SAGACITY OF THE HORSE. 319 



direction, brought me to the end of my journey at 

 Cam yr Allyn, the residence of Mr. Boydell. A 

 few miles from this place, I passed the house of a 

 Mr. Townsend, the road close to which was lite- 

 rally through a garden of roses, which in the fresh- 

 ness of the morning, diffused a delicious fragrance. 



Mr. Boydell's residence is on a rich spot of ground, 

 on the banks of the Allyn river, which runs among 

 the spurs of a range of hills, trending N.N.W., 

 and distant about six miles to the eastward, where 

 it attains an elevation of three or four thousand 

 feet. The country in the neighbourhood is very 

 hilly, and intersected by deep narrow valleys or 

 ravines. I was very much amused by the sagacity 

 displayed by the horses in crossing these. They 

 make a point, as soon as they get near the bottom 

 on one side, of dashing down at a most tremendous 

 pace, in order to gain an impetus that shall carry 

 them up the opposite acclivity. The first time 

 the animal I rode exhibited this instance of fore- 

 thought, I imagined he was about to run away 

 with me ; for suddenly, without giving the least 

 warning, he made a rush in a downward direction 

 and was across the valley before I could look round. 



All the hills in this part of the country, shewed 

 singular sloping sides to the S.W., whilst on the 

 opposite, they were almost perpendicular ; old red 

 sandstone is generally found on their sides, and 

 granite on their summit. On the Allyn, I noticed 

 the same kind of rich limestone, that I found on the 

 west bank of the Karuah, two miles within the 



