tine direction that it continues to its source on the head of Plinlimmon; surveys the diversified banks on the opposite side, and reposes either on the mountains of Glamorgan and Monmouth to the left, the hills of Malvern in front, or the more distant heights of Worcestershire and Glocestershire to the right.

On reaching the summit of Frocester hill a cross-road occurs, running in a line directly opposite to the Bath turnpike. This, penetrating into a noble wood of beech, conducts the traveller along the brow of a lofty eminence, upwards of a mile, when suddenly issuing from the shade it offers him another view of incomparable beauty. The wood ceases, and the hill on the left, forming itself into a rapid semi-circular coomb, unfolds beneath it an un; bounded prospect of fresh diversity, discovering a vast extent of bottom, ornamented with elegant houses, large manufactories, gay towns, and neat villages; the whole enlivened by long stripes of cloth, of various coloursred, blue, black, and white-stretched upon frames, for the purpose of dying. Again penetrating the wood, we pursue our darkling course through its shades for another half mile, and at length bid adieu to it on Silsly hill,

where, in addition to the other grand objects with which we have before been regaled, we embrace to the right the winding and picturesque valley in which Stroud is situated, with the flourishing manufactories and genteel mansions in its neighbourhood.

On dropping down Cain's-Cross Hill, in our approach to Stroud, we have a peep into Woodchester bottom, a place of Roman antiquity, where coins and tessellated pavements have been discovered in great abundance. At present, however, it offers more agreeable, as well as more useful, subjects of speculation, than even these classical remains-a long range of noble woollen manufactories. The principal of these belongs to Mr. Wathen, who some time since introduced the Manchester fancy work, which is now carried on with great spirit and success. He invented and adopted, also, an improved machinery for the manufacture of the cloth, the principal feature of which is a shearing engine, consisting of a cylindrical roller, round which the cloth passes. As the cylinder revolves, the cloth is encountered by several shears, which being firmly fixed in a proper machine, perform their office with the utmost exactness, no manual labour being re

quired, and one person performing as much work as eight would execute in the same space of time. The dying works at Dudbridge, over which we pass in our way to Stroud, excite our astonishment at the extent of this noble branch of British manufactures, the woollen cloth. Here Mr. Hawker has seven furnaces continually at work, which frequently dye fortytwo pieces in the course of one day. Large copper cauldrons, (heated by the furnaces beneath them) containing the liquor, or dye, receive the pieces of cloth, where they continue about two hours, being passed during the whole time round a cylindrical frame, that revolves a little above the surface of the liquor, in order to give the dying ingredients an opportunity of tinging the cloth regularly and uniformly. This process is performed twice, after which the piece is drawn through a body of cold water, to cleanse it from those particles which will not adhere, and fix themselves to the wool. It is then stretched on the tenters, and exposed to the air to be dried; sheared, pressed, and packed for sale.

The scarlet dye of Stroud and its neighbourhood carries a preference to that of any other place, the water of its springs having some

properties peculiarly favourable to that particular process. Its woollen trade also flourishes with a vigour unknown to the manufactories of Wiltshire, in consequence of the abundant streams which water the clothing country of Glocestershire, and afford the never-failing means of working the machinery, by which the business is carried on. Hence we see on every side a general appearance of affluence, an increasing population, a comfortable peasantry, and thickly sprinkled country seats, the snug retreats of the successful manufacturers. This gratifying view of human happiness extends through the whole clothing country, as it is called, a tract of valley consisting of two bottoms; that of Woodchester on the right, and Binscomb on the left; and stretching nearly fourteen miles from one extremity to the other. In this busy scene of industry, a great quantity of cloth is annually manufactured for home and foreign consumption; the demand for which, war has rather increased than diminished. The far greater proportion of its cloth consists of four colours-blue, red, white and black; the navy consumes a vast quantity of the first; the army, of the second and third; and the hapless survivors, whom war has robbed of their protec

tors the orphan and the widow-sufficiently explain the increased demand for the last colour.

The town of Stroud lies partly in a bottom and partly on the declivity of a hill, in the midst of a country singularly beautiful and romantic. Its girls are deservedly famed for their figure and charms; chiefly employed in burling and picking the wool, and preparing the white cloth for the dye, their business allows the greatest personal cleanliness, so that a knot of these busy females frequently exhibits more interesting beauty and neatness, than the drawing-room affords.

The road from Stroud to Cirencester, twelve miles, winds up the tedious hill at the bottom of which the former town is situated, but the wonderful views from its summit compensate all the toil of the ascent. Here all the cloth

ing country is seen following the foldings of the valleys on either hand, and, for the last time, the Severn river and its distant boundaries of Monmouthshire and Herefordshire. Very different, indeed, is the country on which we now enter; an open flat, laid out into large arable fields, separated from each other by stone divisions; the whole exhibiting a light hungry