Page:The Cornwall coast.djvu/21

 THE PLYMOUTH DISTRICT 15 ignored ; when we speak of a lost Lyonesse we are not dealing with absurdities. We must only be careful to date it far enough backward, or rather to leave it without date, which is a matter for the geologist rather than the historian to settle. It is an alluring vision on which we can linger without the sense of being actually unhistoric. We may even carry our thought further still, if we choose, and dream of some old Atlantis, now lying sub- merged in far greater depths beneath the waters of the ocean that perpetuates its name. It will be seen that the peculiar shape of Corn- wall has not been attained by chance, but has been the result of natural forces. In its appearance on a map there is a certain resemblance to Italy ; while some etymologists, taking this appearance as a guide, have imagined that the origin of its name may be found in its horn-like figure. No other British division — using the word "division" advisedly, for Cornwall is not strictly a county — has such an extent of coast-line. Its greatest direct length is 80 miles, but the broken nature of the shore increases this very considerably ; even at its juncture with Devon the Duchy is not more than 46 miles in breadth, and at its narrowest it is only six miles. Both the most western and the most southern points in England are to be found in Cornwall, at Land's End and the Lizard. The climate is delightfully equable, without extremes of heat or cold, but it is naturally humid, as Cornwall has to bear the first brunt of rain-storms that drive in from the Atlantic. To find a fitting point of departure for a pilgrim- age round these coasts we have to step into Devonshire. In some sense Plymouth is the gate- way of Cornwall, and a very appropriate gateway