*HARWICH, (Essex) 61 cm. 71 mm. from London, is the station of the packet-boats for Holland, and has a safe harbour, which is, withal so spacious, by the influx of the Stour from Maningtree, and the Orwell from Ipswich, into the bay, and such use was made of it in the Dutch war, that 100 sail of men of war have been seen there at one time, with their tenders, besides 3 or 400 sail of coaliers; for it is a perfect harbour, to within 2 m. of Ipswich, and able to receive ships of 100 guns all the way. The inns here are very good, but the accommodation dear, by reason of the great concourse of passengers to and from Holland, which was the motive of fitting up sloops to go thither directly from the Thames, when the stage-coaches that used to ply two or three times a week bet. this place and London were laid down. The Ch. here, ever since the Ref. has been a chapel to the mother Ch. at Dover-Court. The T. is not large, but well-built and populous, has a good maritime trade, is almost encompassed by the sea, and has strong works. It is walled in, and the streets paved for most part with clay, which tumbling down from the cliff, where is a petrifying water bet. the T. and Beacon-Hill, soon grows as hard as stone; and the inh. boast the wall is as strong, and the streets as clean as those that are of real stone. This place was first made a free Bor. and had a grant of its Mt. on Tu. in the Reign of Edward II. Its government was settled by charter of King James I. in a mayor, chose yearly, Nov. 30, out of 8 ald. who with 24 capital burgesses, the electors, and the recorder, make the corp. By this charter it had also a power to elect 2 burgesses to Pt. the grant of its F. Mt. and its 2 Fairs on May-day and St. Luke's, which are each for 3 days. The mayor has a power to hold admiralty-courts. Here is a very good yard for building ships, with the necessary store-houses, cranes, launches, &c. K. Will. III. erected this T. into a marquisate, in favour of the Duke of Schomberg. Though the entrance into the sea here is bet. 2 and 3 m, wide at highwater, yet the channel where the ships must keep to come to the harbour, which is on the Suffolk side, is deep and narrow; so that all ships that come in or go out are commanded by the guns of Landguard-Fort on that side. This T. was fortified heretofore on the land-side, but in the R. of K. Cha. I. the fortifications were demolished. It has since been ordered to be refortified, and ground has been parchased with that view, for the K's. use, by act of Pt. but little or nothing more has been done in it yet.