down, or sheep-walk, is a pleasing park-like spot, of about one
mile by half that space, jutting out on the verge of the hill-country,
where it begins to break down into the plains, and commanding a
very engaging view, being an assemblage of hill, dale, wood-lands,
heath, and water. The prospect is bounded to the south-east and
east by the vast range of mountains called the Susses-downs, by
Guild-down near Guildford, and by the Downs round Dorking, and
Ryegate in Surrey, to the north-east, which altogether, with the
country beyond Alton and Farnham, form a noble and extensive
outline.

At the foot of this hill, one stage or step from the uplands, lies the
village, which consists of one single straggling street, three-
quarters of a mile in length, in a sheltered vale, and running
parallel with the Hanger. The houses are divided from the hill by a
vein of stiff clay (good wheat-land), yet stand on a rock of white
stone, little in appearance removed from chalk; but seems so far
from being calcareous, that it endures extreme heat. Yet that the
freestone still preserves somewhat that is analogous to chalk, is
plain from the beeches which descend as low as those rocks
extend, and no farther, and thrive as well on them, where the
ground is steep, as on the chalks.

The cart-way of the village divides, in a remarkable manner, two
very incongruous soils. To the south-west is a rank-clay, that
requires the labour of years to render it mellow; while the gardens
to the north-east, and small enclosures behind, consist of a warm,
forward, crumbling mould, called black malm, which seems highly
saturated with vegetable and animal manure; and these may
perhaps have been the original site of the town; while the wood