there is a view of it, taken in 1781, which still represents a consider- able space as intervening between the north wall of the churchyard and the cliff. Some time before the year 1780, the waves had reached the site of the ancient Eoman camp, or fortification, the walls of which had continued for several years after they were undermined to overhang the sea, being firmly cemented into one mass. They were eighty yards nearer the sea than the church, and they are spoken of in the ' Topographia Britannica,' in the year 1780, as having recently- fallen down. In 180i, part of the churchyard with some adjoining houses was washed away, and the ancient church, with its two lofty- spires, a well-known landmark, was dismantled and abandoned as a place of worship. It is still standing (1831), but would probably have been annihilated ere this, had not the force of the waves been checked by an artificial causeway of stones and large wooden piles driven into the sands to break the force of the waves." Let us see how matters now are, in 18G2, some twenty-eight years after Sir Charles visited it. The towers of the old church still stand An image should appear at this position in the text.Fig. 1.—View of Reculver, 1848. as represented in the picture in Sir Charles's book, but a large portion of the cliff in front, fully two-thirds, has fallen down, that especially including the hedges ; and the burying-ground is now exposed in a line parallel to the front of the church. Besides the groins and the artificial causeway of stones, to protect this part of the coast, there is an artificial embank- ment as well, extending to the west of the church. I compared the accompanying reduced copy of a wood- cut, made in 1818, of "Reculver, as it is," with the ruins, on the spot. It is very correct as to the towers and remains of walls, with the bea- cons on the former. But the stone fence there represented is wholly- gone. So that the chief alteration round Reculver is the loss of a considerable portion of the cliff in front of the church, and the dis- appearance of the low wall which surrounded the northern aspect of the latter. The wear and tear of the cliff to the westward, no doubt, has been considerable during the last thirty years, and it appears to be gradually stealing upon the contiguous farmland, as is witnessed at Sheppey.
I examined the old church in every particular, ascended the old spiral stone staircase in the northern tower to the first floor, thence three distinct ladders which lead to the top, and I stood alongside the beacon. As the wind was very strong, I did not remain long, but enjoyed a magnificent view of things in the distance. I could see Margate in one direction, and Sheppey in the other, and likewise far inland to the southward ; whilst to the north and east, the sea was seen covered with boats and vessels as far as the eye could reach. On descending to the first floor again, we passed out of a door lead- ing to a sort of friars' walk, which took us across to the other or
