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ESSEX is a maritime county, bounded on the north by the counties of Suffolk and Cambridge, on the west by those of Hertford and Middlesex, on the south by the river Thames, which separates it from Kent, and on the east by the German Ocean. Its figure on the sea-coast is irregular, being broken into a series of inlets and peninsulas, deeply cut in by arms of the sea, and exhibiting indelible tokens of the force and effects of that element. Its extent from east to west is estimated at sixty miles, and from north to south at about fifty; its circumference is computed at 225 miles, and its area comprises about 1,532 square miles, or 980,480 acres. In size it ranks as the tenth county in England, and in population as the fourteenth.
SOIL, PRODUCE, MANUFACTURES and CLIMATE. - Almost every species of SOIL, from the most stubborn to the mildest loam, is to be found within the limits of Essex. This county forms part of that tract of country, on the eastern side of England, which constitutes the largest connected space of level ground in the whole island: its surface is not, however, totally flat, having many gentle hills and dales; and towards the north-west, whence most of the rivers proceed, the country rises, and presents a continued inequality of surface. The most level portion is that of the south and east hundreds; its south-west part is chiefly occupied by Epping Forest and its several branches; northward the country becomes more open and uneven; the middle of Essex is in general a fine corn country, varied with moderate inequalities of surface, and sprinkled with woods. The proportion of waste land is very small; the greater part of the county is inclosed, and rendered highly productive, both in variety and quality, by the skilful management of the agriculturists. The principal PRODUCTIONS are wheat, barley, oats, beans, pease, turnips, tares, rape, mustard, rye-grass and trefoil; many acres are appropriated to hops, and a diversity of horticultural plants and roots - the latter being chiefly limited to the lands contiguous to the metropolis; another product of this county is saffron, which at one period was cultivated so extensively as to bestow a second appellation for a town (Saffron Walden), around which it flourished abundantly - a light rich soil and dry country are necessary for the successful culture of this plant. There is also a kind of treble crop cultivated, viz. coriander, carraway and teazle; the two former on account of their aromatic seeds; the latter for its prickly heads, used for the purpose of raising the nap on woollen cloths: the succession of the whole crop lasts three or four years. Though this county is not highly celebrated for its dairies, yet those in the parish of Epping and its vicinity are famous for the richness of their cream and butter - the latter mostly sent to London, where it bears a high character and price. Essex is proverbially distinguished for its calves, of which more are suckled or fattened here than in any other county. The marshy grounds, broken by arms of the sea into islands, and frequently inundated, afford fine pasturage for cattle. Fish are plentiful on the coast and in the various creeks of this county; some of the latter, near Colchester and about the Mersea Island, are valuable for their fine oyster beds; these supply an article for exportation to a considerable amount, and the true breed maintain a superiority in the metropolis. The conveniency of water carriage, and the goodness of the roads throughout the county, are of great advantage in transmitting its productions, and, combined with its proximity to the capital of the empire, bestow on it a commercial predominance over many others counties.
The MANUFACTURES of Essex, of late years, have receded in consequence: at Colchester are some extensive silk mills, and this town also retains a share of the manufacture of baize, for which it was once very famous; Bocking, Coggeshall and Braintree likewise participated in these trades; and in the last-named town, and its neighbourhood, many of the industrious poor are supported by the making of straw plat for the London market. The CLIMATE is generally mild; but part of the eastern and southern districts of the county are subject to fogs, which originate agues; drainage and the improvement of the lands have, however, greatly diminished this evil.
SUFFOLK is a maritime county, bounded on the north by Norfolk, from which it is separated by the Little Ouse and Waveney rivers; on the south by Essex, the river Stour forming the division; on the east by the German Ocean, and on the west by Cambridgeshire. Its figure is an irregular oblong - from Aldborough, on the east, to Newmarket, on the borders of Cambridgeshire, on the west about forty-seven miles in length; and from north to south the extent is about twenty-seven miles: its circumference has been estimated at one hundred and forty-four miles, and its area to comprise 1,512 square miles, or 967,680 statute acres. In size it ranks as the eleventh English county, and in population as the seventeenth.
SOIL and CLIMATE, PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - In this county there is a very great variety of SOIL; the whole, however, may for convenience be divided into four descriptions - clay, sand, loam and fen. The first of these comprehends the whole midland part of the county, through nearly its whole extent, and forms about two-thirds of the land. The next sort of soil consists chiefly of sand, and lies in opposite sides of the county - some in the maritime part; much of this district is highly cultivated, and is one of the most profitable; the rest of the sand district lies on the western side of the county, and comprises nearly the whole of the north-western angle: it contains a few spots of such rich sand-lands as are found on the coast, but abounds with warrens and poor sheep-walks; towards the borders of Norfolk it is very light and blowing. The third district, that of loam, forms but a small portion of the county, and is not so clearly discriminated as the others; it is composed of a vein of friable, putrid, vegetable mould, of extraordinary fertility. The fen division is merely the north-west corner; its surface, to some depth, is common peat-bog, and in different places is under water, though much expense has been incurred for draining. The CLIMATE of Suffolk has long been characterized as the driest in the kingdom; the frosts, also, are severe; and the north-east winds, which prevail in spring, are generally sharp. But though, like the western extremity of this island, Suffolk is not calculated to favour the weak and consumptive stranger, it is upon the whole extremely healthful. The agriculture of this county, is perhaps, as perfect, as any other is the kingdom: in the lighter lands the Norfolk practice is pursued; and in the heavier, beans and wheat, cabbage and other vegetables, are grown in rotation. The farming stock is highly valued - the cows being excellent milkers, and the horses strong, active, and capable of vast exertions. The woods of Suffolk hardly deserve mention, except for the fact, that in general they pay but indifferently; and nothing but the expense and trouble of grubbing prevents large tracts of land, thus occupied, from being applied much more beneficially. Hemp is cultivated in the district extending from Eye to Beccles, spreading to the breadth of about ten miles - which oblong part of the country may be considered as its seat: land for the growth of this useful article is in the hands of both farmers and cottagers; and the fabrics wrought in this county from its own hemp have great merit. The MANUFACTURES of Suffolk are not extensive or various - light stuffs, buntings, crapes and yarns being the principal under this head, with hempen cloth for home consumption; the combing and spinning of wool likewise prevail to some extent. The sea-ports depend much on the exportation of malt and corn: some have long been noted for the manufacture of fine salt, burning lime from fossil shells, &c.; other maritime towns derive considerable advantage from the mackerel and herring fisheries, and in the Orford river there are considerable oyster beds. The curing of fish employs great numbers of the inhabitants, of both sexes, in several towns on the coast, especially at Lowestoft.
NORFOLK, a fine and important county, is terminated on the north and north-east by the German Ocean; on the south, and for a short distance on the south-east, by the county of Suffolk; on the west by the Lincolnshire Washes, and part of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. It is almost entirely insulated by the sea and by the rivers, which latter form its internal boundary. Its figure is very compact, presenting an almost unbroken convexity to the ocean, and a curve somewhat indented to the land - thus nearly forming an oval, of which the diameter from north to south is forty-five miles, and that from east to west about seventy: its circumference is about one hundred and seventy miles, and its area comprising 2,092 square miles, or 1,338,880 statute acres. In size it ranks as the fourth county in England, and in population as the ninth.
King's Lynn
SOIL and CLIMATE, PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - The face of the county of Norfolk varies less than in most tracts of equal extent in the kingdom: not a single hill of more than moderate height is to be seen, but its surface is in many parts broken into gentle undulations. The SOIL of the county is known to have a greater variety in it than is found in any other in England, and may be separated into five sorts or qualities: the district round Norwich consists of a sandy loam, and also of stiff wet land, composed of a mixture of sand and clay; and to the west and north-west of the city a light sandy ground prevails; marsh land may be considered a fifth district by itself, consisting of ooze, formed by a deposition from the sea. There are large tracts of swampy ground in the vicinity of Loddon, frequently inundated by land-floods, and producing little else but sedge and reeds; several of the western hundreds, from Thetford northwards, are open and bare, consisting of extensive heaths, having a light sandy or gravelly soil. The CLIMATE, allowing for the contiguity of this county to the ocean, and its particular exposure to north and north-east winds, is more healthful, serene and mild than might be expected. The inhabitants near the sea-coast are sometimes afflicted with ague; but with the exception of this disease, which is not so prevalent in the interior of the county, the air of Norfolk is highly salubrious and pleasant.
The AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE of this county comprises all sorts of grain in abundance, and natural grasses; pease, beans, vetches, coleseed, clovers, and other artificial grasses; burnet, cocksfoot, chicory, cabbages, mangel-wurzel, lucerne, carrots and potatoes - it is only of late years that the latter invaluable root has been adopted as a field-course. Among irregular crops may be included mustard; saffron, likewise, is grown in many parts; flax is cultivated about Downham, and hemp near Old Buckenham. By the patriotic exertions and laudable example of the Earl of Leicester, every modern improvement in agriculture is fairly and experimentally laid open to the whole county. The fenny districts yield great quantities of excellent butter, which is commonly sent to London under the name of 'Cambridge butter'. The sheep are a hardy, active and rather small breed, and much valued for their mutton; and innumerable Scotch and other beasts are fattened for the metropolitan and home markets. Turkeys are reared here to a larger size than in any other county in England, and form an article of considerable profit to the smaller farmers; they are in great demand in London, and bring very high prices, particularly about the festive season of Christmas, at which period immense numbers are forwarded to the capital. Rabbits are extremely numerous on the sandy heaths; and game of all kinds abounds throughout the county, especially pheasants, which are bred and preserved to such an extent as to prove a great annoyance to the farmer. The MANUFACTURES of this county, although of a most important and extensive character, are nevertheless confined to a small space - Norwich may be considered the nucleus of the prosperous trade arising from the labours of the loom. The fabrics consist chiefly of bombasins, camlets, crapes, and other articles made from worsted and silk; many diversities of shawls, also, are manufactured here - likewise damasks, cotton and woollen goods to a small extent, and a variety of fancy articles: the weaving of broad silks has been introduced by some spirited manufacturers; and it is anticipated that this branch must ultimately succeed to a considerable extent in this part, from the facility existing in machinery, and the number of expert artisans. Yarmouth enjoys considerable consequence, in the double capacity of a port and fishing-town; from its herring fishery especially, and the peculiar and unrivalled mode practised in curing that fish, it has long enjoyed great prosperity and acquired no ordinary fame. The mackerel fishery, likewise, is of very material importance; and this county also participates in the Greenland fishery.