Dover and its Neighbourhood, With a Short Account of its History and Various Places of Interest. THE HE ancient History of Dover-the principal of the Cinque Ports-is both complete and interesting. Perhaps no town in the kingdom can date its annals further back, seeing that her shores claim to have been the landing-place of our Roman conquerors. Neither is there a town that has passed through greater vicissitudes either of peace or war. Writers without number have already elaborated the historical details of the place, and consequently it is not our intention to weary the reader with any lengthy re-iteration of what has been heretofore so frequently treated. At the same time, we shall endeavour to give visitors all they require to know in a short compass. Having said so much by way of introduction, we will at once to our task. The Romans called the town Dubris, but when the Saxon rule was predominant it was altered to Doffra, and it remained so till the Norman period, when it was once more changed to Dovere, and doubtless from this derivation the present title has originated. There has been some discussion likewise as to its original site, which is certainly a matter of doubt, because records go to show that the water flowed further up the town than it does at present. It at one time came as far as the Market-place, and some even say that in early days it flowed in creek form as far as Buckland Vicarage. Being the nearest port to the Continent, Dover was from its earliest infancy considered one of the most important towns in the kingdom, and was accordingly strongly guarded against the event of foreign invasion. While its towering cliffs of chalk were looked upon as a— Fortress built by nature for herself, the old and rugged walls of the Castle on their top were fortified in an almost impregnable manner, and a wall, commenced by the Saxons and finished by the Normans, was built round the borough. Originally there were ten entrances or gates to the town, viz., St. Helen's Gate; Eastbrook Gate, which stood near or about the present site of old St. James's Church; Fisher's Gate, at the rear of St. James's-street, where stood the ancient "Dock," and the place by which the fishermen entered; Butchery Gate, which was erected somewhere in Townwall-street; Severus Gate, the site of which is now marked by the fine stationery business and library, occupied by Mr. Thomas Harvey; Snare Gate stood where now stands No. 17, Snargate-street; Adrian Gate in the street now called after it; Cow Gate or Common Gate, having its site in the present Queen-street; St. Martin's or Monk's Gate; and Biggin Gate, which was erected near St. Mary's Church. Of these none now remain. From the earliest ages Dover has actively taken her part in the many deeds and ceremonies that now, handed down to the present generation, make the pages of our English history so interesting. The ancient history of Dover is pretty well known; but we may briefly allude to the principal occurrences connected with it. The town was one of the earliest Cinque Ports made; it was at Dover that the Confessor and the Earl Godwin quarrelled; the Dauphin was twice defeated in his attempt to take the town; King Stephen died at or near Dover, as Canon Puckle asserts on the authority of a document in the British Museum, and his heart was deposited at Faversham Abbey, which he built and endowed; and it was at Dover that Richard Cour de Lion embarked to fight against Saladin and the Saracens. Henry II. passed through it on his way to the shrine of Becket at Canterbury. Dover was the rendezvous of Langton and King John to arrange for the terms of peace; and monarchs of every period and nation have passed through it. The corpse of John of France was from here handed over to his people to be interred at St. Denis. It was here that the Duke of Gloucester opposed the landing of the Emperor Sigismund, and the people rushed into the water to prevent him disembarking till he had signified to them whether he was a friend or foe; and the French know full well they suffered many defeats while attempting to invade the town-perhaps none so memorable as that in which Hubert de Burgh and his brave followers drove them back into the sea with terrible slaughter. It was from this port that Henry the VIII. set out for the "Field of the Cloth of Gold." A conspicuous event in the history of Charles the I. was enacted in Dover, and this was the place at which Charles II. landed on his restoration to the Throne. Dover was the meeting place between the Princess Henrietta Maria, Duchess of Orleans, and her brother Charles the II.; and in November 1688, William Prince of Orange, afterwards crowned William the III. of England, appeared in sight of our shores. History tells us these events were all more or less of an important character, and were accompanied with gorgeous ceremonies. The arrival of the now German Emperor William in 1814, as well as of the late Emperor of the French in 1856, is still vividly impressed upon the minds of many townspeople; and later on, passing by the numerous arrivals of Royalty and distinguished personages incognito, the magnificent reception the Sultan of Turkey had in 1867, and the arrival of the Viceroy of Egypt afterwards, together with that of the Shah of Persia last year, are not forgotten. It will thus be seen that Dover has from the days of its infancy had the honour of welcoming monarchs from all climes to her shores, and while she has, on the one hand, received these personages in a way that befits their rank and station, in a manner that has maintained her dignity, and has made England the envy of all nations, she has, on the other, held out with equal warmth the hand of fellowship to, and shown her sympathy for illustrious exiles who have been obliged to take refuge in our isle, as may be instanced by the hearty reception the people of Dover gave to the late illustrious ex-Emperor Napoleon on his landing at the port from his captivity at Wilhelmshohe. To carry the history of Royal arrivals still further down: Dover on the 14th June, 1873, was the place reserved for the honour of being the first English soil upon which the Shah of Persia set foot, during his visit to this country. If, on former occasions, Dover has shown that she knows how to royally welcome monarchs of foreign climes, chiefly in a lavish pageantry of flags and banners and decorations, she on that day eclipsed all her previous efforts. To complete the list we must not omit the landing of the "Czar of all the Russias," so recently as May, 1874, when he came to this country upon a visit to his daughter the Duchess of Edinburgh. The advantages of DOVER as a HEALTH-RESORT are well known, and have been the subject of various works. The sheltered position of the town offers especial boons to the invalid, while the many pleasant walks and drives in the neighbourhood, and the picturesque and rustic scenery along the valley of the Dour, coupled with the grand marine view from the Heights and the Dover Castle, have tended to make it one of the most fashionable and thriving watering places along the south-east coast. Though it has had its times of adversity, it has nevertheless survived them, and continues justly to boast of the proud title, "The Key of the Kingdom." There are two direct lines of railway to Dover from London, about seventy miles distant,-one by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway from Victoria or Ludgate-hill, and the other by the South-Eastern Railway, starting from Charing Cross, Cannon-street, or London Bridge; but by either line the approach to Dover is rich in beauty. Taking first, however, the Chatham route from London, we glide through rural scenery of the most attractive description, till suddenly we come upon the busy town of Chatham, with its garrison and dockyard looming in the distance; while on the other side of the town lies in a secluded and quiet nook the old and grey ruins of Rochester Castle, with the Cathedral close by. Passing along, we continue our route through fields on either side, interrupted only here and there by |