money. For as in all classes of coal, the seams gradually increase in thickness till they come to their full height and growth; so they gradually decrease till they dwindle out into small seams, and then the covers change, and the coal goes out." So in Cumberland he shews, how the vein of coal comes in at Sourby pasture about eight or nine inches thick, then advances to fourteen inches, then at Warnel Fell to half a yard, then in the manor of Westward to a yard, where also a small seam of canal coal comes in; then in the manor of Bolton it is increased to seven quarters or two yards, and the canel seams to a yard, and the craw coal to three quarters. And here it is come to its full growth and perfection, and spreads over a great part of the level country to the Scotch sea.

He then proceeds to the mountains which are the boundaries of Westmorland on the South and West and observes how the seam of coal diminishing from Stanemore (where the seam is about a yard and a quarter thick), comes in at Hartley Fell; so also we may add, at Nateby, Mallerstang, Ravenstondale, and other places. The western fells, he observes, are of a quite different nature from the others above-mentioned, consisting of a blue crag and continued rock, without any horizontal flat beds. And the mineral productions of all of them are lead, copper, and iron; there is no prospect of coal in any of them, for where there are no flat and pinguid strata, there can be expected no

coal. From these mountains fine blue slate is got, which supplies several parts of the kingdom.

The same author further observes: "Though we cannot hope to make any discovery of veins either of gold or silver in these two counties, yet we have rich veins of silvery lead, in which we frequently meet with stones richly imbossed with clusters of diamonds, as bright and sparkling as any we have from Bristol. We have also in our rich lead veins great variety of spar; some white, and as transparent as fine crystal. We have others green, blue, red, and of a violet colour; which if they could be so softened as to be cut into figures, might be of use and value*."

Dr. Woodward, in his Natural History, says, "That near Ambleside, and in the ridge of mountains leading from thence to Penrith, there is marble of a dusky green colour, veined with white; and in Knipe Scar, are several talky fibrous bodies, which might be employed for the making wicks for lamps, as they will burn very long without any sensible diminution; they are opake, and of an ash colour. Fossils of various kinds are found in different parts of this country; as at Threapland

* There are also Copper mines at Asby belonging to John Hill Esq., of Bankfoot, the Lord of the Manor. There are also valuable marble quarries there worked by our kind friend. If the diggings in California should oblige us to resort to a Copper Standard of Currency (as some prophesy), may not these mines become some day worth their weight in gold?

the entrochi and trochite of various kinds, some of which are compressed and flatted, others raised and truncated, some hollow in the middle, and filled with grey stony matter. Of the same are those found near Strickland-head on the banks of the rivulet which runs down from Shap, and by the inhabitants called Fairy-stones. Here also are found the mycetites. Coralloid bodies are found in great quantities, and differently variegated, near the river Lowther: they will bear a polish, and are about the hardness of Genoese marble. Some of the same kind are found at Helsfell nigh Kendal, and appear beautifully variegated, of a brown sandy colour, but so interspersed with different colours, that they are little inferior to Syena marble."Specimens of all these are to be found in the collection left by Dr. Woodward to the University of Cambridge.

The RIVERS in this county are but small; for as the mountain tops are for the most part the boundary, the rivers all spring within the county; and only three, that can properly be called rivers, carry their name to the sea; to wit, Eden, which springs in Mallerstang, and having received in its course (besides many lesser streams) the conjoined rivers of Lowther and Eamont, enters Cumberland, and running the whole length of that county, empties itself into the sea at Rowcliff. The second river is Lune or Lon, which hath its source in Ravenstondale, and runs down the vale which from the name

of the river is called Lonsdale, where it enters the county of Loncaster (as it was anciently called), and a little below the town of Lancaster falls into the sea. The third is Kent, which rises in Kentmere, and washes the vale which from thence receiveth the name of Kendale, and empties itself into the sea below Levens.

In the hollows amongst the mountains are formed divers large LAKES, having small rivulets running through them, which preserve the water clear, the lakes having commonly a pebbly or rocky bottom; as Windermere, Ulleswater, Haws-water, Ridal-water, Elter-water, Gresmere-water, and other lesser lakes which go by the name of Tarns, as Sunbiggin Tarn, Ravenstondale Tarn, Whinfell Tarn, and others. Which lakes and tarns abound with divers species of fish, as trout, eels, bass, perch, tench, roach, pike, char, and divers others.

The southern part of this county is also pretty well furnished with SEA FISH, caught near the Kent and Levens sands, and other places upon the sea coast. Which heretofore were brought weekly to Kendal market, insomuch that upon a market-day there have been sometimes five and thirty different sorts of fish. But since the great improvement of the town and port of Lancaster, the market for fish is considerably drawn that way.

There is no very great plenty of WOOD in this county; it seems to have been industriously destroyed, to prevent its affording shelter to the

Scotch invaders. It is very certain, that long after the conquest, this county was over-run with wood; we read of nothing but forests, and chases, and parks, and mastage, and pannage, and vert, and venison, and greenhue, and regarders, and foresters, and verderers, and an hundred other names and titles respecting the keeping or preservation of the woods and game therein. In almost all the mosses, there are large trees of oak, fir, birch, and other wood, covered now four, five, or six feet in depth, with that kind of earth that the people dig up for fuel, many of which have the marks of the stroke of the ax upon them, and are lying near to their root, which is at the bottom of the moss; and the tops and leaves, by the stoppage of the water draining into the vacuities, seem to have contributed towards increasing the growth of the peatmoss, which in some places, it is very observable, acquires a new covering every year. The water, weeds, moss, straws, grass, ling, and other matter, which collect in the winter and stagnate, are dried up in summer, and effect a new crust upon the former mass.

Upon many of the commons are ridges and furrows, which evidently bear the signature of the plough. The tradition amongst the country people is, that this was done in the reign of king John, when the kingdom was under an interdict from the Pope, and the inhabitants thereby prohibited from tilling their improved ground. But besides that an interdict doth not imply any such prohibition,