GLAMORGANSHIRE (in Welsh, Gwlad Morgan), the most southerly of the counties of Wales, is bounded on the s. and s.w. by theBristol channel, on the w. by the co. of Carmarthen, on the n. by Brecknock, and on the e. by Monmouth. Area, 547,070 acres; pop. '61, 317,752; '71, 397.859. The increase in population since 1801 is unexampled in the kingdom, being upwards of 460 per cent. The coast-line, following the princi pal windings, is about 90 m. in length, and its irregularities occur chiefly in the western portion of the county, and are formed by Swansea hay and the peninsula of Gower (q.v.). The whole of the northern district is covered with mountains, the highest of which, however, Llangeinor, is only 1859 ft. in height. This district comprises one of the richest coal-beds in the kingdom. The southern portion of the county, called the " Vale of Glamorgan," forms a gret4 level, is richly wooded, with a mild climate, and is by far the most part of Sonotif_Wilas:' Its soil is a reddish Clay, resting on limo stone, and is excellently adapted for the growth of cereals. The mountainous district is intersected by numerous picturesque valleys, affording good pasturage for sheep and cattle. The chief rivers are the Rumuey, the Taff, the Neath, the Tawe, and the LIwchwr—all of them running southward from the mountains into the Bristol channel. Besides coal, anthracite or stone-coal, and coking-coal, with iron-stone and lead, are found in greater or less quantity. The ironworks at Merthyr-Tydvil are probably the most extensive in the world, and there are many others of scarcely less importance throughout the county. At Neath and Swansea are large copper-smelting works, to which ore is brought from South America and Australia. Lead and tin ores are also from considerable distances to this county to be smelted. Wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes are the chief crops raised; and butter and cheese are largely produced. The farms, however, are generally small, and agriculture is in a backward state. Owing
to the immense development of the coal and iron works, the map of the county has of late years become a network of railways and tramways, and no part of the country is better supplied with means of transport. Glamorganshire sends two members to the house of commons, and the represented boroughs are Merthyr-Tydvil, which returns two, and the districts of Swansea and Cardiff, which have one member each. Glamor ganshire contains some Roman remains, and many memorials of the middle ages. Of these, Oystermouth castle, Caerphilly castle, Cardiff castle, and Margam abbey, are the finest remaining specimens.
'_IxLANCE (Ger. Manz), a term often applied in popular language, and also by miner alogists, to a numerous order or family of minerals, of which galena (q.v.) or lead-glance may be regarded as a type. All of them are metallic, and many of them are known by names indicating the metal which is their principal constituent, as lead-glance, silver glance, bismuth-,glance, etc. In these and many other species, the metal is combined with sulphur, so that the mineral is a sulphuret, but there are also numerous species of glance in which sulphur is not present, but selenium, arsenic, or tellurium takes its place. In some kinds also, two or more metals are present instead of one, in combina tion with one or the other of these non-metallic or semi-metallic substances. Thus, gold-glance, or silranite, consists of gold and silver in combination with tellurium: it occurs in veins in porphyry, in Transylvania, and is wrought for the sake of both the precious metals which it contains. Several kinds of glance arc very valuable ores, as lead-glance, or galena, copper-glance, or redrutltite, and silver-glance, or argentite. Althouah mineralogists have adopted the names pyrites, glance, and blende as names of orders or families, the limits and distinctions of these groups are not well marked. All kinds of glance are fused without much difficulty by the blowpipe. They are also soluble in acids.