We are often told that the geology of England affords an epitome of that of Europe, and it is certainly equally true that an epitome of the geology of England may be found in the County of York. Its wide diversity of strata, and difference of elevation and condition has a direct relation to its remarkable county boundary, which includes in an area of artificial limits, portions of river-basins draining into the eastern and western seas. The county includes the northern and central groups of the rivers, making up the Humber basin, but the southern group of the streams of that basin are beyond its boundaries, while westward, where the Pennine Chain forms the Humber watershead, the West Riding of York overlaps the Pennine axis and occupies no less than 400 square miles of country draining into the Ribble, Lune, and Eden, the latter draining into the Mallerstang valley, should be considered as belonging naturally to the Cumberland rivers, while the two former should be under the jurisdiction of the Lancashire authorities. The northern boundary of the Humber basin is the great east and west watershead crossing England from St. Bees Head to Robin Hood’s Bay, north of Scarborough; but here also the County of York does not follow the physical feature but includes the south bank of the river Tees, which stream forms the county boundary from its mouth to Cauldron Snout, near its source under Cross Fell. From the Tees the boundary ranges across the hills parallel to ...