702 



ENGLAND. 



hilli, in Gloucestershire, coiuists generally of calca- 

 reous loam, mixed with gravel anil small -tones which, 

 in this and sonic oilier counties of England, i- provin- 

 cially denominated stout bradi. The -oil mi the- Stroiid- 

 water hills is principally a light loam lying on stone 

 bnwh. The vale districts of ( douceatBnain poMeaa in 

 general a very rich soil, varying from elay of rather a 

 strong quality, to friable hum. In the vale of I 

 ham, the soil' for the most part is of the latter descrip- 

 tion, though occasionally sand and gravel nre met with. 

 'J'he \.ili- of Berkeley is more tinifonn in the nature and 

 quality of it* -oil. In the Forest of Dean, which i- se- 

 parated from the rest of the county by the river Severn, 



il i< rather strong, and by no means unfertile, 

 the whole, Gloucestershire possesses a large proportion 

 of rich and valuable soil, and may be reckoned, in this 

 respect, among the most favoured in Kngland. The 

 soil of Warwickshire is not nearly so uniformly good as 

 that of the comity just described. In the northern part 

 of this county, there is much barren and waste land, 

 intermixed, however, with large tracts of strong soil. 

 The south, and smaller portion of the county, which is 

 called the Feldon, possesses a rich loamy soil, of very 

 great fertility. Oxfordshire contains three distinctions 

 of soil ; the red land of the northern district, which ex- 

 tends from the borders of Warwickshire and Northamj>- 

 ton shire, to the south of Doddington. This soil, like 

 nil the rest of the same description, is very fertile. The 

 substratum is either grit-stone or limestone. The next 

 division of soil is the stone-brash, which lies to the 

 south of the red land, and stretches the whole breadth 

 of the county, from the borders of Gloucestershire to 

 those of Buckinghamshire. It is, however, very nar- 

 row on the borders of the latter county. The predo- 

 minant feature in this extensive tract is that of a loose, 

 dry, friable loam, mixed with limestone, and in general 

 vesting upon it. The third division consists of the 

 Chiltern district, lying in the south-east of the county, 

 and bordering on Buckinghamshire. The basis of this 

 part of Oxfordshire is chalk, on which there is a sur- 

 face of loam, of various depths, and of different degrees 

 of fertility. The most distinguishing mark of the sur- 

 face loam, it a very considerable quantity of flints. 

 Nearly, however, one half of this county, occupving the 

 centre and part of the southern division of it, includes 

 all sorts of soils from loose sand to heavy clay. The 

 soil of the county of Buckingham is composed chiefly 

 of rich loam, strong clay, chalk, and loam incumbent 

 on gravel, and mixed with. it. In the southern parts of 

 this county are the Chiltern hills, which arc principally 

 composed of chalk intermixed with flints, similar to the 

 chalk and flints of the adjoining part of Oxfordshire. 

 The soil on these hills is very shallow; the substratum 

 is uniformly chalk. In the northern part of Bucking- 

 hamshire, the soil is of a very different quality, being 

 composed of strong rich loam, occasionally mixed with 

 loam of a more friable nature. The vale of Ayleshury 

 occupies the centre of the county, and in richni M of 

 'oamy soil, is not suqiassed by any vale district in the 

 kingdom. The south of Bedfordshire consists of calca- 

 reou- hills ; below which there is a cold, barren, clayey 

 soil. In a line from the middle of the county to the 

 .outb-east corner, the soil is generally rich, composed 

 .it' strong loam. The west side is mostly fiat and sandy. 

 The sands almut Woburn are almost proverbial tor tlieir 

 icpth. They are not, however, by any means unfer- 

 tile. The vale of Bedford consists of a rich loam. ( )n 

 the north Mile of the vale a strong clay occurs. To- 

 wards the north and north-eastern parts of the county. 



the richest soil is met with, consisting of loam of uncom- fiauutic*. 

 mon depth. The Mih-trata mo-t common in this county v ~" "V^^ 

 are limestone, ferruginous sand, and clay. 



Of the counties which, in our geographical arrange- of tho - 

 nil-lit of l.ngland, were classed under the eastern dis- district, 

 trict, the soil i* not very various : this remark more 

 particularly and strictly applies to Lincolnshire, llun- 

 tin^doiishire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and 

 I'.ssex. Iii Hertfordshire and Middlesex, there is great- 

 er variety of .-oil. Lincolnshire cmi-i-i- of calcareous, 

 sandy, and loamy soils; the first description is princi- 

 pally found on the heaths to the north and .south of the 

 county, and on the wolds ; a large tract of sandy soil 

 occurs between Gainsborough and Newark ; the same 

 kind of soil is found from Binbrook to Barton ; at the 

 latter place, the rich loam commences, which occupies 

 an extensive tract. A loam of an equal, if not superior 

 quality, is found in the isle of Axehohne. The n 

 lands of Lincolnshire are in general composed of loam, 

 though there are some spots of cold tenacious elay. 

 The soils in the upland parts of Huntingdonshire are 

 various, but they consist principally of a strong deep 

 clay, more or less intermixed with loam, or of a deep 

 gravelly soil, with loam. The mar- 

 of Lincolnshire: the same may be said of the marshes 

 of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. The soil of the up- 

 lands in this last county, also resembles that of Hun- 

 tingdonshire, only it presents a smaller proportion of 

 strong loam; and calcareous loam, which does not occur 

 in Huntingdonshire, is met with in Cambridgeshire: 

 the substratum is chalk, gravel, or elay. It has al- 

 ready been remarked, that the soil of Norfolk is the 

 most uniform of any in the kingdom ; it is, in fact, 

 sandy loam throughout the whole county, though in 

 some" parts there is a small proportion ot clay : in no 

 part of this county, however, can there justly In- 

 said to be clayey "soil. It may also l>e regurdr 

 the most artificial soil in the kingdom. The ricl>c--t 

 soil lies to the north and north-east of Norwich; this 

 tract consists of a true sandy loam, equal and simi- 

 lar to the best parts of the Netherlands. To the w c-i 

 and north-west of Norwich, the soil is much lighter; 

 and to the south-west of this city, the soil i- so very 

 light, that the sand is very often drifted in high winds 

 from one parish to another. Suffolk may be consider- 

 ed as consisting principally of light sand, and of very 

 strong loam, which is sometimes, though improperly, 

 called clay. The border prevails chiefly on tin 

 coast, and in the north-west part of the county ; the 

 latter occupies the centre of the county : the strongest 

 loam is in that part called High Suffolk. In Kcx, 

 there is very little sandy soil, and none which can pro- 

 perly be called clay, but loams of all descriptions pre- 

 vail: the richest are in the north and north-eastern 

 parts of the county. About Saffron Walden, the loams 

 are rich, dry, and 'very tortile. Near the banks of the 

 Thames, and .".long the sea-coast, marshy land prevails. 

 The soils in Hertfordshire consist of loam, clay, chalk, 

 and gravel : the loams may be divided into flinty and 

 sandy ; in some places they are of a red colour. The 

 flinty loam lies to the cast of the county : the richc-t 

 sandy loam is near ( hcshunt. Clay occupies the north- 

 erner, and a small spot in the south, on the bor- 

 ders of Middlesex. In the north-east, from Royston 

 to King's Walden, is a chalky soil: the gravel is a 

 verv jKxir soil, and prevails near North Minis. Chalk 

 forms the basis of nearly the whole county. In Mid- 

 dlesex, the summits of most of the highest hills con- 

 sist of sand and gravel. Sandy loam is found on all 



