riority of position. Amongst its
forms are Nether and Nieder. The term is well applied to the
Glamorganshire river, which runs through dingles and under mountains.

The Neath has its source in the mountains of Brecon, and enters the sea
some little way below the town of Neath.

On the Monday morning I resumed my journey, directing my course up the
vale of Neath towards Merthyr Tydvil, distant about four-and-twenty
miles. The weather was at first rainy, misty and miserable, but improved
by degrees. I passed through a village which I was told was called
Llanagos; close to it were immense establishments of some kind. The
scenery soon became exceedingly beautiful; hills covered with wood to the
tops were on either side of the dale. I passed an avenue leading
somewhere through groves, and was presently overtaken and passed by
hounds and a respectable-looking old huntsman on a black horse; a minute
afterwards I caught a glimpse of an old red-brick mansion nearly
embosomed in groves, from which proceeded a mighty cawing. Probably it
belonged to the proprietor of the dogs, and certainly looked a very fit
mansion for a Glamorganshire squire, justice of the peace and keeper of a
pack of hounds.

I went on, the vale increasing in beauty; there was a considerable
drawback, however: one of those detestable contrivances, a railroad, was
on the farther side--along which trains were passing, rumbling and
screaming.

I saw a bridge on my right hand with five or six low arches over the
river, which was here full of shoals. Asked a woman the name of the
bridge.

"_Pont Fawr_ ei galw, sir."

I was again amongst the real Welsh--this woman had no English.

I passed by several remarkable mountains, both on the south and northern
side of the vale. Late in the afternoon I came to the eastern extremity
of the vale and ascended a height. Shortly afterwards I reached Rhigos,
a small village.

Entering a public-house I called for ale and sat down amidst some grimy
fellows, who said nothing to me and to whom I said nothing--their
discourse was in Welsh and English. Of their Welsh I understood but
little, for it was a strange corrupt jargon. In about half-an-hour after
leaving this place I came to the beginning of a vast moor. It was now
growing rather dusk, and I could see blazes here and there; occasionally
I heard horrid sounds. Came to Irvan, an enormous mining-place with a
spectral-looking chapel, doubtless a Methodist on