a height of 500 or 600 feet, and then westward, forming a long and somewhat regular curve from Beachy Head to Selsea Bill. This portion of the coast is almost unbroken, having no bay or harbour of consequence. The small port of Newhaven, at the mouth of the river Ouse, is important, as being the harbour of Lewes, which lies eight miles inland. Here, on 14th May, 1264, Henry III. was defeated by Simon de Montfort and the confederated barons.

The place calling for special notice is Brighton, which stands near the centre of the curved line of coast, of which we have already spoken. The town is built upon a slope, and is defended from the north winds by the high land of the South Downs, which, from Beachy Head as far as the central parts of Brighton, press close upon the sea, and form high chalk cliffs. From the central part of Brighton westward, the hills recede farther from the sea, leaving a level coast. Thus the town of Brighton in the eastern part presents a high cliff to the sea, and in the western part a low, sloping beach.

Brighton was rendered a fashionable resort by George IV., then Prince of Wales, who first visited Brighton in 1782, and for many years in succession made it his residence in the summer and autumn. In 1784 the foundations of a palace, called the Marine Pavilion, were laid. The Pavilion has lately been purchased by the Corporation of Brighton, and fitted up as a place of recreation for the inhabitants.

After passing Selsea Bill, the nature of the coast changes. From this point to Land's End there are numerous indentations, and many excellent harbours. Foremost among these is Portsmouth, which is situated on the western side of the island of Portsea, at the mouth of the bay, termed Portsmouth harbour. Portsmouth harbour is entered by a narrow passage, about 220 yards broad, at Portsmouth

Point; it then widens into a basin about a mile long, and from half a mile to three-quarters of a mile broad, beyond which it expands until it attains a breadth of about three miles on the northern shore of the inlet. It excels every other harbour on the English coast for its size, depth, and security. Everywhere the anchorage is good, the depth sufficient for ships of any size, the shelter complete, and the extent sufficient to contain almost the whole navy of Great Britain. From the advantages which it thus possesses, it has long been the principal station of the British navy. The old town of Portsmouth lies at the entrance of the harbour, at the south-west point of Portsea Isle. On the north side of Portsmouth is the modern suburb of Portsea, which contains the royal dockyard and the great naval arsenal of England.

Portsmouth seems to have attracted notice as a naval station from a very early period. We read of it in the reign of King John. Fortifications begun by Edward IV. were completed by Henry VIII. In the reigns of Charles II., William III., George III., the fortifications were greatly extended. They have of late been largely added to, and the works are now believed to be impregnable.

On the 15th of September, 1805, Lord Nelson sailed from Portsmouth in his flagship named the Victory. On the 21st of October, in that same year, he gained the great naval battle of Trafalgar, which cost him his life. The Victory is still preserved in Portsmouth harbour as a relic of our naval glory.

From the approach to Portsmouth harbour on the west side, a sand-bank, called the Spit, extends three miles south-eastward. Beyond it, within a range of buoys, and under shelter of the Isle of Wight, is the admirable roadstead of Spit Head, where 1000 ships of the line may ride without inconvenience.

On the western side of Portsmouth harbour, is situated the town of Gosport, connected with Portsmouth by a floating bridge, and in which is the Royal Hospital of Haslar, erected between 1750 and 1762. The hospital is intended for sick and wounded seamen.

WEST of Gosport, we come to Southampton Water, which stretches inland for a distance of ten miles, and is navigable throughout its whole length for ships of considerable size.

Its shores are remarkable for their beauty. At the head of the opening stands the town of Southampton-one of the oldest towns in England. It has always had considerable trade, but of late years it has become the leading packet station in England. Vessels sail from it daily to all parts of the West Indies, the Mediterranean, and the British possessions in the East. It is only eighty miles from London by the London and South-Western Railway—a distance which can be run over easily in two hours. If you examine the map you will see how much more convenient it is for passengers to embark at Southampton, than to go on board at London, and sail down the Thames and then round the south-west coast of England. Southampton owes much of its present importance to the introduction of Railways.

From Southampton Water the coast line curves round until we reach the harbour of Poole. Immediately behind this coast line lies the New Forest. This was the name given to a large tract of country in the south of Hampshire, from which William the Conquerer drove out the inhabitants, in order to convert it into a hunting ground for himself and his nobles. So strictly was the game preserved, that the severest punishment was inflicted upon any one who should kill a deer. From this time we date the barbarous game-laws, which, having been for generations a disgrace to the English Statute-Book, are now in the course of being removed. It was in this forest that William Rufus was shot by an arrow, whether by accident or not we cannot now tell.

Opposite Southampton Water, and to the south of Hampshire, is the Isle of Wight. Spit Head is the name given to the eastern portion of the channel which divides it from the mainland. The western portion is named the Solent. The Isle of Wight is remarkable for the grandeur

and the extraordinary structure of its cliffs, as well as for the beautiful scenery of the interior, in which, considering the smallness of the island, it is not surpassed by any other part of the kingdom. At the south-west corner are some remarkable rocks, called the Needles, at the extremity of which is a lighthouse.

The climate of the Isle of Wight, especially in that portion of the southern coast called the Undercliff, is very mild. The Undercliff has been recommended by the most eminent physicians, as being very suitable for invalids, especially for persons afflicted with chest complaints.

Osborne (shown on the next page), in the north of the island, is a favourite residence of Her Majesty the Queen. Returning to the mainland, and starting from Poole, we find a long peninsula, called the Isle of Purbeck, which extends southward as far as St. Alban's Head. This part of the coast possesses immense beds of potter's clay, which is dug out and sent to the potteries in Staffordshire. A variety of the Purbeck stone, called Purbeck marble, capable of a very high polish, was formerly much used for columns and ornaments in our cathedrals and churches.

From St. Alban's Head the coast runs west to Weymouth. Beyond Weymouth we have the Isle of Portland, which