The place is marked
by a stone inserted among the granite sets, bearing the inscription
"_Mayflower_ 1620."
The Pilgrim Fathers had started from Delfshaven, in Holland, in July,
and after coming to Southampton, started their voyage in the _Mayflower_
and _Speedwell_. The _Speedwell_, however, proved unseaworthy, and both
ships were obliged to put into Dartmouth, where the _Speedwell_
underwent repairs. When they started again, however, it became evident
that the _Speedwell_ would not be able to stand the long Atlantic
voyage, so once more the Puritans put back to the shelter of a
port--this time Plymouth--and there abandoned the _Speedwell_. On 6th
September 1620 (old style) they finally started, having reduced their
numbers to 101 persons--48 men, the rest women and children.
After sailing for sixty days they reached the coast of America, but it
was a portion of the coast not covered by the charter of the Company,
whose assistance they had sought; they thereupon declared their
intention to "plant this colony for the glory of God and the advancement
of the Christian Faith." The spot where they landed they named Plymouth
Rock.
Plymouth Hoe, with a magnificent view down Plymouth Sound and its
associations with Drake's game of bowls during the approach of the
Spanish Armada, is one of the chief glories of Plymouth. The view
includes Mount Edgcumbe Castle, the breakwater built across the mouth of
the harbour and Drake's Island. The Hamoaze--the estuary of the
Tamar--is always full of the activity of England's great naval port.
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