2 VILLAGE OF SELBORNE. 



pleasing park-like spot, of about one mile by half that space, 

 jutting out on the verge of the hill country, where it begins to 

 break down into the plains, and commanding a very engaging 

 view, being an assemblage of hill, dale, woodlands, heath, and 

 water. The prospect is bounded to the south-east and east 

 by the vast range of mountains called the Sussex Downs, by 

 Guild-down near Guildford, and by the Downs round Dork- 

 ing, and Ryegate in Surrey, to the north-east, which altogether, 

 with the country beyond Alton and Farnham, form a noble and 

 extensive outline. 



At the foot of this hill, one stage, or step, from the uplands, 

 lies the village, which consists of one single straggling street, 

 three quarters of a mile in length, in a sheltered vale, and 

 running parallel with the Hanger. The houses are divided 

 from the hill by a vein of stiff clay, (good wheat land,) yet 

 stand on a rock of white stone, little in appearance removed 

 from chalk ; but seems so far from being calcareous, that it 

 endures extreme heat. Yet that the freestone still preserves 

 somewhat that is analogous to chalk, is plain from the beeches, 

 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 remarkable manner, 

 two very incongruous soils. To the south-west is a rank 

 clay, that 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 extend 

 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 Wellhead.* 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 



* This spring produced, September 14, 1781, after a severe hot 

 summer, and a preceding dry spring and winter, nin-3 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-tour hours, or one natural day. At this time many of the wells 

 failed, and all the ponds in the vales were dry. 



