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

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.

Ff

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 allowances. The 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 10,000l. was given a few years ago by a person unknown, who at the same time bestowed a like sum on Greenwich Hospital.

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

5

1743,

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, his 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'shonours, 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 EGELESFORD, 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 Gip ford; the demesne 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 1245 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 of Dorchester, by James the Second. Sir Charles was much incensed at this disgrace; and though he had received various favours from James, '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, &vo, 1719. His verses have mostly an immoral tendency; but possess much softness, and elegance of language.

"State

"State of the Ottoman Empire:" he was buried near his parents, in the south chancel of Aylesford church. In 1699, this estate fell to the honourable Heneage Finch, afterwards earl of Aylesford. The late countess dowager made it her constant residence till her death.

The church is a handsome, building, dedicated to St. Peter; it contains memorials of the Aylesford branch of the Finch family; and of the families of Colepepper, Duke, Banks, Rycaut, and Sedley. The monument of Sir JOHN BANKS, bart. who died in 1699, æt. seventy-two, has his effigies in marble, and that of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Dethick. The situation of this fabric, in respect to the village, (which principally consists of one wide street,) is singular, as the ground rises so suddenly, that a person standing on the north side of the church-yard; may look down the chimnics of the houses.

This parish has been the scene of several battles, the most memorable of which was fought in the year 455, between the Britons, under Vortimer, and the Saxons, under Hengist and Horsa; the Britons obtained the victory, but Catigern, brother to Vortimer, was among the slain*. Horsa

* The burial-place of Catigern is commonly supposed to be pointed out by the well-known Cromlech, called Kit's Coty House, which stands. on the Downs about one mile north-eastward from Aylesford church. It féales is composed of four huge stones unwrought; three of them standing on end, but inclined inwards, and supporting the fourth, which lies transversely over them, so as to leave an open recess beneath. The dimensions and weight of these stones are nearly as follow: height of that on the south side, eight feet; breadth, seven aud a half; thickness, two' feet; weight, eiglit tons: height of that on the north, seven feet; breadth, seven and a half; thickness, two feet; weight, eight tons and a half: the middle stone is very irregular; its medium length, as well as breadth, may be about five feet; its thickness, fourteen inches; and its weight, about two tons: the upper stone, or impost, is also extremely irregular, its greatest length being nearly twelve feet, and its breadth about frine and a quarter; its thickness, two feet; and its weight, about ten tons and a half. The width of the recess at bottom is nine feet; at top, seven and a half: the height from the ground to the upper side of the covering-stone, is nine feet. About seventy yards towards the north

west