vested the right of electing members to Parliament.* On an extreme point stand the walls of its ancient castle, erected by Henry VIII. it commands nearly the opening of the Solent and the mouth of the Yar This little river winds along the western bank of the town, diffusing salubrity for some distance up the country. The church is not of any great antiquity. the old one was burnt by the French. The present edifice, which is near the centre of the town, contain: some fine monuments of the family of Holmes. In a small chapel near the chancel is a splendid monumen, of Sir R. Holmes; it is adorned with an elegant statue, and contains a long latin epitaph, commemorat ting his heroic deeds: he died in 1692. There are two dissenting chapels in the town; the one on the eastern side belonging to the Baptists, and the other on the western to the Wesleyan Methodists.

Yarmouth retains its ancient appearance to a very considerable degree. Its streets are narrow, with the exception of the principal one, in which stands the Town-Hall, with a small Market-Place beneath it; while the church adorns the southern entrance. This street is very spacious, and the houses and buildings about it, give it more the cast of antiquity than is to be found in either of the other towns in the Island. Its eastern entrance is imposing: there are several well-built houses in this direction, and from the site they occupy, just bordering on the main road, and skirting the shores of the Solent, have a lively and interesting aspect. There are steam packets to Poole, Weymouth, Lymington, Cowes, Portsmouth, and Southampton, which are producing a beneficial impression on the town. The surrounding scenes are beautiful; and there are some bold views from the

* Yarmouth was disfranchised by the Reform Bill, in 1832,

cliffs adjacent to Norton. It commands a fine view of Hurst Castle, the mouth of Lymington river, and the houses of the town standing prominently on its steep hill.

On the opposite banks of the Yar stands the pleasant village of Norton. This little village has several beautiful villas decorating its scenery; the most attractive of which is Norton Lodge, the seat of Admiral Hamond.

On leaving Yarmouth we pass through the village of Thorley; this place was formerly celebrated for its warren. Worsley says, great numbers of rabbits were carried from hence to London every week; but the Island had very few hares, till Sir Edward Horsey gave encouragement to those who stocked it. Thorley church has neither steeple nor tower. The road winds through a luxuriant valley. Wellow, a lively little village, lies in this direction; it has several good houses and a neat Baptist Chapel.

We now leave this western point of the Island; and passing through a finely cultivated piece of country, we reach Ningewood, standing to the left of the main road. At a little distance is the ancient borough of Newtown. This place was formerly called Francheville: its present appellation was given on its being rebuilt; the French having in the reign of Richard I. burnt the old town. In ancient days it was a place of some importance, but is now reduced to a few cottages. The remnants of its former greatness are very few. It formerly had a corporation, consisting of a mayor and burgesses, and till recently sent members to Parliament.* The town-hall stands on a rising

* Newtown lost the last ray of glory which attached to it by the passing of the Reform Bill, in 1832, when its elective franchise, which had for many years given this secluded spot an air of publicity and importance, was taken away, and the little political town left to sink into a quiet village.