The deciduous timber trees, that are either aboriginal, or at least have been long naturalized to our soil, are the oak, the chesnut, and beech, all of which are moist bearing trees, or produce farinaceous oil nuts, the favourite food of hogs, and of many graminivorous qua drupeds ; the birch, the alder, the horn-beam, the abelc, the black-poplar, and the aspen, bearing catkens ; the sycamore, the maple, and the ash ; the lime, the elm, and the wych-hazle. A middle station between the tim ber trees and shrubs, is occupied by the teazle and the numerous species of willow. The pulpy fruit-bearing shrubs arc, the currant and gooseberry, the elder, the barberry, the bilberry, the cornel or dogwood, the buck thorn, the guelder-rosc, and the mazereon. The fool first are wholesome, and grateful to the palate ; the rest arc either insipid or noxious.
The ferns comprise a number of elegant plants, that grow in moist, shady, and uncultivated places, the uses of which have been but little inquired into. About 44 species arc natives of this country. The roots of most abound in a mild sweetish mucilage, which in times of scarcity has been resorted to for nutriment. The larger and commonest kinds, such as common ferns and brakes, are collected and burnt for the potash which is yielded from their ashes. The Equisetum hyenzale, (shave grass,) is much used by turners and cabinet-makers, as a fine lile to smooth their work with.
The last class of English vegetables that we shall men tion, is that of the marine alga, or sea weeds. Between 200 and 300 species are found upon our own shores. The more tender and gelatinous kinds are eaten, either raw or boiled ; and the rest, on those rocky parts of the coasts where they can be collected in great quantities, are burnt into kelp for the use of the soap boilers and glass makers." TUE last branch of the natural history of England re lates to and comprises an account of its mineralogy and geology. The minerals, in an economical point of view, will be considered afterwards : At present we shall con line our °Use) vations respecting them to those particulars which regard and illustrate their natural position and history. For the geology of England, the materials arc yet very unsatisfactory and incomplete. In fact, it is a science still in its infancy ; hut as geologists, at length, seem to be convinced of the advantage and necessity of accumulating and comparing facts, resting on minute and accurate investigation, before they venture to pro ceed to form theories, or even to lay down general prin ciples, we may hope that geology will soon be advanced to the dignity and precision of a science. The Geologi cal Society has done much ; and, from the nature and ob ject of its investigations and inquiries, as well as from the character of its leading members for philosophical views and general information, much more regarding the geology of England may fairly and confidently be expected from them. In what we are about to advance
respecting the mineralogy and geology of England, we shall be much indebted to their labours ; not shall we pass over the work of Mr Bakewell, entitled, " An In troduction to Geology, comprising an outline of the Geology and Mineral Geography of England ;" for though in this work there is a lamentable and discourag ing want of arrangement and method, and on many points erroneous or incomplete information ; yet on the whole it must be regarded as a respectable and useful perfor mance on this subject, at least till a more scientific and complete one makes its appearance.
If a line be drawn from the western side of the isle of Portland, passing through Dorsetshire, about half way between Dorchester and Bridport, and going a few miles to the west of Oxford and Northampton ; and a very short distance to the cast of Leicester and Nottingham ; afterwards inclining rather to the west, so as to include Doncaster and York between it and the German Ocean ; and at length sweeping round the last town m a direction nearly north-east, so as to reach the vicinity of Sear bot ough, it will include between it and the German Ocean the whole of the low district of England, Nvhich is composed of chalk, calcareous sandstone, and other secondary strata or alluvial ground, and in which no beds of workable coal or metallic veins occur. To the west of this imaginary line, the country is composed of secondary strata, of a different description, in many parts of which beds of ironstone and coal are found. This Mr Bakewcll denominates the middle district. On thc north, this district is bounded by mountains of metalli ferous limestone, which entering England from Scot land, proceed nearly through the centre of the former country, and terminate in Derbyshire ; the same species of country makes its appearance in the south-westen counties of and in Wales. The primary and transition mountains, in which metallic ores occur, are met with along the western side of the island. These con stitute the alpine parts of England, extending from Corn wall and Devonshire through Wales, into the north-west parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and through West moreland and Cumberland. It may be remarked, how ever, that the calcareous strata of the low district appear on some parts of the eastern side of Durham and Nor thumberland beyond Whitby. The principal coal-fields lie in that part of the middle district, which stretches from Derbyshire to Northumberland, and in that part of Wales which borders on the Bristol Channel. On the western side of Cumberland, the coal strata border on a small part of the alpine district, and dip under the sea. In the centre and east of England,"-i'he strata generally decline to the south east ; on the western side they are more broken and irregular. In a direction south-east from Nantwich in Cheshire to Worcester, all the rock salts, and most of the brine springs, are situated.