three miles from whence it skirts Brobury, Scaur, and Mocca's Court, the residence of Sir Vetters Cornewall. The park at Mocca's contains a great number of fine old oak trees, for which Herefordshire is so very much famed. There are a great number of red and fallow deer in the park, which contains about 300 acres. The country below Mocca's is not so beautiful, having no hills to break the level ground. At Mornington there is a large rock in the middle of the river, which hinders the navigation of boats above fifty tons, and even barges of that size can only pass when there is a great body of water in the river, which is seldom the case except after heavy rains, as the stream is so rapid that it generally subsides in a day or two. At Hereford the river greatly increases in breadth, where there is a large bridge, thrown across in the year 1599, the old one having been washed away in a flood. This bridge was partly destroyed in the year 1795 by a great flood, and has been rebuilt rather less in height than the remainder, which gives the bridge a rather uneven appearance. From Hereford to Ross its features occasionally assume a greater boldness, though more frequently their aspect is placid; but at the latter town, wholly emerging from its state of repose, "it resumes the brightness and rapidity of its primitive character, as it forms the admired curve which the church-yard of Ross commands. The celebrated spire of Ross church, peeping over a noble row of elms, here fronts the ruined Castle of Wilton, beneath the arches of whose bridge the Wye flows through a charming succession of meadows, encircling at last the lofty and well-wooded hill, crowned with the majestic fragments of Goodrich Castle, and opposed by the waving eminences of the forest of Dean." The mighty pile or peninsula of Symond's rock succeeds, round which the river flows in a circuit of seven miles, though the opposite points of the isthmus are only one mile asunder. At Mordiford, the Wye is joined by the united streams of the Lugg and Arrow, which greatly contribute to its size and depth. Shortly afterwards the Wye quits Herefordshire, and enters Monmouthshire at a place called the New Wear. The river Lugg has its rise in Radnorshire, but enters Herefordshire on the north-west side, near Stapleton castle, thence flowing in a south-east direction it receives the Pinsley and Granwater at Leominster, and afterwards, inclining to the south, is increased by the waters of the Arrow and Frome. Soon after its junction with the latter river, it falls into the Wye near the pleasant village of Mordiford. The district of country through which this river flows is fine and fertile, but far less abundant in beautiful scenery than the Wye, though Drayton has characterised the Lugg as "more lovelie." Like the Wye, however, it is subject to sudden overflows, and is frequently swelled by partial rains, which gives it great rapidity and force at its junction with that river. These circumstances have operated to prevent its being rendered navigable, though two acts of Parliament have been passed for that purpose. The Wye enters Monmouthshire at Dixon, just above Monmouth, and forms a line of demarcation between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire, falling into the Severn at Beachy Head, three miles below Chepstow. The peculiar characteristics of this beautiful river are its sinuous courses, the uniformity of its breadth, and the variegated scenery of its banks. So considerable is its serpentine course, that from Hereford to Ross it is twenty-six miles, while by road it is only fourteen; and from Ross to Chepstow it is thirty-eight miles, while by road it is only twenty-three. The effects of this sinuosity are numerous, diversified, and striking; and they principally arise from two circumstances, the mazy course of the river and the loftiness of its banks, both which are beautifully touched by the poet. "Pleased Vaga echoes through its winding bounds, And rapid Severn hoarse applause resounds." РОРЕ. From these two circumstances the views it exhibits are of the most beautiful kind of perspective, because destitute of linear formality. "From the shifting of the fore-ground 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 convert shade of dense umbrageous woods."-(From the "Beauties of Monmouthshire," by J. Britton.) The Monnow or Mynwy, rising in the Black Mountains of Brecknockshire, runs in a southerly direction, and after forming the northeast boundary of Monmouthshire, receives the Dore and falls into the Wye at Monmouth. About five miles below Monmouth is the pleasant little village of Redbrook, the seat of P. J. Ducarel, Esq. The Wye here is extremely beautiful, and the water is not adulterated by the influx of the tide as it is at Tintern. Near Landoga, a village on the Wye, are the ruins of an old castle or fortalice; little, however, now remains, and even that is annexed to a farm house. The view from the summit of Wynd Cliff is generally considered to be 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 Beachy-the sea in the distance the mountains of Brecon and Glamorgan-the Gloucestershire 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, of which every one must have read an account, lifts its ruined lichen covered walls. The sensations occasioned by a sight of the abbey are prettily expressed in the following lines: "How many hearts have here grown cold, That sleep these mouldering stones among! "But here no more soft music floats, No holy anthems chanted now; All hushed except the ring-dove's notes, Low murmuring from yon beechen bough." 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." The chapel belonging to the castle has some Saxon arches, which declare it to have existed before the general building. It is said that the priests had the address to impose on the people that it was erected by Longinus, a Jew, father of the soldier who pierced the side of Christ! The iron bridge of five arches, built in 1816, cost £20,000, to pay which, a rate was levied on the counties of Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire. The centre arch spans one hundred and twelve feet. The church was formerly an alien priory of Benedictine Monks, to the abbey of Cormeil, in Normandy; it has been lately quite restored, it having been suffered to go to rather a ruinous state of decay. There is a remarkably large hole in the rocks on 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. At the present time it is not used. Large vessels can only proceed as far as the iron bridge, whence barges of from eighteen to fifty tons sail as far as Hereford and Hay. "Finis Chartæque Viæque." C. S. E. SPORTING ADVENTURES. BY MASTER HARRY. AN HYENA HUNT NEAR ALGIERS. The following account of a "skrimmage" with the African hyena was given to me by a lieutenant in the French service, who had accompanied his regiment in the campaign against the Arabs, and who was one of the party engaged in the encounter: The regiment was bivouacked in a bleak desert spot, and the watch-fires had been lighted for night, when a roar of a wild beast caused every one to get under arms with all possible speed, as it is a very common stratagem to the Arabs to approach a camp under false colours, such as being covered with the skin of some animal, or imitating its roar or peculiar noise. In this instance, however, it turned out to be no Arab; but a magnificent hyena, whose gaping jaws the sentry soon perceived at no very great distance from him. By no means relishing an attack from a quadruped foe as well as a biped one, the awakened warriors gave the hyena a volley, taking as good an aim as the darkness of the night, lit up only by the flickering glares of the watch-fires, would allow. It was, however, by no means a deadly discharge; for the hyena having been graciously pleased to indulge in his own peculiar cachination, toddled off apparently unhurt, to his own dominions. Finding themselves liable to be again attacked by wild beasts in the night, extra guards were put on; but nothing of any consequence happened. On the following morning it was agreed upon, by about a dozen of the officers and men, to explore the rocks which lay close at hand, in order to discover, if possible, the retreat of last night's intruder, who had so unceremoniously broken in on their slumbers, and caused such a general panic. For this purpose each armed himself as if he were going to support a six months' siege. Pistols, muskets, and swords were supplied to the party, and accompanied by two dogs of the African bloodhound species, they sallied forth, bent on destroying the novel foe. The rocks were soon reached, and carefully and cautiously each nook and cranny examined during about a couple of hours, without success. The barking of one of the dogs, who had separated himself from the party, intimated shortly that something was on foot, and in the direction of the sounds the party quickly proceeded. At the mouth of a cave, formed by an aperture between two rocks, appeared the grinning countenance of the gentleman whom they had come after; whilst the dogs, evidently half afraid of an attack, were contenting themselves by keeping aloof, and making all the noise in their power. Immediately, with that impetuosity so characteristic of Frenchmen, every one discharged his piece in the direction of the protruding frontispiece" of the foe, which, being the only part visible, was not very easily to be hit; consequently no damage was done, and the hyena, taking advantage of the time that must be taken in re-loading, determined to make a sortie, and gallantly bore down upon the company of crapauds. It now became their turn to act on the defensive, which some prepared to do by fixing their bayonets, whilst others, thinking discretion to be the better part of valour, and that a death in battle against an hyena was not equally glorious as that against an Arab, took most determinedly to their heels, and never stopped to look back until they reached the camp, where, as a matter of course, the story was soon magnified to an alarming extent. In the mean time, the hyena having emerged from his den, stared for a moment or two on the soldiers who still remained, and on their shining bayonets, and, cantering by them, at once fell upon the dogs, to whom he had apparently taken an evident dislike in their life-time, however much he might relish them for an agreeable sort of déjeuner. At first these dogs defended themselves most gallantly, keeping clear of his jaws by seemingly a miracle, and attacking him in front and rear at the same time. Whilst this conflict was going on, the soldiers took advantage of it to re-load, and had just succeeded in doing so, when the first dog was caught in the gripe of the hyena, and laid lifeless at his feet, being bitten almost in two. The remaining animal, finding himself the sole object of attack, adopted Hudibras's notion of "He who fights and runs away, so, putting his tail between his legs, he made off with all possible speed. The hyena having found everything going on in his favour, now turned his attention to the lords of creation, and showed evident symptoms of disputing the said "lordship" with them. The party now commenced "file-firing," by which means the first man who fired would have time to reload before the last man had discharged his piece; but they made a pretty piece of business of it, having discharged about a dozen rounds each, without scarcely any effect, further than keeping the hyena at bay. Any English sportsman, after such an exposé of his "acrotormentarian" skill, would have given up his corpus to the hyena to be masticated, in sheer disgust with himself; but not so with the "Johnnies:" as their ammunition decreased, they commenced to look at the main chance, viz.—a means whereby to escape; whilst the animal was apparently only reconnoitring to see where he might find a point of attack most advantageously, and which a few flesh-wounds had caused him to put into execution with as much expedition as possible. It was plain to see when a ball by accident struck him, for he would immediately commence "laughing," at which the crapauds invariably looked more serious, for "There was a lurking devil in his smile," which his long, pointed, white teeth too truly and fearfully indicated. At length he chose an opportunity for an attack, and charged most manfully; but his selected opponent was ready to receive him, and, in a second more the bayonet of one of the men had pierced his throat, the impetus with which he had rushed on the "line" had, of course, borne the man to the ground; and hyena, soldier, and musket were for a second or two rolling over each other on the rocks, in most admired confusion. The hyena was the only one of the party seriously damaged; his struggles had only caused the bayonet to penetrate further in, whilst the astonished Frenchman, having regained his legs, began to console himself for his upset, bruises, and defeat, by sacréing his antagonist. The horrible account that the "runaways" had given at the camp, of the struggle that was going on between the hyena and the remainder of the party, induced about fifty or sixty men to proceed, fully сс |