332 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
there is a view of it, taken in 1781, which still represents a consider- 
able space as intervening between the north wall of the churchyard 
and the cliff. Some time before the year 1780, the waves had reached 
the site of the ancient Eoman camp, or fortification, the walls of 
which had continued for several years after they were undermined to 
overhang the sea, being firmly cemented into one mass. They were 
eighty yards nearer the sea than the church, and they are spoken of 
in the ' Topographia Britannica,' in the year 1780, as having recently- 
fallen down. In 180i, part of the churchyard with some adjoining 
houses was washed away, and the ancient church, with its two lofty- 
spires, a well-known landmark, was dismantled and abandoned as a 
place of worship. It is still standing (1831), but would probably 
have been annihilated ere this, had not the force of the waves been 
checked by an artificial causeway of stones and large wooden piles 
driven into the sands to break the force of the waves." 
Let us see how matters now are, in 18G2, some twenty-eight years 
after Sir Charles visited it. The towers of the old church still stand 
as represented in the picture in Sir 
Charles's book, but a large portion of 
the clifi: in front, fully two-thirds, has 
fallen down, that especially including 
the hedges ; and the burying-ground 
is now exposed in a line parallel to 
the front of the church. Besides the 
groins and the artificial causeway of 
stones, to protect this part of the 
^. ^ ^ coast, there is an artificial embank- 
Fig. l.-\iew of Reculver, 1848. ^^^^ ^^jj^ extending to the west 
of the church. I compared the accompanying reduced copy of a wood- 
cut, made in 1818, of " Reculver, as it is,'' with the ruins, on the spot. 
It is very correct as to the towers and remains of walls, with the bea- 
cons on the former. But the stone fence there represented is wholly- 
gone. So that the chief alteration round Eeculver is the loss of a 
considerable portion of the clifi* in front of the church, and the dis- 
appearance of the low wall which surrounded the northern aspect of 
the latter. The wear and tear of the cliff* to the westward, no doubt, 
has been considerable during the last thirty years, and it appears to 
be gradually stealing upon the contiguous farmland, as is witnessed 
at Sheppey. 
I examined the old church in every particular, ascended the old 
spiral stone staircase in the northern tower to the first floor, thence 
three distinct ladders which lead to the top, and I stood alongside 
the beacon. As the wind was very strong, I did not remain long, 
but enjoyed a magnificent view of things in the distance. I could 
see Margate in one direction, and Sheppey in the other, and likewise 
far inland to the southward ; whilst to the north and east, the sea 
was seen covered with boats and vessels as far as the eye could reach. 
On descending to the first floor again, we passed out of a door lead- 
ing to a sort of friars' walk, which took us across to the other or 
