The six counties in South Wales are, Radnorshire, Car diganshire, Pembrokeshire; Caermarthenshire, Breck nockshire, and Glamorganshire. Radnorshire is bound ed•on the north by Montgomeryshire ; on the east by Shropshire and Herefordshire; on the south and south west by Brecknockshire ; and on the north-west by Car diganshire. It contains one county-town, six hun dreds, four market-towns, and 52. parishes. The prin cipal towns of Radnorshire arc, Prestcign and New Radnor. Cardiganshire is bounded from the north-east to the south-west by the Bay of Cardigan; on the north by a point of Merionethshire ; on the cast by Radnor shire and Brecknockshire ; and on the south by Caer marthenshire and Pembrokeshire. It contains one county-town, five hundreds, four market-towns, and 77 parishes. Its principal towns are Cardigan and Abercstwyth.—Pembrokeshire, which forms the south western extremity of Wales, is surrounded by the sea, except on its north-east side, where it is bounded by Cardiganshire ; and on its eastern side, where it joins Caermarthenshire. It contains one city, one county town, seven hundreds, nine market-towns, and 45 pa rishes. Its principal towns are, Pembroke, St David's, Tenhy, and Haverford West.—Cacrmarthenshire is bounded on the north by Cardiganshire; on the east by Brecknockshire ; on the west by Pembrokeshire; and on the south by Glamorganshire and the sea. It contains one county-town, eight hundreds, six market towns, and 87 parishes. The only town of consequence in this county is Caermarthen.—Brecknockshire is hounded on the south-cast, and partly on the south, by Monmouthshire; on the rest of the south by Glamor ganshire ; on the west by Caermarthenshire and Car diganshire; on the east by a small part of Hereford shire; and on the north-east by Radnorshire. It con tains one county-town, six hundreds, four market towns, and 59 parishes. Its principal towns are Breck nock and Crickhowell.—Glamorganshire is bounded on the south and west by the Bristol Channel; on the north by Caermarthenshire and Brecknockshire; and on the east by Monmouthshire. It contains one city, one county-town, 10 hundreds, eight market-towns, and 118 parishes. The principal towns in this county are, Caerdiff, Landaff, Swansea, and Myrthyr-Tedvil.
Three of the counties in England are called counties Palatine, viz. Cheshire, Durham, and Lancashire: they are so called a Jtalatio, because formerly the owners of them had the same rights, powers, and privileges, with in them respectively, as the king himself possessed in his palace. These privileges appear to have been grant ed to the counties of Chester and Durham, because they bordered on an enemy's country ; and for the same rea son, Pembrokeshire and Hexhamshire, latter of which is now united to Northumberland,) were for merly counties palatine. Of those which yet remain so, Durham is the only one now in the possession of a sub ject : the earldom of Chester was united to the crown by Henry III. and has ever since that period given a title to the eldest son of the king ; and by various acts of parliament, the inheritance to the whole lands of the Duchy of Lancaster is vested in the crown. The Isle of Ely, though not strictly speaking a county palatine, possesses Jura regalia as a royal fanchise; the bishop of Ely,bya grant of Henry I. exercising, within the
j isle, a jurisdiction over all causes, as well criminal as civil.
Counties corporate, are certain cities and towns, some with more, some with less territory annexed to them; to which has been granted, by the special favour of the kings of England, the privilege to he counties of them selves. They are governed by their own sheriffs,' or other magistrates; so that no officers of the county at large have any authority over them. Counties • po rate, as well as corporate towns, are not included in any hundred : most of the cities of England, as well as the five towns of Kingston-upon-Hull, Nottingham; Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Poole, and Southampton, are counties corporate.
The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed originally formed part of Scotland; but it was reduced under the posses sion of the crown of England by Edward I. by whom a charter, bestowing upon it certain privileges, was granted to it; this charter was confirmed by Edward IV. and James I. It is specially named in all acts of Parliament.
The Isle of Man is a distinct territory from England, and not governed by its laws, nor by any act of Par liament, unless it is particularly named in it. The prin cipal places in this island arc Douglas and Castle Town.
The islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, formerly belonged to the Duchy of Normandy ; but were united to the crown of England by the first prin ces of the Norman line. They are bound by their own laws; but am appeal lies from their courts to the king in council. Unless particularly named in acts of Parlia ment, they do not extend to them. Each of these islands is divided into parishes, which are again subdi vided into what are called vintons.
Face of the Country.
THE most extensive or highly favoured tracts on the face of the globe, can scarcely exhibit a greater variety of features than England displays. " In some parts, verdant plains extend as far as the eye can reach, wa tered by copious streams, and covered by innumerable cattle. In others, the pleasing vicissitudes of gently rising hills and bending vales, fertile in corn, waving with wood, and interspersed with meadows, offer the most delightful landscapes of rural opulence and beauty. Some tracts abound with prospects of the more roman tic kind ; lofty mountains, craggy rocks, deep narrow dells, and tumbling torrents ; nor are there wanting, as a contrast to so many agreeable scenes, the gloomy fea tures of black barren moors, and wide uncultivated heaths."' Such is the general description of the face of the country of England, given by a writer who, both from the powers of his pen, and his acquaintance with the country he was describing, was capable of drawing a just and striking picture; but it will he proper and instructive, as well as interesting, to enter into a more detailed description bf the physiognomy, as it has been termed, of the country of England. The chief features of any country are its vales, hills, rivers, and lakes; and, of a maritime state, its sea coast. We shall first de scribe the vales and hills of England, and afterwards at tend to its hydrography ; under this head comprehend ing a description of its sea coast, and its rivers and lakes.