CORNWALL LAND'S END, the Bolerium of classic writers, the Penwith of the Celts, is the most western point of England, though to the eye of the visitor it does not at first convey the ex- pected impression. Yet the scene grows on one, and leaves memories not likely to be effaced. It is often said that the Scillies are within sight of this headland, hut many visits may be paid without obtaining a sight of the islands ; only on the clearest days are they visible. The Longships and the Wolf lighthouses are in full view, together with the many scattered rocks that render this coast so deadly perilous. The name Penwith has been differently interpreted, but the Rev. Baring-Gould explains it as meaning " headland of blood," and says that it refers to the Irish invasion of the fifth century, when so many saints arrived and imprinted their names on Western Cornwall — an invasion which, saintly as it was, was not accomplished without bloodshed. This explanation of the name, however, is hardly satisfactory ; very likely the name Penwith is still more ancient. The bloodshed might refer to the final struggle between Celts and Ivernians ; or, perhaps, Penwith simply means "chief headland". The " last house in England " was formerly a little cottage, still standing, but that distinction is now usurped by the commodious Land's End Hotel, at which the conveyances deposit their travellers. The point is a mass of the granite which again breaks out, at 9 leagues distance, to form the Scilly Isles. Below the extreme 148
