Dover and Deal. Their dependants are Rye, Hastings, Winchelsea, in Sussex. These ports in olden times enjoyed many privileges for defending the coast from invaders. Each Port had to furnish 21 ships, ready for war within 40 days after the King's summons, each ship containing 21 good soldiers, fully equipped for service. They were to serve 15 days at the expense of the Port,-if required longer they received pay.

YORKSHIRE.

Boundaries.-N. by DURHAM and WESTMORELAND, S. by LINCOLNSHIRE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE, E. by the German Ocean, W. by LANCASHIRE and part of CHESHIRE.

Rivers.-The TEES on the North which runs into the German Ocean. The OUSE with its tributaries, the DERWENT, SWALE, YORK, NIDD, WHARFE, AIRE, which runs into the Humber, the HULL which also runs into the Humber; and the RIBBLE, which runs westward into the Irish Sea.

Chief Towns.-YORK (Cathedral), LEEDS (Clothing), HULL (Sea port), SHEFFIELD (Cutlery), WHITBY (Coals), SCARBOROUGH (Watering place), RIPON, HALIFAX, BRADFORD, WAKEFIELD (Clothing Towns), HUDDERSFIELD, PONTEFRACT (Castle), HARROWGATE (Mineral Waters).

Extent, Population, and Soil.-Extent, 5961 square miles ; Population 1,591,584. Soil very various, owing to Coal-beds, Moor-lands, Wolds which characterize this county.

Remarks.-PIPE-CLAY found in LEEDS; the Emperior Severus died at York, A.D., 212; also the Emperior Constantine, father of Constantine the Great, A.D. 306. York Minster built A.D. 1171; the present nave in Edward I.'s reign. Printing established at York, 38 years after its introduction into England. It was commenced in Abbot's House, Westminster, A.D. 1471, by William Caxton: near Cawood, nine miles south of York, are the ruins of an old mansion built by Cardinal Wolsey. Archdeacon Paley was educated at the Grammar School of Giggleswick. At Ravenspur or Ravensburgh, near the Humber, now washed away by the sea, Henry Bolingbroke landed with fifty followers. He defeated Richard II., and succeeded to the throne as Henry IV. of Lancaster. Edward IV., landed with a few followers at the same place, some years afterwards. Bradford Grammar school founded by Charles I. In Middleton Castle, Edward IV. was confined when taken prisoner by the Earl of Warwick. At Pontefract Castle Richard II. was murdered by Sir Piers of Exton and seven attendants. Earl of Lancaster, cousin of Edward II., was beheaded at the same place. At Wakefield, in 1461, Queen Margaret, wife of Henry VI., with the Lancastrians, defeated the Yorkists, took the Duke prisoner, beheaded him and placed his head on the gates of York. At Towton also there was a great battle between the Yorkists and Lancastrians, A.D. 1461, in which the former conquered. At Marston Moor an engagement took place between the Royalists and Roundheads, A.D. 1644, in which Cromwell first distinguished himself. The Royalists were defeated. The York Plain is the most extensive valley in England. At North Allerton the "battle of the Standard" was fought between David of Scotland, who came to the aid of his niece Matilda, and the English in support of King Stephen the usurper. William Rufus was born at Selby; John Wickliffe was born at Wickliffe in this county, died 1385, A.D. Sixty miles of country between the Humber and the Tees was laid waste with fire and sword by William the Conqueror for rebellion.

MIDDLESEX.

Boundaries.-N. by HERTFORDSHIRE; S. by SURREY; E. by ESSEX, and part of KENT; W. by BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

Rivers.-THAMES, COLNE and LEA, which are tributaries of the THAMES. Chief Towns.-LONDON (the Metropolis), with WESTMINSTER, BrentFORD, UXBRIdge.

Extent, Population and Soil.-Extent, 282 square miles, Population 1,576,636. Soil generally fertile.

Remarks.-London stands in a basin of clay of a slate colour. Westminster School was founded by Queen Elizabeth. Charterhouse by Thomas Sutton, A.D. 1611, on the site of a Carthusian Monastery. St. Paul's School by Dean Colet, who entrusted it to the Mercers' Company, 1510. Merchant Tailors' School by the Merchants' Company, 1516. The School at Harrow on the Hill, nine miles from London, was founded by John Lyon of Harrow, 1560. The first Church dedicated to St. Paul, was built by Ethelbert the Saxon King, on the site of the present building. This and others afterwards erected on the same spot perished by fire. The present building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, cost £73,600, railing £12,500. The Crown Inn at Uxbridge is known as the Treaty House, being the place in which Charles I., and the Commissioners met, 1644, A.D. Horne Tooke was born at Westminster. Somerset House was built by Protector Somerset, with the spoils of sacrilege, in Edward VI.'s reign. St. Thomas's Hospital, and St. Bartholemew's were founded by Edward VI., as was Bridewell for criminals. The following Kings were buried at Westminster, Henry III., A.D. 1272; Edward I., A.D. 1307; Edward III., a.d. 1377; Henry V., A.D. 1422; Henry VII., A.D. 1509; Edward VI., A.D. 1553; Mary, A.D. 1558; Elizabeth, A.D. 1603; James I., A.D. 1625; Charles II., A.D. 1685; William and Mary, A.D. 1702 and 1694; Anne, A.D. 1714; George II., A.D. 1760; fourteen out of thirty-five. At Hounslow Heath King James II. pitched his camp. The great fire in 1666, A.D. broke out in Pudding-lane, and destroyed 13,000 houses, 89 churches, and St. Paul's Cathedral. The Library in the British Museum contains as many as 435,000 volumes. Westminster Hall was built by William Rufus; St. Peter's, or Westminster Abbey, was built by Edward the Confessor. There are two colleges in London (King's and University College), and seven bridges over the Thames. John Milton was born in Bread-street, Cheapside, 1608, died 1674.

Remarks on other counties which may be added to. Northumberland.-The Cheviot Hills lie to the north, renowned for the Chevy Chase" of old. This was an engagement between Earl Douglas and Percy, A.D. 1381, at Otterburn. The Picts, or Roman wall, begun by Agricola, and increased and strengthened by the Emperors Hadrian and Severus, lies chiefly in this county. The poet Akenside was born at Newcastle. Malcolm, king of Scotland, was killed at Alnwick, in the reign of William Rufus. At Hexham a battle took place between the Yorkists and Lancastrians, A.D. 1462, in which Queen Margaret was defeated. At Flodden Field the English, under the Earl of Surrey, completely defeated the Scotch under James IV., 1513. The latter was killed. The town of Berwick-on-Tweed was famous in olden times; being on the borders, it was the scene of many skirmishes. At Halidon Hill, near Berwick, Edward III. worsted the Scots, a.d. 1333. Northamptonshire.-The county town is famed for boots and shoes. Peterborough was one of the five bishoprics badly endowed by Henry VIII. At Naseby, near Daventry, Fairfax and the Roundheads defeated the Royalists, 1645. Queen's Cross, a little out of Northampton, is one of

the crosses erected by Edward III., in memory of his Queen, Eleanor of Castile. At Geddington, Waltham, and London are others. They mark the places where the body rested on the way for interment. At Fotheringay Richard III. was born, and Mary Queen of Scots imprisoned 18 years. At Peterborough she was interred the day after her execution, but was removed to Westminster by her son, James I., A.D. 1612. At Northampton a battle was fought, A.D. 1460, between the houses of York and Lancaster.-Henry was defeated by the Yorkists, under Warwick. Part of Peterborough Cathedral built in the reign of Henry I. Hampshire.-Winchester College and part of Cathedral built by William of Wickham, reign of Richard II. Dr. Watts was born at Southampton. At Titchfield House Charles I. abode some time after the defeat at Naseby; from this he removed to Carisbrook Castle, Isle of Wight, where he was detained a prisoner. In Newport Grammar School he met the Parliamentary Commissioners.-The discussion ended fatally to himself. The New Forest, made by William the Conqueror, contains about 63,000 acres, which belong to the Crown. Hayling Island was partly washed away in the time of Edward III. Basingstoke was the birthplace of that famous English scholar of the 13th century, called John of Basingstoke, who went as far as Athens to study Greek. Perkin Warbeck, the supposed impostor, was seized at Beaulieu, in Hants. Southampton Grammar School, founded by Edward VI.-About three miles from it stand the ruins of Netley Abbey, built by Henry III., A.D. 1239. From Hurst Castle Charles I. was removed to London. Saxon kings buried at Winchester-Egbert, King of Wessex; Alfred the Great and his son; Edward the elder; Edred and Edwin, sons of Edward the eldest; Davis of Lye; Canute the Great; Harold, and Hardicourt. William Rufus was buried and Henry III. born at Winchester. Hospital of St. Cross founded by Stephen. Portsmouth is a great seaport and naval arsenal, and has the largest dockyard in the kingdom. Ryde, Cowes, and the Isle of Wight are watering places. Somersetshire.-Wells was made a Bishop's See in the time of Edward the Elder. Choir built in Henry the Eighth's reign. Bristol one of the five bishoprics endowed by Henry VIII. out of church spoils. The great Roger Bacon was born at Ilchester.-Locke, the philosopher, at Wrington, near Bristol. In the neighbourhood of Bridgewater, on the east side is Sedgmoor, where the Duke of Monmouth was defeated by the troops of James II. At Lansdown, near Bath, a battle was fought between Charles and the Parliament. Glastonbury, far famed in olden times. The three Saxon kings-Edmund I., Edgar the Pacific, and Edmund Ironside were buried in the Abbey of Glastonbury. At the junction of the rivers Tone and Parrel is the Isle of Athelney, in which Alfred the Great lay concealed from the Danes in the house of Dinewulph, a shepherd, afterwards made Bishop of Winchester. Bristol was the first place in which brass was wrought. The Free School at Bath was founded by Edward VI. Chedder, twenty miles from Bath, is noted for cheese.

LESSONS ON THE RIVERS OF EUROPE.

(Continued from p. 214.)

Rivers entering the Atlantic Ocean.

13. THE GUADIANA has its sources in the southern part of New Castile, passes through this province, then that of Estremadura, and after dividing Seville from the Portuguese province of Algarve, enters

the Atlantic Ocean. It totally disappears, in one part of its course, for about fourteen miles. It is 450 miles in length, and is navigable

for nearly 50 miles.

Ciudad Real, the capital of La Mancha, is situated in a plain near the Guadiana, and is the most renowned mart in Spain for mules. A great fair is annually held here for the sale of cattle, mules, and asses. Population 10,000. The imaginary exploits of the famous Don Quixote are described as having had their origin, for the most part, in this locality.

Badajoz, the capital of Estremadura, is on the south bank of the Guadiana, and near the frontier of Portugal. It occupies an important military station, and is strongly fortified, having formidable walls and bastions, while a wide and deep fosse surrounds it on all sides. It has stood some memorable sieges, among which may be mentioned that by Wellington in April, 1812, when, after a siege of twelve days, it was taken by storm, and the garrison, with its general, became prisoners of war. Badajoz has a few manufactures of linen and woollen stuffs, soap, china, and leather. Population 11,700.

14. The TAGUS, the Tajo of the Spaniards, and the Tejo of the Portuguese, rises in the Sierra Morena, on the eastern side of the Spanish table-land. It flows in a general direction of west by south, through Spain and Portugal, and enters the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon, where it forms one of the most secure and capacióus harbours in the world. With its numerous tributaries, it drains the great plain between the Castilian mountains and the Sierra de Estrella on the north, and the Sierra Toledo and the highlands of Evora on the south. It is about 550 miles in length, and is navigable for small ships as far as Santarem, a distance of about forty-six miles from Lisbon.

Madrid, on the left bank of the Manzaneres, a tributary of the Tagus, the capital of Spain, is situated on a sandy and sterile tableland, at an elevation of 2200 feet above the sea. The city occupies an area of about five miles in circumference, and is surrounded by a brick wall 20 feet in height, which contains fifteen gates. The streets are wide, and the houses large and well-built, but the general aspect of the city is gloomy and sombre. Among public buildings may be mentioned the royal palace, which is considered one of the finest royal residences in Europe. There are numerous promenades; but the most favourite place of resort, both to residents and strangers, is the Prado, a broad and spacious walk on the east side of the city, two miles in length, and adorned with rows of trees and fountains. Madrid has scarcely any manufacturing industry. There are, however, manufactories of porcelain and carpets, which are carried on at the expence of the Government. Population, 216,000. About twenty miles to the north-west of Madrid, at the southern base of the Castilian mountains, and at an elevation of 3260 feet above the sea, is the Escurial, one of the royal residences. It is in the shape of a gridiron, and was erected by Philip II. of Spain, in consequence of a vow made by him, on the day of the battle of St. Quentin. This battle happened on the anniversary of St. Lawrence, to whom the place was dedicated, and who was put to death by torture on a grate of iron, made red hot, A.D. 258. This magnifi

cent structure has been termed by the Spaniards the eighth wonder of the world. It is 740 feet in length by 580 in breadth, and is said to have cost eight millions sterling.

Toledo, one of the most ancient and celebrated cities of Spain, lies on the north bank of the Tagus, about forty miles south-west of Madrid. It was the largest city in the Christian part of Spain in the middle ages, and in the fourteenth century had 200,000 inhabitants. It possesses a cathedral, which is the largest, and by some considered to be the finest in Spain. It is also the see of an archbishop, who is the primate of all Spain. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Toledo was celebrated for its manufactory of sword-blades, as well as for silks. The fabrication of the former is still carried on, though upon a greatly diminished scale.* Population, 13,500.

Talavera de la Reyna, on the Tagus, is about sixty-four miles from Madrid. It was formerly renowned for its silk manufactories, and is famous for the victory gained by Wellington over the French, on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809.

Lisbon, on the right bank of the Tagus, about nine miles above the bar or entrance of the river, is the capital of Portugal. It is built on a succession of hills, and rises in the form of an amphitheatre, from the banks of the river. The city is, in general, ill-built, and consists of narrow, winding, and dirty streets. The new town, a part of the city built since the great earthquake, is, however, regular and handsome. A magnificent aqueduct, built in 1743, entirely of marble, supplies Lisbon with good water. This city has frequently suffered by earthquakes, the most formidable of which was that of 1755, when one-half of the city was destroyed, and more than 30,000 of the inhabitants perished. Lisbon is a place of considerable commerce, and has one of the finest harbours in the world. The manufactures consist of silk, paper, soap, and leather; and its goldsmiths and jewellers display great taste in gold and silver works and jewellery. The exports consist of wine, fruits, and oil. Population, 280,000.

15. The DOURO, or DUERO, rises in Spain, between Saragossa and Burgos, flows through Old Castile, Leon, and Portugal, and empties itself into the Atlantic Ocean, about two miles below the city of Oporto. It drains, with its numerous tributaries, some of the finest and most fertile regions of Spain and Portugal, and has a length of nearly 500 miles. The harbour of Oporto cannot, however, be entered by large vessels, on account of the bar at the mouth of the river. The Douro is navigable for about seventy-five miles; flat-bottomed boats can, however, ascend as high as 100 miles from the sea. Among its tributaries may be mentioned the Agueda and the Tormes, on its left bank.

Salamanca, on the Tormes, a tributary of the Douro, was once famous for its university, now, however, of little importance. The city is badly built, with narrow, crooked, and dirty streets. It has, how

*The famous Toledo blades are shown in the Spanish section of the Great Exhibition, No. 266.