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426 WALES boundary between North and South Wales, which reaches a height of 2,481 ft. ; and the Black mountains, or Forest Fawr, in South Wales, the highest points of which, the Car- marthen and Brecknock Beacons, are respec- tively 2,596 and 2,862 ft. North Wales con- tains many picturesque valleys, but a large part of it is at a high elevation and unfit for cultivation. S. of the Plinlimmon range is an extensive and desolate mountain region, but E. and W. of it are beautiful and fertile valleys. In South Wales, on the S. side of the mountain system, is the plain of Glamorgan, the most fer- tile part of the country. The scenery of the Welsh mountains, which is noted for its pictu- resque beauty, attracts many visitors. Of the rivers of Wales, the Dee, Severn, Wye, and Usk flow into England. There are several small- er streams, of which the Clwyd flows into the Irish sea on the N. coast ; the Dovey, Rhei- dol, Aeron, and Teifi into Cardigan bay; the Towy and Neath into Carmarthen bay ; and the faff into Bristol channel. The only lake of importance, Bala, is but 4 m. long. About two thirds of Wales, extending from the river Conway on the N. coast nearly to Carmarthen bay, belongs to the Silurian formation. All S. E. Wales is Devonian or old red sandstone, above which lie the coal fields of South Wales, the one occupying the greater part of Glamor- ganshire and a part of Carmarthen, and a nar- rower one crossing the Pembroke peninsula to St. Bride's bay. These coal measures are estimated to be from 7,000 to 12,000 ft. thick, with more than 100 coal beds, 70 of which are worked. Wales abounds in useful minerals of great variety. Anglesea is rich in copper and lead ores, the latter containing silver enough to render its extraction profitable. The Parys copper mine, which once produced annually 70,000 tons of ore, is now much less valuable. In Carnarvonshire are great quarries of slate, which employ many thousand hands. The gross value of the annual product of the Pen- ryn quarries, under Snowdon, is 150,000. Denbighshire exports roofing slates, paving flags, and immense quantities of limestone to be used as a flux for blast furnaces in England. It has also beds of iron ore, coal, and lead. The adjoining county of Flint is rich in iron, zinc, lead, coal, and limestone. The lead- smelting works at Bagillt are among the most extensive in the world. Lead mines are worked in the N. E. part of Carmarthenshire. In the same p:irt of Wales, 10 m. W. of Llandovery, are the gold mines of Gogofaw, which were worked by the ancient Romans. The galleries made by them in the rock are still to be seen, and there are traces of aqueducts, built prob- ably to convey water to wash the gold, at the adjacent Roman station of Cynfil-Cays, where many gold ornaments have been found. These mines have not been worked in modern times. Other ancient gold mines are found in Merio- nethshire, N. of Dolgelly, which have been worked of late years. The lodes contain also small quantities of copper ore and galena. Glamorganshire is one of the richest of the mineral districts. Its coal field is almost in- exhaustible. The anthracite coal occurs chief- ly near Llanelly, and E. of it lie great de- posits of blast coal. The collieries employ about 10,000 hands. Blackband ironstone is found at Cwm Avon and other places, and there are several great iron works, which em- ploy more than 5,000 hands. Copper is ex- tensively worked at Swansea, Michaelston, Neath, and Taebach, and tin at Aberavon, Ca- doxton, and Treforest. Zinc, lead, manganese, gypsum, and firestone are also worked to some extent. The climate is moderate and equable, though somewhat cold and excessively humid ; the average annual rainfall is 45'5 inches. The soil is fertile in the valleys, but often bar- ren on the hills, though affording tolerable pas- turage. The principal vegetable products are the cereals, grasses, and some fruits. Agri- culture is backward, but gradually improving. The domestic animals are generally small, but of good quality. The Hereford cattle are pre- ferred. A small active breed of ponies, the "Merlins," are reared in considerable num- bers, and hardy sheep are raised in the moun- tain districts. In the vicinity of Cardiff, near Newport, and on the island of Anglesea, as well as in other parts of Wales, are numerous remains of the druidical age, called cromlechs, some of them of great extent and composed of stones of immense size; and evidences of the occupation of some portions of the coun- try by the Romans are found in the ruins of camps, walls, &c., and in the Roman coins oc- casionally exhumed. Wales is divided politi- cally into 12 counties, whose area, population in 1861 and 1871, and capitals are as follows: COUNTIES. Ar, q. m. POPULATION. CAPITALS. 1841. 1871. Anplosca.. Brecknock Carmarthen Carnarvon Cardigan.. Denbigh.. Flint 802 719 947 677 608 613 264 855 602 768 616 432 7.877 M.Mr, 61,627 111,757 05Q48 72,255 100,862 Wi-Mll 817,751 BUM 67,075 96,098 25,408 M.010 5U,901 116,710 106,121 78,441 10.M02 76.812 897.859 46,598 67,628 91,998 25,480 r.onumaris. Brecon. Carmarthen. Carnarvon. Cardigan. Denbigh. Mold. Cardiff. Dolgelly. Montgomery. Pembroke. New Radnor. Glamorgan Merioneth Montgomery Pembroke . . Kail in >r Total 1,111,796 1,217,185 The other considerable towns are Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea in Glamorganshire, Hav- erford West in Pembrokeshire, Holyhead on Holyhead island, Llanelly, Welshpool, Wrex- ham, Bangor, Ilolywell, Llangollen, and Neath. The greater part of the inhabitants are of Celtic origin, and are called by their English neigh- bors Welsh, but by themselves Kymry or Cymri. In some of the larger towns are considerable numbers of English, and the English language is spoken in nearly all the towns, but the peo-