a county of England, bounded on the east by Lincolnshire, on the south-east and south by Leicestershire, on the west by Derbyshire, and on the north and north-west by Yorkshire. It extends in length 43 miles, 24 in breadth, and 110 miles in compass; containing 560,000 acres, 8 hundreds, 9 market-town, 168 parishes, 450 villages, about 17,500 houses, and 95,000 inhabitants. No county in England enjoys a pleasanter and healthier air. As for the soil, it differs widely in different parts of the county. Towards the west, where lies the forest of Sherwood, it is sandy; and therefore that part of the county is called by the inhabitants, the Sand; but the south and east parts, watered by the Trent and the rivulets that fall into it, are clayey; and for that reason are called by the inhabitants, the Clay. The latter is fruitful both in corn and pasture; but the former produces little besides wood, coal, and some lead. The county has a variety of commodities and manufactures, as wool, leather, tallow, butter, cheese, coal, marle, cattle, malt, liquorice, stockings, glaas, earthen-ware, and strong ale. The principal rivers are the Trent and Idle. The Trent, whose name is supposed to be derived from the French or Latin word signifying thirty, either because it receives thirty smaller rivers, or has thirty different sorts of fish in it, is inferior to no river in England, but the Severn, Thames, and Humber. It enters the county on the south-west, and passes through it to the north-east, where it enters Lincolnshire, and after a long course falls at last into the Humber. The Idle rises in Sherwood-forest; and after traversing the northern part of the county, falls into the Trent upon the borders of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

The spacious forest of Sherwood lies in the west part of the county, and indeed takes up the greatest part of it. It was formerly so thick, that it was hardly passable; but now it is much thinner. It feeds an infinite number of deer and stags; and has some towns in it, of which Mansfield is the chief. It abounds in coal, and a road lies through it for thirty miles together. Since the reign of King Edward I., the nobility and gentry have had grants of it. It is governed by a great number of officers under the earl of Chesterfield, chief forester; whose ancestor, Sir John Stanhope, had a grant of it, with liberty to destroy and kill at pleasure, reserving only an hundred deer in the whole walk. The principal town is Nottingham, which gives name to the county. It is a handsome town, and a county of itself by charter. The name is derived from the Saxon word Shottenham, which signifies caves, from the caves and apartments anciently dug in the rocks on which the town stands. These, being lost, easily yield to the spade and pick-axe; whence the townsmen have excellent cellars for the vast quantities of malt liquors made here, and fent, as well as their malt, to most parts of England. The situation of the town is very pleasant, having meadows on one hand, and hills of a gentle, easy ascent, on the other. It is well supplied with fuel, both wood and coal, from the forest; and with fish by the Trent, which runs about a mile to the south of it, and has been made navigable for barges: so that they receive by it not only great quantities of cheese from Warwickshire and Staffordshire; but all their heavy goods from the Humber, and even from Hull. It is of great antiquity; and had anciently a very strong castle, where is now a fine seat belonging to the duke of Newcastle. It is noted for its horse-races on a fine course on the north side of the town. The corporation is governed by a mayor, recorder, five aldermen, two coroners, two sheriffs, two chamberlains, and twenty-four common-council men, eighteen of the senior-council, and six of the junior; a bell-bearer, and two pinders, one for the fields, and the other for the meadows. The town being within the jurisdiction of the forest, the former of these pinders is town-woodward, and attends the forest courts. It has three neat churches, the chief of which is St Mary's; and an alm-houfe, endowed with 100 l. a-year, for twelve poor people; with a noble town-houfe, surrounded with piazzas. A considerable trade is carried on in glaas and earthen-ware, and frame-stockings, besides the malt, and malt-liquors, mentioned above. Marshal Tallard, when a prisoner in England, was confined to this town and county. In the duke of Newcastle's park there is a ledge of rocks hewn into a church, houses, chambers, dove-houses, &c. The altar of the church is natural rock, and between that and the castle there is an hermitage of the like workmanship. Upon the side of a hill there is a very extraordinary fort of a house, where you enter at the garret, and ascend to the cellar, which is at the top of the house. Here is a noted hospital founded by John Plumtree, Esq; in the reign of Richard II., for thirteen poor old widows. There are four handsome bridges over the Trent and Lind. To keep these in repair, and other uses, the corporation has good estates. This town and Winchelsea both give title of earl to the noble family of Finch. Here David, king of Scots, when a prisoner in England, resided; and under-ground in a vault, called Mortimer's hole, because Roger Mortimer, earl of March, is said to have absconded in it, when he was taken and hanged by order of Edward III.

NOVA-SCOTIA. See Nova-Scotia.