$ By Thomas Bruges Flower, Esq. 115 
scenery of mountains, gradually decline into richly wooded dales 
and plains in a high state of cultivation. 
There are Two Divisions of the County. The first, or Southern, 
includes all the Wiltshire Downs, with their intersecting valleys, 
and is separated from the Northern by an irregular line run- 
ning round the foot of the chalk hills, from their entrance into the 
north-east part of Berkshire, to their south-west termination at 
Maiden Bradley. The Downs are an elevated table land intersected 
by valleys, which gives the surface a broken appearance, the air 
on them being keen, and healthy to robust constitutions; the valleys 
although more sheltered from the sweeping winds from the Atlan- 
tic, partake of this keen air, which is drawn along their course in 
eurrents. The soil on the Downs varies little, being thin, and uni- 
formly resting on the chalk, it produces excellent short herbage, 
very well suited for sheep pasture, a small portion being onlyecon- 
verted into arable land, and that chiefly on the borders of the valleys. 
As we descend from the Downs into the valleys, the soil generally 
becomes less mixed with flints and of a more loamy nature, in 
consequence of the waters washing down portions of the upper soil 
of which the finer particles are deposited on the sides of the hills, 
and form what is caJled white land. The level part of the valleys, 
nearest the rivulets, consists of flints washed down lower and mixed 
with fine earth. 
The Second, or Northern Division, differs greatly from the south- 
ern. The subsoil in this part of the county, instead of being chalk, 
consists chiefly of flat broken stone, called provincially corngrit, 
being the same as the Cotswold Hills. The top soil is a reddish 
calcareous loam mixed with irregular flat stone, and commonly called 
stonebrash. In some places a stratum of clay is interposed between 
the rock and the top soil, which may easily be known by the oaks 
which thrive there, whilst on the other parts the elm thrives best. 
SKETCH OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE STRATA OF WILTSHIRE. 
With the exception of some unimportant outliers of the tertiary 
beds,' the strata of Wiltshire belong to two great geological divi- 
__ ' The tertiary strata of Wilts have not been, as yet, fully examined, but it is 
hoped that we may ere long be favoured with a detailed account of them by Mr. 
ich, Treasurer of the Geological Society. 
