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Mr. Charles Richardson, the acting engineer of the Severn Tunnel 

 works. That costly undertaking of driving a tunnel five miles 

 long — two-and-a-quarter beneath the water and two-and-a-quarter 

 on laud — thoughnow so far finished as to have admitted the passage 

 of a good's train, yet is not in sufficient working order for 

 passenger traffic. The unfortunate bursting out of a land spring 

 on the Portskewet side having more than once impeded progress, 

 and now requiring the pumping up of 1 5 million gallons of water 

 every 24 hours; a drain which report states has considerably 

 afifected the neighbouring springs, and must also affect the 

 finances, notwithstanding the contemplated saving of £12,000 per 

 annum, by the doing away with the present water traffic. Let us 

 hope, however, that this like other difficulties will be successfully 

 met by engineering skill ! After having duly noted the velocity of 

 the Severn currents causing a perceptible irregularity in the level of 

 the water which in some places seemed to be flowing down hill 

 near the " Shoots," the trajecius at all times unpleasant and 

 especially so at low tide was accomplished, and nothing particular 

 occurred worthy of record before arriving at Chepstow, except the 

 pretty peeps of the Wye seen through the intervening masses of 

 rock as the train wound its way along the right bank. On 

 alighting of course the first object was the Castle so picturesquely 

 perched on its inaccessible crag, rising 130 feet in a sheer per- 

 pendicular wall of Mountain Limestone from the river which 

 washes its base. Ascending a grassy slope and passing under the 

 eastern gateway with its grooves for portcullis flanked on either 

 hand by round towers of Edwardian date, late 13th century, the 

 first of the four courts was entered. On the right was the 

 Banqueting hall, the tracery in its windows looking on to the court 

 indicating early iJecorated work, temp. Edward IL Pantry 

 and buttery are shown at the E. end of this hall and a flight 

 of stone steps leads to the kitchen. The groining over the steps 

 is particularly good, also that of the vaulted subterranean store 

 chamber beneath, with its opening to the Wye and its iron ring 



