go ON THE WYE 



search. It is twelve miles from here to the 

 nearest station that of Dorstone. I was im- 

 pelled to make this village my stopping-place 

 for two reasons. 



The first is that it is just seventy years since I 

 saw it for the first and last time, and I wanted 

 to test my memory as to whether anything would 

 be recalled by a visit there. In the summer of 

 1833 my father resided some five and twenty 

 miles away from this village. At that time I 

 was a nice little chap of eight years, and my 

 father was pleased to take me with him on a 

 visit to an old uncle who resided in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Dorstone. He rode a big brown 

 mare, and I a small black pony. 



It was a long and memorable ride for me, and 

 I can recall little of it except crossing the big 

 river Wye, the biggest I had ever seen. The 

 crossing must have been at Bredwardine Bridge, 

 and I remembered having afterwards to climb 

 some very rough hills. This little old uncle of 

 my father's must have been then about eighty 

 years of age, and if living now (but I rather 

 think he is dead), would be about 150 years old. 

 I remember him as a bright, rosy-faced cheery 

 little man, right glad to see us and make us 



