Page:The Cornwall coast.djvu/256

 250 THE CORNWALL COAST really did destroy its one-time harbour. A number of skeletons of prehistoric date were dis- covered when cutting for the railway to St. Ives, proving the early occupation of these coasts. Norden, writing more than three centuries since, says that Lelant was " some ty me a haven towne, but now of late decayed by reason of the sande which has choaked the harbour and buried much of the landes and houses ; many devises they use to prevent the absorption of the churche." But the cultivation of the sand-rush, arundo arenaria, has done what the other " devises " failed to do ; and the rushy towans have now provided an ideal golf-course, which prospers though the little town is somnolent. It is here that St. Ives visitors do most of their golfing, and the ground is described as " a natural seaside course, with charming views in all directions. The holes are rather short and tricky, and put a premium on local knowledge. Last, but not least, Lelant can boast a climate absolutely ideal for golf in winter." Lelant Church is interesting, but has lost its fine old bench-ends and screen. It is connected with the memory of a former vicar. Parson Polkinghorne, who was a renowned ghost-layer, a redoubtable fox-hunter, and a skilled hurler. His exorcising formula is said to have commenced with the words " in Nommy Dommy," and we are told it was in Latin throughout — as we may believe from this speci- men. But the days of the exorcist are over now — there are no ghosts to lay, or only such as will not be laid. There is a ferry at Lelant, taking the traveller across the Hayle creek to sandy Phillack, one of the mother-parishes of Hayle. This is the narrowest section of the Cornish peninsula, and from Hayle