The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

irONTGOMEEYSHIEE. 65
of the Dovej', ias a small harbour, from which, slate is shipped. Higher up on
the same river, in the midst of the mountains, stands Dinas Mawchlwij, a poor
village, surrounded by exquisite scenery.
Montgomeryshire (Maldwvx) is for the greater part drained by the Severn
and its tributaries, only a small portion of it lying -within the basin of the
Dove}-, towards the west. Barren mountains occupy nearly the whole of its
area, but the valleys open out towards the English border, and afford space for
the pursuit of agriculture. The manufacture of flannel is carried on extensively,
and there are lead mines and quarries.
Montgomeryshire is one of those counties in which Welsh is visibly losing
ground. In the valley of the Severn, up to within a mile or two of Newtown,
Fig. 33.
—
On" the Dee, xear Bala.
"Welsh is heard only in the mouths of immigrants and of a few very old people. At
Montgomery and Welshpool Welsh has been extinct among the natives for at least
fifty years. It is only on the Upper Severn, beyond Llanidloes, on the Upper
Yyrnwy, and in the western part of the county, that Welsh remains the language
of the majority.*
Monigomery, the county town, is a quiet place, with the scanty ruins of a
castle, but prettily situated. Welshpool, at the head of the navigation of the
Severn, is a busy market town. Its chief attraction is the magnificent park
surrounding Powis Castle, the ancestral seat of the noble family of Herbert.
Atout 44 per cent, of the population speak Welsh, but hardly 10 per cent, are unable to converse
in English.