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Y A R M 
but its beauty is much injured by the shambles and tolbooth, 
which stand in the centre, and have a ruinous and disgusting 
appearance. Owing to the low situation of the town, it has 
suffered greatly by inundation. The first of these floods, 
from which the inhabitants sustained any considerable da¬ 
mage, happened on the 17th of February, 1753 ; when, 
about four in the morning, the banks of the river were bro¬ 
ken, and the town was immediately laid under water. About 
noon, when the flood was at its height, the water was seven 
feet deep in the highest part of the town, and the lower parts 
were entirely submerged. The current through the town was 
so rapid, that many houses were washed down, and all sorts 
of furniture were seen floating through the street. This flood 
was occasioned by a vast quantity of snow on the western 
hills, being suddenly melted by a heavy fall of rain. In the 
night between the 16th and 17th of November, 1771, Yarm 
experienced another dreadful visitation, from the greatest land 
flood remembered in the north of England. The water, in 
some parts of the town, rose upwards of 20 feet in perpen¬ 
dicular height, and many of the inhabitants were taken into 
boats, from the roofs of the houses. To these alarming visi¬ 
tations, Yarm may ascribe the decline of its trade and impor¬ 
tance. It has no manufacture of any consequence; and 
corn, butter, hams, bacon, and pork, sent by shipping to 
London, constitute the principal part of its commerce. The 
exportation of corn from Yarm seems to have greatly de¬ 
clined, as many large granaries, which have been erected at 
a great expense for that branch of trade, have for some time 
been almost useless. With the decline of trade, the popula¬ 
tion has also decreased ; and, in 1801, the town contained 
only 1300 inhabitants. It also appears that Yarm cannot 
boast of the salubrity of its situation, as the deaths are about 
one in 38 annually. The entrance into the town, from the 
county of Durham, is by a bridge of five arches, built over 
the Tees about the year 1400, by Walter Skirlaw, bishop of 
Durham. The arches are pointed, and the structure retained 
its original and uniform appearance till about 23 years ago, 
when the arch on the north was widened and rebuilt in a se¬ 
micircular form, in order, by giving a freer passage to the 
current of the river, to prevent, or at least to abate, the fre¬ 
quent inundations. But in the years 1803 and 1804, a bridge 
of cast iron was erected, after the model of that over the 
V/ear at Sunderland. The arch was a circular segment of 
180 feet span, and 27 feet in breadth within the balustrades; 
and the whole weight of the bridge was 250 tons. But, un¬ 
fortunately, this elegant piece of architecture fell about mid¬ 
night, January 12th, 1806, owing to the insufficiency of the 
abutments to resist ! he great lateral pressure of the arch. In 
consequence of this accident, the magistrates adopted the plan 
of widening and repairing the stone bridge, which fortunately 
had not yet been taken down. Here were anciently two mo¬ 
nasteries, both founded by the family of Bruce in the 12th 
and 13th centuries. The parish church is a little to the west 
from the town, and though small, is a neat modern structure, 
having been rebuilt in the year 1730; but it is chiefly re¬ 
markable for a beautiful window of painted glass, in which 
the principal figure is a full length representation of Moses 
delivering the law from Mount Sinai. The market of Yarm 
is on Thursday; the fairs are, Thursday before April the 5th, 
Holy Thursday, August the 2d, for horned cattle, horses, 
sheep, and cheese ; October the 19th, for horned cattle and 
horses; October the 20th, for sheep and cheese. The Octo¬ 
ber fair is one of the most considerable in the north of Eng¬ 
land, and brings a great influx of money into the town and 
the adjacent country ; 45 miles north-north-west of York, and 
249 north-bv-west of London. Population 1431. 
YARMARCA, a settlement of Peru, in the province of 
Chachapoyas. 
YARMOUTH, commonly called Great Yarmouth, a 
seaport and borough of England, in the county of Norfolk. 
It is in the form of an oblong quadrangle, extending more 
than a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth. It com¬ 
prises 33 acres, from the shape of the peninsula on which it 
stands, having the sea on the east, and on the West the Yare, 
over which river there is a handsome drawbridge, forming 
O U T H. 
a communication with the county of Suffolk. It contains 
four principal streets, running parallel, which are crossed at 
right angles, by 156 narrower ones, denominated rows. 
These intersections give the place an appearance of regularity 
observable only where a town has been built under one uni¬ 
form plan. The whole is flanked by a wall on the east, 
north, and south sides, 2240 yards in length; which, with 
the west side next the river, 2030 yards, make the circum¬ 
ference 4270 yards, or two miles and 750 yards. The church 
dedicated to St. Nicholas, was erected by Herbert Losinga, in 
the year 1123; and greatly enlarged in the year 1250. It 
consists of a nave, two aisles, a transept, and had lately a 
spire, 136 feet high, which was taken down in the year 1803. 
The organ is said to be inferior to none, except the celebrated 
instrument at Haerlem, in Holland. This church, till the 
year 1716, was the only place of worship for persons of the 
establishment, when a handsome chapel was erected, and 
dedicated to St. George. The quay of Yarmouth is justly 
the pride and boast of the inhabitants; for it is allowed to be 
equal to that of Marseilles, and the most extensive and finest 
in Europe, except the far famed one at Seville, in Spain. 
Its length, from the south gate to the bridge, is 1014 yards, 
beyond which it extends, for smaller vessels, 1016 yards, 
making a continuation of one mile, and 270 yards. In 
many places it is 150 yards broad; and the southern part of 
the line is decorated with a range of handsome buildings. 
Yarmouth has long been much frequented as a fashionable 
watering-place, and furnishes every accommodation for the 
health, comfort, and amusement of its visitors. A bathing- 
house, erected in the year 1759, stands upon the beach, and 
commands a beautiful view of the roads. On each side of 
the vestibule is a bath, one appropriated to gentlemen, and 
the other to ladies. The sea water is raised every tide by a 
horse-mill, into a reservoir, about 50 yards from the baths, 
whence it is conveyed by pipes. There are also very com¬ 
modious bathing-machines, but the sand renders them un¬ 
pleasant of access. A public room was added to this build¬ 
ing in the year 1788, where the company are served with 
tea, wine, &c. During the season, public breakfasts are 
given here twice a week. A neat theatre was erected in the 
year 1778, in which plays, during the summer months, are 
performed four times a week. These, with concerts and 
other amusements, tend to relieve the dull vacuity attendant 
upon lounging at a watering-place. There are various other 
public buildings. The fisherman’s hospital is of a quadran¬ 
gular form, and contains 20 rooms on the ground floor, each 
of which is intended for an old fisherman and his wife, who 
have a weekly allowance in money, and an annual allow¬ 
ance of coals. The hospital school, for feeding, clothing, 
and educating thirty boys and twenty girls, is supported by 
the corporation. The charity school, in which are clothed 
and educated seventy boys and thirty girls, is supported by 
voluntary subscriptions. The town-hall, situated near the 
centre of the quay, is a handsome building, with a portico 
of the Tuscan order in front. The council-room, which isalso 
used for assemblies, is a fine well proportioned apartment. 
At one end is a full length portrait of king George II. in his 
coronation robes. The grand plan of the new harbour was 
executed under the direction of Joas Johnson, a Dutchman, 
who was brought from Holland to conduct the work. He 
commenced his operations by driving and hedging down 
large stakes and piles, to make a firm and substantial founda¬ 
tion. This was first done on the north side, and afterwards 
upon the south, tor the purpose of forcing the refluent tide 
to run out, by a north-east channel, to the sea. The next step 
was the erecting piers and a jetty, for preventing the haven 
being overflowed, and preserving, at all states of tide, a 
sufficient depth of water for the ships to float at their moor¬ 
ings. The principal, or north pier, was at bottom 40 feet 
wide; at top 20 feet; and in length 235 yards. This was 
formed with large timber trees, joined and braced together 
by cross beams and iron-work. For the defence of this pier 
against the ravages of the ocean, a jetty was erected, in 
breadth at the base 16 feet; at the upper part eight; and in 
length 265 yards. Ti e south pier, which is better built than 
the 
