AND POSITION.

5

Medina, or Newport. River , and the inlets at Newtown,Yarmouth,and Fishbourn, are included. The surveys made by Government,though engraved long since, have been hitherto, on account ofthe war, carefully kept from the public. It is to be hoped, theywill now be given to the world.

Ihe Isle of Wight is divided into two parts nearly equal inextent and population by the river Medina, which rising at thefoot of St. Catherine’s Hill, runs with nearly a straight course duenorth, and falls into the sea at Cowes. These two districts arecalled the Hundreds or Liberties of East and West Medina.

lhese hundreds contain severally the following parishes.

East Medina. Brading , St. Helen’s, Yaverland, Shanklin,Bonchurch, Newchurch, St. Laurence, Whitwell, Niton, Godshill,Arreton, Binstead, Wootton, Whippingham.

W est Medina. Northwood, Newport, St. Nicholas, Caris-brook,Gatcornbe,Kingston, Chale, Shorwell, Brixton, Mottiston,Cal bourn, Shallleet, Brook, Thorley, Yarmouth, Freshwater.

The population of the Isle of Wight, as given by Sir Richard Worsley , was in the year 1777> 18,024, exclusive of troopsquartered there. In the Population Abstracts, published by orderof the House of Commons, the population in 1800 is stated at22,097, and in the return for the year 1812, it is 24,120.

The range of chalk hills, running through the Island fromeast to west, separates it into two distinct regions, the soil andstrata of which are essentially different.

Another division of the Island , is into the basons of its waters,which may be considered as five in number. First, the centralbason, or Valley of Medina. This valley commences at thenorthern foot of the Hill of St. Catherine’s, where the Medina