it will be as well, perhaps, to speak of the Old Town, if such an appellation can be given to so juvenile a place.

Brighton owes its present flourishing condition entirely to the circumstance of the Prince of Wales making it a place of residence. Before he commenced building the Pavilion, in 1794, it was nothing more than a small fishing-town, such as it had been for two or three centuries. The earliest notion we have of Brighton is derived from a very quaint print, showing the attack upon the town by the French, in 1545. About fifty houses planted in a square,-much in the way children would plant them out of a box of toys,—with flames breaking from most of the houses, the old churchtower, which is plainly depicted on the hill, two or three gigantic windmills, a tremendous fire-cage swung upon the top of a pole, and acting as an alarm beacon, with the French landing in front, and soldiers assembled to oppose them gathered round the church, and marching on the roads from Poyning and Lewes, form this unique composition. It appears that the neighbouring inhabitants, on this occasion, gathered so strongly on the Downs, that the invaders retreated and gave in. In the " Archæologia,” vol. xxiv., published by the Society of Antiquaries, in 1832, there is a copy of this curious print, accompanied with the following account of the affair, taken from Holinshed; who says, “In 37 Hen. VIII. 1545, July 18th, the Admiral of France, M. Danebalte, hoised up sails, and with his whole navy (which consisted of two hundred ships and twenty-six galleys) came forth into the seas, and arrived on the coast of Sussex before Bright Hamstead, and set certain of his soldiers on land to burn and spoil the country; but the beacons were fired, and the inhabitants thereabouts came down so thick, that the Frenchmen were driven to flie with loss of diverse of their numbers; so that they did little hurt there."

The town of Brighthelmstone had been previously attacked and burnt by the French, in the night, in 1514, by Prior Jehan, who was at that time the great captain of the French navy. Holinshed says that at this time, "when the people began to gather, by firing the beacons, Prior Jehan sounded his trumpet, to call his men aboard, and by that time it was day. Then certain archers that kept the watch followed Prior Jehan to the sea, and shot so fast that they beat the galley-men from the shore, and wounded many in the foist; to the which Prior Jehan was constrained to wade, and was shot in the face with an arrow, so that he lost one of his eyes, and was like to have died of the hurt: and therefore he offered his image of wax before our Lady at Bullogne, with the English arrow in the face, for a miracle."

A print bearing date 1745 shows the town to have increased somewhat: there is also a sign of a sea-wall in front of it, and the Block-house looks formidable enough; nevertheless, this must have made the town appear larger than it really was: for another print, dated 1765, shows a fine tract of down, containing rich arable and pasture on the hill-side, where St. James' and other contiguous streets now stand; and we see reapers cutting the crops on the ground now occupied by the Marine Parade and its neighbourhood. During the period that a great portion of the town was situated below the cliff-that is, in the time of Elizabeth-we learn that a wall was built, fifteen feet high and four hundred feet long, at the most accessible part of the cliff: this, without doubt, was the wall we see in the print of 1745, as it was not destroyed until it fell with the Block-house, from the effect of the sea, in 1786. When this old wall existed, the communication between the houses on the cliff and those under it was kept up by means of gateways of stone: these were named, East Gate, at the lower end of East Street; the Porter's Gate, which stood next the East Gate; the Middle Gate, opposite Middle Street; and the West Gate, which terminated West Street. These gates have been all long since demolished, and the only remnants

of the Old Town still remaining are a few houses, and St. Nicholas' Church, on the hill.

Before quitting the historical portion of our sketch of Brighton, we must not omit to mention so important an event in its annals as the escape from its shores, in 1651, of Charles II. The Boscobel narrative tells us of the many hair's-breadth escapes which happened to him after his flight from the fatal field of Worcester-how he managed to conceal himself at Leigh, near Bristol, and what ineffectual attempts were made to procure a passage for him at Poole, in Dorsetshire; how, at last, he took ship in safety at Brighthelmstone, and finally got away from his pursuers. The manner of this escape was as follows:-After wandering about from one hiding-place to another, for at least six weeks, he was brought by Lord Wilmot and Colonel Gunter to the house of one Mr. Maunsell, a great adherent, living at Ovingdean. Here he lay concealed within a double partition for several days, while his friends were busy framing means for his escape. They ultimately decided upon obtaining the assistance of the master of a coal-brig, named Nicholas Tattersall, who lay under an obligation to the Prince, for having, by his own personal order, many years before, released his ship, then detained in the Downs by a royal squadron. Soon after nightfall on the 14th of October, the fugitive Prince was led over the Downs from Ovingdean, disguised as well as his friends were able, and taken to a small inn, still in existence, and situated in West Street, then called the George,' but since that event, named the 'King's Head.' Here he and the Lord Wilmot waited in fear and trembling the coming of Tattersall, and not without good reason; for the landlordone Smith-speedily recognised the Prince through his disguise, promising, however, and maintaining the utmost secrecy. Tattersall also discovered his Sovereign in an instant,—from which it is certain that his disguise was not very profound. Next morning, at five o'clock, the whole party proceeded on board his miserable vessel; and we feel assured that the green expanse of ocean that stretches out to the south was never more narrowly scanned to see if any Republican cruisers were in sight than on that morning, when the dirty coal-brig, with her precious freight, put off for the friendly shore of France. This voyage was perfectly successful; and the same day Charles was landed at Fescamp in Normandy.

The main part of the town of Brighton lies in a hollow of the hill, and is sheltered on all sides but the south, which lies open to the sea. Its principal streets are full of shops, of the handsomest description; indeed, the tradesmen of Brighton generally make as good an appearance as the West-end London establishments.

The Town Hall is the largest and most imposing building in the town. It was erected at a cost of no less than £50,000, and in it nearly all the public business of Brighton is transacted. As a building it is of larger proportions than many we have seen in much larger towns, being 144 feet in length by 113 in depth, and it is embellished with three porticos; but it is of inelegant design. Brighton has not yet assumed the dignity of a corporate town, but is governed by commissioners, whose offices are in this building, which also contains offices for the Court of Requests, the Petty Sessions, and for the magistrates. The basement story is used as a prison, the ground floor contains a market, and the upper story contains some very handsome assembly-rooms. It is in this building too that the public meetings of the townsmen are held. There is another and a very large market situated in the centre of the town. The wholesale fish-market is held on the beach, as we have before mentioned, and there is a corn-market held in Marlborough Place every Thursday.

The amusements of Brighton are but few; the town possesses a theatre, and a very pretty one, but, like most other provincial establishments of the kind, it has not been

sufficiently supported for a long time, and is now closed. Balls and concerts are held at the Town Hall and at the Old Ship Hotel, where there is a splendid room, eighty feet long. There are a couple of Club Houses, besides Libraries, News Rooms, and Bazaars, which help the visitors to while away a lagging hour.

A watering-place must have a Spa; whether it be real or artificial, is of little matter. Brighton therefore has its German Spa, situated in the Queen's Park— a plantation lying to the north of the town. Here chemical imitations of the different German mineral-waters are prepared, as the Guide-books say, "in such perfection, as not to be distinguishable either in taste or effect from the original springs." Here, then, without the annoyance of getting sea-sick, you ought to obtain all the advantages of a visit to the Spas of Marienbad, Auschowitz, Eger, Pyrmont, Spa, Geilnau, Seltzer, Seidschütz, and Püllna.

At a distance of only half a mile west of the town a natural chalybeate spring has been discovered at Wick, where a neat little pump-room has been erected. This spring is said to be useful in cases of debility and indigestion; and many people frequent it, as much as anything, perhaps, for the walk, and to take refreshments at the pretty little Swiss Cottage close at hand.

Baths of every kind, whether medicated, salt, or fresh, in all their varieties of application, are to be had in Brighton. Brill's Tepid Swimming-bath, situated at the bottom of Earl Street, however, forms quite a feature of the town. It consists of a very large circular covered area, filled with sea-water, which is pumped up from the sea continually, and heated to a temperature of 75°. In this excellent bath you may have all the advantages of a swim in the sea, with the addition of having a really comfortable temperature and dressing-room. We really do not know a better way for the citizen to restore the tone of his relaxed fibres than to "take a Brill," as it is familiarly called, and a good gallop on the Downs afterwards.

St. Nicholas' Church, the oldest building in Brighton, is situated on the hill to the north-west of the town. From its tower, which must be more than 200 feet above the sea level, a splendid view of the neighbouring country and of the town may be had. It was erected in the reign of Henry VII., and is perpendicular in its style, although successive additions and repairs have rendered it most incongruously picturesque. There is a very singular font in the interior, which is said to have been brought from Normandy in the reign of William the Conqueror, but it looks Saxon in character, and doubtless was removed from some much older building. A very rude bas-relief runs round it, representing the Lord's Supper. The churchyard contains two inscriptions, which are interesting-one to the Nicholas Tattersall who helped Charles II. to escape to France; the other speaks of a very singular character, Phoebe Hessel, who, according to her epitaph," served for many years as a private soldier in the 5th regiment of foot, in different parts of Europe; and in the year 1745 fought, under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, at the battle of Fontenoy, where she received a bayonet wound in the arm. Her long life, which commenced in the reign of Queen Anne, extended to George IV., by whose munificence she received comfort and support in her latter years. She died in Brighton, where she had long resided, December 12th, 1821, aged one hundred and eight years." St. Peter's, erected in 1827, is a very elaborate building, by Barry, the architect of the New Houses of Parliament. It is in the modern Gothic style, a variety of the perpendicular, and is situated in the north part of the town. There is another, new church in this quarter, on the edge of the Downs, where the road leading to the Dyke commences. It is in some respects the most elegant of all the Brighton churches, the tracery of the windows being of the most elaborate and beautiful character. The town contains five other churches, and seven chapels-of

ease, together with three-and-twenty Dissenting places of worship; some of these are handsome buildings.

Nor is Brighton less abundantly furnished with Benevolent Institutions than with churches and chapels. The first place is due to the Sussex County Hospital, a noble institution, but just now, we are sorry to hear, somewhat less adequately supported than it deserves to be. The hospital was founded in 1828, and from the first has been conducted on a large and liberal scale. It is not confined, as its title might imply, to the sick of the county; but is, according to the terms of the foundation, "open to the sick and lame poor of every county and nation." The building is situated near St. George's Chapel, on the road to Kemp Town. The wings are more recent than the rest of the building; the Victoria wing having been added in 1839, and the Adelaide wing in 1841. A fever ward is detached from the hospital. The late Earl of Egremont, the munificent supporter of every good work in the county, and especially in Brighton, gave £2000 towards the erection of the hospital, and £3000 towards its endowment. Besides the hospital, Brighton has a dispensary, for the gratuitous administration of advice and medicine; and a "Provident and Self-supporting Dispensary," by means of which the labouring classes are enabled, by small periodical payments, to provide for themselves and families medical advice and medicine in the time of sickness. There are, also, a Dorcas Society; a Lying-in Institution; a Dollar Society, for the benefit of persons, especially the aged, who have experienced great reverses in their circumstances; a Society for the relief of Distressed Widows; an Asylum for Female Orphans; an Infirmary for Diseases of the Eye: an Asylum for the Blind; an Institution for the Deaf and Dumb; with several Loan and Provident Societies for the benefit of persons of small incomes. There is, moreover, a Savings Bank, which had, in November, 1848, 4,812 depositors, whose deposits, in the aggregate, amounted to 110,6547. 78. 1d.

It would seem too, that ample means have been provided for meeting the educational wants of the town. The highest place must be assigned to one of the most recent establishments—the Brighton College, a proprietary school founded in 1847, in order "to provide for the sons of noblemen and gentlemen a sound religious, classical, and general education of the highest order;" —a purpose which the eminence of the masters affords an excellent guarantee will be effected. The college, a very handsome building in the Tudor collegiate style, was erected in 1849. The buildings are to form a spacious quadrangle; but a colonnade with wings, and a chapel, have to be added before the original design is completed. In its present state, however, it is one of the most ornamental of the recent additions to the architecture of Brighton. Another school has also added somewhat to the architectural character of the town ;-the Central National School, erected in 1830, but lately enlarged so as to accommodate six hundred and fifty pupils. Besides this school, there are seven National, British, and Infant Schools; a British and Infant School, supported by the Quakers; two Schools supported by the Wesleyan Methodists; the Union Charity Schools, under the management of the Dissenters; two Ragged Schools, and a school for educating and clothing the Indigent Blind. St Mary's Hall, Kemp Town, is an institution for educating the daughters of poor clergymen, and preparing them for governesses. There is also a Training School for Schoolmistresses. To these, of course, must be added the ordinary Day Schools, which are very numerous; and likewise the Boarding Schools, which, partly owing to the favourable character which Brighton bears for salubrity, and its easy distance from London, amount to about one hundred and ten, and many of them are of a somewhat superior description.

The trade of Brighton is confined almost wholly to the supply of the wants of a

wealthy population. It is neither a manufacturing nor a commercial town. Almost the only manufacture of the place is that of Tunbridge ware. The retail trade is very extensive. Prices in general are moderate, owing, doubtless, in some measure, to the direct competition afforded by the facilities of communication with the metropolis.

Shoreham, about seven miles west from Brighton, and Newhaven, about nine miles to the eastward, are the ports through which the foreign and coast trade of Brighton is conducted. The coast off Brighton is too dangerous to allow of much direct trade with the town. Fishing is carried on somewhat extensively, the fisheries giving employment to upwards of one hundred boats, and about five hundred men. Mackerel, herrings, soles, brill, and turbot, are taken in large numbers; mullet, whiting, and various other fish, are also caught, though less extensively. The chain of nets used by the Brighton fishermen for taking mackerel, is from two miles to three miles in length; and thousands of fish are occasionally taken at one draught. The principal feature of the traffic of Brighton in more recent years has been the construction and operations of the three branches of the Brighton and South Coast Railway, which have their common centre in the town; namely, the main line northward to London, the branch westward to Portsmouth, and that eastward to Hastings. The central station in Brighton, in the north-west part of the town, is a handsome and convenient building. In the locomotive and carriage departments upwards of nine hundred persons are employed.

But we must quit the town, having pointed out a few of the most note-worthy things within it. Of the sea we need hardly speak. The visitor who enjoys a sail, will find boats and yachts, with willing and skilful hands, ready to put out wherever he requires them. Rather will we direct him to what may be seen inland.

The Downs at the back of the town form the most glorious riding that can be imagined. The rider, galloping over them on his free-going steed, might fancy himself in the wilds of Australia, so vast does the landscape appear; the earth seems to swell and roll like the heaving billows of a mighty sea. Not a house or sign of cultivation is to be seen on them for miles in some parts, and the only signs of life are the flocks of the famous South Downs. The fine nature of the turf, formed of the smallest herbs between the grass, is supposed to be the cause of the exquisite flavour the mutton fed upon it attains; it also affords that delicious spring to the horse's feet, which seems to make him delight in galloping upon it. Nor is this turf in truth less pleasant to the pedestrian, who will hardly desire a more exhilarating walk than the Downs will afford him. The racecourse is situated upon the highest ridge of the Downs, at no great distance from the town. Here the races are held in the early part of August, and attract a large and brilliant company. But to obtain a thorough idea of the grandeur which the Downs can put on, and to witness one of those contrasts which nature loves sometimes to show between the sublimity of bare and sweeping hills, and the calm and repose of her fruitful plains, the visitor should take a gallop, or at least a stroll, over the smooth turf to the Devil's Dyke. This extraordinary spot lies only seven miles distant from Brighton; there is a road to it, but the sod is the highway for all. As you leave the town and enter upon the Downs, you see at once how cultivation is gradually advancing upon this virgin soil. As you ride on, the eye searches in vain for the scene towards which you are journeying; the plain, undulating on all sides, is terminated before you by a gradually ascending upland. No trace of the Dyke is visible; and it is not until the top of the ridge is gained, that any portion of the extraordinary scenery so close upon you comes to view. The Devil's Dyke, which gives the name to the spot from which such a magnificent prospect is obtained, is nothing more than a very deep and sudden valley of a semicircular form, sunken as it were in the gentle