DERBY 
had been blafted for the purpofe of extending the level 
beyond this fituation. Near this place the level is eroded 
by a ftrong current of water, which, excepting where the 
defeent is confiderable, is two feet deep, and three feet 
wide. It runs from weft to eaft, and nearly in a ftraight 
line from Elden Hole to the Peak cavern at Caftleton. 
"The courfe of the ftream has been followed about a 
quarter of a mile in each direction. The perfons, who 
undertook to explore it, were ftopt in their progrefs to¬ 
ward Caftleton by the great depth of the water. The 
obftacle, which they met in proceeding the contrary way, 
was a natural flood-gate in the rock. Could they have 
gone farther, it is highly probable that they would foon 
have reached Elden Hole. Thofe who are well acquainted 
with the relative fituation of both places, have com¬ 
puted the diftance to be only about four hundred or five 
hundred yards. It has been fuppofed, with great ap¬ 
pearance of reafon, that the current of water which crof- 
fes the level, is the fame with that which difappears at 
Perry-foot, and rifes again at a fmall diftance below the 
mouth of the cavern at Caftleton. If it runs in a diredt 
line between thefe two places, it mu ft, in its courfe, pafs 
very near to, or immediately under, Elden Hole. From 
this circumftance, in conjunction with fome others which 
have been noticed, it feems reafonable to conclude, that 
by the removal of a few obftacles, a general communi¬ 
cation might be opened between Elden Hole, the cavern 
at Caftleton, the level at Winiards, and the long feries 
of caverns which have been deferibed. Hence we may 
reafonably hope, that future exertions will corredtly as¬ 
certain the fubterraneous geography of the alpine part 
of this county, and make obfolete the fuperftitious phrafe 
of the wonders of the Peak. 
There are, however, other curiofities in the Peak 
which merit notice ; fuch as the rocking ftones at Byrch 
Over, (landing upon a hard rock, one of them four yards 
Tiigh, twelve round, and yet refts upon a point fo equally 
poifed, that it may be moved with a finger; the Roman 
caufeway, called Bath-gate ; the feveral mineral fprings, 
&c. in one of which the water is both hot and cold 
united in the fame ftream ; fo that the finger and thumb 
of the fame hand may be put one in the hot, and the 
other in the cold, parts of it. 
The extended angle of this county, which runs north- 
weft by Chapel-in-Frith, in the High Peak, is, perhaps, 
the moft wild and defolate country in Great Britain. 
The mountains of the Peak run on in a continued ridge 
- from one to another, quite to the highlands in Scotland; 
fo that they may be faid to divide Britain, as the Appe- 
nine mountains divide Italy. Thus, joining to Black- 
ftone-edge, they divide Yorkfliire from Lancaftiire : and, 
going on north, divide the bifhopric of Durham from 
Weftmoreland, and fo on. All the rivers in the north 
of England take their rife from them ; thofe on the eaft 
fide run into the German ocean, thofe on Hie weft into 
the Irifti fea : for inftance, the Dove and the Derwent 
rife both at the fouth end of them, and come away fouth 
to the Trent; but all the rivers afterwards run, as above, 
eaft or weft; and firft, the Merfey rifes on the weft fide, 
and the Don on the eaft; the firft runs to Warrington, 
and into the fea at Liverpool; the other to Doncafter, 
and into the fea at the Humber. It is the fituation, mere¬ 
ly, of the duke of Devonfhire’s noble manfion at Chatf- 
worth, at the termination of this dreary alpine ranges, 
that acquired it the name of one of the wonders of the Peak. 
Upon the top of this high range of hills, juft above 
Chatfworth houfe, begins a vaft extended moor, which, 
for fifteen or fixteen miles together due north, has nei¬ 
ther hedge, houfe, nor tree, but a wafte and howling 
wildernefs, over which, when ftrangers travel, it is im- 
poflible to find their way without a guide. Nothing can 
be more ftriking of its kind to a traveller, who comes 
from the north, when, after a tedious progrefs through 
fuch a difmal defert, on a fudden the guide brings him 
to the top of this precipice, where he looks down from a 
Vol, V. No. 311, 
SHIRE. 745 
comfortlefs, barren, and dreary, moor, into th' moft de¬ 
lightful vale, enriched with fo magnificent a palace, and 
fuch beautiful gardens. If contraries can illuftrate each 
other, here they are feen in the ftrongeft oppofition. On 
the plain, which extends from the top of this mountain, 
is a large body of water, which takes up near thirty acres, 
and, from the afeent round it, receives, as into'a ciftern,. 
all the water that falls; which, through pipes, fupplies 
the cafcades, water-works, ponds, and canals, in the 
grounds below. 
The quantity of lead-ore in Derbyftiire, is very large : 
it has been difeovered, in different quantities, in all that 
extenfive tract of country, where lime-ftone is fituated. 
It is, however, found in the greateft abundance, about 
ten miles to the north and fouth of the river Wye_ 
From a pig of lead in the poffeftion of Peter Nightingale, 
of Lea, elq. which bears the name of Adrian,on it, Mr. 
Pilkington fuppofes that thefe mines were worked by 
the Romans, in the time of that emperor ; and that they 
have been worked ever fince, may, he thinks, be proved 
with nearly the fame clearnefs and fatisfadfion. Iron ore 
is found in Hill greater abundance than the ore of lead. 
The annual quantity of iron produced in the county, at 
prefent amounts to about 5600 tons. The ore of copper 
is found but in very fmall quantity. Coal exifts in 
great abundance. One almoft uninterrupted bed extends 
through the large trad! of clay-ftone land on the eaftern 
borders of the county. Plafter-ftone is abundantly col- 
ledled at Chellafton, and chiefly ufed at the Staffordfhire 
potteries, for moulds, &c. It is likewife ufed for floors 
in buildings. The quantity annually railed at Chellafton 
is about 800 tons, of which 500 are fent into Staffordfhire. 
It may be deferving of notice, that the mineral waters 
of Derbyftiire, of a chalybeate and fulphureous nature, 
arife in beds of (hale; and from this circumftance it feems 
probable, that they derive their impregnation from this 
iubftance. The warm fprings likewife appear at the fur- 
face, near the beds of (hale. Dr. Darwin, of Derby, has 
recently inveftigated the caufes of the heat in thefe wa¬ 
ters. The refult of his reafoning, which certainly is in¬ 
genious, though it may not be convincing, is, that thefe 
warm fprings do not acquire their heat, as has been af- 
ferted, from the chemical decompofition of pyrites: but 
that this water is raifed in vapour by fubterraneous fires 
deep in the earth ; and that this vapour is condenfed un¬ 
der the furface of the mountains, in the vicinity of the 
fprings. 
The moft common foil in Derbyfhire, according to 
Mr. Pilkington, is a reddifh clay or marl. A different 
foil prevails throughput that part of the country where 
coal is found : it is a clay of various colours, black, grey, 
brown, and yellow, but principally the laft. Refpedling 
the cultivation of the county, it appears that a larger 
proportion of land is applied to the purpofes of the dairy 
and to grazing, than to the growth of corn. The pro¬ 
duce of barley, however, is large : about 5000 quarters 
are annually carried into and confumed in the counties of 
Stafford, Chefter, and Lancafter. Refpedting the date 
of population, Mr. Pilkington afferts, that the prefent 
number of houfes in Derbyftiire is 25,206 ; and of inha¬ 
bitants 124,465. This account was taken at different 
places at different times ; but in none at a greater diftance 
than feven years from each other, ending in 1788. It may 
be expedted, that population is not in the fame flourifli- 
ing ftate throughout the whole county. In that part of 
it where the bufinefs of the lead-mines is carried on, it is 
fuppofed that the number of inhabitants is fmaller than 
it was fifty years ago. But even in thefe fituations po¬ 
pulation is now much revived ; and in other places it 
is confiderably greater than it ever was at any former 
period. 
DERBYSHIRE SPAR,/. A combination of calca¬ 
reous earth with the fluor acid. This fpar is ufed as a 
flux at the mines, whence it has its name. Very elegant 
ornaments are made of it, which become the more beau- 
9 D tiful 
