or Isis, though not the longest, has been justly called the king of all the British rivers, superior to most in beauty, and to all in importance. It rises on the S.E. slope of the Cotswold Hills, and flows in general eastwards through the southern counties of the kingdom. Its source is in Gloucestershire, lower down it traverses a part of Wiltshire, then it separates Berkshire on the right from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire on the left, then Surrey from Middlesex, and, finally, Kent from Essex. Thames Head, the reputed source of the river, lies near the Thames and Severn Canal, about 3 miles S.W. of Cirencester; but the river may more truly be said to be formed by the confluence near Lechlade of the Churn, which is joined by the Isis or Thames, the Colne, the Leach, and the Cole. From Lechlade it flows towards Oxford, through a level country not very remarkable for its beauty, but containing some interesting spots,—such as Farrington Hill, which rises with a gentle slope between the Thames and the Vale of White Horse, to the south, the picturesque spire of Bampton rising above the low ground on the north, and the stately trees and rich grounds which environ the modern seat of Buckland, on the south. As the river rolls on, the country on either side of its banks becomes ever more rich and beautiful; while the volume of the stream is increased by affluents from the north. After receiving the Windrush, the first of these, it turns northwards, and flows in that direction as far as Handborough, near Woodstock. Near this it receives the Evenlode, and then, turning to the south, round the foot of Witthem Hill, it passes Godston Nunnery, the burial-place of the Fair Rosamond, and approaches the venerable towers and domes of Oxford, which it washes first on the west and then on the south side. Here the Cherwell unites its gentle stream with that of the Thames; and the noble river flows on through a tract of rich and verdant country, in some places hardly raised above the level of its waters. The next town it approaches is Abingdon, where may be seen beyond the meadows, on the river's banks, the Vale of White Horse, bounded on the south by a waving range of hills, partly wooded, partly bare. Below Wallingford, the Thames flows in a narrow valley between these hills and the celebrated Chiltern Hundreds in Buckinghamshire. A short distance above this point the Thames has received the Thame from the north-east. Further down, the river passes Reading, finely situated in a rich plain opposite the range of chalky cliffs that for a long distance lines the north side of the Thames. Through an exceedingly beautiful and diversified region, the river winds on past Henley Marlow and Maidenhead, until it flows Close at hand we come to Cooper's Hill, remarkable for its poetic, and Runnymede, still more so for its historical associations. Past Staines and Chertsey the river reaches Hampton Court, the favourite residence of William III., and Twickenham, equally celebrated for its connection with Alexander Pope. The beautiful town of Richmond, once the residence of royalty, and afterwards of the poet Thomson, and the village and gardens of Kew, Chelsea Hospital, and the prime minister's palace at Lambeth, bring us into the vicinity of the great metropolis, Westminster, St Paul's, and the Tower of London, are the well-known objects most conspicuous on the river's banks here. Then, leaving the city, it passes Greenwich, with its palatial hospital, Woolwich, Gravesend, and Tilbury Fort, gradually expanding its stream, until at the Nore Light, 45½ miles below London Bridge, it ceases to be known as a river, and mingles its waters with the ocean. The chief affluents of the Thames, besides those already mentioned, are from the north—the Colne, New River, Lea, and Rodding; and from the south, the Kennet, Loddon, Wey, and Mole. The whole length of the river is 215 miles, and the area of the country it waters 6160 square miles, nearly one-eighth of the whole area of England. Its height at Thames Head Bridge is 376 feet, at Lechlade, 343 feet, giving an average fall in this part of its course of 6 feet per mile; but below this point the average fall is nowhere more than 2 feet 3 inches. At London Bridge, where it is only 4 feet 3 inches above the sea, the fall is only 9 inches; and between London Bridge and the Nore it is but 1 inch per mile. The breadth at London is 290 yards; at Woolwich, 490; at Gravesend, 800; and 3 miles below, 1290. Its depth between London Bridge and Greenwich is from 12 to 13 feet; the mean rise of the tide is 17 feet, and the extreme, 22 feet. Up to Blackwall it is navigable for ships of 1400 tons; to St Catherine's for those of 800; and for barges as far up as Lechlade. The Thames is of vast importance as a means of communication; for though, with the exception of the metropolis, it passes no manufacturing or commercial cities, it traverses some of the richest agricultural districts in the country. It is connected by means of numerous canals with all the great rivers of the kingdom.