Page:Rivers, Canals, Railways of Great Britain.djvu/720

 and Montgomery. Its course is in a south-eastwardly direction, west of the town of Rhayader, in the county of Radnor, from whence it becomes the boundary between that county and Brecknockshire; it thence passes by Builth to the town of Hay, situate on the borders of Herefordshire, and where the Wye first becomes navigable. Its course hence lies northwardly to Whitney Bridge, where it is crossed by the Hay Railway. Hence its course is very circuitous by Moccas to the city of Hereford; thence to near Mordiford, where the River Lugg, which is navigable for a short distance, falls into it. Its course hence is southwardly by Fownhope, the town of Ross, and Welsh Bicknor, where it enters Monmouthshire; hence it takes a south-westerly course by Lidbrook to Monmouth, where it is considerably augmented by the waters of the Munnow, and half a mile further by the River Trothy. Its course from Monmouth is directly south, and forming the division between Gloucester and Monmouthshire; passing Chepstow and its romantic castle, to the estuary of the Severn, into which it enters three miles south of the last-mentioned town, and eight miles north of King's Road, at the mouth of the Avon.

The navigable part of this river from Hay to the Severn is ninety-nine miles and a half, viz, from Hay to Hereford, thirty miles; from Hereford to the mouth of the River Lugg, seven miles and a half; from thence to the town of Ross, twenty-one miles and a half; from thence to Lidbrook, eight miles; thence to Monmouth, twelve miles; and thence to the Severn, twenty miles and a half.

Four several acts of parliament have been obtained relating to this river, the first of which was passed in the 14th Charles II. entitled, 'An Act for the making navigable the Rivers Wye and Lugg, and the Rivers and Brooks running into the same, in the counties of Hereford, Gloucester and Monmouth.' The second act was obtained in the 7th and 8th years of King William III. and entitled, 'An Act for making navigable the Rivers of Wye and Lugg, in the county of Hereford.' And in the 13th of George I. another act for amending the last recited act was passed, which is entitled, 'An Act for explaining and amending an Act passed in the Seventh and Eighth Years of the Reign of his late Majesty King William