In the sense of tortuousness I am inclined to bring in the following, referring them to Old Norse _meis_, curvatura, Eng. _maze_, &c. This seems most suitable to the character of the rivers, as the Maese or Meuse, and the Moselle. The word seems wanting in the Celtic, unless we think of the Welsh _mydu_, to arch, to vault. The other word which might put in a claim is _mos_, which, in the sense of marsh, is to be traced both in the Celtic and German speech, and whence, as supposed, the name of the ancient Mysia or Mœsia. 1. _England._ The MAESE. Derbyshire. _Scotland._ The MASIE. Aberdeen. _France, &c._ MOSA, 1st cent. B.C. The MAAS, MAES, or MEUSE. _Germany._ MISS(AHA), 8th cent. The MEISS(AU). The MIES in Bohemia. 2. _With the ending en._ _Italy._ The MUSONE. Two rivers. 3. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ MOSELLA, 1st cent. The MOSELLE. The only names which appear to contain an opposite sense to the foregoing are the BEINA of Norway, and the BANE of Lincolnshire, which seem to be from Old Norse _beinn_, North Eng. _bain_, straight, direct. FOOTNOTES: [57] That is, if it be the name of any real river falling into the Baltic, (the Rhodaune by Dantzic is suggested by some); but according to Heeren and Sir G. Lewis the Eridanus was a purely poetical stream, without any geographical position or character.--_See an article by Sir G. Lewis in Notes and Queries, July 3, 1858._ [58] In this case the ending _en_ is very clearly a contraction of _abon_ or _avon_, river. CHAPTER VII. QUALITY OF WATERS. There are a number of river-names in which the sense of clearness, brightness, or transparency is to be traced. From the Sansc. _cand_, to shine, Lat. _candeo_, Welsh, Ir. Arm., and Obs. Gael. _can_, white, clear, pure, we get the following. But the Gael. and Ir., _caoin_, soft, gentle, is a word liable to intermix. 1. _England._ The CANN. Essex. The KEN or KENT. Westmoreland. The KENNE. Devonshire. _Scotland._ The KEN. Joins the Dee. The CONN. CONA of Ossian. CANDY burn. Lanarkshire. _Wales._ The CAIN. Merioneth. _Germany._ CONE, 9th cent., now the COND. _Russia._ The KANA. Gov. Yeniseisk. _India._ The CANE or KEN--here? 2. _With the ending en._ _Scotland._ The CONAN. Dingwall. _Italy._ The CANTIANO. Pont. States. 3. _With the ending er._ _England._ The CONDER. Lancashire. The CONNER. Cornwall. _Switzerland._ The KANDER. 4. _Compounded with vi, wy, river._ _Wales._ CONOVIUS ant. The CONWAY.