The present church is supposed to have been built in the reign of Richard the Second, soon after the destruction of the old one. It is built of stone, and is one of the largest parish churches in England. The only remains of its other religious edifices are part of the chapel, belonging to a monastery of the Friars Hermites of St. Augustine, now used as a storehouse, the chapel of St. Clare, and the chancel belonging to the chantry of St. Nicholas .
The harbour is sufficiently commodious to allow vessels of 200 tons to unload at the quay. Its trade is inconsiderable, consisting principally in hops, wool, timber, &c. In 1582 there were 1534 French inhabitants in this place, who had fled from the persecutions of the Papists in 1572. They had a minister of their own, paid by the archbishop of Canterbury.
In 1673, Charles the Second reviewed the English and French fleets lying in Rye Bay ; and in 1725 George the First was necessitated to seek shelter in the harbour on his return from the continent ; also his successor in 1736 .
GRAND PARADE, HASTINGS.
The most modern part of the town consists of a splendid range of buildings, between the gate of St. Leonards and Victoria-parade, furnishing a striking example of that rapid improvement which invariably attends the confluence of wealth and patronage in the summer residences of England. Nearly in the centre of the range, the grounds are laid out for a square and crescent, (which are to exceed those at Kemp-town, Brighton,) and on the hill, in the course of erection, is a place of religious worship for Roman Catholics, called All Souls church, which, if finished according -
