with fome deep Channels between; all which are fo full of Fish, that the Barking Smacks are well employed here, and the Shore fwarms, befides, with small Fisher-boats, belonging to the Villages and Towns on the Coaft, which come in every Tide with what they take; and, felling the fmaller Fish in the Country, fend the best and largeft upon Horfes, which travel Night and Day, to London Market.

On this Shore alfo are taken the best and most relifhing, though not the largest, Oysters in England. The Spot from whence they have their Appellation is a little Bank called Woelfleet, in the Mouth of the River Crouch, called Crookfea water; but the chief Place where thefe Oyfters are now had is from Wivenhoe, and the Shores adjacent, whither they are brought by the Fishermen, who take them at the Mouth of Colchefter-water, and about the Sand they call the Spits, and carry them up to Wyvenhoe, where they are laid in Beds or Pits on the Shore to feed, as they call it; and then, being barrelled up, and carried to Colchester, which is but three Miles off, they are sent to London by Land, and are from thence called Colchefer Oysters. A great Quantity of these Oysters are brought from the Coaft of Suffex, near Bognar, where I have seen more than a Dozen Veffels together dredging for Oyfters, which were carried to Colchester and laid in their Beds.

The following fhort Account of the Nature of thefe green or Colchester Oyfters, and the Manner of m ing them, cannot fail of being acceptable.

In the Month of May the Oyfters caft their Spawn, which the Dredgers call their Spat. It refembles a Drop of Candle-greafe, and is about the Bignefs of an Halfpeny. The Spat cleaves to Stones, old Oyfter-fhells, Pieces of Wood, and fuch-like things at the Bottom of the Sea, which they call Cultch. It is probably conjectured, that the Spat, in · 24 Hours, begins to have a Shell.

In the Month of May the Dredgers (by the Law of the Admiralty Court) have Liberty to catch all manner of Oyfters, of what Size foever. When they have taken them, with a Knife they raise the fmall Breed from the Cultch; and then they throw the Cultch in again, to preserve the Ground for the ⚫ future, unless they be fo newly fpat, that they cannot be fafely fever'd from the Cultch: In that Cafe they are permitted to take the Stone or Shell, &c. that the Spat is upon; one Shell having many times 20 • Spats.

After the Month of May it is Felony to carry · away the Cultch, and punishable to take any other Oyfters, unless it be thofe of Size, that is to fay, ⚫ about the Bignefs of an Half-crown Piece, or when the Shells being fhut, a fair Shilling will rattle between them.

• The Places where thefe Oyfters are chiefly caught, are called the Pontburnham, Malden, and Coln• waters: The latter takes it Names from the River

Coln, which paffes by Colchester, gives Name to that • Town, and runs into a Creek of the Sea, at a Place • called the Hythe, being the Suburbs of the Town.

This Brood, and other Oysters, they carry to Creeks of the Sea, at Brickelfea, Merfea, Lagno, Faringrego, Wyvenhoe, Tolesbury, and Salt Coafe, and there throw them into the Channel, which they call ⚫ their Beds, or Layers, where they grow and fatten ; and in two or three Years the fmalleft Brood will be • Oyfters of the Size aforefaid. Those Oysters, which they would have green, they put into Pits about three Feet deep in the Salt-marshes, which have over flowed only at Spring-tides, to which they have Sluices, and let out the Salt-water untill it is about a Foot and a half deep.

The Pits in which the Oyfters become green, are thofe which are only overflowed by the Sea in Spring Tides; fo that during the Neap Tides a green

B 5

Scum

Scum is formed over the Surface of the Water, which being taken in by the Fifh daily, gives them ⚫ their green Colour, for which Reason the People of Colchester never chufe to eat the green Oysters, • but always prefer the white, believing them to be 6 more wholesome.

The Oysters, when the Tide comes in, lie with their hollow Shell downwards; and, when it goes out, they turn on the other Side. They remove not <from their Place, unlefs in cold Weather, to cover themselves in the Ooze.

• The Reason of the Scarcity of Öyfters, and con• fequently of their Dearness, is, because they are of late Years bought up by the Dutch.

• There are great Penalties by the Admiralty-Court laid upon thofe that fish out of those Grounds which the Court appoints, or that deftroy the Cultch, or that take Oyfters that are not of Size, or that do not ⚫ tread under their Feet, or throw upon the Shore, a • Fish which they call a Five-finger, refembling the Rowel of a Spur, because that Fifh gets into the Oysters when they gape, and fucks them out.

The Reason why fuch a Penalty is fet upon any that fhall deftroy the Cultch, is, because they find, that, if that be taken away, the Ooze will increase and then Muffels and Cockles will breed there, and deftroy the Oyfters, they having nct whereon to • ftick their Spat.

The Oyfters are fick after they have spat, but in June and July they begin to mend, and in Auguft they are perfectly well. The Male Oyster is Blackfick, having a black Subftance in the Fin; the • Female White-fick (as they term it), having a milky < Subftance in the Fin. They are falt in the Pits, falter in the Layers, but falteft at Sea.'

They take alfo at Colchester fine Soals, which generally yield a good Price at London Market; alfo fome

times middling Turbut, with Whitings, Codlings, and large Flounders.

In the feveral Creeks and Openings, on this Shore, are alfo other Islands, but of no great Note, except Merfey, which lies between the two Openings of Malden-water and Colchefter-water; and is a Place of fuch difficult Accefs, that 'tis thought 1000 Men might keep Poffeffion of it against a great Force, whether by Land or Sea. On this Account, and becaufe, poffeffed by an Enemy, it would fhut up all the Navigation and Fishery on that Side, a Fort was built on the South-eaft Point of it; and generally, in a Dutch War, a ftrong Garrifon is kept there to defend it.

At this Place may be faid to end, what we call The Three Hundreds of Effex, which include the marshy Country; to wit, Barnstable Hundred, Rochford Hundred, and Dengy Hundred.

One thing deferves Mention here; which is, That all along this Country it is very frequent to meet with Men that have had from 5 or 6, to 14 or 15 Wives; and I was informed, that in the Marfhes, over against Candy Ifland, was a Farmer, who was then living. with the 25th; and that his Son, who was but 35 Years old, had already had about 14. Indeed this Part of the Story I only had by Report, though from good Hands: But the other is well known, and will be attefted, about Fobbing, Curringham, Thunder fly, Benfleet, Prittlewell, Wakering, Great Stambridge, Crickfea, Burnham, Dengy, and other Towns of the like Situation. The Reafon, as a merry Fellow told me, who faid he had had about a Dozen, was this, That they being bred in the Marfhes themselves, and feafoned to the Place, did pretty well; but that they generally chose to leave their own Laffes to their Neighbours out of the Marthes, and went into the Uplands for a Wife: That when they took the young Women out of the wholefome fresh Air, they were clear and healthy; but, when they came into the Marthes

B 6.

Marfhes amongst the Fogs and Damps, they prefently change Complexion, got an Ague or two, and feldom held it above half a Year, or a Year at most: And then, faid he, we go to the Uplands again, and fetch another. So that marrying of Wives was reckoned a kind of good Farm to them. Nor do the Men in these Parts hold it out, as in other Countries; for we feldom meet with very ancient People among the Poor; infomuch that hardly one half of the Inhabitants are Natives of the Place; but fuch as come from other Parts for the Advantage of good Farms.

From the Marshes, and low Goounds, being not able to travel without many Windings and Indentures, by reafon of the Creeks and Waters, I came up to the ancient Town of Malden, fituate at the Conflux of two principal Rivers, the Chelmer and the Black-water, where they enter the Sea. It is built in the Form of a Crofs, is a Liberty in itself, and has a convenient Haven for Ships; it confifts of one Street near a Mile long, befides Lanes, &c. It is governed by two Bailiffs, Aldermen, Steward, Recorder, &c. and fends two Members to Parliament. Here is a good public Library for the Ufe of the Minifter and the Clergy of the Hundreds adjoining to the Sea; and any Gentleman may borrow a Book, upon depofiting the Value

of it.

The Channel called Malden-water is navigable to the Town; where, by that means, is a great Trade for carrying Corn by Water to London; the County of Effex being (especially on that Side) a great Corn Country.

Malden was a Roman Colony, which Camden diffidently conjectures to be the ancient Camalodunum. But Mr. Salmon will have it to be the Villa Fauftini, which has been fo long attributed to St. Edmund'sbury: But however that be, it was here the Britons, under the valiant Queen Boadicia, cut in Pieces the tenth Legion, killed above 80,000 Romans, and de

stroyed