472 



BERKSHIRE. 



Berkshire, ters ; in these, the usual reservations of corn-rents, 

 v""""' and sometimes of malt, are still retained. Stipula- 

 tions arc seldom made by the proprietors for any ser- 

 vices, beyond what are connected with the repairs of 

 buildings on the respective farms ; and an allowance 

 is gem rally made to the tenant of from three to six 

 months rent. in hand. There is nothing peculiar in 

 the tythings of this county, except in the parish of 

 Cumner, where the parishioners who pay tythes have 

 a claim to be entertained at the vicarage on the after- 

 noon of Christmas, with four bushels of malt brewed 

 into ale and beer, two bushels of wheat made intp 

 bread, and one-halt" hundred weight of cheese. Mo- 

 ney is now given in lieu of this singular entertain- 

 ment. The poor rates in 1803 amounted to 4s. lid. 

 in the pound, amounting in all to 96,860. It must 

 be observed, however, that they are seldom assessed 

 on the real rent, but, in several instances, are raised 

 according to an old valuation, founded on unknown 

 data. 



As the soil of Berkshire is peculiarly adapted to 

 wheat, great quantities of that grain are reared in 

 every part of the county. Next to wheat, barley is 

 raised in the greatest abundance, and is chiefly sent 

 to London, after being made into malt. There are 

 many large dairy farms in some parts of the county, 

 particularly in the White Horse Vale. The cattle 

 are large and valuable, but there are here no native 

 and peculiar breeds. Snowswick, a farm in the pa- 

 rish of Buscot, is famous for cheeses in the shape of 

 pine apples. They are peculiarly rich and delicate 

 in flavour, and sell considerably higher than cheeses 

 in the common form. About two tons of them are 

 made in good years on this single farm, which indeed 

 is the only place, as far as we have learned, where 

 they are manufactured. Berkshire has a peculiar 

 breed of sheep, the distinguishing qualities of which 

 are their great size, their height on the legs, and 

 weight when fatted : they have black faces, Roman 

 noses, black or mottled legs, and long tails. They 

 are particularly adapted to the low and cold lands ; 

 and when fatted, vary as much in weight as from 14 

 to 40 pounds a quarter. The native hogs of this 

 country are inferior to none in the world for com- 

 pactness, easiness in feeding, and the size to which 

 they can be brought. They are usually crossed once 

 in six or seven generations with the Chinese or Ton- 

 quin race, which prevents them from degenerating ; 

 and one gentleman has used a> half wild boar to im- 

 prove his breed with the greatest success. The 

 number of turnpike roads in Berkshire affords the 

 farmer every facility in carrying the produce of his 

 industry to market ; but though several of the roads 

 are good, and follow the most judicious lines, they 

 are frequently very infenor to what the abundance of 

 valuable materials in every part of the county, and 

 the ample revenues, would entitle the traveller to 

 expect. Few inland counties possess such advanta- 

 ges in point of navigation as Berkshire. In its west- 

 ern division, no part of the triangle formed by the 

 Thames on the north-east, the Kennet on the south, 

 and the Wilts and Berks canal on the west, is distant 

 more than twelve miles from water carriage ; and in 

 the east and south eastern parts, the distance is no- 

 where greater either from the Basingstoke canal, the 



Thames, or the Kennet. The Kennet and Avon ca- 

 nal, too, now executing under the powers of several 

 successive acts of parliament, commences at Newbu- 

 ry ; and that part of it within the limits of tin's 

 county has been navigable ever since the year 1798. 



Few manufactures are carried on in Berkshire. 

 From the returns made to parliament in 1S01, it ap- 

 pears that out of a population of 109,215, only 

 16,921 were engaged in trades, manufactures, or 

 handicraft. Besides local manufactures for internal 

 consumption, the only one of any importance is that 

 of copper at the Temple mills. These mills are said 

 to be the most powerful and complete in the king- 

 dom. During war the copper is manufactured chiefly 

 into bolts and sheathing for ships, in the service of 

 government. In time of peace various kinds of 

 sheets are formed for domestic purposes, and for fo- 

 reign trade. The quantity of copper manufactured 

 here is from 600 to 1000 tons. About fifty men 

 and boys are employed in this establishment, which 

 consists of a hammer-mill, a bolt-mill, and a flat rol- 

 ling mill, all worked by water. 



We cannot dismiss this article without taking no- 

 tice of the celebrated White Horse, which most an- 

 tiquaries refer to Saxon origin, though Mr Lyson is 

 of opinion that it is more likely to have been a work 

 of the Britons than, as is usually supposed, a memo- 

 rial for Alfred's victory over the Danes. It is form- 

 ed by paring off the turf from the brow of a steep 

 chalky hill above Uflington, and from some points of 

 view may be seen at the distance of twelve miles. It 

 is now nearly obliterated by the grass growing on 

 its surface. There are some other monuments of 

 antiquity in Berkshire, but they are not of such 

 importance as to merit particular notice in this place. 

 See Mavor's Agricultural Report of Berkshire ; and 

 Lyson's Magna Brilanuica, vol. i. (ft) 



BERLIN, a city in Germany, the capital of Bran- 

 denburg, and the residence of the Prussian court, is 

 situated on the banks of the Spree, a considerable 

 stream which falls into the Havel, one of the tribu- 

 tary rivers of the Elbe. The situation of Berlin is 

 by no means agreeable, for it stands on an unvaried 

 and sandy plain, but it combines almost every advan- 

 tage of appearance and utility, which art, seconded 

 by the beneficent policy of an enlightened monarch, 

 has been able to confer. Frederic II., who employ- 

 ed all his intervals of peace in improving the internal 

 condition of his states, bestowed much care and ex- 

 pense on the embellishment of his capital. Before the 

 war of 1756, he had already reared several public edi- 

 fices, and entirely rebuilt the suburb called Neuvoigt- 

 land, the houses of which he gave gratuitously to the 

 proprietors. In that dreadful period of convulsion 

 which ensued, Berlin fell twice into the hands of the 

 enemy. Haddik, the Austrian general, entered that 

 city in the year 1757, and in the space of 24 hours, 

 carried off 200,000 German crowns. Three years 

 after, it was seized by the combined army of the 

 Austrians and Russians, who exacted from it two 

 millions of crowns, a sum which it was necessary to 

 borrow. The debt was liquidated by Frederic after 

 the conclusion of the war, nobody knows at what 

 period, nor was any additional burden ever imposed 

 on the inhabitants for that reimbursement. Scarcely 



Berk*(t'r<?, 

 BerliirT 



