S14 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
anciently found in both, and thefe mull: have yaffed 
from the continent into Britain, and hence into Ireland, 
as their importation could never Itave happened. The 
convulfion that feparated Britain from Germany feems, 
according to this writer, to have been diredled from 
north to foutlt, but gradually weakened in its progrefs. 
Hence that ifland is fharpened to tlie northward ; but 
the impredion muft liave been confiderably enfeebled 
by the oppofition of the granitic mountains that form 
the Shetland and Orkney ifles. I'he broken fragments 
ot the calcareous or argillaceous materials of the more 
louthern parts, prefented lefs refiltance, were more eafily 
preyed upon, and gave way to what is now called the 
German Ocean; while thefe materials themfelves were 
Ipread over Weftphalia, or formed the lubfoil of Flan¬ 
ders, Holland, and the fand-banks on its cottft. The 
rupture of ihe ifthmus that joined Calais and.Dover was 
probtfbly effedted by an earthquake at a later period, 
and -became gradually widened by tides and Currents. 
Ireland was Ihielded by Scotland from the violence of 
the northern fhock ; and hence its feparation from Scot¬ 
land appears to have been late and gradual. Tliat from 
England was probably diluvial, and effected by a fouth- 
ern fhock. Thefe changes, fays Mr, Kirvvan, happened 
at lead 3600 years ago. 
The divilion of this ifland into North Britain and 
South Britain, is evidently of the moft remote antiquity; 
and the jealoufy and perpetual warfare which continu¬ 
ally diftnrbed and difgraced the lifter kingdoms, were, 
for the fake of peace and harmony, above all other con- 
fiderations, the principal, if not the moft: defirable, mo. 
tives for an union. But the amelioration of mankind 
feems to have taken place only in proportion to the 
progrefs of civilization; whilll the happinefs of indivi¬ 
duals has depended on the fecurity given to their civil 
and religious liberties. Happily for the people of Great 
Britain, thefe feeds were early fown in a congenial foil, 
and guarded with the jealous eye and follering care of 
our anceftors. Yet though tlie people were jealous of 
their liberties, they were no lefs fedulous to maintain 
tiie rights of their kings, even in the earlieft date of 
the monarchy. All the prerogatives and rights of the 
Anglo-Sa.xon kings were definite and afeertained. They 
were fuch as had become eftabliflied by law or cuftom, 
and could be as little exceeded by the fovereign as 
vvithlield by his people. They were not arbitrary pri¬ 
vileges of an unknown extent. EvenWilliam the Con¬ 
queror found it neccifary to have an official furvey of 
the royal rights taken in every part of South Britain; 
and vve find the hundred, or fimilar bodies in every 
county, making tlie inquilition to the king’s commif. 
doners, who returned to the fovereign that minute re¬ 
cord of his claims upon his fubjects, which conflitutes 
the Doomfday-book. The royal claims in Doomfday- 
book were, therefore, not the arbitrary impolitions of 
the throne, but were thofe whicli the people theinfclves 
tedified to their king to have been his legal rights. 
Perhaps no country in Europe can exhibit Inch an an¬ 
cient record of the freedom of its people, and the limited 
prerogativ'es ot its ruler. 
It is curious to remark, that the local denominations 
by which the various places in England are dill known, 
v.^ere fixed and afeertained by the fame record: ter 
whoever will take the trouble to compare the names in 
Doomlday-book, which prevailed in the ifland during 
the time of the Confellbr, with the prefent appellations 
of the fame places, will find that the greated number of 
them correfpond. The hundreds in the county of bulfex 
were fixty-thrce, and dill remain fb : of thefe thirty- 
eight bore the fame names as now; and of the vilite or 
maneria, which are about three hundred and forty-five, 
there are two hundred and thirty with appellations like 
their prelent. The following lift will fhew the corre- 
fpondencies between tiie ancient and modern names of 
the countie3‘’whLch occur in Doomfday-book ; 
Herefordfeire. 
Grentebrigefcire, 
Huntedunfeire. 
Bedefordfeire. 
Northantonefeire. 
Ledefceftrefcire. 
Roteland. 
Eurviefeire. 
Chenth. Warwiefeire, 
Sudfexe. Staftbrdfeire. 
Sudrie. Sciropfcire. 
Hantefcire. Ceftrefeire. 
Berrochefeire, Derbyfcire. 
or Snotinghamfeire. 
Berchefeire. Midelfexe. 
Wiltefcire. Hertfordfeire. 
Dorlete, Bockinghamfeire. Lincolefclre. 
Sumerfete. Oxenfordfeire. Exfelfa, 
Devenefeire. Glowecefterfcire. Nordfolc. 
Cornvalgie. Wirecefterfeire. Sudfolc. 
London is mentioned in Bede as the metropolis of 
the Eaft Saxons in the year 604, lying on the banks of 
the Thames, “ the emporium of many people coming 
by fea and land.” 
All the probable fa6ls and conjeiSlures relative to the 
firft fettlernent and population of this ifland, have been 
already dated under the article England, With re- 
fpect to the prefent population of Great Britain, it has 
been varioufly eftimated; fome reckoning it at 7,000,000, 
and others at more than 12,000,000. But in the year 
1800 an afl was paffed, for taking an account of the po¬ 
pulation of Great Britain, and of the increafe or dimi-. 
nution thereof. From an abftradl of the returns made 
to parliament in confequence of this a6l, the following 
refult was deduced : 
Inhabited 
Houjes. 
1,467,870 
Families. 
1,778,420 
Unin¬ 
habited 
Houfes. 
S 3 , 9^5 
Males. 
3,987,935 
Females. 
4,343,409 
Total of 
Perfons. 
8,331,434 
108,053 
118,503 
WALES. 
3,5ii| 257,178 
284,368 
541,546 
Army 
Navy- 
Seamen in regiftere 
Convidls 
d veffels 
198,331 
126,27-9 
144,558 
1,410 
GRAND TOTAL. 
HS 75 , 923 | 1,896, 7 - 23 | 57 . 476 | 4 , 7 i 5 f 7 11!+> 627,867 
9,343,578 
It is afeertained, that Scotland contains nearly 
1,700,000 inhabitants, and it is known, with fufficient 
accuracy, that the population of Ireland rather exceeds 
4,000,000. We may therefore fafely affirm, that the 
population of the United Kingdom exceeds fifteen mil¬ 
lions ; and it appears from the colledlion of all the parifh 
regifters of England and Wales, throughout the lad 
century (under the population adt), that our population 
has increafed with very accelerated rapidity the nearer 
we approach the prelent time. It to the population of 
the metropolis (864,000) the regirhents of guards, and 
militia in London, and the feamen on-board the regif- 
tered veffels in the river Thames, were added, it would 
undoubtedly exceed 900,000 fouls; almoft a tenth part 
of the population of England and Wales. 
CITIES AND TOWNS. 
Males. 
Females. 
Total. 
London . - . . 
393,369 
471,476 
864,845 
Iv^anchefter - . . 
39 ,'JO 
44,91c 
84,020 
Liverpool . - . . 
34,367 
43,286 
n ,(‘ S 3 
Birmingham . . - 
34 , 7^6 
38,954 
. 13 ,^ 1 ° 
Bnltol ----- 
26,943 
36,702 
63,645 
Leeds - . . - 
25,50-, 
27,658 
53,162 
Plymouth - . . . 
18,016 
25,178 
43,194 
Newcaltle on Tyne, with T 
Gatefhead, in the County ^ 
j 6,343 
20,620 
36,963 
of Durham J 
Norwich . . - . 
15,81c 
21,044 
36,854 
Bath - . - . 
11,441 
19,759 
32,200 
Portfmouth . - . - 
14,309 
IT ,^51 
32,166 
Sheffield - - - - 
15,483 
15,831 
31,314 
Hull. 
13,05' 
16,465 
29,516 
Exeter _ . - - 
7 , 3'4 
10,08.+ 
17,3178 
York - - , 
7,018 
9,127 
16,145 
AREA 
