The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

104 THE BRITISH ISLES.
castle, where Milton wrote the masque of Comus, and Samuel Butler his
" Hudibras." The town boasts a museum, rich in Silurian fossils found in the
castle rock, and whilst these attract geologists, the picturesque environs are the
delight of all lovers of nature. Higher up on the Teme is Citni, a quiet place
with a ruined castle. In its neighbourhood small freehold properties, tilled by
the proprietors and their families, are numerous.
Worcestershire occupies the central portion of the fertile valley of the Severn,
here about 15 miles in width, and shut in on the west by the Abberley and
Malvern Hills (1,396 feet), and on the east by the Clent and Lickey (Haglej')
Hills. The Teme, which comes down from the Welsh hills, flows through a narrow
valley, whilst the Avon irrigates the fertile vale of Evesham. The north-eastern
portion of the county, beyond the Lickey Hills, is only in part drained by the
Severn. Its soU, in many places, is poor and arid, but this is compensated for by
the existence of rich beds of coal and ironstone. Worcestershire, besides cattle
and dairj' produce, yields fine wool, hops, apples, and excellent cider. There are
coal, iron, and salt mines, and the manufactures are of considerable importance.
If we follow the Severnas it crosses from Shropshire into Worcestershire, the
first town we meet with is Bewdley, a quaint old place with many timbered houses,
close to the fine scenery of the Forest of Wyre. Lower down is Stoiirjjort, at the
mouth of the Stour, which exports the produce of Kidderminster and Stourbridge,
higher up on that tributary of the Severn. Kidderminster, a dingy town, is
famous for its carpet-weaving, whilst Stourbridge has glass manufactories, brick
works, collieries, and tin-plate works. The making of glass was here first intro-
duced in 1555. Resuming our journey down the Severn, we reach the mouth of
the Salwarpe, in the narrow valley of which is situate the old town of Droitwich,
known for its brine spring. StUl lower on the same river, at Stolce Prior, there
are mines of rock-salt, and a couple of miles beyond we reach Bromsgrore, a more
important town than either of those named, and remarkable for its curious houses
with ornamental gables. Nail-making and the manufacture of needles, fish-hooks,
buttons, and coarse linens are here carried on.
Worcester, although the capital of the county, yields to Dudley in population,
but is infinitely superior to it in other respects. It is a place of the highest
antiquity, and when the Romans established one of their stations thei'e it had
already attained some importance. Earthenware and other relics of the Roman
dominion have been placed in a museum built within the walls of the ancient
castle. In the Middle Ages Worcester played a leading part ; and during the
Revolution, Cromwell, in 1651, inflicted a decisive defeat upon the Royalists in its
neighbourhood. The cathedral, standing on rising ground, is the most conspicuous
building in the city. It presents specimens of all styles of architecture, from the
earliest Norman to the latest perpendicular. Its central tower, completed in
1374, rises to a height of 192 feet. The town has lost its manufacture of carpets
and woollen stuffs, now carried on at Kidderminster, but is famous for its
leather gloves. Its china, and potted lampreys. The Royal China Manufactory
was opened In 1755. Recently erected engine works add to the prosperity of the