740 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



the same. He often left his Mork 

 and came to a licld opposite the 

 smith's shop, where the masons were 

 employed. lie observed that with 

 the common mason's hammer of the 

 country, one end of wliich is also 

 an axe, they were able to dress their 

 stones very neatly; and this led him 

 to the discovery, that the principal 

 reason why he could not do the 

 same, arose from his hammer not 

 being steeled. He made all possi- 

 ble haste therefore to procure from 

 a smith some hammers batter suited 

 to his purpose, such as he observed 

 those masons to use; and found that 

 ■with them he could execute his dry 

 ■walling much better, and with a 

 neatness far beyond what he had 

 before been able to accomplish. — 

 Being thus furnished with proper 

 tools, and having acquired a degree 

 of dexterity in the use of them, he 

 aspired to a higher rank in his pro- 

 fession ; and from a dry-wall build- 

 er, hoped to become a builder of 

 houses. Soon afterwards he under- 

 took to build a little workshop for 

 a neighbour ; and gained great ap- 

 plause for the propriety Avith which 

 he performed his coiitraet. Avery 

 short period had elapsed before he 

 ■was employed to erect a mill in his 

 own parish, and it was in the pro- 

 secution of this building, that he 

 first became acquainted with the prin- 

 ciples of an arch. When this mill 

 was finished, it did not merely meet 

 with cold approbation, but was ad- 

 mired by all approved judges as an 

 excellent piece of masonry. lie was 

 now considered as the best work- 

 man in that part of the country. 

 Employment w,as tlirust upon him 

 on better grounds than jVlaivolio's 

 greatness ; and as skill and fidelity 

 are indispensibly requisite in a busi- 

 »ess, ■\vhieh requires the evidence 



of time and experience to detctS 

 fauKs, not then to be remedied, ap- 

 plication was generally made to W. 

 Edwards, by those who wished to 

 avoid both disappointment and al- 

 tercation. In 1746 he undertook 

 to build a new bridge over the river 

 Taff, at the spot, the singularities 

 of which have introduced him to 

 our attention. This he executed in 

 a style superior to any thing of the 

 kind in this, or indeed in any other 

 part of Wales, for neatness of work- 

 manship and elegance of design. — 

 It consisted of three arches, elegant- 

 ly light in their construelion. The 

 hewn stones were excellently well 

 dressed and closely jointed. It was 

 admired by all who saw it. But 

 this river runs through a very deep 

 vale, tliat is more than usually 

 woody, and crowded about with 

 mountains. It is also to be consi- 

 dered, that many other rivers of no 

 mean capacity, as the Crue, the 

 Bargoed Tafl, and the Cunno, be- 

 sides almost numberless brooks that 

 run through long, deep, and well- 

 wooded vales or glens, fall into the 

 Taff in its progress. The descents 

 into these vales from the mountains 

 being in general very steep, the 

 water in long and heavy rains col- 

 leels into those rivers with great ra- 

 ))idifyand force; raising floods that 

 in their descriptions would appear 

 absolutely incredible to the inhabi- 

 tants of open and flat countries, 

 where the rivers are neither so pre- 

 cipitate in their courses and projec- 

 tions, nor hare such hills on each 

 side to swell them with their tor- 

 rents. Such a flood unfortunately 

 occurred after the completion of this 

 undertaking, which tore up the 

 largest trees by the roots, and car- 

 ried them down the river to the 

 bridge, where th« arches were not 



sufli. 



