1804.] 
ufed to make the greateft ravages, has been 
of Jate years much alleviated by inocula- 
tion, and will, it it hoped and expected, 
be entirely eradicated by the vaccine ino- 
culation, which has been pratctifed by the 
furgeons here with great fuccefs. Indeed, 
fuch have been the invariable and. benefi- 
cial confequences, which have attended the 
inoculation of the cow-pox, in every part, 
that it may feem fcarcely to want the re- 
commendation of any indvidual, though 
many were extremely prejudiced againit 
it when it was firft made public. 
In the moft fouthern part of the parifh 
and at a place called the hill of Hugh 
Morvill, who was one of the lords of 
Weftmoreland, rifes the river Eden*, the 
Jtuna of Ptolemy, which, unlike the God 
of Labours. does not at its outlet give evi- 
dence of its future ftrength. This river, 
flowing through the vale of Mallerftang, 
meanders along the fide of Wharton- Park 
and Wharton-Hall, with many beautiful 
windings, and pafles clofe by the town of 
Kirkbyftephen, After receiving in its 
courfe, the united ftreams of the Emont 
and the Lowther, and of many tributary 
rivulets, it enters Cumberland, and, run- 
ning majettically along the whole length of 
that county, empties its waters into the 
Solway Frith, below Carlifle. The river 
Belay, which has been rendered famous 
‘ in fong by the verfes of the late Dr. John 
Langhorne, bounds this parifh on the 
north tora confiderable diftance till it dif 
charges its waters into the Eden, in which 
the name is loft. Both rivers abound with 
trout of an excellent quality, though in 
point of quantity the Eden is, perhaps, 
more diftincuifhed. On the other fide of 
the fmall hill, where fprings the Eden, 
which, as has been intimated, takes a 
northern direction, two other rivers, the 
Swale and the Ure, have their rife; and af- 
ter purfuing a fouth-eaft courfe, in which 
they pals through a great extent of coun. 
try, empty themfe!ves into the Humber, 
- Some years ago, attempts were made by 
a Mr. Mitford to find coal in this parith ; 
but, after expending a large fum of money, 
the enterprife proved Unficectefuls and the 
project was abandoned. Indeed fuch was 
the thoughtleffnefs of the projector, that he 
caufed a good road to be made to the place 
where he expected to find coal, before he 
was certain that any quantity could be 
procured. The people too, whom he 
* Camden, in his Britannia (Vol. ill. 
p- 147, edit. 189) fays that the Eden rifes in 
the county of York, which feems to be a 
Miftake. 
Account of Kirkbyftephen, in Wefimoreland, 
105 
employed, abufed his kindnefs and good- 
nature, and cared not whether the work 
was forwarded or not, provided they re- 
ceived their weekly pay. In the vale of 
Mallerfiang, the inhabitants get a kind 
of {mall coal, which they burn with Ime. 
ftone, but which, if mixed with clay and 
made into balls, as is commonly done at 
Alftcn, in Cumberland, wou!d be excel- 
Jent fuel.* In this parifh, as in every 
other part of Weftmoreland, lime-ftone 
abounds in great plenty. On Hartley-tell 
is faid to be a good mine of lead cre, 
from which great quantities of meial are 
procured, In Mielierftang, alfo, a few 
years ago, they got a pretty large quantiry 
of lead ; but the mines in that part have 
been lately given up. Some gentlemen 
attempted to procure copper; but alter 
being at the expence of {melting the ore, 
and after making many unfucce's{ul trials, 
the project at length was finally aban- 
doned. 
~ This parifh abounds with great plenty 
of game, among which may be particu- 
larly reckoned the beautiful black-cock 
and groufe; infomuch that, during the 
fhooting-feafon, many gentlemen repair 
hither, for the purpote of taking that di- 
verfion. The wood-cock and feld-fare 
appear in the beginning cf October, and 
remain during wiuter. The curiew, the 
green and the grey plover, comein March, 
breed in the moors, and retire in the end 
of harvelt. The cuckoo and {wallow ap- 
pear in May, hatch their young, and then 
depart. 
The church is a vicarage, valued in the 
king’s books at 481]. 19s. 2d. the clear 
yearly value of which 1s probably at this 
time between two and three hundred 
pounds fterling. In the time of William 
the Conqueror, it was in the parronage 
of Ivo de Talebois, Baron of Kendal, 
who granted the advowfon to che abbot 
and convent of St. Mary's, at York. 
After the diffolution of the monatieries, 
the patronage came into the pofiethon of 
the Whartons, of Wharton, ia whofe 
family it continued tll the late Duke of 
Wharton bettowed it on his fteward Mat- 
thew Smales, Efq. of Gilling, in Yorkihire. 
From him it defcended to Henry Chaytor, 
Efq. of Croft, who granted the fame to his 
fecond fon, Henry Chaytor, LL.D. who 
enjoyed the living many years, and in 
whole family the advowfon {till remains. 
* See, alfo, an article on the fubject, ex- 
tracted aan the Journal ce Phyfique, and 
inferted, I think, in Vol. 1X. of the Month- 
ly Magazine, 
The 
