WAR 



WAS 



ter and Birmingham, the Coventry, the Warwick and 

 Napton, the Stratford, and the Afliby-de-la-Zouch CanaL 

 (See their refjjeftive names under the article Canal.) 

 While fo much liberahty has been evinced in the extenfion 

 and improvement of water conveyance, the chief roads of 

 the county have been far from experiencing negleifl. The 

 materials principally ufed are lime-llone and gravel ; and 

 with thefe the high turnpike ways are kept in good repair. 

 This is a circum'ftance of public accommodation peremp- 

 torily required by the manufafturing intereft ; but where 

 the agriculturifts are left to their own exertions, we return 

 to fuch rough and homely channels as were tedioufly 

 trodden by the unambitious tenantry of paft centuries. 

 The crofs-country roads are treated with too little attention 

 in nearly every part of the county. 



The minerals and foffds of Warwickfhire are, coal, lime- 

 ftone, free-ftone, iron-flone, blue flag-ftone, marie and blue 

 clay. The befl coal in the county is that found at Bed- 

 worth. The feam at this place is from three to four feet in 

 thicknefs. It fells at the pit for 12s. per ton. Lime-ftone 

 abounds in many parts, and the lime fold at the kiln from 

 2s. 6d. to 3/. per quarter, or from 43^. to 45J. per waggon 

 load. Free-ftone rock is found in moft divifions where the 

 foil is a light fand ; and confidcrable quantities of blue flag- 

 ftone are wrought in the vicinity of Bidford and Wilnecote. 

 The weft part of the county is prolific of good marie ; and 

 blue clay abounds in the eaftern diftrifts. 



Manufaftures of various defcriptions are carried on to a 

 confiderable extent. The manufaftory of hardware goods 

 at Birmingham has obtained for that town the appellation of 

 ♦' the toyfhop of Europe," and is a juft fubjeft of national 

 pride. Not lefs than 1 6,000 people, in the city of Coventr)-, 

 and neighbouring towns and villages, are employed in the 

 manufafture of ribbons. Watch-making is likewife carried 

 on by numerous workmen in all its branches. Horn combs 

 of all defcriptions are made at Kenilworth. At Warwick 

 are manufadlories of worfted for hofiery ; of calicoes, and 

 other cotton goods, from yarn fpiin at Manchefter and its 

 vicinities ; and a mill for the fpinning of cotton yarn. At 

 Alcefter about fix hundred perfons are employed in the 

 making of needles ; and in other parts of the county are con- 

 fiderable flax manufaftories, and much linen yarn fpun. 



Antiquities. — The ftate of the county, while occupied by 

 the Britons, and during the invafion and fettlement of the 

 Romans, and their Saxon fucceflfors, we have already no- 

 ticed. It remains to mention the relics of thofe eras, the 

 tangible memorials of days long paft. Although Mr. Shaw, 

 in his hiftory of Staffbrdftiire, conjeftures that the chief feat 

 of the Arch-Druid of Britain was fituated in the vicinity of 

 Sutton-Colfield, yet we find few veftiges that can be fafely 

 afcribed to the Britons. The Romans, warlike, fuccefsful, 

 and vaft in undertaking, worked for pofterity ; and their 

 conneftion with Warvvickfliire would be obvious, if every 

 other record had funk amidll the wrecks of time. The 

 roae/s, which at once facilitated conqueft, and aided the 

 progrefs of civilization, form the moft interefting relics of 

 this great people. The WatUng-Jlreet, that moft ilupendous 

 of their works in Britain, divides this county from Lei- 

 cefterfliire on the north-eart. From Weedon to Lilburn it 

 is only a private road, though diftinftly marked, and well 

 known. It then forms the public way between Daventry 

 and Lutterworth, when it again becomes private, and fo 

 continues till it reaches High-Crofs. Here the turnpike- 

 road from Lutterworth to Atherftone paffes over it. Be- 

 yond Atherftoiie it is in good repair, and fhortly becomes 

 the bafis of the great Chefter road. The Fofs-iL<ay inter- 

 feds the Watling.ftreet at High-Crofs. Faffing near 



Monk's Kirby and Stretton, it goes through Brinklow, 

 Bretford on the river Avon, and Stretton-upon-Dunfmoor ; 

 then croffing the river Leam, near Stretton-on-Fofs, it 

 enters Gloucefterfhire. This road, which is fuppofed to 

 have been conftrufted in the third confulfhip of Hadrian, 

 nearly 1700 years back, is ftill firm through many parts of 

 its progrefs, and likely to mock the aflaults of time for 

 centuries. A third Roman way, conneftcd with Warvvick- 

 fliire, is the Ichmeld (or, as termed by fome modern writers, 

 Ryknild] Jlreet. It enters on the fouth, and is clearly dif- 

 tinguifliable in the neighbourhood of Bidford. Between 

 Wixford and Alcefter few traces remain ; but to the north 

 of the latter place, it again rifes to notice, and is known by 

 the name of the Haden-iuay. After paffing Studley, it 

 enters a rccefs of Worcefterfliire, and returns in the vicinity 

 of Birmingham. Touching the margin of StafFordftiire, it 

 proceeds to Sutton-Park, where it is to be diftindlly traced. 

 A minor road, termed the Ridgcu/ay, likewife borders 

 Warwickftiire on the eaft ; and feveral branches appear to 

 have diverged from each of the great trafts. The principal 

 ftations of the Romans in this county have been already 

 mentioned. The remains of various camps conftrufted by 

 that people are found in diff'erent ftates of prefervation. 

 The chief of thefe are feen on the Fofs-way, where places 

 of accommodation were formed for the troops on their 

 marches ; and on the banks of the Avon, where Oftorius 

 arranged a chain of minor fortifications to keep the natives 

 in awe. Many tumuli are found in the vicinity of the roads 

 and camps, and coins and other veftiges of the Romans 

 have been difcovered in almoft every diilrift. Here are few 

 military remains of the Saxons, or of the Danes ; and the relics 

 of Saxon architefture are far from numerous, and are by no 

 means confpicuous for the rude but commanding grandeur 

 of eff^eft fometimes produced by that people. This county 

 contains many inftances of fine caftellated and ancient do- 

 meftic architecture ; and manfions of more recent ereftion 

 are frequent, and in a highly creditable tafte. Few reli- 

 gious edifices will be found remarkably confpicuous either 

 for magnitude or beauty, with the exception of thofe of 

 Coventry, St. Mary's, Warwick, with its attached chapel, 

 and the church of Stratford. — Dngdale's Hiftory and An- 

 tiquities of Warwickftiire. Beauties of England and Wales, 

 vol. XV. Warwickftiire, by J. N. Brewer, 18 14. 



WARY. See Carlsbad. 



WASA, or Vasa, a fea-port of Sweden, and capital of 

 a government to which it gives name, built by Charles IX. 

 This government comprehends all the fouthern part of Eaft 

 Bothnia ; 50 miles N. of Abo. N. lat. 63° 5'. E. long. 

 21° 29'. 



WASANGO, a town of Africa, in Whidah ; 5 miles 

 E. of Sabi. 



WASASHE, or OsAGES (which fee), a people of 

 Louifiana, who are divided, according to Mr. Bracken- 

 ridge (Views of Louifiana, 8vo. 1814), into three bands : 

 the Great Ofage, the Little Ofage, and the band of Big 

 Track, from a chief who left tlie nation fome years ago, 

 and is now fettled on the Arkanfas. Their language may 

 be confidered as the primitive of feveral others, which are 

 fpoken by neighbouring nations, without any great dif- 

 ference ; as the Arkanfas, Kanfas, and Mahas. They 

 trade principally in deer-fliins, bear-flvins, beaver, otter, 

 muflv-rat, and the buff"alo. Thefe people are noted for 

 their uncommon ftature, which has fometimes been exag- 

 gerated. They are reputed warlike, though not poffening 

 any uncommon degree of bravery. When compared with 

 the Shawanofe, and the nations weft of the Miffiffippi, they 

 might with greater propriety be regarded as a treacherous 

 12 and 



