428 NORFOLK BOTANY. [February, 



From the castle, and from its terraces, complete views of the 

 ancient city of Norwich are obtainable. 



Norwich is the city of churches, and in this respect it is like 

 Bristol ; and one of these, St. Peter's church, is about the finest 

 in England, except St. Mary RedclifFe, of the western metro- 

 polis. 



The situation of this modern capital of East Anglia is almost, 

 if not quite superb. The cathedral is nearly central, between the 

 two rivers, for there is a river on each side of the ancient city ; but 

 it is probable that the early inhabitants soon found the place too 

 small for them, and the buildings gradually crept up the hanging 

 slopes — for Norwich is surrounded by eminences — and as her 

 hills are well wooded, at a distance the city appears sheltered 

 by woods or by a series of groves. 



Our business was rather with the country and its productions 

 than with the civil and ecclesiastical edifices of this county, or 

 even with the picturesque ; but in going to St. Faith's, for we 

 Avere bound thither, we stepped into one of the principal houses 

 in the book-trade to ask our way, and to purchase a small hand- 

 book of the city. We were courteously told the way, and be- 

 sides, were conducted to the castle by one of the lads of the es- 

 tablishment, whose antiquarian information would be creditable 

 in a professed cicerone. 



We M^ere directed to go by St. Augustine's gate to the 

 Aylsham Road, and on our way remarked that the remains of 

 bygone ages were fast disappearing, being replaced by more com- 

 modious dwellings, and other marks of sanitary improvement. 



Ancient names remain, and these alone are the memorials of a 

 past period. 



What a number of ideas connected with the religious condi- 

 tion of the kingdom is associated with the venerable name of 

 the Apostle of England, or the still more eminent name, though 

 not so dear to Englishmen, the pious, zealous, and learned Bishop 

 of Hippo, the greatest man of the Western Church. 



But if indulgence were given to these reflections of an anti- 

 quarian and ecclesiastical nature, our paper would be full ere we 

 reached the description of what we saw when we arrived at St. 

 Faith's. 



The geographical relations of this place presented formidable 

 difficulties to us, who were utter strangers in these parts. In 



