I passed by Sidmouth and came to Seaton, a little village upon the mouth of the river Ax. this Mr. Camden conjectures to have been the roman Moridunum, and with reason. it has been a great haven and excellent port, of which they still keep up the memory. the river runs in a large valley, having high ground on each side. the shore is rocky, high and steep, consisting of the ends of hills which here run north and south. the ground at bottom under the rocks is marly, the waves wash it down perpetually undermining the strata of stone, which from time to time fall down in great parcels. at present this haven mouth, which is a good half mile over, is fill'd up with beach as they call it, that is coggles, gravel, sand, shells, and such matter as is thrown up by the rowl of the ocean. so that the river water has but a very narrow passage on the east side under the cliff. the beach was cover'd o'er with papaver luteum corniculatum, now in blossom. on the west side near Seaton upon a littl (sic) eminence is a modern ruin'd square pharos built of brick, they remember it 16 foot high, and two guns lye (sic) there. they say there were formerly many great foundations of houses visibl (sic) nearer the sea than the present town, but now swallow'd up; and in all likelihood there stood the roman city. more inwards toward the land beyond the great bank of beach, is a marsh which the sea has made, landing its self up when its free flux was hinder'd. this is full of salt pans, into which they take the sea water at high tides. when they dig these places they find innumerabl (sic) keels and pieces of vessels, with nails, pitch, anchors, etc. 6 or 8 foot deep, because it waas formerly part of the haven. anchors have been found as high as Axminster, and beyond it, tho' now there is no navigation at all. so great a change has time produc'd in the face of nature, upon these confines of the two great elements always opposing each other.

[Text may be taken from a different source or edition than that listed as the source by Somers Cocks.]