Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire-the largest of these are, Windermere, which is 12 miles long, Ulles Water, Conniston Water, Derwent Water, and Bassenthwaite.

RIVERS.

RIVERS THAT FALL INTO THE NORTH SEA.

The Tweed divides Northumberland from Scotland for a considerable space, and then falls into the sea at Berwick.

The Tyne is formed of a southern branch, which rises near Alston in Cumberland; and of a northern one, from the borders of Scotland. Those branches unite above Hexham, and become a large river, which, flowing on to Newcastle, and forming a fine harbour between North and South Shields, empties itself into the sea at Tynemouth.

The Wear rises on the edge of Cumberland, and running by Wolsingham, Bishop-Auckland, Durham, and Chester-le-Street, enters the sea at Sunderland.

The Tees rises very near the source of the Wear, and running by Barnardcastle, Yarm, and Stockton, forms the boundary between Durham and Yorkshire, from its source to the sea.

The Esk is a small river, which joins the sea at Whitby.

The Humber is a large estuary formed by the united streams of the Derwent, the Ouse, the Aire, the Don, and the Trent. All of these are Yorkshire rivers, except the Trent, which drains several of the midland counties.

The separate courses of these rivers are as follows:

The Swale, from Richmond, and the Ure, navigable from Ripon, unite near Boroughbridge, and form the Northern Ouse, which flows by York and Selby.

The Derwent rises near Scarborough, is navigable to Malton, and joins the Ouse below Selby.

The Wharfe runs by Otley, Harewood, Wetherby, and Tadcaster, whence it is navigable, and joins the Ouse at Cawood.

The Aire, from Leeds, and the Calder, from Wakefield, unite at Castleford, run by Ferrybridge, and join the Ouse at Howden.

The Don, from Sheffield and Rotherham, runs by Doncaster, and joins the Ouse in an artificial channel called the Dutch River.

The other branch of the Humber is the Trent. It rises near Newcastle in Staffordshire: and, receiving the Sow from Stafford, the Tame from Tamworth, the Dove from Ashbourn, the Derwent from Derby, and the Soar from Leicester, joins the Ouse at Adlingfleet, where both are lost in the Humber. The direct course of this river is 100 miles. It is navigable from Burton, and runs by Nottingham, Newark, and Gainsborough.

The Witham runs by Grantham and Lincoln, and falls into the Wash at Boston, the only seaport town in Lincolnshire.

The Welland forms the north-west boundary of Northamptonshire, and runs by Stamford, (whence it is navigable,) Market-Deeping, and Spalding. Barges can get up to Spalding only at spring tides.

The Nen is navigable from Northampton, whence it runs by Peterborough and Wisbeach into the Wash.

The Southern Ouse rises in Northamptonshire, runs by Towcester, Buckingham, Bedford, Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ely, and at Lynn-Regis falls into the Wash. The Cam from Cambridge, the Lark from Bury, and the Little Ouse from Thetford, fall into this river.

The Yare, in Norfolk, becomes navigable at Norwich, and being joined by the Waveney, falls into the sea at Yarmouth.

The Orwell and the Stour, uniting at their junction with the sea, form the harbour on which Harwich stands.

The Coln runs by Colchester; the Blackwater, in the north-western corner of Essex, near Maldon, is joined by the Chelmer, and then forms a large estuary called Blackwater Bay, famous for its oysters.

The Thames rises near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, and receiving the Cherwell at Oxford, the Tame at Dorchester, the Kennet at Reading, the Coln and the Brent in Middlesex, the Wey and the Mole in Surrey, and the Lea from Hertford and Ware, joins the sea near Gravesend. It passes by Oxford, Abingdon, Wallingford, Reading, Windsor, London, Woolwich, and Gravesend.

The course of the Thames is computed at 140 miles, and it is navigable to Cricklade. It serves as a boundary line during the greater part of its course, and separates the counties of Oxford, Buckingham, Middlesex, and Essex, on the north, from Berkshire, Surrey, and Kent, on the south. The breadth of this river at London is about 440 yards, crowded with ships, which convey into that capital the wealth of the globe. This city enjoys the advantages of a seaport, with the security of an inland town.

The Medway rises in Sussex, is navigable from Tunbridge, and

running by Maidstone, Rochester, and Chatham, falls into the mouth of the Thames at Sheerness.

The Stour runs by Canterbury and Sandwich, and falls into the sea at Ramsgate, remarkable as a bathing place.

RIVERS THAT FALL INTO THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

The Rother runs by Rye, the Ouse by Lewes, and the Arun by Arundel.

A bay, running up between the island of Portsea and the opposite peninsula, forms the capacious harbour of Portsmouth, the grand naval arsenal of England. The harbour is narrow at its entrance, but spreads out into an inland bay, five or six miles in length, and from two to four in breadth.

The Itchin runs by Winchester, and falls into the bay of Southampton.

The Avon is navigable from Salisbury, and, meeting the Stour from Stourminster, falls into the sea at Christchurch, an inconsiderable port.

The Exe runs by Exeter, and falls into the sea below Topsham.

The Tamar separates Cornwall from Devonshire, and runs into Plymouth Sound.

RIVERS THAT FALL INTO THE BRISTOL CHANNEL.

The Torridge by Bideford, and the Taw by Barnstaple, run into Barnstaple Bay.

The Avon, navigable from Bath, falls, below Bristol, into the Bristol Channel.

The Severn rises from the mountain Plinlimmon, pursues an easterly course to Shrewsbury, turns south to Gloucester, and, after a progress of 150 miles, forms that large arm of the sea called the Bristol Channel. It runs by Welch Pool, (whence it is navigable,) Shrewsbury, Bridgenorth, Bewdley, Worcester, Tewksbury, and Gloucester.

The Severn is remarkable for its high tide, which often rolls impetuously in with a height of three or four feet, accompanied by a great noise. This is occasioned by the contraction of the channel, which becomes too narrow for the flow of the waters from the Atlantic, which are opposed by the strong current of the river.

The Avon, from Warwick and Stratford, joins the Severn at Tewksbury.

C

The Wye has its source near that of the Severn, runs by Hereford, Ross, and Monmouth, and falls into the Bristol Channel at Chepstow.

RIVERS THAT FALL INTO THE IRISH SEA.

The Towey runs by Caermarthen, and the Tivy by Cardigan.
Milford Haven, in Pembrokeshire, is a remarkable inlet.

The Dee rises in Wales, and runs, by Chester, into the Irish Sea. The Mersey rises in Yorkshire, divides Lancashire from Cheshire, is navigable to Stockport, and runs, by Warrington and Liverpool, into the Irish Sea. It receives the Irwell, a navigable river, from

Manchester.

The Ribble runs through the middle of Lancashire, by Preston, into the Irish Sea.

The Lune or Lon, rises in Westmoreland, and falls, below Lancaster, into the Irish Sea.

The Eden rises also in Westmoreland, and runs, by Appleby and Carlisle, into the Solway Firth.

CANALS.

The earliest inland navigation that can be authenticated is the Sankey canal, leading from the coal-pits at St. Helen's, in Lancashire, to the river Mersey, in order to convey coals to Liverpool; the length of the canal is 12 miles.

The Duke of Bridgewater is regarded as the grand founder of inland navigation. His first canal extends from Worsley Mill to Manchester, by a course of nine miles. coal, in the mountains, of through the solid rock.

There are subterraneous passages to the nearly a mile in length, sometimes cut This beautiful canal is brought over the river Irwell, by an arch of 30 feet in height, under which barges pass without lowering their masts.

We shall review the other canals in geographical order, proceeding from north to south.

The Lancaster canal extends from Kendal in Westmoreland, by Lancaster, to West-Houghton in Lancashire, a space of 74 miles.

The canal from Leeds to Liverpool, by Skipton, winds through an extent of 117 miles; and from this canal a branch extends to Manchester.

From Halifax to Manchester is another canal, commonly called that of Rochdale; length 311⁄2 miles.

Another canal extends from Manchester towards Wakefield; and another, called the Peak Forest Canal, stretches from the former southeast, about 15 miles.

Another joins the river Don, several miles above Doncaster, to the river Calder, near Wakefield.

The Chesterfield canal extends from Chesterfield to the river Trent at Stockwith, a course of 55 miles.

In Lincolnshire, one canal extends from Lincoln to the Trent, and another from Horncastle to Sleaford.-Grantham canal reaches from that town to the Trent, a course of 30 miles.

Liverpool is connected with Hull by a canal from that long navigable river the Trent. This canal is styled the Grand Trunk: its length is 99 miles. It was attended with great difficulties, particularly in passing the river Dove in Derbyshire, where there is an aqueduct of 23 arches: the tunnel through the hill of Hare Castle in Staffordshire is in length 2880 yards, more than 70 yards below the surface of the ground, and was executed with great labour and expense.

Several branches extend in various directions from the Grand Trunk: one reaches to the river Severn, near Bewdley, and connects the port of Bristol with those of Liverpool and Hull; the length is 46 miles.

A canal proceeding by Shrewsbury, unites the Mersey and the Severn.

From Coventry, in the centre of the kingdom, canals extend to the Grand Trunk, to Ashby-de-la- Zouch, and to the Braunston, or Grand Junction, canal.

Several inland navigations pass by Birmingham. The Union canal completes a course of 44 miles from Leicester to Northampton, whence the Nen is navigable to the sea. Another canal extends from Glou

cester to Hereford.

The Severn is united with the Thames by a canal from Stroud to Lechlade, a course of 40 miles.

The Oxford canal extends to the Grand Trunk, or rather joins the Coventry Canal, after a course of 92 miles.

The Grand Junction canal reaches from Brentford on the Thames, and joins the Oxford canal at Braunston in Northamptonshire, after a course of 90 miles.

On the south of the Thames, a canal extends from Reading to Bath. Besides these, there are several smaller canals.

RAILWAYS.

Railways were first introduced in the north of England, where they are much used in the conveyance of coals from the collieries to the places of shipment. ginally the rails were of wood.

Ori

The Stockton and Darlington railway was the first that was used for the conveyance of passengers, though its