206 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



Shrewsbury Angling in Curricles Sheep-walks Effect of Thorough 

 Draining on Dry Soils Gorse Church Stretton Churchyard Litera- 

 ture Encounter with an enthusiastic Free-Trader. * 



Shrewsbury, June 7th. 



TT7E arrived at this fine old town by rail, this morning, and 

 have again had much delight in ancient domestic town ar- 

 chitecture. The houses are of the same general style as those at 

 Chester, but with every conceivable variation of form, and each 

 with something peculiar to itself, so that we cannot tire of ramb- 

 ling through the steep, narrow streets to study them. There are 

 a great many old churches, too : one remarkable for a very light, 

 tall, simply-tapering spire ; another, the abbey church, has a great 

 mingling of styles, and in some parts is very rich and elegant. 

 Near it I noticed that some religious house, once connected with 

 it, had been built upon, roofed over, and converted into a brew- 

 ery. The roofs are universally of flat tiles here ; a few miles 

 north we saw nothing but slates. 



On one of the bridges over the Severn, which here divides into 

 two small streams, between which most of the town is beautifully 

 situated, we saw a number of anglers with curricles, a light port- 

 able boat made of hide, stretched out like an umbrella-top by a 



