Page:Transactions of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, volume 2.djvu/72

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greater part of the county is also to the southward of all the other parts of England, except part of Devonshire; and the district of the Landsend is in a considerably lower latitude than the most southern part of Devon.

The extreme length of Cornwall is about seventy eight miles. Its breadth, at its junction with Devon, is somewhat more than forty, and it gradually decreases in extent to its western extremity. At the distance of, one-third of its length from Devon, it is eighteen miles; at two-thirds, it is only thirteen; and on the shores of the Mounts-Bay, within twelve miles of the Landsend, it is in one place only five miles broad. The mean breadth of the county is about twenty miles. The Hundred of Penwith, or District of the Landsend, comprises the western extremity of the county from sea to sea. It extends about fifteen miles from the Landsend on the southern, and nearly double that distance on the northern shore, its mean length being about twenty five, and its mean breadth about seven miles. It contains 90,957 statute acres, or about 142 square English miles. The promontory of the Landsend lies in north latitude 50° 4′, and west longitude 5° 41′. It is exactly 300 miles from London by the mail roads.

The whole of Cornwall constitutes a low mountainous chain, considerably elevated, even on its coasts, above the surrounding sea. In stretching westward, this chain gradually decreases in altitude as well as breadth; yet, even at its extremity, it still preserves its hilly character, and overlooks the ocean with lofty and precipitous shores. The mean