4 
att 
ticularly in the botanical department, 
there are faid to be fome able members. 
~The ridiculous ceremonies per-ormed 
on Croft Bridge, in celebration of the 
exploit .of Sir John Conyers, in killing 
the ‘<< dragon, worm and flying fer- 
pent,’ are defcribed, at fufficient length, 
by Pennant. May it not, however, be 
a proper objeét of the attention of the 
natural hiftorians, in the Darlington So- 
ciety, to make them the ground-work of 
an enquiry into the probable exiftence of 
ferpents, of an enormous fize, in Eng- 
land, atfome remote period? Such tra- 
ditions as: this, the dragon of Wantley, 
and others, however mixed with abfurd 
fables, appear to go far towards efta- 
blifhing this probability ;, juft as the 
fables of the Python, Cadmus, and Laa- 
coon render it provable that fuch ani- 
mals once infeed Greece and Afia Mi- 
nor, though. no fuch things have been 
feen in thofe countries for many ages. 
As the {cenery of thefe fabulous tales is 
either aftagnant pond and a wood, or a 
low. fwampy, ifland, fo I think we are 
told that the largeft American {nakes 
ufually frequent {wamps in the midft of 
forefis.. Now, as the manor of Sock- 
bura ies aimoft peninfulated by a very 
yemarkable bend of the Tees, it is not 
improbable, but that this might once have 
Been. its-aétual ftate, and of courfe pecu- 
liarly fitted for being the haunt of thete 
enormous reptiles. 
Nor tHALLERTON hasa fine feffions- 
houfe and prifon, on the How ardian plan. 
Ripon, has.a handfome marke! -place, and 
a not, inelegant minfier; in its neigh- 
bourhcod is the celebrated park of Stud- 
ley,-and the venerable. ruins of Foun- 
tain’s' Abbey; the injudicious finicalnets 
of the grounds round which have pro- 
voked the fevere, but, on the whole, 
jut ftrigtures of Mr. Gilpin. 
fulphur-waters of Low Harrowgate, a 
firanger cannot eafily find much to add to 
the. ingenious eflay of the Buifhop - of 
Llandaff. 
Inthe bufy town of Legps, the firft cb7 
ject which ‘attraéts the attention is th 
mixed-cloth hall, ere€ed for the accom- 
modation of the clothiers and merchants, 
during the public markets of this Staple 
erticle of the Yorkfhire trade. It is 
opened only twice a week, and then but 
for an hour each time; during which 
fhort period an inconceivable quantity of 
bufinefs is done, with the utmoft regula- 
rity and filence. It is built rowund a 
fauare of a hundred yards (upon a plan 
Tour through the North of England. — 
On the: 
nearly fimilar to the following figure ; 
‘ %." i. i 

fo that) it contains feven diviiions, calied 
fireets, in each of which are placed four 
rows of benches. for holding cloth; each 
bench marked with its owner’s name, 
2 
and the number of its place in the hall; 
by which means every manufacturer, and 
the article which he makes, may 1mme- 
diately.and certainly be found. There 
is a fimiiar hall for white cloths, and 
another fer blanke:s; in the conftiuc- 
tion of which, elegance, as well as utility 
appears to have been attended to, not 
only in_ the fcerm, but the application, 
Over the former there is an elegant af- 
fembly-room ; over the latter a ipacieus 
and well-conftruéted mufie-hall. 
‘Tt is natural to follow the cloth from the 
hall through the feveral ope:ations which 
it undersees before it is confidered as 
finithed. Firft itis brought to the peeré, or 
perch, which is a long beam, before a win- 
dow, over which the cloth is drawn, the 
merchant fianding behind it, to examine 
whether the piece is come from the hall 
perfeét, and free from material rents and 
blemifhes; if not, the bargain is under- 
ftood to be void, and the goods return- 
able. It is then delivered to the rovers, 
who, having thoroughly wetted: it, rub 
it over a confiderable time with a fort of 
ivegetable brufh, compofed of the heads 
of a {pecies of thiftle, called the teazle 
(dipfacus, or cardyuus fullonum) and thus 
raite the fuperfluous nap to be fhorn off 
by the crospcrs.. But it muft firft be 
firetched and dried upon the ‘enters, 
which are ftrong frames-of timber, ap- 
earing at a diftance like double rails, 
the lower ones moveable in grooves, cut in 
the upright pofts, and capable of being 
fixed higher or lower by pins-~ put 
through holes bored acrofs the grooves. 
Both the upper and lower rails are fur- 
nifhed with a row of fharp-pointed 
nails, driven in obliquely, which they 
call senter-books, 
ay 
of which the two “fs _ 
* 

