THANK 



iflLLManr. for**s to Lith Hi n urr 

 IT Irtwlar Un, pa* UM bad of the Wey in 

 ran of Mehalk down. near Alton. Ha 

 Mnhw tk bbi of the Than** from the basin 



f AaMowu ft***, In the Utter county. From 

 . ForMt Uw boundary rum across the high ground of Tilgate 

 to Lith Hill in Surrey, and thenoe, in 

 Woolmer Forert to 

 HanU. Tbi. boundary 

 basins of the Sussex Ouse 



o>d UM Antn. From UM nihbourhood of Alton, the boundary of 

 Ui. bwia U formed by UM eh.lk downs which extend across HanU 

 Md WMi by BMiMrtoka, Klngtelor*, Highclere, ml Burbage, near 

 Onrt Mwin; a*d from thwf. by the down, which run north 

 MatartHtoUM Mtfkboorhood of Ft Kennet and Abury. From 

 Kan*t UM boundary turns along the green -sand bills by 

 BBM* Md Chadderton ; and from thence to the western 

 ., of the basin near the commonly reputed head of the 

 . " UM Cotewold Hills between CirenoesUr and Tetbury. 

 From UM nvMboarbood of Tetbiiry the boundary nun northward 

 alaa* UM ridge of UM Cotewoldt. to the head of the Churn (or true 

 Thunw), about three mile* wrath from Cheltenham ; and from thence 

 alone by the aame hfllii to near Campden, and by Long Compton 

 Hill and Edge Hill to the Arbury IlillB near DTentry. at the northern 

 extremity of the baain. From the Arbury HilU the boundary of the 

 ba*in run* aouth to the neighbourhood of Bicester, and thenco east- 

 ward acroat Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire, along 

 UM DniuUble, Luton, and Royston downs, to the north-western corner 

 of Ram. Thi part of the basin of the Thames is drained by its 

 afluent* the Oberwell, the Thame, and the Lea. An irregular line 

 drawn through the county of Eeaex from iU north-western corner, 

 Unit south-south-east by Dnnmow and Brentwood, and then east by 

 Raylrigh and Rochford to the coast, will complete the boundary. 

 The greatest extent of this basin from east to west is from the mouth 

 of the Thames to the neighbourhood of Tetbury, about 136 miles; 

 the greatest extent from north to south is from the neighbourhood 

 of Daventry, Northamptonshire, to that of Alton, Hampshire, about 

 78 mile*. The basin comprehends the whole or part of the counties 

 of Kent, Surrey. Snnex, Hanta, Berks, Wilts, Oxon, Bucks, Herts, 

 Middleaex, and Esaex, with small portions of Warwickshire, North- 

 amptonshire, and Bedfordshire ; its area may be estimated at about 

 500 square miles. The basin of the Thames is occupied wholly by 

 the secondary and tertiary formations. The sources of the river and 

 the course of its upper waters are in the oolitic beds of the Cotswolil 

 Hills. Owing to the entire absence of coal, the basin of the Thames 

 has no manufactures except those of the metropolis ; but it contains 

 some of the richest agricultural districts in the kingdom. 



Count and AfH*t*tt. ' Thames Head,' the spring which has com 

 inonly been regarded as the head of the Thames, is about 3 miles 

 S.W. from Cirencester, near a bridge over the Thames and Severn 

 Canal, which is called ' Thames-Head Bridge ; ' hut that which is to 

 be regarded as the true head of the Thames is about 3 miles S. from 

 Cheltenham. Two streams rise, the principal one from several 

 openings at a spot popularly called The Seven Springs, and the other 

 from four springs near Ullen Farm, the westernmost of which springs 

 is the remotest head of the river : both streams rise on the south- 

 eastern slope of the Cofawolds, and form by their junction, about a 

 mil* from their respective sources, the river Churn. At Cricklade, 

 20 miles S.E. from its source, the Churn joins the commonly reputed 

 Isis or Thames, the length of which above the junction is only about 

 10 miles. From Cricklade the river flows 9 or 10 miles east-north- 

 east to I^echlade. Jnst above Lechlade it receives, on the left bank, 

 the Colne, from the Cotswold Hills, east of Cheltenham ; and below 

 Lechlade it receive, the Lech, or Leach, which also rises in the 

 CoUwolds. From Lechlade the Thames flows 14 miles eastward to 

 the junction of the Windrush. The Windrush rises in the Cotswolds 

 between Winchcombe and Campden, and after a course of 34 miles 

 joins the Tbamea on the left bank. Below the junction of the Wind 

 nub the Thames receives on the left bank the Evenlode, which rises 

 in the Cotawolds near Moreton-in-the-Marsh, and receives the Glyme 

 which flows through Woodstock and Blenheim Park. The Thamei 

 then turns south, and flows to Oxford, where it joins the Cberwell 

 UM Cherwell rises In the Arbury Hills, near Davenport in North 

 amptonshire, and flow* southward by Banbury : it joins the Thames 

 on the left bank. 



From the junction of the Cherwell the Thames flows south-south 

 east to the junction of the Thame at Dorchester, making however a 

 coojsldernble brad westward to Abingdon, where it receives the Ock on 

 UM left bank. The Thame rises near Stewkley in Buckinghamshire 

 between Window and Lcighton Buzzard, and flows south-west by the 

 town of Thame into the Thames, which it joins on the left bank 

 From Dorcheiter the course of the Thames is south-east by Walling 

 ford to the junction of the Kennet near Reading. The Kennet rises 

 near Broad Hinton, a village to the north of Marlborough Downs 

 flows south to Kwt Kennet, and then, turning eastward, flows by 

 Marlborongh, Newbnry, and Reading into the Thames, which it join 

 on the right bank. It receives the Lambourn and the Embourn o 

 Auborn. 



From th. junction of the Kennet the Thames flows eastward 

 though In a very winding clmnnel, ranking first a considerable circui 

 to the north by Henley, Great Marlow, and Maidenhead, to Windsor 

 - a considerable circuit to the south by Staines, ChorUey 



THAMES. 



Kingston, and Richmond, to Brentford, whence it proceeds by Hum- 



mersmith, I'utney, and Chelsea, to tho metropolis. In this part of it* 



course the Thame. receives several feeders. The Loddon rises in the 

 balk downs of North HanU, near Basingstoke ; the Colne rises, under 

 he name of the Ver, in the chalk downs of Hertfordshire, and passes 



St Albans, Watford, Rickmansworth, Uxbridge, and Colnbrook ; the 



Wey rises near Alton, Hants, passes Faniham, Oodalming, and Guild- 

 ord. and joins the Thames at Weybridge ; the Mole rises on St. 

 xmnard's Forest, in Sussex, passes through Leatherhead, and joins 

 he Thame. at East Molesey ; the Cran and the Brent, two small 

 treams, rise on the borders of Middlesex and Herts, mid join the 

 Tiames, the first at Isleworth, the second at Brentford ; and the 



Wandle, a short stream, joins it at Wandsworth. Of these, the Colne, 

 he Cran, and the Bront, fall into the Thames on tho left bank ; the 

 'then on the right bank. 

 Below London, up to which sea-borne vessels ascend, the river flows 



eastward, but with various reaches or bends, 54 miles to its month, 



or to the Nore Light (at the commonly reputed mouth}, 46J inile<. 

 ?ctween Deptford and Greenwich, about four miles below London 

 Jridge, the Thames receives on the right bank the Ravensbourne, 

 rom Keston, near Bromley, in Kent; about two or three miles farther 



down, on the left bank, the Lea, which rises in Bedfordshire ; four or 

 Ive miles lower, the Roding, from near Dunmow. also on the left bank ; 



and six miles lower, on the right bank, the Darent, which passes Dart- 

 ord and receives the Cray. The only remaining feeder of the Thames 



which here requires notice is the Mcdway, which rises in Sussex, and 

 lows by Maidstone, Rochester, and Chatham. The principal arm of 

 ;he Medway joins the Thames at Sheerness just above the Nore ; but 



the smaller arm, called the Swale, which cuts off the Isle of Suepi >y 

 'rom the mainland, opens into the Thames just above Whitstable. 

 The whole course of the Thames, from its source to its mouth, is 



about 220 miles. The principal affluents of the Thames are more 

 iully described under the counties to which they respectively belong. 

 The Thames, in the first part of its course, belongs wholly to Gl< 

 tershire, but below Cricklade is almost entirely a bonier river, dividing 

 Gloucestershire from Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire 

 from Berkshire, Middlesex from Surrey, and Essex from Kent. Some 

 part of its course is therefore described in the articles on those 

 counties. 



Commercial Importance. The navigation of the Thames commences 

 at Lechlade, where the river is about 258 feet above low-water mark 

 at London Bridge. Its importance was early appreciated, and there 

 are Acts of Parliament relating to it as early as the 2nd Henry VI. 

 The Thames and Severn Canal, which follows the valley of the Churn 

 and the Thames from near Cirencester, opens into the Thames at 

 Lechlade, thus connecting it with the Severn and the western coast of 

 the inland. None of the tributaries above Oxford are navigable. At 

 Oxford the Oxford Canal joins the Thames, and opens a communication 

 with the grand canal system of tho central counties. It follows tin- 

 course of the Cherwell from above Banbury. At Abingdon the Wilts 

 and Berks Canal joins the Thames, and, as well as tho Kennot and 

 Avon Canal, which joins the Kennet at Newbury, opens a communi- 

 cation with the Somersetshire (or Bristol) Avon, and by it with the 

 Severn. The Wey is navigable from Godalming, about 17 miles from 

 its junction, and is connected with the Wey and Arun Canal, and the 

 Basingstoke Canal, the former of which opens a communication with 

 the river Arun and the Sussex coast. The Grand Junction Canal, 

 which unites with the Oxford Canal at Braunston, in Northampton- 

 shire, opens into the Thames by the mouth of the Brent, the Umv r 

 part of which is incorporated with the canal. Below London Bridge, 

 the Lea, which is navigable chiefly by artificial cuts for 25 miles, and 

 has one of its feeders (the Stort) also navigable, opens into the Thames ; 

 and just above the Lea, the Regent's Canal, which encircles the north 

 and east sides of the metropolis, and communicates with the Padding- 

 ton Canal, and so with the Grand Junction Canal, also opens into the 

 river. 



The corporation of the city of London has the almost uncontrolled 

 conservancy of the Thames, and the regulation of its navigation and 

 fishing. The navigation of the upper part of the Thames is kept up 

 by locks and weirs, the lowest of which is at Teddington, which is 

 consequently the limit of the tide. Teddington is about IS miles 

 above London Bridge. Vessels of 800 tons get up to the St. Kathe- 

 rine's Docks, and those of 1400 tons to Blackwall, about 6 miles below 

 bridge. No river in the world equals the Thames in its commeivi il 

 importance. The river for some two miles or more below bridge is 

 crowded with vessels, chiefly coasters, steam-vessels of all sizes, and 

 colliers, which moor alongside the quays or in tiers in the stream ; 

 and for larger vessels there are several docks excavated on the banks 

 of the river. There is a dockyard for the navy (now little u > di ut 

 Deptford, about 4 miles below London Bridge; one at Woolwich, 

 9 miles below ; one at Sheerness, in the Isle of Sheppey, at the 

 junction of the Thames and Medway ; and one at Chatham, thn most 

 important of the four, on the Medway. The fortifications at Slieer- 

 ness defend the entrance to both rivers. The passage of the Thames 

 is further protected by Tilbury Fort, and that of the Medway by 

 Gillingham Fort. 



The width of tho river at London Bridge is 290 yards. For nearly 

 tho whole way below London Bridge the river is embanked, and is 



