SUSSEX, a southern and maritime county of England, bounded on the north by Kent and Sur rey, on the east by Kent, on the south by the Bri tish Channel, and on the west by Hampshire. Its figure is that of an oblong, about 70 miles in length from east to west, and its utmost breadth from north to south 26 miles. It contains 1463 square miles. Its rental is L.549,950, and the amount of tithe L.100,498, the annual value of a square mile being L.445. In 1806 it paid L.1, 436,563 of property tax, and in 1803, L.206,591 poor's rates, at the average of 8s. 71d. in the pound. It pays sixteen parts of the land-tax. It is divided into six portions or rapes, in nearly equal parts from north to south, which are subdivided into 65 hundreds, and contain 313 parishes. The county is within the diocese of Chichester, and the pro vince of Canterbury. It is now included in the Home Circuit.
The general appearance of the country is rich and fertile. It is thickly clothed with the finest wood, which is computed to occupy an extent of not less than 170,000 acres. Formerly the whole northern part of the county was one continued forest, and it still contains some of the finest oaks in the kingdom, which arc in great demand for the use of the navy. The soil in most places consists of a stiff deep clay, with the usual variations of sand, loam, gravel, and chalk; of the latter sub stance, there is a whole range of hills called the South Downs, which run in a direction parallel to the coast, and on which immense flocks of sheep are pastured. In the small vallies that intersect these hills, large crops of grain are raised. Near the coast there is some very fine pasture land, on which a considerable number of the valuable oxen of the county are fed, to supply the London market.
Sussex is by no means deficient in mineral pro ductions, the principal of which is limestone, which is found in the eastern part of the district called the Weolds, in the greatest abundance and variety. It has been found to excel both that of Maidstone and Plymouth. There is also a very beautiful marble dug up in this country, called the Sussex and Petworth marble, which is capable of receiving a high polish, and is in great request for ornamental chimney-pieces. The stratum of this marble lies from ten to twenty feet beneath the surface, and is about nine or ten inches thick. The.other minerals are ironstone, fuller's earth, red ochre, chalk, and marl.
The agriculture of the county, and the rotation of the crops varies with the difference of the soil. Fallowing is much resorted to in the stiff clay of the Weold, but is rarely to be met with in the dis trict south of the Downs. The crops usually raised in Sussex, are wheat, oats, barley, clover, pease, and tares, turnips, potatoes and beans; and hops are also grown in considerable quantities. The cultivation of the hop is chiefly confined to the eastern part of the county, where it is prac tised on such an extensive scale as to require almost all the manure of the farm, the necessary conse quence of which is, that the crops of wheat and other grain are comparatively small. In the wes tern part of Sussex, there are some large and valu able orchards, which, when the soil is adapted to the fruit, yield a considerable produce. The best cider in the county is made near Petworth.
Sussex has been long celebrated for the excel lence of its breed of cattle, which is universally acknowledged to be inferior to none in the king dom. The distinguishing marks of a thorough bred Sussex cow, are a deep red colour, fine hair, a small head, and clear and transparent horns, run ning out horizontally, and turning up at the point. However superior the quality of their flesh may be, the quantity of milk yielded by the cows, is by no means equal to that of many other breeds; in con sequence of which there are few dairies to be met with, and the cattle are reared chiefly for the sake of the meat, which is of the very best quality. The oxen are much used in ploughing, in which em ployment they generally continue for three or four years before they are fed for the butcher. They are, however, worked very moderately, in order that their growth may not be affected, the usual number attached to a plough on ordinary soils be ing eight, but on a stiff soil ten and sometimes twelve. The sheep are of the well known South Down breed, (so called from the hills of that name on which they are pastured,) which, as well as the cattle, peculiarly belongs to Sussex. They have now, however, in a greater or less degree extended themselves over most parts of the kingdom. They have black faces and legs, and no horns. Their flesh is excellent; and their wool is in every re spect equal to that of Hereford. They are like wise a hardy breed, able to bear the severest storms, and requiring but a small quantity of food for their sustenance.
At present there is nothing in Sussex that de serves the name of a manufacture. There were for merly several establishments in the Weold for mak ing iron into bars, which gave employment to a con siderable number of persons. But they have been long disused, and removed to those districts where pit coal abounds, such as Scotland and Wales, where it is made at a much cheaper rate. The only other employment in which the population are engaged, besides agriculture, is that of fishing, which, in the summer season, and especially when the mackerel appear, is very productive.
The rivers of Sussex are few, and of no great im portance when compared with those of most other districts in the kingdom. But their origin and courses are confined within the limits of the county. The principal are the Arun, Adur, Ouse, Lavant, and Rother, the two first of which are navigable a few miles from their mouth. The Rother forms Rye harbour, and separates the county from Kent. There is only one canal in Sussex, which joins the towns of Petworth and Midhurst with the Arun.
Sussex contains many Roman and Saxon antiqui ties. There are still some remains of the Stane Street road, which ran from east to west of the county, and there are several ancient camps to be seen in the vicinity of the Downs. The most re markable of the Saxon remains are Pevensey Castle, Arundel Castle, and Battle Abbey. The others of less note are Eridge Castle, Bodeharn Castle, and Bayham Abbey. In 1717 a tesselated pavement and bath were discovered near Eastbourne.
Sussex sends twenty members to parliament, two for the county, and two for each of the under-men tioned places, Chichester, Arundel, Horsham, Bramber, East Grinstead, Lewes, Shoreham, Mid burst, and Steyning.