The town of Exmouth, as its name imports, is situated at the mouth of the Ex, one of the largest rivers in Devonshire, which, rising in Exmoor, in Somersetshire, flows past Tiverton, Exeter, and Topsham, and after a course of about seventy miles discharges itself into the sea. It lies on the left bank of the river, and is about eleven miles to the south-eastward of Exeter, and one hundred and sixty-eight from London. It is sheltered from the north-east and south-east winds; and the temperature of the air is mild and highly favourable to invalids. As the bathing-machines are placed within the bar, which breaks the violence of the sea, visiters are thus enabled to bathe in safety at all times. There are also excellent warm sea-water baths in the town for such as require them. There is a convenient market-place at Exmouth; and a new church was erected by Lord Rolle in 1825. Exmouth and Littleham constitute a united parish, the population of which is about 3,400. In 1814, the late Admiral Sir Edward Pellew was created a peer, with the title of Baron Exmouth; and in 1816, after his expedition to Algiers, he was further advanced to the rank of Viscount.

In the reign of King John, Exmouth appears to have been a port of some consequence; and in 1347 it furnished ten ships and one hundred and ninety-three mariners to the grand fleet assembled by Edward III. for his expedition against France. In the reign of Henry VIII., Leland calls it "a fisschar tounlet," in which state it appears to have continued till about the middle of the last century, when it began to increase, in consequence of the number of persons visiting it for the sake of sea-bathing. It is said that Exmouth first came into repute as a watering-place from one of the judges of assize going there to bathe, and returning with his health very much improved. The following account of the place, and of the manner in which the visiters passed their time about sixty years ago, is from a letter published in Polwhele's History of Devon:—"The village is a very pretty one, and composed, for the most part, of cot-houses, neat and clean, and consisting of four or five rooms, which are generally let at a guinea a week. We have from some of the houses, when the tide is in, a beautiful view of the river, which, united with the sea, forms a fine sheet of water before our doors of large extent. Lord Courtenay's and Lord Lisburne's grounds, rising in inequalities on the other shore, complete the perspective. This is the most gay part of the village; but then its brilliancy is only temporary—for, the tide returned, instead of a fine sheet of water, we are presented with a bed of mud, whose perfumes are not equal to those of a bed of roses.... Exmouth boasts no public rooms or assemblies, save one card assembly, in an inconvenient apartment at one of the inns, on Monday evenings. The company meet at half after five, and break up at ten; they play at shilling whist, or twopenny quadrille. We have very few young people here, and no diversions; no belles dames amusing to the unmarried, but some beldames unamusing to the married. Walking on a hill which commands a view of the ocean, and bathing, with a visit or two, serve to pass away the morning, and tea-drinking in the evening."

From the preceding account it would appear that Exmouth, "sixty years since," was but a dull place, even at the height of the season, and more likely to induce lowness of spirits than to prove a remedy for care, "the busy man's disease;" for what temperament, however mercurial, could bear up against the daily round of tea-parties—where silence was only broken by the "beldame's" scandal—diversified once a week with shilling whist or twopenny quadrille? Since the period when the above-quoted letter was written, Exmouth has been greatly improved, and many large houses have been built for the accommodation of visiters. But since the cot-houses have been elevated to handsome three-storied dwellings, it is only fair to add that the rate of lodgings has also been raised in the same proportion; "five or six rooms, neat and clean," are no longer to be obtained at a guinea a week. There is now a commodious assembly-room in the town, where the young and the fair—who are not so scarce at Exmouth as they appear to have been sixty years ago—occasionally meet to enjoy the amusement of dancing; while the more elderly have still the opportunity of cheating time at "shilling whist or twopenny quadrille." There are also several billiard and reading-rooms, which are places pleasant enough to while away an hour or two in when it rains; and the monotony of the morning walk on the hill, and the dulness of the evening tea-drinking, are now frequently diversified with excursions by water to Powderham Castle, Dawlish, Topsham, and places adjacent.