59 



lime and three sand, and is gpround like ours. Tlie Aberthan is regarded as ma- 

 king the best mortar, in quality, of any lime in England, but it is in cases requir- 

 ing cement of an extraordinary good quality, mixed with a small proportion of 

 puzzolona. 



The Marquis of Bute, who is an extensive land proprietor and mine owner in 

 Wales, was induced to incur the large expenditure already mentioned, in conse- 

 quence of the very inadequate accommodations extended by the old works to the 

 immense commerce, in coal and iron, which has recently sprung up in this re-. 

 gion, especially from Merlhyr Tydvil. The Glamorganshire canal, which follows 

 up Taaf vale to Merthyr, is 25 miles long, with a lockage of 480 feet, and cost 

 nearly £200,000. The dividends are limited by law to 10 per cent, per annum, 

 yet, so enormous is the traffic, that after affording every possible facility to trade 

 that the dimensions of the work would admit — reducing the tolls to a minimum — 

 keeping it in good repair, and paying liberal salaries to all its employees, there are 

 periods every year when the navigation is declared free, in order that the funds 

 from the tolls may not accumulate in the hands of the company. The same re- 

 marks, as it regards profits and the incapacity to satisfy the demands of trade of 

 canals leading to mineral districts, are generally applicable to that class of works 

 in England ; but with a happy foresight, the evil of too small canals has been 

 measurably avoided in the United States, especially in planning the Chesapeake 

 and Ohio Canal. 



The debouche of the Glamorganshire canal, on the harbor of Cardiff, and the 

 wharfage on the basin, are quite inadequate, from various causes, to vent the ton- 

 nage which the occupation of the canal to its ultimate capacity might bring down ; 

 and to supply the deficiency by affording another, more capacious, and in every 

 respect a better debouchure, seems to have been the principal object with the Mar- 

 quis in expending so large a sum of money for a mere utilitarian purpose. 



At 3 o'clock, P. M., left in coach for Merttyr Tydvil, the centre of the great 

 Welch coal mines and iron works. The canal already mentioned leads up the 

 beautiful and richly cultivated valley of the Taaf; a railway is also in progress of 

 construction, 16 miles of it being in use. Passed, on our ride, many furnaces 

 nnd forges — fine efTect produced by them after dark. Reached Merthyr at 6^ in 

 the evening. 



December \Oth. — Visited Mr. Hill's works, called the Plymouth Iron Works. 

 This gentleman is regarded as one of the most skilful and scientific iron masters in 

 Wales. He recently bought a large quantity of cinders from a neighboring estab- 

 lishment, from which he extracted 60 per cent, of metal. The owners having 

 learned this fact, refused to sell him any more, and attempted, but in vain, to ob- 

 tain the same results, by remeking their scoria. The science, however, which en- 

 abled -Mr. Hill to ascertain the value of the refuse of his neighbors' furnaces, and 

 to turn this knowledge to good account, was wanting, and failure was a necessa- 

 ry consequence. 



Then went to the establishment of Mr. Crawshawe, believed to be the largest 

 belonging to any one individual in the world. The furnaces are worked exclusively 



