water, lake, or ditch. This lake covers an area of of Diss; but there are no remains of the rood-loft Formerly a considerable trade was carried on at Diss in linen-cloths, but it has been superseded by machinemade linens, and the manufacture of calicoes. Manufactures of hempen cloths and of stockings now flourish in Diss, and there are four large breweries. The traveller who has time to spare will find objects of interest in all the streets of Diss, which are well paved, and well lighted with gas; and the rectory, the chapels, the alms-houses, and other buildings, are well worthy of attention. And here we take our leave of the county of Norfolk, having pointed out to the traveller most objects that deserve attention; and we will now take him into the SUFFOLK, The second of the East Anglian counties, has Norfolk on the north, the German Ocean on the East, Essex on the south, and Cambridgeshire on the west; being divided from the first named county by the Yare, the Waveney, and the Little Ouse; from Essex by the Stour; and from Cambridgeshire by the Larke. It is something in the shape of a crescent; and is not much inferior to Norfolk in extent, or in population. It was comprehended, with Norfolk, in the territories of the Iceni, (the Simeni of Ptolemæus, and called Cenomanni by other writers); and, with that county, under the Romans, formed part of the province of Flavia Cæsariensis. When the Saxons supplanted the conquerors of the world, Suffolk formed a part of the kingdom of East Anglia; and by some historical antiquaries it is thought to have been settled independently of Norfolk. During the Saxon era it suffered greatly from the Danish wars, particularly from the incursions of Sweyne. who, says one of the county historians, " spared neither towns nor hurches, unless redeemed by the people with large sums of money; though, to compensate for this cruelty, Canute, his son, and successor, showed it particular kindness." The flourishing and handsome town of Bury St. Edmund's owes its celebrity to an incident which is alleged to have occurred during the Danish wars. In the war which followed the murder of Lodbrog (mentioned in our account of the county of Norfolk), Edmund, King of the East Angles, was defeated in a desperate engagement, as it is described, between the Saxons and Danes, which took place at Snarehill, near Thetford. The king fled, and concealed himself in a cottage, the owners of which betrayed him to the Danes, by whom he was tied to a tree at Hoxne, a village on the northern border of Suffolk, and pierced to death with arrows. The dead body was beheaded, says the legend, and the head thrown into an adjoining wood, where it was found by a wolf, who kept strict guard over it, preserving, and not injuring it, The animal at once yielded it up to some ecclesiastics, who, having discovered the body, searched for the head; and on the two being put together, they at once united! The corpse was interred at Hoxne; and as miracles were said to be wrought at the grave, it was resolved to remove the body to Beodrics worth, where a large church was built for its reception; and the name of the place was changed to St. Edmund's Bury. This is the monkish legend on the subject, transmitted by tradition to the present time. The town is now more generally called Bury St. Edmund's; or, perhaps, more generally still, simply Bury. Under the Normans, Suffolk was much connected with the fortunes of its sister county. In the civil war between Stephen and Henry of Anjou, afterwards Henry II., Ipswich, which was held by Hugh de Bigod for Henry, was taken, in 1153, by Stephen. Several of the sovereigns of England visited Suffolk, and it was the scene of many contests in the civil wars by which the country was once desolated. It was one of the last counties where any person was executed for witchcraft. In 1664, on the 19th of March, Rose Callender and Amy Davy, of Lowestoft, two poor widows, whose guilt probably consisted either in the deformity of their bodies or the weakness of their intellects, were tried before that learned and upright judge, Sir Matthew Hale, and sentenced to death. This extraordinary trial was published, as an appeal to the world, by Sir Matthew, who, so far from being satisfied with the evidence, was very doubtful of it, and proceeded with such extreme caution, that he "forbore to sum it up," [an indication of great weakness, or great cowardice, in the learned judge, be it said,] "leaving the matter to the jury, with a prayer to God to direct their hearts in so important an affair." The ignorant jury found the poor women guilty, and they were burnt on the 17th of March. The north pier is devoted entirely to business, a double tramway extending from end to end; the south pier forms a promenade, and a grand one it is. Here the sea may be seen in all its forms,-when so calm that the smallest boat rides motionless on its surface, and when lashed into wild turbulence by the mighty wind, it dashes in fury against the strong embankment, returning again and again, as if resolved to overwhelm the work of man, which opposes its progress and restrains its power. In these seasons Lowestoft harbour has afforded a safe refuge for many a vessel, which, but for its shelter, would have become a hapless wreck. In some winters upwards of 500 sail have entered it for The coast of Suffolk is like that of Norfolk, convex to the sea. It is low towards the south; but, as we proceed to the northward we encounter hillocks of sand, and loamy cliffs, which form an irregular and bolder shore, extending to Lowestoft, the eastern extremity of England. Here are several bays or harbours, formed by the estuaries of the rivers Stour and Orwell, the Deben, the Alde, the Blyth, and the Yare; and by an artificial cut from lake Lothing, a large piece of water, extending over 160 acres, to the south-west of Lowestoft, to the sea. This forms the most important haven | refuge; and as many as 400 have been received at one and anchorage, and harbour of refuge, on the eastern time. The outer harbour is divided on the east from coast. The Waveney, many years back, fell into the the inner harbour by a ship-lock, 50 feet wide, with sea near Lowestoft; but accumulations of sand and two pairs of gates, opening either way, so that vessels shingle had long ago barred it out, when, in 1814, a may pass at all times. A swing-bridge of cast-iron is plan was proposed, to form a communication between erected over this lock. The inner harbour is a magniLake Lothing and the ocean, with a canal to Norwich. ficent piece of water, two miles in length, with 3000 The scheme was before the public for several years | feet of wharfage, and capable of accommodating vessels before it could be carried out. At length, in 1827, an of 400 tons burthen. In 1851 a direct communication act of parliament was obtained, to enable a company to between England and Denmark was opened, via Lowesexecute the works; and they were executed, under the toft, which has since been found of great advantage to superintendence of Mr., now Sir William Cubitt, at a both countries. The other ports in Suffolk are Orford, great expense (£150,000); and all the money advanced Aldborough, Dunwich, Southwold, and Ipswich, all of was lost to the shareholders, as the canal, &c., were which are insignificant except the last. found useless for the purpose intended. A loan had been obtained from the Exchequer, and the company preferred letting the government take the works into its hands, to raising the necessary sum to pay it off. They remained in the hands of the executive till 1842, when they were sold to four gentlemen of Lowestoft, of whom Mr. Peto purchased them, in 1844, for a small sum; and succeeded in forming another company, for improving and making a branch railway from Lowestoft to Reedham, so as to open a communication with the metropolis. A capital of £200,000 was raised, and an act of parliament being obtained in 1845, the works were commenced; and they have only been completed within the last three or four years. They are of immense magnitude, and reflect the greatest credit upon the engineers, Messrs. Stephenson, Bidder, and Hodges; the two first being the engineers-in-chief, the latter the resident engineer. The county is well watered with rivers, which greatly facilitate internal intercourse. In the north-eastern district are the Little Ouse, the Larke, and the Linnet, the Larke being navigable to within a mile of Bury St. Edmund's, and all three feeding the Great Ouse, which runs down to the port of Lynn. The Waveney, which rises in Norfolk, waters a considerable portion of the northern part of Suffolk, being navigable to Bungay, and running by Beccles into the Yare, just above Breydon Broad, Proceeding to the south is the Blyth, which rises near Lexfield, and flows into the sea at Southwold, being navigable to Halesworth, a distance of eight or nine miles, The Alde has its source near a village called Brundish, and after running about ten miles in a south-easterly direction, is joined by the Ore, coming from Framlingham, about fifteen miles from the sea, into which it flows, Orford being its port. Further south, the Deben rises near Debenham, and runs up the country in a winding course to Woodbridge, below which town it becomes an estuary nine or ten miles long, and from a quarter to half-a-mile wide, navigable for sea-borne vessels of a considerable burthen. The Orwell, or Gipping, the name it takes in the upper part of its course,-being only called the Orwell below Ipswich,-is formed by the junction of several streams in the neighbourhood of Stowmarket; it runs in a southeasterly direction to Ipswich, and expands below that town into an estuary of considerable width, uniting at Harwich with the estuary of the Stour-the latter river dividing the county from Essex. "Thus most of the towns in Suffolk have river navigation; and there is hardly a part of the country which is ten miles from a There is now an outer and inner harbour-the former being won from the sea, and Lake Lothing forming the latter. The outer harbour is formed by two immense piers, a north and a south pier. The latter extends 1300 feet into the sea, in a straight line; the former, after running out in a direct line for 700 feet, inclines to the south-east for 300 feet, and then to the south for 300 feet more, thus narrowing the entrance to the harbour to about 200 feet,-whilst it is between 800 and 700 feet across, at its base next the shore, and keeps that width for 700 feet into the sea, the average depth being 20 feet. These piers are formed in the most substantial manner, and have, up to the present time, resisted all the force which Father Neptune can bring against them, and are likely to do so for centuries. | navigable stream," as some think, to distinguish it from Yarmouth in the Isle of Wight, but from Gorleston and Southtown, two hamlets that stand in the county of Suffolk, and were called Little Yarmouth. Tradition, which generally has some foundation, says that the spot now occupied by the town was first discovered by a fisherman named Fuller; and the highest part of the town, to the west of the parish church, is still called "Fuller's Hill," in commemoration, it is said, of this event. The name of Yarmouth is derived from its situation at the mouth of the Yare; and Mr. Druery, a barrister of Norwich, who has written a history of that port, derives Yare from the Celtic jar, dark-so named from its dark waters. The first authentic mention of this place is in "Domesday Book," which was compiled between 1080 and 1086. In that document it is said to have been held by King Edward the Confessor, and that "there were always seventy burgesses." There is an old record of a dis pute between the inhabitants of Yarmouth and the tenants of the manor of Lothinghead, in the twelfth year of the reign of Henry III., from which it appears that the burgesses, at that period, were merchants and traders at sea. The first charter was granted to Yarmouth in 1208, by King John. In the reign of Edward III., the merchants possessed "forty ships with forecastles and eighty without ;" and in 1346, the quota furnished by Yarmouth for the siege of Calais exceeded that of London. Three years after, the town was visited by a dreadful plague, which carried off seven thousand of its inhabitants. At this time it was fortified; the walls being 2238 yards in extent, and having ten gates and sixteen towers. These have all disappeared, except two towers, known as the south-west and north-west towers, and some small portions of the walls. In the civil wars, Yarmouth declared for the parliament, to whose funds it had to contribute £52 weekly, besides having a parliamentary regiment quartered on its inhabitants,—who appear to have been somewhat versatile in their attachments, for they sent a "loyal" address to Richard Cromwell, when he succeeded his father, and an equally loyal one to Charles, as soon as he was restored to the throne of his ancestors. That monarch visited Yarmouth, as did William III.; the former was presented with four golden herrings, and a chain, worth £250; the latter was magnificently entertained by the corporation. On the 19th of April, 1814, there was a grand fête in Yarmouth, to commemorate the peace. On the 2nd of May, 1845, a melancholy accident occurred: a great many persons were collected on the suspension bridge thrown across the river, in the spot now occupied by the bridge communicating with the railway, for the purpose of seeing a clown, belonging to an equestrian troop, proceed down the river in a washing-tub drawn by geese. As he approached the south side of the bridge the crowd pressed against the chain, and it gave way; upwards of 400 persons were precipitated into the stream, of whom seventy-nine were taken out dead. After the grant of the first charter to Yarmouth, by King John, only twenty-five charters were issued by succeeding sovereigns prior to the passing of the municipal act of 1835. By that act the corporation consists of a mayor, twelve aldermen, and thirty-six towncouncillors, elected by the inhabitants; and a recorder and magistrates appointed by the crown. Yarmouth is also a parliamentary as well as a municipal borough, and returns two members to parliament, the privilege being granted by Edward I. The haven and pier are managed by twelve "Haven and Pier Commissioners," of whom three each are appointed by the corporations of Norwich and Yarmouth, and three each by the magis trates of Norfolk and Suffolk. The harbour, of course, has always been an object of great concern to the Yarmouth people. Six or eight attempts were made, at great expense, to construct a haven,—all of which failed. At length, in 1567, one Joyce Johnson, a Dutch engineer, got over the difficulty by building two strong piers on each side of the river, called the north and south piers; and the various expedients resorted to to obtain money to defray the expense, form a curious episode in the history of Yarmouth. At present the harbour is always accessible, and is both safe and commodious. The number of vessels which arrive and depart during the year is considerable; and besides its mercantile and fishing establishments, there are in the town large ship and boat-building yards, roperies, sail manufactories, maltings and breweries, tanneries and leather works, soap works, &c. The noble quay, the finest in the kingdom, being upwards of a mile in length, and lined with handsome houses, facing the river, affords great facilities for carrying on the trade of the town. A handsome iron bridge, erected under an act of parliament obtained in 1849, crosses the river from Southtown to this quay. Yarmouth is singularly built. It stands on a peninsular strip of land, of an oblong form, bounded by the sea on the east, and by the river on the west, and is laid out somewhat in the form of a parallelogram. Five long streets traverse this area from north to south, and they are intersected by 156 narrow, straight lanes or alleys, called rows, and by a spacious handsome street called Regent Street, completed in 1813, and running from the centre of the quay to the market-place. Previous to its erection there was no carriage-way from east to west, except by two streets at the extreme ends of the town, called Fuller's Hill and Friar's Lane. Some of the rows are not more than three feet wide, the average width being six feet. A moiety of the population reside in them, and goods are conveyed up and down them on carts drawn by one horse, the wheels running underneath, instead of at the side; they are called "Yarmouth carts." Charles Dickens, who has immortalised Yarmouth in "David Copperfield," has a humorous paper in "Household Words, called "The Norfolk Gridiron," in which he represents Yarmouth as one vast gridiron, the bars being represented by the ❝rows." The passage is so good, and conveys such an excellent idea of the unique architecture of Yarmouth, that we extract it : “A row is a long narrow lane or alley, quite straight, or as nearly as may be, with houses on each side, both of which you can sometimes touch at once with the finger-tips of each hand, by stretching out your arms to their full extent. Now and then houses overhang, and join above your head, converting the row, so far, into a sort of tunnel or tubular passage. Many and many a picturesque old bit of domestic architecture is to be hunted up amongst the rows. In some rows there is little more than the blank walls for the double boundary. In others, the houses retreat into tiny square courts, where washing and clear-starching are done, and wonderful nasturtiums and scarlet-runners are reared from green boxes filled with that scarce commodity, vegetable mould. Most of the rows are paved with pebbles from the beach; and, strange to say, these narrow gangways are traversed by horses and carts, which are built for this special purpose, and which have been the cause of serious misunderstanding among antiquarians, as to whether they were or were not modelled after the Ichariots of the Roman invaders. Of course, if two carts were to meet in the middle of a row, one of the two must either go back to the end again, or pass over the other one, like goats upon a single-file edge of a precipice. The straightness of the passage usually obviates this alternative. A few rows are well paved throughout with flag-stone; carts are not allowed to enter them, and foot-passengers prefer them to the pebbly path-ways; hence, they are the chosen localities of numerous little shop-keepers. If you want a stout pair of hob-nailed shoes, or a scientifically-oiled dreadnought; or a dozen of bloaters, or a bunch of turnips, the best in the world; or a woollen comforter and nightcap for one end of your person, and worsted overall stockings for the other; or a plate of cold leg of pork, stuffed with parsley; or a ready-made waistcoat, with a blazing pattern and bright glass buttons,—with any of these you can soon be accommodated in one or other of the paved rows. Here you have a board, announcing the luxurious interval during which hot joints are offered to the satisfaction of a salt-water appetite; from twelve till two no one need suffer hunger. Elsewhere is the notice over the door, that, within, are 'Live and boil'd shrimps, sold by the catcher.' Shrimps unadulterated, caught and sold by the catches himself; the original article and no mistake! From time immemorial there has been a Market-row, in which two people can walk arm-in-arm, as they stare at the élite of Yarmouth shopwindows; and there is a Broad-row, across which, if an Adelphi harlequin could not skip from first-floor to first-floor, he would get from the managers very significant hints about his abilities." Such are the Yarmouth rows. In them, of course, there are no large or important buildings; but in the main streets there are some excellent private houses, and some of the public edifices are handsome and imposing, The principal public buildings are the Guildhall, which contains a handsome assembly-room; the Fisherman's Hospital; the Custom-house; the Royal Hospital, and Hospital School; St. Peter's National Schools; the Theatre; the Bath-room, very handsome and commodious; the Corn Exchange; the Commercial Club-house; the Toll-house Hall; the Borough Gaol and Bridewell; and the Naval Column, 150 feet high, erected to the memory of Lord Nelson. Yarmouth is not deficient in schools and charitable institutions; and it has the only Military Lunatic Asylum in the kingdom. This asylum, established in 1819, was transferred to Yarmouth in October, 1846,-the Royal Barracks, (erected in 1809, by Mr. Peto, father of the present member for Norwich,) being applied to the purpose; and it would be “difficult to have found a site better suited, or buildings better adapted to the comfort of the patients, and the favourable progress of a curative process." The churches and other places of public worship must not be overlooked. Though so extensive and populous a town, Yarmouth consists of only one parish; and the parent church is dedicated to St. Nicholas. It was built by Herbert de Losinga, the first bishop of Norwich, who, being deprived of his bishopric for simony, was subsequently restored to his episcopal dignity, on condition that he should expend his money in the building of churches. This was one of the sacred edifices erected in consequence of this condition. Herbert commenced it in 1100, and consecrated it in 1119, the year of his death. But, when it is said that the old bishop built this church, it is only meant to speak of the nucleus, to which great additions were made; as the transepts, in 1250; with sundry chapels at various times. At present St. Nicholas is a cruciform structure, consisting of a nave and chancel, each with side aisles, and a north and south transept. The nave is divided from the aisles by two rows of fine early English pillars, supporting arches of the same style. The transepts are divided from the aisles by arches, which Professor Willis describes as of "extraordinary span, and singular beauty." The chancel is separated from the body of the church by very large arches, filled in "barbarously," as a local historian says, with brick-work and plaster. The original style was Norman; and there are now Norman arches in the tower. But the prevailing style of the additions is the early English; the architects, however, whether adding, altering, or repairing, seems to have paid very little attention to uniformity. There are some handsome windows; one is of beautiful stained glass, placed in the north gable, to commemorate Sarah Martin, who was born in Caister, in 1791, and died on the 14th of October, 1843; having, since 1811,-though poor herself, earning her living by dress-making,-been a visitor of the workhouse and gaol, "carrying to the poor in the one, and the criminal in the other, the knowledge of the unsearchable riches of Christ." There is a handsome early English font; and one of the best organs in the kingdom is in this church; and a number of monuments. The spire, springing from the tower (erected in 1683), is 168 feet high. There is a handsome chapel of ease (St. George's) to this church, built in 1716; and a new church (St. Peter's), erected in 1833. There are thirteen other places of worship; one of which is a Roman Catholic chapel. There is beautiful scenery on several of these rivers; but that of the Orwell exceeds them all. Looking from Ipswich to the sea, on either side the eye meets a finelydiversified country, in which the mansions of the landowners, their parks, plantations, and gardens, most tastefully laid out, and blooming in luxuriant beauty; the well-cultivated farm; the pretty cottage peeping from the shade of some overhanging tree; the village with its church; the gently-rising hills, their sides sometimes presenting a verdant field, at others clothed with wood, and every entrancing feature of rural scenery, meet the eye in every direction. Well may the poet sing of "Orwell, delightful stream, whose waters flow, Fringed with luxuriant beauty to the main." As we approach the sea at Downham Reach, about three or four miles below Ipswich, the river seems to be land-locked on every side, and has the appearance of a large lake, surrounded by gentle eminences, wellwooded, and studded with goodly mansions. A little further, and the ocean bursts on the view, with Harwich on the right; on the left Langard fort; the high land of Walton and Felixtow cliffs in the rear,-forming a natural picture of great grandeur and magnificence. Suffolk is essentially an agricultural county, and its tillage is in high condition. The soil is divided into three or four distinct kinds. There is a rich loam in a small tract in the south between the Orwell and the Stour. From that river to the borders of Norfolk, nearly half the surface of the county, we find heavier loams of various qualities, generally resting on impervious beds of marl or clay, and requiring drains to carry off the superfluous water. On a narrow strip running from the Orwell to Yarmouth is a sandy soil, incumbent on what is termed " crag," a subsoil of sand, gravel, and broken shells, frequently as hard and impenetrable as stone. From Bury to Thetford there is sand on a chalk bottom, and some of this land is thought scarcely worth cultivating. Other parts have been improved by trenching, draining, and marling, and rendered productive; but the expense has been considerable. Between Woodbridge and Orford, copious beds of petrified shells, called shell-marl, are found, which are used for improving light soils. In High Suffolk, or the Woodlands, as it is called, we find good pasture, and many herds of cattle are kept. There is also excellent pasture ground on the confines of Essex and Cambridgeshire. The tillage, of course, varies according to the nature of the soil. The greater part of the land is under the plough; and the Suffolk farmers, in all departments, bear a high character for practical and scientific skill. "There is no part of England," it is said, "where the implements of husbandry are more perfect than in Suffolk, or where new instruments are tried with more readiness or less prejudice." This may arise from some of the most eminent agricultural implement makers in the kingdom residing in the county. The principal agricultural products are wheat, barley, beans, oats, turnips, and hemp. On the dairy farms a considerable quantity of butter and cheese are made; and the latter, familiarly known as "Suffolk thump," has gained the character of being the worst in England. Of late years the manufacture of cheese has greatly improved; and we have eaten some from that county, whatever our readers may think, quite equal to Stilton. Along the coast there is a peculiar vegetation observed, and the following are amongst the plants that are found growing abundantly in many parts :-Sea eryngo (eryngium maritimum), yellow-horned poppy (glaucium lutium), prickly rest-harrow (ononis spinosa), English scurvygrass (cochleria Anglica), colt's-foot (tussilago farfara), and Roman nettle (Urtica pilulifera). The Suffolk cows are in great repute, as are the farm-horses; and the pigs are said to be the most profitable breed in England. In many parts of the country large flocks of sheep are kept; and the rabbit, the pigeon, and the turkey are plentiful and good. The county produces scarcely any minerals of value; chalk and shell-marl are the chief, which are dug from the crag for manure. Ipswich, the capital, is celebrated for stay-making; Hadleigh and Glemsford for silks; some worsted stuffs are made at Sudbury; and Brandon was famous for gun-flints, which the percussion-caps have put out of fashion. The pride of Suffolk, next to its agriculture, is, however, its agricultural implements. The principal manufactories are the Messrs. Garrett's, at Leiston; Mr. Smythe's, of Peasenhall; and Messrs. Ransome and Simms, of Ipswich. Few things can afford more pleasure, or be more suggestive, than a walk through any one of these Mr. Francis extensive marts of scientific industry. Ransome, of the latter firm, has added to the resources of the country, by the discovery of a method of making an artificial stone possessing the qualities of marble. Suffolk lies principally in the diocese of Norwich, and is in the Norfolk circuit; the assizes are held at Bury and Ipswich alternately. There are two electoral divisions for the county, east and west; Ipswich being the election place for the former, and Bury for the latter. Bury St. Edmund's and Ipswich send two members each, and Eye one, to the House of Commons. It gives the title of Earl to a branch of the Howard family. This county has railway accommodation through a small part of the eastern division by means of the Lowestoft and Reedham line; and for a portion of the western division, by the Eastern Counties' (Cambridge) line. The Eastern Union line accommodates a portion of the southern division; whilst the Ipswich and Norwich gives the northern part of the district; and the Ipswich and Bury accords to that populous part of the county extending from the south-east to the north-west-the mode of communication and transit now so necessary to the successful carrying-on of trading and commercial transactions. Excellent turnpike-roads, communicating with all parts of the county, communicate with the The difrailroads, and render them easy of access. ferent lines are now all under one system of manage ment, being amalgamated with the Eastern Counties' line. |