" Mr. Houfeman’s Tour through Northamptonfhire. 
tifes here and there in gentle fwells. A 
great deal of common fields in this dif- 
trigt; the produce, and rotation of crops, 
as. mentioned in the accountof Rode. In 
thofe parts where the land is inclofed, the 
fields and hedges are beautitul, and feve- 
ral trees rift on the latter. The fheep, in 
this part of the county, are fomething like. 
thofe of Berkthire; they are very fmall,with 
white or yellow faces, but fome have black 
facts and horns. Thefe animals the 
farmers find very ufeful in improving their 
land ; they are penned or hurdled on fal- 
lows every night, from the middle of 
March to the middle of O&tober, to which 
they become fo accuftumed, that they go 
to their nightly confinement with the ut- 
moft compofure, and feeming content. 
The hurdles are fhifted every day, and as 
foon as a courfe is gone through, the land is 
ploughed over, that the nutrition may not 
evaporate, or wafte, with the action of the 
fun and air. Yardly-goben is a fmall 
village, inhabited by farmers and lace- 
_ makers. The buildings are low, generally 
made with ftone, and thatched. Farms 
are from 4ol. to 200]. ayear; rent, 18s. 
or 20s, per acre. The fields were inclofed 
fome years ago, andthe number of fmall 
farms decreafed. Moft of the land in 
thefe diftrits belongs to great proprictors, 
which circumftance renders the number of 
open fields a matter of {till greater wonder. 
Northamptonfhire is a confiderable corn 
county; but towards Leicefterfhire the 
farmers graze moft part of their grounds; 
the ground feems generally deep and ftrong. 
In this county I did not obferve a hill of 
any magnitude: the open fields give it, 
- in fome places, arather naked appearance ; 
there are, however, feveral very woody 
diftriéts. Agricultural improvements are 
making fome advances, but much remains 
to be done. The inanufaéture of lace is 
carried on to a great extent in this county, 
and affords a much more lucrative employ 
to the women than any fort of {pinning 
with which their time is occupied in moft 
of thenerthern counties: lace-makers will 
earn 1s. or 1s. 2d.a day; while {pinners 
can {carcely, with much greater exertion, 
make 3d. or ad. a day. 
September 4.—I went from Yardly- 
Goben to Buckingham, 10 miles. The 
foil, a {trong clay ; the produce is wheat, 
beans, barley, andoats. Large traéts of 
common or open fields often prefent them- 
felves in this journey: the roads pretty 
good, partly made with flinty gravel, and 
partly with whitith freeftone. The furface is 
wneven in fome parts, byt inothers quite 
7? 
level: it is rather a woody country than 
otherwife, and very beautiful towards 
Stony Stratford.” 1 crofftd the “bridgé, 
and dined at Stony Stratford, on my way 
to Buckingham. The town’ confifts of 
one long ftreet, and is not rernarkable for 
any thing, except its being a great tho- 
roughfare from London to Chefter, Iré- 
land, &c. -and the manufactory of lace in 
common with the neighbouring couiitry. 
Here the fheep and horfes again entertain 
me with fuch mufic as their numerous 
bells afford. ,Buckingham being the 
county town, I expefted to have found it 
a place of fome confequence, but was 
much deceived: it is a very fmall meanly 
built place, and ftands in a hole; feveral 
of the houfes are thatched, and fome of . 
the ftreets unpaved: the number of in- 
habitants about 2000. Juft before I en- 
tered the town, fuppofing I was going into 
fome large village, I afked a labourer the 
road to Buckingham; he only anfwered 
with a imile. I repeated the interroga- 
tion, and the man leeing me in earneft, 
poimted to the town, and faid, “it is 
there.” The appearance of a fine large 
church partly confirmed his aflertion, 
otherwife I fhould have fufpected the fel- 
low had impofed on me. Buckingham 
is furrounded with high grounds, and 
different open fields come up almoft clofe 
to the town: a {mall river winds about - 
fome parts of it, and forms a fine termine 
ation to fome beautiful and pleafant gar- 
dens. I have lately noticéd, that vines 
planted againtt the walls of houfes an{wer 
well in thefe parts; but upon the walls of 
cottages, about the fkirts of this town, it 
is furprifing to fee fuch anumber of large 
bunches of grapes difplayed there by na- 
ture, with very little affiftance from art. 
Hop plants are alfo growing on feveral 
hedges in this neighbourhood, without the 
aflifttance of the planter. Beans are much 
cultivated inthis part of the ‘country, par- 
ticularly in common fields, and the crops 
this year are uncommonly great. ‘The 
incloied land 1s moftly in ‘paiturage, and 
cattle and fheep fattened thereon. An 
elegant church has lately been erected: on 
a rifing. ground in the fouth fide of this. 
town, ata little diftance from the fite of 
the old church; but. the. people bury at 
the old burial ground. Buckingham is 
not a placsof much trade or manufacture, 
nor does any great road lead through it. 
Farms in this neighbourhood let . for 
about ze. peracre, and are of almoft ail 
fizes. 
(Te be continued.) : 
WAL. 
