
* For note see conclusion of the work.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 157
fairly be concluded, that the islands would own
none but sailing vessels, owing to the enormous
expense which would attend the fitting out of
steam vessels as privateers. And besides, why
should the islands of the channel be objects of so
much alarm, since Cherbourg, now a great naval
station, is quite as advantageously situated for
annoying the trade of the channel, as Jersey or
Guernsey. If the only question therefore was, whether
nearly a million of money per annum, be well
spent in maintaining the Channel Islands, for the
sake of protecting the channel trade, the answer
would certainly be in the negative. As for the
other question which might be raised, — whether
the honour of retaining as appendages to the
British crown, islands, whose sovereignty is as
old as the Norman Conquest ; and which from
their proximity to France, seem naturally to be
long to her, be worth a million per annum, — it is
too nice a question for me to enter upon.
Having had frequent occasion to mention the
revenue of the island, I shall be pardoned for ex
hibiting a brief view of its present financial con-

158 * THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
dition. The revenue of Jersey arises from the
duty on the importation of wines and spirits, —
from harbour dues, — and from licenses granted
to publicans. The average of the first of these,
for three years, ending with December 1833, was
no less than £10,425 8s. 2d. and the addition of
publican's licenses, and harbour dues, amounting,
with other smaller items of revenue, to £3732
17s. 7d., makes the whole revenue £14,158 5s. 9d.
From this sum there is to be deducted, the in
terests of the public debt. The total debt of the
island amounted, at 1st January 1834, to £61,652
5s. 4|d., the interest on which, at 4 per cent,
£2483 5s. 5d., being deducted from the revenue.
leaves a disposable income of £11675.
These facts are somewhat curious : and lead to
the inevitable conclusion, that extraordinary mis
management only, could have produced so extra
ordinary a result : for considering, that large aid
has been received from England, in the construc
tion of defences ; that the revenue is not charged
with the salaries of the public officers, who are
all paid from the crown revenue ; and that no
part of the expense of maintaining and clothing

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 159
the militia, falls upon the island, one would rather
expect to find a large accumulation of revenue,
than an increasing debt. No doubt some public
works of an expensive nature, have been under
taken, and completed ; but now that no large
calls upon the revenue are likely to be made,
there seems to be ground for believing, that it is
amply sufficient not only for the ordinary local
demands upon it ; but that it may be fairly
charged with the support of the island militia,
and with the salaries of the different public officers.
The state of the church, and the institutions in
some degree connected with it, call for a few
words. The dean of Jersey, who is named by
the crown, is at the head of the insular church ;
and holds a spiritual court, from which there is
an appeal to the see of Winchester. The dean is
always one of the twelve rectors ; but no plura
lities are admitted. The clergy of Jersey, are
poorly paid ; they are entitled to little more than
the small tithes, — which do not average to each,
above £120 per annum. It would undoubtedly
have been more just, if a part of the great tithes,
which belong to the crown, had been appropriated

160 . THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
to a reasonable augmentation of livings, rather
than to the payment of a salary to a sinecurist ;
and since this bad appropriation of the crown re
venue appears to be destined for change, by the
retrenching spirit of the present government, it is
to be hoped, that the claims of the under-paid
clergy will not be forgotten. It is possible that
these claims may not be advanced ; but at a time
when there is a disposition to afford something
like adequate remuneration to the working clergy
of England, — and all the incumbents in Jersey,
are working clergy — it is almost to be expected,
that when a large sum is about to be released from
the grasp of a sinecurist, — a part of it may be ap
propriated towards the moderate augmentation of
the miserable livings in Jersey.
It is much to be regretted, that by the consti
tution of the island, the clergy have seats in the
legislature. I do not at present, speak of this,
as a political flaw in the constitution ; but only,
as it affects the usefulness of the clergy, which
necessarily depends greatly, upon their moral
influence over their respective flocks. In an
island such as Jersey, where subjects of local

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 161
interest, are every day springing up, great diver
sity of opinion must continually exist, as to the
course most proper to be pursued by the legisla
ture, in the various matters, brought before it ;
and thus, the clergy are necessarily brought into
ill odour with a part of their parishioners. If
this statement required any illustration to enforce
its justness, I might refer to the consequences
which have followed the late conduct of the En
glish bishops, — who beyond all doubt, have, by
means of it, impaired their moral influence over
the people. It is impossible, that men who have
witnessed (or think they have witnessed) the
fallibility of their minister's judgment in tempo
ral matters, should trustingly confide to him
their eternal interests.
Such is a slight outline of the civil, military,
and ecclesiastical government of Jersey, — form
ing altogether, a constitution, to which there is
the blindest attachment on the part of the great
majority of the people, who, if any change be
proposed, immediately exclaim, " See how our
island has flourished !" The flourishing condition
of the island, is not, however, owing to the pri-

162 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
vileges which are so much valued by the people,
and which may be termed political privileges;
but is owing to its great commercialprivileges :
when I come to speak of the commerce of the
island, these will be enumerated and explained ;
meanwhile I would only observe, that it is these
commercial privileges which have filled its har
bour with shipping, and extended its commerce
over the world ; these which confer upon it the
the advantage it possesses over other spots, in
commanding at a lower price, the luxuries, and
manyof the necessaries of life. This in conjunc
tion with the absence of taxation, is the attrac
tion which has drawn some thousands of English
residents to its shores ; this it is, which has cover
ed the environs of the town with villas, — and
formed new streets, — and opened shops, — and
raised the value of property, and in fact, made
Jersey what it is.
The privileges of Jersey, are great and invalu
able, — impossible to be enjoyed without produc
ing important benefits upon the people who enjoy
them. Here, the taxgatherers knock is unknown;
here, a year's poor-rates are paid by a wealthy

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 163
man, with a sum that would not furnish him
with a dinner in England : here, if we say to a
shopkeeper, " the article is dear," we are not
answered, " It is owing to the high duty Sir, I
get nothing by it :" here a man may sit down to
a well spread table covered with foreign, colonial,
and British produce and manufacture, and see
not one article for which he has paid any thing
beyond the price of produce and labour, and
the trader's profit. But these privileges are ne
cessary to the prosperity of Jersey. Without
them, its population would dwindle away, and
trade would languish ; property fall in value ;
and thus, depopulated, moneyless, and nerveless,
it would fall a prey to France on the outbreaking
of a war, an event, which if it be the policy of
England to avert, can be averted only by pro
tecting the privileges of Jersey, guarding against
the abuse of them ; and thus encouraging the
prosperity, and consequently, the patriotism and
loyalty of those who enjoy them.
Besides the important, and real privileges which
I have mentioned, Jersey possesses others, highly
esteemed by those who exercise them — none of
VOL. I. P

164 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
them however, of any real value, and one, directly
prejudicial to the welfare of the island. This, the
right of electing their own judges, I have already
spoken of. The other political privileges consist
in being governed by their own legislature ; the
inoperativeness of all writs from British courts
of judicature ; freedom from the effects of acts of
parliament ; exemption from the impress service ;
and some other privileges, which are either too
trifling to notice, or which are not now recog
nized. These, contribute nothing to the prospe
rity of Jersey ; and, with the exception of freedom
from the impress service, nothing towards the
happiness of the people. Many of them, are
besides, imaginary. An actof parliament, backed
by an order in council, may extend to Jersey ;
the refusal of the royal sanction, makes nuga
tory, the acts of island legislation ; and, it were
absurd for a moment to suppose, that the parlia
ment of Britain, does not legislate for the benefit
of the whole empire. For the preservation of all
its truly valuable privileges, Jersey is indebted to
the interest of the empire at large. Whether or
not it would be well, that the habeas corpus act

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 165
should be made to extend to this island, let the
following fact testify. It is but lately, that a girl
was imprisoned, charged with some inconsiderable
offence by the authority of some police officer.
There she remained nine months, at the end of
which time, upon the representation of one of
his majesty's receivers general (for be it recol
lected that the maintenance of prisoners forms a
deduction from the king's revenue) the girl was
brought up for trial, or rather for accusation.
There was no accuser, — no charge, — the cause
even of her imprisonment was unknown ; and
she was discharged.
A thorough and radical change in the civil
constitution of the island, is essential to the hap
piness of the people of Jersey. So long as the
present mode of constituting the bench be main
tained, the spirit of faction will continue to exer
cise its despotism : and ignorance, and partiality,
will impede the course of justice. From the
island legislature, nothing is to be hoped ; it is in
vain to imagine, that the twelve judges, and the
twelve rectors, will accede to any proposition for
excluding themselves from the legislative body.

166 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
But indeed, it is much to be doubted, whether a
legislature, however formed, would be found an
efficient one ; for there is no reason to believe,
that at present, the island population offers thirty-
six individuals, competent for the office,
At a time when the education of the people,
forms so prominent a feature in all systems of
national improvement, it is necessary that I should
bestow a few words on the means of intellectual
improvement in Jersey.
There are two endowments for free schools in
the island ; both in the country parishes, — one,
called St. Anastase ; the other St. Manelier.
These were founded in the reign of Henry VII,
who granted a charter to the endowers. The
property attached to these chartered schools, is
extremely small, and altogether inadequate to
carry into effect the intention of the founders.
The nomination of the masters, lies with the dean,
and the rectors of the twelve parishes ; and the
schools are, or rather were, intended to be free
to all, — the inhabitants of the eastern and of the
western half of the island having respectively
the right of sending their children to the two

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 167
schools. Little good however, has resulted from
these foundations : the allowances were too small
to secure the exertions of competent masters ;
and it has happened, that for a considerable
period, the whole revenue has been swallowed
up in repairs to the buildings. Such has been
long the case with the school of St. Anastase,
which does not at present boast of a single scho
lar; and till lately, when the school of St. Manelier
was put upon a somewhat better footing, twenty
was the greatest number of pupils known to
attend. Since the appointment of the present
master, the number has increased to about forty ;
but the establishment still languishes. The States
of the island ought to vote a part of the island
revenue in aid of this institution : their funds are
frittered away in ill-devised works, generally so
clumsily executed, that the necessity for conti
nued repairs, keeps up a constant drain on the
revenue : and prevents their application to works
of greater utility.
In the town of St. Helier, there is a national
school on Bell's system, for the youth of both
sexes, who are instructed gratis, in the common
vol. 1. p*

168 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
branches of education. This school is supported
by subscriptions and donations ; and there is also
a fund, the interest of other donations, from which
clothes are provided ; and which are presented
as prizes. The school may be said to be in a
flourishing condition ; and it is believed by those
who have had the best opportunity of judging, to
have been very instrumental in improving the
intellectual and moral condition of the lower
orders. The " seminaries," as they are called, in the
town and neighbourhood of St. Helier, are suf
ficiently numerous ; there are, I believe, between
twenty and thirty of such "establishments ;" and
although I readily admit, that among the conduc
tors of these, there are some fitted for the task of
instruction, they are of _course trading specula
tions, and offer no guarantee, such as that, which
under an improved system of national instruction,
ought to be provided.
With respect to the state of education through
out the island, I should say, that instruction is
very general ; and indeed in the country, among
the native inhabitants, there is scarcely any child

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 169
who is not at school. In some of the parishes
there are slenderly endowed schools ; in others
there are no endowments : but there is no parish,
in which there is any- want of schools for in
struction in French, English and Arithmetic;
and Sunday schools also, are sufficiently provided,
but their efficiency is considerably impaired by
the exclusive adoption of the catechism of the
episcopal church. I have frequently walked into
the country schools ; and have always found the
masters pains-taking, and tolerably intelligent.
There is also an endowment of about £76 per
annum, for aiding students in their studies in the
universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Jersey has many institutions and societies, for
the amelioration of man's moral and physical
condition. The chief of these institutions, is the
hospital, so called, — but which would more pro
perly be denominated poor-house, — since there
is no general medical establishment attached to
it. This institution is very inferior in its internal
management to the same institution in Guernsey,
of which I shall afterwards have occasion to
speak. It contains no educational department;

170 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
no teaching of trades to the young ; no perfect
separation of sexes ; and in its general arrange
ments, is most defective both as regards the
physical and moral condition of those who are
its inmates.
And worse than all this, the subsistence of the
poor is farmed out to an individual, whose gain
arises from the difference between the expense of
feeding those committed to his charge, and the
sum he is allowed by the States for that purpose ;
a system, which I need scarcely characterize, as
utterly unworthy of the age. Even the remune
ration of the medical attendant, is on the same
bad principle : he has no fixed salary ; but is paid
merely by the quantity of physic which he admi
nisters. I by no means intend any reflexions upon
the individuals who are so circumstanced. The
medical officer I know to be incapable of any but
the most honorable conduct ; nor do I know any
thing to the disadvantage of the individual to
whom the poor are farmed ; but these are temp
tations that ought not be presented to any man ;
and no establishment should be conducted on
such a system, that the interest of those in the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 171
management, is placed in direct opposition to the
objects of ths institution.
But in Jersey, the curse of party spirit is upon
every thing, — throwing a chill, even upon the
best emotions, and paralysing the exertions of the
philanthropist : for the most noble project that
ever was ripened by wisdom and humanity, would
be blighted in Jersey, by the indifference, if not
the open hostility of the party with whom it did
not originate.
Jersey has also many private benevolenl insti
tutions ; comprehending both the physical and
religious wants of the inhabitants, — among others,
a provident society, — and two infant schools, — all
of these recently established ; but all of them,
upon the whole, prosperous, and most deserving
of being so ; both on account of the objects which
they entertain, and the zealous and excellent ma
nagement under which they are placed. I must
not omit to mention, that a savings' bank is about
to be established both in Jersey and Guernsey,
in consequence of an order in council recently
transmitted to the islands ; and that the legisla
ture is at this moment engaged in discussing the

172 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
curious question, whether the security of the Bri
tish government, or of the States of Jersey be the
better ! ! !
I shall conclude this chapter, with a few words
on the state of the public press, in Jersey, There
are not many communities so limited as Jersey,
among which there are so many public journals;
and yet, I question if there be a community in
any free country, so little influenced by the public'
press. The reason of this is, that the number of
those who dare to think for themselves, is ex
tremely limited : with few exceptions, thejournals
are the organs of one or other of the two parties ;
and so fearful are they of giving offence to the
party which patronizes them, that nothing like
freedom of sentiment is ever found in their co
lumns. I at present allude more particularly to
the French papers ; for these, being chiefly read
by the country people, are the only journals,
which under worthy management, might exercise
an influence over the public mind. Without ex
ception, these are the furious organs of party ;
and are conducted with apparently the sole
view of pleasing certain partisans. The acrimo-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 173
ny, invective, and personal abuse, which figure
in their columns, extremely surprise a stranger
who has been accustomed to the more gentle
manly tone of the English press ; and certainly
reflect no great credit upon the taste of the public,
who are not only satisfied, but delighted with this
manner of writing ; and who, with few exceptions,
look upon the most powerful and nervous writ
ing, as tame, if it be not seasoned with personality.
There is indeed one excuse for this depraved ap
petite on the part of the public : it is, that
both in the legislative body, and in the courts
of justice, an example is set. The harangues in
the "States" are too frequently a tissue of per
sonalities; such, as in no well regulated assem
bly, would be for a moment endured ; and even
in Court, allusions are made to the judges on the
bench, and a violence permitted, very unusual in
such places. Nothing, by the bye, can be a bet
ter illustration of the indifference of the natives
of Jersey, towards all that lies beyond their little
world, than the contents of the French local pa
pers. They are small sheets, like the smallest of
the French papers, sold at ljd. : from one and

174 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
half, to two, of these small pages, is filled with
island news, — the proceedings of the Slates, — the
pleadings in the Court, — parish meetings, — and
original articles, or letters, upon local politics.
The most scanty space imaginable, is made to suf
fice for the world at large. The most important
debates in the British parliament, are despatched
in a paragraph ; and the foreign intelligence of
Europe, is evidently a matter of very minor con
sideration. As for British domestic intelligence,
there is no department for it. I recollect observ
ing, that no mention was made in one of the most
read journals, of the death of the king of Spain, —
at that time, from many causes, an event of great
political interest. The names of the French pa
pers, are the " Constitutionnel," the " Chronique,"
the " Impartial," the " Gazette de Jersey," and
the " Journal de Commerce." The two first of
these, of opposite parties, enjoy a large circula
tion, and all of them are conducted with a fair
portion of talent, though unhappily made subser
vient to the narrow views of party.
There are also, six English newspapers in Jer
sey, which are read by the educated classes of the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 175
natives, and of course, also, by the British resi
dents. In these journals, whose contents are of
the miscellaneous character, which distinguishes
the English newspapers, British and foreign in
telligence, and Jersey matters, are about equally
prominent; and some of these, are, like their
French cotemporaries, devoted to party. The
names of these journals are, the " British Press,"
the "Jersey Times," both published twice a week,
the " English and Foreign News," and the
" Patriot." The first of these — the oldest and
most widely circulated, — has been, during two
years, unconnected with party ; and is the boldest,
and most indiscriminating in its censure ; parti
cularly as regards the conduct of the present
lieutenant-governor. The "Jersey Times" is also
a respectable and well conducted paper, and is
considered to be particularly in the interest of the
lieutenant-governor. The " English and Foreign
News" and the " Patriot" are chiefly found in
the hands of the lower classes ; and compete
successfully with their French cotemporaries in
the virulence of their scurrility.
The influence of these journals also, is limited ;
vol. I. Q

176 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
not so exclusively the slaves of party as the French
papers, their influence on the pubiic mind is per
haps somewhat greater ; and in matters which
concern the British residents, they are powerful
engines. In a recent attempt which was made
in the States, to tax for the benefit of the island,
the property of British residents, though situated
out of Jersey, the strenuous opposition of the
" British Press," and the exhibition of feeling
manifested in consequence amongst the English,
compelled the proposer of the law to withdraw
it. Besides these journals, there are two English
newspapers, addressed exclusively to the religious
public,— "The Record," and "The Christian's
Friend," so that there are altogether, no fewer
than eleven newspapers published in Jersey.
Almost every grown-up person, man or woman,
reads one or other of the Jersey newspapers.
On Saturday morning, when three of the French
papers are published, one is seen in every market
person's hand, or lying on almost every market
stall. The fish-woman, the fruit-woman, the
butter woman, has each her newspaper; and
lays in, for another week, a stock of knowledge

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 177
as to the affairs of Jersey. The circulation of the
island papers, is very considerable. There
being no stamps on the paper, their price is
extremely low ; and the absence of duty also on
advertisements, encreases their number, and con
sequently gives to the newspaper another attrac
tion. I have counted, in the " British Press,"
which is published twice^ a week, as many as a
hundred and thirty advertisements ; and I have
counted one hundred and forty in the"Chronique."
I scarcely think any district will be found in Bri
tain, containing a population of no more than
40,000 inhabitants, in which eleven newspapers
are published.

CHAPTER IX.

AGRICULTURE IN JERSEY.

Backward state of agriculture, and its causes ; high
rent in Jersey ; value of land ; advance of tillage ;
general husbandry; wheat harvest; the reaping
field ; return from land ; odd customs ; multifarious
uses of parsnip ; potato land ; joint stock labour
and stock ; orchards, and manufacture of cider ;
vraick, or sea-weed, as manure ; wages of labour;
cattle of Jersey; the Jersey cow, and her privileges ;
the dairy; sheep, and horses ; the agriculture society.
The state of agriculture in Jersey, is backward ;
and substantial reasons may be assigned for this ;
the most prominent perhaps of which, is the mi
nute division of property. The law of Gavel
kind, which obtains in this island, necessarily
occasions a minute division of property ; so much
so, that it not uufrequently happens, that at the
end of two generations, the eldest son is left with
out sufficient land to maintain himself, or to keep
up his paternal house. Not only do we find in

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 179
Jersey, half a dozen fields belonging perhaps to
half a dozen persons, but sometimes even the
same field owning two or more proprietors. In
this case, the field is sown with different kinds of
grain ; and each proprietor speaks of his " camp
de grain."
That this minute division of property, and the
law which produces it, should lead to a backward
state of agriculture, must be at once apparent.
There is little spur to exertion, — and limited
means of improvement. One left with an inhe
ritance of only three or four vergees of land, is
rarely in a condition to purchase the proper ma
nure necessary to ensure a good crop ; and even
where farms of from ten to twenty vergees, are
possessed by persons destitute of capital, little in
the way of improvement can be expected. The
English " ferme ornee," is unknown in Jersey;
for no man in his senses would dream of putting
a ring fence round his property ; or of beauti
fying, planting, and laying out bis grounds, when
he knows, that by the existing law, the " ferme
orneV' might probably be broken up and subdi
vided at his death. Quail, in his report on the
vol. 1. Q*

180 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
agriculture of these islands, mentions another ob
stacle to improvement, in the want of labourers.
But the difficulty of obtaining labourers, was only
felt during the war ; a sufficiency of French and
English labourers may now be commanded,
whose wages vary from lOd. to 2s. per day, The
latter wages are generally paid for the most effi
cient English labourers.
An English farmer who finds that he can
scarcely obtain a livelihood, when paying 25s. per
acre, would start, when told that the best land in
the country parishes in Jersey, lets (when let at
all) at £2 10s. per vergee, which is equivalent to
£5 12s, 6d. per English acre ; and he would na
turally enquire, how such a rent is paid 1 To this
question, I shall speak by and bye. Rent in the
neighbourhood of St. Helier is as high as from
£3 to £4 per vergee ; and, generally speaking,
average good land throughout the island, fetches
£2 per verged ; or £4 10s. per English acre.
Let it be always borne in mind, that two vergees
and one quarter, make an English acre; and that
in quoting prices, I speak of Jersey pounds, from
which Is. 8d. must be deducted, to bring them to

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 181
sterling money. The rent of the best land in the
country, will therefore be £5 3s. 2d. sterling;
and the rent of average good land throughout the
island, will be £4 2s. 6d.
To return for a moment, to the question sup
posed to be asked by an English farmer, how such
high rents are paid ? The reply is not difficult.
The Jersey farmer is enabled to pay a higher rent
than the English farmer, because his produce is
greater, and his expenses are less. He has no
land tax to pay ; little or no poor rates ; his
manure costs him little, — great part of it nothing
beyond the expense of fetching it ; and provisions
being cheaper, labour is also lower. It may be
alledged perhaps, that if provisions and labour
are cheap, so must be the produce of the farm, —
which forms so large a class of the necessaries of
life. But by the peculiar immunities and privi
leges possessed by Jersey, the farmer, or land
owner, has all the advantage of cheap provisions
and cheap labour, while at the same time, the
value of his farm produce is unaffected. When
I come to speak of the commerce of the island,
this fact will be more apparent ; meanwhile, I

182 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
may only state, that the inhabitants of Jersey may
eat the beef, mutlon, and flour of France without
any duty on importation ; while at the same time,
the farmer may send his own produce to the
English market free of duty ; and command a
much higher price for it, than that at which he
can consume the continental produce. To these
diminished expenses of the farmer, add the great
er produce of his land, which, in wheat, potatoes,
and lucerne, is undeniably greater than in Eng
land, — and it will no longer appear singular, that
such high rents are cheerfully paid for good land
in Jersey.
The value of land is on the encrease in Jersey ;
and this, iu a ratio corresponding with the en-
creased population,, and the rapid encrease of
wealth among the farmers and merchants. In
the parishes farthest removed from St. Helier,
land has been selling during the present year
(1833) at £117 per acre; and an estate of forty
vergees, lying about a mile and a half from St.
Helier, was very recently purchased at £150 per
acre. Nor is this considered in Jersey, too high
a price for the best arable land. An offer was

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 183
made the following day, to the purchaser, to rent
the farm at £6 15s. per acre, leaving the pur
chaser in possession of the farm-house and gar
den, the rent of which, would pay him the full
interest of his purchase money at 5 per cent.
I have already mentioned the system of lending
labour and stock, which prevails amongst the
farmers. This applies particularly to the great
Jersey plough, or " grande querue," which is
held in community. At the time when Mr.
Quail made his report, this plough was in uni
versal use, — nor is it yet discarded, though it is
certainly less in vogue than it appears to have
been in those days. The Norfolk, Suffolk, and
Scotch swing ploughs have now been introduced ;
and Jersey farmers are beginning to discover,
that ploughing to the depth of eleven inches is
sufficient in the best husbandry ; and it is proba
ble, that the " grande querue," with its eighteen
inch deep furrows, and harnessed with its two
bullocks and eight horses, — or with its six bul
locks and sixteen horses, as might once have
been seen in Guernsey, will shortly be seen no
more.

184 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
When Quail wrote, there was only one thrash
ing mill in Jersey ; now, there are several ; but
they are all of an inferior construction. The
small size however of the Jersey farms scarcely
creates a necessity for the thrashing mill.
All the writers on Jersey, whom I have con
sulted, state in positive terms, that tillage in
Jersey has declined, and is declining ; and certain
reasons are assigned why tillage is on the decline.
These reasons do not however, now exist : and
tillage has of late been decidedly on the encrease,
A great spur was given to tillage, by the construc
tion of the new roads, and the improved means
of keeping them in repair, Where great impe
diments exist in the way of bringing farm produce
to market, tillage cannot well be prosperous.
Twenty years ago, three horses were required to
drag a ton weight of potatoes to St. Helier from
any of the distant parishes ; and not only so, —
but it was also necessary to send an avant courier
to keep the road clear. Now, a farmer can send
the same weight of potatoes with a single horse
and a boy, twice in one day, from the remote
parishes to the pier of St. Helier.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, 185
Respecting the general husbandry of Jersey,
and management of crops, I would say, that that
important piece of knowledge, — the rotation of
crops, as applicable to the soil and climate of
Jersey, is pretty well understood. Fallows are
seldom or never seen in Jersey. Wheat harvest,
in the warmest situations, generally commences
about the beginning of August ; but it is nearly a
month later, before it be gathered in throughout
the island : but this is later than it need be ; for
Jersey farmers allow their corn to stand till it be
greatly riper than it is ever seen in England ;
and it is only the most careful reaping that can
prevent a considerable portion from being shed.
Reaping time in Jersey, is, as in most other
places, a merry time : but there is one peculiarity
attending the Jersey reaping field. The reapers
always sing the reaping song ; and but for this
song, no proprietor or farmer would be satisfied
that the reapers did their duty. The song is suf
ficiently monotonous ; but to one walking through
the fields of a summer's day, the effect is not un
pleasant. It is singular enough, that the words
of the songs have not in general any relation to

186 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the island, or to the harvest, although they are
called indiscriminately, "chansons de la moisson."
The first song that I chanced to hear sung by the
reapers, was some passage in the history of a
Parisian belle.
The return from wheat land in Jersey, is large.
It may be stated as high as thirty cabots per
verged ;* oH37£ cabots per English acre. In
the summer of 1833, an intelligent farmer of
St. Peter's had five hundred cabots of wheat from
ten vergees of land, — which is at the rate of 69
Winchester bushels (of 56 lb.) to the English
acre. At the time Mr. Quail made his report to
the board of agriculture, it would appear that
wheat and barley in Jersey, were grown in nearly
equal quantities. This is no longer the case.
There is at least three times more wheat than
barley, sown in Jersey.
Some years ago, the practice was very general
throughout Jersey, of sowing rye and barley seed
mixed ; but it is now less frequent,. — the incon
venience of mixing crops which do not arrive at
maturity at the same time, beginning to be disco
vered ; partly owing to improved notions, and
• A Jersey cabot contains 30 lb.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 187
partly owing to an improved market for the
more valuable crops. Oats are not extensively
grown, and are used chiefly for feeding hogs.
There is no crop more carefully cultivated in
Jersey, than parsnips ; nor any so universally
cultivated by all classes of farmers ; but in pars
nip husbandry, the hoe is not yet in use. The
crop is cleaned in the more certain, but greatly
more expensive, manner of hand weeding, which
is performed by women on their knees, who use
small weeding* forks, and deposit the weeds in
baskets which they carry with them. Parsnips
are now never mixed with any other crops.
Various are the uses, to which parsnips are put,
in Jersey : but they are not now used as human
food to the extent which they were at the time
Quail made his report. Both hogs and bullocks
are fattened with parsnips ; and their effect, in
communicating a finer flavour to beef, is generally
admitted. The effect of this vegetable on the
flavour of butter, is also well understood : as
much as 35 lbs. per day, is often given to a milch
cow. Potatoes, being an important article of Jersey
vol. i. R

188 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
exportation, are extensively cultivated ; and the
cultivation of this root, is fast encreasing. The
management however, is not the best ; for the
use of fresh sea weed as manure on rich lands,
procures a crop of potatoes, unfit either for the
table or for exportation. The produce from
potato land in Jersey is enormous. As many as
sixteen cabots per perch, have been known to be
obtained. This is no less 62,030 lbs. avoirdupois
per acre, — a return very little inferior to that
raised by Mr. Knight of Downton castle. Expe
riments are now in progress in the island to obtain
varieties by seed.
No crop is more valued in Jersey, than lucerne ;
and since the introduction and increased cultiva
tion of this grass, the beauty of the island has
been greatly increased. Along many parts of the
sea coast, on the sand hills, where formerly, the eye
did not rest upon a blade of verdure, many acres
of lucerne have been laid down; and now, even
in the driest seasons, — owing to the peculiar pro
perty in this plant, of sending down its roots to a
surprising depth, — a constant verdure is preserv
ed, when all other grasses are withered and burnt

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 189
up. No Jersey farmer is now without a bit of lu
cerne ; and the dry seasons which have of late
prevailed, have had the effect of extending its
cultivation, by bringing its properties more to
light. To mow four crops of lucerne is nothing
unusual in Jersey.
I have mentioned the system adopted in Jersey,
of joint-stock labour and stock. This practice,
once universal, still generally obtains among the
middle classes of farmers ; but the more wealthy,
are gradually becoming independent of this sys
tem, and are possessed of ploughs, harrows, and
cattle of their own. The "grande querue," of
which I have already spoken, is the only agricul
tural implement that is never possessed by an
individual. The great export of Jersey being cider, orchard
land necessarily occupies a very large portion of
the island. Quail states, that one fourth of the
arable land is occupied by apple trees ; and of
late, the export of apples and of cider has been
steadily on the increase. The apples the highest
in estimation in Jersey, are the romeril, the noir-
toit, and the gros-amer. The crop is of course

190 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
extremely varied in quantity; one tree sometimes
produces a hogshead of cider ; and the general
average may be stated to be from eight to twelve
hogsheads per vergee of land. Sometime ago, a
company was established in St. Helier, for the
manufacture of cider ; but the speculation has
now been abandoned. It may easily be inferred,
from the great quantity of orchard land, that
apples are considered to be among the most pro
ductive crops. Apples are indeed considered
entitled to the first place ; and then follow
potatoes, lucerne, and wheat.
I have already, in speaking of the inhabitants,
and their customs, introduced some notice of the
vraic, or sea- weed, as the principal island
manure. So important, and so valuable, is this
manure deemed, that its equal distribution has
been the subject of many legislative enactments.
Among others, it is forbidden to carry away
vraic between sun-set and sun-rise, — in order
probably, to secure an equal chance of appropria
tion to those living in the interior, as on the sea
shore ; and in the western parishes, on the shores
of which, the westerly winds drive at times, vast

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 191
i
quantities of sea-weed, the law establishes the
mode of division amongst those who reside in
these parishes.
But the largest and most valuable supply of
vraic is not obtained by the chance contribution
of the tide ; but is taken from the rocks on which
it grows at two seasons of the year, fixed by the
Royal Court of the island. The vraic is used as
a manure, either fresh from the rock, or, after it
has been used as fuel. The former is consi
dered to be the most efficient as a manure on grass
lands ; but for other crops it is generally preferred
burnt. In a very early morning ride through the
country, one is apt to imagine that everywhere
the Jersey farmer and his household are astir,
even before daybreak ; for one descries the smoke
rising from every farm-house, and from almost
every cottage. But this is owing to the custom
of never extinguishing the vraic fire : nor would
there be any economy in a contrary practice,
since the consumption of fuel, is the manufacture
of manure.
It has already been said, that ownerships of
VOL. i. b*

192 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
land being generally small, the proprietor and
his family, with occasional assistance from neigh
bouring proprietors, in very many cases perform
the whole labour. Since wealth however has
encreased, and an improved and more experi
mental husbandry has been introduced, hired la
bour has become more common.
The following table exhibits the price of labour
at four different periods, 1775, 1792, 1813, and
1833. The three first are given in Mr. Quail's
report, — the last, is stated from my own infor
mation. 1775. 1792. 1813. 1833.
s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d.
Master Carpenter. 1 4J..  ..5 0..3 6
Journeyman do. 1 0 ..  ..4 0..2 9
^^^1 0 5" — -1 6-1 3tol6
Gardener with \ . -  „ _ , .
board  3 ° 5 "  "2 °--3 Otoa6
Thatcher  1 0 ..  ..4 0..4 0
Weeding women ")
employed in hus- K 0 2§. .  ..1 0..1 0
bandry with bd. j
Do. without board  0 6
Mason superin- )lq i i n * n q c * ,< n
tending work... 3 Y 3 ..110.. 5 0..3 6 to 4 0
Mason  2 9
Day Labourer ) „ „ „ , , „ , „ „ „
with board  | ° 3 --0 5-A 6-A 8to20
Some Frenchmen work for Is., and Frenchwomen
for lOd. per day.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 193
It remains for me to say a few words respecting
the live stock of Jersey, and this, to the English
reader, who has heard so much of the cow of
these islands — commonly called the Alderney
cow— will probably be the most interesting topic
connected with Jersey agriculture.
The islands are particularly tenacious of their
claims in this matter. Each contends for the
superiority of its own breed ; but there is no rea
son to doubt, that the breed of all the islands is
originally the same ; though, from the system
pursued by the agricultural society of Guernsey,
the breed of that island now differs in many es
sential particulars from the breed of Alderney and
Jersey. I shall by and bye, when occupied with
Guernsey, have an opportunity of speaking more
at length on the Guernsey cow.
It is the opinion of the best informed upon
agricultural matters, that the Jersey and Alderney
cow is the same — both distinguished by the fine
curved taper horn, the slender nose, the fine skin,
and the deer-like form ; and both preserved in
their purity, by breeding in and in.
Quail in his report truly says, that " next to

194 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the possession of vraic, the treasure highest in
a Jerseyman's estimation is his cow," It is the
same now as in Quail's time. The cow is the
object of his chief attention ; and the care and
affection which he lavishes upon it, may be com
pared with that which a German lavishes on his
horse, — only that the kindness which the Jersey-
man shows for his cow, appears to exhaust all
the kindness which he has to bestow on the infe
rior animals, — for I have never, in any country
seen horses treated with less kindness than in
Jersey. I cannot do better thau quote the words
of Quail when speaking of the affection of a Jer
seyman for his cow. " It is true," says he, " that
in summer, she must submit to be staked to the
ground ; but five or six times in the day, her
station is shifted. In winter she is warmly housed
by night, and fed with the precious parsnip;
when she calves, she is regaled with toast, and
with the nectar of the island, cider; to which,
powdered ginger is added ; and could she be pre
vailed on to participate in all her master's tastes,
there is no doubt, but that he would willingly
bestow on her the quintescence of vraic itself."

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 195
The high estimation in which the Jersey cow
is held by their possessors, is shared by the island
legislature, which has preserved the purity of the
breed, by special enactments. An act was passed
in the year 1789, by which, the importation into
Jersey, of cow, heifer, calf, or bull, is prohibited,
under the penalty of 200 livres, with the forfeit
ure of boat and tackle ; and a fine of 50 livres is
also imposed on every sailor on board, who does
not inform of the attempt. The animal too, is
decreed to be immediately slaughtered, and its
flesh given to the poor.
The number of cows every where dotting the
pastures, of Jersey, add greatly to the beauty of
the landscape ; though when one passes near to
them, the discovery that they are tethered, some
what decreases the pleasure we have in seeing
them. In apple orchards, however, in which,
the under grass crop is always used as cow pas
ture, it is necessary to tether the animal, — and.
not only so, but to attach also, the head to the
feet, that the cow may be prevented from raising
the head, and eating the apples, which she would
be quite welcome to do, were it not that when

196 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
grown to any considerable size, they might injure
her. All over England, the Alderney cow — as it is
generally called — is celebrated not only for its
beauty, but for the richness of its milk, and
excellence of the butter made from it. Extraor
dinary milkers even among Jersey cows, are
sometimes found ; I have heard of three cows on
one property, yielding each from 16 to 18 quarts
per day, during the months of May and June, —
and of 36 lbs. of butter being made weekly from
their milk. I have heard indeed, of one cow
yielding 22 quarts : but these are of course ex
treme cases. The general average produce from
Jersey cows, may be stated at 10 quarts of milk
per day, and 7 lbs. of butter per week. It is
stated, that in summer, from 9 to 10 quarts pro
duce 1 lb. of butter, — and that in winter, when a
cow is parsnip fed, the same quantity of butter
may be obtained from 7 quarts ; an extraordinary
produce certainly.
The profit on the best cows, the calf included,
is estimated at about £12, — £30 being the money
received, and the keep reaching £18: but this

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, 197
certainly applies only to the best cows. Two
vergees and a half, or somewhat better than an
acre of good land, is considered sufficient for a
cow's pasture.
The price of Jersey cows has considerably fallen
during the last fifteen years. A good cow may
now be purchased for £12. A prime milker will
fetch £15 ; and the average may be stated from
£8 to £10.
When we come to speak of the commerce of
Jersey, it will be seen, that the export of Jersey
butter both fresh and salted, is very great? and
as its quality is highly estimated, I shall make
no apology for shortly detailing the mode of its
manufacture. Vessels of metal or of wood, are never employ
ed in the dairy. The coarse unglazed earthenware
of Normandy, is used. The vessels are round;
of about twelve inches in height, — seven inches
in diameter at bottom and nine inches at the
top. The Staffordshire coarse pottery, in form
somewhat resembling the French vessels; being
glazed, is therefore never used in the Jersey dairy.
The milk stands at the height of about ten inches

»e

198 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
in the vessel, till the cream be all risen, usually
till the third day in summer. In winter, to has
ten its rising, the vessels are covered and placed
in the hearth at bed time. Skimming is conse
quently but once performed ; and never, until
after the milk be coagulated. To the operation
of skimming, great attention is bestowed : the
cream is first detached from the edge of the vessel
all round ; and then is raised up, as much as
possible together : and by inclining the vessel
over that which is destined to receive the cream,
sometimes the whole slips off at once from the
coagulated milk. At the bottom of the vessel
which contains the cream, there is a small hole,
stopped up by a peg, which is occasionally with
drawn in order to drain off the serous portion
separating the cream. Butter is never considered
so good in Jersey when the cow is fed on lucerne
or clover, as on natural pasture. It is generally
admitted, that Jersey butter, when salted, pre
serves its good properties for a longer period than
English butter.
That, notwithstanding the attention bestowed
upon the Jersey cow, and the purity of its breed,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 199
guarded as it is, both by law, and rooted opihion,
the Jersey cow has nevertheless deteriorated, is
certain. I was present a few months ago, at the
inaugurational meeting of the agricultural society
for Jersey, at which many facts illustrative of this
truth, were stated to the Secretary.
There is no such thing as a breed of sheep in
Jersey. Sheep are only reared by those who
have a right of common, and who live in the
neighbourhood of the common ; and the sheep
are left entirely to shift for themselves. It is in
fact, only the poorer classes who keep sheep at
all. Jersey is not indeed well adapted for sheep.
From the great portion of orchard land, it would
of course be necessary to exclude them ; and the
fences, which though apparently formidable, are
but embarkments, would be insufficient to restrain
their roving disposition, The stile of cottage
farming too, is not suitable for sheep rearing.
Of horses, I have only to say, that little atten
tion is paid to the breed ; but the Jersey horse is
well deserving of attention. It is a hardy and
hard working animal, and is in fact a cross of the
cossack ; a fact which is easily explained. In
vol. i. s

200 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the year 1800, when the assistance of a body of
Russians was demanded by England, and when,
on the result of a parliamentary interference,
these troops were not permitted to land in En
gland, they were sent to be quartered in Jersey,
where they remained a considerable time ; and a
large portion of the horses being cossacks, the
cossack cross, which is at once discoverable even
in the appearance of the Jersey horses, but much
more in their properties, is at once accounted for.
I conclude this chapter on the agriculture of
Jersey, by referring to the recent establishment
of an agricultural society in the island, under the
best auspicies, and which, I have no doubt, will
produce important results. Premiums have
already been offered for the best specimens of
every kind of produce ; and the society already
numbers among its members, a large proportion
of the agriculturists of the island ; among whom,
no one is more deserving of mention, than its
enlightened secretary, Colonel Le Couteur, to
whose kindness, and extensive information, I am
happy to acknowledge myself indebted, for the
data which have guided me in writing this chapter.

CHAPTER X.

COMMERCE OF JERSEY.

Jersey is not to be regarded merely as an agree
able and fertile island, the favourite resort of
strangers, — nor as a spot, curious to the enquirer,
as enjoying singular political privileges, — nor as
a social community, differing in manners and
character from others, — and on all these accounts,
interesting to the observer. If we are to regard
Jersey in its most important aspect, it is as a com
mercial community that we must regard it. It
will probably surprise the reader to be told, that
there are no fewer than 232 vessels belonging to
Jersey, with a tonnage reaching 21,000 ; besides
nearly 300 'large boats ; upwards of 500 of which,
are employed in the oyster fishery ; that there
are nearly 2000 seamen employed in these vessels,
— besides at least another thousand who are en-

202 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
gaged^in the oyster fishery, — and that in the year
1833, there were more vessels built in the island
of Jersey, than in the whole of Ireland.
I shall in the following chapter, present a suc
cinct view of the present state of trade of the is
land, — premising, that I do so from an accurate
and full series of tables, prepared from the cus
tom house books. It is possible, that my state
ments may disclose some singular facts, — all of
them, not perhaps entirely favourable to the
working of the present system : but it it is neces
sary for. me to state facts, — to which, it will be the
duty of statesmen to pay such attention as they
appear to merit.
Although the people of Jersey, in their igno
rance, — I might say, in their insanity — regard as
the objects of their greatest veneration, and chief
affection, those among their political privileges,
which are not only worthless, but injurious, — it is
to their commercial privileges alone, that the is
land is indebted for its prosperity. One political
privilege indeed, — the exemption from direct
taxation, may also be considered a source of
prosperity ; because the number of British resi-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 203
dents has thereby been greatly encreased : but
even in this, Jersey is chiefly indebted to her com
mercial privileges ; which exempt articles of both
common convenience and luxury, from that indi
rect taxation, which flows from custom house
and excise duties.
The commerce of Jersey may be divided into
the following heads, — her trade with Great Bri
tain, and the British possessions abroad : her
trade with North and South America, and with
the Continent of Europe, — entirely unconnected
with the former : and, a third branch, connected
with both; (i.e.) the transit of British manufac
tures, to Newfoundland, New Brunswick, &c,
for the supply of the fisheries, and establishments
there, of the Jersey merchants ; and the exporta
tion from thence, of fish, oil, and furs, to the se
veral ports of Europe and South America.
These are the several branches of the commerce
of Jersey ; and it will immediately appear, in
what way, and to how great an extent, the success
of these branches of trade is affected by the com
mercial privileges which the island enjoys.
The peculiar privileges, which Jersey by her
vol. 1. s

204 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
charters, enjoys, are these : she is empowered to
send all articles being the produce of the island,
to Britain, — as British produce ; and every de
scription of merchandize, the growth, produce,
and manufacture of the island, to Great Britain
and Ireland, on the same footing. She is also
enabled to export every commodity, either the
growth, produce, or manufacture of the island,
to the British colonies, the same as if they were
British manufactured goods.
It will be observed, that there is an important
distinction between the term, " growth, produce,
and manufacture," and the term, " growth, pro
duce, or manufacture ;" for while by the former
expression, the free exports of Jersey to Britain
of manufactured goods, must be not only the
manufacture, but the produce also, of the island ;
Jersey is entitled by the terms of the latter ex
pression, to export to the colonies, articles manu
factured in the island, though of foreign produce.
The advantage derived from this latter license, is
obvious. From the details into which I shall
presently enter, this will more clearly appear ;
meanwhile, I will only instance as two examples,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 205
the power of importing foreign flour ; manufac
turing it into biscuit, — if such a process deserves
the name of a manufacture, — and exporting the
biscuit, or provisioning ships with it : and the
power of importing French leather; making it, —
I can scarcely say manufacturing it, — into shoes ;
aud exporting these to North America as Jersey
manufactures. Nor are these, the only commercial privileges
which Jersey enjoys. Jersey is a free port : all
articles of foreign produce, not contraband, be
ing imported free of duty, — a privilege, which
not only lessens the price of provisions to the inha
bitants ; but diminishes in an important degree,
the cost of ship building and outfit ; and conse
quently acts as a stimulus to trade, and is a source
of direct profit to the merchant. These advan
tages also, will be by and bye made more manifest.
I will only state at present, that vessels are thus
built with foreign timber and are rigged with
foreign cordage ; and although so built of foreign
timber squared for the purpose abroad, and im
ported duty free, — and rigged in a great measure,
with foreign manufactured cordage, purchased at

206 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
a cheap rate in Russia, yet Jersey vessels have
the advantage of British registers, and conse
quently enjoy all the advantages in trade, secured
to British built vessels-
I may also state here, that Jersey vessels load
for a foreign port, without the articles put on
board, being subject to examination ; all that is
required being, a declaration, that the articles so
shipped, are of British manufacture : and, on the
arrival of a vessel from a foreign port, she may
commence unloading even at midnight; and half
her cargo may be discharged, before an entry is
made in the custom-house ; — the act called the
manifest act, never having been registered in the
island. Such are the commercial privileges enjoyed by
Jersey ; and with the possession of these, and
exempt besides, as the island is, from all taxation,
-—excepting only, such as is needed to defray the
charges of internal improvement, to which by the
bye, Britain has of late years largely contributed,
—it is no way wonderful, that the trade of Jersey
should have rapidly encreased ; and that the
island should have made large advances in wealth

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 207
and importance. Forty years ago, the trade of
Jersey was insignificant, compared with what it
now is; being then confined to the voyages of a
few vessels to Newfoundland, and to the monthly
trip of a cutter to Southampton.
Guernsey, even before that period, was in some
degree known, as a place of trade ; but its noto
riety was owing more to its illicit traffic in spirits
and tobacco to the opposite ports of England,
than to the extent of the fair and honourable
dealings of its population as a mercantile com
munity. A stop having been put to the nefarious
traffic which had so largely contributed to the
prosperity of Guernsey, the inhabitants did not
take advantage of the independence of South
America, to open new sources of wealth.
During the war, Jersey was not without her
illicit dealings ; and considerable fortunes were
thus amassed, by what was denominated the li
censed trade. Jersey vessels obtained licenses to
trade to French ports, and bring back specified
cargoes : and the manifest act having never been
registered in the island, these. vessels immediately
commenced unloading, no custom house officer

208 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
being present ; and the cargoes being sent direct
to the merchant's warehouse, quantities of French
silks were thus introduced, and sent to England,
or elsewhere, as opportunities offered. In the
year 1812, the lieutenant governor received £339
for trading licenses.
In 1812, the mercantile shipping of Jersey,
consisted of 59 vessels, the burden of which, was
6003 tons, — navigated by 549 seamen ; since
which time, to 1833, the encrease in registered
vessels has been 112, — besides a large number of
cutters and boats ; the encrease in tonnage 15436 ;
the encrease in seamen 1500. The following is a
statement of the number of vessels, with their
tonnage, that cleared inwards and outwards from
Jersey, during the years stated.
INWARDS.
Years. Ships. Tonnage.
1829  998  69447
1830  1021  69084
1831  973  68422
1822  1025  70025
1833  1051  58985
OUTWARDS.
1829  1131  61921
1830  1136  63603
1831  963  58863
1832  1052  64975
1833  1064  

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 209
The above table refers only to vessels with car
goes ; but a just notion of the extent of the trade
of Jersey can be obtained only from a return of
all vessels, in cargo or in ballast. Such a return
has never yet been madeup, and I have not yet been
able to obtain it : but I have every reason to be
lieve it will be in my power to insert that return
at the end of the work, — to which I beg accord
ingly to refer the reader.
I now proceed to present the reader with
somewhat minute details respecting the progress,
and especially the present state of . the trade of
Jersey. I have now before me, minute tables,
constructed from official documents, showing the
whole exports and imports of Jersey for the years
1829, 1830, 1831 and 1832 ; and distinguishing,
with the utmost exactitude, every individual ar
ticle. These tables I might transfer to my work ;
but although I am well aware of the advantages
of the tabular form, I am also sensible, that it is
the least attractive, or readable form, in which
information can be conveyed. I prefer therefore,
introducing into the text, the results of these ta
bles, with such details as appear to be necessary ;

210 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
aud accompanied by such observations and expla
nations, as may be requisite towards a perfect
understanding of the subject.
LIVE STOCK.
In this important article of commerce, and
indeed, in the produce of the island generally, a
great encrease in exportation has taken place
since the termination of the war. It appears, by
" an account of Jersey," drawn up about twenty
years ago, that in the year 1810, and three fol
lowing years, there were exported from Jersey,
61 bulls, and 3050 cows, heifers, and calves ;
during the years ending with December, 1832,
the number was 53 bulls, — and 5756 cows, &c. ;
and it appears also, that the number exported in
1832, exceeded by 200, the nnmber exported in
any former year. The whole of this export of
cows, is to England. The only other live stock
exported from Jersey, is pigs ; but the number is
limited, scarcely reaching the average of 120
yearly. The import of live slock for consumption, is
very large. During the four above-named years,
8807 oxen. 18781 sheep, 3123 lambs, 1359 pigs,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 211
and 58956 live poultry have been imported from
France, — and during the same period, 102 oxen,
and 968 sheep, from England.
Dnring the same years, 51 tons, 37 cwt. and
1257 barrels of salted pork have been imported
into Jersey, foreign produce, aud 8 tons, 27 cwt.
and 874 barrels of the same, British produce.
And during these four years 873 barrels as foreign,
and 696 barrels, as Jersey and British produce,
have been exported. GRAIN.
The details of this trade are somewhat curious,
During the above four years, it appears that Jer
sey imported 73,620 quarters of foreign wheat ;
and 818 tons of foreign flour; and that during
the same period, there was exported, . 11,197
quarters of wheat, and 258 tons of foreign flour ;
leaving the enormous surplus of 62,423, quarters
of wheat, and 560 tons of flour. But this is
explained, when upon examining the tables for
these same years, we find there was exported
from. Jersey, as Jersey and British produce, 263
tons of flour, and 618 tons of biscuit ; from which
it appears, that the Jersey flour and biscuit ex-
VOL. 1. T

212 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
ported to the colonies, is chiefly made of foreign
wheat. The biscuit, though doubtless known to
be made of foreign flour, passes under the clause
which permits the manufactures of Jersey to be
exported to the colonies.
During the year 1833, 1849 quarters of Jersey
wheat were exported to England.
The foreign grain imported into Jersey, is
from the Baltic ; a small portion of the wheat, is
from France, Spain, and Sicily.
The whole of the oats, and almost all the bar
ley imported into Jersey, is consumed in the is
land. The quantity of foreign oats imported in
the above years, was 6099 quarters ; and of foreign
barley 12,583 quarters.
VEGETABLES, FRUIT, AND FARM PRODUCE.
Potatoes form a large export ; and it is con
stantly encreasing. During the four years end
ing with 1813, 5294 tons were exported, — and in
the four years ending with 1832, 134,341 tons
were exported. This export is chiefly to Britain ;
and some portion to Gibraltar, Malta, and South
America. During the above years, 3150 bushels of onions

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 213
were imported from the Continent ; and during
the same period, 3581 bushels, purporting to be
the growth of the island, were exported to Eng
land. Of apples, there are no imports. The export,
chiefly to England, during the above period, was
327,044 bushels,— of pears 2852bushels; although
the crop of 1831 , was a total failure in fruit. In
1832, upwards of 2400 bushels were exported ;
and in 1831, little above 1700.
In the trade in cider, there has been a large
encrease. 134,341 gallons were exported during
the four years ending with 1813, while during the
four years ending with 1832,564,768 gallons were
exported.
. During the latter four years, 107997 lbs. of
fresh and potted butter were exported from Jer
sey, — the produce of the island. Of this quantity
91,082 lbs. were sent to England fresh, and made
up in pounds : and during the same period 324
tons of salted Jersey butter were exported, toge
ther with 4Ltons of foreign butter, of which there
appears to have been imported into Jersey, 256
-tons.

214 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
During the above period, there was imported
into Jersey 129 tons and 32 cwt. of raisins, of
which quantity, 23 tons and 40 cwt. were again
exported; 110 tons and 35 cwt. of currants, of
which quantity, 14 tons, and 22 cwt. were again
exported ; 21 tons and 32 cwt. of figs, of which 2
tons and 52 cwt. were again exported ; 16 tons
and 42 cwt. of almonds, of which 8 tons and 26
cwt. were re-exported, 4021 boxes, 2503 half
boxes aud 220 chests of oranges, of which quan
tity 3068 boxes, 60 half-boxes and 12 chests were
', re-exported ; 3077 boxes, 175 chests of lemons,
of which 1121 boxes, and 30 chests were re-ex
ported. All these fruits are return cargoes, brought in
this way ; vessels from Jersey to Newfoundland,
with stores or manufactures, ship cargoes of fish
there, which they carry to the ports of the medi
terranean, — and from thence bring - cargoes of
fruit to Jersey.
In reading the above details, it will be remark
ed, that the quantity of dried fruit exported, bears
no proportion to the quantity imported ; for ex
ample, of 129 tons imported, only 23 tons are

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 215
declared exported ; and of 110 tons of currants,
only 14 tons are re-exported. It is of course
impossible to conceive that the difference, 103
tons of raisins, and 96 tons of currants, are con
sumed in the island. By far the greater part of
this quantity must find its way to England, in
other ways than in the regular channels. There
is also a considerable export of grapes from Jer
sey : 6084 lbs. appear to have been exported du
ring the period above-named ; and there has-been
exported to England 1090 dozens of lobsters.
The only article solely of Jersey manufacture,
which I see stated as export, is bricks, of which,
during the above years 808,750 tale were exported.
LEATHER.
This article, raw and manufactured, is one of
the most important articles of Jersey trade, and
the one perhaps, in which the commercial privi
leges, — that especially, which allows the manu
factures of Jersey to be exported to the Colonies,
— is turned to the greatest advantage. This pri
vilege, in conjunction* with that of importing fo
reign produce free of duty, produces in the article
Of leather, a most valuable and extensive trade, ;
VOL. 1. i*

216 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.,
as appears from the following facts. During the
foresaid four years, there appears to have been
imported into Jersey from France, 340 tons of
tanned and dressed leather, 52 pairs of boots, and
822 pairs of shoes. Of this leather, there were
only 8 tons exported. But, during the same pe
riod, there is declared exported to the Colonies,
as the produce of the island, 134 tons, 12 cwt., 2
qrs. and 15 lbs. of leather, of various decriptions ;
4282 pairs of boots, and 55,112 pairs of shoes. It
is evident therefore, what becomes of the French
leather. The question was at one time started in
the island, whether foreign leather made into
boots and shoes, could be sent free to the colonies,
as the manufacture of the island ; but the ques
tion, — as far as the custom-house authorities of
Jersey could settle it, — was set at rest, by their
admission of the plea : and thus, the trade in im
ported leather, and exported boots and shoes,
chiefly to Newfoundland, has gone on constantly
encreasing. The exports of leather and of boots
and shoes in 1832 greatly exceeds that of any for
mer year. But this indeed, is the case with al
most every article of exportation, the produce or

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 217
manufacture of the island ; a result to be antici
pated from the favourable position in which the
island is placed in time of peace, compared with
its situation in time of war. This observation is
easily proved, when applied to some of the chief
articles of export, — cattle, potatoes, cider, &c.
During hostilities with France, the principal
resources of the island, arose from the expendi
ture of a large garrison, and from the precarious
profits arising from privateering. All the island
supplies were during war time, received from
England at an enhanced price ; beef was Is. Id.
per lb., bread at 6d., and other articles propor-
tionably dear. Such being the state of things, it
was advantageous to the farmer, to raise as many
oxen as cows, and to cultivate wheat to the great
est possible extent. High prices ensured him a
handsome return ; but no sooner did the war
terminate, than the island was inundated with
French produce. Meat instantly fell to 2|d. and
3d. per lb. ; bread to Id. and ljd. : the conse
quence of this, naturally was, that the farmer
ceased to rear oxen : the bull calves were killed,
and sold as veal ; and the cow calves were reared

218 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
for the English market. Hence then, the encrease
on the exportation of cows.
Again ; as it was no longer profitable, at the
termination of the war, to cultivate wheat, the
land was either thrown into orchards which
encreased the quantity of fruit,— the under-grass
serving for the feeding of cattle : or else, it was
planted with potatoes ; and hence the large
encrease in the exportation of cider, apples, and
potatoes. In fact, the population of Jersey, is at the
present moment, supported by the produce of
foreign countries ; while the island, in virtue of
her privileges, exports to a better market, all
articles of her own growth. That such is the
case, has already appeared from the enumeration
I have made, of articles of consumption imported
from France, — live and dead stock, — to which I
might have added, 22 tons of hams, 25 tons of
dead poultry and game, 70 tons of fresh meat,
110 tons of cheese, and nearly 200 tons of green
fruit and vegetables ; while at the same time, the
grain, potatoes, apples, pears, walnuts, grapes,
pine apples, and melons, have been sent to a bet
ter market.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 219
I proceed with the enumeration of articles of
foreign produce, imported into, and exported
from, Jersey.
During the above four years, ending with 1832,
there has been imported into Jersey from South
America 2,167,347 lbs. of coffee ; of which
1,542,250 lbs. were exported again to the Conti
nent. The excess of coffee imported in the year
1832, over the quantity imported in the year 1831
was nearly 200,000 lbs.
There has been imported from the Brazils,
during the above four years 2291 tons of raw
sugar, of which 1055 tons have been re-exported.
Large quantities of raw sugar, the property of
merchants of the island, has also been sent direct
from the ports in South America, to Hamburgh,
Bremen, Antwerp, and Petersburgh, in Jersey
vessels, without being landed in the island. The
whole of the refined sugar imported into Jersey,
amounting to 206 tons, has been consumed in the
island. Of spice, there has been imported during the
above period tbe enormous quantity of 9097 lbs.
Df foreign pepper ; 497 lbs. of cloves, 418 lbs. of

220 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
cinnamon, and 1433 lbs. of nutmegs; besides
37,727 lbs. of British colonial pepper.
Before coming to the important trade in wines
and spirits, and timber, — foreign produce, 1 will
shortly enumerate a few articles of lesser conse
quence, imported into, and exported from, Jersey,
during the period above-named.
Of tallow, 508 tons were imported, of which
quantity, were exported 49 tons. Of soap, 30
tons have been imported, — of which 3 tons were
reexported . Of candles, 55tons have been import
ed, and 8 tons re-exported. Of oak bark 312 tons
have been imported ; no part of which was ex
ported, all of it being no doubt used in the leather
trade. Of barilla 507 tons have been imported,
and 51 exported. Of hemp no less than 676 tons
have been imported, — and of cordage 626 tons.
Of these 179 tons of hemp have been re-exported,
and 200 tons of cordage ; leaving an excess of
nearly 500 tons of hemp, and of upwards of 400
tons of cordage. But this excess is easily ac
counted for, when upon farther examining the
tables, I find, that there was exported as Jersey
manufacture, 326 tons of cordage ; and the large

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 221
remainder of the excess of hemp and cordage was
no doubt used in rigging the shipping of the is
land, at a cheap rate. Not one pound of British
hemp or cordage was imported during the above
period. Connected also with the outfit of the Jersey
shipping, is the large import of foreign pitch and
tar. 427 barrels of the former, and 3132 barrels
of the latter have been imported into Jersey, du
ring the above period ; of both of which, but a
trifling proportion has been re-exported.
FOREIGN WINES.
I shall first state the gross amount of wines,
imported into, and exported from, Jersey, during
the above named period ; I shall then state the
gross amount imported, for the year 1832; and
I shall lastly, present the export of that year in
detail, distinguishing the wines exported, and the
places to which they were respectively exported.
The total amount of wines of all descriptions,
imported into Jersey, during the years 1829, 30,
31, and 32, was 436,273 gallons, of which quan
tity 175,057 gallons, and 23,347 dozens, were
re-exported.

222 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
The total amount of wines imported during the
year 1832, was 126,352 gallons, 93 pipes, 41 hogs
heads, 31 quarter casks, 8205 dozens, making in
all, nearly one-third of the whole quantity im
ported during the four years, of which 1832 is
the last. The total quantity imported during
that year, was 30,564 gallons, and 7584 dozens;
of which there was exported :
Gallons. Dozens,
To England  3694  4844
Guernsey  11173  572
Gibraltar  484  432
North America  4020  1656
South America  4664  3
Trinidad  120  
River Gambia  144  52
Sweden  575 .  
Russia  8520  57
Prussia  118  
France (returned).... 336  
The chief export of wine to Russia, is Spanish ;
the chief export to North and South America,
Spanish and French ; the chief export to England,
French and Sicilian ; the chief export to Guern
sey, Spanish, French and Sicilian.
The quantity of foreign brandy imported into
Jersey, during the said four years, was 574,268
gallons, of which, only 104,487 gallons, and 452
dozens were exported.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 223
The quantity of hollands imported, was 200,600
gallons, of which only 10,741 gallons were
exported ; leaving the enormous quantity of
469,980 gallons of brandy, and nearly 190,000
gallons of hollands to be accounted for, by con
sumption or otherwise. I have before me, an
official note of the quantity of spirits actually sold
for consumption in the island from March, 1832,
to March, 1833. The quantity is 293,528 pots
of brandy : 41,470 pots of rum ; and 75,745 pots
of geneva, in all 410,743 pots of spirits. This,
estimating the grown-up male population at
10,000, is an allowance of 41 pots to each indi
vidual. TIMBER.
¦ This is a large article of import ; giving most
important advantages to the shipowner, who with
his foreign timber, added to his foreign hemp
and cordage, can build and rig a vessel at a
greatly lower rate than a vessel of the same ton
nage could be fitted out for, in an English port.
There was imported into Jersey, during the
above four years, 130 tons of logwood ; 1028
loads of oak timber; 60 loads and 214 tale of
VOL. i. u

224 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
oak plank ; 6302 loads of fir timber ; 3356 long
hundreds of deals ; besides a large import of
spars, masts, oars, handspikes, storesand tirenails.
All of these, with the exception of the logwood*
and a few loads of deals, were consumed in ship
building and repairing.
There yet remain a few articles of foreign
produce to enumerate, before commencing the
enumeration of British, and British colonial pro
duce. These are :
Stained paper, — of which273,752yds. have been
imported, and 1911 pieces and 28 cwt. exported.
Tiles, — of which 896,316 have been imported,
and consumed.
Hats, — of which 8993 glazed, and 6587 chip,
have been imported, and of these 5462 glazed,
and 354 chip, have been exported,
Linen, — chiefly from Germany, — of which
110,461 yards, and 104 pieces, have been im
ported, and 3254 yards, re-exported.
Cambric, — of which 4800 yards have been
imported, — and none exported.
Cotton, — of which 76,262 yards have been im
ported, — and only a few 100 yards re-exported.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 225
Silk goods,— of which 21,366 lbs. have been
imported, and 486 lbs. re-exported.
Diaper, — of which 29,257 yards were import
ed, and 3395 yards exported.
Ravenduck, — of which 26,048 yards were im
ported, and 2076 yards exported.
Flems, — of which 6313 yards were imported,
and none exported.
Sheeting,— of which 2155 yards were imported,
and none exported.
Sail cloth, — of which 7160 yards, and 24 pieces
were imported, and3€56 yards re-exported.
The above six articles are all received from
Russia. Olive oil, — of which 12,787 gallons, and 80
dozens have been imported, and 11,749 gallons,
and 754 dozens re-exported.
Tobacco, — of which 571,982 lbs. have been im
ported, and only 4942 lbs. exported. Itis needless
to say, that the excess, 567,000 lbs. of tobacco,
could not have been consumed in Jersey.
BRITISH, AND BRITISH COLONIAL PRODUCE ANfl
MANUFACTURES,
Imported into, and exported from Jersey, during the
years 1829, 1830, 1831, and 1832.
T Iiavo nlrondv whpn ncciinied with .Terser

226 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
produce, given the details of the cattle trade, and
the import and export of articles of provision. I
now proceed to other articles of British, and Bri
tish Colonial produce, or manufacture.
Tea, — of which 72,073 lbs. were imported. —
This article, although not British colonial pro
duce, could not well have been introduced as an
article of foreign produce, coming as it does, by
way of England, and brought there by English
ownership. Coffee, — of which 288 lbs. were imported.
Refined sugar, — Gf which 172 tons were im
ported, and 35 cwt. re-exported.
Rum, — of which 93,731 gallons were imported,
and 16,363 gallons re-exported.
Ale, beer, and porter, — of which, have been
imported, 4 pipes, 100 hogsheads, 24 casks, 222
barrels, 8 firkins, 13 half-hogsheads, 149 half-
barrels, 37 quarter-casks, 33,637 gallons, and
350 dozens. During the same period, 8805 do
zens, and 350 gallons were exported as Jersey
manufacture. Hops, — of which 28,081 lbs. were, imported, —
used no doubt, in the island manufacture of ale
and porter.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 227
Rice, — of which 41 tons have been imported.
Soap, — of which 55 tons have been imported,
and 320 tons exported.
Candles, — of which 8 tons have been imported,
and 16 tons exported.
Lines, and other fishing-tackle, — of which 114
casks, 10 bales, 75 trusses, and 295 packages
have been imported, — and all re-exported to
British North America, for the use of the fisheries.
Iron, — of which there has been imported 1382
tons, 26,653 bars, besides smaller packages of bar
iron; 55 tons of bolt iron ; 16 tons of rod iron ;
558 tons of pig iron ; 18 tons of sheet iron ; 74
tons, 1745 pieces, 50 cases, and 339 pipes of cast
iron ; 114 tons of castings ; 205 tons, and various
smaller packages of wrought iron ; 130 tons of
iron hoops ; 126 tons, and 244 bags, of iron nails,
By far the greater part of this large importation,
has been used in the island in ship building, and
in other purposes ; but a part has also been ex
ported ; the principal of which has been 759 tons
of bar iron : 64 cwt. of bolt iron ; 20 tons of pig
iron ; 53 tons of cast iron ; 94 tons of wrought
iron ; 26 tons of iron hoops, and 44 tons of nails.

228 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Ironmongery goods, — of which 81 tons have
been imported, and 9 tons exported.
Hardware, — of which 34 tons have been im
ported, and 5 tons exported.
Cutlery, — of which 5 tons have been imported.
Lead, — of which 355 tons have been imported,
and 28 tons exported.
Copper, — of which 220 tons have been imported.
China, — 2130 pieces.
Stoneware, — 7574^)ieces.
Pottery, — 11,081 pieces.
Earthenware, — 367,169 pieces, besides pack
ages ; of which 148,990 pieces, and 64 cwt. were
exported. Glass, — of which 66 tons of flint glass, 54 tons
of window glass, 389 tons and 800 dozens of
bottles have been imported, and 1476 dozens of
bottles exported.
Books, — 10 tons.
Writing paper, — 28 tons ; with 8 tons, and
many packages of stationery.
Painters' colours, — 116 tons, 20 casks, 483
kegs, and 107 packages.
Tin,— 6 tons; and of tin plate, 102,331 tale.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 229
Umbrellas, — 195 dozen.
Hats, — 7762 tale, besides packages.
Woollen goods and haberdashery, — 19 tons,
besides boxes, cases, and packages.
Cotton haberdashery, — 11 tons.
Worsted, — 18 tons.
Blanketing, — 18,764 yards, 19 casks, 2 trusses,
172 pieces, — of which there has been exported
1070 blankets, and 261 yards.
Flannel, — 41,549 yards, and 19 bales,— of
which, only 2299 yards were re-exported ; but
the large surplus, although not exported as
flannel, finds its way to the Continent in the
shape of petticoats : for this is an article which
every French market woman from the adjacent
ports, supplies herself with from Jersey.
Carpeting, — 15,962 yards.
Woollens, — 31,414 yards, 1455 pieces, 2187
ends, and 15 bales, — of which 44,554 yards, 286
pieces, and 30 ends were exported.
Cloth,— 2446 yards, 1 1 85 pieces, 189 ends,—
of which, 3801 yards were exported.
Stuffs, — 251 pieces, and 151 ends.
Linen,— 174,535 yards,— of which, 33,311 yds.

230 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Muslin,— 5220 yards,— of which 1789 yards
were exported.
Cotton,— 445,219 yards, 28 cwt., 7 trusses, 11
bales, 29 pieces imported, — of which, 156,736
yards, 4 cwt. and 356 pieces were exported.
British printed calico, — 235, 332yards imported,
and scarcely any part re-exported.
Printed British calico, — 105,971 yards.
Duck, — 2700 yards, of which 2370 yards were
exported. Sail cloth for bounty, — 160,111 yards and 151
bolts. Ditto, not for bounty, — 10,167 yards, 92 bolts
and 20 pieces.
Silk goods,— 4297 lbs.
Silk and cotton goods,— 2390 lbs.
Silk and worsted goods,— 1943 lbs.
Floor cloth,— 2400 yards.
Fish oil, — 190,901 gallons, 9 pipes and 6 casks,
— all from Newfoundland, and the greater part
re-exported. Codfish,— 95,210 quintals ; 1154 barrels ; 150
half-barrels; 129 tons, and 29 firkins; of which
immense importation, 45,736 quintals ; 90 bar-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 231
rels, and 54 half- barrels were exported. But
this importation, large as it is, is inconsiderable
when compared with the trade in codfish, carried
on by Jersey owned vessels, direct from New
foundland to the ports of the Mediterranean.
A large article of Jersey export, is ready-made
clothes to British North America, — particularly, to
Newfoundland and New Brunswick. The Jersey
merchants, as I have, I believe, elsewhere observ
ed, have extensive establishments in these colonies,
to which the articles in question are sent. The
returns are made in oil, fish, seal-skins, and furs,
part of which is sent to Jersey ; but the greater
part, direct to Spain, Portugal, and Italy; and
the produce of these countries, — the proceeds of
the cargoes sold there, — are carried to the ports
of the Baltic, &c, from whence, in return, a
supply of wheat, flour, &c, is brought to Jersey.
The ready-made articles exported to British
North America, are, with some trifling exceptions,
made up in Jersey, chiefly from British manu
factures ; of which, the following, exported dur-
ingthe four years above-named, is an enumeration.
Suits of clothes,— 559 of cloth, 24 of cotton.

232 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Jackets,— 1679 of woollen, 209 of cloth, 24 of
cotton, and 62 of linen.
Waistcoats,— 2521 of worsted ; 756 of woollen ;
123 of cloth, and 41 of linen.
Pairs of trowsers, — 2705 of woollen, 231 of
cloth, 167 of cotton, and 2058 of linen.
Pairs of drawers, — 3524 of woollen, and 65 of
linen. Shirts, — 14,549 of cotton ; 2288 of woollen ;
279 of linen.
Pairs of stockings, — 5139 of worsted ; 240 of
cotton. Mitts,— 1813 worsted.
Cravats, — 1478 worsted; 330 woollen.
Caps, — 1832 woollen ; 464 worsted.
Handkerchiefs,— 10,971 cotton ; 1640 silk.
Shawls, — 1264 cotton ; 20 cloth ; 83 woollen ;
63 worsted.
Counterpanes, — 324 cotton.
Table cloths, — 97 woollen.
I have already stated the export of boots and
shoes, which however, being made of French
leather, do not enter into the above enumeration.
1 have omitted to state the export of mahogany,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 233
535 tons of which, were imported from Honduras
during the foresaid years, the greater part of
which was again exported to the Continent. And
there was also imported from the British settle
ments on river Gambia, 336 loads of African
teak, 84 loads of which were exported.
EAST INDIA GOODS IMPORTED INTO JERSEY FROM
ENGLAND.
Nankeen, — 4574 pieces, All the articles that
follow, are piece goods ; I shall therefore not add
the word pieces to each ; but it must be under
stood, that all the figures prefixed to the articles, —
shawls, bandanoes, or handkerchiefs, for exam
ple, mean, so many shawl pieces, or bandanoe
pieces. Crape, — 93 gowns ; 2104 shawls; 521 shawls,
silk wrought; 158 handkerchiefs; 211 silk
wrought ; 484. single handkerchiefs.
China crape, — 76.
Silks,— 291 handkerchiefs; 88 shawls; 204
romals checked ; 52 tressah cloth ; 121 china ;
29 do. handkerchiefs ; 52 sarrees ; 37 Lutstring ;
20 Florentine.
Lijngee romals, — 29,

234 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Cotton romals, — 888.
Salampores, — 1706.
Printed corahs, — 727.
Bandanoes, — 1063.
Tafaties,— 147.
Long cloths,— 1673.
Damask, — 33.
Nicanees, — 172.
Mulmulls,— 32.
Soosays,— 286.
Neganpants, — 33.
Nilloes,-102.Of which large importation, there appears to
have been exported, only 12 pieces and 153 yds.
of nankeen. 4 pieces of crape shawls ; 4 silk
handkerchief pieces ; 43 cotton Romai pieces ;
93 salampore pieces ; 1 printed ; 30 bandanoe
pieces, and 12 pieces of long cloth.
It may well be asked what becomes of the sur
plus, — of the 4500"pieces of nankeen ; of the 1000
pieces of bandanoes ; of the 2700 shawl pieces ;
of 1100 other handkerchief pieces; of the 1600
salampore pieces, &c, &c. Jersey, whose native
inhabitants are so economical, and where the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 235
British residents have, one and all, gone to eco
nomize, is not the place for an extensive con->
sumption of East India goods.
The oyster trade of Jersey deserves a particular
notice. It employs, as I have elsewhere said,
1500 men, 1000 women and children, and 250
boats ; thus giving employment, and providing
subsistence to a large and industrious class. The
quantity of oysters sent from the Jersey fisheries
to the English ports, during the above-named
four years, was respectively as follows :
Years. Bushels.
1829  239,120
1830  212,056
1831  217,676
1832  163,240
Independently of the articles enumerated, as
imported from Great Britain, and from the Bri
tish colonies, there were imported during the same
period, 10,269 bales, casks, chests, hampers, &c,
the contents of which were not specially distin
guished ; but which contained similar articles
with those of British manufacture which have
been separately classed.
Such is a general view of the extent and nature
VOL. i. x

236 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
of the trade of Jersey : to which I would add, a
very few observations tending to show, how and
to what extent, the trade of Jersey is influenced
by the commercial privileges which the island
enjoys. The first privilege which I shall recapitulate, is
that, by which she is enabled to export her pro
duce to England, as British produce. This pri
vilege is most invaluable, in conjunction wijh the
other privilege of importing foreign produce duty
free; since, as I have already observed, and shown
by the details given, the consumption of the is
land, is supplied from foreign countries, — while
the produce of the island, raised upon untaxed
land, and with cheap labour, is sent to the British
ports, with the same advantages as if the vessels
and cargoes were British. I shall not suppose,
that any foreign produce is sent to England, as
the produce of Jersey ; there is sufficient advan
tage to the agriculturist, as well as to the trade
of the island, without any illicit commerce. At
the same time, it will be admitted, that the temp
tation to export wheat or flour to England, which
has been purchased in the Baltic at so cheap a
rate, is considerable.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 237
The privilege of importing into Jersey, articles
o f foreign produce, not prohibited, dutyfree, ia
no less advantageous to the trade of the island.
It has been seen, by the details given, how large
a proportion of articles of foreign produce has
been re-exported ; and these, the Jersey merchant
can afford to sell in foreign ports, or in English
ports, at a lower rate than they can Be sold for
by others who have obtained them in the coun
tries where they are produced : because the Jersey
merchant has no expense of bonding, — and
scarcely any charges to pay, of wharfage and
harbour dues. He carries his cargo direct to his
warehouse, — and sends it, at his own time, with
all its advantages, to another market. And, be
sides that the absence of charges upon merchan
dize enables him to find a remunerating market,
— the same privilege of which I am speaking,—
that of importing foreign commodities duty free, —
gives him additional advantages jn re-exporting
such commodities, by the opportunity thus af
forded him, of building, rigging, fitting out and
provisioning his vessels with materials collected
wherever in the world he can buy them the
cheapest, and which he imports free of duty.

238 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Nor is it a less important privilege than these,
that Jersey may export to the British colonies,
articles the produce or manufacture of the island.
This, even unconnected with the power of im
porting foreign produce, duty free, would be an
important privilege ; but when taken in connexion
with that other power, it gives to Jersey, advan
tages which are only limited by her capital and
population. Hitherto, indeed, these advantages
have been confined to the export of dressed lea
ther, boots and shoes, ready made clothes, flour, —
all, less or more manufactured from foreign pro
duce : but there is no article of British manufac
ture, from foreign produce, that with capital,
Jersey could not fabricate and export, with equal
advantage, — underselling the British manufac
turer in the colonial market.

CHAPTER XI.

ON HEALTH AND DISEASE IN JERSEY, IN RELATION TO
THE INFLUENCES OF CLIMATE, &C.
By Matthew Scholefield, M. D. and M. B. : Jersey.
Late President of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh.

[The author of this work, not being himself conver
sant with the science of medicine, has judged it best,
on so important a subject as the diseases of these
islands, to call in the aid of persons, competent by
their professional education, to undertake the duty:
Of the ability with which the task has been executed,.
it is not for him to express any opinion.]
SECTION I.
The statistics of the diseases of Jersey, present in
general much uniformity with those of England.
The difference in the diseases of England and
Jersey, although greater than that seen in the
diseases of any two contiguous counties of the
former, is probably not greater than what pre
sents itself in counties equally removed from each
VOL. It. x*

240 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
other in their tlocal peculiarities, and by their
geographical position. Pathologically too, I
consider the diseases of the two countries, as, for
the most part, identical; whether in regard to
the broad outline of their nosological character,
or in reference to the application of those great
curative principles, proper to be adopted in each
country. In the pathology and statistics of a few di
seases however, a marked difference is perceptible
to the eye of him who has attentively considered
these diseases as they are exhibited in this, and in
the parent island. But this discrepancy is visible
only in a few maladies ; and in such ehiefly, as,
in England, are found to be at all times influenced
by locality, — by vicissitudes of temperature, — and
by differences in the moral and economic habi
tudes of the people ; the corresponding diversity
among diseases, produced by the combination of
these causes, being ever found most clearly mark
ed, where these causes are most direct and pow
erful in their operation.
The full and scientific analysis of my subject
would embrace the consideration of the diseases
of Jersey under three heads :

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 241
First, as these diseases affect the people in the
rural districts.
Next, as they are exhibited in the natives resid
ing in St. Helier ;
And lastly, as they are found to influence the
British residents.
Did the limits of this enquiry permit, much that
is interesting to the general as well as the scientific
reader, might doubtless be said on each of these
subjects; and I shall have occasion, as I proceed,
continually to refer to each : but my design de
mands that I should more particularly insist upon
the last heads ; and detail, with some precision,
the effects which the climate of this island exerts
upon the health and diseases of the residents of
St. Helier.
My enquiry naturally divides itself into two
parts. The first comprehends the enumeration
of those diseases which are more frequently the
objects of medical practice here than in England.
The second includes a specification of such as are
of less frequent occurrence ; or which are marked
by a less degree of severity. The investigation
of the probable causes of these differences also

242 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
falls within my limits. The general pathology
or the particular treatment of these diseases forms
no part of my design ; from which, only in one
instance, have I been tempted to depart.
In entering upon my subject I must begin by
claiming the indulgence of the general reader.
It will be my endeavour to make myself through
out as perspicuous and intelligible as possible, by
resorting to general terms and phrases, wherever
I can do so without injury to my subject : for I
am well aware, that although, in the science of
medicine, a distinct nomenclature is indispen-
sible, in order to confer upon it that precision of
language and of ideas, necessary to be observed
among those who propose to advance its interests,
by advancing it certainly, — yet, with the technical
phraseology of our art, the mere gentleman, or
even the accomplished scholar cannot reasonably
be supposed to be very familiar ; while it is to
such readers, as well as to the more scientific,
that these pages will be submitted.*
* Milton in bis " Tractate of Education" declires that every
scholar and every gentleman onght to be conversant with the
general " Institutes of Medicine ;" and especially every mili
tary officer; in order, aa he says, that in emergencies he may
be able " to prevent his soldiers from falling around him like
sickly feathers from a moulting bird ;" and that " he may know
how to cure a crudity."

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 243
SECTION II.
The diseases then, of the most frequent occur
rence in Jersey, or which are marked by some
peculiarities of character, are the following: —
rheumatism, chiefly chronic: heepatitis, or liver
disease ; also, for the most part, chronic ; and
generally functional, rather than structural :
hypochondriasis, or melancholy : dyspepsia, and
dropsy : and, in the class of fevers, the milder
forms of the remittent ; the slow typhoid ; and
the intermittent.
Besides these diseases, the physician, who has
examined, with a critical and scrutinizing eye, the
influence, in both countries, excited by the epide
mics arising in different seasons, upon the phazes
and character of the diseases of common occur
rence, cannot fail to have remarked, that not
only are those epidemics more prevalent here than
in the counties of England, but that they also
exercise a more marked influence upon the con
temporaneous diseases. So true indeed is this
remark, that among the class of febrile and in
flammatory diseases, it is seldom we meet with
an isolated case ; such diseases generally occur-

244 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
ring in groups ; or, at least, such as are met with
in the vicinity of a case of highly marked cha
racter, having generally a striking resemblance
to that case ; either in some anomalous symptom,
— in the periods of their exacerbation, — in their
progress, — or in the length of their duration.
The cause of this singularity, I shall endeavour
in part to explain ; and from such explanation it
will be seen, that as in some other diseases, parti
cularly affecting the resident, the fault is often at
tributable to himself, and the means of prevention,
if not of cure, lie partly within his power : so
here also, it is highly probable, that much might
be done by art, to obviate the universality of epi
demics in their influence on other diseases : and
that the road to such improvement in the sana
tory condition of the island, is actually beginning
to be laid open ; as will appear more fully here
after. The first disease to which I shall refer, is rheu
matism ; since I believe it is admitted on all
hands, that there is none prevalent in the island,
to which both natives and residents are so exten
sively liable. Among the people in the rural

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 245
districts, it is universal after the age of thirty :
and as. a protection against its attacks, the field-
labourers (who are of both sexes) resort generally
to flannel as a clothing. This is the more con
spicuous from its colour, which is uniformly red ;
since it is a common opinion, and perhaps there
fore, not without some foundation in truth (in-
terdum vulgus rectum videt), that the colour of
the flannel is as instrumental as the fabric itself,
towards proving a safeguard and protection
against rheumatism.
Among the British residents, the disease, though
less general is still very prevalent. Its form is
for the most part chronic ; — few instances pre
senting themselves of that severely acute form,
which requires the prompt and vigorous use of
the lancet. In one respect also, it is somewhat
peculiar ; for, as it often attacks the joints of the
fingers, wrists and ancles, the definition " Genua
et reliquos majores, potius quam pedum et ma-
nuum articulos infestans" is here inapplicable. ,
Among the causes (hereafter detailed), that
predispose Ihe body to rheumatism, or that directly
exeite it, by far the most influential is the great

246 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
humidity of the atmosphere in Jersey. This is a
fact well known to ironmongers and cutlers, who
scrupulously avoid exposing any valuable wares
in the windows of their shops : while polished
steel fire ranges are rarely to be met with ; since
they demand the unceasing vigilance of servants
to preserve them from rusting even during the
summer months.
To the production of this humidity several
causes conspire. These it is important to bring
under review ; as being of moment, in the eluci
dation of every part of my subject. Besides its
insular position, the island is every where thick
set with wood ; — every little section of ground
(the property of some cotter) being hedged in with
four rows of trees. The island moreover being
continually intersected at intervals of a few hun
dred yards by pathways, beset with their double
file of trees, planted on embankments, so high as
to intercept the view from the top of the loftiest
carriage, after the rains of autumn have com
menced, these pathways (the ancient roads of the
island) remain constantly wet during the whole
of the winter; since neither can the rays of the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 247
sun penetrate, nor can currents of air freely ven
tilate the earth. Occasionally the trees are felled ;
but even then, the stocks are left so high that,
with the aid of the lofty embankments, they
effectually impede all ventilation. Other causes
yet remain behind : an imperfect system of drain
age ; or no drainage at all : the prevalence of
winds from the south-west, blowing directly up
the channel from across the Atlantic Ocean —
impregnated with moisture and with saline par
ticles that cause the moisture to be more slowly
dissipated into vapour : the great recession of the
tide at low water, leaving all around the island
a vast extent (in some parts miles) of bare rocks
and sands ; from which saline vapours largely
arise, in consequence of the comparative warmth
ofthe temperature even during the winter months;
while these vapours are scattered in all directions
by currents of air arising from the great diversity
of the island in hill and dale.
The town of St. Helier too (the great resort of
the residents) is perhaps, in this respect unfavour
ably placed ; — standing on the southern shore of
the island and, so to speak, at the neck of a spine
vol. i. v

248 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
of vallies that intersect it through its whole extent.
From its southern aspect therefore, as well as
from its position at the thin margin of a wedge
of land that gradually slopes down to the sea
from a distance of three or four miles northward,
it is not improbable that the clouds and vapours
are attracted over it by the meridian sun ; and
are in part intercepted, on arriving at the shore,
by those lofty forts that block up the town towards
the sea; and that so materially obstruct the free
transmission of air, and the dissipation of un
wholesome fogs and vapours. Be this however,
as it may, I am assured by a most intelligible
friend, that a fall of rain at St. Helier (the country
three miles northward remaining dry) is a cir
cumstance of more frequent occurrence than the
reverse : while an ascent to the neighbouring;
heights, at any hour either of the day or night,
shows the town to be frequently enveloped in fogs
when the inhabitants are themselves but little
aware of it.
The conclusion to which by reasoning a priori
we should be led respecting the humidity of this
climate, hygrometric observations have long fully
established.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 249
The consideration of the manner in which
extreme humidity of the atmosphere acts in pre
disposing the body to attacks of rheumatism, or
in actually exciting them, would belong to an
abstract work on the science of medicine. That
such however is the fact, is known to all : while
it must also be admitted, that this humidity is
rendered still more general in these parts, by the
comparative warmth of the climate during the
winter months. For here, we rarely witness any
of those long and bracing frosts that are so invi
gorating to the body in the more northern
latitudes ; and which, even in Holland, are found
to dissipate for months, the languid fogs of
winter. I have been the more minute in pointing out
the causes of that humidity, so universally felt
and complained of, particularly by the residents,
from being persuaded that much may be done
towards removing it, by the resources of art.
This will be obvious by glancing back to the
above enumeration of its causes ; for, although
the local legislature of Jersey, in all its wisdom
and omnipotence, is unable to change the course

250 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
of the winds, or to command the out-goings of
the ocean, yet, I trust I shall be pardoned for
stating my belief that, it is very possible for that
patriotic body to effect much. It is competent,
for instance, in that assembly to pass laws for
establishing a system of universal drainage ; to
order the felling of trees and the lopping of
branches that block up the highways ; and to
cause the removal of those lofty embankments,
that every where intercept the view of the tra
veller ; and prevent both sun and air from
penetrating the quagmires, called roads, that lie
between them ; and which, being now no longer
wanted as defences against the invasions of the
French, seem at present to serve no other purpose
than to preserve, unmolested, during half the
year, those foetid and unwholesome airs that are
generated from the slow decomposition of an
exuberant foliage ; and thus, if not actually to
sow the seeds of disease, at least to contribute in
the most certain and effectual manner, to render
the human body more obnoxious to its attacks,
less able to support itself under them, and more
slow and lingering in its convalescence.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 251
And here it gives me great pleasure to be
enabled to state, that both the legislature and the
more influential inhabitants at large of Jersey,
have lately begun, with patriotic and praisewor
thy zeal, to open out a channel for such improve
ments in the sanatory condition of the island by
the establishment of an " agricultural society,"
founded upon liberal and extensive views, and
under the highest patronage. It is with peculiar
satisfaction that I here refer to this new institu
tion ; as I presume that those measures, to which
I have just alluded, for the general improvement
of the health of the island, will fall legitimately
within its scope and comprehension : while, from
the patronage extended to it, by the legislature,
and from the ardent zeal and distinguished ability
manifested by its founders and promoters, I have
the strongest assurance that the important sug
gestions here offered, will not be permitted to pass
unregarded. Admitting, as I do most fully, the fact, that a
damp atmosphere is a very general predisposing
cause of rheumatism, (and damp, as applied to
the body, is synonymous with cold) I cannot quite
vol. i. **

252 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
agree with a distinguished writer of the day, in
thinking it the only cause. Everything tending
to debilitate the general constitutional energies,
tends doubtless to render the body more suscepti
ble of the action of causes, that would otherwise
be inert. Hence a predisposition to this disease
is doubtless given to many of the residents, by
the practice (too general among them) of nightly
visitings ; in returning from which they are un
avoidably exposed to the damps and fogs of the
midnight air, — and that too at. a time when the
mind is exhausted and spiritless; and the body
relaxed by exposure, for hours, to the unwhole
some air of crowded apartments. Among the
rural population again, two causes, of a very dif
ferent kind, claim our notice under this head.
The former is the severity of their field labours,
in conjunction with an impoverished diet ; the
latter is the extensive use of ardent spirits, as ap
pears indubitably from statistical tables, drawn
up elsewhere, from official sources. It is natural
that the labourer, being the owner of the little
plot of land which he cultivates, and to which he
trusts as his only maintenance and support, should

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 253
assiduously strive to make the most of it ; and
that too with a degree of interest unfelt by one
who labours for hire, and is careless of the results.
The crops that he grows are destined for the sup
ply of his own family : should one of them fail,
that article, however great a necessary of life, is
so much cut off from the year's provisions ; since
land, not money, is the patrimony of the cottager.
Hence I am informed, by unquestionable autho
rity, that hundreds of the smaller farmers (the
labouring class) live, for months together, upon
a diet consisting of a dark brown bread, cider
largely diluted with water, and a soup made of
kail or cabbage, lubricated with a morsel of the
fat of bacon, — the leaner parts being reserved for
holidays. Such a diet is obviously insufficient
for the support of the body under field labours,
often continued almost unremittingly for 14, 16,
18, or even 20 hours. It is not therefore sur
prising, that they should be found resorting to
the use of ardent spirits, in order, as they express
it, " to give them heart •" and especially, since
the low price of alkohol, under all its forms, of
fers in Jersey an almost irresistible temptation to

254 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
the poor cotter to "steep his labours in forget-
fulness." *
1 have already said, that rheumatic fever is of
less frequent occurrence in these parts than the
chronic or sub-acute form : and I am assured by
other medical gentlemen of long experience, that
they do not remember one instance of a metas
tasis of rheumatism to the heart.
Hepatic or bilious diseases come next to be
considered ; being next in the frequency of their
occurrence here as compared with England.
However extraordinary the announcement may at
first appear, the views which I shall open on this
subject, tend to associate these affections closeiy
with those that have just occupied our conside
ration ; for it will be seen that the hepatic
derangement to which, under this head, I make
particular reference, owes its origin, in all pro
bability, to the same causes that give birth to the
sub-acute form of rheumatism ; and is actually
accompanied by many of its symptoms : and that
there is even strong ground for believing it to be,
in fact, if not a metastasis of rheumatism, at least
* A gallon of brandy, distilled from parsnips or mangel wur-
zel, may be bought here for half a crown or three shillings.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 255
an extension of that disease to the liver. Liver
disease presents itself under two distinct forms.
The first is the chronic or sub-acute form ; or,
more frequently still, symptoms of structural dis
organization of the liver consequent on that state.
This is common among the subordinate classes
of natives, among whom, beyond doubt, partial
induration of the liver is very general. Hence
the prevalence of hydropic disease under all its
forms. But it is to the second kind of hepatic affection
that I am solicitous more particularly to direct
the attention of the faculty. This kind shows
itself mainly under the form of functional derange
ment of this viscus, and of those organs, in its
propinquity, that co-operate towards its function.
It is thus characterized. A person after some
brief and obscure manifestations usual in the
commencement of pyrexial disease, is attacked
by sickness and vomiting. A dull pain is refer
red to the right shoulder, the epigastrium, and
the right hypochondrium. This is increased by
pressure on those regions. The tongue is white
and furred at the sides. The pulse is nearly na-

256 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS,
tural ; the urine is reddish, and deposits largely
on standing. The eyes are lively but yellow ;
the countenance is sallow, and the bowels at first
open but afterwards costive. The vomiting
comes on irregularly : — occasionally three or
four times a day ; at other times twenty : and,
after a day or two, bile is discernible in the
egesta. The constitutional derangement is not
urgent : and the functions of the sensorium are
not disturbed ; although vertigo is sometimes
present, and pain is often referred to the scalp,
the cheek, or jaw of one side. These symptoms
vary as to the length of their continuance ; some
times ceasing within four or five days ; — at others
extending to as many weeks. But the health of
the patient is re-established ; and frequently
remains for a time better than before the attack ;
which however, in a month or two, generally
recurs from some slight cause ; and again runs
through the circuit of its course.
These symptoms, however, are rarely present
simultaneously, or even in the same case; and
some of them are occasionally altogether absent.
The disease chiefly affects persons between the

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 257
ages of twenty and fifty ; and generally such as
have been previously subject to rheumatism. But
what especially marks the relationship of this di
sease with rheumatism (in addition to many of
the symptoms detailed, which will be recognized
as belonging to the latter) is this : that it is often
consecutive upon fugitive pains, shifting from
joint to joint, or lodging in the region of some of
the great aponeurotic or ligamentous expansions
of the back or trunk ; or else it is actually accom
panied by such pains, — the latter being by far
the more frequent occurrence. In three cases,
however, I have known this disease put an end
to attacks of rheumatism that had for many years
before greatly harassed the individuals, on any
sudden changes of the wind to any particular
quarters, — or of the moisture and temperature of
the atmosphere. Lastly, the two diseases are
assimilated in another respect, — being both pre
valent in the same season ; and under a simili
tude of circumstances as touching the habits and
locality of the persons affected by them.
These points of analogy in the symptoms, are,
I think, sufficiently close and numerous to war-

258 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
rant the opinion here advanced, that those dis
orders of the chylopoietic viscera, attended with
vomitings, and which are so universally met with
in Jersey, and often in some of the damper
counties of England also, are in truth, only an
other form of rheumatism : but one in which that
disease, instead of being seated in the aponeuro
ses and ligamentous expansions of the large joints
of the limbs and trunk, has its seat in the fibrous
capsule of the liver ; and hence comes, at length,
to involve the other tissues of that gland on whose
aetion the function of the organ depends.
Being well aware of the deep interest attached
to an opinion involving a total change in our pa
thological views of an important class of diseases,
I shall submit my views on this matter to the me
dical world, at greater length and in another
form. From the views that I shall there deve-
lope, it will be seen, that the derangements in the
function of the liver in these diseases although
primarily arising from sub-acute inflammation of
the fibrous tissues abovementioned, more imme
diately results from an extension of the inflamma
tory action along the dense cellular membrane

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 259
investing (like an arterial coat) the ramifications
of the portal veins ; since it is acknowledgedly
from these veins, (whose functions be it remem
bered are arterial), that, in the parenchyma of the
liver, the bile is ultimately secreted : in the same
manner as other secretions are formed from the
capillary extremities of the arteries — the seat of
other kinds of inflammation elsewhere.*
It is obvious that the views here developed, are
of extended application in practice. But here my
limits compel me to be silent. For, indepen
dently of the medical treatmnet to be pursued in
this class of diseases, we come also more clearly
to understand in what way it happens that'dyspep-
tic disease — the result of derangements of the
hepatic system— are so much more- generally
met with in damp and variable climates than in
those of an opposite cha'racter.-f-
* Dr. Bailey asks the following question. '.' As this vein
(the vena porlae) performs the office of an artery in the liver, is
it not possible, that its small branches take on the same actions
as toe small branches of an artery during inflammation." To
this I reply, beyond all doubt: and the result must be an in
creased secretion of bile ; precisely as in ordinary inflammation,
the distended arterial capillaries elsewhere relieve themselves
by an effusion of lymph, serum or pus. This is the view
Which I maintained in my " Inaugural Dissertation," before the
senatus academicus of Edinborough, in the year 1822 ; and also
before the regius professor of medicine in Cambridge, in 1832.
t It will be observed that I have confined my observations
to the liver. But it is obvious that the libroas capsules of the
VOL. 1. Z

260 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS,
Nor is it more difficult hence to explain how
the hydropic diathesis should be so prevalent in
Jersey, when we reflect that of all the causes of
dropsy, none is so universal as that of obstruction
in the liver ; whether that arises directly from
schirrhus (as it is improperly named), resulting
from the too abundant use of ardent spirits, or
from continued functional derangement of the
hepatic viscera, leading ultimately to disorgani
zation of structure,
I pass on to another disease, closely allied to
the former »f these ; and of especial prevalence
in these parts. Hypochondriasis, a malady so
general among the British residents, results, I am
inclined to suspect, less from what may be called
the physical condition, of the island, than from
the habitudes of those who are afflicted with if-
In the brief allusion therefore which. I shall
make to it, my observations will assume a moral,
ether splanchnic viscera are also liable to the rheumatic inflam
mation. But the obscurity that surrounds the functions of
some of these — as the spleen and supra-renal capsules— has
prevented us from detecting in them the existence of these
morbid conditions : and, even in the liver, since these diseases
seldom terminate fatally, but few opportunities are offered for
verifying these conditions hy pathological researches after
death. The accumulated evidence from othersources however,
I regard as sufficiently decisive to be made the basis of our
reasonings on the practical steps proper to be pursued in the
treatment of these diseases.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 261
rather than a medical character. However, I
must not omit to mention, that frequent derange
ments of the chylopoietic organs, from the causes
already brought under review, have, it is well
established, a very decided influence in depressing
the energies of the mind ; and in spreading an
undue degree of gloom and melancholy at once
over the enjoyments of the present, and the pros
pects of the future.
That hypochondriasis should be a malady ex
tensively spread among the British residents, is
not surprising, when we consider the position of
that class of society among which the residents
are comprehended. Of these, by far the majority
are gentlemen belonging to the two branches Of
the military profession! Having been engaged
in their arduous d'utiesj^prosecuted inmost in
stances for years in distant climes, — most Of these
gentlemen have returned to their homes with
health irreparably impaired, either by the insalu
brity of the clinlatfes in the southern latitudes, —
so incongenial to European constitutions, — or by
the vicissitudes Of temperature, to which, in the
various service of their country, they have of ne-

262 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
cessity been oftentimes exposed. Confined now
within the narrow limits of an island, which, de
nies them all resort to the healthy and accustomed
sports of the field, they find themselvesas it were
dependent upon each other for their occupation
and amusements. The very transition from active
and enterprising duties, to luxurious and unsought
repose, is of itself a state that demands all the
exertions of a well stored and well regulated mind
to be easily endurable. Hence the unceasing
round of evening, parties, protracted often until
the dawn of another day ; thus breaking in upon
the proper hours of rest ; exhausting the spirits ;
and debilitating the physical energies of the body.
The town too, and neighbourhood of St. He
lier, are not the most favourably placed for, afford
ing the means of exercise, so necessary for keep
ing up the vigour of the animal frame, and break
ing in upon the monotony of life : and particu
larly to those whose previous lives have been
passed in arms, amid the stirring scenes of the
ocean or the camp. The immediate coast is
rocky ; and of dangerous approach, unless under
the guidance of an expert pilot. Hence, few

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 263
persons keep boats, or even indulge in the plea
sant recreation of sailing round the shores. Nor
is there any ground, conveniently set apart by
the authorities, for the public exercising of the
people ; where the inhabitants might indulge in
those healthy sports, &c, which are so much
resorted to in England. Nor is there any public
drive ; or any gay promenade, offering a temp
tation to the indolent, to enjoy the pleasures of
the open air.
It must however be admitted, that of the faci
lities which St. Helier does afford, neither the
residents nor the other inhabitants appear to take
due advantage. The narrow, dirty, and ill-
paved streets appear to be the only resort of
fashion ; and the Royal Square,— a paved area
one hundred yards by fifty in extent, and her
metically sealed up with houses all around, — is
regarded, by the male population, as a second
grove of academus.
To all this however, the pic nic parties, formed
in the summer season, are a laudable exception ;
for it must be admitted, that in wandering about
the shores of the island, the resident takes the
vol. 1. z*

264 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
most judicious means for dissipating the languor
arising from confinement in the drawing-room.
Nor does there appear to me, any good reason
why these salutary excursions should be confined
to the land : since the sea at high water almost
overflows the loftiest rocks, and fills the shores
up to the brim ; while the pleasures of the rod
and line are by no means limited exclusively to
the banks of a stream.
I shall only further observe on this head, that
St. Helier affords facilities of no common kind,
for exercises and amusements, sub pleno Jove * ;
and it is in the last degree desirable that the au
thorities, and more public spirited inhabitants,
should coalesce in forwarding such insular im
provements, as, by consulting public health,
might offer new inducements (in addition to those
grounded on economic views) to an extended re
sidence of the British ; by whom the prosperity
of the island has been of late years so largely
advanced. * Hie securd quies, et nescia fallere vita,
Dives opum variarum, hie latis otia fundis,
SpeluncEE, vivique lacus ; hie frigida tempe,
Mugitus que bourn, mollesque sub arbore somni.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 265
From the statistical details above entered into,
the reader will not be surprised to hear that
intermittent fever is familiarly known in these
parts. The parishes in which it is most frequent
are those of Grouville and St. Peter. In the
former there is a marshy common two or three
miles in circumference ; bounded on all sides,
except towards the eastern sea, (its aspect,) by an
amphitheatre of hills, abounding in wood : while
the iatter expands by several marshy vallies into
a wide plain opening towards the southern sea,
(its aspect) the vallies being hemmed in by lofty
hills. Isolated cases of this fever are also occa
sionally witnessed in other parishes ; particularly
after falls of rain, ensuing on long droughts — a
circumstance not unusual during the summer
and autumn months. The style of the disease is
seldom nosologically complete; such, for instance,
as we see it in the counties of Lincoln, Lancaster,
Cambridge and Hertford : while, in many cases,
the disease is imperfectly shadowed forth, not as
a genuine idiopathic affection, but only as a con
dition influencing other diseases that happen to
arise ; either by exciting quotidian or tertian exa-

266 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
cerbations in their symptoms ; by increasing the
debility beyond what is usual in such affections
elsewhere or in other seasons ; or by protracting
their cure beyond the usual period.*
Before quitting this part of my subject, I must
not omit to mention, that the " autumnal bilious
remittent fever," of British authors, although
very unusual, has certainly been seen in Jersey.
Three cases of this disease were last autumn
brought under my notice by my amiable [friend,
Mr. Le Gros, surgeon, late of Trinity. That the
* I have alluded to the influence which the epide
mics of all seasons have in modifying the character of
other contemporaneous diseases. This important sub
ject was first brought under the notice of the faculty
by the great Sydenham in his work on " the diseases of
London.'' But the subject is mentioned by him only
incidentally. This influence is referred to what Syden
ham caffs the " constitutio epidemica ;" by which he
means,, not the epidemic constitution of the disease
but of the air. The spirit of the remark is however
strictly accurate : and I know of no opinion, ever laid
down among physicians, which is of equal importance
in its practical bearings. Nor is the opinion true only
of epidemics : it is equally applicable to the constitu
tions that give birth to intermittent, remittent and the
typhoid fever. In which opinion, as regards the first
of these, I find myself supported by a luminous writer
of the present day; who has judiciously remarked.
" These conditions of the soil are not merely the occa
sions of ague, but serve to modify the character of
continued and of any otheT febrile disease which- may
happen to occur in such situations."

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 267
disease is unual, appears from the fact, that any
similar cases had never before come under the
care of that gentleman ; or of any of his medical
friends, of whom enquiries on the subject were
made. The symptoms in these three cases were
all nearly identical. They were as follow:
extreme irritability of the stomach, attended with
bilious vomitings several times a day ; head-ache ;
yellowness of the conjunctiva ; small quick pulse ;
and delirium, though not extreme, during the
nights. The cases occurred consecutively in the
members of the same family ; but varied, in the
length of their continuance, from two weeks to
two months. Two other cases subsequently
occurred ; and all of them ultimately recovered.
In one instance the spleen was remarkably
enlarged ; and less so in another ; but the most
marked peculiarity was the vomiting, which con
tinued, night and day, at no regular intervals
during the whole disease. The disease came on
after rains ensuing on a long-continued drought ;
and in a lofty part of the island ; but not far
from extensive marshy grounds ; and in a spot
where ventilation was totally prevented by the

268 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
luxuriance of vegetation and foliage. How a
mitigated form of this disease should have occur
red in Jersey will be easily understood from the
following quotation. " But these diseases prevail
extensively where there are no marshes. There
however it will always be found that there is
something equivalent to a marsh ; either a sub
soil of such a nature as will not allow Water to
percolate easily through it ; or an extent of wOod,
impeding thorough ventilation, and the action of
the sun's rays, or excessive dampness with heat,
or a total inattention to drainage and culture."
Dr. Madden, in speaking of remittent fever in
another part of the world, observes, " it occurs
chiefly where there is a saline incrustation with
rank verdure."
The statistics Of Jersey, detailed in some of
the former pages, supply the commentary to these
judicious observations.
I have referred to intermittent and remittent
fever in Jersey, not from anything remarkable in
the diseases themselves; but because the influence
on other contemporaneous diseases, of those causes
that give birth to them, is decidedly more general

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 269
and more direct than I have ever seen it in any
of the English counties, An explanation of this
phenomenon, at. least highly probable, if not al
together satisfactory, might I believe be given,
did the limits of this design admit of it. Without
however, entering further upon the subject at
present, I will remark, that it is, to the operations
of the Society above referred to, that we must, I
believe, look for the complete solution of this
question as regards Jersey ; and to a lustration
of the island, from the miasmata that unques
tionably occasion these tedious and formidable
maladies. SECTION III.
Having in the foregoing section adverted to
those diseases in which either in their frequency,
or severity, the disadvantage is on the side of
Jersey, I proceed next (as far as my brief limits
will permit) to speak of those in which the dis?
advantage is on the other side. The diseases
which I shall in consequence have occasion to
pass rapidly under review, are the following :
The whole class of phlegmasiee, o'r inflamma
tions ; the vesaniae, or mental diseases ; apoplexy ;

270 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
and paralysis, arising as its sequel ; and lastly,
phthisis pulmonalis, or consumption.
It must, I think, be admitted, by all who are
competent by education and personal observa
tion to speak on this subject, that, in the class
of inflammatory diseases, we here seldom wit
ness that highly acute form which but too
frequently marks the earlier stages of these in
England; and which demands, on the part of
the physician, the most prompt and energetic
employment of the lancet. In the words of the
late Dr. Edwards (an acute observer of disease),
" the Jerseyman 13 unable to bear bleeding."
This perhaps arises from the fact, that his diseases
do not require it; at least to that extent to which
it is so often indispensably necessary to be carried
in England. The remark is also equally appli
cable to the British resident, whose constitution
(whether from the effects of his residence in this
or in other climates) seems equally unable, to
bear up in disease, under severe depletion, by
large and repeated abstractions of blood. This
is doubtlessin part attributable to a decided dif
ference in the type of inflammations, as exhibited

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 271
here and in England. In the latter country the
symptomatic fever that accompanies inflamma
tion is almost universally what is denominated
the synocha — a form indeed of fever which, in
this day, is rarely or never met withidiopathically.
But, as may be understood from the opinions
advanced in the preceding section, the aceompa-i
nying fever in these parts seems, in many respects,
to take on the intermittent, the remittent, or the
typhoid character : so that the inflammation
would often seem to be rather an accidental
disease, supervening in the course of such fever.
And such doubtless it is in by far the majority of
cases; and hence I would in part explain the
inadmissibility of copious and repeated bleedings
in the inflammations of Jersey : for it is obvious
that under the views and circumstances named,
we have, in truth, less to fear from the inflam
mation, than from the symptomatic fever that
accompanies it. But even where the local inflam
mation is clearly defined, and the symptomatic
fever runs high, this soon begins to assume the
type of synochus ; and warns the physician to
pause before resuming the lancet. In short,
vox. i. 2 a

272 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
inflammation here generally assumes the form
called congestive or sub-acute — a term first
appropriately used by the late distinguished Dr.
Amstrong, — and here peculiarly apposite. I
must however, make an observation that still
further elucidates this point : it is, that pure
cellular or serous inflammation is less frequent in
Jersey than that affecting the mucous and fibrous
membranes. The bearing of this remark upon
the present subject will be at once understood by
the scientific reader. However, it must be con
fessed that the.cause of this singularity is to be in
part explained upon the well-known pathological
principle " that the severity of acute inflamma
tion is proportional to the constitutional vigour
of the sick :" and I believe that, botb among the
natives and residents of Jersey, we should look
in vain for the hale and robust bodily stamina
that distinguish the rural population of England ;
or her lusty yeoman.
But as, in the ordinations of Providence, every
evil is counterbalanced by its opposing good, so
here, that less vigourons enjoyment of rude and
boisterous health, is perhaps more than compen-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 273
sated to the Jerseyman, by his comparative
immunity from the sanguine diathesis that lays
the foundation of inflammatory diseases in their
most acute and painful forms ; and that leads so
often elsewhere to permanent lessons in the mov
ing powers by attacks of paralysis ; or to the
sudden extinction of life by fits of apoplexy.*
On the subject of vesanise or mental diseases it
is difficult to arrive at very accurate comparative
results. I believe however that here again the
advantage is greatly in favour of Jersey. In the
year 1823 I visited the great asylum for the
pauper lunatics of the West Riding of the county
of York ; and comparing the number of inmates
(in proportion to the populations) with the luna
tics among the corresponding class of persons in
Jersey (as far as that number can be ascertained
in a country devoid of all public registration of
* It must here be observed that I allude chiefly to
paraplegia and hemiplegia as sequels of apoplexy.
Among the subordinate classes in this island we meet
with no inconsiderable number of persons partially
paralytic. Their disease however is for the most part
capable of being traced to some part of the vertebral
canal rather than to the brain ; and it is most fre
quently the result of one or both the causes mentioned
in the preceding part.

274 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
disease) I have good ground for asserting that the
difference in favour of Jersey is in the proportion
of not less than five to two.
For this many causes contribute. The uniform
and unbroken tranquillity in the life of the Jersey-
man, — guarded by the laws, the privileges, and
the position of his country, as well against the
sudden surprises of fortune, as against the de
pressing influence of her frowns,* such a life, by
affording little room for hope, and as little still
for despair, limits within their proper sphere,
many of the fiercer passions of our nature, which,
under gratification, not less than under disap
pointment, are most dangerous to our tranquillity.
The lot of the Jerseyman has been cast in the
middle sphere of life ; and he is comparatively
* What Dr. Johnson said of the learning of Scotland
is equally applicable to the wealth of Jersey : " Every
man has a little, and no man much " ; at least in the
sense in which the latter of these terms is understood
in England. This must always be the case in a coun
try where the law, interfering with the caprices of in
dividuals, divides the property of deceased persons
according to a certain ratio of distribution. For the
offspring and widow know pretty nearly, beforehand,
what they have to expect ; and hence, avoid the evils
of disappointment : while property, in the progress of
years, undergoes something approaching to a fair di
vision.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 275
removed from the operation of those causes that
induce pride, ambition, and vanity,— those fol
lowers in the train of wealth ; — or despair, that
seldom fails to wait upon the loss of it.
In the softer passions too, a less perfect state
of refinement proves to the Jerseyman a protec
tion against the inroads of those tumultuous and
ungovernable emotions that have their more pow
erful sway in a country where the graces, the fine
arts, and the lighter sciences, have been all made
to bear upon the developement of the human
form and character, in shedding over it the last
degree of polish and refinement.
But if the Jerseyman is both by education and
nature, less acutely susceptible, he is hence bet
ter able to bear up under the reverses of unpro-
pitious fortune ; while again, should the fickle
goddess shower down upon him her sudden fa
vours, these can be perfectly appreciated only by
him who, brought up from infancy amidst the
more elegant refinements of life, has been long
accustomed to look upon the gratification of the
senses as subordinate objects, in comparison with
those more sumptuous intellectual pleasures which
vol. i. 2 a*

276 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
unbounded wealth can alone open out ; or of
which her munificence alone can afford the means
of enjoyment.
It has long been a prevalent opinion among
pathologists, that mental diseases and scrofula
are peculiarly liable to spring up in families as
the result of frequent intermarriages. This ge
neral position has, I am aware, given rise to the
belief, that this island affords proof of the validity
of that doctrine. So far, however, as rny obser
vation and enquiries extend, I have met with no
thing to support such an opinion. The jews and
the quakers, whose religious tenets inculcate in
termarriages within their own sects, do not afford
more instances of mental diseases, than other less
scrupulous dogmatists ; although I believe that
Scrofula is very extensively spread among the
jews. But scrofula is very general everywhere ;
and it was asserted by the late distinguished pro
fessor Gregory, that only two families in Scotland.
were altogether free from its taint. These were
his own (of course), and that of Sir John Sinclair.
But intermarriages of families in J ersey, although
of necessity frequent, are I believe not more so

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 277
than in most of the villages and provincial towns
in England. The constant influx of British, that
become located in these parts, contributes greatly
to limit the extent of these intermarriages among
all classes ; and to neutralize the evils that would
otherwise arise ; supposing the position with which
I set out to be founded in truth.*
Allied, in its pathology, to the two diseases just
referred to, is that opprobrium medicinse "tubercu
lar consumption," of which in the last place I
proceed to speak. On its pathology, or treatment,
I shall not say one word ; since it seems to me
useless to insist on these, in speaking of a disease
which the greatest authority of our day has de
clared to be in every instance fatal in its issue.
I refer to the opinion of the late Dr. Andrew
Duncan, junr., professor in the University of
* I think Mr. Lawrence (in his translation of the
Decads of Blumenback which he chooses to call his
work on the " Natural History of Man") foretold, that,
unless the laws of marriage among crowned heads
should soon be abolished, all the monarchs in Europe
would, at no distant period, become crazy. There
may perhaps be those who think that late political
events have proved the prophecy true ; on the ground
of that maxim, so current among the ancient : " That
those whom the Gods intend to ruin they first make
mad."

278 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
Edinburgh ; a man whose genius may be
equalled by others, but whose industry and en
thusiasm, whose accurate and profound know
ledge of every branch of his profession, and whose
extensive acquaintance with every art and science,
as well as every department of polite and elegant
literature, is equalled by no man alive at this day.
It was the settled opinion of that gentleman, after
years of observation, that genuine tubercular
consumption, is in all instances ultimately fatal :
but that the period of its fatality may certainly
be postponed.
M. Laennec indeed has detailed a case at full
length ; and which he thinks he cured. The case
however was not one of genuine tubercular phthi
sis, but obviously of that form called apostema-
tous- I believe too, that many cases of the catarr
hal phthisis (chronic bronchitis) have recovered.
But all this leaves Dr. Duncan's opinion unim-
peached. My own experience for nearly twenty
years, certainly leaves me with small hopes in
this malady from the intervention of art, beyond
what is derived from change of climate : and,
when we consider that many thousands of deaths

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 279
from phthisis occurred under the hands of Laen-
nec, his very assertion, that he once cured a case,
tends only to lead our hopes into further despair.
It is to the statistics of this disease, that we must
turn for all information that is to be of practical
utility inguarding against its insidious approaches.
An early removal to another and a more conge
nial climate, is, I believe, now on all hands ad
mitted to afford the best, and perhaps the only
chance of temporary recovery. The ground of
this opinion [Is twofold. In the first place, it is
found by observation, that there are whole races
of men in certain parts of the world , among whom
the dicease is almost, or altogether unknown.
From this, itis justly inferred, that as there is no
difference in the physical organization of men
sufficient to account for this exemption on the
part of some of them, so such immunity from
phthisis can result only from the soil and climate
of their country. In the next place, it is also an
established fact, that persons threatened with
consumption, have continued to enjoy good health
bv a removal to certain other countries ; while,
on returning home, their symptoms have returned

280 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
also ; and pretty uniformly proved fatal. Some
very remarkable instances have come to my know
ledge, of consumptive persons removing from
Scotland to Barbadoes ; and who have in conse
quence had their symptoms suspended for two or
three years. On return home, the disease, in a
few months, began again to develope its charac
ter, and soon proved fatal. On the other hand,
strange to say, it is found that certain negroes
"from parts of Africa, where consumption is un
known, have perished of that malady, on being
transported as slaves to the islands of the West
Indies. The comparative mortality from phthisis in
different countries is as follows :
Of deaths from all causes, there die of phthisis,
In London, 25 per cent ; in France, 23 per cent ;
at St. Petersburgh, 17 per cent ; at New York,
17 per cent. In Switzerland, Austria, Prussia
and Belgium the mortality is not materially dif
ferent from that in England; i.e. it is 25 per
cent, which seems to be its maximum mortality.
In England it is calculated that 71,358 persons
perish annually of phthisis : and I am persuaded

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 281
that it is proportionably still more fatal in some
of the more northern countries, than in those
from which this calculation is made. In Dur
ham, for instance, where for some years I had
charge of a public medical institution, the ave
rage of patients usually on the list was 46 ; and of
these, from 5 to 8 were always phthisiscal : while
the mortality was not less than 5 from phthisis,
out of 17 cases of death from all the diseases that
fell within the province of the physician. It
appears then, First, that the disease is most
general in the temperate latitudes ; and diminishes
in fatality as we advance towards the more north
ern ; since, at St. Petersburgh, one fourth of the
whole annual mortality is from pleurisies : and
one third from fevers. Secondly, that the disease
is almost, or altogether, unknown in many parts
of Africa, in Egypt, among the Bedouins of the
wilderness, and many other races of men.
The practice of removing consumptive persons
to foreign climates is of very ancient date. In
England, physicians usually recommend the
island of Madeira, or the south of France, or tho
north of Italy ; while in Italy, as far back as the

282 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
time of Celsus, Egypt was the rendezvous of the
phthisical. The words of that author are :
" Quod si mali plus est, et vera phthisis est,
inter initia protinus occurrere necessarium est :
neque enim facile is morbus, cum inveteraverit,
evincitur. Opus est, si vires patiuntur, longa
navigatione, cceli mutatione, sic ut densius quam
id est, ex quo discedit aeger, petatur : idioque
aptissime Alexandriam ex Italia itur." The au
thor continues, " If weakness prevents this (i. e. a
voyage to Alexandria or some climate where the
air is denser— -damper — than at home) it will be
proper to go by vessel to a shorter distance ; or
even to be carried in a couch." It was from this
that Dr. Beddoes took the hint of his system of
treatment. If medical statistics are to guide us, Celsus
was right; for assuredly it is more rational to
choose a place where phthisis is unknown, than
one in which it is nearly as fatal as in Great
Britain. At Lisbon, Phthisis is as fatal as in England.
The Italian physicians say the same of Italy : and
that the phthisical do not live longer than three

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 283
or four months. Twenty-five cases out of a hun
dred deaths were found the average. In Madeira
Dr. Gourlay asserts that whole families perish.
Sir Alexander Crichton objects to a removal to
Dauphiny, the south of France, and the north of
Italy ; fearing the cold winds from the mountains.
Drs. Southy, Johnson, and Sinclair, condemn
Malta, Sicily, and the islands of the Mediterra
nean. M. Portal does the same with regard to
south of France ; and Sir Charles Morgan as to
north of Italy : while Herault (the beau ideal of
a fine climate,) and of which Montpelier is
capital, is equally condemned as a retreat for the
consumptive by Dr. Hawkins. Finally, Dr.
Pugh asserls that Nice and Naples are no better
than the rest ; and- Dr. Renton says that, in
Madeira, out of 47 cases, 34 died within 3 months ;
10 after leaving the island : of the other 3 the
result was unknown. Of all the parts of England
Penzance is the most eligible. The temperature
averages 4 degrees higher than that of London.
A recent traveller in the east thus speaks on
this subject. " Alexandria is indeed at all times
excessively damp ; the atmosphere is saturated
vol. i. 2 b

284 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
with a saline vapour, which condenses on the
walls and furniture of the houses in small crystals
of nitre muriate of soda, and muriate of ammonia ;
the soil is everywhere coated with these saline
particles ; and although it is quite impossible to
keep any articles made of iron, free from rust,
yet the constant breathing of this saline atmos
phere does not appear to be prejudicial to health ;
diseases of the lungs are unknown. I have not
seen one case of pulmonary consumption among
the arabs."
Now we cannot but be struck with the resem
blance between this account of the climate of
Alexandria and that of Jersey, as seen in many
of those particulars detailed in the preceding
pages. In temperature, indeed, the difference is
marked ; but it may be doubted whether the Bri
tish constitution can well sustain without injury
(especially among delicate and susceptible inva
lids) a higher degree than that of Jersey, without
being; liable to some or other of those maladies
so fatal in Egypt and the more southern latitudes :
while it is of the utmost moment, that the sick
should not be transported to parts where they are

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 285
removed beyond the reach of all those English
comforts, and conveniences, that are no longer
found among a semi-barbarous, or scarcely even
among a foreign people.
The cause of the dampness of Alexandria is
attributed to the prevalence of winds from the
Meditterranean sea driving on the clouds for
months towards the mountains of the Thebaid.
These fall in the autumn, and occasion the over
flow of the Nile, and the consequent dampness,
by evaporation, of the hot air. In Jersey, the
winds are equally prevalent from across the Atlan
tic Ocean; and they are equally laden with
moisture and with saline particles ; while the
climate is sufficiently warm, during the prevalence
of those winds that blow from the gulph stream
and heated currents of the Atlantic, to cause
constant evaporation from the bare rocks and
sands at low tide (as explained above,) and to
keep the atmosphere in a state of almost continual
dampness. Since then it is to the constant inhala
tion of a damp and saline atmosphere that the
freedom of the Egyptians from consumption is
attributed, might not the same cause be expected

286 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
to produce the same result in Jersey ? and might
we not infer, a priori, that Jersey (at least as com
pared with England) would exhibit a comparative
immunity from phthisis? And such in truth 1
believe to be the case in a marked degree, — in a
degree indeed beyond what I dare at this moment
undertake positively to mention : for, from the
circumstance of there being no public registra
tion of disease, any statement on the subject can
only be at present founded on individual expe
rience. But without speaking positively to the
fact, I have strong ground for believing, that the
proportion of cases of genuine consumption here,
as compared with most of the English counties, is
not one half, or even a third ; and that of these, by
far the majority are found among the British, who
have come to the island with a strong hereditary
tendency to phthisis ; or with the actual deve-
lopement of some of its pathognomonic symptoms.
I shall only say further, that I believe the cli
mate of Jersey to be the most suitable, for those
labouring under pulmonic diseases, of any in
Europe : while for those with hsepatic derange
ments, it is perhaps the least so : for, where so

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 287
many learned persons are agreed, no doubt can
remain as to the validity of their testimony re
specting the ineligibility of most or all of those
places in the Continent to which consumptive
persons have been long recommended to resort.
1 believe Jersey to be preferable to any of them ;
since (besides the other causes abovementioned),
I know of no place where the same equality of
temperature is preserved throughout the whole
year. It is sufficiently cool to prevent that ex
haustion to which invalids are subject in more
southern countries ; while the average warmth
may be fairly stated at from 4 to 6 degrees beyond
that of London. The words of the poet are here
something more than a mere poetical flight.
Hie ver perpetuum, atque alienis mensibus sestas.
Before dismissing the subject of diseasej I will
occupy a page or two promiscuously, in brief al
lusions to a few other maladies.
Diseases of the skin are very frequent in Jer
sey. To the production of these, among the
poor, the action of a saline atmosphere, inatten
tion to cleanliness, and the effects of an impove
rished diet, equally contribute. Instances of these
vol. 1. 2 b*

288 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
affections come daily under observation. Among
the more frequent are those of the kinds called
impetiginous, porriginous, and pruriginous. I
was lately consulted, by a middle-aged gentleman,
in a case of prurigo, or itching, in which the
sensation was so intolerable as to make life a
burthen. Night or clay, there was no remission ;
and such was the urgency of the symptoms, that
they could only be allayed by fomenting the part
affected with lotions of pure brandy. The disease
had continued for years, despite of all the efforts
of the faculty to relieve it. Scabies, or the disease
familiarly known as the itch, is also common,
and sometimes inveterate. Sycosis, and even lu
pus, are occasionally seen ; and some of the di
seases, peculiarly incident to women, seem to
prevail here extensively. The climate is relaxing;
„ and such cases recover slowly,— and only after a
long and tedious convalescence. Erysipelas is
frequent, affecting chiefly the head : and it occa
sionally proves fatal, by metastasis to the brain.
I have also seen one case of diffuse cellular in
flammation. Among children, diseases seem less inflamma-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 289
tory in their type : and are less pointed towards
the pulmonary organs than in England: and,
upon the whole, hydrocephalus, or water in the
brain, although far from rare, is still, less general
in these parts.
It was formerly an opinion eurrrent among
physicians, that urinary calculi prevailed much
more in the cider counties (as Hereford and De
vonshire) than in other parts of England : and
that such beverage was consequently favourable
to the generation of those concretions. If that
opinion had not been already exploded, Jersey
would have controverted it. The universal li
quor among the islanders is cider : and yet littio-
noniy has been performed only once by an able
army surgeon, who has practised his profession
extensively in Jersey for the last thirty years.
Nor has that gentleman heard of the operation
having been performed by any other surgeon. I
think it however not unlikely, that other instances
of calculus, demanding the skill of the surgeon,
may have occurred during that period : but that
the great London operators may have been re
sorted to, as being more conversant, by daily

290 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
practice, in the use of the knife : and especially as,
both in the medical and surgical diseases of these
islands, the faculty of London have long come in
for no inconsiderable share of practice ; and par
ticularly of late years, since the communication
by water has been facilitated and extended.
SECTION IV.
I enter, in the last place, upon what some may
consider a work of supererogation. I propose,
veTy briefly, and as delicately as my feelings will
permit, to speak of the medical condition of the
island, as regards the resources that are open to
the poor, — a branch of my subject which I could
not conscientiously omit ; since, — although per
haps little interesting to the English reader, — I
may reasonably entertain a hope, that the hints I
throw out, may not be without their effect upon
the authorities of this island. In the first place, I
declare it as my belief, that itis from no want ei
ther of humanity or of liberality, but from igno
rance of the state of the world beyond its own
confined limits, that Jersey exhibits the singular
phenomenon (for such only can I call it), I say
the singular phenomenon, of a town, comprising

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 291
a population of seventeen thousand souls, without
one foundation dedicated to the relief of the sick.
But let me just — There is a building called a
hospital, — a Gallic term used instead of the more
appropriate English epithet of poor-house. Thi
ther the destitute from age and want are sent, not
for medical relief, but as an asylum for life. This
charity also rears up foundlings to adult age:
and it embraces besides, another class of the
wretched, to whom I need not more particul arly
allude. There is also, I believe, as stated, in another part
of this work, some institution of a philanthropic
nature, whose medical functions are not yet quite
suspended. Imt if the philanthropic stranger re
quests his guide to conduct himto the infirmary, or
to the dispensary, or to the house of recovery, or to
any other purely medical and surgical establish
ment, (by whatever name designated) whither the
respectable poor may be sent for medical relief,
or from which they may procure medicines free
of expense, or whither (without the ignominy of
being considered parish paupers) the moral and
industrious classes of the poor may be carried,

292 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
when labouring under fevers or epidemics or other
maladies requiring the prompt and skilful atten
tion of the physician — I say if the stranger asks
for these he asks in vain : the capital of Jersey
boasts of no such refinements.
It is in vain to tell me that the present poor-
house fulfils all or any of these objects. The
whole island is indeed assessed for its mainte
nance : but it is notorious that the respectable
poor, in the rural districts, would perish rather
than enter within its portals. It is equally noto
rious, that, from another cause, respectable
females can never be made to approach its thresh
old ; or if they should, such is the force and
influence of bad example, that in all human
probability the cure of their diseases would be at
the expense of their morals. This is from no
fault on the part of the superintendants, or of the
committee of management, who, I verily believe,
perform their duty conscienciously. It arises
from a radical error in the first principles and
organization of the establishment, which is defi
cient in all discrimination and arrangement of
the inmates. But, under no modifications, can

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 293
it ever be made to fulfil the medical and surgical
requirements demanded by the increasing popu
lation of this town and island. It is a poor-
house, and nothing but a poor-house ! a receptacle
for tha destitute from age and wretchedness;
and, if these fall sick, it of course provides
them with the medical aid required by their con
dition. But what is to become of the vast body
of sick poor! who are too proud, or too virtuous
to enter an institution where they would be asso
ciated with that proscribed class, which, every
where else in the world, is kept apart by itself,
and is thus prevented from spreading around it a
moral as well as a physical contamination ?
You may reform or remodel this establishment as
you please, — it will never be made to meet the
increasing medical demands of this people. Other
establishments are imperatively required by the
rising wealth and importance of this island ; but
first, and above all, a charity that will compre
hend the distribution (gratis) of medicines to all
who may apply for them ; and of medical atlen-
dance upon the sick poor at their own houses.
This is an object that can never be comprehended

294 • THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
as. a mere collateral branch of any other institu
tion. It is of itself a vast and mighty demand ;
and one that will absorb all the powers and
energies of a great charity established on its own
exclusive basis. In providing for the great bulk
of virtuous and industrious poor, the means of
restoration to those labours to which their families
trust for a scanty and precarious maintenance,
we enter upon tangible ground ; where vague
hypothesis, speculative contentemplations, and
the wandering fancies of dogmatists, find no room
for the exercise of their sophistries. Human and
palpable infirmity is the theme ; and the univer
sal sympathy of mankind is the engine. A bo
dily evil calls for our aid, and body assistance
only can relieve it. We must open our hearts
to charity ; not by the consolation of naked
words, but by the more substantial relief of a me
dical institution, founded with a direct object,
and conducted upon such principles, as the expe
rience of later, times has found to be most in
accordance with the efficiency of its operation,
and the extension of its utility, among the sick
poor. The present hospital is an incongruous

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 295
medley. It attempts too many objects to accom
plish any. It is at once a general hospital and
a poor-house ; a foundling hospital and an alms
house ; a lying-in hospital and an infirmary ; a
lock hospital and a lazaretto ; a house of recovery,
and a mad-house. And all this array under the
superintendence of two individuals. The medical
wants of forty thousand persons are not thus to
be provided for. The independent poor can never
be prevailed on to enter the threshold of a charity,
which is associated with all the ideas of parish
relief: and it is in the last degree impolitic to
abase and humiliate the feelings of the subordinate
classes of society, by depriving them of that self-
respect which inclines them to regard their own
independent, though humble sphere, with senti
ments of honorable pride and satisfaction.
Charity cannot be administered wkh too delicate
a hand, if it would preserve the virtue and inde
pendence of him whom it relieves. It should not
appear even as a gift : nor is it such : our wealth
is not our own ; it is a trust ; and we are account
able to God for its just administration. The
poor have a right on all natural as well as reli-
vol. i. 2 c

296 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
gious principles, to participate with us ; and to
be adequately provided for, in sickness and in
health. The fruits of the earth are scattered over
its surface by an all- bountiful Creator for the use
and enjoyment of all. Charity therefore is not
a virtue : it is a mere duty : its possession is no
honour ; although its absence is a crime.
For the poor of Jersey, science too has advan
ced in vain. The poor have increased ; and
sickness has increase in proportion : but the
means of relief have followed at an unequal pace.
Charities indeed abound ; but Jersey has com
mitted a great philosophical error : it has pro
claimed to the world that there are but two evils
under the sun, — hunger and vice. It is guilty
of the moral solecism, of forgetting disease that
leads to both the others, and to death, — the
greatest evil oT all. The blessings of the healing
art — with all the bright resources opened out by
modern scientific researches — have not yet been
extended to the Jersey poor. They have the
quack and the nurse ; they had the same a hun
dred years ago. If they look for further aid under
their infirmities, it must be to the isolated and

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 297
desultory efforts of the private members of our
profession. But the medical faculty should be
assisted by the rest of the community in its care
of the poor. The weight is at present unequally
divided. No class of men in the world make the
same sacrifices for the poor that are made by the
members of the medical and surgical professions.
The clergyman is occasionally found at the dying
bed : but every disease does not threaten life, or
alarm the conscience of the sick ; yet the physi
cian is everywhere to be seen exercising gratuir
tously his avocation ; both during the course of
mortal and of lingering diseases. I propose to
obviate, in part, this serious inconvenience ; not
by remuneration (we should all of us scorn it
from the poor), but by concentrating the diseased
to a focus, so as to economize the time, that is, the
wealth of the physician. The object that I here
propose, is not of equivocal advantage : nor does
it rest upon a conformity of opinion among men
of different parties. It addresses itself to the
common feelings of humanity. It begs not the
approbation of the judgment; — it demands, it
enforces it. I repeat then, that a loud and urgent

298 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
call is made upon the wise, the affluent, and the
.good, to unite together and conspire in extending,
far beyond their present scanty bounds, the ope
ration and resources of medical aid to the poor
of this island. A new institution roust be made
to rise up, — suited to the wants and kno'wledge of
the times. Everywhere else improvement is visible.
Legislators are beginning to contemplate a more
just adaptation of laws to the social anda .poli
tical condition of man. The church is diligently
at work, by its various disciples, spreading through
the world the influence of a more humane philo
sophy than that which prevailed in ages long
gone by. The world is in motion, reforming its
abuses, widening the sphere of its social enjoy
ments, and ameliorating the moral condition of
mankind ; by an extension of the arts, a promul
gation of the sciences, and an application of all
the physical properties of matter, and the intel
lectual energies of man, towards the supplying
of his natural wants ; and the lawful gratification
of those more refined luxuries, that spring up iu
society as it advances towards the perfection of
all its civil, its political ; its moral, and its reli-

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 299
gious institutions. Shall it then be said, that while
everywhere else, society is at work perfecting her in
stitutions, thebarometer, that measures the heights
and depths of the physical ills, is doomed, in this
island, to remain for ever fixed and motionless ?
Nova sunt semper. Nam qUod fuit ante, relictum est ;
Fitq tie quod haudfuerat : momentaquecunctanovantur,
Clarence Terrace, Jersey, 1834. M. S.
[NOTE ON CONSUMPTION.]
On a subject so deeply interesting as this ; and
in. which the results of my observation are as re
markable in themselves as they were unanticipated
by me, I should not have felt warranted in trust
ing to my own experience only. I have therefore
availed myself, on this matter of statistical en
quiry, of the information which I could collect
from other sources : and among these the follow
ing communication from a gentleman of great
accuracy of observation, and upon whose memory,
in the abaence of more authentic documents, con
siderable reliance may be placed, will be seen to
bear out the statement made in a foregoing page.
Le recteur de  presente ses complimens
a. Monsieur le Docteur  , et lui annonce
vol. 1. 2c*

veeks.

300 THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
qu'il a parcouru le registre des enterremens pour
quatre ans, et y a trouveV autant qu'il peut se rap-
peller, les noms de 28 personnes qui sont mortes
de la consomption durant ce tems la..
Cel Mars, 1834.
Now in the parish alluded to, the average num
ber of deaths is 40 per annum. This would give
us in four years, 160 deaths : of which the 28
were from consumption. But when we reflect that
this term is applied to all cases of atrophy, tabes,
and general wasting away of the body in the lat
ter stages of all diseases (and it is then chiefly
that the clergy see the sick) we cannot reckon
more than half of the alledged number to have
been cases of genuine tubercular phthisis. How
ever, counting them at 20, we have then the pro
portion of 1 out of 8 deaths, — which -is little
more than half the number that occurs both in
Great Britain, and every other part of Europe. M. St--.
END OF VOL. I.

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