A TOUR ROUND NORTH WALES. 19i 



caftle, belonging to the agent to the Hate 

 quarries ; the whole village confifts but of 

 $Wfc cottages, apparently the moft miferable. 

 They are in general conftructed of a haly 

 kind of ftone, with which the country 

 abounds, and with but juft fb much lime 

 as to keep out the keenefl of the mountain 

 blafts. The windows are all very fmall, 

 and in addition to this, by far the greater 

 part of them, with having been formerly 

 broken, are blocked up with boards, leav- 

 ing only three or four panes of glafs, and 

 affording fcarcely fufficient light within to 

 render even " darknefs vifible." Here I 

 might have expected to find a race of men, 

 who, fubject to the inconveniences, with- 

 out participating in the benefits of civil 

 fociety, were in a ftate little fhort of mi- 

 fery. Thefe men, it might again be fup- 

 pofed, in this fecluded place, with diffi- 

 culty contriving to keep up an exiflence, 

 would be cheerlefs as their own mountains, 



fhrowded 



