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of smuggling was so much in practice: what it is now; is not to my

present purpose。



Near this town lie The Seven Burnhams; as they are called; that is

to say; seven small towns; all called by the same name; and each

employed in the same trade of carrying corn to Holland; and

bringing back; … etc。



From hence we turn to the south…west to Castle Rising; an old

decayed borough town; with perhaps not ten families in it; which

yet (to the scandal of our prescription right) sends two members to

the British Parliament; being as many as the City of Norwich itself

or any town in the kingdom; London excepted; can do。



On our left we see Walsingham; an ancient town; famous for the old

ruins of a monastery of note there; and the Shrine of our Lady; as

noted as that of St。 Thomas…e…Becket at Canterbury; and for little

else。



Near this place are the seats of the two allied families of the

Lord Viscount Townsend and Robert Walpole; Esq。; the latter at this

time one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury and Minister of

State; and the former one of the principal Secretaries of State to

King George; of which again。



From hence we went to Lynn; another rich and populous thriving

port…town。  It stands on more ground than the town of Yarmouth; and

has; I think; parishes; yet I cannot allow that it has more people

than Yarmouth; if so many。  It is a beautiful; well built; and well

situated town; at the mouth of the River Ouse; and has this

particular attending it; which gives it a vast advantage in trade;

namely; that there is the greatest extent of inland navigation here

of any port in England; London excepted。  The reason whereof is

this; that there are more navigable rivers empty themselves here

into the sea; including the washes; which are branches of the same

port; than at any one mouth of waters in England; except the Thames

and the Humber。  By these navigable rivers; the merchants of Lynn

supply about six counties wholly; and three counties in part; with

their goods; especially wine and coals; viz。; by the little Ouse;

they send their goods to Brandon and Thetford; by the Lake to

Mildenhall; Barton Mills; and St。 Edmundsbury; by the River Grant

to Cambridge; by the great Ouse itself to Ely; to St。 Ives; to St。

Neots; to Barford Bridge; and to Bedford; by the River Nyne to

Peterborough; by the drains and washes to Wisbeach; to Spalding;

Market Deeping; and Stamford; besides the several counties; into

which these goods are carried by land…carriage; from the places;

where the navigation of those rivers end; which has given rise to

this observation on the town of Lynn; that they bring in more coals

than any sea…port between London and Newcastle; and import more

wines than any port in England; except London and Bristol; their

trade to Norway and to the Baltic Sea is also great in proportion;

and of late years they have extended their trade farther to the

southward。



Here are more gentry; and consequently is more gaiety in this town

than in Yarmouth; or even in Norwich itself … the place abounding

in very good company。



The situation of this town renders it capable of being made very

strong; and in the late wars it was so; a line of fortification

being drawn round it at a distance from the walls; the ruins; or

rather remains of which works appear very fair to this day; nor

would it be a hard matter to restore the bastions; with the

ravelins; and counterscarp; upon any sudden emergency; to a good

state of defence: and that in a little time; a sufficient number of

workmen being employed; especially because they are able to fill

all their ditches with water from the sea; in such a manner as that

it cannot be drawn off。



There is in the market…place of this town a very fine statue of

King William on horseback; erected at the charge of the town。  The

Ouse is mighty large and deep; close to the very town itself; and

ships of good burthen may come up to the quay; but there is no

bridge; the stream being too strong and the bottom moorish and

unsound; nor; for the same reason; is the anchorage computed the

best in the world; but there are good roads farther down。



They pass over here in boats into the fen country; and over the

famous washes into Lincolnshire; but the passage is very dangerous

and uneasy; and where passengers often miscarry and are lost; but

then it is usually on their venturing at improper times; and

without the guides; which if they would be persuaded not to do;

they would very rarely fail of going or coming safe。



From Lynn I bent my course to Downham; where is an ugly wooden

bridge over the Ouse; from whence we passed the fen country to

Wisbeach; but saw nothing that way to tempt our curiosity but deep

roads; innumerable drains and dykes of water; all navigable; and a

rich soil; the land bearing a vast quantity of good hemp; but a

base unwholesome air; so we came back to Ely; whose cathedral;

standing in a level flat country; is seen far and wide; and of

which town; when the minster; so they call it; is described;

everything remarkable is said that there is room to say。  And of

the minster; this is the most remarkable thing that I could hear

it; namely; that some of it is so ancient; totters so much with

every gust of wind; looks so like a decay; and seems so near it;

that whenever it does fall; all that it is likely will be thought

strange in it will be that it did not fall a hundred years sooner。



From hence we came over the Ouse; and in a few miles to Newmarket。

In our way; near Snaybell; we saw a noble seat of the late Admiral

Russell; now Earl of Orford; a name made famous by the glorious

victory obtained under his command over the French fleet and the

burning their ships at La Hogue … a victory equal in glory to; and

infinitely more glorious to the English nation in particular; than

that at Blenheim; and; above all; more to the particular advantage

of the confederacy; because it so broke the heart of the naval

power of France that they have not fully recovered it to this day。

But of this victory it must be said it was owing to the haughty;

rash; and insolent orders given by the King of France to his

admiral; viz。; to fight the confederate fleet wherever he found

them; without leaving room for him to use due caution if he found

them too strong; which pride of France was doubtless a fate upon

them; and gave a cheap victory to the confederates; the French

coming down rashly; and with the most impolitic bravery; with about

five…and…forty sail to attack between seventy and eighty sail; by

which means they met their ruin。  Whereas; had their own fleet been

joined; it might have cost more blood to have mastered them if it

had been done at all。



The situation of this house is low; and on the edge of the fen

country; but the building is very fine; the avenues noble; and the

gardens perfectly finished。  The apartments also are rich; and I

see nothing wanting but a family and heirs to sustain the glory and

inheritance of the illustrious ancestor who raised it … SED CARET

PEDIBUS; these are wanting。



Being come to Newmarket in the month of October; I had the

opportunity to see the horse races and a great concourse of the

nobility and gentry; as well from London as from all parts of

England; but they were all so intent; so eager; so busy upon the

sharping part of the sport … their wagers and bets … that to me

they seemed just as so many horse…coursers in Smithfield;

descending (the greatest of them) from their high dignity and

quality to picking one another's pockets; and biting one another as

much as possible; and that with such eagerness as that it might be

said they acted without respect to faith; honour; or good manners。



There was Mr。 Frampton the oldest; and; as some say; the cunningest

jockey in England; one day he lost one thousand guineas; the next

he won two thousand; and so alternately he made as light of

throwing away five hundred or one thousand pounds at a time as

other men do of their pocket…money; and as perfectly calm;

cheerful; and unconcerned when he had lost one thousand pounds as

when he had won it。  On the other side there was Sir R Fagg; of

Sussex; of whom fame says he has the most in him and the least to

show for it (relating to jockeyship) of any man there; yet he often

carried the prize。  His horses; they said; were all cheats; how

honest soever their master was; for he scarce ever produced a horse

but he looked like what he was not; and was what nobody could

expect him to be。  If he was as light as the wind; and could fly

like a meteor; he was sure to look as clumsy; and as dirty; and as

much like a cart…horse as all the cunning of his master and the

grooms could make him; and just in this manner he beat some of the

greatest gamesters in the field。



I was so sick of the jockeying part that I left the crowd about the

posts and pleased myself with observing the

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