IIAIM'.OCIIS AND I.ICIITIlorSKS. 



problem of the preservation of the haven be even yet 

 satisfactorily solved. 



Along the eastern coast of England the early harbours 

 were few and bad. Thoresby relates that in his time 

 (1G82) Whitby, in Yorkshire, possessed a harbour formed 

 hy a rough quay projecting at the mouth of the river; 

 hut he adds that there was no other haven for ships 

 hot ween that place and Yarmouth, in Norfolk. The 

 last-mentioned port has, like Dover, been the subject of 

 much unavailing engineering in early times, arising from 

 the peculiar difficulties of its situation. It stands on the 

 hanks of the rivers Yare and Burr, from the former 

 of which it received its name. It was always liable to 

 be silted up by the sands which abound along shore. 

 Nevertheless it continued to maintain a trade, and down 

 to Henry VIII.'s reign, and even later, it was regarded 

 as the most important maritime town on the east coast. 

 But the channels leading to it were so liable to become 

 choked up, that its prosperity was very irregular, and 

 sometimes its navigation was all but lost. The Yarmouth 

 people were reduced to even greater straits than ordinary 

 in the reign of Elizabeth, on which they adopted the 

 then usual expedient of sending abroad for an engineer 

 of reputation to recover their navigation, and Joyse 

 Johnson, a celebrated man in his day, came over from 

 Holland to direct the works. He caused a strong pier 

 of piles to be formed, which had the effect of directing 

 the current in such a manner, in a north-easterly direc- 

 tion, as to uive relief for a time; though the difficulty 

 was by no means surmounted, for we still find the in- 

 habitants fighting against the sea-banks which hemmed 

 them in, all through the reigns of James and Charles, 

 and through the time of the Commonwealth ; until 

 eventually a south pier was formed, the continuation 

 of which, in a fine curve, was carried up the river, 

 and formed an extensive wharf, affording considerable 

 accommodation and serurity for shipping. The original 



