214 THE BRITISH ISLES. 



have now declined. The fisheriet^, however, still yield a considerable revenue, 

 notwithstanding that Yarmouth is no longer the centre of the herring trade, 

 havino- in a largo measure been supplanted by Peterhead and otlier Scotch towns. 



ToPOGHAPHY. 



Suffolk, the country of the "South Folk," is bounded on the south by the 

 Stour, which separates it from Essex, and on the north by the Waveney, which 

 divides it from JS'orfolk, and extends from the German Ocean in the east to the 

 lowlands of Cambridgeshire in the west. Its principal rivers flow to the German 

 Ocean, but the western portion of the county is drained by the Lark, which is 

 tributary to the Ouse. 



Hare rh ill and Clare are small market towns in the upper valley of the 

 Stour. Both engage in silk and coir weaving, and Clare possesses, moreover, the 

 ruins of an ancient Norman stronghold, and of a priory of Augustine friars founded 

 in 1248 by one of the Earls of Clare. At Sadhnrij the Stour becomes navigable 

 for baro-es. This town was one of the first in which Flemish weavers established 

 themselves, and the manufacture of silk and crape still gives employment to many 

 of its inhabitants. Thomas Gainsborough, the artist, was born here. Hadkirjh, on 

 the Brett, an affluent of the Stour, was one of the ancient centres of the woollen 

 trade, and the neighbouring villages of Kersey and Lindsey are supposed to have 

 given their names to certain well-known fabrics. 



Ipswieh, the capital town of the county, stands at the head of the estuary of 

 the Orwell, and its docks are accessible to vessels drawing 15 feet of water. It 

 is a picturesque place, with fourteen churches and several interesting old buildings. 

 It was distinguished at one time for its linen trade, and is still a busy place, 

 with famous works for the manufacture of agricultural implements and other 

 industrial establishments. Its coasting trade is very considerable. Stoivmarket 

 is a thriving town near the head of the Gipping, which enters the estuary of the 

 Orwell. It has a gun-cotton factory. 



Woodbridge, at the head of the estuary of the Deben, occupies a position analogous 

 to that of Ipswich, but is a place of very inferior importance, though enjoying 

 a great reputation amongst horse-breeders. Travelling northward along the coast, 

 we pass Orford, with the remains of a famous old castle, on the estuary of the Aide, 

 at the back of Orford Ness; Aldeburg/i, or Aldhorough, a small seaport and fishing 

 station, the birthplace of Crabbe, the poet; Dunwich, a place of importance 

 formerly, but now merely a small watering-place ; and Souf/iicold, noted for its 

 mild climate. In Southwold or Sole Bay was fought in 1672 a great naval battle 

 between the allied English and French fleets and the Dutch. 



Lo ires f oft is picturesquely seated upon an eminence to the north of the canal 

 which joins Lake Lothing and the Waveney to the sea. It is a curious old place, 

 with narrow streets, or '-scores," and gardens sloping down to the "Denes," a 

 deserted tract of shingle intervening between the cliffs and the sea. New 

 Lowestoft, one of the most cheerful watering-places of England, lies to the south 



