The origin of the appointment of _Watchmen_ for this town, is a circumstance that seems to be very little known here: but from the following hint in our volume of Extracts, it seems to be now of near 90 years standing.—“Feb. 3. 1719–20, Order’d that a Letter be sent to the members of parliament, to gett a clause incerted in the act now about passing for night watches for the city of _Westminster_, in favour of this corporation to have the like regulation.” It seems probable therefore, that Lynn had its night watchmen as early as the city of Westminster, and of course earlier probably, than most other places in the kingdom. Somewhat more than two months after the last date, the following circumstance is memorized in our book of Extracts—“April 6. 1720, Mr. John Cary junr. is elected Master of the Writting School, and aldermen Berney and Scarlet, governors and inspectors of the said schoole.” This school still exists; but who are its present governors and inspectors we have not learnt. They may be supposed to be expert _penmen_, or good judges of penmanship. On the 23rd. of the following December, it was “ordered that a book be prepared to register all the Acts of our Common Councell that pass the seale.”—This book of _the Acts of our Common Council_, though not quite so interesting as the book of _the Acts of the Apostles_, may nevertheless contain some very curious passages, which might be very useful for this work, could we have been favoured with a sight of it. But it is supposed to be a book of _secrets_, and so not accessible to the uninitiated and unprivileged. Containing now the acts of near 90 years, it may be presumed to be, by this time, rather bulky. In the spring of 1722, our book of Extracts speaks of the Blockhouse being let on lease to one Quash. The reason of noticing this here, is, because the passage alluded to shews that one of the gates of the town anciently stood there, and bore the name of _St. Agnes_.—The passage reads thus: “April 4th. 1722, Ordered that a lease be made to Wm. Quash, mariner, of the messuage called the Blockhouse, in North End, being formerly _St. Agness Gates_, for the terme of 99 years, at 10_s._ per annum, from Lady Day last, he putting the same into repair, and so keeping it as a dwelling house during the said terme, and leaving the same in tennantable repair at the expiration, excepting to this corporation the common way and passages as usual through the same.”