Mr. Houfman’ s Tour continued. 
Nor ould I conjecture what it really was, 
till I had nearly reached the place. Chalk 
Is here burned for lime, in the calcination 
of which, the people ufe furze inftead of 
coals. Folding fheep on fallows, is much 
praftifed here; they are of a fmall white 
taced breed, and have horns. After pafl- 
ing an extenfive and very tine common, 
upon which all tht cows m the neigh- 
bouring village are depaftured in fum- 
mer, the road leads me to a high ground, 
from which I have a diftant protpeét on 
every fide. Few hedges ob{truct the view : 
almoft the whole country, for miles 
round me, are open fields, and immente 
quantities of grain appear, fome cut 
down, fome ftanding, but the greatett 
part the farmers are buly carting home. 
The foil here is rather light, and gene- 
rally pretty good corn land, but leatt 
productive where the chalk abounds moft, 
which, in fome places, even forms a great 
part of the upper ftratmn. One mile 
from Dunftable, I paffed a piece of an- 
tiquity, on the brink of a hill; itisa 
farge circular mound of earth, inclofing 
about ten acres of ground, and has for- 
merly, I fuppofe, been an encampment. 
T afked fome labourers, who were mowing 
eats near the place, what they had heard 
about it; who faid the country people 
called it the Cajfle, and that. they had 
fingular traditions about the caufe of its 
formation; particularly the vague {tory 
that a queen, in confequence of a wager 
with the king, that fhe could encamp an 
army, of a certain number of men, with- 
in a bull’s hide, ordered a buil’s hide to 
be cut into ftrings, and the greateft pof- 
fible circle to be circumfcribed therewith, 
which was done at this place, and the 
encampment made accordingly. un- 
table is a fmall town, containing near 
1000 inhabitants: itis a great thorough- 
tare to the north, and carries on a ftraw 
manufacture of hats, bafkets, &c. toa 
confiderable extent, of late, which is 
chiefly done by women, who can often 
earn more than the men by common la- 
bour. ‘The farmers bring a great deal of 
manure from London, which is 31 miles 
diftant. ‘This is quite an open country, 
over which the neighbouring hills 
command a fine view. 
September 15. Went from Dunftable 
to Market-ttreet, four miles. The country 
moitly inclofed; fields, fmall and preity. 
A large quantity of the fineit common in 
this diftriét. “Market-ftreet ftands on the 
north road, is a pretty large village, con- 
fitting of one long narrow ftreet ; and is 
remarkable for being iitumted in two 
tounties, and three parifhes, “The people 
, 
houfes are moderately built. 
429 
and the 
Bedford- 
fhire, or, at leaft, fo much as I faw of it, 
is. an ,open country, the air feemingly 
pure, the foil tolerably dry, and vaixed 
with chalk and dint, which are génerally, 
if not always, companions. On account 
of the great quantity of common field, 
this country furnifhes uncommon fupplies 
of all forts: the fheep are more fuited ‘to 
the folding fyftem of hufbandry, than 
yielding mutton and wool. Farms are 
middle-fized in general; a few are large, 
manufacture ftraw-hats, &c. 
_ but far more fmall ones of from 301. to 
sol. a year. Rent of land, in farming 
parifhes, from ros. to 30s. per acre. The 
principal manufacture is ftraw-work, but 
which is confined to about fix or eight 
miles round Dunftable. 
September14. Market-ftreet to Red- 
bourn in Hertfordthire, four miles—T he 
roads excellent; fields fmall; foil loamy; 
produces wheat, barley, oats, turnips and 
clover; furface level; fine hedges, great 
numbers of trees thereon. ‘The hazel 
buth fupplies the place of thorn in gene- 
ral, and nuts are growing thereon in the 
eae abundance, particularly about 
edbourn. This feems to be a fertile 
and fine country, and the farmers good 
agriculturifts. Farms are. worth front 
151, to about zool, a year; rent of 
ploughed land 15s. and of meadow 3]. 
per acre. . Redbourn:is a very pleafanty 
clean, well-built, but fmall market 
town, on the nerth road. 
September 15. Went from Redbourn 
to St. Albans, in Herttordfhire, four 
miles. This diftri&t much like the laft 
defcribed; the road extremely fine; the 
inelufures feem old; elm trees abound 5 
a few of cak and ath appear at intervals ; 
and here I was pleafed with a view of 
fome pretty ftreams of clear water. Fields 
and farms are {mall, in general, and rents 
not high. St. Albans alio ftands on the 
fame great read, is a pleafant town, and 
contains three parifh churches. 
September 16. St. Albans to Barnet, 
in Herttordfhire, ten miles. The furface 
pretty level, and woody, but the foil lefs 
fertile, in general, than in thofe diftri&ts 
I have lately pafled.- Furze, which ge- 
nerally indicates a poor foil; while it 
points to fome agricultural negleét, fre- 
quently prefents itfelf to the eye of the 
traveller, in this diftri€ét. The roads con- 
tinue excellent, being made of fine flinty 
gravel. An obelifk, purporting that one 
of the Earls of Warwick was {iain there 
in battle, ttands near Barnet, at the fepa= 
ration of the two great north roads. 
; Barnet 
