occurring in LancasMre. 275 



ascertained. West speaks of it thus : " Walnev Island lies 

 upon a bed of moss ; and all round the island moss is found 

 by digging through a layer of sand and clay which covers 

 It; and in the moss large trees have been found." It is 

 probable, however, as limestone rocks are observed in the 

 adjacent sands, that these extend below this island also. 



Jn coninmn with other iime;;tone countries, there are 

 many subterraneous excavations of considerable extent, 

 such asDunaldmill Hell-hole, near Kcllet, Yardhouse-cave, 

 near Leek, and other smaller ones near Yealand. 



III. The district of millstone grit and shale contains al- 

 most every possible variety of soH and situation. 



To the north and east, loftv mountains form moors co- 

 vered with ling, which stretch awav from the neiehbourhood 

 of Hornby, by Wyresdale, towards Rivino ton Pike. The 

 western part is an uniform flat ; and the infermediate coun- 

 try possesses the champaign properties that lie betwixt these 

 two extremes. 



The grit rock being almost entirely a flinty substance, its 

 broken-down particles are of all others the least favourable 

 to vegetation. Hence we find that where the rock is merely 

 covered with a gravel composed of such fragments, (which 

 IS mostly the case on the high lands towards the moors,) 

 ling, the hardiest of vegetables, can only find a footing ; 

 and the scanty soil produced by its decayed remains in the 

 course of centuries, attests the slow progress of veo-etation. 



Planting v/nh ihc hardier kinds of ^trees is pel-haps the' 

 only improvement this kind of land admits. But it is a 

 pomt not yet ascertained, at how great a height above the 

 sea trees capable of producing timber will flourish in this 

 country. At considerable altitudes they become dwarfish, 

 and afiect the form rather of the bush than the tree. 



Where circumstances more favourable for the retention 

 of moisture occur, mosses have been found, which beinf- 

 dramed afiord a considerable depth of a loose black soil. la 

 many parts, at the foot of the mountains, the whole culti- 

 vated country appears to have been originally of this nature, 

 and, bemg of a spongy Ic.Mure, is capable of retaining mois- 

 ture long ; and hence, notwithstanding the Ioosene°ss and 

 lightness which it exhibits under the plough, when allowed 

 to remam in pasture a few years it is apt to be overrun with 

 rushes. 



It frequently happens that a coarse clay covers the tops 



and sid.s of the hills and moor lands which are of a ^e- 



condary height, which preventing the rain, or the water 



Ss which 



