“The opposite shore is that of Lincolnshire. Its great commercial town Boston stands on the Witham, a few miles from the head of the bay. Spring tides rise at the Key fourteen-feet, and convey there vessels of above a hundred tons; but greater ships lie at the scap, the opening of the Estuary.—The sluggish rivers of these tame tracts want force to form a depth of Water. “Lincolnshire and part of six other counties are the _pais bas_, the _Low countries_ [or _Netherlands_] of Britain. This very extensive tract, from the scap to the northern head land, opposite to Hull, presents to the Sea a bowlike and almost unindented front; and so low as to be visible from sea only at a small distance, and churches instead of hills are the only land-marks to seamen, among which the beautiful Steeple of Boston is particularly distinguished. The whole Coast is pointed with Salt-marshes or sand hills, and secured by artificial banks. Old _Hollingshed_ gives a long list of ports on this now inhospitable coast. _Waynfleet_, once a noted haven, is at present a mere creek. _Skegness_, once a large walled town with a good harbour, is now an inconsiderable place, a mile from the sea: and the port of _Grimsby_, which in the time of Edward III. furnished him with eleven ships, is now totally choked with sand. “All these coasts of Lincolnshire are flat, and have been gained from the sea. _Barton_ and _Barrow_ have not at present the least appearance of ports; and yet by Hollingshed were styled good ones. Similar accidents have befallen the low tract of Holderness, which faces the congruent shores. _Hedon_, a few miles below Hull, several hundred years ago a port of great commerce, is now a mile and half from the water, and has long given way to the fortune of the latter (a creation of Edward I in 1296) on account of the excellency of its port. But in return the sea has made ample reprisals on the lands of this Hundred. The site, and even the very names of several places, once towns of note upon the _Humber_, are now only recorded in history; and _Ravenspur_ was at one time the rival of Hull, and a port so very considerable in 1332, that Edward Baliol and the confederated English barons sailed from hence with a great fleet to invade Scotland: Henry IV, in 1399 made choice of this port to land at, to effect the deposal of Richard II; yet the whole of it has been long since devoured by the merciless ocean; extensive sands, dry at low water, are to be seen in their stead: except _Sunk Island_, which till about 1666 appeared among them like an elevated shoal, at which period it was regained, by embankments from the sea, and now forms a considerable estate, probably restored to its pristine condition.” SECTION VI. _Further account of the Fens_, _from the_ BEAUTIES OF ENGLAND, _and other sources_.