402 Messrs. W. Phillips and S. Woods on the [Dee. 
being covered the whole of its considerable extent, as far as we 
‘could perceive it beyond Llanwrst, with herbage to the very 
summit ; and as we could not detect either from the top of the 
hill we had ascended, or during our walk of three or four miles. 
to Llanwrst, any lime kiln, or even any rock or important open- 
ing, on the sides of the range, we were still doubtful whether 
limestone formed any part of it. In answer to our inquiries, the 
landlord of the inn at Llanwrst, an intelligent man, who had kept 
it during 13 years, assured us that no limestone is found nearer 
to that town than 16 miles; namely, near Abergelau on the 
coast; thus confirming the report of Mr. Dawson, that no lime 
stone is found on the range in question. 
We have stated that on the hill we ascended, we found 
no variety of rock, or slate, which has not been previously 
described, and that the run of the cleavage is NE and SW: the 
dip is about 54° to the NW ; and we had, as we conceived, suf- 
ficient evidence to prove that here the slates were interstratified 
in masses of considerable thickness, with rocks perfectly resem- 
bling those of the base of Moel Shabod ;. the latter forming 
ridges on the sides of the mountain, with alternate depressions 
in the spaces occupied by the slates, which, generally speaking, 
appear to be the most liable to decomposition ; and from having 
a better opportunity of observing on the side of this mountain 
the nature of the alluvium so prevalent in many places we had 
visited, and which has been turned over in many instances on: 
the side of the high road to the depth of at least 20 feet, and 
is of a red colour, we were persuaded that this alluvium is 
derived from the decomposition of the slates and other rocks 
every where prevalent. 
While on this mountain, we were particularly struck by an 
appearance of stratification on the sides of another above Bet- 
tws, composed of the same rocks. This resemblance to strati. 
fication, for it is only resemblance, is in a direction not quite at 
right angles to the plane of the cleavage, in which there are 
natural fissures that in the distance seem to be perfectly parallel 
to each other, giving to the whole mass the aspect of regular 
layers or beds of the same rock. We did not view this mountain 
sufficiently near to discern the irregularity which we cannot 
doubt would be visible on the spot, because it has precisely in: 
the distance the same character as is apparent on the northern 
side of Moel Shabod above the lakes of Capel Curig, and on the 
side above Pont y Cyfiin; the latter we examined closely, and 
were satisfied that this resemblance to stratification is in fact 
only a tendency to cleavage, greatly resembling that which in 
the slates with which they are interstratified, often divides them 
into the rhombic form, but the lines of separation are not either 
even, or parallel with each, nor are they always continuous, 
but often stopped, and are again renewed above or below. 
In our way from Llanwrst to Conway, we ascended about 600. 
