4

Ancient Kingdom of

the year 590. The same Judual is called Hoel III. by some writers; he extended his dominion, says M. Delaporte, over nearly the whole of Britanny, which is partly accounted for by his marriage with the heiress of Ylli. He took the title of king. The historian just quoted throws no light on the marriage, but merely says, espoused Pratelle, by whom he had several children."

"he

Judual died about 620. His son and successor was the celebrated Judicail, whom tradition represents as a match for the stoutest antagonist when a boy, but who shines in history as a very amiable character.* He married Moron, daughter of Even, King of Ach. One of his sons, named Arnec, was bishop of the little diocese. It seems that he resigned it in favour of St. Vigan, his neighbour. The legend The legend says, that he promised him as much territory as he could traverse, while he himself was asleep. Arnec betook himself to slumber, and Vigan mounted his horse; but it was on the steeple of St. Eloi, between Landerneau and Lesneven; and taking a spring from thence, he traversed the whole of the diocese in the air before Arnec awoke, and it was accordingly ceded to him.

The kingdom appears to have reverted to temporal princes, for Argan, or Arastan, reigned in the time of Charlemagne. (It might be an apanage.) This prince accompanied Charles in his expeditions, was distinguished as a soldier, and fell at Roncevaux in 778.† His exploits were a favourite theme of the Breton Troubadours. His successor was Prinitis, of whom nothing is recorded, or indeed of any later sovereign.

It has escaped the keen antiquary of Les Tourelles, that Ylli is a word meaning a division, or something parted off. It is natural to suppose that this little kingdom had been detached from some other, and thence obtained its name. Too insignificant to be an object of cupidity, and no larger than an English nobleman's

*See Mr. Turner's sketch of Breton history, in the first and fourth editions of his History of the Anglo Saxons.

M. Miorcec adds, "Le Tasse l'a célébré dans la Jérusalem. Il a extrait ce qu'il en dit de l'archevêque Turpin, contemporain d'Argan."

Yil. s. m.that tends to part. Yllt, a rent.-Welsh Dict. Lysien has a similar signification-Llys, s. m. that separates.

property, it may have experienced more happiness than larger states, where kings can only see with the eyes of ministers. That it should have remained unconquered in those turbulent times, supposes patriotism in the inhabitants, affection towards their chiefs, and a propitious course of circumstances. The name of Tregarantec speaks highly for the character of the people, and is no trivial instance of the value of etymology in corroborating history. It is possible that a diligent search of the early Welsh Bards may throw some light on the events of this interesting little king- · dom, or on the names of its princes. CYDWELI.

Mr. URBAN,

July 20. EING resident between the Se

End the Wye, I have often

observed the injury and inconvenience sustained by the neighbourhood, for want of a bridge over the Severn at Newnham; travellers in carriages being compelled to go round either by Gloucester or the Old Passage, from twenty or more miles out of their way, if their direction be the opposite populous country, and the parts beyond. I have therefore collected, for the information of my neighbours, various matters concerning bridges, which I think it may be amusing and useful to lay before the public, as they do not apply to a particular case only.

It is well known that the erection of bridges has become so exceedingly expensive, and so accompanied with heavy loss to the shareholders, that a virtual prohibition exists to the increase of such conveniences, except at the public cost. Nevertheless, I beg to premise, that I am not such a Vandal' as to object to stone bridges, chain bridges, or any best things, where they can be afforded; only that where they' cannot be afforded, expense is not to be doctrinal against convenience; stones and mortar against ten per cent.; facility of communication, which aug ments commerce and the value of estates, against mere outside show. But more money gained will cause money to be spent. The country, which has exhibited the best modes of en

countering the difficulty is America; and though many of their expedients are too rude for adoption here, yet. there are others which merit attention.

In the first place, then, I would ob

serve, that there does already exist a ferry at Newnham; and that such ferry may be made to answer every purpose of a bridge (except, perhaps, when the Boar or Hygre, i.e. the tide, is pouring in) by the following simple means; and I beg it to be recollected, that I shall say nothing without authority.

"At Philadelphia, the finest object is the river Delaware, and its opposite shore, about half a mile across, with a little island in the middle of it. Steam and team boats are continually crossing and recrossing. They are double boats, or two placed side by side, the paddles working between with a deck across both, to take waggons, carriages, &c. You may drive into them seated in any vehicle, and out on the opposite side on coming to shore, without the least danger. A large bell is rang every time they make the shore, stop about ten minutes, ring again, and off."-Pickering's Emigration, p. 28.

That a similar expedient might be here adopted, is beyond doubt, because a raft conveys a stage-coach without unhorsing or unloading, across an estuary in or near Arundel in Sussex, and was contrived by the coach-proprietor, because a bridge was refused. The raft was towed by a chain and windlass, but as the rope or chain, (not necessarily so, though troublesome) might impede the navigation of the river, it would be objectionable at Newnham.

To the double-boat described above, no such impediment exists. The paddles might be worked by a man in each boat, and simple machinery; and quays or causeways of differing heights and extents might be thrown out on both shores, to meet the changeable elevations of the tide.

The next economical substitute would be a wooden bridge, with a drawbridge in the centre, for vessels to pass, as at Amsterdam, and but lately at Weymouth. But stone bridges are by far the best. Undoubtedly; but there is a wide difference in cost between a crown and a pound. Wooden bridges, (expense is the question), do not cost more than one fourth of stone ones, are the only bridges across wide rivers which pay good interest of money, and may be made picturesque and beautiful. Now for the proofs:

"A stone bridge was first meditated at Chelsea; but the estimate given in was 83,000l. The proprietors, alarmed at the expense, erected a wooden one for about 20,000l. The concern now amply remunerates

them; whereas, had it been built with stone, it would not even now produce an interest of more than 24 per cent."—Faulkner's Chelsea, i. 33.

I have heard that the wooden bridge at Putney pays ten per cent., and that the shareholders a few years ago wisely resisted the conversion of it into stone, because, as public convenience was served without it, they saw no reason why their private property was to suffer for the sake of a good job.

"But ugliness is avoidable, for Colonel By has erected a beautiful wooden frame bridge over the Big Kettle in Canada.”—Mac Taggart's Canada, i. 347.

Of the hopeless proceeds of stone and iron bridges, the following table, taken from your Magazine for May, 1830, p. 479, tells a melancholy tale:

Price of Shares.

Div. per ann.

If Government would make a donation of timber from the neighbouring forest of Dean, the expense of a wooden bridge at Newnham would be very considerably reduced.

The indispensable expense of a chain Mr. MacTaggart, a government engi bridge has been very much exaggerated; neer, said,

"A chain bridge to stretch across the St. Lawrence, from Cape Diamond to Point Levi, a distance of more than a mile, where the current is strong and water deep, seems no easy task, yet it might be performed. The chain bridge would require five floating piers, and these may be so constructed and so anchored that even the heaviest drift ice rushing before a flood would not be able to sweep them away. The expense attending such an undertaking, considering contingencies, might probably amount to 40,000l.; nothing less, at least, could possibly answer."-MacTaggart's Canada, Vol. i. p. 315.

Now, the breadth of the water way at Newnham in full tide is, according to a trigonometrical admeasurement, 560 yards, and, of course, but the third of a mile and eighty yards over. Divide 40,000l. by 3, and upon Mr. MacTaggart's estimate, a bridge could be built across the Severn at Newnham for 13,3301. Two, or at most three, piers would be enough.

But the most appalling circumstance

Bridge over the as regards Newnham, is that no rocky bottom is to be found, except at such a depth that piles are useless, and the substitute must be sunk rock; and as to floating piers, there being no depth of water, as in the Saint Lawrence, the navigation of the river would be impeded, and falls, as at Old London Bridge, be created. Dig till you come to the solid ground,"* is certainly an ancient and sound architectural adage, and taking the main opening (580 feet) of the famous Suspension Bridge over the Menai for a standard, three piers would be required. But, whatever may be the hazard attached to a sandy foundation, it is certain that it has been counteracted without excavation down to rock. Pliny (xxxvi. 14) informs us, that the famous temple of the Ephesian Diana was founded in a marshy soil to guard against earthquakes, and that the foundations might not be laid in slippery ground, "calcatis ea [fundamenta] carbonibus, dein velleribus lance, substravere ;" i. e. they underlaid the foundations with trodden coals, afterwards with fleeces of woot; whence no doubt came the legend that London Bridge was built upon woolsacks. This temple was in existence long after the time of St. Paul. Alexander, when he wanted to pass the Arosis, demolished the villages, and, laying the materials on blocks of stone, promptly formed a bridge. (Pratt's Q. Curt. ii. 30). Nor does it appear to be the fact, that where there is an intervening artificial sound stratum, the substratum beneath is of much moment, for Alberti says, you may light upon a country like that of the Adria tic and Venice, where, under the con gestitia, you can find almost nothing but loose mud (solutum limum). (De re ædificat. fol. xxxii. b.) Our ances tors seem to have acted in this way by making their starlings.

"The original foundation of Old London Bridge appears to have been laid at low water, as the heads of the small piles were a little above that level; they were chiefly of elm, and driven in three rows, all round the sides and ends of the piers, about six or seven feet deep, and ten inches square, upon an average. Between these piles a quantity

of loose rubble stones were laid without cement, and upon this were bedded three strong sleepers, about 21 inches wide and 9 thick.

*"At veteres, quod faustum et felix sit, fodito inquiunt usquedum solidum invenias." Alberni de re ædificat. fol. xxxiii,

[July,

This timber was perfectly sound after the lapse of now above six centuries, and proves a strong practical instance of the preservation of wood under water, when unexposed to the action of air.”—Archæol. xxiii, 18.

As

In building our ancient bridges, the custom was to turn the water-course, make starlings, and upon them raise the piers; and if they had sunk their starlings to low-water level, and not made their piers unnecessarily thick, there would have been no falls. It does not appear, from the London or Bristol old bridges, that they piled under the starlings. (See Seyer's Bristol.) Nor is it at all probable, quick as are the sands of the Severn, and various other sands, that a superstructure raised upon the hull of the Royal George, the Rother-ship, or a Severn trow bedded in sand, would subside much from the superincumbent weight; for Vauxhall bridge has its piers laid in boxes. to the Severn, the experiment could be easily made by examining the depth to which the causeway on the Arlingham side, used from time immemorial, has subsided; and furthermore, the ford at low water for carriages has been used from time immemorial, so that it can never have been undermined, and must be firm enough for a timberbridge, or an artificial bed of stone laid upon it. In excavation, the American mode is twice as cheap as the English, both in bridge and canalmaking. Instead of human labour being employed in digging, a team or two ploughs the surface with a very strong plough, the men remove the earth as fast as it is turned up; they then plough again, and so continue the process, (if the stratum be not rocky) till the job is completed.

A bridge at Newnham, unless supported by Government (and in all nations except this, such public works are so supported,) is, however, not likely to find patronage. The people of Gloucester and the Old and New Passages, have a strong interest in opposing such a measure; but there is no reasonable objection to a double-boat ferry like that used at Philadelphia, and the profits of such a convenience might form a fair criterion as to the prudence of ulterior measures. 'There' are turnpike roads in communication on both sides, and no approaches required, nor acts of parliament, nor any outlay except that which does not require serious consideration. Indeed one or more patriotic noblemen or gentle