674 



ENGLAND. 



VJe of Co- 

 quet. 



Of Stock- 



VJc of 

 York. 



A the north of England parUkw of the mountain- 

 ous charar it cannot l>e exacted to con- 

 tain man v vale*. In entering this country by Northum- 

 berland the first we meet with is the vide of Corquct, 

 throu-h which the river of that name flows. This vale 

 is particiilarlv noted for its fertility, and for the ex- 

 cellence of iti agriculture. In the southern part ol the 

 .same county is the vale of Tyne, which exhibits a great 

 variety of landscape, and a little above Newcastle is 

 very rich and beautiful. The vale of Stockton is torm- 

 t-d ;,f iho lower vale lands of the county of Durham, 

 and the district of Cleveland in Yorkshire; these to- 



Of Picker- 

 ing. 



of which the Tees, forming the boundary between the 

 two counties, winds. This vale accompanies the Tees 

 from the moorlands of Durham, in the neighbourhood 

 of Barnard Castle, to its mouth, extending nearly forty 

 miles. It is bounded on the south by the eastern moor- 

 1 uuls, and on the north by the high lands of Durham ; 

 in its widest part it is IT. miles across; but its up- 

 per part alx've Darlington, is narrow. In its area are 

 included the towns of Barnard Castle, Darlington, 

 Yarni, Stockton, and Stockesley ; Hartlepopl and < is- 

 Imrou.'h stand on its margins: its surface is rcmnrka- 

 blv flat, its soil for the most part fertile, and it is dis- 

 tinguished for the skill and enterprise of its farmers. 

 The vale of York may justly be regarded as the fi 

 of river vales in the island : it is situated mostly with- 

 in the North Riding, but, in its southern extreme, it 

 extends into the West and East Ridings. Its northern 

 limit is formed by a number of shallow small lakes or 

 meres, which lie between the Tees, the Swale, and the 

 W r iske; the marshes of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire 

 constitute its southern boundary ; its western limits are 

 the limestone lands of West Yorkshire, and the skirts ot 

 the western moorlands; the moorlands, limestone 

 heights, and wolds, of the East Hiding, constitute its 

 eastern boundary. From north to south its length is 

 about 60 miles; its average breadth is about 16; its 

 area contains more than 1000 square miles. Ihere 

 are nine towns in the area of this vale, the princi- 

 pal of which are York, Northalerton, Thirsk, and Bo- 

 roughbridge ; its western margin is studded with Rich- 

 mond, Rippon, Knaresborough, Tadcaster, and Doncas- 

 ter on its eastern margin there are four towns, none ot 

 them however of any size or consequence. The sur- 

 face of this vale is sufficiently diversified, to give rich- 

 ness and beauty to its appearance ; by far the largest 

 portion of its soil is fertile, and its agriculture is gene- 

 rally good. The northern extreme of the vale of York 

 imperceptibly unites with the south-west margin of the 

 vale of Stockton ; the rising ground by which they are 

 naturally divided, being so inconsiderable, as to escape 

 the eye "in a general view of the country. Thus, there 

 is an uninterrupted continuance of wide spreading vale 

 lands, from the mouth of the Tees to the II umber, a 

 distance of almost a hundred miles. 



The limestone lands of east Yorkshire, which stretch 

 westward from near Scarborough, along the feet of the 

 moorlands, to the Hambledon hills, and then bend 

 southward to the extremity of those hills, where the line 

 returns eastward, and along the Howardian hills to 

 Malton, form three-fourths of the outline of the vale ot 

 Pickering ; the remaining quarter is filled up with the 

 chalk cliffs of the Wold: its form is an imperfect oval, 

 the larger diameter of which is alwut 35 miles ; 

 its shorter rather more than 10: its area contains 

 nearly 300 square miles. This vale has all the ap- 

 pearance of a lake left dry by nature ; it L> in fact a 



bason formed by eminences on every B >; one 



narrow outlet for it< waters. The nvir, which f.ow 

 through it are the Derwent and Rye. The dist 

 HolderiK'ss, tl: trir'.U- speak ing a vle, basso 



decidedly the natural cL 

 with respei -t to elevation. >. it may 



be proper to notice it along with the vales of Yorkshire. 

 It comprise- the country to the north ai i lull ; 



and is bounded on the north and west by the Wo 

 the east by the British Oce.-m, ai-i nth by the 



y of the Hum'ocr ; the extei.t -if ihis flat tract 

 of land between the skirts of the Wold hills, thes. : 



The towns of Bridlington, Drirtiel.i, Bcv,-rlev, and Hull, 

 stand near the outline of lhi district. 



There is no vale, or flat tract of land of considerable 

 extent or importance, as we enter F.iiglaiid on the west 

 side from Scotland, till we reach Lancashire, if we ex- 

 cept the district of Carlisle. This may, with little lati- 

 tude, be deemed an extensive plain: indeed, for several 

 miles round this city, there is a vale district of ti 

 quality; but the plain, taken in its w In- 

 bounded on the north by the estuary .uss of 

 Solway; on the north-cast, by tl..- 

 on the east, by the moorland* of Cumlwrland; on the 

 south, it unites with the \ alley of Appleby ; a 

 the west, by the slate-rock mountains and the inlet 

 Abbey Holm. Its area is four or five hundred squai 

 miles : it is only on its southern margin that in its ele- 

 vation it rises above the true vale character. 



In Lancashire, there arc s t ver.il district, ot ' 

 flat land ; the first we meet with proceeding tern the 

 north, is what is called the Fylde or Field, 

 stretches between the rond from Garstang to Preston 

 and the sea, and is about eight or ten miles in width. 

 The southern part of the large tract which lies between 

 the Ribble and the Mersey, is also flat quite trom the 

 sea to the commencement of the ridge which divides 

 Lancashire from Yorkshire. The vale of Warnngton, 

 which enjoys a great degree of fertility, is formed by 

 the Mersey, and comprises a considerable extent ot 

 ground, both on the Lancashire and Cheshire side ot 



that river. 



Cheshire is in general a flat country : a ridge ot high 

 ground crosses it from north to south on its western 

 side; and on its eastern border there are some consider- 

 able eminences, which unite with the hills ot Derby- 

 shire and Staffordshire: the rest of the county is nearly 



level. 



The vale of Severn, taken in its most comprehensive 

 sense maybe considered as beginning above Chepstow : 

 it receives Worcestershire almost entirely in its outline; 

 it then contracts and closes on the north with the lulls 

 of Shropshire and Staffordshire. Its banks on the west, 

 are formed by the forest of Dean, Mayhill, the Malveni 

 hills and the hills of Herefordshire and Shropshire 

 Its eastern banks are formed by the Stroudwater and 

 Cotswold hills, ami by rising grounds on the borders 

 Warwickshire, closing with the Lickey and Clent hills. 

 It is partially divided into three districts, by Bredon 

 hill and some smaller hills, the district of Worcester- 

 shire the vales of Gloucester, and the vale of Evesham , 

 but if we could suppose these hills and some hillock, 

 near Gloucester removed, the whole would form one 

 unbroken vale, which accompanies the Severn *rom the 

 _r :... :.,..:.,! i,,...,,,.ii>..i till it enters the 15n- 



MI-; i, i 



Holde 



Plain of 



Lallult. 



FyJde of 



I. am' uJiirc 



Vale of 



\V;irrin;- 



Vale 01 

 Severn. 



It- dr. 

 sion. 



, 



union of its principal branches till it enters the Bri- 

 tish Channel. The upper part of this t xtensn e vole is 

 rich, but not picturesque ; it is too flat, and the banks 

 in this part are tame. Its more striking and finish. ,1 



