OF A SALMON. 55 



whom we are so anxious to introduce to a quiet 

 haven above the Causeway, is lying in a shel- 

 tered hole, luckily just a couple of feet below 

 the sweep of the nets, apparently deliberating 

 which portal to take of the many that invite 

 him. 



" You know the Old Chester Bridge ? " 

 " No ! Then just let me tell you, you must not 

 imagine a handsome structure, thrown from 

 shore to shore in one bold arch, like its modern 

 prototype, nor yet a regular design, the work of 

 a single architect. Picturesque and irregular, 

 it bears evidence of the changes which different 

 eras, for many centuries past, have wrought in its 

 fabric, and of the still remaining character which 

 originally distinguished it. The tower which 

 guarded its approach on the Welsh side is gone ; 

 but the site has not been altogether abandoned 

 by more modern builders, and the arches of the 

 bridge (of a style belonging to the time of the 

 Edwards) spring from among buildings which 

 appear still to form part of, though no longer 

 upon it. These arches are all of them irregular 

 in size and shape ; and on arriving at the Chester 

 side, we find the Dee Mills yet, as of old, occu- 

 pying the last two arches of the bridge, under 

 which the principal current of the river flows, 

 and which, after having served the purpose of the 



