authenticated by antiquarians, is still told of this place. Ancient Cromer, or as Camden calls it, Shipden, is said to have been buried in the sea, and I have been told, at a very low tide, and some miles from the shore, the summit of the steeple of the old church has been clearly discerned; it is certain, however, that those who have made experiments at soundings in this spot, have had every reason to conclude that the bottom of the sea, for the circumference of half a mile or more, was one perfect stratum of stone It is or brick, which plainly marked out the ruins of houses and buildings of various sorts. these scattered ruins of the old town, in the sea, which are said to make the coast of Cromer so extremely dangerous for shipping. The harbour is known thoroughly only to the most experienced pilots, and the trade necessarily suffers from these disadvantages and perils of the shore. The accommodation for company in this place is of a very humble kind; a few old houses have been taken down and rebuilt within these dozen years, after a more modern and enlarged plan. Some of the fishermen have been ejected from their old cots, or have surrendered them to a speculating bricklayer, who has spruced them up with a little fresh lath and plaster, or a layer or two of sea-stone and pebbles, and scrawled "Lodgings to Lett" over the window. A chandler and jobbing carpenter have occasionally leagued together to furnish out a room looking towards the sea, with a few chairs, a table, and a sopha; a few ale-houses, which not many years ago found it difficult, from the penury of trade, to obtain a licence or a livelihood, are now shot up into hotels or taverns; and a master of a fishing boat, a retailer of crabs, has now become the proprietor of a bathing machine. Such, Sir, has been the metamorphosis of this place, almost within my own recollection of it. Cromer has not yet to boast of any places of public amusement, balls or assemblies; the only pleasure the company take is in walking on the sands at low tide, or strolling, or riding about the neighbourhood, which is extremely picturesque and interesting. The bathing-machines are very commodious, and the bather a very careful, attentive man; the terms are extremely moderate, and any one may select his own hour. The first place to which I would carry you in the neighbourhood of Cromer, is the ride through Northrepps to Trimmingham Beacon, being about seven miles along the cliffs of the sca. Mr. Richard Gurney, a banker of Norwich, has built a most beautiful cottage in the parish of Northrepps;, it is situated in a kind of narrow valley, surrounded upon every part by hills, except towards the sea, of which it commands a mos extensive view, The hills are every where covered with flourishing plantations, and those Not far from this house is Toll's Hill, which The Beacon at Trimmingham is an object truly worthy of a visit. It commands the noblest Upon a clear day, Yarobtained in Norfolk. prospect, both of sea and land, which is to be mouth, though thirty miles distant, can be distinguished from it, and the spire of Norwich above forty churches have been counted from cathedral, which is at least twenty-two miles off; this eminence, and the expanse of the sea which At Trimmingthe eye takes in is immense. ham Beacon is a station, or a kind of signal-post; these extend throughout the eastern coast at the average distance of five miles apart from each other; a Lieutenant is generally the officer of the station; his office is to make signals to any suspicious vessels which appear upon the coast, which, if not satisfactorily answered, another signal is immediately hoisted, and repeated by all the stations till they reach some port where suit if an enemy. armed ships are constantly prepared for the pur About three miles from Cromer is Felbrigg, is delightfully situated in the bosom of extensive the seat of the Right Hon. W. Windham; it culary the oak, are of great antiquity. This faand venerable woods; some of the trees, parti mily, which is very ancient in Norfolk, has long been settled at Felbrigg; and it is a sort of provincial proverb, "Never was a Windham known to be poor." There are The house is in the style of the old English mansion, and has lately undergone considerable alterations which, as must be the case, have rencontains some good pictures, chiefly of the dered it more modern, but less magnificent. It Dutch masters; in the drawing-room, a Usurer, master, deserve particular attention. by Rembrandt, and an Old Womar, by the same some exquisite pieces by Vandeveldt; a SeaFight, supposed to be an engagement between the English and Dutch fleets, is an admirable performance. In this room is a small, but highly Court of Lycomedes-it is said to be a Rubens. coloured picture, The finding of Achilles at the Slight as my inspection was, I had great reason to doubt it; almost every stray, unowned picture, which is supposed to have merit, is given at random to Rubens. This great master was so general, so eminent in every department of the art, and so wholly without what the painters call manner, that any picture which is conceived to be excellent, and without an avowed owner, may be attributed to Rubens with more safety than to any other master; I believe, however, that Mr. Windham calls it a Rubens-this is authority in art as well as in other things. This set is not often honoured by the residence of the master; but when Mr. Windham does visit it, he gives a full flow to the generosity and hospitable ardour of his character. One of the most beautiful rides near Cromer is to Holt, through Upper and Lower Sherringham, Runion, and Beeston. About a mile and a half from Cromer are the Felbrigg Plantations, which accompany the traveller on his left for about a mile, during which space, the views of the sea on the right are truly delightful. The country is here extremely hilly, and every eminence is covered with the thickest and richest plantations of firs and pines, particularly those of Mr. Cooke Flower, whose estate at this spot, though small, is perhaps one of the most enviable in the whole county of Norfolk. Holt is a market town, remarkable for nothing that I know of. The return from Holt may be agreeably varied by taking the lower road to Cromer. Here a most sublime and romantic view is obtained from Sherrington Hill. About two miles from hence are the ruins of Beeston Priory, in which an antiquary may find beauties, but in which I confess I cannot. The Gunton-Hall, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord Suffield. The estate of this nobleman, with the exception of Mr. Coke's, is the largest in the county; it occupies almost six contiguous parishes, and extends from North-Walsham to Aylshamn, on one side, and from Gunton to Cromer, on the other, being altogether a traverse space of sixteen miles. The plautations around the house are beautiful and extensive; but there is very little of what may be called park. The agriculturists of Norfolk, and in this county every one is a farmer, know better things than to encourage their taste for venison to the sacrifice of more substantial enjoyments; here the plough usurps every thing, and we believe his Lordship's barley and turnips are sown up to his parlour windows. Gunton-House is not deserving of notice, it is the mansion of a common country gentleman, and is not, we hear, often open to hospitality. This nobleman immures himself in a kind of gloomy and secluded grandeur, and indulges the most arbitrary caprice and passion, as I have heard, with regard to the game laws; in every other respect he is a most worthy nobleman. The inside of Gunton-House is not very accessible to strangers. About five miles onwards from Gunton is Aylsham, a very neat and pleasant market town. Some few years since it was in a flourishing state, but is now fallen into decay; the church is a handsome modern pile, and the neighbourhood is extremely agreeable. Taking the road from Cromer to Norwich, and diverging a little to the left, you come to Thorpe Market, a village which, in houses, lands, and every other tenement, is the property of Lord Suffield, formerly Sir Harbord Harbord, many years member for the city of Norwich. ruins of the parish church have been taken down and rebuilt by Lord Suffield, in a style which attracts many spectators from its novelty. The present structure, which was designed by Mr. Wood, is simple and elegant; the materials are flint and free-stone; at each of the four corners is a turret, and the points of the gables are terminated by a stone cross, after the monkish fashion. The inside is finished with neatness and taste. There are three family monuments taken from the walls of the old church, in meniory of the Harbords. The next place to Thorpe, of any consequence, is North-Walsham; a town of considerable extent and population, but extremely dull and poor. I believe one general remark may apply to all the towns in Norfolk, which are very numerous, that, with the excep tion of Norwich, Yarmouth, and Lynn, none of them have any species of trade or manufacture;namented with several fine portraits. The prethe little activity and spirit they possess is owing to the port and carrying trade. About a mile from Aylsham is Blickling, the seat of the late Earl of Buckinghamshire, but now of the Hon. Asheton Harbord, eldest son of Lord Suffield, who enjoys it and the contiguous estate, in right of his wife, Lady Caroline Harbord, second daughter of the above-mentioned Earl. Blickling is a noble building, in the Gothic style; it is famous for having been the birth-place of Anne Boleyn, the unfortunate queen of Henry VIII. and mother of Elizabeth; the entrance froin the court-yard is over a bridge of two arches, across the moat, through a gatehouse and a small inner-court, and is very striking in its appearance. In the hall are full length statues of Anne Boleyn, and her illustrious daughter; in the anti-room are several portraits, the most striking is that of Sir Henry Hobart, one of the ancestors of the Buckingham family, who was killed in a duel with Mr. Le Neve,, upon Cawston Heath, where a square monumental stone marks the spot upon which the event took place. The study has a good collection of books. The Old Dining-room is or About three miles from North-Walsham is sent King and Queen, by Sir Joshua Reynolds'; the late Lord Townshend, the Earl of Leicester, and Sir Robert Walpole. In this room is the chair of state in which James II. sat when at Dublin; it is a piece of furniture which the reverence of antiquity only could preserve; for 1 am mistaken if a broker would venture to put it up at an auction. short distance from the house is the ruins of a church, of which the tower alone remains. It is highly picturesque, and a beautiful feature in the surrounding landscape. The house is furnished in a very modern style; the collection of pictures is not very numerous or valuable. The chief ornament of the rooms is ta any of equal excellence. Upon the seat of some chairs are exhibited the fables of sop. The noble Lord generally resides upon this spot all the year, and maintains the hospitality of an old English baron, without any thing of its reputed stiffness and pride. A more amiable character is not known in the whole county of Norfolk. Having thus, Sir, given you a sketch of Cromer, and all the places, prospects, seats of noblemen, &c. &c. worthy of notice in the neighbourhood, I shall revert to other subjects. The New Drawing-room is the pleasantest room in the house. One end of it is adorned with tapestry, in which is represented the figurepestry, of which I know not that I have ever seen of Czar Peter, whose attitude, with that of the horse, is extremely spirited. The back ground to this noble performance, which is said to be all needle-work, represents the confusion of a battle, in which the Czar is supposed to be commanding; he is without his hat, his hair is black and bushy, his eyes are black and piercing, and the general spirit of his attitude and countenance are in perfect accordance with his supposed situation. This superb ornament was a present from the late Empress Catherine of Russia to Lord Buckinghamshire. At the other end of The class of company which generally fre the room is a fine portrait of George II. probably quents Cromer, with a few exceptions, is not of by Kneller; on each side of the fire-place are the highest order; a circumstance of some surfine portraits of Lord and Lady Buckingham-prise, when the cheapness of the place, the reshire, by Gainsborough. tirement and beauty of the surrounding counFrom this room you pass to the State Bed-try, and its advantages for sea-bathing are conchamber, in which I particularly noticed a fine portrait of Judge Hobart, in his robes. From this room I proceeded to the Library, and left it without any impre sion upon my mind. Having taken a general survey of the house, I passed to the park, which is well entitled to notice; it is extensively wooded, and has a fine piece of water, about a mile and a half in length, and, in some parts, nearly a quarter of a mile in breadth. Since the estate has come into the hands of the present Honourable possessor, I was sorry to see the plough infringing too much upon the pleasurable demesne. This park is very much frequented by the townspeople of Aylsham on a Sunday; and I am informed that, once or twice in the year, rustic games, and feats, attended with prizes, are given to the young folks in the neighbourhood. Notwithstanding, the popularity of the country is not much attracted towards this gentleman; Mr. Coke seems to be the focus in which it wholly centers. sidered. It is here that the Norwich manufacturer, who has made his fortune during the last war, takes up his summer retreat, and exhibits all the pride and petulance of the counting-house, with the insolence of new-gotten wealth. It is here, Sir, that he endeavours to put down the neighbouring squire in the splendour of his equipage, and the prodigality of his establishment; and, as it is here that he comes more immediately in contact with the landed proprietor, his efforts are constantly directed, during the few weeks of his emancipation, to revenge himself for the servility he has been obliged to practise in his shop, by airs of je lous self-importance, and not unfrequently of insult, to those around him--I myself, Sir, have often seen an exhibition of this sort, and have laughed heartily at it; but I do not mean to include, in this sample of the visitants of Cromer the generality of the Norwich manufacturers, some of whom I know to be men of high honour, wealth, and understand gentlemen with the substantial independence and honesty of wealthy tradesmen. In the park of Blickling, in a spot admirablying, and who unite the liberality and manners of retired, and suited to the purpose, stands the mausoleum of the Harbord family. It contains the remains of the late Lord Buckinghamshire and his first wife. I shall take you no further upon this trip, but turn to another part of the country. Woolterton, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord Walpole, is a morning's ride from Cromer; the house is of a modern style, and situated in an extensive park. It has nothing of that peculiarity which deserves a lengthened description. At a The next class of company that generally resorts to Cromer are the landed gentlemen of the county and neighbouring provinces. We-ometimes have them up, Sir, from the fens of Lincolnshire, and the wolds of Yorkshire. The celebrated and facetious Major T-m, with his companion M. P. A -s, conferred upon Cromer the honour of their presence during some weeks of the last season. for what he had done. Immediately the whisper ran round, "Who is he?"-" Where does he live?"-" Do you know him?"-" Not Isaw him once or twice."-" He has no estate in this country."" No, nor anywhere elsewhat brought him here?" But as I was observing, the country gentlemen || beset by a crowd of his own clan, and tasked form the next class. They mingle with none but themselves; a man must have a sufficient attestation of his acres and his woods to obtain, if it were worth having, an introduction to them. They repel all advances with a chill and jealous reserve peculiar to themselves. Squire T. is never seen but with Squire W. and their ladies mingle together in the same contracted and exclusive circle. They here maintain a general in imacy and course of visiting with the county at large; and as they stay somewhat late in the season, they compose balls and assemblies amongst themselves at the neighbouring towns, particularly at Aylshamn, which is distant about ten miles from Cromer. I cannot better explain to you the kind of society they afford, and their manner and deportment towards strangers, than by the relation of an anecdote which was told me by a naval officer, who was at Cromer some months since upon professional duty of the greatest importance. This gentleman, a man of very polished manners and education, was invited by a friend to attend an assembly at Aylsham. Anecdotes of this kind, Sir, may be reputed trifling, but they serve to illustrate manners and the state of provincial society, which you profess to be one of the objects of your work. He appeared at the ball with his friend; they were both well known characters, and of high honour and rank in their | profession. The master of the ceremonies, or, as we may better term him, the president of the Coterie, was a man of birth and rank, and possessed of the largest landed property in the neighbourhood. He took no notice of them but by a stiff repelling bow. The company was divided into little whispering clusters, and the assembly was wholly split into separate, and, as it were, hostile swarms, who treated as a spy, and resented by an inveterate silence, any one who broke in upon them. My friend very happily observed of this assembly," that there was just as much society among them as in a congregation at a church; each seemed to come to mind his own business, and shew that he was alive; and then, bowing to the preacher, went out, with a reciprocation of slight familiarities with such as hustled him as he passed through the porch." I was pleased with his illustration, and he proceeded to tell me further of his reception. Such was my situation that I was shunned as a pickpocket, and as solitary as though living in a desart. At length the bell rung for tea in an adjoining room; I answered the call, and to my astonishment behold the president of the Coterie sitting at a large table making tea for the ladies! There seemed a kind of preparation for my coming in, and I almost expected an insult; it turned out so-for this worthy gentleman, with a sort of simpering sneer, immediately aldressed me (upon whom all eyes were fixed) with a 66 Captain W, will you take a cup of tea?" No, I thank you, Sir, I replied, I prefer porter," and my friend and I imme. diately desired the waiter to bring a pot. I need not describe the confusion and rage which this excited; they were awed, however, sufficiently not to menace another insult, and after having enjoyed the embarrassment, my friend and I withdrew." I think, Sir, I need give you no further specimen of this society. Whatever may be their merits amongst each other I am yet to least, I have only presumed to exhibit a sample to you from the judgment of a stranger. The frequenters of Cromer may yet be distributed into another class; that anomalous and non-descript kind which is found at every place of public resort, and amongst which your correspondent himself has the honour to be enrolled. Here, Sir, we are all incog. and conspire pretty generally to keep up the masquerade amongst us. You know very well the old maxim, "Omné obscurum stat pro magnifico." We are not known to each other here, Sir, and too often forget ourselves. We do not retire, as other great men do, to sink into privacy and humble life in the country. No, Mr. Editor, it is here that we emerge to dignity; and, instead of laying aside our honours, for the first time in our lives, perhaps, we assume them. Monarchs are said frequently to leave their capitals, and pass into distant provinces in the characters of private gentlemen, in order to study "When, said he, I attempted to break the ice, the affections of their subjects, and to be rid, for and renew my personal acquaintance with such a time, of the embarrassments of pomp; but as I had chanced to meet elsewhere, I found we, Sir, who frequent watering-places, are of every one an altered character. The man another opinion when we quit the capital it is whom I met hun'ing or shooting I could con- to grow great out of it; it is not to enjoy the vers freely with, sercely acknowledged me here" otium cum dignitate," but the "dignitas cums but by a stiff salute; and if he happened to interchange a few words with me, he was instantly otio."-A rider, whose course of business carries him through the Eastern counties, sends his wife and children before him to Cromer, and takes them up again here in the character of a merchant, has a morning paper sent down to him second-hand from a coffee-house, an. betrays the utmost anxiety till he learns the price of stocks. In the universal mixture of society that necessarily occurs in a watering place, nobody knows" who is who!" The truly great are always, in such places, shorn of their beams. It is those only that ape them who appear in borrowed characters. But such is the confusion, as I was saying, that it is impossible to keep up distinctions. A swindler may make a bet with my Lord Chancellor, and a black legs invite a bishop to play a game of billiards with him. Cromer, from the smallness of its society, and the scantiness of its accommodations, is happily exempt from these violent intermixtures; but I would have you to know, Sir, that we have still some characters amongst us. There is a gentleman here, Mr. L. who generally passes three or four months at Cromer, during which times he writes a novel for the circulating libraries, consisting of five or six vo. lumes, and they tell me they are very pretty reading. Here is another, likewise, who is a poet and dramatic writer; he has (for he told me so himself) written eleven plays within these three years, nine of which are now in the hands of the Drury-lane manager; he has not, however, yet received an answer, but expects one every day, and has left word at his lodgings in town, that every two-penny post let.er should be instantly forwarded to him. I could possibly give you some very amusing sketches of character if I had time, or you room to admit them; but I am entrenching on your limits, and shall therefore conclude, Your obedient servant, VIATOR. PICTURE OF LISBON, IN 1796. LISBON contains a great number of nunneries, but it is not customary to place young ladies in them; they remain with their parents till they marry. They have not, however, the more liberty on this account, for they never go abroad alone, and are never out of the sight of their mothers. There are even some who never go from home not even to church on Sundays, but attend mass in the oratory of their own houses. This practice might be supposed to secure young females from the dangers of seduction, but a constitution, warm and always precarious, constraint and indolence, develope in them the genius of invention. Being always the friends of the servant maids to whom the care of them is confided, they find means to seduce them. The mother takes a nap after dinner, and sleeps again during the night, and advantage is taken of both these intervals. In general they cannot write, but they have a language which is perfectly familiar to them. They converse in broad day from their windows with their lovers in the street, without uttering a word; signs are sufficient, and these signs are executed by means of their fingers, with such astonishing quickness and dexterity, that they are able to hold in this manner very long conversations. They never let slip an opportunity of having a husband, old or young, handsome or ugly, amiable or churlish; they sacrifice the secret lover to the first comer that mentions marrrage, firmly resolved to indemnify themselves whenever they can. No. VI. Vol. I. The Portuguese women are well made, well proportioned, of a good figure, fair, lively, replete with graces; they have fine eyes, good skin, a kind look, a gentle manner, and an understanding which would appear to great advantage were it only cultivated. Being early exercised in the art of dissembling, they become adepts in it; their countenance is never disconcerted; dissimulation is concealed beneath the mask of innocent candour, never does an indiscreet blush betray their thoughts or disturb their pleasures; they appear to have truth on their lips, but it is rarely in their hearts. They are real Proteuses, assuming whatever form they please, that is, any that suits their private interest. Nevertheless, they are obliging, affectionate, generous; their hearts are so good that they think themselves obliged to make many happy. A Portuguese lady never goes abroad on foot unattended; she is followed by female servants covered with large cloaks of coarse woollen cloth, who walk behind her like footmen; those who have none of their own hire them when they go out, especially on particular festivals, to attend It is in general negro or mulatto them to mass. women who follow this profession; the usual price is about three pence for each time. It is ludicrous enough to see a woman walking gravely along the streets, followed by four servants, two and two, who observe her steps, imitate her gait, and ape her gravity. The Portuguese women appear but very little in public except upon such occasions; they are never seen in the public walks, and even at home U U |