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Bt'CKiNCJtAM, a county of America, in tVie (late of 

 Virginia, lying between the Blue ridge and the Tide waters, 

 containing, according to the cenfus of 1790, 9779 inhabit- 

 ants, of wliom 4168 are (laves. 



Buckingham Houfc, the moH wellerly of the fettlements 

 belonging to the HmUon bay company in New South Wales, 

 lies north-wefteily fiom Hudfon-houfe, on the northern (ide 

 of Salkafhavven river, near its fource. N. lat. 54°. W. long. 

 110° 30'. 



BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, one of the inland counties of 

 England, appears to have been mollly peopled, at the time 

 of the Roman invafion, by a clafs of the Britons, which the 

 hiftorians of that period named Cattieuchlani. When the 

 Romans had fubjngateJ the ifland, this part of it was in- 

 cluded in that divifion named Flavi a CjCsaru-nsis. After 

 their departure, it became the theatre of many battles and 

 revolutions, and, at length, in the Saxon dynafty, conftituted 

 a part of Mercia, to whofe monarchs it became fubjeft 

 during the continuance of that kingdjm. Bnckinghamfliire 

 is bounded on the north by Northampton(hire ; on the ea(t 

 by the counties of Bedford, Hertford, and Middlcfex ; on 

 the fouth by Berkftire ; and on the well by Oxfordlliire. 

 Its extent has been varioudy ellimated ; but the moll corrcdl 

 computation has been given in the Genenil View of its Agri- 

 culture ; wherein it is faid to be 45 miles in length, 18 in 

 breadth, and 138 in circumference. It contains about 

 c 1 8,400 acres of land, and is divided into 8 hundreds, includ- 

 ing 16 market-towns, 185 parifhes, about 21,000 houfes, and 

 about 107,440 inhabitants. Its limits are moflly artificial ; 

 the river Coin bounding only a fmall portion on the eail fide, 

 and the Thames feparating it from Berkshire. 



The face of this country is much varied. The fouthern 

 parts are occupied by the Chiltern hills and their appendages. 

 Thefe eminences are chiefly compofed of chalk intermixed 

 with flints ; and though very inferior to the northern dillriCl, 

 with refpeft to richnefs of foil, have been rendered extremely 

 productive from the great attention given to the cultivation 

 and irn,provement of the land. The prolific Vale of Aylrfhury 

 fprcads through the middle of the county, and furnilhes a 

 rich pallurage to vaft numbers of cattle, its amazing ferti- 

 lity being chiefly employed in the fupport of the dairy and 

 grazing fydenis. The more northern parts are diverfified 

 with gentle fand-hlUs, which enter from Bidfordlhire. In 

 the vicinity of the Chiltern hills, where the foil is light, and 

 inimical to produdlion wilhoit much labour, the mod fedu- 

 lous care is bellowed, and every mode of improvement 

 adopted. In the vale of Aylelbury, and the more northern 

 divifions of the county, the aftonilhing produce of the mea- 

 dows rendering exertion lefs necefifary, the farmer turns a 

 deaf ear to every argument of an inllruttive tendency. 



The foil of this connty is principally compofed of rich 

 loam, ftrong clay, chalk, and loam upon gravel. Its chief 

 application, in the Chiltern diilrift, is to the growth of wheat, 

 barley, oats, beans, and faintfoin ; the northern divifion, as 

 we have already intimated, is chiefly applied to pafture and 

 meadow, with a very fmall proportion of arable. The great 

 quantities of butter annually made on the dairy farms, are 

 moftly purchafed by the London dealers, who contraft for 

 it half-yearly. The average, weight produced weekly from 

 each cow, is eight pounds in lummer and fix pounds in 

 winter. In fome of the dairies a very ufeful machine, called 

 a miU-churn, has lately been introduced, by which the 

 fati'''u!ng operation of churning is greatly facilitated, the 

 mill being worked by a horfe. In other dairies a barrel- 

 churn is ufed, v^itb two handles, turned by two men, who 

 make from fix to fix. foore pounds of butter at one chuni- 



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irg. The (I<im and butter milk are made ufe of to fatten 

 fwine. In the neiglibourhood of Medmenham, Great and 

 Little Hampton, &c. many calves are fuekled ; and at 

 Aylefhnry, and its vicinity, great attention is given to the 

 rearing of ducks, to fnpply the markets of the metropolis. 

 For ploughing, and other laborious operations of agricul- 

 ture, horfes aic preferred to oxen. The latter have fre- 

 quently been tried, but the flintincfs of fome parts of the 

 foil, and the very heavy quality of others, have caufcd the 

 farmer to decide in favour of the horfe. In the fouthern 

 parts, the fwing arid high wheel ploughs are chiefly ufed, 

 and are drawn by four horfes ranged two abread. In the 

 northern divilion the loofe handle fwing and low wheel 

 ploughs, worked by five or fix horfes in a line, are princi- 

 pally ufed. The progrcfs of ar;ricnltural improvement i« 

 confidcrably checked on many ellates, by the veilriclive con- 

 ditions on which they are leafed ; the tenants being confined 

 to two or three crops and a fallow, with a prohibition to the 

 growth of clover and green food. The manures are princi- 

 pally marl, peat-afli, yard ar.d rabbit dung. On fome of 

 the llrong and cold foils, hair and hoofs are (Irewn with 

 much advantage. Soot and afhes are equally beneficial to 

 the wheat and young clover. Farms are generally- 

 let from 60I. to 250I. a year; fome amount to 500!. ; and 

 two or three to loool. In the Agricultural View of the 

 County, the common fields were ellimated at 91,900 acres, 

 but a large proportion has fince been inclofed. The wade 

 lands are but i:iconfiderable, their extent not being more than 

 6000 acres, the grcated part contained in the heaths of 

 Iver, Fulmer, Stoke, and Wycombe. The fouthern divifion 

 of the county produces large quantities of fine beech : near 

 a fixth part of the land between the road to C>xford and the 

 Thames is fuppofed to be covered with that wood. On 

 Wavendon heath (now the property of the dake of Bedford) 

 feveral flourifhing plantations of Scotch firs have been made 

 iince its inclofure, about the year 1778. In the coppices 

 on Whaddon chace are numbers of fine oak and afh trees. 

 The chief mannfaClures are thufe of paper and lace. The 

 latter affords employment for nearly all the lower clafs of 

 females in the county. 



The principal rivers are the Oufe and the Thame. The 

 Oufe enters Biickinghamfhire on the wcftern fide, pafTcs 

 Water Stratford, and flows in a devious courfe to Bucking, 

 ham ! thence winding to the north through a rich tracl of 

 meadcnv land, purf -.ts its way to Stony Stratford, Newport- 

 Pagnell, and OIney ; fnon afterwards, turning fuddcnly to 

 the eatl, it leaves the county near Brayfield. The Thame 

 rifes near the borders of the county in Hertfordfhire, and 

 flowing through the vale of Aylefbury from cad to wed, 

 receives the waters of feveral fmaller dreams, and enters Ox- 

 fordihire near the town of Thame. The intsrchange of 

 traffic has been nuuh facilitated of late years by the Grand 

 Junction canal, which enters this county near Woolvcrton, 

 and running eaftward, goes within a mile of Newport- Pag- *~ 

 ncll ; thence, flowing to the fouth,. it paffes Fenny Stratford, 

 Stoke Hammond, Linflade, and Ivinghoe, into Hertford- 

 (liire, near Bulbourne. From a branch of the canal at Old 

 Stratford, a cut has been made to Buckingham, and another 

 from Bulbourne to Wendover. 



Buckinghamlhire is in the diocefe of Lincoln, with the 

 exception of fix paridies belonging to the fee of Canterbury, 

 and four to the diocefe of London. It fends fourteen mem- 

 bers to parliament ; viz. two for the connty, two for Buck- 

 ingham, two for Aylefbury, two for High Wycombe, two 

 for Amerlliam, two for Wendover, and two for Great Mar- 

 low. It pays twelve parts of the land tax, provides th« 

 3 N , militia 



