CHAPTER XVII 



THE FLORA OF ENGLAND EIGHTEEN HUNDRED 

 YEARS AGO 



If one of our British ancestors who Hved in the 

 year A.D. lOO could now revisit his native land, 

 what difference would he find in the natural 

 features of the country? It is an interesting 

 question, the answer to which may tell something 

 of the way by which the England of our day is 

 what it is ; and I fix the date at A.D. i oo, because 

 at that time the Roman occupation was fairly 

 established, yet the Roman colonists had scarcely 

 had time to effect many changes, and for the sake 

 of convenience I will limit the question to the 

 country south of the Trent. 



Of course, I put aside all human works and 

 buildings, and confine the question to the natural 

 features, and within that limit it will be found 

 that the changes are not so many as some of us 

 might fancy. The great natural features of the 

 country are the same, the hills, valleys, downs, 

 etc. In some places there have been changes of 

 the coast line, a gain from the sea in one place, 

 and a loss to the sea in another, but the effects 

 of such changes do not stretch far inland. Some 

 i6o 



