the enormous price of seven guineas an inch. The wood of which these venerable edifices was constructed was chesnut, and was found, when taken down, to be perfectly sound and fresh.

One of the best specimens of the species of houses alluded to, stood on the right of the entrance into the town from the London road, and is now taken down. This, from the curious and handsome carving of its gable-ends, or bargeboards, as they are here termed, appeared to have been in its day a mansion of consequence, but, like many others which have declined with the fortunes of their possessors, fell, at length, into decay, and, in the latter part of its time, was used as an ostery, or place for drying or burning hops, as may be presumed from a probable corruption of some word from the verb uro, to burn or dry, and was, at length, taken entirely down. A correct sketch of it, in oil colours, by Briggs, is in the possession of J. G. Shorter, Esq., at his beautiful cottage at Guestling.

From the uneven nature of the town, which is built on the slopes of two hills, one side of its streets necessarily rises considerably above the other, so that the lower part overlooks, as it were, the sides of the declivity. The land, at the back of All Saint's-street, towards the east, ascends so considerably, that it was requisite to clear away a part of the ground, in order to form a level road. Hence the gardens on the east side are steep of ascent, whilst those on the west side slope gradually towards the Bourne stream. Hastings was formerly defended, towards the sea, by a wall, which extended from the castle-cliff across the hollow in which the town lies, to the east-cliff; which rises very high, and the face of which is a steep perpendicular rock: a very small portion of this wall still exists, and may be traced near the Bourne's mouth, (1) where there was a portcullis or gate; a considerable part of it is stated to have remained about forty years since. There were also, originally, three gates, one below the Swan Inn, one across the little stream that runs through the town, and

(1) See the annexed view.

the third on the eastern side of it. It does not appear from any accounts, written or traditionary, that there were any walls on the land side; nor, indeed, do they seem to have been necessary for preventing the sudden invasion of a foreign enemy, as one towards the sea, with the castle, together with the natural fortifications of the rocks, would, at least, serve as a protection against any sudden attack.

The fiction of the old poets—of Fauns and Satyrs living in caves and hollow trees-was, in part, realized on this spot, some years since, by an aged couple's forming into a dwelling a cavern on the side of the eastern hill, called the Minnis Rock. (1) These poor people had been discharged from the town workhouse for repeated misbehaviour, and, having no other shelter, were constrained, in the year 1783, to form this into a habitation. During their life-time, the company resorting to the town are stated to have frequently visited their wretched and gloomy abode, and, from them, these outcasts picked up such casual donations as, with what they could otherwise collect, enabled them to protract a miserable existence; they slept on the bare rock, without any door to inclose them from the inclemency of the weather, or other covering than their own tattered garments. This cavern, which is still occasionally visited as an object of curiosity, is of no great extent, reaching but a few yards to the left from the entrance: to the right was the old people's fire-place, the fuel for which they are said to have collected from the fields and brakes in the neighbourhood. The smoke was discharged from an aperture into a channel made in the rock. About forty years ago, and probably at a later date, there is said to have been a cross in the centre of this cave, opposite to its entrance, which was cut out in the rock, and by its side a niche, for the image of some saint; appearing to indicate that, in antient times, it was the site of a hermitage, and, probably, the abode of some devout anchorite.

To the eastward of the town, upon the hill, are still

(1) See Frontispiece, which represents a general view of the town, taken from this spot.

Drawn by W. G. Mols.

VIEW FROM THE PIER ROCKS.

To JAMES DAWKINS ESQ EA.S. REPRESENTATIVE in PARLIAMENT for the BOROUGH of HASTINGS. This Fair is reportfully inscribed
Published June, 1894, by W. Moss, Kennington.

Printed by H. Miller,

Treef