CAEMAETHENSHIEE— GLAMORGANSHIEE. 69 



Carmarthen (Caerfyrddin) is for the most part drained b}^ the Towey and 

 Taf, and that portion of the county which lies to the north, along the left bank 

 of the Teifi, is of small extent. The coast is low, and in places marshy, whilst the 

 interior is hilly, or even mountainous, the hills being intersected by productive 

 valleys and wooded .glens. Carmarthen Van (2,596 feet), a summit of the Black 

 Mountains, is the highest point in the county. Coal and iron are found, and 

 there are iron works, iron-mills, copper-mills, tin works, and other manufacturing 

 establishments. 



Laugharne (pronounced Lame), on the west bank of the Taf, is a decayed town, 

 with a small port and some trade in butter and corn. St. Clears, higher up on 

 the same river, has partly usurped its trade. 



Carmarthen, the county town and reputed birthplace of Merlin, the "Welsh 



Fig. 37- — The Worm's Head : Peninsula of Gower. 



magician, is seated upon the Lower Towey, 9 miles above its mouth in Carmar- 

 then Bay. It is a picturesque town, with irregular and steep streets. Sir Bichard 

 Steele, the essayist, lies buried in its ancient parish church. Tin and iron works 

 are near it. AbergwilU, with the palace of the Bishop of St. David's and Merlin's 

 Hill, is in its neighbourhood. Higher up on the Towey are Llandilofawr, a market 

 town, with collieries and marble quarries, and Llandoveri/. 



Llanelly, on Burry Inlet, is the principal seaport of the county. It depends in 

 a large measure upon the Cambrian Copper Works, its tin works, and some 

 collieries. Pemhreij, at the mouth of Burry Inlet, has copper smelting works and 

 a small harbour. Kklicelhj, to the north of it, lies on a silted -up harbour, and is 

 mainly dependent upon its tin-plate works. 



Glamorganshire (Morganwg) is the most southerly county in Wales. Its 

 northern part is hilly, but none of its hills attain a height of 2,000 feet, whilst the 



