202 THE BRITISH ISLES. 



those of Pntnoij, Keic, liichmond, and Jungnfon (with Surbiton) arc of world-wide 

 renown. The park near Riclnnond is nearly 9 miles in circumference, its sylvan 

 scenery is of extreme beauty, and many fine distant views are commanded from it. 

 Higher up on the Thames are Molcsei/, IFalfon, Weyhridrje, Chcrtscy, and E(jhnm. 



Kent, a maritime county, stretching from the Lower Thames to the English 

 Channel, is of varied aspect, and tlie beauty of its scenery, joined to the variety 

 and nature of its productions, fairly entitles it to the epithet of " The Garden of 

 England," aspired to by several of the other counties. The chalky range of the 

 northern Downs traverses the county from the borders of Surrey to the east coast, 

 where it terminates in bold cliffs, perpetually undermined by the sea. These Downs 

 are cleft by the valleys of the rivers which flow northward to the Thames, or into 

 the sea, and amongst which the Darcnt, the Medway, and the Stour are the most 

 important. The cpuntrj'- to the north of the Downs consists of gravel and sand 

 overlying the chalk, but Shooter's Hill (446 feet), near Woolwich, is an insulated 

 mass of clay. The fertile Helmsdale stretches along the interior scarpment of the 

 Downs, and separates them from a parallel range of chalk marl and greensand, 

 which marks the northern limit of the "Weald, within which nearly all the rivers 

 of the county have their source. Extensive marshes occur along the Thames, on 

 the isles of Grain and Sheppey, along the estuary of the Medway, in the tract which 

 separates the Isle of Thanet from the bulk of the county, and on the Channel 

 side, where Romney Marsh, famous for its cattle and sheep, occupies a vast area. 



The agricultural productions of Kent are most varied. More hops are grown 

 there than in any other part of England, and vast quantities of cherries, apples, 

 strawberries, and vegetables annually find their way to the London market. 

 Poultry of every sort is large and fine ; the rivers abound in fish ; w^hile the native 

 oysters bred in the Swale, an arm of the sea which separates the Isle of Sheppey 

 from the mainland, are most highly appreciated for their delicate flavour. 



Kent, owing to its proximity to the continent, was the earliest civilised 

 portion of England, but is now far surpassed in wealth and population by other 

 counties. It has nevertheless retained some of its ancient customs and privileges, 

 secured through the stout resistance which the yeomanry to the west of the Med- 

 way opposed to the victorious march of the Conqueror. Ever since that time the 

 inhabitants of the western part of the county have been known as " Men of Kent," 

 those of the eastern division as " Kentish men." Most remarkable amongst these 

 privileges is the tenure of land known as " gavelkind," in virtue of which an 

 estate descends to all the sons in equal proportions, unless there be a testamentary 

 disposition to the contrary. 



The north- westernmost corner of Kent, including the large towns of Dcptfonl, 

 Greemcich, and Woohcich, lies within the limits of the metropolis. The famous 

 dockyard of Deptford, whence Sir Francis Drake started upon his voyages of 

 adventure, was clo.sed in 1872, and most of its buildings are utilised as cattle- 

 sheds, sheep-pens, and slaughter-houses, for it is here that all foreign cattle must 

 be landed and slaughtered, in order that infectious diseases may not gain a footing 

 in the country through their dispersion. The Eavensbourne, a small river which 



