M2 THE BRITISH ISLES. 



raised since the use of charcoal has been supcrscclcd by that of pit coal in the 

 smelting- and refining of iron. All the largo towns are near the coast, and the 

 central part very thinly peopled ; but with the exception of Hastings there is not 

 one which can boast of fine scenery, and most of them are commercially unim- 

 portant, owing to the coast being singularly deficient in good harbours. Even 

 Chichester, the Roman station in the country of the Kegni, and subsequently 

 the capital of the Southern Saxons, retains its importance chiefly on account 

 of its fine cathedral, the only one in England which has a nave with four aisles. 

 Goodwood Park and its famous racecourse are in the neighbourhood. 



Boanor was founded in 1786 by a London hatter, as a rival of Bath. Little- 

 hampton, at the mouth of the Arun, and Worthing, are smqll watering-places, 

 frequented chiefly on account of the mildness of their climate, the facility of access 

 from London, and the advantages which they afford for sea-bathing. The town 

 of Arundel is situated 4 miles up the river Arun. Its magnificent castle is the 

 baronial residence of the Duke of Norfolk, who has built a Roman Catholic Church, 

 at the enormous cost of £100,000, which far surpasses in size and splendour the 

 old parish church. Cisbury Hill, crowned by a British camp, lies to the north 

 of AVorthing, and within an easy walking distance is the village of Tarring, 

 famous for its fig gardens, said to have been planted in 1145, and producing 

 about 2,500 figs annually. New Shoreham, at the mouth of the Adur, which has 

 opened itself a passage through the downs a few miles to the north at Steyning 

 and Broniher, possesses a small tidal harbour, and carries on some coasting trade. 



Brighton, whose houses and terraces extend for 4 miles along the coast, from 

 Hove to Kemp Town, can neither boast of a beach presenting unusual facilities 

 to bathers, nor is its climate very mild, nor the scenery of the surrounding country 

 very attractive. It is indebted for its good fortune to the circumstance of 

 having been built under the same meridian as London, and on a part of the 

 south coast most readily accessible by rail. Brighton is, in fact, a mere suburb 

 of London. It has grown into a populous town through the favour extended to 

 it by the Londoners, and though having no other industries than its fisheries 

 and the entertainment of visitors, it numbers 100,000 inhabitants, or 150,000 

 during the season, being in this respect the equal of many important manu- 

 facturing or commercial towns. Hundreds of merchants whose places of business 

 are in London have chosen Brighton for their residence, and almost every morning 

 they travel up to their ofiices, and return thither in the afternoon. By degrees 

 Brighton has come to be looked upon as the queen of watering-places on the 

 south coast of England, and its fine museum, in the curious Pavilion which 

 George lY. erected as a marine residence, its unrivalled Aquarium, opened in 

 1872, schools, and other public institutions entitle it to rank amongst the foremost 

 towns of England. Brighton has two piers, which jut out into the sea for a 

 considerable distance. The town is supplied with excellent drinking water from 

 the chalk hills which bound it on the north. 



The old carriage road from London to Brighton runs through Letces, an 

 interesting town, at a gap in the South Downs, through which the Ouse finds its 



