SOMERSETSHIRE, a maritime county of England, lying in a crescent-like form on the Bristol Channel, to which its north-western side is turned. It is bounded to the north-east by Gloucestershire, on the east by Wiltshire, on the south by Dorsetshire and part of Devonshire, and on the west by the latter county. Its greatest length, from east to west, is sixty-five miles, and its greatest breadth, from north to south, forty-five miles. Its boundary line has several considerable indentations. The whole area comprehends 1642 square statute miles, or 1,050,880 English acres; being in extent the seventh in the list of the English counties. The acreable value of the land, according to the late returns under the property-tax, exceeded that of any other county except Leicestershire, being, including the tithes, L.876 per square mile, or about 27s. per acre.

The civil divisions of this county are denominated the eastern and the western. The eastern division contains[7:20:475] twenty hundreds and seven liberties, and the western twenty-two hundreds; but these divisions have become of less importance, since other divisions have been politically framed by the Reform act, as will be hereafter noticed. The whole county is in the diocese of Bath and Wells; and is ecclesiastically divided into three archdeaconries, under which are thirteen deans, who superintend 482 parishes. There are within the county two cities (besides a part of BristoD, seven boroughs sending members to Parliament, and twenty-nine market towns.

The population of this county at the four decennial periods of enumeration, has been found to be as follows: In 1801, 273,750; in 1811, 303,180; in 1821,355,314; and in 1831, 402,500 . '

In 1831, the occupiers of land employing labourers were..... 6,032

The occupiers of land not employing labourers... 3,731

Labourers employed in agriculture 28,107

Labourers in manufactures 4,350

Labourers employed in retail trade or handicraft, 26,672

Capitalists, bankers, &c 4,676

Labourers not agricultural 12,183

Other labourers under twenty years of age 7,074

Males at and above twenty years of age.... 95,556

Male servants 2,801

Female servants 18,333

In the same year the number of families chiefly employed in agriculture was found to be 30,452; of those chiefly employed in trade, manufactures, and handicraft, 20,230, and of those not comprised in either of the preceding classes, 25,889∙ The number of inhabited houses was 71,325, occupied by 84,571 families; the uninhabited houses, 3,632, and those building, 939. The annual value of the real property of the county, as assessed in 1813, was L.1,900,651.

The towns whose population in 1831 exceeded 2000, were as follows:

Bath 38,063

Bedminster, a sub-

urb of Bristol 13,130

Frome Selwood 12,240

Taunton 11,139

Bridgewater 7,807

Wells 6,649

Yeovil 5,921

Shepton-Mallet 5,330

Chard 5,141

Wellington 4,762

Bathwick, a sub-

urb of Bath 4,033

Crewkerne 3,789

North Petherton 3,566

Wedmore 3,557

Wivelscombe 3,047

Ilminster 2,957

Martoch 2,841

Glastonbury 2,500

Twerton, sub. of Bath..2,478

South Petherton 2,294

Milverton 2,233

Keynsham 2,142

Wincanton 2,123

Nailsea 2,114

Milborn Port 2,072

Bruton 2,031

Few districts contain a greater variety of soil and situation than the county of Somerset. In the north-east corner, the range of the Mendip hills presents a lofty tract of country, of late improved on the surface, but chiefly valuable for the coal and other mines beneath it. On the western side are the Qnantock hills, an extensive and sterile range, and beyond them the elevated bleak plain called the forest of Exmoor, the highest district in the western counties. One spot in this forest, called Dunkeny, is 1668 feet above the level of the sea; and from it a prospect over an extended and diversified country is displayed, terminating on one side in the Bristol, and on the other in the English Channel. These hilly, and somewhat barren portions of the county, however, bear but a small proportion to the whole; and between them are to be seen the richest meadows and arable lands, the value of which more than counterbalances the sterility of the hills. In the better parts of the county, it may rather be described as rich than beautiful. There is a deficiency of woods; the streams that run in the valleys are sluggish, and in summer nearly stagnant; but the extent of orchards, especially when in full bloom, produces a pleasing effect, and in some measure compensates for the want of woods.

The rivers of the county are the Avon, which enters it from Wiltshire, and becomes navigable at Bath, which city it nearly surrounds. It then passes, with many curvatures, to Bristol, and soon after is lost in the Severn. The Axe rises in the Mendip hills in two branches, one of which issues from a natural excavation, called Wookey Hole, resembling some of the Derbyshire caverns. Its course is short, and it empties itself through some marshes, below Axbridge, into the Bristol Channel. The Brue rises in Wiltshire, and also enters the Bristol Channel, being navigable not more than two miles from its mouth. The Parret rises at a village of the same name in Dorsetshire, becomes navigable at Langport, and in rainy seasons a few miles above that town. It is joined, at Boroughbridge, by the Thone or Tone, which proceeds from Taunton, and passing by Bridgewater, empties itself into the sea. The only navigable canal that has been completed is the Kennet and Avon, which unites together the two great rivers Thames and Severn. It commences near Bath, and soon enters Wiltshire. Other canals have been projected in different directions, but none of them has been prosecuted to completion; though on several of them large sums have been expended.

As Somersetshire contains, on the banks of its rivers, large tracts of the richest meadow lands, the most valuable branch of its rural economy is the fattening of cattle and the management of the numerous dairies. The oxen, bred chiefly in the less fertile pastures of Devonshire, when grazed in this county, afford the best beef, and furnish, in great numbers, the markets of the metropolis, as well as those of Bristol and Bath, in their immediate vicinity. The produce of the dairy is of the best kind. The cheese of Cheddar has obtained great celebrity, but that made in many other parts, and frequently sold as Gloucester, is equal to any in the world. The butter in the southern division of the county is excellent, and much of it, collected in the vicinity of Crewkerne, is sent to the London cheese-mongers, who supply it to their customers under the denomination of Dorsetshire butter.

The next agricultural product is cider, which forms almost the universal beverage of the working classes. It is a more pure and yet a stronger liquor than the cider either of Herefordshire or Devonshire. The consumption of it within the county is very large, and some is sent to distant parts. Nature has been so bountiful in furnishing spontaneous productions, that to those agricultural pursuits which depend on skill and industry less attention is paid in this than in many other districts. Such is the abundiance of natural grass, that the farmers do not find it necessary to grow a crop of clover, or other artificial grass, so uniformly between two corn crops as is necessary in other counties; nor is the practice of fallowing, or of introducing a rotation by commencing with turnips, much resorted to. Notwithstanding this, they grow good crops of corn, and in the hundred of Taunton Dean the wheat is of the very best quality. Barley is not very extensively cultivated, as the general use of cider causes but little consumption of malt. The barley crops are in general very good. Oats are extensively cultivated, but scarcely equal the demands of the county, and the easy intercourse with Ireland readily supplies any deficiency when it occurs. The soil is well calculated for the growth of flax, and it furnishes a large proportion of that used in the manufactures of the county. It is not unusual to rent land for half a year while a crop of flax is raised; after which it is taken again by the regular occupant, who finds the flax to be an excellent preparative for wheat, from the careful weeding necessary to its growth.[7:20:476] The rich loamy soil brings to maturity the best elm timber. Goose feathers were formerly produced in great abundance; but the draining and inclosing many of the richest marshy plains has rendered these capable of yielding more profit by other productions, and of late years the quantity of feathers is much diminished. The landed property of the county is much divided, no one proprietor or great family having such extensive possessions as to give a preponderant political influence. There is a great number of yeomen who share the lands, and many of them maintain the homely independence of the past generations.

The mineral products of this county are valuable. The hills of Mendip supply with coals their vicinity, the cities of Bath and Wells, and the towns of Frome and Shepton -Mallet. The other parts of the county use the coals of Newport, which are brought by sea to Bridgewater. Lead, of a quality superior to that of Derbyshire, is found in Men dip and on the Cheddar hills. Calamine is extensively pro duced, and supplies the brass manufacturers of Bristol. Copper is found near Stowey. Manganese, bole, and red ochre, are among the other products of Mendip.

This is a manufacturing district for various productions. The manufacture of fine woollen cloth is extensive, chiefly at Frome, where it employs 730 males upwards of twenty years of age; and at Road are employed 59, at Beckington 32, Charter Henton, 24, Twerton, near Bath, 284, Lyn combe and Wedcombe, 565, and at Freshford, 32 makers of fine cloths. In another part of the county, at Wellington and Milverton, are nearly 300 makers of cloth of an inferior description. About 300 men are employed in making sailcloth, sacking, and girthweb, at Crewkerne and the parishes of East Coker, Merriot, West Hatch, and North Perrot. At Chard 478 men, and at Ilminston 21, are occu pied in making silk and lace, or the machinery for those fabrics; and the same trades afford considerable occupation at Bruton and Taunton. At Yeovil, and some of the towns and villages near it, the chief trade is glovemaking, which gives employment to more than 600 men, and a great number of females. Edge tools are made at Wells, employing 60 men, and also at Whately, Emborrow, and some other places. At Nailsea, 100 men are employed in the manufacture of glass; papermaking and tanning occupy 59 men at Cheddar; and at various places in the county are noticed manufactures of iron, calamine, copper, brass, paper, and snuff; and a variety of small articles is made at Bath.

The foreign commerce of Somersetshire passes chiefly through Bristol, which is the mart for such goods as are required in distant countries. Some of the woollen goods which are manufactured at Taunton and Wellington are shipped from Exeter. The far greater portion of the pro ductions of the county are, however, destined to supply the demand for internal consumption. The cattle, butter, and checse, are chiefly sent to London, and in time of war, to Portsmouth and Plymouth. The linen and woollen goods are distributed through the western and Welsh counties, and, in general, are destined more for the home than for foreign markets.

The titles derived from this county are those of the dukes of Somerset and Wellington; the marquises of Lans downe, Bath, and Bristol; the earls of Bridgewater, Poulet, and Ilchester; and the barons Mendip and Glastonbury. By the reform bill the county has been politically formed into two divisions, the eastern and the western, and each division elects two members to the house of commons. The election for the first is held at Wells; and the other polling places are Bath, SheptonMallet, Bedminster, Axbridge, and Wincanton. The election for the second is held at Taunton; and the other polling places are Bridgewater, IIchester, Wiiliton, and Langport.

The seats of the nobility and gentry, especially of the latter, near Bath and Bristol, are numerous; and our limits allow only of noticing the most distinguished of them, viz. Longlect, the seat of the Marquis of Bath; Hinton, the seat of Earl Poulet; and the houses of the Earl of Carnarvon, Lord Hood, Mr. Miles, and Colonel Gore Langton.

Two members are chosen for each of the cities of Bath and Wells, and two for each of the boroughs, Taunton and Bridgewater. The boroughs of Minehead, Ilchester, and MilburnPort, which chose two members each, have been disfranchised, and the town of Frome has been made a par liamentary borough, returning one member. Ilchester, from the elections being held there, and from its containing the gaol and county court, is usually considered the county town, although the assizes in the spring are held at Taunton, and in the summer at Wells and Bridgewater alternately.