principal object is to carry the coals of the South Durham coal-field to the port of Stockton. The Act for its construction was obtained in 1821.

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened in 1830. The experiments tried upon it first developed the extraordinary powers of the locomotive engine.

The London and Birmingham railway is 112 miles long: it was opened in 1838. It has a branch to Aylesbury, another to Northampton and Peterborough, and a third to Warwick and Leamington.

The Grand Junction Railway continues the line northwards from Birmingham to a point in the Liverpool and Manchester Railway midway between these two towns. It has a branch from Crew direct to Manchester, and another from the same point to Chester, which will shortly be continued to Holyhead.

The North Union, the Preston and Lancaster, and the Lancaster and Carlisle Railways, give an uninterrupted line of communication between these places and the metropolis.

The Newcastle and Carlisle, and the Carlisle and Maryport Railways, admit of the easy transfer of goods between the opposite coasts of the island.

The Newcastle and Darlington Junction, and the Great North of England, connect Newcastle with York. The York and North Midland, and the North Midland Railway, traverse the important coal and manufacturing district between York and Leeds, and Derby. The Hull and Selby Railway, the Manchester and Leeds Railway, the Manchester and Sheffield Railway, connect the towns indicated by their names. A line proceeds direct from Derby to Birmingham. The Midland Counties Railway, commencing at Derby, brings forward the northern traffic to Rugby, where it joins the London and Birmingham.

The Eastern Counties Railway, intended to reach from London to Norwich, is executed as far as Colchester. A

branch extends from Norwich to Yarmouth. The Cambridge Railway gives easy access to the University from London.

The London and Brighton line is remarkable, in an engineering point of view, the shortest line having been adopted, almost irrespective of the rugged nature of the country.

The South Eastern Railway, striking off from the Brighton line at Red Hill, traverses the centre of Kent, and connects London with Folkestone and Dover. It thus forms the great highway to the continent.

The South Western connects London with Southampton; a branch to Portsea facilitates intercourse with Portsmouth.

The Great Western Railway, passing Slough, (in the neighbourhood of Windsor,) Maidenhead, and Reading, proceeds to Bath and Bristol. It is thence continued to Exeter, and will shortly be completed to Plymouth. A branch from Oxford joins the Great Western.

The Bristol and Gloucester Railway, and the Birmingham and Gloucester, give a direct communication between the south-western extremity of the kingdom and the midland and northern districts.

Several other important lines are in contemplation. The usual width or gauge of the rails is 4 feet 8 inches. The gauge of the Great Western and dependent railways

is 7 feet.

The cost of railways in England has varied from £14,000 to £40,000 per mile.

The ordinary speed of passenger trains is 25 miles per hour, including stoppages; but the express trains on some of the great lines approach the rate of 40 miles per hour.

CLIMATE.

Owing to its insular situation, the climate of England is variable and moist, better adapted for the growth than

for the ripening of the productions of the earth. Extreme cold is not felt in winter, and the summers are seldom oppressive.

The month of January is the coldest of the year, when the mean temperature is 36 degrees Fahrenheit; July and August are the hottest months, when the mean temperature is 61 degrees.

The usual extremes of heat and cold are 80 and 20 degrees. The west and south-west winds are the most prevalent in England, and as they come saturated with the moisture of the Atlantic, the western coast of the island is most subject to rain. The greatest quantity of rain falls near Kendal; the least in Norfolk.

VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS.

The oak is the most valuable and characteristic of the British forest trees, but is much less abundant than formerly. Wheat is raised in large quantities in all parts. Norfolk and Suffolk are famous for barley, Kent and Worcestershire for hops. The most extensive dairyfarms are in Cheshire and Gloucestershire and the intervening counties. The total annual value of the agricultural produce of England and Wales is upwards of 130 millions. This amount is annually upon the increase, owing to the great attention now paid to the subject.

ANIMALS.

The bear, the wolf, and the wild boar, once common in the English forests, have long since been extirpated. The golden eagle is sometimes, although rarely seen. The nightingale, the finest of British songsters, rarely wanders so far north as Yorkshire, and is not met with in the western counties.

MINERALS.

England is rich in mineral treasures. The tin mines of Cornwall have always been famous; the copper mines of this district and of Anglesea, are more than sufficient to supply the extensive wants of this country. Lead, with which silver is intermingled, is abundant in the neighbourhood of Alston Moor in Cumberland, and in Derby

shire. Zinc is got in the same districts. The plumbago, or black lead of Cumberland, exceeds in quality that of any other country. England smelts more iron than all the world besides. The ore is providentially most plentiful in those districts where coal and lime, which are necessary for its reduction, abound.

Coal is a very abundant mineral. The most important district is the northern coal-field, which nearly covers the counties of Northumberland and Durham; it gives direct employment to upwards of 45,000 persons.

Another coal-field lies between Leeds and Nottingham, in the centre of which Sheffield is placed. Coal is wrought at Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire. The South Stafford beds, one of which is 30 feet thick, supply the manufactories of Birmingham with a great abundance of coal at a cheap rate, their inland situation forbidding its export. The coal districts of the west are Whitehaven, the extensive tract lying between Manchester, Blackburn, and Liverpool, the mines of Flintshire in North Wales, and the South Wales coal-field, which spreads over an extent of not less than 1000 square miles.

TOWNS IN ENGLAND AND WALES.

The figures (1.), (2.), show the number of Members respectively returned. Those printed in Italic are Bishopricks. Abergavenny, Monmouth, an ancient town on the Usk and Gavenny.

Aberystwith, Cardigan, a sea-port.

Abingdon, Berks, r. Thames; trades in corn and malt. (1.) Alban's, St., Herts, r. Coln; the ancient Verulam; it is said to take its present name from the first British martyr to the Christian faith; battle between Henry VI. and Earl of Warwick, 1455. The fine abbey church contains the remains of Lord Bacon. (2.) Alfreton, Derby; manufactory of brown earthenware. Alnwick, Northumb., r. Alne; a magnificent castle, the seat of the Duke of Northumberland.

Alston, Cumb., r. Tyne; lead mines.

Ambleside, Westmorl., Windermere lake; woollen cloth, Andover, Hants, r. Ande. (2.)

Appleby, Westmorl., r. Eden; the assize town.

Arundel, Sussex, a sea-port, on the r. Arun; Arundel Castle, formerly a strong fortress, now the magnificent seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, is contiguous. (1.) Asaph, St., Flint, near r. Clwyd; the vale of Clwyd is remarkable for its beauty.

Ashburn, Derby, r. Dove; considerable trade in cheese. Ashburton, Devon, r. Dart. (1.)

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicester.

Ashton-under-Line, Lanc.; a considerable manufacturing town. Pop. 46,304. (1.)

Austle, St., Cornwall; tin mines and porcelain clay. Pop. 10,320.

Aylesbury, Bucks, r. Thame; a fertile vale. (2.)

Băla, Merioneth, r. Dee; assizes held alternately at Băla and Dolgelly.

Banbury, Oxford, r. Cherwell; noted for cakes and ale ;

good market for corn, cattle, and provisions. (1.) Bangor, Caernarvon, on the Strait of Menai; the construction of the magnificent chain bridge across the Strait of Menai has rendered Bangor a great thoroughfare; it is much resorted to in summer by visitors. Barking, Essex, r. Rhoding, near its junction with the Thames.

Barnardcastle, Durham, r. Tees.

Barnsley, York; manufactories of hardware, glass, &c. Pop. 12,310.

Barnstaple, Devon, r. Taw; woollen trade. (2.)

Bath, Somerset, r. Avon; this fine city owes its name and origin to its hot springs. Pop. 38,304. (2.)

Battle, Sussex; it obtained its name from the battle of Hastings; the best gunpowder made here.

Beaumaris, Anglesey, a sea-port on the Strait of Menai. (1.)