T Hls Is a Maritime Eounty, Bounded on Tle South-East by the River

• • THlS is a maritime eounty, bounded on tLe south-east by the river Severn, on the south by the Bristol Channel, on tlw west by the counties of Glamorgan and Brecknock (in South Wales), on the north by part of the latter county and Herefordshire, and on the east by Gloucestershire, from which it is separated by the river \Vye. Its greatest length, from north to south, is thirty miles; its breadth, from east to west, twenty-six square miles; and its cil'cumferenco about one hnndred and ten miles, comprising an area of -±96 miles, or 317,4,10 statute acres. In size it ranks as tho thir~y sixth English county. NaME AND EaRLY HISTORY. By the Saxons this county was denomimated Tf/entsel and TVentdand; but by the Britons it was cttllod Gwent, from an ancient city of thrrt name. The modern ape.t.ation is taken from 1\Ionmo'Ith, the county town, which Leland derives from its situation between the river Monnow (or l\llmnow) and the \Vye; Ua'ntlen also says it was originally ca11ed Jllon_qwy (Mwny). 'l'he ancient inllabitants of this and tlle neigltbonri1•g county of Hereford W• re the Silu1·es ; and the early history of 1Ionmouthshire partahs of the events which took place iu tlle former county, and Jf those which occurred in Iluntin;;donshire. The Romans occnpieJ the country of the SiluTes, as a con quered province, from their complete establishment in the reign of Vesp1.sian to the period of their final depwture from Britain, when the colossal empire of Rome was tottering to its centre. There were five princip,Ll Hom1n stations in that part of the territory of the Siluru which is included in the present county of l'lfonmonth, namely, Venta Silurum, ascertained by antiquaries to have been at Caerwent; Isca Silururn, at Cam·lcon; Gobanniwn, at .A.ber~ gavenny; Burrium, at Usk; and Blestium, at nionmouth. The miscellaneous Roman antiqnitios discovered in t:!Je county at various times arc numerous and various, comprising aqueducts, baths, sndatories, tessala,ted p1.vements, columns, statues, has-reliefs, hypocausts, altars, sepulchral stones, sarcopl1agi, urns, coins, febulm, &c. In our notice of Caerleon mention is made of a multiplicity of interesting re1ic3 discovered in that atrl.tion ancl its vic:nity. ll.um.i·1B of a number of ancient encampments in various parts of the county am still vis;ble, the construction of which h s been attributed to the Britons and the Rom~ns. From the contiguity of tl1is county to the border of Witles, the fortified castles were also very numerous, the site of more than twenty being still distinguishable, most of which wcro of Norman erection; of several of them considerable portions have withstood the assaults of ti1ne, thcmglt for tho most part ruinous, those of Caerleon, U sl•, and Skenfreth possessing the greatest claim to antiquity. T~te first men tioned castle was taken by Henry II. in his progress to Ireland. The castle of Ragland, though prcsentino; tho most magnificent extent of ruins, is the most modern of all ancient fortresses; it was of well proveJ strength so Ltt.;~ as the time of Charles I. in whose favour it vigorously hold out under the Marquis of '\V orcester until its sun:enJer to General Sir Thomas Fairfax. The castle of Chepstow, supposed to havo been erected by William Fitz Osborn, Earl of Hereford, is likewise an iP..1posing ruin; in 1645, this castle, wl1ich had been garrisoned for King Charles, surrendered to the troops of the Parliament; in 1648, however, the royalists, under Sir 'Villiam Kem9ys, retoCJ], it, but retained possession of the fortress only for a brief period, as on the 25th of l\iay in the s:une year it fell before Cromwell's forces under Colonel Ewer. Tho number of religious houses, inclulling two hospitals, were seven teen; of these the most intestine remains are the Sistercian Abbey of Tin tern anJ. Llanthony Priory Churah, both exhibiting large masses of beautiful architecture in ruins, in highly picturesque situations ; and benoatll the Hatterell Hills, near Ragland Castle, is the well adapted site of a monastery. The principal towns of this c·xmty are situated upon the banks of the \Vye and Usk; but Monmouth, the county town, lies in an angle fonnecl by the Wye and Monnow, on the eastern side of the county. Monmouthshire was formerly classed as one ol the ·welsh counties; and from the names of its towns and villages, its mountainous rugged surLtce, as well as its situ1.tiou beyond a large river (the Wyo), which seems in this part to form a natural boundry between England and Wales, it certainly partakes more of the character of the latter portion of the kingdom, though it is comprehended within the civil division of the former. SorL, SuRFl\CE, CLIMATE, AND PRODUCE. Viewed agriculturally, the connty may be L1ivided into three districts. The first, comprising the southern part, consists partly of large tracts of moor or marsh land, I- wing in somt panq a rich loamy soil of great depth and fertility, and in others, a vast body of black pe'lty matter; other portions again consist of a light loamy soil, which produces fine timber of different kinds, while in another part there is a mixture of clay and loam, forming fertile meadows, and above them an excellent reddish soil, well allapted to the growth of corn, turnips and potatoes. The second division includes the eastern part of the county, the soil of which is of a ligllt red colour, and such are its natural advantages and fertility that the wholo district has the appearance of a garder.. 'I' he third division comprises the western and more hilly portion of the county, the f:!oil of which upon the hills is geneL\olly thin, of a peaty nature and covering strata of stone, lying upon beds of coal or iron ore. The low or marshy !1-nds ara chiefly in a state of meadow and pasture; the uplands are partly pasture and partly amble. The oxen in this county are of a largo and useful kind, evidently a cross between t1w breeds of the two uJja.cont districts, Horef )rd and Glamorgan; they grow to a large size, sometimes weighing, when fattened, from seven to nine hundredweight. 'l'.ae sheep are small, and partake of the properties so noted in the mountain breed of South Wales. Tbe wool is coarse, and of rather short staple, but the flesh is fine in grain and delicate in flavour. This breed is clliefiy prev~lent in the mountainous parts of the county. In the middle and lower distrilits numeTous crosses have been tried with the Cots wold, Southdown, and the Dorset breeds. A considerable portion of the land is disposed in sheep walks, and the quantity lying in commons is considerable; the woods and coppices are numerous, and contain a large quantity of timber, particularly beech and oak. Although much of the county is both mountainous rnri rocky, and contains numerous wastes and commons in a comparatively unproductive state, yet the amount of ag1:icultural produce is greater than is required for the consumption of its inhabitants, and much of the surplus is c mveyed to Bristol and other markets. 'l'he surface of this county is picturesqne, and pecnliarly delightful. The easL~n parts are woody and the western mountainous-a diversified and luxurious scenery of hill and dale. In one district the eye is charmed with sylvan shades, impervious woods, fields enriched with the finest corn, and meadows enamelled with flowers; frl)ill other points a scene in complete contrast may be contemplated lofty mountains, whose summits reach the clouJs, form a sublime and majestic picture, awfully commanding and deeply impressive. The river Usk divides Monmont~ shire into two unequal portions, of which the east and largest is, upon the whole, a tract fertile in corn and pastme, and well wooded; the smaller 01"" western division is monntainous, and in great part unfavourable to cultivntion; b 1' the hills feed great numbers of cattle and sheep. 'l'he CLIMATE of the county is salubrious, and favourable to c1nva. lescence and longevity; the air is pure, and though in the mountainous regions it is found of a keen ancl pit..rcing nature, yet it tends greatly to brace and strengthen the animal system, precludes those disorders which generate in a. · moist IUld milder atmosphere, and difiuses its 13anative influence over the more level districts. 1 J n 1 .

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