VILLAGE OF SELBORNE STREAMS. 5 



which descend as low as those rocks extend, and 

 no farther, and thrive as well on them, where 

 the ground is steep, as on the chalks. 



The cart- way of the village divides, in a remark- 

 able manner, two very incongruous soils. To the 

 south-west a rank clay, which requires the labour 

 of years to render it mellow ; while the gardens 

 to the north-east, and small enclosures behind, 

 consist of a warm, forward, crumbling mould, 

 called black malm, which seems highly saturated 

 with vegetable and animal manure; and these may 

 perhaps have been the original site of the town ; 

 while the woods and coverts might have extended 

 down to the opposite bank. 



At each end of the village, which runs from 

 south-east to north-west, arises a small rivulet; 

 that at the north-west end frequently fails ; but the 

 other is a fine perennial spring, little influenced by 

 drought or wet seasons, called Well-head 1 . This 

 breaks out of some high grounds adjoining to 

 Nore Hill, a noble chalk promontory, remarkable 

 for sending forth two streams into two different 

 seas. The one to the south becomes a branch of 

 the Arun, running to Arundel, and so falling into 

 the British Channel ; the other to the north. The 

 Selborne stream makes one branch of the Wey ; 

 and, meeting the Black-down stream at Hedleigh, 

 and the Alton and Farnham stream at Titford- 

 bridge, swells into a considerable river, navigable 

 at Godalming; from whence it passes to Guild- 



1 This spring produced, September 14, 1781, after a 

 severe hot summer, and preceding dry spring and winter, 

 nine gallons of water in a minute, which is five hundred and 

 forty in an hour, and twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty, 

 or two hundred and sixteen hogsheads, in twenty-four hours, 

 or one natural day. At this time many of the wells failed, 

 and all the ponds in the vales were dry. 



