In sailing into Plymouth take care of the Shovel and Tinker rocks;
on the former is sixteen, on the latter seventeen feet.
The mark to sail in clear of them, is to keep Plymouth old church just open to the west of the citadel wall. Sail in with this mark till you bring Withy hedge right up and down, and Drake’s island N.W. or open Mount Edgecombe,
when you may anchor in six and seven fathom, coarse sand.
If bound for Hamoaze, take care of the Winter Rock (on which there is a beacon) that lies between Drake’s Island and the main.
Go between the rock and east part of the island, and give the island a good birth [sic]. To clear the German Rock, which lies about two-
Plymouth is two parishes called the .old town and the new, the houses all built of this marble and the slatt [slate] at the top look like lead and glisters ip the sun; there are no great houses in the town; the streetes are good and clean, there is a great many tho’ some are but narrow; they are mostly inhabited by seamen and those which have affaires on the sea, for here up to the town there is a depth of water for shipps of the first rate to ride; its great sea and dangerous
by reason of the severall points of land between which the sea runs up a great way, and there are severall little islands alsoe, all which beares the tydes hard one against the other; there are two keyes the one is a broad space which leads you up into the broad streete and is used in manner of an exchange for the merchants meeteing, for in this street alsoe is a fine cross and alsoe a long Market House set on stone pillars; there are several good conduits to carry the water to the town, which conveyance the famous Sir Francis Drake ( which did encompass the world in Queen Elizabeths days and landed safe at Plymouth) he gave this to the town; there are two churches in the town but nothing fine; I was in the best and saw only King Charles the First Picture at length at prayer just as its cut on the frontispiece of the Irenicum, this picture was drawn and given the Church when lie was in his troubles for some piece of service shown him; the altar •.lands in the Chancell or railed place, but it stands table wise the length and not up against the wall; the font was of marble; there are .( large Meetings of the Descenters in the town takeing in the Quakers and Anabaptists.