The number of registered vessels belonging to the Port of Yarmouth is about six hundred, exclusive of fishing-smacks and other small craft. Ship-building is carried on to a great extent; and the artificers in the various departments of the building-yards are considered eminently skilful. There are several private bonding-warehouses, besides that on the South Denes belonging to the Custom-house. On the North Denes are the silk-mills of Messrs. Grout and Co.; and on Cobham Island are considerable salt-works for the use of the town and fisheries. At South Town, or Little Yarmouth, the banks of the Yare—besides the handsome houses by which they are lined on the south—are occupied by docks, timber-wharfs, and shipbuilding-yards, in which a large proportion of the vessels belonging to Yarmouth are constructed and fitted out for sea.
YARMOUTH, WITH NELSON'S PILLAR,
(FROM THE LOWESTOFT ROAD).
"A fertile soil, a fruitful sea,
And wealth amassed by Industry;
And patriot virtues that sustain
Their 'Meteor-flag' on land and main;
A scene where Nelson's gallant name
Is 'watch-word' to immortal fame:
And here,—with grateful triumph crown'd,—
Imparts a charm to all around."
Yarmouth Pillar.
Yarmouth, as a market-town and sea-port, enjoys many natural advantages; and, aided by the public spirit of its inhabitants and a train of successful enterprise, has long enjoyed a well-merited distinction in the chart of the British Empire. It is a borough, both corporate and parliamentary, situated at the eastern extremity of the county, near the mouth of the river Yare, from which it derives its name, and which is navigable as far as Norwich. Joined by its tributaries, the Waveney and Bure, a short distance to the west of the town, in a fine sheet of water called the Breydon, it proceeds in a copious stream to the sea. The Waveney and the Bure are both navigable rivers—the former as far as Bungay, and the latter to Aylsham.
The town, extending upwards of a mile along the river, from north to south, occupies an area of at least a hundred and thirty acres. On the western side it is bounded by the river, over which there is a handsome drawbridge, communicating with South Town or Little Yarmouth, one of its populous suburbs, where extensive business is carried on. The principal streets, running north and south—Regent-street and South-street excepted—are all indicative of the stir and animation which pervade every place of trade, and evince in their construction both taste and comfort, with an occasional air of the picturesque. The market-place of Yarmouth is extensive, covering an area of nearly three acres, and inclosed on the west side with a range of handsome and well-furnished shops.