712 



ENGLAND. 



Deciduous 



timber 



tract. 



little or nothing to the support of man and the larger 

 quadrupeds ; nor is the beauty of their appearance sucb 

 as to obtain for them a place in the flower garden. The 

 annual kinds, however, producing vast multitudes of- 

 and the perennial ones being furnished with long and 

 deeply striking roots, there is no fear of their exterminn- 

 tion. They occupy road sides, ditch banks, and all 

 waste places that arc incapable of cultivation, and 

 peculiarly devoted to the sustenance of the granivorous 

 birds by their seeds, and of numerous tubes of inserts by 

 their foliage. The sow thistle, hawk weed, bur-dock, 

 thistle, cud-weed, coltsfoot, groundsel, dandelion, daisy, 

 and yarrow, are the most commonly occurring genera. 



Such of our trees and shrubs as have not been already 

 mentioned, may be considered as forming a peculiar class, 

 and one of great importance; it is naturally subdivided 

 into the evergreen and deciduous. The most valuable 

 of our native evergreens are, the box, the pine, the yell, 

 and the holly. Those of secondary consequence are the 

 juniper and ivy. The spurge laurel, the cranberry, and 

 those extremely ornamental plants, the faccinium vitisitlcn 

 (red whortle berries), and Arbutut nua ursi, (bear 

 berry). 



The deciduous timber trees, that are either aboriginal, 

 or at least have been long naturalized to our soil, are the 

 oak, the chesnut, and beech, all of which are moist bear- 

 ing trees, or produce farinaceous oil nuts, the favourite 

 food of hogs, and of many graminivorons quadrupeds ; 

 the birch, the alder, the horn-beam, the abele, the black- 

 poplar, and the aspen, bearing catkens ; the sycamore, 

 the maple, and the ash ; the lime, the elm, and the wych- 

 hazle. A middle station between the timber trees and 

 shrubs, is occupied by the hazlc and the numerous species 

 of willow. The pulpy fruit-bearing shrubs are, the cur- 

 rant nnd gooseberry, the elder, the barberry, the bilberry, 

 the cornel or dogwood, the buckthorn, the guelder-rose, 

 and the maxereon. The four first are wholesome, and 

 grateful to the palate ; the rest are either insipid or noxi- 

 ous. 



The ferns comprise a number of elegant plants, that 

 grow in moist, shady, and uncultivated places, the uses 

 of which have been but little inquired into. About 44 

 species are natives of this country. The roots of most 

 abound in a mild sweetish mucilage, which in times of 

 scarcity has been resorted to for nutriment. The larger 

 and commonest kinds, such as common ferns and brakes, 

 are collected and burnt for the potash, which is yielded 

 from their ashes. The Eqtiisettim tiyemale, (shave grass,) 

 is much used by turners and cabinet-makers, as a fine 

 tile to smooth their work with. 



The last class of English vegetables that we shall men- 

 tion, is that of the marine algae, or sea weeds. Between 

 "OO and 300 species are found upon our own shores. 

 The more tender and gelatinous kinds are eaten, either 

 raw or boiled ; and the rest, on those rocky parts of the 

 eoasts where they can be collected in great quantities, 

 are burnt into kelp for the use of the soap boilers and glass 

 makers." 



SECTION III. Mineral Geography, and Geology. 



Minmdogj THE last branch of the natural history of England re- 

 id gcolo- fotes t o and comprises an account of its mineralogy and 

 geology. The minerals, in an economical point of view, 

 will be considered afterwards : At present we shall con- 

 fine our observations respecting them to those particulars 

 which regard and illustrate their natural position and 



9mm 



Alg*. 



history. For the geology of England, the matcriaJs are 

 yet very unsatisfactory and incomplete. Int. 

 science still in its infancy : but as geologists, at length, 

 seem to be convinced of the advantage and necesv 

 accumulating and comparing facts, resting on minute 

 and accurate investigation, before they venture to pro- 

 ceed to lorni tli' even to lay down general prin- 

 ciples, we may hope that geology will soon be advanced 

 to tbe dignify and precision of a science. The Geologi- 

 cal Society has done much ; and, from the nature and ob- 

 ject of its investigations and inquiries, as well as from the 

 character of its leading members for philosophical views. 

 and general information, much more regarding the geo- 

 logy of England may fairly and confidently I.. 

 from them. In what we are about to advance resp< 

 the mineralogy and geology of England, we shall be 

 much indebted to their labours; nor shall we pass over 

 the work of Mr Bakewell, entitled, " An Introduction to 

 Geology, comprising an outline of the Geology and M i- 

 neral Geography of England ;" for though in this work 

 there is a lamentable and discouraging want of arrangement 

 and method, and on many points erroneous or incomplete 

 information ; yet on the whole it must be regarded as a 

 respectable and useful performance on this subject, at 

 least till a more scientific and complete one makes its ap- 

 pearance. 



If a line be drawn from the western side of the isle of 

 Portland, passing through Dorsetshire, about half way 

 between Dorchester nnd Bridport, and going a few miles 

 to the west of Oxford and Northampton ; and a very 

 short distance to the east of Leicester and Nottingham ; 

 afterwards inclining rather to the west, so as to include 

 Doncaster and York between it and the German Ocean ; 

 and at length sweeping round the last town in a direction 

 nearly north-east, so as to reach the vicinity of Scar- 

 borough, it will include between it and the German Ocean 

 the whole of the low district of England, which is com- 

 posed of chalk, calcareous sandstone, and other secondary 

 strata or alluvial ground, and in which no beds of work- 

 able coal or metallic veins occur. To the west of this 

 imaginary line, the country is composed of secondary 

 strata, of a different description, in many parts of which 

 beds of ironstone and coal are found. This Mr Bake- 

 well denominates the middle district. On the north, 

 this district is bounded by mountains of metalliferous 

 limestone, which entering England from Scotland, pro- 

 ceed nearly through the centre of the former country, 

 and terminate in Derbyshire; the same species of coun- 

 try makes its appearance in the south-western counties 

 of England and in Wales. The primary and transition 

 mountains, in which metallic ores occur,are met with along 

 the western side of the island. These constitute the alpine 

 parts of England, extending from Cornwall and Devon- 

 shire through Wales, into the north-west parts of York- 

 shire and Lancashire, and through Westmoreland and 

 Cumberland. It may be remarked, however, that the 

 calcareous strata of the low district appear on some parts 

 of the eastern side of Durham and Northumberland be- 

 yond Whitby. The principal coal-fields lie in that part 

 of the middle district, which stretches from Derbyshire 

 to Northumberland, and in that part of Wales which 

 borders on the Bristol Channel. On the western side 

 of Cumberland, the coal strata border on a small part of 

 the alpine district, and dip under the sea. In the centre 

 und east of England, the strata generally decline to the 

 south east; on the western side they are more broken 

 ujul irregular. In a direction south-east from Nantwicb 







Mineralogi- 

 cal divJMOnj 

 of England 

 und Wales. 



Low dis- 

 trict. 



Middle di>. 



trict. 



Alpine dis- 

 trict. 



