179%) . ' « 
watered, rather an open country that 
otherwife, and fomewhat hilly: farms 
are generally worth 100l. to 300l. a year. 
Oxrorp ftands on a plain, ina fine fer- 
tile country; its numerous churches, 
colleges, and other fine buildings, which 
overtop the city, give it a magnificent ap- 
pearance, at a little diftance. It contains 
thirteen parifh churches ; and, if I miftake 
not, eighteen colleges, is built with polifh- 
ed ftone, of a whitifh colour; the houfes 
and other buildings are tall and elegant, 
and the ftrects wide, and neatly paved. 
In fhort, OxFORD is, in my opinion, the 
mo pleafant and ‘handfome town I have 
feen : it is the firft town generally built 
with ftone, which’ have obferved fince I 
left Yorkfhire. This city is almoft fur- 
rounded with little ftreams’of pure water, 
which contain a great deal of fith. ‘ Thefe 
ftreams unite, and farm a pretty large 
river. which, after watering a range cf 
delightful meadows, falls into the Thames. 
Oxrorpb is chiefly fupported by the col- 
leges: the great number of ftudents, moft 
of whom are the fons of noblemen and 
gentlemen of fortune who rcfide here, 
occafions a great demand, not only for the 
neceflaries but Iuxtries of life : its popu- 
lation does not appear to increafe. 
July 30, OxFoRD. to DODDINGTON, 
in Oxfordfhire,°15 miles. An open, and 
not very fertile, country: the foil rather 
heavy, and has generally an under ftratum 
ef wiitifh freettone rock, which, in fome 
places, rifes very near the furface. In 
this diftriét I obferyed fome common, and 
a great deal of commoh-fields : the furface, 
in general, is pretty level, but fome littie 
prominencies are to’be feens Roads, in 
this country, are neither good nor eafy, 
being made with the foft white ftone, 
which is eafily procured: thefe {tones are 
broke upon the roads as in many of 
the northern counties. : DoppINGTON 
ftands on a rifing ground, and is a pretty 
farming village. : 
July 31, DopDINGTON to BANBuRy, 
in Oxfordfhire, 6 miles. Road made with 
frecftone, broken into fmall bits: that 
ftone is very remarkable, from the great 
number and variety of petrified fhells in 
its compofition. I picked up fevetal, 
which were quite entire, and had been 
completely incorporated with the ftones 
which furrounded them; their fubftance 
alfo partook ‘of that of the ftone, but the 
fhape and colour of the fhells continue as 
‘before their petrifaétion. The caufes of 
thefe furprifing effects I leave to the“in- 
*yeftication of naturalifts. The foil rather 
baavy 5 and roads, putticularly towards 
Mr Honfiman’s Tour pontinleds 37 
© 
BaNBURY, ate bad’ Wheat, barlevy 
and heans, aré much cultivated heres 
Cattle are heavier than in fome diftrias I 
have lately paffed, and the cow§ are're- 
markable for the thickne({s of “their necks, 
a quality which is no indication of milk ; 
but the farmers feém to pay little regard 
to that very wholefome and nutritive arti- 
cle of human food, which they give to the 
pigs rather than fell to the poor and 
labouring claffes of people. Sheep are 
white-faced and legged, and want horns. 
Baneury isa {mall and ancient market 
town: many of its buildings are poor, 
and the ftreets the worft I ever faw, being 
moftly unpaved and dirty in the extreme. 
A very fine new church is now building 
in BANBURY ; but is not likely to be 
fhortiy finithed, as the cxpence is found 
to exceed the firft eftimation fo confidera- 
bly, that money cannot yet be raifed fuffi- 
cient to complete the fabric. BaNBURY 
manufactures worfted and hair fhagg, but 
not In great quantities. Oxfordfhire pro- 
duces much corn, contains a great deal 
of open field, and fome commons: foil 
generally ftrong, furface rather irregular § 
a confiderable number of trees are feen, 
but the country not very woody. Two, 
three, or four horfes draw one cart, and 
tinkle along the road with their bells in a 
whimfical manner: three or four of thefe 
animals are alfo yoked to a ploughs they 
are generally heavy and ftrong. This 
county is pretty well watered, and enjoys 
a pleafant air, but is not remarkable for 
the goodnefs of its roads. Moft wf the 
buildings are of ftone. Farms are’ of va- 
Tious fizes, but there are a gréat number 
of fmall ones. , 
Augut 2, BANBURY to SOUTHAM, 
in Warwickfhire, 13 miles. Road very 
bad, it is made with broken ftones. in 
this diftriét, there is much land in pafture, 
fome of which feems to have been wfed for 
that purpofe at leaft 100 years,iand is 
now almoft covered over with hillocks, 
like ant hills, for want of cultivation. This 
manner of difpofing of lands is equally 
pernicious and unprofitable with common- 
fields, but frerfi contrary caufés. The old 
paftures are employed in fattening bul- 
locks, and it is faid the land-owners are 
injudicioys enough not allow their far- 
mers the ufe of the plough thereon. 
Farms and fields feem large: the foil of 
this diftriét is generally heavy, and fur- 
face pretty level: from the great number 
of trees on hedges, the country has a 
woody appearance. I have noticed here, 
as well as in moft of thofe fouthern coun- 
ties, that very few potatoes are “grown, 
and 
