shippes, were frozen to death in Lappia, the said winter." Another to the memory of Sir JoнN Cox, knt. an eminent naval commander against the Dutch, who was captain of the duke of York's ship in " the expedition against the Hollanders,in the year 1672; and there, in fight with the said enemy, on the 2d of May, was unhappily slain by a great shot, in the forty-ninth year of his age." The monument of Sir EDWARD GREGORY, knt. commissioner of the navy. Died 1713. He bequeathed 100l. to the minister and churchwardens of this parish, for the use of the poor With this sum, South Sea stock was purchased in 1714; and six years afterwards, the trustees having sufficient discernment to secure the advantage they had obtained by the general infatuation, sold out at the very advanced rate of 750. An estate of thirty-two acres, called Pett's Farm, in the parish of Barham, was then purchased, the rent of which is annually distributed to the necessitous poor. In digging a grave in the church-yard, in the year 1772, a petrified human hand was found, grasping the brass hilt of a sword. The hand was partly mutilated, and all the other parts of the body were perished, as well as the blade of the sword: it was afterwards deposited in the Leverian Museum *.

The VICTUALLING OFFICE stands near the entrance of the town from Rochester, and is composed of several extensive ranges of building, appropriated to the various important concerns of victualling the royal shipping lying at Chatham, at Sheerness, and at the Nore.

An antient mansion, in the same street, now let out in tenements, formerly belonged to the family of Pett, celebrated ship-builders in the reigns of James I. Charles I. and II. The chimney-piece in the principal room is of wood, curiously carved, the upper part being divided into compartments by carratydes: the central compartment contains the family arms, viz. on a fesse, a lion passant guardant between three pellets. On the back of the grate is a cast of Neptune, standing erect in his car, with Tritons blowing conches, &c. and the date 1650.

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* Beauties of England.

The

The path for foot passengers on the south side of the High Street, is raised between twenty and thirty feet aboye the carriage road,

Chatham has been frequently visited by our sovereigns. On Sunday, August 10, 1606, James I. accompanied by his queen, her father Christian IV. of Denmark, Henry prince of Wales, the chief officers of state, privy counsellors, and many of the nobility. The ship named the Elizabeth-James had been magnificently decorated to receive the royal guests, who dined on board; the provisions being dressed in a great hoy, called the Kitchen,' which was stationed in the midst of a bridge of masts, about six feet wide, and continued from the ship to the shore, a distance of two hundred and forty yards. On the departure of the royal visitors, a tremendous peal was fired from nearly one thousand two hundred pieces of ordnance, all discharged on a given signal.

Before the year 1772, this town was one of the most disagreeable in Kent; even the High Street being full of annoyances, and the road dangerous. Many improvements have been since made; but the streets are still irregular and narrow. The houses have been mostly erected since the reign of Elizabeth, as the progressive increase of the population, arising from the naval establishments, rendered additional buildings necessary. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the dock-yard, &c.

The charitable fund, denominated THE CHEST AT CHATHAM, arose in consequence of the humane exertions of Sir JOHN HAWKINS, and Sir FRANCIS DRAKE; and was established about the year 1590, when the masters, mariners, shipwrights, and seafaring men, serving in the ships and sea-affairs of the then queen's majesty, finding, by experience, that, by frequent employment by sea, for the defence of the kingdom, &c. divers, and sundry of them, by reason of hurts and maims received in that service, were driven into great poverty, extremity, and want, did, by the incitement, persuasion, approbation, and good liking, of the right honourable Charles earl of Nottingham, VOL. V. No. 111.

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then

then lord high admiral of England, and the then principal officers of the navy, voluntarily and charitably give and bestow, and consented to have defalked out of their monthly wages for ever, the following sums, viz. Out of the wages of every mariner, seaman, and shipwright, receiving ten shillings per month, or more, 6d. per month; out of the wages of every grommet receiving seven shillings and sixpence per month, 4d. per month; and out of the wages of every boy receiving five shillings per month, 3d. per month :-for the perpetual relief of such mariners, seamen, shipwrights, and seafaring men, as, by reason of hurts and maims received in the service, were driven into great distress and want."

After having been established at this place for such a length of time, it was lately removed to Greenwich Hospital, in consequence of sundry abuse which had long subsisted in the distsibution of the charity. The principal abuses on which the commissioners recommended the removal and the placing it under the direction of the first lord of the Admiralty, the comptroller of the Navy, and the governor and other officers of Greenwich Hospital, arose from the destructive system of agency, by which the pensioners were generally deprived of a considerable share of their allowThe estates of the chest were also let at considerable under value, and in some instances proved a real loss, instead of contributing to augment the funds: these, therefore, the commissioners recommended to be sold, and the produce to be vested in the funds. The stock now belonging to the chest in the Three per Cent. Consolidated Annuities, amounts to nearly 300,000l. of which 10,000. was given a few years ago by a person unknown, who at the same time bestowed a like sum on Greenwich Hospital.

ances.

Chatham has a market on Saturday, and two fairs on May 15, and September 19.

This place has the honour of giving titles of nobility to two distinguished families. John Campbell, duke of Argyll, was created by queen Anne, in 1704, baron of Chatham and earl of Greenwich; upon his grace's decease in 1743,

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1743, this barony became extinct; but was revived at the commencement of the reign of George III. in the person of lady Hester Pitt, sister of earl Temple, and wife of the great statesman of that name, for "his great and important services;" and in July 30, 1766, Kis majesty called Mr. Pitt to the House of Peers, by the title of Viscount Pitt of Burton Pynsent, and earl of Chatham. On his lordship's decease in 1778, his eldest son, brother to the accomplished and honest statesman, the late right honourable William Pitt, succeeded to his father's and mother's honours, and is the present earl and baron of Chatham, viscount Pitt, &c.

Returning to Rochester, we pass from the High Street to the road, which consists of a varied way of wood and hill the length of seven miles. That part at Boxley Hill, displaying a grand and unbounded scene of beautiful landscape. That portion near Aylesford is pleasant, fertile, and healthy; diversified with hill and valley, and beautifully varied with wood and water.

AYLESFORD is too large for a village, and too small for a town; the chief street is spacious, the houses on the banks of the Medway are mean dwellings; it has, however, a handsome BRIDGE of six arches, built by Sir William Sedley, who also founded an hospital here in 1607 for six poor couple, each to be allowed 10l. per annum.

This place was called in Saxon ÆGELESFORD, and in Domesday Book it is denominated ELESFORD. In the reign of king John the antient demesne was held by the crown, the manor, however, was the inheritance of Osbert Gipford; the demésne was granted by Henry III. to Richard, lord Grey of Codnor, who, for his fidelity to king John, had been previously entrusted with constabulary of Dover Castle, and the wardenship of the Cinque Ports. Radulphus Frisburn, who had accompanied this lord to the Holy Land, founded, under his patronage, in Aylesford Wood, during 1240, the first priory of Carmelites in England; and the houses of this order increased so rapidly in all parts of Christendom, that in 1215 a general chapter of Ff 2

the

the order was held at Aylesford, in which John Stock, who had lived many years in a hollow tree, was chosen superior of the fraternity.

In the following year, lord Grey erected a second priory of the same order, on the south side of Fleet Street, in London. Richard, his great grandson, in the fourth of Edward the Third, obtained a charter for a weekly market for this manor, with liberty of free-warren in all his demesne lands here. Grey was much addicted to the study of chemistry, and had license from Edward the Fourth, to ' practise the transmutation of metals.' This manor afterwards passed through the Zouch and Cornwall families, to that of Wyatt, who having lost it by the attainder of Sir Thomas, queen Mary granted it to Sir Robert Southwell of Mercworth, in reward for his services in quelling the in

surrection.

The site and demesne of the priory were given, by queen Elizabeth, to one of the family of SEDLEY*, who converted the buildings into a residence. Sir William Sedley, bart. sold his estate, in the reign of Charles I. to Sir Peter Rycaut, knt, whose youngest son, Sir Paul Rycaut, was the celebrated Eastern traveller, and author of the

Sir Charles Sedley, the poet and dramatist, who became so noted for his wit and gallantry in the licentious days of Charles the Second, was the posthumous son of Sir John Sedley, (who was sheriff of Kent in the nineteenth of James the First,) and was born at Aylesford Friary about the year 1639. The brilliancy of his parts was so great, that king Charles is said to have told him, that "Nature had given him a patent to be Apollo's viceroy." He married Catherine, third daughter of John, earl Rivers, by whom he had an only daughter, also named Catherine, who was debauched, and created countess af Dorchester, by James the Second. Sir Charles was much incensed at this disgrace; and though he had received various favours from Janres, took a very active part in forwarding the Revolution. His answer to the accusation of deserting his royal master is well known: "Since his majesty," said he, "has made my daughter a countess, it is fit that I should do all I can to make his daughter a queen." He died about the beginning of the reign of queen Anne. His works were collected and published in two volumes, 8vo. 1719. His verses have mostly an immoral tendency; but possess much softness, and elegance of language.

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