Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/137



one who has paid a visit to Weymouth is familiar with the Nothe, an elevated promontory that juts out a considerable distance to the eastward, forming the southern boundary of the harbour. It is a favourite walk; and great numbers of persons climb on a summer's afternoon the steep steps that lead up to its grassy summit, whence they turn, and cast a glance at the busy shipyard and the narrow harbour lying beneath their feet, and, beyond the pier, at the crowded esplanade receding in its sweeping curve till it is lost in the distant shore. The long and lofty barrier of this headland affords a most valuable shelter from the violence of the south and west winds, completely protecting the harbour in this quarter; and the benefit thus gained is often sensibly appreciated when, from the quiet calm below, we mount the ridge, and suddenly encounter the force of a breeze that is curling the waters of the Bay, and covering the dark green space between us and Portland with broad sheets of driving foam. The extremity of the promontory is occupied by the premises of the Coast-Guard,