Page:A Journal of the Plague Year (1722).djvu/259

, when the Weight of the Infection lying, as I may ſay, all below Bridge, no Body durſt appear in Buſineſs for a while: But as this continued but for a few Weeks, the Homeward bound Ships, eſpecially ſuch whoſe Cargoes were not liable to ſpoil, came to an Anchor for a Time, ſhort of  , or freſh Water part of the River, even as low as the River Medway, where ſeveral of them ran in, and others lay at the Nore, and in the Hope below Graveſend: So that by the latter end of October, there was a very great Fleet of Homeward bound Ships to come up, ſuch as the like had not been known for many Years.

Two particular Trades were carried on by Water Carriage all the while of the Infection, and that with little or no Interruption, very much to the Advantage and Comfort of the poor diſtreſſed People of the City, and thoſe were the coaſting Trade for Corn, and the Newcaſtle Trade for Coals.

The firſt of theſe was particularly carried on by ſmall Veſſels, from the Port of Hull, and other Places in the Humber, by which great Quantities of Corn were brought in from Yorkſhire and Lincolnſhire: The other part of this Corn-Trade was from Lynn in Norfolk, from Wells, and Burnham, and from Yarmouth, all in the ſame County; and the third Branch was from the River Medway, and from Milton, Feverſham, Margate, and Sandwich, and all the other little Places and Ports round the Coaſt of Kent and Eſſex.

There was alſo a very good Trade from the Coaſt of Suffolk with Corn, Butter and Cheeſe; theſe Veſſels kept a conſtant Courſe of Trade, and without Interruption came up to that Market known