1] INTRODUCTION 3 
of a journey across the Pennines in the early part of the 
eighteenth century is given by Defoe (1725: 90, et seg.) 
Portions of five counties, namely, south-east Lancashire, 
north-east Cheshire, north Staffordshire, north Derbyshire, and 
south-west Yorkshire, are represented in this district; and on the 
high moorlands several of the head-streams of the Mersey, Dee, 
Trent, and Yorkshire Ouse take their rise. 
TYPES OF SCENERY 
The district furnishes some interesting and distinct types 
of scenery, which depend primarily on the nature of the 
geological strata (cf. figures 1 and 2). 
The lower hills of the north-west and north-east of the 
district are composed of sandstones and shales belonging to 
the Coal-measure series. It is on or near these rocks that the 
manufacturing areas are situated. The hills of the Coal-measures 
are usually cultivated up to their summits. Arable land, whilst 
nowhere really common, is more abundant on the Coal-measures 
than elsewhere ; and more wheat is grown on such soils than on 
any other soils of the district. This is an interesting fact, as 
the soils of the Coal-measures are usually described as cold and 
backward (e.g., by Lees, 1888: 66). The uncultivated parts of 
the Coal-measures are few and often isolated, and consist usually 
of heather associations on the sandstones and of grassland 
associations on the shales. However, on the few areas of 
uncultivated land of the Coal-measures at the higher altitudes, 
heather moors and cotton-grass moors occur, as, for example, 
south-west of Buxton. The differences therefore between the 
vegetation of the uncultivated parts of the Coal-measures and 
the other siliceous strata are due almost entirely to altitude, 
and not to any differences either in the nature of the climate 
or of the soil. 
1 The first number in brackets after an author’s name refers to the year of 
publication in which the book or paper, which is being referred to, was published. 
The number after the colon refers to the page where the particular matter which 
is referred to occurs in the original work. The pages of the quoted works refer, 
as far as is possible, to the pages of the original memoirs, and not necessarily to 
the pages of the separately issued copies, as these unfortunately are often paged 
differently from the original. The titles, dates, and places of publication of the 
works quoted will be found in an appendix (pp. 222-229). 
1—2 
