of a dark color, and remarkably fertile; but in general this sandy tract is barren and wet, a considerable part of it lying very flat, and on a substratum through which the water cannot drain off. About Shipton and Skelton, fine sandy loam prevails; but on each side of York (south of the sandy tract, and to the boundary of the Riding) is a good strong clay or loamy soil.

"The country between the above-described sandy soil and Hambleton, from Easingwood to Thirsk, is in general a strong retentive clay, in some places full of cobble-stones, with a little good loam upon limestone, some fine sandy soil, and wet springy sand occasionally intermixed. Near the rivulets the soil is in general strong, upon a strong bed of gravel.

"The country betwixt the tract of sandy soil above described and the Howardian hills, is in general iével, the soil varying in all degrees from a strong clay to a sand; the clay in some places good, in others poor, thin, and cold: near the Derwent is some fine loamy soil."

P. 16. The Western Morelands differ materially in their produce from the Eastern Morelands; instead of black ling, we find many of the mountains covered with a fine sweet grass: others with extensive tracts of bent; some produce ling, but it is mostly mixed with a large portion of grass, bent, or rushes. The soil in the lower parts of these moors is a fine loam, in many places rather stiff, upon a hard blue limestone. The bent generally covers a strong soil lying upon grit or freestone rock; the black ling a reddish peat upon a red subsoil, or in many places a loose grit rubble, beneath which is a grit rock.

"Many of the dales which intersect these moors are very fertile, of which Wensleydale may be ranked the foremost, both for extent and fertility; the bottom of it consists of rich grazing grounds, through which the river Ure takes a very serpentine course, forming in many places beautiful cascades. From the bottom

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of the valley the hills rise with a moderate slope, though with a very irregular surface, to an amazing height, and are inclosed for a mile or a mile and a half from the river. On the south side of the dale several small dales open into the larger.

"The soil of Wensleydale, on the banks of the river, is generally a rich loamy gravel; on the sides of the hills a good loam, in some places a little stiff, the latter of which upon a limestone is predominant; some clay and peat also occupy a part of them.

"Swaledale is next to Wensleydale in extent, but falls far short of it in beauty, the bottom of it being narrow, and the hills steeper than in Wensleydale, but the soil is in some parts not much inferior in fertility; in the lower parts a rich loam prevails, which is in some places gravelly; on the hill sides a thin loam upon grit, under some places upon limestone; some clay and peat moss are also met with.

"The other dales, though much smaller than those above described, are very similar to them in their soils, and several of those whose streams empty themselves into the river Tees, are very fertile."

FOSSILS. P. 20.-"A slate somewhat resembling that which is usually called Westmoreland slate, but of a coarser texture, thicker, and of a more purple. color, is found in Swaledale; but the use of it does not extend far beyond the place which produces it."

P. 20.-" Marble of various kinds, some much resembling, and others superior, in closeness of texture and distinctness of colours, to that which is worked in Derbyshire, is found in many parts of the calca-. reous hills of the Western Moreland, but hitherto turned to no other purposes than those of making lime, or repairing the roads; though it is said to have been heretofore raised for other purposes on the banks of the Tees above Romaldkirk *.

See Magua Britannia, vol. 6. p. 644."

P. 21.

P. 21. In the vicinity of the river Greta, and in other places in the north-western extremity of the Riding, large blocks of a light red granite, much resembling that worked up by the antients, is to be found scattered over the face of the country, and in some places also, those of a light grey, but no use is known to have been, or is at this time, made of either.

"Marl is met with in several parts of this Riding, but I do not find that it is at this time made use of, or ever has been, to any considerable extent.

P. 23.-"Gypsum is met with on each side of the river Swale, about Thornton-bridge, lying in veins of several feet in thickness, and in some parts, not more than four feet from the surface of the ground, and that through many hundred acres. It is at present only applied to the use of the plasterers of the neighbourhood, though, were there a demand for it, it lies extremely convenient for conveyance in several directions, and might be procured at a very moderate expense."

P. 18.-"Bilsdale, Brantsdale, and Rosedale," (Rossdale,)* "and probably some other of the dales, contain great quantities of iron-stone, though at present no use is made of it; but the vast heaps of iron-slag, and the remains of antient works, prove that much iron must have been made there in former times: nor are the appearances of the hearths where charcoal has been burnt every where scattered over these, wooded dales, as well as in some places in the neighbourhood of which wood no longer remains, a less convincing proof that great quantities of charcoal have formerly been demanded in this country, which could have been applied to no other purpose; but at what time. these

*Being well designated by an insulated hill that rises near its

center.

these works have been carried on, no record now remains to shew*."

MINERALS. P. 19.-" Veins of copper are supposed to be scattered about in several parts of the Western Morelands and their vicinity; and a search is now making for that metal near Richmond, but with what prospect of profit, is not yet ascertained; ore, however, has already been got there; and some lately (1798) found in a gentleman's garden, very near the bridge in the town, has by an assay, proved to produce about 30 per cent. of metal of a very fine quality.

"A vein of very rich copper ore was worked to great profit for some years at Middleton Tyas, but given up about forty years since, on some supposed disagreement among the proprietors. The clergyman of the parish is said to have received a considerable sum for copper found under the church-yard.

"Upon the Western Moorlands are many lead mines, some of which have been, and others still are, very valuable; coals are also got in various parts of them, but not of better quality than those found in other parts of the Riding.'

SUBJECT

"An inspeximus, dated at York, 26th February, 2d of EDWARD III. (anno 1328), recites the grant of a meadow in Rosedale, called Baggathwaite, to the nuns of Rosedale, by ROBERT de STUTEVILLE, which grant bears date at York 16th of August, 11th of JOHN (anno 1209); a confirmation of that grant by EUSTACHIUS de STUTEVILLE, excepta tantum modo forgeá suá, and also a remission and quit claim of the same EUSTACHIUS to the said forge, ita quod eadem forgea penitus amoveatur et nullo hominum unquam reædificetur ad ipsarum monilium danaum seu nocumentum;-Dug. Monast. tom. i. p. 507. Edit. 1655.

"Whence it is evident, that iron has been worked in Rosedale at a very early period; but whether it continued to be wrought in other parts of the dale, on the destruction of this forge, no where appears.-W, S"

SUBJECT THE SECOND.

POLITICAL ECONOMY.

STATE of APPROPRIATION. Lands unappropriated. P. 90. In the best parts of this Riding, few open or common-fields now remain, nearly the whole having long been inclosed; the moors and mountainous parts still remain in their original state; but such is the spirit for improvement, that were the many obstacles removed that oppose inclosures, no waste lands would long remain neglected, that were capable of cultivation: and even under all the present difficulties, several inclosures, under acts of parliament, have annually taken place. But since this Report was first drawn up, an almost total stop has been put to all improvements, and not more than one or two acts for. inclosure in this Riding have been passed in 1797, 1798, and 1799." For the estimated quantity of unappropriated lands, see p. 340, aforegoing.

Mode of Appropriation. P. 201. The principal obstacle to the improvement of the moors, is the great expense of obtaining acts of parliament for their inclosure, and the difficulty of settling with the titheowners and lords of the manors.

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"An instance occurs in a township on the verge of the Eastern Morelands, where two-thirds of the number of freeholders, and considerably more in value, desirous of an inclosure of their commons, amounting to about 800 acres of fine sward land, and about 12,000 acres of high moors, 4000 of which are capable of very great improvement, had agreed with the tithe-owners, and signed a petition to parliament; but the lord of the manor, who possessed very little other property there, being determined to oppose it,

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