MEMORIALS OF THE GOODWIN SANDS.*
THE early history of the Goodwin Sands is interwoven with fanciful legends and curious superstitions ; but we at least know that for nearly eight hundred years the spot has been recognised as a place of peril to those who "go down to the sea in ships," and such a fact, of course, accounts for its sinister reputation. The northern extremity of the sands is nearly oppo- site Ramsgate, and from that point they stretch for ten miles to the south, and terminate near the village of Kingsdown. At low tides, a belt of dull, brownish-grey sand is visible, but the main portion of this treacherous and shifting ridge is almost constantly submerged. Dangerous as the Goodwin Sands are in themselves, it may at least be said in their favour that they form a sort of natural breakwater between the full force of the sea and the shores of Kent, which lie at a distance of -seven miles. Safe anchorage would not be possible along that coast when easterly gales prevail, but for the "Downs" of which Dibdin sings ; and the Downs owe their existence to the Goodwin Sands. Even in high tides, Mr. Gattie tell us in this welcome book, the waves are too shallow on the Groodwins to do any damage to storm-driven or wind-bound ships which have ran for shelter to the strip of smooth water which lies to the north of them and to the south of Deal. In fact, except when a gale from the south springs up, there is always safety in the sheltered waters of the Downs, and that within almost a stone's-throw of the fatal sands on which the surf is thundering.
It seems quite impossible now to determine whether or not the Goodwin Sands once formed an island, and even the origin of the name is wrapped in obscurity. The gradual encroachments of the sea along the whole of the coast of Kent appears to support the statements of old chroniclers that at a remote period of history what is now known as the Goodwin Sands was "a low-lying but very fertile island." Tradition asserts that the place took its name from Earl Grodwine, and did so because that gallant Saxon, returning up- Channel at the head of his fleet, perished miserably with all his men on the spot, which had suddenly and unexpectedly been overwhelmed by the sea. The story, however—like another curious superstition, with which every one is familiar, about Goodwin Sands and Tenterden Steeple—breaks down utterly
• Memorials of the Goodwin Sands, and their Surroundings, Legendary and Historical. By George Byng Gattie, Illustrated. London : W. H. Allen and Co. under even the most elementary tests of historical criticism. Dismissing idle legendary lore, we find that the most trust- worthy authorities agree that Goodwin Sands have been a recognised fact with which mariners have had to reckon since the closing years of William Rufus. Mr. Gattie refers us to the words of William Lombard, who wrote his Perambulation of Kent about the year 1570, and who sums up the testimony of many previous chroniclers. Lambard declares that they all stated that about the end of the reign of William H., there was "a sudden and mighty inundation of the sea, by which a great part of Flanders was utterly drenched and lost, whilst at the same time various places both in England and Scotland . also suffered most dreadfully, but especially the estates of Godwyn, Earl of Kent, which were first covered with a fine light sand, and afterwards overwhelmed by the waves and so destroyed." But this is not all, for he concludes his descrip- tion of this visitation with the curious and certainly signifi- cant remark that the "estate not only remaineth covered by the waters ever since, but is become withal a most dreadful gulf and ship-swallower." Speed in his History of the World, and Camden in his Britannia, both have something to say on the matter,—the former accepts the old legendary tales, and the latter gives credence to the "fertile island" theory.
It is impossible, however, to reconcile such statements with the facts brought to light by the experiments conducted by Sir J. H. Pelly in the year 1849, by order of the Trinity House. The investigations then made showed that the surface of the Goodwins down to the pure chalk, a depth of some 78 ft., was entirely composed of different kinds of sand mixed up with sea-shells, stones, and flints. It seems, therefore, likely, and this is the opinion to which Mr. Gattie himself subscribes, that the Goodwin Sands were never anything but sandbanks, and that they owe their prominence to an alteration in the physical conformation of the coast. The historical associations of the Downs are duly recalled in this volume ; but perhaps the most interesting portions of the book are the chapters which describe the gallant efforts that have been made to erect beacons on the sands, a form of warning which has given place now to the more modern lightship. The chief lightship on the Groodwins has a revolving light, which is visible every fifteen seconds, and which is placed at an elevation of 37 ft. above the level of the sea, so that it can be seen at a distance of ten miles. The wrecks which have taken place on the Goodwin Sands—or, at all events, the more disastrous of them—are also described in this rambling but picturesque volume, and a curious account is given of the " hovellers," a hardy race of boatmen, who have again and again done splendid service in rescuing shipwrecked crews. Daniel De Foe, in his account of the "Great Storm of 1703," went out of his way to libel the Deal boatmen, but there is no evidence that, either in his day or since, the " hovellers " as a class have ever shown themselves more eager to save property than human life. On the contrary, the universal testimony is that these men, in spite of many faults, have at all events invariably displayed the saving quality of disinterestedness in moments of supreme peril.
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