sida alu uiiaiaiaia 
march courts, and affifted i in framing border laws and fettling 
treaties with Scotland. Their common bufinefs was to regu- 
late the watches, difcipline the militia, and take meafures for 
seer are : arms at the firft alarm of an enemy in the 
time uring peace they were chiefly employed 
in Gpariiee ae infolence and rapine of the borderers. 
Befides the mere border contetts, feveral important battles 
oundaries o 
ward IV., 
forces of the depofed king, Henry VI., 
account, raifed to the dignity of duke of N 
a) 
who foon after befieged and 
k the town cee Newel, though be defended by 
fir John pecs? Ub the mayor. 
In er times the lands of Northumberland were held 
of the le by knights’ fervice. The barons and people of 
higher condition eat in caftellated manfions, or moated 
towers. The middling claffes of the people held their lands 
of the barons chiefly in focage tenure, and refided in build- 
ings called peels or ie confifting of a ground floor, in 
which their cattle were kept during ice night, with a floor 
eel occupied by the family. e lower orders, in com- 
mon with the middle clafs, were fabjee to the grievous fer- 
ie of keeping night-watches at all the fords, paffes, an 
inlets of the vallies, to guard againft the = of the 
borderers, or of the Scots, pe hoftiliti When either 
a troop of banditti, or an enemy, mad ie appearance, 
every man within hearing of t orn was bound, under 
pain of death, t rife a y affift in the proteétion of t 
i 
f the 
) n things, as may be fuppofed, the 
occupations of cea ell life were little attended to. Agri 
culture was fuffered to languifh, and every art, but the art 
of war, was efteemed mean and difhonourable. Fortu- 
nately the events of the two laft centuries have materially 
altered this dreadful afpect of human life. Si ince e the union 
of Scotland and England thofe f and bar- 
pole which rendered exiftence and property eae pre- 
carious, have been gradually difappearing. The country 
has cee inclofed far up the vallies of Tindale and Reed{dale, 
General Afpel, Soil, 
Gini dead ces as m 
mountainous country, where the hand of cultivation an 
ed be difcovered, Of thefe diftriéts, that towards the 
- XXV. 
moft o 
iepeeaale diftriéts biack peat earth is more abundan 
n any other kind of foil. The climate is as eiaeatie 
as Ge nature of the country is various. Upon the moun- 
tains fuow fometimes lies for feveral months in confiderable 
depth, t ough there is none in the vallies, or lower diftriGs. 
The weather is extremely inconftant, but moftly runs in ex- 
tremes. In the {pring dry eafterly winds are very prevalent; 
and continue late; fo that fummer feldom commences till 
near the clofe of Jun when milder breezes from the fouth 
pour in their kfesnfpring oo ot ae icken the drooping 
plants i Into vigorous vegetation. ethe autumn Fe 
year is properly the fummer of Narciniake rland. 
months of September and O@ober are lua fine fettled 
weather, but no fooner has November begun, than winter 
fets in nde the utmoft keennefs and one 
Agriculture.—In a couatry exhibiting fuch diverfity of 
furface ‘and. ciate. as has been mention ve, a cor, 
ent may be 
Drilling has been introduced, and is 
radiifed to a confiderable extent. 
mainsof the true pte genuine breed a 
Brita tain. Thei ir 
of the fame colour as th 
fuckle them two or three times a day. any perfon ap- 
» proachesa calf fo fituated, it claps down its head clofe to the 
ound, and lies, like a hare, in a form to conceal itfelf, and 
a uld he be feen ta touch it, by the mother, he may rely 
’ R upon 
