14 
WATER. 
sources in the whole world, of this domestic article, is at 
Droitwich,in this county.—See Chap. XV. Political 
Economy. 
Limestone is found in plenty in various parts of the 
county ; it forms the under-stratum of a considerable 
part of the Vale of Evesham ; at South Littleton I ob¬ 
served a lime-kiln where lime is burnt for manure. 
In the Vale of Evesham, in the parishes of Badsey, and 
of North, Middle, and South Littleton, are quarries of 
calcareous flagstone, which are regularly worked, and 
where considerable quantities are raised for grave¬ 
stones, barn floors, and floors for halls or kitchens; the 
thickness is about three inches, and they are extremely 
hard and durable, and can be got of any reasonable 
length or breadth, I saw some of four or five yards in 
length ; the price at the quarries is five pence per foot 
superficial; the refuse, or broken stone, is used for 
mending roads, or will burn into good lime. 
SECT. VI. —YVATElt, 
The rivers and rivulets have been mentioned before, 
under the article Soil and Surface; the principal rivers 
arise in other counties, but have tended greatly to the 
improvement of this, both by the commercial advan¬ 
tages they afford from their navigation, and by the fer¬ 
tility of soil on their banks, from the sediment brought 
down by their floods during a course of countless ages. 
There is no lake in this county, nor any pool or 
pond of very remarkable size, a few of moderate di¬ 
mensions are attached to gentlemens’ seats and mills. 
1 he largest artificial piece of water I saw in the coun¬ 
ty, 
