Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-29
MIR. wAKEMAN,s JOURNKYINGs.

At Ramsgate, Eng1and-English Wa
 tering PIaces-The Isle of Thanet-
 Harsate and Ramsgate-London's
 Truck Garden-The old Saxon Cem-
 etery at- Osengall Downs-Sea Ex-
 cursions-Shrimp Sellers.
 RAMsaATE, England, Aug. IS. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The Isle of Thauet-the Island of the Fire Beacons-once completely disoonnect- ed from Kent, but now wholly reclaimed, forms the northeasternmost projection of that historic county of England. It is only nine miles in lenght, and in most parts but five miles in breadth; but there is probably not in all England, and, for that matter, in the whole world, bit of land so valuable for it's agricultural pos abilities, nor so completely garden of delight for the millions to which it is ac- cessible in summer.
 It's situation is very blean and open, from its extraordinary extent, through where it is washed by the Thames estuary, and on the east, where it is lashed by the ever restless tides of the Straits of Dover and the North sea; but every square rood on which ancient ruin, historic fortress or gay resort does not stand, is under the highest known state of cultivation. The reasons for this are: All Kent is Len don's truck garden; Thanet isle Is every season actually covered by coat of algs, or seaweed, obtainable by the farmers at only the expense of carriage; there are no hedges, which in some parts of England l destroys so much produce, and the sub soil Is chalk, which acts in wet weather as sponge, and in droughts supplies the land with moisture, an extraordinary sys- | tenn of inhalation and exhslstion, which gave rise to the ancient couplet:
 When England wrings
 The island sings.
 There is no commonable land nor su acre of waste land in the island. The old Kentish plough is still used by the farmers with stubborn <pertinacity; and it is ap odd sight to witness the ploughman stor at the end of every furrow to take out hit coulter and reverse it, an operation which takes half his time and gives ample leis ure for the contemplation and enjoyment of good old conservative English ways Half the farmers are winter fishermen and all the lower classes of the coastwis, villages follow the same location during both the summer and winter months.
 The ancient timber-and-wattle cottage Ii still as commonly found as among the Norfolk Breads, and the peassntry, not withstanding their contact with hosts o city folk and tourists in summer, retain an extraordinary number of their ancien customs and superstitions. Were ther' no free-and-easy Margate and Ramsgate 1T the isle of Thanet, there is no place 1T Great Britain where, in so compact aI area, can be found such odd old work studies as in this tiny piece of chalk lant over against the wild North sea.
 In it's diminutive area, particularly or its coast line, are a score of shrines ant
 resorts. At the edge of Pegwel bay, be
 tween Sandwich and Ramsgate, is the an
 cient farmhouse, 'tEbbe's Fleet" the seen
 of the Handing of Hengist and Horsa,
 those heroic worthies of Saxon mythi
 warfare. At Pegwell itself the cliffs, witl
 the blue lias intermi1ed with layers o
 shell, many thousands of years old, is
 celebrated haunt of geologists. At Sto
 mar, Vortigen defeated the Jutes, Vorti
 mer was slain and buried, and Thurkil landed at the head of the ferocious Morse | men.
 Al Minister, Egbert, king of Kent, com
 missioned his favorite and chief officer Thunor, to murder his two. cousins wh
 had claims to the crown. They were bur
 jed in Ethelbert's hall of state, This spo
 was revealed by @ supernatural hgh } which ever hovered over it, until tn guilty king, filled with remorse, mad confession and repentance to the dea , prince's sister, Dompneys, paid bloc , money (wergyld) and gave her as muc land as e hind could run over at on
 course, on which to found 8 monastery Thumor endeavored to stop the fleet cree ture by riding across it's path, but th earth swallowed him and flung him int the infrrnal shadows to keep the dea
 princes company.
 E At tOsengall Downs there is 6 wonderfr , old Saxon cemetery. Birchington has tn F most beautiful girdle of elms of any vi lage in England. and is noted as the olde : residence of one Henry Crispe, commonl | called "Bonjour" Crispe, from havin been kept prisoner in France for man
 that word. At Daundelion are the ruin l of very ancient embattled mansion c
 the Dent-de-Lions, one of the family ha, . ing brought oyer the Flemish bell of S i, Johns, of Msrgate, in his ship, the Dol giving rise to the ancient couplet: John de Daundlyon, with his great Dog, k Brought over this bell on mill cog. ? Broadstairs has been. made famous n Dickens in his sketch of Sour Waterir @ Place. in an early number of Househol d Words, and the Broadstair fishermen, wt l. are as quaint and odd lot as may If found on any coast, were during the ear -E III A. II E-- r--