GEORGE IV. 1820-1830. The first year of the reign a low conspiracy was formed by one Thistlewood to murder the ministers and incite a Revolution; the conspirators were, however, detected and punished. In 1824 the Burmese war broke out, and Tenasserim and Aracan were ceded to England. In 1827 Turkey was forced to grant independence to Greece after the naval victory of the allies at Navarino. In 1829 the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed, removing religious disabilities. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened 1830. In 1831 the Cholera ravaged many parts of England. In 1832 the Reform Bill was carried by Lord John Russell, after popular riots in Nottingham, Bristol, &c. By this rotten boroughs were disfranchised, modern towns returning members instead. In 1833 the Negro Emancipation Act was passed-20 millions being paid as compensation to slave owners. VICTORIA. 1837. 1839 war with Afghanistan; an English army retreating from Cabool was slaughtered. These were avenged by Sale, and the fortifications of Cabool destroyed. In 1840 the Chinese war broke out, to force on the importation of opium into China. În 1846 the Sikhs were defeated in the Punjaub. In 1846 also the Repeal of the Corn Laws took place. The year 1848 was troubled with popular risings on the continent and in England and Ireland. In 1851 the Great Exhibition was opened. In 1856 the Chinese war took place. GEOGRAPHY. THE BRITISH ISLES. POSITION.-The British Islands are situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, to the N.W. of the continent of Europe. They lie between the parallels of 50° and 59° N. latitude, and are therefore in the cold part of the North Temperate Zone. They consist of Great Britain and Ireland with the adjacent islands, which, since the union of the parliaments in 1801, have constituted the United Kingdom. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, and Wales, and is the largest island of Europe, and the seventh in size on the globe, being 600 miles long, and varying in breadth from 30 to 360 miles. It contains an area of 87,000 sq. miles. ENGLAND AND WALES. BOUNDARIES.—On the N., by Scotland, from which it is separated by the River Tweed, the Cheviot Hills, and the Solway Firth. On the E., by the North Sea or German Ocean. On the S., by the English Channel, which separates it from France. On the W., by the Atlantic Ocean, St. George's Channel, and the Irish Sea. The latter two separate it from Ireland. EXTENT.-England. Length from the Lizard to Berwick-upon-Tweed 423 miles. Breadth from Land's End to Lowestoft Ness 364 miles. Area 50,387 sq. miles. Wales. Length from N. to S. 115 miles. Breadth from E. to W. 37 to 90 miles. Area 7,426 sq. miles. Total area 57,813 sq. miles. MOUNTAINS. "The hills are the bones of a country, and determine its form just as the bones of an animal do." It is evident, therefore, that the mountains and hills of a country should first engage the attention of those who desire to become acquainted with its physical aspect. K The mountain axis is from N. to S. rather than from E. to W. All the principal elevations are in the N. and W.; the Centre and South are hilly, and the Eastern portion is flat, the whole country having been upraised as it were from beneath the mountains of Wales, and tilted to the E. There are three mountain systems,-I. the Northern, II. the Cambrian, III. the Devonian. I. The Northern System includes the Pennine Chain and the Cumbrian Group. The Pennine Chain extends from the Cheviot Hills, of which it is a continuation, to the Peak of Derbyshire, a distance of about 180 miles, forming the most continuous elevation in the country. The general character of the range is that of a series of rounded summits destitute of wood, bleak and monotonous; but, in the district of the Peak, the scenery is highly romantic. The highest peaks are,-Crossfell in Cumberland, 2,901 feet; Nine Standards, in Westmoreland, 2,136 feet; Bowfell, in Yorkshire, 2,911 feet; Whernside Ingleborongh, Pennygant, Pendle Hill, in Lancashire, 1,803 feet; The Peak, in Derbyshire, highest point, Kinder-Scout, 1,981 feet. in Yorkshire, 2,384 feet. 2,361 99 2,270 ,, Cumbrian Group, in Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Furness (N. Lancashire). This mountain knot is separated from the Pennine Chain by the valleys of the Eden and Lune. Its geological character is quite distinct from that of the Pennine range, being of a slaty formation, while the latter is composed of limestone. The summits, which are generally well wooded, are bold and rugged, and numerous small lakes fill the valleys. The scenery is the most picturesque in England. The highest points are,-Scawfell, in Cumberland (highest mountain in England), 3,166 feet; Helvellyn, in Westmorland, 3,055 feet, Skiddaw, in Cumberland, 3,022 feet; Saddleback, in Cumberland, 2,787 feet; Coniston Old Man, in Furness, 2,577 feet. II. The Cambrian System, so called from Cambria, the old name of the country, comprises all the mountains of Wales, which is much more mountainous than England. The various ranges generally run parallel with the Western coast. A transverse chain, extending eastwards from Plynlimmon, called the Llandinam, or Cerri Hills, divides N. from S. Wales. The most elevated peaks are near the Western coast. Snowdon, in Caernarvon (highest in England and Wales), 3,571 feet; Cairn David, in Caernarvon, 3,427 feet; Cader Idris, in Merioneth, 2,914 feet; Arran Fowdy, in Merioneth, 2,955 feet, Plynlimmon, in Montgomery, 2,463 feet. Brecknock Beacon, Caermarthen Beacon, III. Devonian System. in the Black Forest range, 2,862 feet. 2,596 This includes the heights of Devonshire, Cornwall, and part of Somerset. The principal summits, which from their height scarcely deserve the name of mountains, are,-Cawsand Beacon, in Devonshire, 1,792 feet; Dunkery Beacon, in Somerset, 1,668 feet; Brown Willy, in Cornwall, 1,368 feet. HILLS. The most important hills are,-Cheviot Hills, between England and Scotland. The highest peak is called the Cheviot, and is 2,658 feet in elevation. The Wolds, in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire; The Wrekin, Clee Hills, and Caradoc Hills, in Shropshire; Clent Hills, and Malvern Hills, in Worcestershire; Cotswold Hills, in Gloucestershire; Edge Hills, in Oxford and Warwick; Chiltern Hills, in Oxford and Buckingham; Gog-magog Hills, in Cambridge; North Downs, in Kent and Surrey; South Downs, in Sussex and Hants; Mendip, Blackdown, and Quantock Hills, in Somerset; Purbeck Heights, in Dorset. PLATEAUX. The principal are,-Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire-the central feature of the country S. of the Thames—this is a chalk table-land, from 500 to 600 feet above the level of the sea, upon which great numbers of sheep are fed. It is about 22 miles from E. to W., and 15 miles from N. to S. The plain is rich in antiquities, Stonehenge, a collection of large stones, supposed to be the remains of a Druidical Temple, being the most noted. The N. and S. Downs terminate in this plateau. Inkpen Beacon (1,011 feet), the highest chalk summit in the country, is at the Western extremity of the N. Downs. To the N. is a similar district, the Marlborough Downs. Dartmoor Forest, in Devon, is a rugged, wild, barren plateau of granite, about 1,000 feet in elevation, traversed by the River Dart, which forms great marshes. The surface is covered with thin grass, affording pasture to sheep. Though now destitute of trees, its name indicates such has not always been the case. measures nearly 20 miles from E. to W., with an average breadth of about 14 miles. The greatest elevation is Cawsand Beacon. It Exmoor, in Somerset and Devon, highest point Dunkery Beacon. The Central Table Land, occupying the Midland Counties, forms an important watershed, from 300 to 400 feet above the sea level. The Weald, lies between the N. and S. Downs. The Yorkshire Moors. Radnor Forest, in Wales, is the most desolate district in the country. Plains.-The Plain of York, occupying the middle of that county. Holderness, between the Yorkshire Wolds and the sea. The Fen District, around the Wash, in portions of Lincoln, Huntingdon, Cambridge, and Norfolk. The Earl of Bedford was chiefly instrumental in causing the draining of the Fens, in the reign of Charles I., and after him this part is sometimes called "The Bedford Level." The Eastern Plain, between the East Anglian Heights and the sea. The Cheshire Plain, occupying that countv, S. Lancashire, and part of Shropshire. |