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fon the summits of the hills, and especially on the west, and 

 jiorth, are swamps of many acres extent. They are cut up as 

 turf, at the rate of eight-pence or tv/elve-pence per thousand, paid 

 to the tenant of the forest, and would be an inexhaustible stock of 

 fuel to any inhabitants settled on the better part, as well as of 

 black peat for burning lime, working iron, smelting ore, or any 

 manufacture where fire is used. 



The roads are in general, as might be expected in so large a 

 tract of land without inhabitants, very bad, and in some places 

 scarcely passable. But the whole abounds with materials to make 

 them firm and comfortable, at an easy rate, and few bridges v/ould 

 be necessary. 



Excepting a few willows and thorns by the sides of the rivulets, 

 not a tree nor a bush, out of Simonsbath estate, is to be seen on the 

 whole forest ; but plantations of most kinds need no more shelter, 

 nor better soil, than is to be met with here. Oak, firs, beach, 

 and elm, would thrive in all the parts capable of tillage. And a 

 very large proportion of the whole, needs but the spirit, and the 

 fortune of some one, or more of our wealthy gentlemen in England, 

 whose attention, if turned this way, sanctioned by the royal pro- 

 prietor, would render the forest of Exmoor in a few years, as fair 

 a prospect as the surrounding country ; and not an useless, and void 

 space as it now is, in the map of the county of Somerset. The 

 term useless, however, may be said by some to be misapplied,, 

 when the quantity of sheep is mentioned, that is depastured on it. 

 From the best information to be had, twenty-two thousand are 

 yammered here, besides the four hundred horses beforementionedj 

 but the race is so small, and their value so trifling, that little pro- 

 •tt accrues to the owner. Veins both of copper, and iron, have 

 teen discovered, that might be worked to advantage, considering 

 how convenient the situation is for shipping off the produce-; 

 Vorlock, Lymouth, and Combmarten, all sea ports, not being 

 jnore than nine miles distant from the centre of the forest. 



From each of those places, and also from Ilffacombe and 

 JBarnstaple, vessels are every week passing to Wales, (where foun- 

 Cderies have been long established) in ballast. A large vein of 

 •lime stone is known to pass from east to west near the centre ofihe 



forest, 

 4 



