FROM 1583 TO 1702. 75 



After Middlesex, of course, Suffolk still holds the first place. 

 But it is closely pressed by Surrey. Now this rise of Surrey 

 from the fifteenth to the third place in the English counties is 

 evidence of how rapid was the growth of London in population 

 and wealth, for it is from the overflow of London that Surrey 

 obtained her growth. Notwithstanding the tremendous loss 

 which had fallen on London less than six years before, the 

 assessment of Middlesex with London is more than ten times, 

 acre for acre, the assessment of Surrey. Even without 

 London, Middlesex is more than three times richer, by the 

 same standard, than Suffolk. Herts too has gained a place, 

 being fourth, and displacing Kent. 



Sussex has fallen back nearly to its old place, from the eighth 

 to the twenty-sixth place, for the iron industry of the county 

 could not survive after fuel became scarce. But it is not easy 

 to account for the displacement of some other counties during 

 this period. The only fact of general significance is that 1672 

 was the last of a series of exceedingly abundant harvests, 

 and as I conclude of considerable exports of agricultural 

 produce, and considerable agricultural development. This 

 seems to be the explanation of the bettered position of certain 

 specially agricultural counties, such as Cambridge, Norfolk, 

 and Wilts, which got a temporary rise in place. There is 

 little change in the poorer counties, where Northumberland 

 and York gain a place and Cheshire suffers a temporary fall. 



The last of these assessments is that of 4^. in the pound in 



1693. 1 1 ere, as in the first of these four valuations, the towns are 



not separately assessed. Surrey now takes the second place after 



'llcscx, which is however rated nearly twelve and a-half 



, r her than its nearest county in wealth, and pays close 



upon sixteen per cent, of the whole tax. In this assessment 



Suffolk sinks from the second to the ninth place. Oxford 



from the fifteenth to the seventh. Some counties too, as 



Cambridge and Norfolk, lose place. In the poorer counties 



tlu: rise of Cheshire is noteworthy, due I believe to the rapid 



development of its salt-works at the close of this century. 



