river and the loftiness of its banks, to both of which Pope thus alludes: "Pleased Vaga echoes through its winding bounds, From these two circumstances the view it exhibits are of the most beautiful kind of perspective, because destitute of linear formality, and it fully merits the eulogism of J. Britton in his "Beauties of Monmouthshire." "From the shifting of the foreground and side-screens the same objects present themselves, suddenly disappear, are lost and recovered with new accompaniments in different points of view. Thus the ruins of a castle, the spire of a church, starting into view from some distant wood, hamlets embosomed with trees, aspiring rocks, or impending masses of rock fringed with herbage, are seen sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other, and thus alternately form the fore or back ground of the picture. The river at one time stretches for a considerable reach in a continuous line, between overhanging rocks, then waves in a curvilinear direction, between gentle slopes and fertile meads, and suddenly again becomes concealed in deep abysses beneath the covert shade of dense umbrageous woods." The Monnow or Mynwy, rising in the Black Mountains of Brecknockshire, runs in a southerly direction, and, after forming the northeast boundary of Monmouthshshire, receives the Dore and falls into the Wye at Monmouth. About five miles below Monmouth is the village of Redbrook. Here the Wye is extremely beautiful, and the water is not adulterated by the influx of the tide, as it is at Tintern. Near Landoga are the ruins of an old castle; little however remains of the ancient fortalice. The view from the summit of Wynd Cliff is generally considered to be one of the most beautiful in England. From the edge of a rock nearly a thousand feet high, the prospect extends into nine counties. The Wye under the feet of the beholder, the Severn beyond it, the narrow separation for several miles between the two rivers, their union at the head of the little peninsula of Beachley, the sea in the distance, the mountains of Brecon and Glamorgan, the Gloucester and Somersetshire hills, the Castle and cliffs at Chepstow, the numerous vessels and the rare combination of evergreens, rocks, ruins, woods, hills, valleys, plains, and water, defy all adequate description! Here, too, Tintern lifts its ruined lichen-covered walls, and the sight of the Abbey recalls the lines: "How many hearts have here grown cold That sleep these mouldering stones among! On this rude stone, by time long broke, I think I see some pilgrim kneel; I think I see the censer smoke; But here no more soft music floats, All hushed! except the ringdove's notes, This monastery was originally founded for monks of the Cistercian order, in the year 1131, by Walter de Clare, and dedicated to St. Mary. At the dissolution the annual revenues were valued, according to Dugdale, at £132 1s. 4d., but according to Speed at £256 11s. The site was granted by Henry VIII. to Henry Second Earl of Worcester, whose descendant, the present Duke of Beaufort, still holds it. At Chepstow are the ruins of a stately castle. It was formerly of great extent, as, according to Leland's account, the "waulles began at the end of the great bridge over Wey." There is a remarkably large hole in the rocks in the opposite side of the river from the castle, where it is said powder used to be kept for fear of accidents, during the civil wars of Cromwell and his parliamentary forces. As at this period of the year fishing quarters are scarce, I give & copy of a letter received by me, and which describes most graphically and pungently a cottage and trout river now in the market: "When I last wrote," says my valued correspondent, "I quite forgot to inquire if you knew of any one desirous of renting an excellent trout fishery, and with it a very comfortable cottage. I have now one such to let. As a test of its equality, if not superiority, to or over anything of the kind in Hampshire, suffice it to say, it comprises some of the best water in the well-known river of that name. To any one whose sole is in the gentle art, and a good angler, it would prove a charming plaice; it is a noble stream, and quite on a parr with any English fishery. Although close to the water, the climate about the cottage is far otter than its site would lead you to suppose, thus giving you the idea that it must be rather bleak; butt if at any time it should be found too warm, the sun's rays are readily excluded by drawing down the blinds. The cottage is nicely furnished in the pink of the fashion, for which I had, of course to pay the piper. A sportsman might safely take his kitt there, and very pleasantly ruff it; and if bad weather sets in, accompanied by an uncomfortable drizzle, all I would say to him would be 'carpe diem;' and with a recent translation of Homer for his amusement, and a whiff or two from a minim of a weed, he would effectually keep the megrims from his head; and the rooms are so well ventilated that the fumes of tobacco would the next morning not be smelt. There are also many other advantages, a miller lives close by; there is a small coracle in the water, which one person can easily manage, it being so small it does not require a skipper. There are some shallows in the river, where in the winter, if you have pluck enough, you may skate; but if by any accident you should unfortunately flounder into one of the deep holes, it would require a man of some muscle to give you a oyster out again. With regard to outdoor servants, all that would be required would be one strong lythe fellow, and if a dab at most things, you might employ him as carter, thresher, or weaver, or set him to hoe up the young suckers about the roots of the cod-ling trees in the garden. It might be necessary now and then to engage a charwoman, or some other maid, but all that would depend upon circumstances. Fortunately there is scarcely any poaching in the river. A chubby, ruddy-faced urchin 'out on the luce' may occasionally, although not worth a rush, and hardly able to reed, make a run on the bank; but the keeper, with pike and launce in hand, would be soon down upon him, and make master Jack, or whatever his name may be, speedily quit his perch, and take to his eels home again; and his parents would no doubt, when informed of his so herring, ide him well, and make him riggle under the application of a rod, that would make every bone hake, and leave his back covered with whales. Such chastisement would no doubt cause him to pout a little. Such poaching is not however a very serious matter, for when a fish is taken it is generally a fluke, and there does not appear any intenchion on the part of such juveniles to do any real mischief. I have throughout the whole of this very fishy production endeavoured to keep within the bounds of polite literature, but fear you will think it savours very strongly of Billingsgate.' Joking apart, the above faithfully describes a most beautiful fishing quarter on the Test river which is to be let, application for which is to be made to Mr. Best, solicitor, of Winchester. The writer, who is one of the most practical gentlemen afloat, and whose prowess in the "Arrow" cutter is well known, is not a man to exaggerate. I therefore strongly recommend all followers of Old Izaak Walton who are looking out for a good fishing quarter to lose no time in visiting the above place. Under the Virgin's sign, fierce August's sun A welcome morsel to the gleaners yield. O'er heath-clad moor and mountain side the gun With loud report declares his race is run, Yielding fresh trophy to the sportsman's fame. The crystal streamlet, swoll'n with recent rain, WANDERER August returns once more, clothing the country in a mantle of yellow hue, gradually deepening into russet-brown, and reminding us of the welcome approach of harvest and of bright stubbles to be trodden by the sportsman in the ensuing month. Amongst the events connected with the present month in the years that are gone, we may mention amongst the nativities of eminent persons that of the Duchess of Kent on the 17th, 1786; King William IV. on the 21st, 1765; the late Prince Consort on the 26th, 1819; Prince Alfred on the 6th, 1844; Bonaparte, the French Emperor, on the 15th, 1769, at Ajaccio, in Corsica; Göethe on the 28th, 1749; Jean Victor Moreau on the 11th, 1763; Shelley on the 4th, 1792; and Izaak Walton, the author of the "Complete Angler," at Stafford, on the 9th, 1593. Turning to the obituary we have the following deaths-viz., that of Caroline of Brunswick, the unfortunate wife of George IV., on the 7th, 1821; Frederick the Great of Prussia on the 17th, 1786; Louis XI. of France on the 30th, 1483; Louis Phillipe of France on the 26th, 1850; Mehemet Ali on the 2nd, 1849; De Montfort, Earl of Leicester, slain at the battle of Evesham, on the 4th, 1265; Marshal Ney shot on the 16th, 1815; Sir William Wallace, the Scottish hero, put to a cruel death at Smithfield on the 23rd, 1305; Madame Anne le Fevre Dacier, translator of Homer and other classic authors, on the 17th, 1720; Lady Mary Wortley Montague, the celebrated letter writer, on the 21st, 1762; David Hume on the 25th, 1776; William Herschel on the 25th, 1822; John Bunyan on the 31st, 1688; Ben Jonson on the 6th, 1637; Canning, the great orator and statesman, on the 8th, 1827; Viscount Roland Hill, Peninsular General, on the 11th, 1772; Admiral Blake on the 17th, 1657; Cardinal York, the last of the Stuarts, on the 19th, 1807; Sir Charles Napier, the conqueror of Scinde, on the 29th, 1853; the Duke of Buckingham, assassinated by Felton, on the 23rd, 1628; and Lieutenant Bellot, drowned on the voyage in pursuit of Sir John Franklin, on the 18th, 1853. The month of August has also at various times been fruitful in important battles and in revolutionary movements. On the 20th, 1588, we have the defeat of the Spanish Armada, under Drake and Howard; on the 26th, 1346, the battle of Cressy; on the 14th, 1704, the defeat of the French and Bavarians at the battle of Blenheim; on the 22nd, 1485, the battle of Bosworth Field; on the 1st, 1798, the battle of the Nile, or Aboukir; on the 21st, 1805, the battle of Trafalgar and death of Nelson; on the 21st, 1808, the battle of Vimiera; on the 27th, 1816, the bombardment of Algiers; on the 24th, 1814, the city of Washington taken by the British; on the 28th, 1798, the battle of Castlebar, in Ireland, when the French were defeated; on the 20th, 1810, the battle of Saragossa; on the 14th, 1854, Sweaborg bombarded by the gun and mortar boats of the Allies; on the 16th, 1855, the battle of Tchernaya; on the 22nd, 1798, a French force, under General Humbert, landed in Ireland; on the 25th, 1830, the Revolution of Brussels commenced; on the 8th, 1815, Bonaparte sailed for St. Helena; on the 6th, 1830, the Duke of Orleans accepted the French crown as Louis Philippe I.; on the 23rd, 1745, the Young Pretender landed at Moidart, in Scotland, on his ever-memorable expedition in seeking the throne of his ancestors, and which, after being attended with so much of interest and romance, terminated in his defeat, attended with the loss of so many valuable lives of those devoted to his cause, both on the scaffold and on the battle-field; while the glory of victory was tarnished by the cruelties of the Duke of Cumberland, who commanded the English army. As being peculiarly interesting in the history of both England and Scotland, we here insert a brief narrative of the transaction: "On July 25th, 1745, the Young Pretender, Charles (grandson of that James II. who had died a miserable exile at St. Germains), landed in Loch-na-Naugh, in Scotland, hoping to secure the crown and throne of his ancestors; and shortly after his arrival numbers of the Highlanders flocked around him. On the 16th of August a successful engagement with a party of English soldiers, sent to reinforce the garrison of Fort William, in which they were taken prisoners, added considerably to the Young Pretender's popularity. Three days later he determined on raising his standard. The place chosen for the ceremony was the Valley of Glenfinnen, and a spot having been selected, his adherents proceeded to raise the standard, and the Marquis of Tullibardine, being the highest in rank, though feeble and tottering with age, was appointed to unfurl the banner, supported on either side by a stout Highlander. The colours were of blue and red silk, with a white centre, on which were embroidered, some weeks afterwards, the words, Tandem Triumphans.' The aged Marquis held the staff until the document which had been sent by the Old Pretender, his father, dated Rome, 1743, appointing his son regent, had been read; and, as the banner floated in the breeze, the hurrahs were boisterous and repeated. Charles then made a short address in English, and, although but few of the common people understood it, yet they flung their bonnets in the air, and made the valley resound with cheers. Captain Swettenham, an English officer who had been taken prisoner, a spectator of the scene, was now liberated by Charles, who told him that he might go and tell his general what he had seen, and add that he was coming to make war with him.' The following narrative of the fate of this particular standard, which had been erected with so much pomp and ceremony, may not be uninteresting, and is taken from a magazine of that period: Fourteen rebel colours, taken at Culloden, were brought to Edinburgh on the 31st of May (1746), and lodged in the Castle. On Wednesday, the 4th of June, at noon, they were brought down to the Cross, the Pretender's own standard being carried by the hangman, and all the rest by chimney-sweepers, escorted by a detachment of Lee's regiment. The sheriffs, attended by the heralds, pursuivants, trumpeters, city constables, &c., and escorted by the city-guard, walked out from the Parliament-close to the Cross, where proclamation was made by the eldest herald, and the colours belonging to the rebels were ordered by the Duke of Cumberland to be burnt by the common hangman. The Pretender's own standard was then put into a fire prepared for the purpose, and afterwards all the rest; a herald always proclaiming to whom each belonged, the trumpets sounding, and the populace, of which there was a great number, huzzaing. A fifteenth standard was burnt at Edinburgh with the like solemnity; and another at Glasgow on the 25th.' The final defeat of the Young Pretender at the battle of Culloden extinguished for ever the hopes of the Stuarts; and after wandering about and hiding for five months, Charles effected his escape from Scotland, disguised as a As an instance of the fidelity of his followers, it may be mentioned that during his five months' adventurous wanderings nothing could induce those who sheltered him to betray him, although £30,000 had been offered for his head." woman. As regards the sports and pastimes of the present month, the "Turf" presents an extensive programme, races being fixed from the |