THE LITERARY SPECTATOR.
DR. HARWOOD has written a book on the Curative Influence of the Southern Coast of England. The extent of the southern coast may be variously defined, but we believe that no one but a Hastings physician would confine its limits within those of that ancient borough. It is proper that a man should write about that only which he knows ; at the same time, he ought to be careful in his title not to mislead good people, who might wish for information respecting fifty places on the Southern coast, which are not even alluded to in Dr. Hanw000's publication. After devoting about fifteen pages to the consideration of coasts in general, the Doctor proceeds to the peculiar advantages of Hastings; which together with the discussion of various diseases, and the general topics of sea-bathing, Sac., fill the volume. That a physician resident at a watering-place should write a book, and that book about his own place of residence, appears to be one of the regular steps of the profession. It is certainly a step that conies recommended with many advantages. In the first place, it is an advertisement, which informs all the world of the existence of such a physician: next, it is a specimen of the writer's powers, and may serve as a guide to the judicious in the choice of a medical adviser: and third, to have merely written a book, is to the vulgar a confirmation strong of the talents of the author—they argue, that it is not everybody who could write a book, and that, doubtless, before the author applied himself to the task, he took abundant pains to qualify himself for its due performance.
A work under the title of the Curative Influence of the Southern Coast of England, ought to have been a laborious examination into the geographical peculiarities of the frequented places situated on the whole line of south coast from Dover or Ramsgate to Penzance: it should have reported anddiscussed the geological characteristics of the belt of country that borders the shore, and examined its natural productions : it should have contained various comparative reports of the state of both thermometer and barometer, in differ- ent situations : conclusions should have been drawn from these premises, and applied to the consideration of different maladies ; and the deductions should always have been supported by cases, accompanied wills reports of medical treatment. There may be general coast advantages, connected with bathing, sailing, &c., which ought also to have been incidentally brought into con- sideration.
Dr. Haawoon's book is an elegant eulogium on Hastings, to- gether with a collection of sensible and temperate essays on the various diseases which people may be supposed to carry to water- ing-places. There is also to be collected from scattered fragments a good deal of necessary information respecting this particular spot ; and out of it we could combine a short chapter which might form part of the work which we have described as being worthy of the title Dr. Haawoon has thought proper to prefix to his book. We will attempt to compile a sketch of this fashionable resort, from Dr. 1-lARwoon's pages, in which we will contrive to include the greater part of his facts.
HASTINGS.
The town of Hastings is bounded on the north and east by some of the most elevated land in the county of Sussex ; the hill of Fair- light, which is about a mile and a half distant, being 541 feet in height. On the west, it is screened by a continuous line of hill, rising to an elevation of from 200 to 300 feet ; and on the south, the British Channel presents a Wide and extensive bay stretching from Dungeness on the east to Beachy Head on the west. This coast abounds in undulating elevations, which for some miles in extent are bordered by perpendicular rocky cliffs, intersected by the nu- merous valleys which characterize the Southern shores. The pe- culiarities of these rocks are very interestingly exhibited along the shore, as they boldly and precipitately rise in some situations to the height of 300 feet, while their bases form a beach consisting of pebbles and sand, interspersed with massive fragments which have beers detached from above. These rocks consist of fine pulveru- lent sandstone, containing in the lower strata a large quantity of iron-sand the above formation is partially begirt, in the form of a horse-shoe, by a zone of weald clay of several miles in breadth. This is rendered apparent on the eastern side of Hastings, at about seven miles distance along the beach, from whence it proceeds to the north-west as far as Horsham, including ,within its boundary Tonbridge Wells : then returning, it appears again upon the coast at five miles to the west of the town, and m ay be traced almost around Boulegne and its vicinity on the opposite coast of France. By the union of the weald clay and the iron sandstone on the higher lands, a rich and loamy soil is abundantly produced, which adds greatly to the salubrity of the district, by quickly re- moving the superabundant moisture from the surface. The lands in the vicinity of Hastings are characterized by dryness, and the effect of soil upon the air is well known. Mr. Mackinnon, residing at Southampton, ascertained by experiment the superior tempera- ture of the air in Hampshire over chalk to that over clay in the same county. Hastings has the advantage of affording both a winter and a summer residence ; many of its habitations being placed at an ele- vation of two or three hundred feet above the level of the sea. Now 270 feet in elevation affects temperature as much as an entire de- gree of latitude : the more elevated parts of the town of Hastings are visited moreover during the summer months by the then pre- vailing breezes. On the other hand, the numerous habitations placed on the immediate beach, below the cliffs, being most effec- tually sheltered at all seasons from the more piercing winds. are no less suitably adapted for a winter residence. This part of the town is screened from the easterly and north-easterly winds, the latter of which is in this variable climate the only one which may be called periodical : it recurs with great regularity during a greater or less portion of the months of April and May. Hastings is favoured in its suitableness for taking exercise in the open air in all weathers, for it possesses several miles of road by the shore, which is as much protected from noxious winds as the town itself. Few coasts are recommended by so much natural beauty as that of Hastings. In this respect " it possesses an acknowledged superiority over any other within a much greater distance from the metropolis, and is indeed almost the only situation in its vicinity, frequented by invalids, that combines great beauty of inland scenery, with that peculiar to an extensive and highly varied line of coast ; which circumstance, in connexion with its extensive distribution of those sources of interest calculated to excite pleasing and cheerful impressions, is of so much importance to the acquirement of health. In this point of view, however, the Hastings coast is generally appreciated ; its surrounding neighbourhood, consisting chiefly of fine pasture, in- terspersed with much woodland scenery, and affording on its numerous accessible elevations, the most extensive and interesting landscapes. These are at the same time intersected by fertile dells and romantic rocky valleys, whose shelter and peculiarity of situa- tion afford, by the many rare species of plants they containpa rich harvest to those who are interested in the vegetable productions of our island. It may be desirable for such, who residing at a dis- tance, may be unacquainted with the town of Hastings, to add, that it affords every accommodation and comfort to invalids, arising from the convenience and extent of its buildings, the facilities which are afforded for horse exercise and other recreations, its several bathing establishments, adapted to every variety of application, and the varied and excellent supply of, its markets, among which, like that of some other towns on our Southern shores, the abund- ance of fish from our own, and game from the French coast, is often a material advantage in a curative point of view."
Meteorological registers give a mean temperature of about 44° for February 1828, the coldest month we have experienced during the last winter, A register of the same month in the year 1826 gives as the mean 43° 5'; but even this is perhaps rather higher than the coldest month generally. Now Humboldt makes the coldest month in Edinburgh 38° 3', Paris 35° l', and Rome 42° 1'. If therefore either of these could be considered as a fair average, the mean temperature of Hastings would prove higher than even that of Rome.
These are really the principal, if not the only facts which the book contains which relate to the Southern coast ; and they, it will be seen, apply solely to Hastings. A register of thermometrical ob- servations is appended in one part, from which, though it certainly appears that Hastings boasts a milder temperature than other parts of England, still there is that inequa.bility of climate which must
render it a very unsafe place of residence for the pulmonary pa- tient. We observe on two days a change of temperature amount- ing to 9°, and in another instance in three days upwards of 11°..
We should be glad of a work such as this might have been— namely, the Natural History of Hastings, containing an interesting account of all the natural productions of its neighbourhood, after the manner in part of White's Natural History of Selhorne. This would be indeed a charming guide, and not less beneficial than these medical essays. At watering-places, people are not only craving for a pursuit, but they are led to spend much of their time in the open air: this would be an admirable moment for in- fusing into idle and purposeless individuals a love and knowledge of nature, which might give a zest to all their future enjoyment of life, and perhaps much contribute to the advancement of science. We know no work of the kind, unless Dr. Paris's agreeable Guide to Mount's Bay and Penzance may approach our idea. That work, in its appendix, contains one of the best pieces we know on the truly interesting subject of the comparative advantages of dif- ferent climates to persons labouring under affections of the lungs. It is in the form of a dialogue, and is lively as well as instructive.
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