*

A TOUR IN THE ISLAND OF JERSEY.

(_Concluded from page 262_.)

A view of the western side of Jersey, is calculated to impress a stranger
with an idea that it is a barren, unproductive island; but no supposition
could be more erroneous, as, in fact, a great proportion of it may
be described as orchard. The extent of ground planted, with fruit
trees--apple, pear, and plumb is prodigious; and consequently cider--and
very excellent cider too--is one of the staple products of the country, and
a favourite beverage among the natives. At the Union Hotel, St. Helier,
boarders were allowed to quaff as much as they had a liking for, without
being subjected to any additional charge.

About three miles inland from St. Helier, is a singular structure named
Prince's Tower, erected on an artificial mound or tumulus, and embowered
in a grove of fine trees. The extensive prospect it commanded, and the
indubitable antiquity of the masonry, induced me to apply for permission to
ascend it; and I was rewarded with a bird's eye view of nearly the whole
island, and a vast sweep of the French coast extending almost from Cape de
la Hogue to Avranches. An Englishman had lately taken up his abode in the
tower, which, with the adjacent pleasure ground, he rented at forty pounds
a-year. His object was to render it a place of resort to the inhabitants of
St. Helier, and his advertisements promised that the "delightful emotions
excited by its unrivalled scenery, and the harmonious chat of the feathered
tribe, should not be counteracted by the comfortless sensations of hunger,
thirst, and weariness." The interior of the tower was neatly and
appropriately fitted up. One apartment was designated the chapel; and in
the highest room were several telescopes, mounted so as to traverse to any
point of the compass, for the gratification of visitors.

But it is the traditionary history of Prince's Tower that renders it
interesting in the eyes of the islanders. In former times it was known by
the name of La Hogue-Bye, and the following legend, quoted from _Le Livre
noir de Coutances_, gives the origin of its celebrity:--In remote times,
a moor or fen in this part of Jersey, was the retreat of a monstrous
serpent or dragon, which spread terror and devastation throughout the
island. At length a valorous Norman, the Seigneur de Hambye, undertook to
attempt its destruction, which, after a terrible conflict, he accomplished.
He was accompanied in this ad