MONMOUTHSHIRE, a maritime county in the south-west of England, is bounded on the north-east by Herefordshire, from which it is separated by the river Mynnow; on the east by Gloucestershire, from which it is divided by the Wye ; on the south-east by the xstu ary of the Severn, which divides it from Gloucestershire and Somersetshire ; on the north-west by Brecknock shire; and on the west by Glamorganshire, from which it is divided by the Rumney. Its length is about 33 miles ; its breadth about 24; its circumference about 110 miles ; and its area about 516 square miles, or 330,000 acres. In point of size, therefore, it approaches nearest to Herefordshire ; and of all the counties in Eng land surpasses only Rutlandshire and Huntingdonshire. It is divided into six hundreds—Skenfreth, Usk, Aber gavenny, \Ventlog, Caldicot, and Raglan. Its principal towns are situated on the banks of the Wye and the Usk, and are, Monmouth, the county town, at the confluence of the Wye and the Mynnow ; Chepstow, near the mouth of the Wye ; Usk, on river of the same name ; Aber gavenny, also on this river ; Pontypool, on the Avon, a branch of the Usk ; Caerleon, at the confluence of the Avon and Usk ; and Newport, near the mouth of the Usk. Monmouthshire returns three members to Par liament, viz. two for the county, and one for Newport, Monmouth and Usk, conjointly ; and is in the province of Canterbury, and diocese of Lambeth.
The natural divisions of this county are strongly marked by the river Usk ; the eastward and larger por tion partakes of the character of the adjoining counts' of Hereford, and is well wooded, low-lying, and fertile ; the smaller western part partakes of the character of Wales, being mountainous, and in great part unfavourable to cultivation, though there are several long, narrow val leys in it, watered by rivulets which flow into the xstu ary of the Severn. 44 This is properly the county of land scapes. In other districts of our island, extent excites admiration, but in Monmouthshire all are home views ; even where the xstuary of the Severn forms a part of the enchanting scene, the points of the horizon are the hills of Gloucester and Somerset. The course of the Wye is every where interesting, in some places sublime; that of the Usk, fringed with woods, or bounded by rich meadows, is a scene of perpetual beauty. The whole county forms but one exquisite landscape, of which the British channel is the foreground. Hills covered with woods, which the roads beautifully limit, or boldly climb ; valleys fertilized by streams; thickets endlessly diver sified ; turrets rising in coverts, and ruined arches al most buried within them ; mutilated castles, and moul dering abbeys, partially concealed ; hamlets, churches, cottages, houses, and farms, are blended into one general and extensive scene, while the mountains of Glamorgan and Brecon melt into a distant and magnificent horizon."
Such is a general picture of this county ; and as it is in teresting and important, chiefly from its beauties, we shall almost exclusively confine this article to those par ticulars which form or illustrate them.
The vale of the Usk is the largest tract of level ground in the inland parts of the county ; it extends to the west of the town of Usk, along the lands watered by the Ebwy ; and to the south, between the Usk and the elevated ground, almost to New-bridge ; it is a rich and fertile district, but exposed to the overflowing of the Usk and Ebwy. There is another vale, called the Vale of Usk, which stretches from beyond Abergavenny along both sides of the river to the foot of Clytha hills. But the most romantic, as well as the least known of the val leys of Monmouthshire, are those which are called the valleys of the Ebwy and Sorwy. Under this descrip tion is included the mountainous district watered by the Rumney, and the streams that fall into it and the Usk, called the wilds of Monmouthshire. One of these streams bursts through a deep, narrow, and woody glen, and is discovered only by its foam glistening through the thick foliage ; this rivulet is crossed by a stone bridge, which leads to a narrow and rugged path that winds round the sides of the Beacon mountain ; these are thickly clothed with underwood, and most beauti fully adorned with hanging groves of oak, alder, beech, and " the wild rasps twining in the thickets, and the ground covered with the wood-strawberry." The Valley of Ebwyfach, or, as it is called by the natives, the Valley of the Church, is now entered ; it is bounded on the east by a ridge called Milfichill, which divides it from the parishes of Llanfoist and Trefrechin ; and on the west by the Beacon mountain, which divides it from the Valley of Ebwyfawr. The Beacon mountain, a nar row and lofty ridge, stretches between the two branches of the Ebwy, and terminates very near their junction ; the scenery at their junction is uncommonly striking ; on the one side, the great Ebwy rushes through the vale; on the other, the little Ebwy, foaming through a hollow and narrow glen, emerges from a thick wood. On a bridge over the great Ebwy, whence a path leads up the woody side of the mountain which bounds the valley, 44 I remained," says Mr. Cox, 44 for a considerable time, absorbed in the contemplation of the picturesque objects around me ; objects which recalled to my recollection the milder cast of mountain scenery, which I formerly so much admired in the Alps of Suitzerland." The features of the vale of So•wy are more wild and roman tic than those of the Ehwy ; it is deeper and narrower. There are several other valleys in this county, but those just described are the most picturesque and most worthy of description.