island of the county of Kent, surrounded by the sea except on the north-east side, where it is bounded by the branches of the river Stour, now inconsiderable to what they were formerly. It contains several villages, and the sea-port towns of Margate and Ramsgate, and has the title of an earldom. It is celebrated for being the spot through which arts, sciences, and divine knowledge, came into this happy isle. The Britons called it Rutborough, from its vicinity to the city of that name, now only a venerable ruin; but the Saxons called it Thanet, from fire, having so many beacons erected on it. It is in the north-east part of the county, lies open to the sea on the north and east, with the river Wantsum on the west and south, is about 10 miles long from the North Foreland to Sarre-Bridge, and about 8 broad from Westgate to Sandwich-Ferry. The north part of it is all arable, except some barren land, that is sown with fainfoin, which produces a load and sometimes two loads of hay upon an acre; by which means, the land that otherwise is not worth half-a-crown an acre yields 30s. or 40s. The south and west parts of the island are most of them marsh or pasture lands. The soil is generally very fertile, especially in the belt of barley, and other sorts of grain, of which it is computed above 20,000 quarters are sent hence to London in a year, besides what is sold to other places. The alga marina, or sea-ore, as they call it, is their chief manure. This they dry on the shore, and burn, in order to make kelp, which the potters use in glazing their ware. But the smell of the rotten ore upon the soil, and the smoke of it when burning, is very noisome. The gentlemen's families are for the most part gone from this part of the county, having sold their estates; so that their mansion seats are converted into farm-houses; but then, on the other hand, many of the yeomen and farmers have good estates, on which they live very genteelly. In this island are ten parishes, but seven parish-churches, and one chapel.