The prevalent soils in this county are light and Soils. calcareous ; the soil of the vale of Berkshire is a -gray calcareous loam, probably of more tenacity than any other soil in the county ; it is evidently formed by vegetable earth and chalk ; of course easi ly cultivated at all seasons, and very productive. On the sides of the vale of Kennet is, for the most part, a reddish earth, more or less mingled with chalk and flints ; in the vale itself, the prevailing soil is gravel, but with some very fertile corn-land, or deep loam, easily cultivated. The whole course of the river Kennet is through a bed of peat, from . Hungerford to Reading. The mode and cause of the formation of this neat are very evident. In the town Of Reading, the Kennet passes between two hills ; and it would annear, that formerly the channel be tween them could not have been sufficiently low to carry the waters off, and prevent them from forming a morass in its whole extent, for about 25 miles above this obstruction. To the south of this river, near Hungerford, a tract of poor gravel and clay com mences ; at first, for several miles it is very narrow ; but in the eastern part of the county it becomes very wide. It is everywhere ferruginous, and in most places very barren. The southern boundary of the county everywhere passes through this line of coarse land. In the forest division there is gravel, clay, and loam ; the last in the centre, and the two former in the southern parts ; the substratum of nearly the whole of Berkshire is calcareous.
The climate of this county is mild and dry, ex cept on the elevated line of chalk, where it is rather and piercing. We are not aware of any me teorological observations that have been made in the county.
The principal rivers are the Thames, the Kennet, the Loddon, the Ock, the Lambourn, and the Au born. The Thames enters this county about a mile south from Lecklade, and forms its boundary dur ing a course of more than 100 miles ' • in its pro gress watering the towns of Abingdon, Wallingford, Reading, Maidenhead, and Windsor, besides seve ral villages ; it is navigable as high as St John's Bridge, near Lecklade. • In its course through Berkshire, it produces pike, trout, and various other' common fish, besides carp and tench, which are supposed to be brought thither by floods. • The Kennet, having divided this county from Wiltshire for about two miles, enters it at Hungerford. At Newbury, where it is joined by the Lambourn, it becomes navigable, and flowing thence through rich meadows to Reading, it there unites with the Thames. Its course through Berkshire is nearly thirty miles. The trout of this river have long been celebrated for their size and flavour; it produces also pike; perch, eels, crayfish, chub, roach, and dace. The river Lod
don, which rises near Aldershot in Hampshire, be comes a boundary between that county and Berk shire at Blackwater. After continuing so for eight miles, it enters Berkshire at Swallowfield, and falls into the Thames near Wargrave ; its course in the county being about twelve miles. The Ock, which rises near Uffington, falls into the Thames at Abing don; its pike are remarkably fine. The Auborn rises in Berkshire, but afterwards becomes a boundary be tween it and Hampshire ; beyond' Hede•end, it again enters the county, and falls into the Kennet a little below Waging ; its whole course is about seventeen miles. The Lambourn rises among the hills in the vicinity of the town of the same' name, •and, as has been already mentioned, falls into the Kennet near Newbury.
The Wiltshire and Berkshire canal commences on the banks of the Isis near. Abingdon, and, passing through Wantage, Chippenham, and Mielk sham, joins the canal from the Kennet to the Avon, at Trowbridge. From this canal, collate ral cuts are 'made to Wantage, Caine, and Chippen ham. The !Cermet and Avon canal begins a little above Newbury, and runs parallel with the Rennet to Kintbury, where it crosses the river twice. It afterwards crosses it in three other places during its course to the head of the river. From Crofton to Barbage it goes through a tunnel 2f miles long. After crossing the Avon thrice, it proceeds by the side of it till the junction with it is completed. The entire length, from Newbury to Bath, is 60 miles; with 176 feet rise, and 369 feet fall.
This county does not produce many rare plants ; among those which occur the least 'frequently are Myrica gale, 'sweet willow, Dutch myrtle ; Mona tropa hypopithys, bird's-nest ; Asarum asarabacca, found by Dr Abbot in the beech-wood between Henley and Maidenhead ; Antirrhinum monspessulanum, growing abundantly on the chalky banks of Henley hill ; and Lycopodium adage, and L. inundatum, fir club-moss, and marsh dub moss, in a bog on Upton Comnion. The pro bable origin of the peat found in the Vale of Ken net has already been noticed in our account of that river. It is found on both sides of the Ken net for several miles above and below the town of Newbury. The stratum lies at various depths below the surface of the ground, and varies in thickness from 1 to 8 or 10 feet ; gravel is usually found underneath it. Horns, heads, and bones Of va rious animals, have been found in it. According to the analysis of Sir H. Davy, it consists of The mineralogy of Berkshire presents very little that is interesting. Oyster-shells are found in the sand strata near Reading ; and in one place in the vicinity.of that town, a stratum of fuller's earth.