1797-] 
fammit of which an excellent telefcope 
is mounted, by means of which, a 
moft enchanting profpeé&t is obtained all 
over this level country ; the fea, which 
wathes the eaftern coaft, is alfo obferv- 
able to the extent of many miles.— 
Loppon is a fmall town, which I in- 
tended to have ftopped at, but learning 
that a violent fever raged there, which 
had been brought over from the conti- 
~ nent by the military, and which had then 
carried off a number of families, I judg- 
edit proper to pufh on to the inn at 
HATHERSCOE, a few miles farther.— 
HaTHERSCOE is a ftraggling village, 
very pleafantly fituated. In this day’s 
journey, I rode over feveral patches of 
bad common; and alfo traverfed fome 
traéts of very beautiful and fertile in- 
clofed grounds. 
June 27, f went to YARMOUTH, in 
Norfolk, nine miles ; the road interteéts 
a low fen or marfh for about two miles, 
then rifes a little, and ftrerches over two 
commons covered with heath and furze ; 
after which we come toa level produc- 
tive country, the foil of which is light 
and fandy, and very fuitable for turnips, 
barley, &c. The hedges are ftraight 
and beautiful, and the fields large. Be- 
twixt YARMOUTH and Norwicu, the 
practice of dibbling wheat is very pre- 
valent, and ftill increafing. YARMOUTH 
is fuppofed to contain about 12,000 inha- 
bitants. Many of the ftreets are ex- 
tremely narrow ; notwithftanding which, 
the town in generalis kept clean. The 
market-place is pretty {pacious. The 
buildings are tolerably good, but do not 
feem to be much increafing in number. 
‘This was formerly a fortitied town, ‘al- 
though moift of the walls and gates are 
now down, orin ruins: it is built on a 
jevel open plain, very near the fea, and 
is almoft furrounded with water. The 
principal entrance to it is over a draw- 
bridge at the SW. fide, near to where 
the thipping lies. An extenfive com- 
mon adjoins the town on the N. fide,and 
runs along the fea fhore, which is low, 
and free from rocks: on this common, 
a regiment of militia is now encamped, 
a fituation well adapted for the purpofe. 
Some fmall batteries are alfo ereéted on 
the fhore, near the town. A number of 
people here are employed in the mackarel, 
herring, &c. fifheries; befides which, 
an extenfive foreign trade is carried on 
with the Eaft country, not to mention 
the coal and coafting trade :—the har- 
bour for veffels is excellent. The ftreets 
ef Yarmouth run moftly parallel, and 
Lour of England.—Yarmouth. 
199 
as the lanes which conneét them are very 
narrow, the inhabitants find it neceffary 
to have carts of a fingular conftruétion, 
for the conveyance of goods of every 
fort; they are long and narrow, with 
wheels, not much higher than that of a 
whecl-barrow : this laft peculiariry ren - 
ders the drawing them a matter of dif- 
ficulty for the poor animal, and feems to 
be adiminution notneceflary, at leaft, not 
in fuch a great degree. I noticed in all 
this neighbourhood, and the diftriét be- 
twixt here and Norwich, that the lower 
orders of gentry, farmers, 8c. are {carce - 
ly ever feen on hoffe-back, but are whirl- 
ed from place to place in a fort of gig or 
cart, varioufly conftruéted; ~ generally 
towards Yarmouth, tlic wheels are rather 
lower; fome of them, indeed, are truly 
ludicrous; I having frequently fcen a 
gay, powdered fellow, cantering along 
in one of thefe playthings, with looks, 
that feemed to fay, ‘Jama great man," 
while he refted on a feat not more than 
18 or 20 inches removed from the earth. 
The danger which feammpn experience in 
paffing that part of the fea between I.on- 
don and Newcaftle, which is called the 
Yarmouth Roads, is generally known ; 
the fand-banks, which occafion the dan- 
ger to fhipping, are continually thifting ; 
they are diftinétly known from the fhore, 
by the foaming of the fea, when it dafh- 
es over them, and appears like {wans on 
the waves. A veffel is ftationed there 
conftantly, which makes the proper fig- 
nals to fhips pafling and repaffing. 
The county of Norfolk has generally 
adry foil, anda great part of it is na- 
turally rather fteril, without good cul- 
ture ; but as moft of the farmers are €x- 
cellent agriculturalifts, and have now 
rendered the foil much more produétive 
than formerly, it would fupport, in my 
opinion, more heavy and profitable fheep 
and cattle than fech as now occupy the 
paftures. "The Norfolk diale&t is pro- 
nounced in fqueaking tones, very dif- 
agreeable to a ftranger’s ear. The pro- 
duce, for which rhis county is moft fa- 
mous, is turnips and barley. The air is 
more clear and falubrious than that of 
Lincolnfhire ; although, like that county,’ 
Norfolk wants good water, but not in an 
equal degree. Uponthe whole, though 
a number of commons remain unculti- 
vated, Norfolk has lately undergone 
more agricultural improvement than I 
have yet feen in any other county. The 
draining of fens near Hatherfcoe, and 
fome other examples of that 
on the Aa of Lincolnthire, 
Dd 2 
Nature, 
afford 
convincing 
