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Iioufes are Angularly placed at the bottom and on the fide 

 of a fteep hill which ovtrlooks a narrow winding valley to 

 the fouth, and the bay with St. George's channel on the 

 weft. The fitur.tion of the houfes affords matter of atlo- 

 nifliment to moft travellers ; fome being placed on the fanda 

 clofe to the beacli, and others at fuch varied heights on the 

 rocks, that in fome of the winding paths a perfon may look 

 into the d'^or of one houie on his right hand, and down the 

 chimney of another on his left. This place is at the mouth 

 of the river Mawddach, which at high tide forms a bay of 

 about one mile over ; but the entrance is rather imfafc on 

 account of the fand banks. The WelHi call it Aberniaw, 

 i. e. the mouth or confluence of the river Maw. Barmouth 

 is much frequented as a convenient bathing place during 

 the fummcr by many genteel families. Here are a few ba- 

 thing machines for the ufe of ladies, but the gentlemen 

 commonly batlie from the coaft. Th.is place is the port of 

 Mcrionvthfliire, and great quantities of flannels and hofe are 

 annually exported hence. Mr. Pennant dates tliat fortv 

 thoufand pounds' worth of the fonner and ten thoufard 

 pounds' worth of the latter have been ihipped from this port 

 in one year. About one hundred vefFels belong to this 

 place, fome of which fail up the river nearly to Dolgelly. 



Not far from Barmouth, the river Mawddach divides into 

 two arms, and forms a fmall idand called Ynys y Brawd, or 

 the friar's illand. The number of houfes in this paridi is 

 317, audits inhabitants amount to 1463. Bingley's Tour 

 round North Wales. 



BARN, \n Rural Economy, a covered building conftruiEl- 

 ed for the purpofe of laying up and preferving all forts of 

 grain, hay, ftraw, 6cc. Arable as well as hay farms 

 ftiould in general be provided with barns proportioned to 

 the quantity of grain or hay tiiey produce ; though fmce 

 the praftice of flacking hay and grain and of threlhing 

 by mills has become more general, there feems to be much 

 lefs need of large barns. 



Buildings of this fort (hould have a dry, rather elevated 

 fituation ; and be placed on the north or north-eaft fide of 

 the farm yard, hut not by any means contiguous to the 

 lioufe or fuch offices as are connefted with it. 



Barns may either be conflrufted on wooden frames and 

 covered on the outfides with weather boarding, or built of 

 brick or ftone, which ever the country affords in the great- 

 ell plenty ; but in either cafe, there fliould be fuch vent-holes 

 or openings in their fides or walls as may be fufficient to 

 afford free admifllon to the air, in order to prevent the 

 mor.ldinefs that would otherwifc from the lead damp lodge 

 in the grain. The gable ends of fuch buildings are proba- 

 bly always bed formed of brick or ftone, on account of their 

 greater folidity ; the whole may be roofed with either thatch or 

 tiLsas can be moft conveniently procured. They Ihould have 

 two large folding doors facing each other, one on each fide 

 of the building, for the convenience of carrying in or out a 

 cart or waggon load of corn in fiieaves or any other fort of 

 bulky produce : and thefe doors fhould be of the fame 

 breadth with the threlhing floor, to allord the more light and 

 air ; the former for the threfliers, and the latter for the pur- 

 pofe of winnowing the grain. Over the threifiing floor, 

 and a little above the reach of the flail, poles are often laid 

 acrofs from one beam to another, to form a kind of upper 

 floor, upon which the threilier mav throw the I'traw or 

 haulm, to make an immediate clearing till he has time to flow 

 it properly elfewhcre ; and on the outfidc over the great 

 doors, it is fometimes convenient to have a large pent houfc, 

 made to projedt fufflciently to cover a load of corn or hay, 

 in cafe a fudden ilorra ihould come on before it caa be 



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houfed, and alfo to flielter the poultrj' in the farm yard 

 from too great heat or bad weather of any kind. 



It was formerly much the cullom in countries that 

 abounded in corn to have fcparate barns for wheat, for 

 fpring-corn, fuch as barley and oats, and for peas, tares, 

 clover, faintfoins, &c. but where the grain, hay, and other 

 finjilar produce can be ftacked, the heavy expence of fo 

 many buildings of this kind may be avoided, and at the 

 fame lime the different articles be prefcrved with equal 

 fafety and convenience. In the corn barns it was formerly alfo 

 much the cuftom to have bays or large fcparate chamber* 

 formed in their firks or ends for the purpofe of containing 

 the grain when threflied out, draw, and other articles ; 

 but thefe at prefent are not fo much in ufe. The hay 

 barns (liould conflantly be conftruftcd of wood and not made 

 too clofe. They are fometimes formed in fuch a manner 

 as to be capable of being moved to different places by hav- 

 ing low wliecls or rollers fixc<l o;i the bottom frame. In 

 grazing farms that do not afford a fupuly of llraw for 

 thatching the ftacks with, moveable roofs ereiSed on ftrong 

 upriglit polls of wood, or what are fometimes termed Dutch 

 barns, may be ufeful ; as they may be raifed or lowered at 

 pleafure by fcrews cr levers fo as to accommodate them- 

 felves to the quantity of hay, either in proportion to the 

 crop or its confamptions; while at the fame time they are 

 cheaper, more airy, and lefs troublcfome in cafe of heating, 

 than clofe barns. 



It is obferved in the fixteenth volume of the Annals of 

 Agriculture, in fpeaking of the conftruilion of barns, that 

 the underpinning fliould be of brick or ftone, two feet high 

 above ground, and the fides boarded ; the roof of the 

 barn is beft covered with reed or ftraw, and thofe of the 

 ftables on its fides with flate or glazed tile ; becaufe they 

 muft be more flat, and the water which runs from the roof 

 of the barn would injure moft other coverings. At each 

 end of the barn, and over the back door, fmall doors four 

 feet fquare fliould be fixed at the height of twelve feet from 

 the ground ; the two former for putting corn in at the ends, 

 and the latter for filling the middle of the barn after 

 the bays are full. Ail the bays fliould have a floor 

 of clay or marl, and the threfliing floor be made with 

 hard bricks, which wiU be fufficient for all forts of 

 gTain except wheat and rye ; and for threfliing them it 

 will be good economy to have planks of oak or red 

 deal well fitted together and numbered, to be laid down oc- 

 cafionally and confined by a frame at their ends. A barn 

 built on fnch a plan would hold a great deal of com and be. 

 filled moft conveniently ; and if the ftacks of corn were built 

 at each end, they might be taken in without any carting. If 

 more buildings are requifite, two may be added on the back 

 fide like the ftables in front ; otherwife if doors are made 

 under the eaves on the back fide, as directed at the ends, 

 and ftacks be placed oppofite to them juft far enough to 

 avoid the eaveb' dropping, by placing a waggon between 

 them and the barn by way of a ftage, thefe ftacks may be 

 taken in without carting ; which method fpares a great 

 wafte of com and much trouble. The fpars of the roofs of 

 the ftables reft upon the upper cills of the fides of the barn, 

 and the outfide wall of the ftables is eight feet high ; the 

 barn fupplying the highcft fiJc and one end of each ftable, 

 and the ftables in return are buttreffes to the barn and 

 ftrtngthen it greatly. 



It is remarked- by the author of the Agricultural Survey 

 of the county of Somcrfet, that the pradtice lately introdu- 

 ced of placing barns on a declivity cannot be too much re- 

 commended ; as a warm commodious range cf flails for cat- 

 tle, covered by the fame roof, is by that means obtained. 



Befidcs, 



