10 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



chalk, rising three hundred feet above the village ; and is 

 divided into a sheep down, the high wood, and a long 

 hanging wood called the Hanger. The covert of this 

 eminence is altogether beech, the most lovely of all forest 

 trees, whether we consider its smooth rind or bark, its 

 glossy foliage, or graceful pendulous boughs. The down, 

 or sheep-walk, is a 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 assem- 

 blage of hill, dale, wood-lands, 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 

 Dorking, 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 



