In a state almost equally unproductive are the forests. They afford little else than a limited quantity of brush wood, awl a range for the deer of the proprietors. and for tne cattle of some adjoining parishes, vvbich enjoy such a right over them. The forest of Rockingham, in the north of the county, is the largest. It formerly ex tended between Northampton and Stamford, measuring about thirty miles in length, by eight in breadth. But various concessions of the crown, in remote times, have greatly restricted its bounds ; and it does not now con tain more than t0,000 acres, scattered in successive por tions over the district which it once completely filled. The property, with the timber, large and small, is at pre sent vested in variaus persons; .a right of pasturage, under cc: tain restric:ions, is reserved to the contiguous lands ; and the claims of government are limited to the anneal cicniand of a few braces of deer for the use of his majLsty's household. The wardeos and other chief officers are hereditary. Salcey and Whittlewood forests lic in the south of the couaty, the latter partly in Ox fordshire and Buckinghamshire. Salcey comprehends 18,447 acres; Whittlewood, 5424. In 1608, the first con tained 15 274 trees fit for the use of the navy ; the se cond, 51.046; but, owing to neglect or misconduct on the part of thc overseers, those numbers had, in 1738, chNindled to 2918 and 5211. Salcey appears to be p4rtIcularly fitted for the growth of timber. One oak in it is seventeen feet in circumference. Yet under the present nianagement it scarcely yields a full grown tree on the acre. Charles II. granted all the most valuable perquisites of those forests to his son, the Duke of Graf ton, with whose representative they still continue ; the crown retains only the large timber, evhich does not seem to bring in any thing in the shape of profit,) and receives annually a few bucks and does out of the 3000 which fihd subsistence there. The administration of the whole is committed to several officers, invested With V3 rious degrees of authority. The principal ones are he reditary : those appointed to take cognizance of tres passes on forest property, thc Vcrderers, as they are called, continuc to be nominated by the freeholders, but do not now hold any courts. Under the superintendence of those administrators, the forests were long ago divided into 93 separate coppices, intervening spaces of little extent being left vacant, and appropriated to the use of the keepers and their cattle. The small timber of each coppice is cut down every 21 years, during the first se ven of which the deer are excluded by fences ; the cat tle during the first nine. All of them are, as usual, sub
ject to rights of pasturage.
Exclusive of these half waste portions, Northampton shire is gencially in a state of respectable culture. It is distributed into rather large properties; but the farms are comparatively small ;—they vary from 100/. to 50C/. of rent. About half of the county is employed in graz ing ; and cattle, either native or imported, fattened for the London market, are the principal article of its pro duce. Wool is also provided for the internal consump tion ; and the dairy is an object of considerable attention, on some farms the sole object. The mode of husbandry, the animals and implements by which it is carried on, pr-esent nothing remarkable.
The limited manufactures of this county are princi pally concentrated about its capital, and will be noticed 4 L '2 under that. head. Besides these, there exist several fa brics of lace, woollen goods, and leather. Towcester is the chief seat of the first ; Kettering of the second. Shoes arc exported from various places ; and saddlery articles, particularly whips, are prepared to a consider able extent at Daventry. There are likewise a few pot teries, of ancient date, but diminutive importance.
According to the vatious enumerations made by or der of government, the population of this county stood as follows : In 1801, there were 27,401 houses, and 90,818 inhabitants ; of whom 63,417 were males , 68,340 females; 29 303 being the number employed in agricul ture, and 31,426 in trade. In 1811, the resident popula tion bad arisen to 14t,353, or 159 to the square nine ; 70,262 being the number employed in agriculture, and 471. the average net product, or rent and tithes of a fa mily. In 1821, the population had risen to 163 433.
With regard to the poor, it appears that in 1803 the number of persons receiving parish aid was 20.534, or sixteen in the hundred of the resident population : the expense so incurred was 97.734/.18s 2fd. including 3287/. consumed in lawsuits, removal ol paupers, and chatt,es of overseers; and omitting a probable sum of 158/ 2s. given to vagrants and other non-parishioners. The moncy levied was at the rate of 18s. 34d. per head on the population : the money expended imint,diately on account of the poor was at the rate of 14s. Mid. Of the total 20,534, there are 1313 maintained in work houses, at an expense of 12,811/. 19s. 811d. ; and 19.221 relieved, not in workhouses, at an expense of 81,638/. 188 40. The former, therefore, cost 9/. each annually : the lattri, 4/. 4,9. 1 ly See Beauties of England and Wales. vol. xii.; and Pitt's View of the .9griculture of Northainttonshire.