exclusive privileges formerly granted to certain refugees from the Netherlands, who here established themselves, and introduced several manufactures, particularly that of cloth. Adjoining the old hall is a square tower, built by the corporation of the Trinity House, as a mark to guide ships passing or entering the port of Harwich, and on other parts of the coast are two martello towers and a signal station. The church of All Saints was erected and consecrated by Bishop Porteus about forty years ago, the ancient structure having a few years before been entirely swept away by the tides, as well as the churchyard, and every house but one of the old village. In the clay base of the Walton cliffs fossils and elephant tusks, with antideluvian remains of gigantic animals long since extinct, are frequently found embedded. presents a gradual declivity, affording excellent facilities for bathing, and as the ebb tide leaves a fine firm sand several miles in extent, it is also peculiarly available as a promenade.

The beach

The promontory at Walton, called the Naze or Ness, which juts northward into the ocean, formerly extended much farther into the sea, and the ruins of buildings have been discovered under the water at a considerable distance, particularly on a shoal called West Rocks, nearly five miles from the shore, which is left dry during great ebbs. The wall thrown up to keep out the sea gave name to Walton parish. In the church at Thorpe, the adjacent parish, between the pillars of the south aisle, is the figure of a knight cross-legged, apparently of the age of Henry III. or Edward I. On his left arm is a shield; his head rests upon a cushion, and his feet on a lion couchant; above is a shield of arms, said to be those of Salberghe. This figure is traditionally reported to

be a former owner of Landmer Hall, a manor in this parish. Between Walton and Harwich are several small islands formed by the sea: one of these, called Pewit Island, derives its name from the great number of pewits that harbour there.

Before leaving Walton, the visitor will find that, notwithstanding the inhabitants have, of late years, endeavoured to infuse a spirit of liveliness and gaiety into the amusements of the place, the intrinsic attractions are of a very circumscribed nature, and the libraries, the lodging-houses, and the hotels, are the only refuge against the attacks of dulness usually engendered by a solitary stroll in a quiet sea-port town. It is advisable, therefore, to take an early opportunity of making excursions in the neighbourhood, and a trip to Colchester is one of the most alluring, from its short distance.

Colchester, with which a constant communication is maintained by coach, is not more than seventeen miles distant from Walton, and the ruins of the old Castle, with the crumbling walls of the ancient Priory of St. Botolph, form a great attraction to lovers of antiquity. The railway also offers a speedy mode of transit hence to the metropolis, and thus the visitor can have his choice either of a land journey to Walton by the Eastern Counties, via Colchester, or take a pleasant voyage thither, by one of the Ipswich steam-boats, which generally call off Harwich and Walton-on-the-Naze to receive and disembark passengers. The postal arrangements are:-Letters delivered 7 30 a.m.; box closes 5 p.m. The air is generally very keen, but the climate is considered dry and bracing, and favourable to strong constitutions. The weekly market is well provided with the essentials to the table, and from the rapid strides made during the last ten years in improving and beautifying the town, erecting commodious

mansions, and administering in every possible way to the comforts and convenience of visitors, there is every reason to regard this as one likely to be the most popular destination of our eastern excursionists.

At the north-eastern extremity of the county, and on a point of land bounded on the east by the sea, and on the north by the estuaries of the Stour and Orwell, is situated Harwich, which, with many, is a favorite and admired place of summer residence. By the road it is seventy-two miles from London. The name is derived from the Saxon words here, an army, and wich, a castle or foundation, from which it has been supposed that a Saxon army was here stationed to prevent the descent of invaders. In the Saxon Chronicle occurs the earliest historical notice relating to this neighbourhood, where a battle is mentioned to have been fought at the mouth of the Stour, between the fleet of King Alfred and sixteen Danish ships in the year 885. The Danes were completely defeated, and every sail taken, but the English were soon afterwards worsted in a second engagement of a more formidable kind.

It was not until after the Conquest that Harwich attained any importance as a town. Its first considerable increase arose from the decay of Orwell, which is recorded to have stood on the West Rocks, and to have been overwhelmed by the action of the sea, together with a large tract of land adjoining. As we have previously mentioned in our account of Walton, these vestiges of a buried city are still said to be occasionally visible in certain localities, and, to paraphrase a well-known legendary verse, even here

On the West Rock banks as the fisherman strays,

In the clear cold eve's declining,

He sees the round towers of other days

In the waves beneath him shining.

But to continue our history of Harwich:-Here it was that, in 1326, Prince Edward, and Queen Isabel his mother, landed from Hainault with a force of 2,750 soldiers, and, being joined by several of the nobility, and headed by the Duke of Norfolk, then lord of the manor and resident in the town, proceeded to Bristol to make war against the king. In 1338 the same prince, then Edward III., embarked from this port with a fleet of 500 sail on his first expedition against France, and in the year following the French made an unsuccessful attempt to retaliate by setting fire to the town with eleven galleys. In 1340 the French navy, consisting of 400 ships, having been stationed at Sluys in Flanders, to intercept the king's passage to France, Edward assembled here his naval forces, and sailing on Midsummer eve, encountered and vanquished the enemy in a closely-contested engagement, which resulted in the capture of 30,000 of their men and the destruction of one-half of their ships. In some of the naval engagements between the English and the Dutch, in the reign of Charles II., the contending parties approached so near to the town as to render their marine manœuvres visible to spectators on the cliffs.

In 1543 Henry VIII. visited Harwich, and in 1558 preparations were made there for the reception of Philip King of Spain, on his arrival to celebrate his nuptials with Mary Queen of England. In 1561 Queen Elizabeth was magnificently entertained here by the corporation, who escorted her as far as the windmill on her return. When Harwich was fortified against the Dutch, in 1666, Charles II., having proceeded from Newmarket to Landguard Fort, sailed hither in his yacht, accompanied by the Dukes of York, Monmouth,

Richmond, and Buckingham, and, with others of his suite, attended divine service at the parish church; in the evening the whole party embarked for Aldborough, whence they proceeded by land to Ipswich. William III., George I., and George II., visited Harwich on their respective tours to the Continent, and the Princess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz landed at this port on her arrival in England to celebrate her nuptials with King George III. On the 16th of August, 1821, the remains of Queen Caroline, consort of George IV., were brought to this place, whence they were conveyed by the Glasgow frigate to be interred at Brunswick; and since that period there has been nothing of interest to record in relation to Harwich.

The foundations of the castle and fortifications, by which the town was defended, were seen previously to the encroachments of the sea, at an extraordinary ebb of the tide in 1784, but of its ancient walls and gates, with the exception of a very small portion, serving to indicate their former strength, the memorial is preserved only in the record of the tolls levied in the reign of Edward III. for their repair.

The hot and cold baths, arranged with a view to provide the bather with every accommodation, are filled from a large reservoir of sea-water, by which means it is supplied in a purer condition than at most places. On the east the harbour is protected by the isthmus on which the town is built, verging towards the north, and on the west by a similar projection of the coast towards the south. The buildings in the most ancient part of the town are perhaps more picturesque than convenient, but latterly some handsome terraces have sprung up, that render luxurious and elegant apartments by no means difficult of attainment.