ELEVATION OF SURFACE. 3 



to north-west, their general direction being nearly parallel 

 to the coasts of the German Sea and channels connecting 

 it with the Atlantic ; but the courses of the particular 

 groups or chains vary considerably, some being almost at 

 right angles to a general line connecting the highest sum- 

 mits of each. The counties of England, from the south- 

 eastern angle northward to the Trent and Humber, 

 westward to Dorset and Warwick, present only moderate 

 undulations, seldom exceeding 300 yds, and never attain- 

 ing 350 yds. In the north-east of Yorkshire, Egton Moors 

 rise to 468 yds ; Dartmoor in Devon attains to nearly 600 

 yds ; and Exmoor exceeds 550 yds. Betwixt these are 

 some other hills or groups between 300 and 400 yds of 

 elevation, as the Cotteswold hills in Gloucestershire. But 

 it is to the north-westward of the Severn and Trent 

 that we find undulations of the surface rising to the rank 

 of mountains. In the English counties bordering on 

 Wales, as Salop, Worcester, Hereford, and Monmouth, the 

 higher hills attain from 450 to 600 yds. In S. Wales we 

 see them (Beacons of Brecon) exceed 950 yds ; and in 

 N. W T ales several summits of the Snowdon chain surpass 

 1000 yds, the peak of Snowdon itself rising to nearly 

 1200 yds. The Penine chain of the North of England 

 attains 600 yds in Derbyshire, nearly 800 yds in York- 

 shire, and on the borders of Cumberland is little short of 

 1000 yds. The Cheviot hills near the northern extremity 

 of this chain, but more properly connected with the Scot- 

 tish mountains, are rather below 900 yds. The central 

 mountains of the Lake district in England exceed 1050 

 yds. The range or series of mountains crossing the 

 south of Scotland, exhibits summits about equal to those 

 of the Penine chain ; and in the Highlands we have 

 many exceeding 1000 yds, several above 1200 yds, and 

 a very few passing 1400 yds. The highest points of 

 England, Wales, and Scotland are near the western 

 coasts, in the counties of Cumberland (Scawfell Pikes, 

 b 2 



