Dittisham was also noted for its cockles and shrimps.  The river here widened until it assumed the appearance of a lake about two miles wide, and the steamboat which plied between Totnes and Dartmouth landed passengers at Dittisham.  As it lay about half way between the two places, it formed a favourite resort for visitors coming either way, and tea and cockles or tea and shrimps or, at the right time, tea and damsons—­might be obtained at almost any of the pleasant little cottages which bordered the river.  These luxuries could be combined with a walk through lovely scenery or a climb up the Fire Beacon Hill, about 600 feet above sea-level; or rowing-boats could be had if required, and we were informed that many visitors stayed about there in the season.

Across the river were several notable places:  Sandbridge to the left and Greenway to the right.  At Sandbridge was born the famous navigator John Davis, who was the first to explore the Arctic regions.  On June 7th, 1575, he left Dartmouth with two small barques—­the Sunshine, 50 tons, carrying 23 men, and the Moonshine, 35 tons, and 19 men—­and after many difficulties reached a passage between Greenland and North America, which was so narrowed between the ice that it was named Davis’ Straits.  He made other voyages to the Arctic regions, and was said to have discovered Hudson’s Straits.  Afterwards he sailed several times to the East Indies; but whilst returning from one of these expeditions was killed on December 27th, 1605, in a fight with some Malay pirates on the coast of Malacca.

Greenway House, on the other hand, was at one time the residence of those two remarkable half-brothers Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh, and it was there that Sir Walter planted the first potato ever grown in England, which he had brought from abroad.  As he was the first to introduce tobacco, it was probably at Greenway that his servant coming in with a jug of beer, and seeing his master as he thought burning, threw it in his face—­“to put his master out,” as he afterwards explained.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert appeared to have been a missionary as well as an explorer, for it was recorded that he “set out to discover the remote countries of America and to bring off those savages from their diabolical superstitions to the embracing of the Gospel,” which would probably account for his having a Bible in his hand when he went down with his ship—­an event which in later years was immortalised by Longfellow: 

Eastward from Campobello
Sir Humphrey Gilbert sailed;
Three days or more seaward he bore. 
Then, alas! the land wind failed.

* * * * *

He sat upon the deck,
The Book was in his hand;
“Do not fear, Heaven is as near,”
He said, “by water as by land!”