: Deans and prebendaries of cathedrals have already been mentioned but besides these, England contains about sixty archdeacons, whose office is to visit the churches twice or thrice every year, but their offices are less lucrative than honourable. Subordinate to them are the rural deans, formerly styled archpresbyters, who signify the bishop's pleasure to his clergy, the lower class of which consists of priests and deacons. The clergy, in general, enjoy many peculiar privileges. Their goods are free from tolls and fairs in markets: they cannot be compelled to serve any office, civil or military; they are only amerced according to their temporal estate; nor are they assessed for a robbery committed in the hundred; nor for watching, warding, highways, &c. Moderation is the characteristic of the church of England. No religious sect is prevented from worshipping God in that manner which their consciences approve. There are various sects professing Christianity in England, whose peculiar tenets (as they are divided into Calvinists, Armenians, Baptists, &c. &c.) will be found in a subsequent part of this volume. ENGLISH ISLANDS. The islands belonging to England, are: 1. The ISLE OF WIGHT, which is reckoned as part of Hampshire; it is one of the most fertile and beautiful spots in the kingdom: its capital is Newport; and Cowes is a place of great trade. This island contained in 1811, 24,120 inhabit ants. 2. The ISLE OF ANGLESEA, (which makes one of the counties of Wales) its chief towns are, Beumaris and Holyhead. 3. The ISLE OF MAN, in the Irish Sea, is generally considered as part of Lancashire; its chief towns are, Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey, and Peele. 4. The SCILLY ISLES, near the Land's End, in Cornwall, are a cluster of dangerous rocks, famous for their tin mines: the chief of them is St. Germain's. 5. COCQUET, FAIBNE, and HOLY ISLAND, in Northumberland. 6. The ISLES of THANET and SHEPPEY, in Kent. 7. The ISLES of GUERNSEY, JERSEY, ALDERNEY, and SARK, lying near the coast of France, are also subject to England; and are all that remain to England of the duchy of Normandy: they are frequently called the Norman Isles. Guernsey is seven miles and a half in length, and its greatest breadth scarcely exceeds four. Jersey is considerably larger than Guernsey and is about ten miles long, and five of average breadth. DESCRIPTION OF THE DIFFERENT COUNTIES. Bedfordshire is an inland county, bounded on the north and north-west, by Northamptonshire; on the south, by Hertfordshire; and by Buckinghamshire on the west, and contains 9 hundreds, 10 market-towns, and 116 parishes. The form of it is oval, 36 miles long, 18 broad, and about 100 in circumference. The air is serene and healthy. Its rivers are, the Ouse, Ivel, and Ouzel. Its chief products are corn, butter, and fuller's earth, its manufactures, bone-lace, straw-ware, and hats. The market towns are, Bedford, Potton, Biggleswade, Shefford, Ampthill, Harold, Woburn, Tuddington, Dunstable, LeightonBuzzard, and Luton. It sends four members to parliament. Berkshire is an inland county, bounded on the east by Middlesex and Surry; on the west, by Wiltshire and Gloucestershire; on the north, by the river Thames, which separates it from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire; on the south, by Hampshire, In form it has been, aptly enough, compared to a slipper; the length from east to west is about 42 miles, the breadth from north to south 28 miles; and in circumference it is 120. It is divided into 22 hundreds; the market-towns, 12 in number, are Maidenhead, Reading, Farringdon, Abingdon, Wantage, East Hsley, Wallingford, Hungerford, Newbury, Lambourne, Windsor, and Oakingham: and it contains 140 parishes, lies in the diocese of Salisbury and province of Canterbury, and sends 9 members to parliament. The air, in general, is very wholesome, The principal rivers are, the Thames, Kennet, Lamborn, and Loddon. The east part has much uncultivated land, as Windsor Forest and its appendages; the west and middle parts produce grain in abundance. Reading is the county-town. Buckinghamshire is an inland county, separated on the soutli from Berkshire by the river Thames; on the west it borders on Oxfordshire, on the north, on Northamptonshire; and Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and part of Middlesex, lie on the east. It is in length about 45 miles, in breadth about 18, and in circumference 138 miles. It is in the diocese of Lincoln, and contains 8 hundreds, 185 parishes, and 15 market-towns. Its principal rivers are, the Thames, Coln, Ouze, and Tame. The air is healthy, and the soil rich, being chiefly chalk or marle. The most general manufacture is bone-lace and paper; and the woods of the hills chiefly beach, form a considerable article of profit, both as fuel and timber. The market-towns are, Buckingham, Chipping Wycomb, Ailsbury, Agmondesham, Wendover, Great Marlow, Colnbrook, Eaton, Beaconsfield, &c. It sends 14 members to parliament. Cambridgeshire is an inland county, bounded on the west by Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire, on the north by Lincolnshire, on the east by Norfolk and Suffolk, and by Essex and Hertfordshire on the south. It is about 47 miles in length from north to south, 18 in breadth from east to west, and 130 in circumference. It lies in the province of Canterbury, and diocese of Ely; and is divided into 17 hundreds, in which are contained one city, one borough, with a celebrated university, seven other market-towns, and 163 parishes. The principal rivers are, the Grant, Ouse, Nen, and Cam. The air and soil vary extreniely; some parts, especially the southern and eastern, are pleasant and healthy; but the northern part, called the Isle of Ely, is low and fenny from the confluence of many rivers. . All the waters of the middle part of England, which do not run into the Thames or the Trent, fall into these fens ; and in the latter part of the year, when they are overflowed by water, they appear covered with fogs; so that while the higher grounds of the adjacent country glitter with the beams of the sun, the Isle of Ely appears wrapt in a mist. Cambridge is the county-town, and seat of a celebrated university, situate on the river Cam. It consists of 14 parishes, and is governed by a mayor, who, on entering upon his office, takes an oath to maintain the privileges of the university. The town-hall and shire-house are the only buildings of note that do not belong to the university; the county-gaol is the gatehouse of an ancient castle, built by William the Conqueror. In the market-place, which consists of two spacious oblong squares united together, is a conduit that is constantly running. The university is supposed to have been founded during the heptarchy. It contains 12 colleges and 4 halls, which have equal privileges with the colleges. The colleges are, Peter House, Corpus Christi or Bennet, Gonville and Gaius, King's, Queen's, Jesus', Christ's, St. John's, Magdalen, Trinity, Emmanuel, and Sidney Sussex. The halls are, Clare, Pembroke, Trinity, and Cathe rine. Of the colleges, Peter House is the most ancient, being founded in 1257; and the King's and Trinity colleges the most considerable. King's college is the noblest foundation in Europe, and the chapel one of the finest pieces of Gothic architecture in the world. The library, chapel, &c. of Trinity college, justly rank in the first place. The other structures belonging to the university are, the senate-house, a fine edifice, which, with St. Mary's church, the schools, the university library, and other buildings, form a noble square. Here also is a botanical garden, and a general hospital, called Addenbroke's, from the name of the founder. The market-towns of the county are, Royston, Newmarket, (part of which is in Suffolk,) Linton, Caxton, Mersh or Marsh, Wisbeach, and Thorney. It send 6 members. to parliament. Cheshire is a maritime county, bounded on the east by Staf fordshire and Derbyshire: on the west by the Irish sea, with Flintshire and Denbighshire; on the north by Lancashire; and on the south by Shropshire. It is about 50 miles in length, 33 in breadth, and 112 in circumference. The north-west corner shoots out into the Irish Sea, forming a peninsula, called Wirral, about 16 miles long, and 7 broad. This county is in the province of York, and diocese of Chester, contains 7 hundreds, 26 parishes, a city, and 12 market towns. The air of this county is generally esteemed healthy, it being more serene than that of Lancashire; and the soil is for the most part good. That part which is low and level was named by Edward I. the Vale Royal of England, on account of its great fruitfulness in corn, and the extraordinary richness of its pastures. This county has quarries in which mill-stones are dug, nearly equal to those brought from France. Very large quantities of fine cheese are made here, which is esteemed the best in England, insomuch that it is computed the inhabitants export to London, yearly, 14,000 tons; to Bristol and York down the Severn and Trent, 8000 tons more; besides great quantities shipped at Chester and Liverpool, for Ireland and Scotland. The commodities, besides the cheese already mentioned, are salt, corn, cattle, sheep, fish, particularly salmon, (which is very fine,) fowls, and other articles of provision. The market-towns, are Nantwich, Middlewich, Northwich, Macclesfield, Congleton, Malpas, Frodsham, Knotsford, Altringham, Halton, Sandbach, and Stockport. It sends 4 members to parliament, 2 for the county, and 2 for the city of Chester. The principal rivers are, the Mersey, Weaver, Dee, and Dane; and it has several lakes. Cornwall is a maritime county, situated at the western extremity of the island, and bounded on the south, the west, and the north by the sea, and on the east by the river Tamar, which divides it from Devonshire. Its length from east to west is about 80 miles; its greatest breadth from south south-east to north north-east is near 45, though in many places it is not above 20 miles wide, the peninsula of which the county consists, growing narrower by degrees from Devonshire to the Land's End, However, it is 150 miles in circumference. It is in the diocese of Exeter, and province of Canterbury, and is divided into 9 hundreds; in which are contained, according to Cambden and Speed, 161 parishes; according to others, 180; and in Martin's index Villaris they are said to amount to 198. There are here 20 market-towns, of which Bodymn, Camelford, Fowey, St. Germain's, Grampound, Helston, St. Ives, Kellington, Launceston, Liskard, East Looe, Pewyn, Saltash, Tregony, and Truro, are boroughs, and send two members each to parliament; be 14. 8 S sides St. Austle, Boscastle, St. Columb, Falmouth, Market Jew, Padstow, Penzance, and Stratton, which send no members.There are also six other boroughs, which send each two members to parliament, but are not market-towns, namely, Bossiney, West Looe, Lest Withiel, St. Maws, St. Michael, and Newport. This county is mountainous in the middle, and these mountains form a kind of broken chain throughout the whole length of the county. On each side this high ridge, the land has a plainer surface, but is rather more hilly on the north than on the south. This ridge intercepts the rain, and fogs and dews fall down from it in plentiful streams towards the sea coast; so that upon the whole, the earth is no where better watered than in this county. Cornwall being a peninsula, almost surrounded by the sea, we cannot expect the air to be free from exhalations; therefore it is no wonder they seldom have a dry summer. The rains, however, are rather frequent than heavy; nor is it everso cloudy, but the sun will break out one part or other of the day; which may be owing to the hilly, narrow, ridge-like form of the county, over which the winds have a quick and short passage, and do not suf fer the clouds to hang long in one place. The sea air is pernicious to plants, in proportion to their tenderness or strength, and the force with which it is driven upon them. The winters here are much more mild than in any other part of England, insomuch that myrtles will always grow without being put into green-houses. They never have any very great hail-storms, nor will the snow lie upon the ground above three or four days. The spring is always very early, as appears from the buds and blossoms. However, the summers, though Cornwall lies so far to the south, are never very hot, on account of the sea-breezes, blowing towards the land. It has plenty of sea-herbs and some other plants, peculiar to its insular situation. The mines of tin are numerous, and are, in general very rich in ore: these have rendered this county famous in all ages. There has been sometimes found a small quantity of gold and silver, but not worthy of notice. The copper-mines are also numerous and rich in ore. In many cavernous parts of the rocks are found transparent crystals, called Cornish diamonds, they being very brilliant when polished. The principal rivers are, the Tamar, Seaton, Loo, or East Loo, Fawey or Fowey, Fal, Hel, Lo or Low, Hey, Alan, Laine, and the Lewyrn. It sends 44 members to parliament. Cumberland is a maritime county, bounded on the north, by Scotland, and part of Northumberland'; on the west, by the Irish Sea; on the south by Lancashire, and on the east by Westmoreland, Durhanr, and Northumberland. It is 75 miles in length, near 50 in breadth, where broadest, though in some places it is very narrow, and 168 miles in circumference. It |