beach, Bishop's caftle, Montgomery, Welsh Poole, Llanvyllyn, and Liangunnog. About a mile from Knighton, in the way to Clunn, is the rock, on the declivity of which the heroic Caracacus erected his celebrated ramparts. "He chofe a place. (fays Tacitus) against which it was difficult to advance, and from which it was as difficult to retreat, every way incommodious to our army, every way favorable to his own. It was upon ridges of mountains exceeding fleep, and where their fides were inclining and approachable, he reared walls of stone for a rampart. At the foot of the mountains flowed a river, dangerous to be forded, and a host of men guarded his intrenchments *." It is reported by fome, on the contrary, that this incampment was about two miles beyond Ciunn, and by others probably in other places; but the prefent fituation appears to coincide perfectly with the hiftorian's account, and Camden infitts on the fame opi Clunn is a fmall and dirty town, at the fame time agreeably fituated. Of the cafle, which was almost intirely demolished by one of the Lle wellyns, the remains are very fmall, and are feen to the best advantage from the mail eminence beyond them. The civility of the curate recommended his profeffion, he favor ed us with an internal view of the church, and accompanied us to an excellent inftitution for old and unfortunate farmers; an inftitution worthy of its worthy penfioners, who have uniformly employed their agricultural capacities in the fervice of their country, and, like mariners that have been long toft on an ocean of hardhip and uncertainty, have at laft found fhelter in a harbor of comfort and contentment. Bishop's-cale is a large and handfome town, fituated in a valley, and furrounded with rich and fertile country. The view from the ancient moat, about two miles diftant, is beautiful and picturefque, the place irfelf being planted with groves of fir-trees. Montgomery is a fmall and very agreeable place. The ruins of the cattle, upon a steep eminence overlooking the town, are highly picuGordon's tranflation. refque; and upon the hills adjoining are traces of an ancient incampment. The road to We!fh Poole is delight ful, the country is beautiful, and the views are extenfive and mountainous. Rodney's pillar role confpicuous on our left, and, upon turning the brow of the hill,-Powis caftle, the town of Welth Poole, and the wooden bridge over the Severn, prefented themselves to us admiring with rapture. Powis cafle is a large building, feared on a confiderable eminence, and furrounded with thick and spreading woods. It is at prefent very much out of repair, but the young and no bie owner intends to undertake a res gular plan for amending its condition, modernizing its uncouth appearance, and beautifying its ornamental parts; and, as the work of reformation in creafes and proceeds, it may foon be restored to its primitive grandeur, The fair-cafe is adorned with beauti ful paintings; and the bufts of the twelve Cæfars on pedeftais folicit and deferve obfervation. The fummits of the castle command a noble profpe&t; and, the day being clear, we beheld it in the greatest perfection. The populous and well-built town of Welsh Poole is delightfully firuated, and the streets are broad and decent. The commercial business of this town is very refpectable. The allizes began the fame day that we ar rived there. It was a matter of imprudence that we left this place rather late in the evening. The face of nature looked pleasant, the decline of the day be came fettled and clear, and the roads were good, when we departed on our journey; but the felicity of our minds did not permit us to calculate on the continuance of thefe advantages. Thele agreeable fenfitions gradually increafed and expanded with our progreffion, the clearness of the firmament became gradually clouded, the evening continued to advance, and the impenetrable darkness of the night awaited us in the middle of our way to Llanwyllyn. A miferable public-houle was deftined to afford us a nocturnal habitation; it was the only alternative with fleeping under the hedge. The difficulties we encountered, the inflakes that occurred, and the nature of our accommodations, certainly not the most agreeable, would turnih ample matter for an an interefting narrative, and would exercife a talent for defeription, thu d' I fuppofe that the public would be pleafed with the hiftory of our adventures. A description of the scene. ry, not of the fpectators, is the object of important narration. There are, indeed, fome inftances that derive importance from the character of the traveller, an originality in the outline, a manner in relating, and the enter tainment they afford, but in general thefe inftances are too private and too common to intereft the impartial obferver. The affir that has occafioned the prefent remarks may ferve to admonish the traveller of the neceffity of obtaining previous informa non of the relative dittance of places; may alfo ferve to fhew, what ought not to be concealed, that a pedestrian *xcurfion is attended with many in Conveniences, Llanvylyn is comparatively a large town, containing a fpacious marketplace, and feated on an eminence. The way from thence to Llargunnog is beguiled with feveral pleafing landfcapes. Llangunnog is a fmall village, delightfully fituated at the extremity of an agreeable vale, overlooked by the fite-rocks and the lead-mines of lord Powis, We had omitted to fee the celebrated cafcade of P..l-rhudr and the flute-rocks of Llan-thaidr, be caufe they did not lay in our route; but it was an inconfiderable omiflion; Specimens of the latter we law at Llangunnog, and in our way to Bala we were fufficiently charmed by the jonumerable eftuaries and cataracts, making down irreftibly from the upendous fummits of the rocks and mountains, the huge farments of which in vain endeavored to refrain their impetuofity, while the vale be. neath braved the impending for, and maintained a cheartul aípe&. Thefe are objects which emule and delight the novice, variety is picating and defirable, and this part of North -Wales cannot wholly be ternied unin. terefting. If the whole princ pality refembled Flintshire and Denb ghfe, the country would indeed be rich and well-cultivated, but the fub Jimity of Wales would be diiregarded, and the eye would be weaned and dazed by the perpetual fplendor of the icenery. It is the vary with which this country abounds that ren ders it worthy of obfervation. One landfcape is followed by another fill more pleafing, the profpe& is conti nually diverfified with fome new ob jeft," and the eye 15 proportionably charmed, in proportion as one county exceeds another, in beauty, fingulaInv, and grandeur. Thefe are thy glorious works, parent of good! Almighty! thine this univerfal frame, Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wond rous then! Unspeakable, who fit'st above thefe heav'n To us invifible, or dimly feen [clare In these thy lowest woks; yet there deThy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine. MILTON. large, and, as Lord Lyttelt. a very The town of Bal is moder tey Properly remarks, is celebrated for beauditul women.- -The pol, cated Pmble-meer, is about eleven miles a circumference, and, with the diffe. rence of color, very much relembles the roaring and imell of the fea: It Contains a peculiar th' called the winiard, fimilar to the ferra in the lake of Geneva. This is the fource of the river Dee. It is encircled with beautiful mountains, and backed by the tripple fummit of Cader-Idris.→ The market very much refembled the annual fairs at the villages round the metropolis. Bead and cakes were the principal and almoft only articles for fale. The meat was lean and obferved that the cattle on the mous fcanty, and indeed we had already tains were thin, and almof tarved for want of nourilament. proper The perton of the curate was pleafing, the complacency of his manners at once declared his hofpitali y and his good natu e, and he derived pleafure from endeavoring to promote the convenience of his fellow creatures. humilny, appeared to be the leading Piety, chearfulmets, conteniment, and features of his character; he was be loved by the people, and his exainplencouraged their imitation. งา W. left Bala in the evening, and, North Wales, of which we have an epil* His lordthip performed the tour of tolary account writen by himself to friend. A manufcript copy was in the which the above remark has been taken. poffeffion of the curate of Chunn, from it is printed in his Lordthip's Werks; and his lately been copied in the Chitin register, which appears to be a valu.be publication. fleeping at a neat little inn called Dwrwd, proceeded very early the next morning to Ruthyn; an agreeable market town, fi uated on the confines of the vale of Clwyd. The prifon is remarkably commodious for the cri-, minals, and the ed-fice itself is plain and handfome. The ruins of the cattle are confiderable, but the the'l is, not inti.e; it was built by Richard de Grev. The inchanting vale of Clwyd is celebrated for richnefs, beauty, and fertility. It is twenty-fix miles in length, and ex ends to the Irish fea; the river runs intirely through it. The hils are of a moft agreeable complexion, and the innumerable objects which furround and adorn them are pleaf nov diverfitied with cornfields, meadows, and paftu es. It was twilight when we departed from Ruthyn, and our walk was really delightful; the picture!que ruins of Denbigh caftle, feated on a confiderable eminence, appearing to great advintage; and, when we hid paffed Pantry laner, the white church forming a d firable obj &t. Nor are the hill unamiable, whose tops To heav'n afpire, affording prospect sweet To oman ken; nor at their feet he vales Dfcending gently, where the lowing herd Chew verd'rous paiture; nor the yellow fields Gaily in.c.chang'd, with vich varietyPHILIPS'S CYDER. Denbigh is comparatively a large and well-built town, moft admirably fituated. The calle, of the Gothic order, was built in the reign of Edward the firt; and near it the wals of the old town are full remaining, but in a miferable condition. The ruins of confiderable and unfinished church make a very melancholy appearance, particularly as the fmail parish church is comprehended in the fame view, We still continued our route along the delightful vale of Clwyd, and on the right, about four miles from Saint, Afaph, faw the maritime town of Rydland, bounded by the castle, on the one fide and the church on the other. H-re a battle was fought be-, tween the Saxons and the We'th, me-, morab'e for the defeat and death of Caradoc, and the difaf.ous confequences to the latter. Abergelly is a fmall watering place bordering on the fea thore, and the accommodations for fea-bathing are very convenient. From thence we went to Llandillas; and, after an agreeable walk, having the fea on our right, arrived at Conway fands. Tnis plice is properly Aberconway: for Aber fignifies a finaller river emptying itfelf into a larger one; here the Conway, the gen le river Conway, instead of the foaming food of Gray * runs into the fea. It was confiderably after twilight; but from the ferry we had a m>& charming dufky view of the cattle, the battlements, and the gate-way into the town; furrounded on all fides with walls and towers. Conway cole nuft undoubtedly have been efteemed by its ancient pof ters as a place of great ftrength and importance, the river running directly beneath, and having a communication with the fea. It is more ancient than the town, being fortified by the earl of Chester in the reign of Wiham the Conqueror: it was afterwards damaged in the wars, and rebuilt by Edward the fit; in the Cromwel in civil wars it was fortified by the arch-bishop of York, feized, by Sir John Oven, and finally deli vered to the parliament. The greater part of the caftles in North Wales were founded or repaned by Edward the first, to maintain his fuperiority over the inhabi tants, and to fecure the compleat con quest of their country.-The cement used in erecting thete calties has proved more fervice.ble and of longer duration than the tones themselves; for the latter are every where in a mouldering and decayed condition, while the former appears to be stil dus rable for many ages. An inftance of About two miles from Denbigh, we pad over a small heath about a mile and a half in length. It was from this place that we took our fit glimple of the fea. The novelty of the fight accelerated our motions, and we toon arrived at the fmail city of Saint Alaph; the cathedral of which, in point of extent and grandeur, does not exceed many of the coll-ge-cha-th pels at Oxford; nor is there any thing remark.ble in the bishop's palace. miv he icen here in what is *On a tock, whofe haughty brow Frowns o'er old Conway's faming dood→→ GAY'S BARD. Called Called the banging-tower; the foundation of this turret, being laid upon the declivity of a rock, has long fince given way, and the tremendous frag ments are (cattered upon the fea hore; but the over hanging fummit All remains, and in all probability will continue for a confiderable length of time. The road from Conway to Bangor is continually diverfified with the va riety of the scenery. At first we paffed over a heath, then down a craggy fteep, with romantic and Rupendous rocks on either fide. The picturefque promontory of Orme's-head lay on cur right, extending into the fea. We particularly admired the curious fragments that appeared to have been fcattered over the face of the country by the eruption of a volcano: parts of thefe flones are almoft tranfparent, and fomewhat fimilar to thofe found in Derby fhire; but here they are fo plentiful, that the common wall of the high road is chiefly compofed of them. These, indeed, excited our admiration, but thefe were almost intirely difregarded, when we appro-ched the awful declivity of Penmaenmawr. It was here that we first formed an idea of the grandeur of Wales. The fea was beneath us, whilst the rocks were as it ere hovering over our heads, doubting to difcharge the fatal ruin on the unfortunate trave ler, or to urge its headlong fury into the immenfe chalm beneath it. When we had traverfed this tremendous pals, we proceeded to the heat little village of Aber, pleafantly fituated on the coaft of the Infh fea. Tal-y-bont and Llandegai are two trifling villages, but the church of the latter is an agreeable object. The elegant feat of lord Penrhyn lay on our right. The Ale of Anglesea now formed a confiderable part of the profpe&, From the general appearance of things it is not improbable that there were formerly frequent eruptions in Wales. Se veral mountains both in the northern and fouthern parts feem to have been caft into their prefent form by the force of volcanoes; and in various places immense masfes of broken fragments feem to corroborate this opinion, by being gradually extended, in the form of a fan, in proportion as they approach the foot of the mountain. and the town of Beaumaris with its castle appeared very conspicuous. Several gentlemen's feats in various parts at the fame time prefented themfelves to view, and greatly enriched the scenery. Bangor is a small and inconfidera ble town; the free-school and the bifhop's palace are its principal embel. lifhments. It has often been remarked that the four Welsh bishop. rics, of Bingor, Saint Afaph, Llandaff, and St. David's, confidering their fituation and extent as cities or towns, are the most unimportant and con. temptible places in the whole princi pality. We croffed the Menai or the Abermenai ftrat atts in the Bangor ferry, and were fecurely landed on the island of Anglefea; the paffage over is about half a mile. We purfued our route in the island along the road to Caer narvon, until we came to a refpe&a. ble feat, repairing for the reception of lord Uxbridge; his lordship poffeffes a valuable eftate in thefe parts. —in his grounds we viewed two cromlechs, or druidical aitars, but, as I have not yet acquired the learning of an antiquary, I cannot determine whe ther they are ancient or modern firut. tures: the largest of them is faid to equal any in the whole fland; it is of an irregular form, confifting of one broad fist ftone fupported by feveral smaller ones, fearely high enough for a man to ftand upright in its centre. -We neglected to fee the extenfive copper-works in this ifland, because we had been previously informed that a resemblance of them might be feen at the foor et Snowdon; and we alfo understood that the famous pool, whole peculiar virtue is to increase the purity of the copper through the agency of i on, was frusted on the borders of that celebrated mountain. (To be continued.) |