I860.] BOTANICAL SKETCHES FROM NORTH WALES. 47 



sufficient evidence when at tlie falls. When the squire asked 

 the artist wherefore he did not paint a few sheep on the canvas 

 as adjuncts to the picture^ the artist said, " Ships do you want ? 

 You shall have a fleet of them.^' He took back his painting, 

 entered some vessels sailing boldly up against the rock, and thus 

 gave vitality to the scene. 



The Gothic-built inn which is mentioned iu some of the guide- 

 books, is not quite so mythical as the ships on the mountain 

 stream below the falls of Pistyll Rhaiadr. Speaking courteously 

 or figuratively, it, the house built by Sir W. W. Wynne, may be 

 called an inn, even although the fare obtainable be humble. The 

 fair hostess is civil, and the charges very reasonable. 



We met here with an original, in the person of a burly Welsh 

 farmer, of Llansilin, who was here shearing his ships, as he called 

 them. He took us for mining engineers, or geologists at least, 

 and wished us much to see some specimens of ore which he 

 picked up in a brook which ran through one of his fields, and 

 over a vein of lead. He also told us of some pieces of ore that 

 had a yellow hue, and probably contained copper, or even gold. 



He was desirous of getting our opinion about the metalliferous 

 value of the ores hereafter to be discovered on his farm, and we 

 were solicitous about the nearest way back to Llandderfel, which 

 we guessed could not be far short of twelve miles across the 

 mountain, the larger portion of it without so much as a track to 

 guide us. 



The farmer before mentioned told us to ascend to the head of 

 the fall, and keep along the brook {bruck, he called it) till we 

 reached some sheepfolds, and then to walk towards the ridge of 

 of the hill ; when this was reached, neither to turn to the right 

 nor to the left, till we met the Llangynog and Bala road. We 

 knew our way right well when we got to the road, and there was 

 no difficulty in reaching it. 



We asked our informant the distance from the falls to Llan- 

 dderfel. He said that it was a ride of five hours. He did not tell 

 us how long a walk it was. 



On returning we clambered up the steep rocky eminence which 

 is on the right side of the Pistyll, and at the summit of this pro- 

 jecting spur of the mountain we had a long and delightful pro- 

 spect in the direction of Llanrhaiadr, Llanarmon, Llansilin, and 

 Oswestry. 



