Northumberland
"The
most northerly county of England. It lies next to Scotland, on the German Ocean, and is
bounded by Durham and Cumberland. It extends about 70 miles in length, and 50 in breadth;
contains 12 market towns, and 460 parishes. The air is not so cold as might be imagined
from the latitude in which it lies; and the snow seldom lies long in Northumberland,
except on the tops of the hills, some of which are above 2000 feet high. The soil is
various; the eastern part being fruitful, having very good wheat and most sorts of corn,
with rich meadows on the banks of the rivers; but the western part is generally barren, it
being mostly heathy and mountainous. It yields lead; and is one of the most productive and
best coal-fields in England. Iron and glass-works are its principal manufactories; and it
has some fisheries. This county is well watered by rivers, the principal of which are the
Tyne, Tweed, and Coquet. Alnwick is the county-town, but the largest and richest is
Newcastle. Population, 250,278. It returns 8 members to parliament."
[From Barclay's Complete and Universal English
Dictionary, 1842]
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