NORTHUMBERLAND. The south-eastern part of this county, bounded by a line drawn from Warkworth, at the mouth of the Coquet, by the head of the river Blyth, to the Tyne, and thence southward to the bank of the Der went, is included in the great coal-field of thecounties of Northumberland and Durham. [COAL-FIELDS.) This coal-field is the great source of wealth to the county, and gives it a high rank among the shires of Britain. The salmon fishery of the Tweed is very important, and a considerable number of boxes of that fish packed in ice are sent from that river to the London market, besides what is salted. The county of Northumberland has been one of the foremost of the English counties is adopting the improved system of agriculture, the chief feature of which is the cultivation of turnips for the rearing and fattening of cattle. So great has been the advantage derived from this change from the old triennial system, that many fields now yield heavy crops of this use ful root, which in most other parts of England would be considered as totally unfit for its cultivation. The instruments of tillage are mostly of improved make. The ploughs are generally iron swing-ploughs, on the principle of the old Rotherham plough, which was origi nally copied from the Belgian plough, and afterwards improved. The harrows, rollers,
scarifiers, &c., are as in other counties. Threshing-machines, moved by water, wind, or horses, are thought essential on the larger Northumberland farms.
The manufactures of the county are noticed in connection with its chief industrial centre [NEWCASTLE] ; but there are other busy towns worthy of note. Allendale lies near the lead. mines, and has establishments for the smelt ing of that metal. Alnmouth has a considerable export of wool to the West Riding, and of corn to the metropolis. Blythe has ship-building yards for small vessels. North Shields has a great trade in coal, and a very active shipping commerce, by which it is becoming every year a place of more and more importance. All along the Tyne, but especially from Newcastle to the German Ocean, the number of manufac turing establishments is very great. Besides the enormous shipment of coals, there are very extensive chemical and alkali works, soap works, lead and shot works, white and red lead works, potteries, plate and window glass works, oil mills, starch mills, dsc. •