DARTMOOR, extending about 28 miles from north to south and 26 miles from east to west, is, on the average, 1,200 feet above the sea-level, and rises to 2,000 feet in several of its highest peaks, called “tors,” being crags of grey granite, in fantastic shapes, on the crests of the brown moorland. The action of the disintegration of this granite is seen by heaps of loose stones, some of enormous size, lying scattered at the feet of the tors. On the moor are ranges of tors, while the aspect of the land about changes from peat bogs and patches of wild grass or fern, around the water springs, to slopes of gorse and heather where the rising ground is dry; in parts are large pieces of moist peat, not always safe to tread, with pools of water stained a deep brown, which are the sources of rivers and streams of North, South and West Devon: the Taw and the Ockment, a tributary of the Torridge, flow northward to the Bristol Channel; the reign and the Dart flow to the south-east, reaching the sea above and below Torbay; the Plym flowing to the east of Plymouth, and the Tavy descends to join the Tamar, on the border of Cornwall, issuing in Plymouth Sound. In general, the upper moorland, except where broken by the tors, has a dreary and forlorn appearance: there are no trees growing in the open parts; but Wistman’s Wood, a small portion of a once extensive forest, in the rocky ravine of the West Dart, is a natural curiosity, as the dwarf oaks, forcing themselves through boulders, have their twisted branches thickly clothed with moss and lichen: the North and South reign, on the eastern border of Dartmoor, present more beauty of scenery. Dartmoor is covered with Druidical and prehistoric remains of much interest, and primitive bridges of stone cross the several streams. Dartmoor convict prison, built in 1806, at a cost of £127,000, consists of an extensive series of buildings constructed principally of granite from the neighbouring moor: the outer wall incloses an area of about 30 acres; the prison itself comprises five rectangular buildings, each 300 feet long by 50 broad, and residences for the governor, deputy-governor and officers: the principal gateway is formed of huge granite blocks, bearing the carved inscription “Parcere Subjectis.” Considerable addition was made to the buildings by the convicts in 1874, and further extensions have since been made. Here is a first-class hotel, “The Duchy,” standing at a height of about 1,400 feet above the sea-level, the various tors and other places of interest being within easy distance; excellent trout and salmon fishing. Connected with the hotel is the Duchy House, a private hotel and boarding establishment. H.R.H, the Duke of Cornwall and York K.G. is the principal landowner. The soil is a light peaty; subsoil, granite. The chief crops are oats and turnips. This quarter of the moor contains 49,509 acres; the population in 1891 was about 1,900, exclusive of convicts in the prison, who numbered about 900.