160 MY LIFE 



So, Aberystwith, which has retained its Welsh name, is situ- 

 ated where the little river Ystwith enters the sea. While 

 living in Radnorshire, where hardly any Welsh is spoken, I 

 had begun to take an interest in the picturesque names which 

 primitive people always give to localities. The first of these 

 to which my attention was called by my brother was Llan- 

 fihangel-nant-Melan, a village about ten miles west of King- 

 ton, the name meaning " the Church of St. Michael on 

 Melan's brook." So, Abbey-cum-hir is the Abbey in the 

 long valley ; while the celebrated Vale of Llangollen is, 

 according to George Borrow, named after Collen, an ancient 

 British hero who became Abbot of Glastonbury, but after- 

 wards retired into the valley named after him. 



Our road lay along the north side of the valley of the Usk, 

 but at some distance from the river, through a very pic- 

 turesque country, crossing many small rivers, often looking 

 down upon the river Usk, which I took special interest in 

 as my native stream, here approaching its source, and with 

 frequent views of the Beacons when nearer hills did not 

 intervene to block the view. After a pleasant walk of. about 

 six miles we reached the tiny village of Trallong, the parish 

 we had to survey, and obtained lodgings in the house of a 

 shoemaker, where we were very comfortable for some months. 

 The house was pleasantly situated about two hundred and 

 fifty feet above the river, with an uninterrupted view to the 

 south-east over woody hills of moderate height to the fine 

 range of the Great Forest, culminating in the double peaks of 

 the Beacons, which were seen here fully separated with the 

 narrow ridge connecting them. At sunset they were often 

 beautifully tinted, and my brother made a charming little 

 water-colour sketch of them, which, with most of his best 

 sketches, were placed in an album by my sister, and this was 

 stolen or lost while she was moving in London. 



The family here were rather interesting. The father, a 

 middle-aged man, could not speak a word of English. His 

 grown-up sons, who helped in the shoemakmg, spoke but 

 little. The wife, however, a delicate woman and a great 

 invalid, though having to do all the work of the household, 



