Note 250 — HISTORY OF LYNN, PART II.

The reign of Alfred, however, was certainly distinguished by numerous and important national benefits: war and internal disorder were made entirely to cease; learning, and the useful arts, revived and flourished; wholesome and important regulations were adopted and introduced, whose salutary effects are still felt; trade and commerce were much encouraged and extended: in all which, and especially the latter, Lynn, as may be presumed; must have been greatly interested. Alfred employed skilful and adventurous mariners, to explore the most distant northern regions, and (by means of Ofthere, supposed to be a banished Norwegian chief,) actually gained intelligence of the Dwina, on whose banks Archangel stands; a river not again spoken of in England, till 1553, when Richard Chanceller found his way to the White Sea. What follows is still more surprising: by means of a correspondence which Alfred engaged in with Abel, patriarch of Jerusalem, he heard of a sect of christians who lived in penury on the south eastern coast of Asia, the present Coromandel; and he chose a spirited priest, named Sighelm, to go and relieve those his oppressed brethren. By what track or route this gallant adventurer proceeded, any further than Rome, we know not. It is certain that he reached the end of his journey, delivered the royal presents, and brought back from India many curious jewels, some of which were to be seen in the days of William of Malmsbury, at Sherborne Cathedral, of which see Alfred had made the fortunate and intrepid Sighelm bishop, after his return. Others of these jewels are believed still to exist in an old crown, kept in the tower of London.—After such enterprizes, to celebrate this great prince as the inventor of horn-lanthorns, may be deemed ridiculous; yet nothing can less merit ridicule: there were then no Clocks in England; Alfred contrived wax tapers of a proper length, to last one, two, or more hours; and to prevent the winds from deranging his plans, he defended the taper, with thin, clear, horn. Such were the improved English time keepers of the 9th century: the merit of which improvement, is due to Alfred; a merit not inferior, probably, to that of the Harrisons and Arnolds of modern times.—See Petit Andrews Hist. Gr. Britain.