370 Aicointt of tkt Country in tht 



The towh of Amlwch, which about 30 years ago had no more than half a dozen houfet 

 in the whole parilh, now fupports a population of four or five thoufand inhabitants ; and 

 ■was at prefcnt,beiii)f market (lay, thronged with miners and country-people. After dinner 

 we walked along the fca Oiorc, climbing the fteep flate rocks, whence the water below ap- 

 peared of a beautiful green, and fo tranfparent as to flicw the (helving rocks to a great 

 depth beneath. 



Having heard that at Camlyn Bay, about eight miles weft of Amlwch, there were fome 

 marble quarries, and that it furiiiflied albedos, we refolvcd to fpcnd this day in vifiting it: 

 the road lay in general about half a mile from the coafl ; the fubftratum was waved green 

 Biagnefian flate. When we arrived at Camlyn Bay, we looked in vain for marble or afbeftos, 

 and proceeded homewards along the coaft. The (hore of Camlyn Bay confifts entirely of 

 green and purple waved magnelLin flate rock, with large veins of quartz. Having arrived 

 at a promontory that feparates Cemmaes Bay from the former, we found it to confifl. of a 

 fine blue-veined limeftone, or common marble. Some way on, near the village of Cem- 

 maes, this limeftone is cut through by a ftratum dcfcending to the water, about 40 yards 

 wide, of black flate, containing iron pyrites ; and in the caverns dug in this, probably ia 

 a fruitlefs fearch after metals, are efflorefcences of fulphate of iron and chalybeate fprings. 

 To this fucceeds a beautiful water-grey fand, mixed with lime but of little coherence, on 

 eipofure to the air, taking an ochrey ftain. Adjoining to this are a few prds of calcareous 

 free-ftone, and then a cliff of very hard wWte and water-grey marble ; a range of fand and. 

 loofe free-ftone fucceeds, and the bay terminates with a marble promontory. ITie foil of 

 the land furrounding the bay is for the moft part, efpecially near the village, a deep fand. 

 The limeftone terminates fliortly after, and the green-waved magnefian flate continues the 

 boundary of the ifland. This ridge of lime is in general higher than the flate, defcribing 

 an irregularly indented line of coaft, about four miles long : its breadth varies from a quar^ 

 ter to half a mile ; and a narrow valley, forming its outline towards the land, feparates it 

 entfrely from the aft)eftine flate, thus preveinhig any intermediate ftrata. 



The whole of this coaft is cut out into bays or rccefles of various forms and dimenfions, 

 with lofty projefling promontories, which are for the moft part fine flieep-walks. A num- 

 ber of iflands alfo are formed by ledges of rock, many of them a good way out at fca, and 

 at high water juft appearing like black fpot"; in the midft of the waves: many of thefe creeks 

 are fccure havens for fmall velTcls, whid> are prote£led from weft and fouth-weft winds by 

 the rocks. The village of Cemmaes ftands upon a little creek opening into a moft beanti- 

 ful bay about a mile acrofs ; its entrance into the main fea is guarded on each fide by a 

 cr.iggy promontory, the one of grey, the other of fnow-white marble, gliftening aKove the 

 green fea, fmooth as the furface of a mirror, and whofc fparkling tranfparency baffles de- 

 fcription. In the interior recefs of the bay, the bank of black flate, mentioned above, was 

 finely contrafted with a lofty irregular projecting arch of white marble, pierced by the con- 

 ftant dalhing of the waves •, while the founds of laughter and merriment, proceeding from 

 two boats' crews of young people, that had juft puflied out of the creek on a party of plca- 

 fure, added double life and intercft to this lovely fcene. Tlie land adjoining the cliflfs, that 

 •Tctk)ok. the fea, produces a great deal of corn, chiefly oats and barley. A golden tinge 



already 



