W. Stewart Rose.

In the Engraving of Brixham Quay, from a painting by Edward Duncan, the view is taken from the eastward. To the right, from the end of the pier, several of the larger class of fishing vessels belonging to the place are perceived lying aground; while, further in the harbour, a merchant brig is seen discharging her cargo. In the foreground, to the left, the attention of a group appears to be engaged by a small ship which a young fisherman holds in his hands.

Brixham lies about a mile and a half to the westward of Berry Head, the southern extremity of Torbay, in the county of Devon, and is about twenty-eight miles south of Exeter, and one hundred and ninety-eight west-south-west of London. As a fishing town, Brixham is one of the most considerable in the kingdom. The total number of fishing vessels belonging to the place is nearly two hundred, of which, about one hundred and ten are from thirty to forty tons burden, and the rest from six to eighteen tons. Besides these, there are several yawls and smaller boats which are employed in the fishery near the shore. For years past about seventy of the larger class of fishing vessels have been accustomed to proceed to Ramsgate, for the purpose of catching fish in the North Sea for the supply of the London market. They usually leave Brixham in November and December, and return again towards the latter end of June. The Brixham fishermen send a great quantity of fish to the Exeter, Bath, Plymouth, and Bristol markets. The principal fish which they take are cod, ling, conger-eels, turbot, whitings, hake, soles, skate and plaice, with herring and mackerel in the season. A quantity of whitings are generally salted and dried at Brixham. On the coast of Devonshire dried whitings are called "buckhorn," a name sufficiently expressive of their hardness and insipidity. Besides the vessels employed in the fishery, there are ships belonging to Brixham which are chiefly engaged in the West India, Mediterranean, and coasting trades. A weekly market, with a market-house at the water-side, was established here in 1799, and in 1804 a stone pier of great strength was erected at the expense of the nation. The population of the place is about 5,000. One of the most memorable events in its history is the landing there of William Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., on the 5th of November, 1688. The view of Torbay, from the cliffs above the town, is in the highest degree interesting, especially when enlivened, as it frequently is, by a fleet of fishing-boats dotting its placid waters, and stretching far into the British Channel.

At an early period the manor of Brixham was held by the Nevants and the Valletorts; but after divers ownerships it was divided into twelve quarters, one of which was purchased by twelve fishermen of Brixham Quay, and divided into as many shares; some of these have been much farther subdivided, yet their owners, be their shares ever so small, have the local denomination of Quay Lords.

Brixham Church Town is about a mile distant from the quay. The church is a spacious structure of the date of the fourteenth century, with an embattled tower, and the peculiarities of the architecture of that period. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and contains several monuments of considerable antiquity, the inspection of which will repay the antiquarian for the visit.

Torquay, one of the most fashionable watering-places on the Devonshire coast, is situated on the opposite side of Torbay, at a distance of about five miles by water; but if the journey be made by land, the curve of the bay extends it upwards of nine. It is sheltered from the north winds by the promontory of Hope's Nose, and a range of lofty hills which form its northern boundary. It is rapidly increasing in extent, and is spoken of in terms of the highest admiration by most of the visitors. The houses are chiefly built of a kind of marble found in the vicinity, and are so scattered among the hills and dales as to command delightful views of the surrounding country. On the coast the rock scenery is truly magnificent, and from the heights the eye ranges over a wide extent of cultivated land, abounding in every variety of nature, and terminated by the distant outline of the mountain tops.