The celebrity which Miss Dennis had now acquired, brought her acquainted with the Rev. Mr. Hitchins, the learned vicar of St. Hilary, with the Editor of this work, and with several others, more or less scholars, from all of whom she received the praises due to her superior talents, and such instruction or assistance as they could afford, by lending books, or by indicating the most approved methods of proceeding; and with such slender help her progress was so great and almost unexampled, that not only were all the Roman authors soon read, but the Greek writers followed in a rapid succession, till Æschylus and Pindar became her familiar acquaintance.
About this time Miss Dennis was induced to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Wedgewood from Penzance, chiefly as a friend and a visitor, but partly also, in return for their civilities and kindness, to overlook the progress of their son; but her health began to fail, her only sister fell into a consumption, she returned to nurse her, and died of the same most pitiable complaint.
Nothing of her poetry has been given to the public; nor would it now be fair to print a few trifles. Miss Dennis proved herself adequate to the composition of any work in prose, by publishing in 1806, at Mr. Johnson’s in St. Paul’s Churchyard, “Sophia St. Clare,” in name indeed a novel, but far superior in style of writing and in correctness of sentiment, to the fictions of the day. From the want of incident, however, similar to those which are characterized in the drama by producing stage effect, the work failed of becoming popular.
This parish, after Trereen Dinas, is distinguished by the possession of Tol-Peder-Penwith, about a mile westward from the church, the approach to which lies under romantic cliffs, and crosses a short deep vale, where boats are sheltered in a small cove apparently inaccessible to human art or daring. At the very extremity of the point an excavation has been made by the sea, of some portion less compacted than the remainder of the rock, probably of a lode, which opens to the surface in the form of an inverted cone. This place is very dangerous of access, on account of the steep descent covered by a slippery turf; but strangers are tempted to risk their lives in approaching the abyss, by the dashing of the waves within it, and by the tremendous roar of the sea. Two gentlemen from London were induced to enter the cavern leading from the sea, and were surrounded by the tide. One, who excelled in swimming, fortunately got out and communicated the perilous situation of his companion to a neighbouring farmer, who hastened with assistance and with ropes to the spot, and succeeded in lifting him to the surface through the cone. Nor must the circumstance be omitted, that, although the stranger was possessed of a very large fortune, he could not prevail on his rescuer to accept of the least pecuniary reward for preserving the life of a fellow-creature.