Sussex

Sussex, a maritime county, south of England, has Surrey on the N., the English Channel on the S., Kent on the E., and Hampshire on the W. The surface is undulating, and somewhat flat in parts, but in the S. the South Downs pnss through from E. to W., their most eastern point being Beachy Head. They rise to a height varying from 400 to 900 feet, but the highest point in the county is B1ackdown in the extreme N.W. Sussex is scantily supplied with rivers, the only ones being the Ouse, the Arun, the Adur, and the Rother. Heavy grain crops are grown in the S., and the marshes give a supply of good hay, and in the E. hops are grown, but there is nothing particularly characteristic about the remaining crops. The South Downs are noted for their breed of sheep, whose flesh is said to owe its excellence as mutton to the fine air and sea-breezes of the Downs. Sussex is well wooded, there being about 122,000 acres of wood in all, among which comes what is called the Forest Ridge, containing St. Leonard's Forest. and Ashdown Forest, the two comprising 24,000 acres. All this region of the Weald is rich in ironstone, and till last century the Sussex iron had a great reputation. Hammer ponds, scattered here and there, are now the only relics of the forges. Newhaven, at the mouth of the Ouse, is utilised by the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway as a port of embarkation to France. The fine climate of the southern coast gives it a special advantage as a place of residence, and Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Worthing, Bognor, and other spots on the coast are well-known sea-bathing places; Sussex has no special manufactures at the present day, though some ship-building goes on at Shoreham, at the mouth of the Adur. The county is rich in historical associations, easily aroused by the names of Battle, Hastings, Lewes, Pevensey, Rye, Winchelsea, and it is dear also to the antiquary and archaeologist. There are interesting castles at Arundel (still inhabited), Hastings, Lewes, Pevensey, Bramber, etc., and many picturesque seats, Petworth being one of the best-known. The capital is Chichester. The county has six Parliamentary divisions, each returning one member.