goddess of the Severn, being a prudent, well-conducted maiden, rose with
the first streak of morning dawn, and, descending the eastern side of the
hill, made choice of the most fertile valleys, whilst as yet her sisters
slept. Vaga, goddess of the Wye, rose next, and, making all haste to
perform her task, took a shorter course, by which means she joined her
sister ere she reached the sea. The goddess Rhea, old Plinlimmon's pet,
woke not till roused by her father's chiding; but by bounding down the
side of the mountain, and selecting the shortest course of all, she
managed to reach her destination first. Thus the Cymric proverb, "There
is no impossibility to the maiden who hath a fortune to lose or a husband
to win."




THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY.


The Severn, like other English rivers, may be said to have been the
pioneer of railways along its banks: first, in having done much to
correct the inequalities of the surface; secondly, in having indicated
the direction in which the traffic flowed; so that early in the history
of railway enterprise eminent engineers, like the late Robert Stephenson,
saw the desirability of following its course, and thus meeting the wants
of towns that had grown into importance upon its banks, wants which the
river itself was unable to supply. In 1846 the route was finally
surveyed by Robert Nicholson, with a view to a through traffic in
connection with other railways. The scheme met with opposition from
advocates of rival lines. Ultimately, however, the Bill passed the
committees of the two Houses, and the promoters were successful, whilst