YORKSHIRE, a nal-aims county In the northern part of England, and by far the largest of the English counties, is bounded N.E. and E. by the North Sea ; S. by the 'estuary of the Humber, and the counties of Lincoln, Nottingham, and Derby ; S.W. by a ;midi part of Cheshire ; W. by lAncaehlre ; N.W. by Westmorland ; and N. by Durham and the mouth of the river Tees. The county is compre hended between 53' 18' and 54' 40' N. lat., about 0' 9' E. and 2' 36' W. long.. Yorkshire is divided into three Riding", tailed the North, 1cest, and East ithliags, and the Liberty or Ainsty of the city of York; and in the Population Returns, and many other statistical documents, thew division.' are treated as distinct counties.
Boundaries and Coast-line.—The coast of Yorkshire is generally high, and consists in many places of precipitous cliffs. From the south eastern aide of the mstuary of the river Tees, which separates York shire from Durham, the coat, which consists of cliffs abounding in fossils. runs in a very irregular line towards the south-east, without presenting any place of importance till it reaches Whitby. At Whitby, which is situated at the mouth of the river Esk, is a harbour which has been much improved, and has a considerable trade. A few miles south-east of Whitby the coast-line turns rather more to the south, and is indented slightly by the dangerous bay called Robin Hood's Bay. From this point the coast proceeds south-south-east to Scar borough, where an elevated promontory which projects abruptly towards the east, with an arm towards the south, forms a semicircular harbour, which is much used for shelter from easterly gales. From Scarborough Bay, south of tho harbour, the coast-line again inclines more to the east, to Filey Point, near the boundary-line between the North and East Ridings. Immediately south of Filey Point is Filey Bay, from which the coast runs in a nearly straight line by Speeton Cliff to Flamborough Head, which forms the extremity of a range of chalk cliffs, of brilliant whiteness, about 6 miles long, and rising in many places to an elevation of 300 feet. At the base of tiles.) cliffs are some extensive caverns, and near the extremity of the promontory, on a site about 250 feet above the level of the sea, is a lighthouse which was erected by the Trinity House Corporation in 1806, and which has a revolving light of sufficient intensity to be seen from a distance of 30 miles at sea. In 3G years preceding the erection of
this important lighthouse there were no less than 174 wrecks iu the immediate vicinity but its establishment has almost put an end to such casualties. From Flamborough Head the coast-line turns west ward, and then sweeping round to the south, forms the capacious bay called Bridlington Bay, upon the coast of which the sea has made such encroachments as to gradually sweep away the villages of Auburn, Hartburn, and Hyde. In this bay is a small hut sheltered harbour, defended by two batteries, at Bridlington Quay, about a mile south east of the town of Bridlington. From Bridliogton Quay to the sharp pointed promontory which terminates in the Spurn plead, or Point, and which forms the northern boundary of the restuary of the Humber, the coast-line is mostly very low and exposed to the inroads of the sea. At Sporn Head two lighthouses have been erected. The Humber formerly made considerable encroachments upon the low land in the vicinity of Spurn Head, but of late it has receded so much as to leave extensive tracts of marsh land. One of these, a few miles westward of the promontory, began to appear as an island about the commence ment of the reign of Charles 1., and, increasing from year to year, it was at length embanked and converted into pasture. In the Population Returns of 1851 this tract of land, which, though now only separated by a ditch from the mainland, and constituted a parish, retaius the name of Sunk Island, is stated to contain 5550 acres and 310 inhabit ants. The northern part of the coast-line of Yorkshire is rocky, and the cliffs, which are generally from 70 to 150 feet high, often rise abruptly and overhang the beach. In many places they are still higher, and at Stoups Brow, or Stow Brow, on the south side of Robin Hood's Bay, they rise to the height of 893 feet above the sea.