XXIV TOPOGRAPHICAL REMARKS. 



three districts (6, 7, and 8) are wholly in the Fens : the only 

 " high land" in them consists of the fen " islands,'' which are 

 spots elevated sufficiently to escape being flooded in times 

 when the fen was often overflowed. No. 8 extends to the 

 ancient estuary of the river Nene, but did not quite reach 

 the sea even at the time when the boundaries of the counties 

 were fixed, for Norfolk and Lincolnshire join at the old 

 mouth of the river. 



An endeavour must now be made to define the limits of 

 these districts which are severally named from some chief 

 place included in them. Each district reaches to the boun- 

 dary of this and the neighbouring counties. 



No. 1. Cambridge is bounded to the south and east 

 by the counties of Suffolk and Essex ; to the north and 

 west by the two turnpike-roads which lead from Newmarket 

 and from Chesterford to Cambridge : except that when the 

 former arrives at the place called the Paper Mills the 

 boundary of my division descends the stream called the 

 Stour to the river Cam, and ascending that river to the 

 mouth of the stream called the Vicar's Brook, by the 

 side of Cow Fen, ascends that brook until the road to 

 Trumpington and Chesterford is attained, at one mile from 

 Cambridge. This district, besides the chalk range, extending 

 from the Gogmagog Hills to Linton in one direction and 

 to Newmarket in another, contains also the only well- 

 wooded tract that we have, which consists of the parishes 

 intervening between those chalk-hills and the county of 

 Suffolk. 



No. 2. Royston. This is bounded to the south and 

 west by the neighbouring counties of Essex, Hertford and 

 Bedford, and to the east by the Cambridge and Chester- 



