. The earth and its inhabitants ... one tract of any extent within whichEnglish is spoken to the entire exclusion of Welsh. This is the peninsula ofGower, in which Flemish colonists established themselves in 1103. It is famous forits cromlechs. Physically the inhabitants of this peninsula are said to differ fromtheir neighbours, and a few words of Flemish survive amongst them, although theyhave discontinued the use of their mother tongue since the fifteenth century.* Swansea, at the mouth of the Tawe, is an unattractive town, which owes its * Varenbcrgh, Patria Belgica, iii. GLAMORGANSHIEE. 71
. The earth and its inhabitants ... one tract of any extent within whichEnglish is spoken to the entire exclusion of Welsh. This is the peninsula ofGower, in which Flemish colonists established themselves in 1103. It is famous forits cromlechs. Physically the inhabitants of this peninsula are said to differ fromtheir neighbours, and a few words of Flemish survive amongst them, although theyhave discontinued the use of their mother tongue since the fifteenth century.* Swansea, at the mouth of the Tawe, is an unattractive town, which owes its * Varenbcrgh, Patria Belgica, iii. GLAMORGANSHIEE. 71 prosperity to tlie smelting and refining of copper. As early as the twelfthcentury, we are told by Borrow, Swansea was known for its castings, but it is onlysince the beginning of this century that it has grown into an important seat ofindustry. The miners of Cornwall were the first to send their ores to Swansea tobe smelted, and so great are the advantages conferred upon the town by its wealth Fig. 39.— 1 : 1 Mile. in coal, that copper ores from all parts of the world now find their way to itssmelting furnaces. The smoke ascending from the numerous chimneys of thetown poisons the atmosphere and kills the vegetation on the surrounding has excellent docks, and its foreign trade, more especially with France, isof great importance. The museum belonging to the Royal Institution of South 72 THE BEITISH ISLES. Wales contains a valuable natural-history collection. Landore, a suburb of Swan-sea, is well known for its steel works. Of/sferniouf/i, on the western side of Swansea Bay, has grown into a favouritewatering-place. The Neath enters Swansea Bay to the east of Swansea. BritonFerry, at its mouth, has iron and tin-plate works, but is surpassed in importanceby Neath, a few miles up the river, where copper smelting is carried on, andwhence coal is exported in considerable quantities. Abtrafon, at the mouth of , has copper works, and carri
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
