50 



London by land instead of by sea " — hence he concludes the 

 merchandise had hitherto been sent through the Northmouth. 

 Next he quotes the bounds of the Liberty of Cinque Ports in 

 1267. Next he quotes the Act of Parliament in the year 1487, 

 which permitted the erection of Sarre bridge, stipulating that 

 "it must be of such a length and height that boates and lighters 

 may pass to and from at any time hereafter when the water shall 

 happen to increase, and be sufficient." Mr. Scott Robertson 

 hence concludes that about 1460 the Wantsum was tolerably 

 navigable. 



With regard to Stow, if Sandwich were the chief port of the 

 South-East of England in his time, merchandise may have been 

 re-shipped to London round Thanet the same way as the barges 

 now do. The bounds of the Liberty cf Sandwich prove nothing 

 as to the exact state of the river at that time. The Act of 

 Parliament of 1485 about Sarre bridge has just those provisions 

 which the Commissioners of Sewers now insist on in reference 

 to bridges, which always provide a great excess of water-ways 

 beyond the present requirements. 



But against all this we have the very important negative 

 evidence that we find no record since the Saxon time of the use 

 of this Northmouth to the Sandwich navigation ; though the 

 records of Sandwich, which have been collected by Mr. Boys 

 from the earliest times, and embrace a vast amount of informa- 

 tion touching all that relates to the navigation, are quite silent 

 on this head. 



