The Isle of Wight must be particularly noticed. It is separated from the main land of the county by a chan• nel varying from 2 to 7 miles in breadth. Its form is that of an irregular lozenge. It is nearly divided into two equal parts by the river of Corves. Through the middle of it, in the longest direction, extends a range of downs. The eastern and western parts of the island are almost cut off from the body by arms of the sea. Its length from east to west is about 22 miles; its breadth 13 miles ; its circumference about 70. It contains 105,000 acres, of which 75,000 are in a course of tillage, 20,000 in pasturage, and the remainder downs and waste. It is divided into two hundreds, one market town, Newport, and 3 boroughs, returning each two members, Newton, New. port, and Varmouth. The other towns of consequence are Corves and Ryde. It contains 30 parishes. The face of the country is very diversified. The land round the coast being in some places very high, particularly on the south or back of the island, where there are steep cliffs of chalk and freestone, hollowed out into caverns. On the north side the ground slopes to the water in easy decli vities. The western side is fenced with ridges of rocks, of which the most remarkable are those called, from their sharp extremities, the Needles. The height of the cliffs in the north-west is, in some places, 600 feet above the level of the sea. They are frequented by immense num bers of marine birds. Between the island and the main land at e various sand banks, especially off the eastern part, where is the safe road of St Helens.
The land to the north of the ridge already mentioned, is chiefly pasture. To the south of it is a rich arable.coun try, producing great crops of corn. It is said that the grain annually grown here is sometimes greater than the consumption of the island. The farms are small. The crops usually obtained are wheat, barley, oats, tur nips, clover, Ice. ; the prevalent soil, a strong loam on a dry subsoil, being well calculated for all these crops. The
butter made here is excellent : the cheese, the worst in England except the Suffolk. The cattle are the Devonshire and Alderney ; the sheep mostly Southdown and Dorset. On the downs a great number of fine-fleeced sheep are fed, about 40,000 being annually shorn, and about 5000 lambs sold. Rabbits are very plentiful. The climate is almost proverbially mild ; and as the scenery is scarcely equalled in any part of Europe, this isle is a favourite residence. There are not many woods. The most extensive are those of Swainston, \Vooten, and Quarr. The chief rivers are, the Medina, the Yar, and the \Vooten. The Medina, pass ing Newport, falls into the sea at Corves : the Yar falls into the channel at Yarmouth : the Wooten falls into Bra den's harbour. There are also various creeks and bays. Great variety of fish is found on the coast, particularly lob sters and crahs. The cockles are much celebrated, and the sanded! is very plentiful.
Among the products of this island are to be reckoned a pure white pipeclay, and a fine white crystalline sand. Great quantities of the latter are exported for the use of the glass-works. Alum formerly was manufactured in some of the western coves of the island.
By the returns respecting the poor-rates in the year 1803, it appears, that in the whole county, including the isle of Wight, 153,427/. was annually raised for poor and other rates. The average rate in the pound on the rack-rental was 4s. 5id. 130,983/. was actually expended on account of the poor. The number of friendly societies was 62, containing 4733 members. The number of children in schools of industry amounted to 614. In the year ending 25th March 1815, the sum raised in this county for poor and other parochial rates amounted to 211,5571., making an increase since 1803, or in the space of 12 years, of 58,1301., or nearly 30 per cent.