CAERMAR'THENSHIRE, a maritime co. in South Wales, on the Bristol channel; bounded n. by Cardigan, from which it is separated by the Teify; e. by Brecknock; s. by Glamorgan and Caermarthen bay; and w. by Pembroke. It is the largest of the Welsh counties; length, 53 rn.; greatest breadth, 33 m.; area, 974 sq.m. nearly a third of which is waste. county is mountainous in the n. and e., and is Characterized by productive though narrow valleys and deep, wooded glens. Caermarthen Van or Beacon rises to the height of 2396 ft., being the greatest elevation in the county. The coast of C. is marshy, and is all situated on Caermarthen bay, which washes also small portions of the coasts of Glamorgan and Pembroke, is 17 m. across, 10m. deep, 35 in circuit, and receives the rivers Taff or Tave, Towy, and Lhoughor. The chief rivers of C. are the Towy, Cothy, Taff, and Teify. The Towy has a course of 60 m., of which 50 are in Caermarthenshire. It yields plenty of salmon, sewin, trout, eels, and lamprey, and is navigable for the last 9 m. of its course. On this river is the celebrated vale of the Towy, 30 in. long, with an average breadth of 2 miles. C., u. and w. of the Towy, comprisino three fourths of the county, consists of lower Silurian clay-slate and grauwacke. In the
s.e. corner of the county is a band of carboniferous limestone and grit, to which suc ceeds a small part of the South Welsh coal-field of Glamorgan and Monmouth, chiefly composed of stone-coal and culm. The mineral productions of the county are iron, coal, copper, lead, slates, lime, dark-blue marble. These, with tinned iron, grain, cattle, horses, sheep, and butter. are exported. The climate of C. is mild, but moist; the soil is stiff and poor in the uplands, affording pasturage for small cattle; but the rest of the county is well wooded, and in the s. part along the rivers Oats and barley are the chief crops. The chief towns are Caermarthen county town), Llanelly, Llandeilo-vawr, Llandovery, Newcastle-in-Etnlvn, and Kidwelly. The chief manufactures are woolens and hides. Pop. '71. 115,710. C. sends two members to. parliament. The county- contains so-called Druidical remains and Roman roads, besides many baronial and ecclesiastical ruins. In this county originated the "Rebecea " riots, which in South Wales, in 1843-44, were directed against the turn I i '15_-;;; _ hi/