and the waters are said to be useful in pulmonary
complaints. From this beginning large and ornamental suburbs have been
terraced on the rocks and hills above the springs, while on the summit
is an observatory. There is a hermitage cave of great antiquity carved
in the perpendicular face of the rock just above the river, and known as
the "Giant's Hole." The entire neighborhood is full of charming scenery,
and thus the ancient port presents varied attractions, combining
business profit with recreation, while from the hilltops there are
glorious views extending far down Bristol Channel to the dim hills of
South Wales.

WELLS.

[Illustration: WELLS CATHEDRAL, FROM THE BISHOP'S GARDEN.]

[Illustration: WELLS CATHEDRAL, FROM THE SWAN POOL.]

Proceeding southward into Somersetshire, we arrive at the cathedral city
of Wells, which is united with Bath in the well-known bishopric of Bath
and Wells, and is considered the most completely representative
ecclesiastical city in England. It gets its name from its numerous
springs, taking their rise from the wells in the Bishop's Garden, where
they form a lake of great beauty, while bright, clear water runs through
various streets of the town. After leaving the edge of the Bristol
Channel the plain of the Somersetshire lowlands is bordered by rocky
uplands, of which the most important is the elevated plateau known as
the Mendip Hills, carved on the outside with winding valleys having
precipitous sides. Wells nestles in a wide grassy basin at the foot of
the Mendips, its entire history being ecclesiastical, and that not very
eventful. It never had a castle, and no defensive works beyond the wall
and moat enclosing the bishop's palace. It seems to have had its origin
from the Romans, who worked lead-mines among the Mendips, but the first
fact actually known about it is that the Saxon king Ina established here
a house of secular canons "near a spring dedicated to St. Andrew." It
grew in importance and privileges until it became a bishopric, there
having been fifteen bishops prior to the Norman Conquest. The double
title of Bishop of Bath and Wells was first assumed in the days of King
Stephen. In looking at the town from a distance two buildings rise
conspicuously--the belfry of St. Cuthbert's Church and the group of
triple towers crowning the cathedral. There are few aggregations of
ecclesiastical buildings in England that surpass those of Wells, with
the attractive gateways and a