YORKSHIRE, England, the largest county of the kingdom, bounded on the north by the Tees, separating it from Durham, east by the North Sea, south by Lincoln. Nottingham, Derby and Cheshire, and west by Cheshire, Lancaster and Westmoreland; area, 6.06; square miles. Yorkshire is divided into tritb ings, or three ridings, respectively, the north. cast and west, each having a separate lord-lieu tenant, but a single high sheriff for the count) The main portion of the county forms a large central valley stretching southeast to the Hum ber, flanked on one side by the Pennine ranee and on the other by the Cleveland Hills, and drained chiefly by the Ouse and its tributanes Considerably more of the North Riding is pa, turage than is under cultivation, but it includes the vale of York, with an area of about 1.01) square miles, in which there is much fertile land growing all kinds of crops. It also includes the Cleveland district, with its great bed of iron ore. In the North Riding is the capital of the whole county, York, Scarborough, a favorite watering place, and Whitby, famous for its jet. In the East Riding the area under cultivation greatly exceeds that laid down in permanent pasture. Its industrial activity is centred in the great seaport of Hull. In the West Riding the proportion of land laid down in permanent pasture is larger than in any other, being two-thirds of that under cultiva tion. The West Riding has long been famous for its woolen and worsted manufactures, of which it is now the chief seat. Their de
velopment has been in modern times aided by the proximity of coal and iron. The great coal field of the West Riding yields not only the Silkstone bituminous coal, most valuable as a house coal, but also the Barnsley thick coal, semi-anthracitic. There are important manufactures of chemicals in both the South and the West Ridings. Leeds produces every variety of woolen goods, as well as manu facturing clothing and paper; Bradford, mixed worsted fabrics and yarns; Dewsbury, Batley and adjoining districts, shoddy; Huddersfield plain goods, with fancy trousering and coat ings; and Halifax, worsted and carpets; Barns ley is famous for its linen manufactures, of which Leeds also is a seat, as well as of that of leather. Next to the woolen and other tex tile industries comes the manufacture of iron and steel machinery, and implements of es-e-ry description. Leeds is one of the principal seats of all kinds of mechanical engineering, and Sheffield of iron-work and cutlery The county was a part of the kingdom of Dien from the 6th century until the Danish Coe quest in the 9th century; and it suffera-..! severely under the Norman Conquest. It ha many ancient castles and fine examples of ecclesiastical architecture. Pop. 3,584,762.