Romantic beauty

Things to Consider           Teacher's Notes

The air of this place is in general very sharp, and does not agree, consequently, with every constitution; but in point of romantic beauty and picturesque finery, Torquay, and its environs, are rarely to be surpassed ; and to a lover of simple nature, who can dispense with crowded assemblies, gaming-tables, and …luxurious refinements, will afford a most agreeable sejour, during the summer months. The invalid, also, may rest assured of finding the lodgings and accommodations good, for a place yet in an infant state the people are remarkably civil... The bathing-place is at a little distance from the village, on a soft, secluded, and sheltered beach, but it furnishes only one machine at present. Torquay, before the war, as well as other sea-ports on this coast, was concerned in the Newfoundland trade, which is again reviving with the return of peace.

This is an extract from Description of Watering Places in South East Devon written by W Hyett in1803

Glossary:

• dispense with: do without
• sejour: break
• yet in an infant state: small and under development
• civil: polite