PUBLIC BUILDINGS, &c.

A brief sketch of the origin and ancient history of Yarmouth having been given, its present appearance, public buildings, commerce and resources, remain to be noticed. The town, which is thrown into the figure of a long and irregular parrallelogram, is built within a very narrow compass, the area containing only 133 acres. It was formerly divided into four leets, and is now subdivided into eight wards. The streets are uniformly in the direction of north and south, except two at the extreme ends, which are in an opposite point, east and west, and a noble and spacious opening, in the centre of the quay, leading to the market, named Regentstreet, which was completed in 1813, at an expense of nearly £30,000, and adds much to the beauty and convenience of the place. Previous to the erection of this street, there was no carriage way through the town, except by Fuller's-hill on the north, and Friar's-lane to the south, both distant and inconvenient. The streets are joined by narrow rows or alleys, running parallel from east to west. There are one hundred and fifty-six of these rows, in which the houses are built extremely close. This

singularity of plan is evidently the consequence of endeavouring, at an early period, to fix as large a population as possible within the narrowest limits, in order to facilitate the fortification and security of the whole. Many of the houses are very dark, and carry with them a gloomy appearance, although not generally inconvenient.

The Market Place, nearly encompassed by large, elegant, and respectable shops, is very spacious and handsome; the area (as measured by the late Mr. Thomas Sutton) contains two acres and three quarters. It is well paved, and on market days, a proper arrangement is observed in the several departments. At the lower end, on the east side, are the fishstalls; in the same line, farther north, is the butchery; and the centre is occupied by the venders of fowls, fruit, and vegetables, which, with every other necessary, are brought to sale, in great abundance, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The space between the north end of the market and the gate of the church-yard, is occupied by a grove of stately and beautiful trees, whose clustering and umbrageous foliage, almost impervious to the sun and rain, affords a cool and delightful promenade to visitors during the summer season, and is, upon that account, in great estimation.

The principal object of attraction to visitors in this town, is its unrivalled Commercial Quay, which for length, breadth, and extent, is certainly superior to any other in England, and, perhaps unequalled in Europe. In particular places, it is

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one hundred and fifty yards in breadth, and upwards of a mile in length. It is almost equally divided into two parts, north and south, extending either way from the bridge; but the South Quáy is the most beautiful, for there all the larger ships resort, and the greatest part of the trade is carried on; the other is used by wherries and smaller craft, principally employed in conveying corn and coals up the rivers to Norwich and the adjacent country. The centre of the former is a charming promenade, planted on each side with a row of fine trees, and enclosed on the east by some very handsome houses, most of which are modern buildings, chiefly occupied by merchants and gentlemen.

Yarmouth is included in, and forms only one parish, having a parochial Church and Chapel of Ease. The Church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, and was founded as beforementioned, according to the best authorities, by Herbert De Lozinga, bishop of Norwich, a rich and powerful prelate, the principal events of whose life may not be thought uninteresting. The place of his birth is uncertain; by some he is said to have been born at Orford, in Suffolk, and by others at Hiems, in Normandy; he was, however, educated in a religious house at Fiscand, in that dutchy, of which he became subsequently the prior, and also private chaplain to William Rufus, with whom, in 1088, he came to England, and was appointed abbot of Ramsay, in Huntingdonshire, and afterwards lord chancellor of the kingdom, which office he enjoyed under that monarch and Henry I. In 1091, he had amassed such great riches,