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cs'l.-J ram a f-cure of that hird pbced ?t tlif top i? pc 

 c -liariv biaiitiJul, tliee I'niall anyiilar turrets liiuing irom it. 

 A niagniCicent ap-rtmciil is nu'Wii in this tower, uhcrc, by 

 the «'ell kr.own artifice of Cdward I. his qiif< n Elca.ior was 

 df'.iveied of her fon Ed.vard, the Hrll pnnte of Wales, 

 April ^5, i2'^4. The walls of the cajrle tower are ten tect 

 thick, ajid tho"'£ of the fortrefs in general cieht. A gallery 

 ru.is all round, with freqiieul opniing.^ for the difchavge of 

 arrows on the btliegers. A Ihort time after the ercdion ot 

 th-c:illle, the (Ireh^th and importance of it were to be tried. 

 A ueiieral infnntaic n was excited in d.lferent parts of Wales, 

 ill 1204, on occiifiiMi of a fiibfidy levied on tl.e new fubjeCts. 

 M.idoc, an illegitimate fon of the nnfortniiate Llcweiyn, 

 llvl iij himl'elf prince, put himfclf at the head of the infur- 

 creiits of North Wales, and proceeded to Caernarvon, which 

 was crowded witli people attending aii animal fair. The 

 vnarmed multitude were barbaroudy flanghtcrcd, the town 

 reduced 10 aihes, and the callk taken. In 1404 this fort- 

 refs wasbl.ckaded by Owen Glyndwr's adherents, but was 

 fo b'.ively defeided fur the king, that the belugers, hnding 

 llicir efforts fruitlefs, thought proper to retire. In 1 6^4 

 ihe town was taken by captain Swanlev, a parliamentarian, 

 who pillaged it of the ilorcs, arms, and ammunition, mak- 

 ing four hilndred prifoners : the royalilh afterwards difpof- 

 Ififed him. While lord Byron was governor, it was befieged 

 bv general Mvtlon in 1646, an<l furrendercd on an honour- 

 f.b'.e capitulation. In 164^, geiicral Mytton and colonel 

 Mafon were blockaded bv fir John Owen, who, hearing that 

 colonels Cirteraiid Twidleton were advancing to relieve the 

 town, raifed the fiege and marched to oppole them. The 

 parties met at Llandegai ; lir John was defeated and made 

 prifoner, and North Wales foon after fubmitted to the par- 

 liament.' Thiscaftle, hke its rival in Ihength and grandeur, 

 Conwav, is going fail to decay ; and the dilapidating hand 

 of time'proniifcs loou to deprive the country of one of its 

 principal architeaural ornaments. Evans's " Tour through 

 North Wales," 8vo. 180;. Binglty's " North Wales," 

 S vols. 8vo. 1804. 



CAERNARVONSHIRE, is the name of one of the 

 counties of North Wales. It is the moll mountainous dif- 

 trid in the whole principality, and affuincs atrnlyrugg.d 

 and alp'iie appearance. The mod central part of it is occu- 

 pied liy tliat vail eminence, named Snowdon, with feveral 

 i>t;.er inbordinate hills. This county is very irregularly 

 Ihaped, and is bounded by the fea on the well and louth, 

 the llraitsof the Menai, which fepaiate it from Angkica, 

 to the nortii, and the counties of Merioneth and Denbigh 

 to the tail. 'I'his area of country nieafurcs about forty 

 miles from north to fouth, and twenty from tall to well. 

 It is divided into feven hundreds, which are again fubdividtd 

 into iVvei.lv-one piriilics. Ihe principal places in the 

 coniitv are the city of Bangor, the town of Caernarvon, 

 and the town of Conway. According to the popula- 

 tion reports, publifhed by the houfe of commons, the 

 whole diilritl contains S433 houfcs, and 41521 inha- 

 bitants, of whom moll are employed in agriculture and 

 minirg. 



All the niountains in this county, as well as fome of the 

 low grounds on the v\eileru fide, are commons ; the former 

 arc chiefly dcpallured by Iheep, and the lattei by black cat- 

 tle. It is a cullom among the farmers to meet annually, 

 and determine what number of fheep each Hiall fend to the 

 rr.uuntains; yet in fpite of any argument, the pallurage is 

 generally overllocked. It is common with fome pcrlons to 

 it 11 this privilege at 4d. per head for the fcafon, which is 

 commonly from May, when the fliccp are driven up, until 

 Michaeliiia<, vkhcn they are brought down. In uioft lit- 



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fcriptions of this county, it is ilated, that tlie families j^n 

 up and wholly live on the mountains in the fummer feafon, 

 to attend their flocks, to make cheefe, &c. but this is de- 

 nied bv Mr. Kay in his " General View of the Agricultuie 

 of the County," who fays, that no fuch cuil-om prevails. 

 The wethers only -are fent up, and the ewes are always kept 

 in the low grounds with their laxb,'. When the l.ittcr aie - 

 vi-eaned, the ewes are milked for about two rnoiuhs ; ami 

 the product of thefe is mixed with the cows' milk for making 

 of cheele. 



The cMuortation of fl.itcs is the principal trade from this 

 county. Thefe are Ihipped in large quantities trom Caer- 

 narvon ; and it is calculated by Mr. Kay, that above 

 ^■;,oool. worth are annually fent from this part of the coun- 

 try. Wocl is alfo ail objecl of confiderable importance to 

 the farmers and peafantry, many of whom are employed in 

 manufadluring it into cloths, flannels, &lc. 



Of the rivers in Cucrnarvonniire, the Conway is the prin- 

 cipal. This bounds the eaftern fide of the county, and is" 

 navigable for about 12 miles from the fea up into the inte- 

 rior of the country. Increafed by various mountain tor- 

 rents, it fometimts fwells itfclf into a vaft cxpanfe, ai.d in 

 the early part of its courfe ftirms iome grand cafcades. 

 Many of the rivers of tiiis county cither pioceed from, or 

 form in their courfe, lakes of various fizes. Thefe are 

 chiefly in the declivities of the mountaiiis, and mod of them 

 are abundantly ilocked witli fifli, among which, the char, 

 and the gwyniad. are very prevalent. 



The mod confiderable mountains are Snowdon and Pen- 

 maen-Mawr. The former is eftimatcd to meafure 3451^, or, 

 according toother llatements, ;j 568 and 3600, feet above the 

 level of the lea at Caernarvon Qj.iay. It is conncdted with 

 a chain of other hills ranging tlirough the county in a di- 

 redlion from N. E. to N. W., extending from Aberconway 

 to the fea, at Aberdaron. The rocks compofing the higher 

 part of this chain, are principally porphyry, granite, and 

 granitel of Kirwan ; the lecondary rocks are chiefly horn- 

 blende, fchiller-fpar, toadllone, fchi'.lus-nica, fchi!hi«-clay, 

 mixtures of qu;ut/., feld-fpar, and mica, with argillaceous 

 fchillus in all its varieties. On the wefl;ern fide are a num. 

 ber of bafaltic columns on a bed of horntloiie, or chertz ; 

 and large coarfe cryilals, cubic pyrites, and various mineral 

 bodies are found in the fifliires. In the fchillofe rocks arc 

 feveral (late quarries ; and great quantities of Hones are cut, 

 and annuaUy fent hence to London, Dublin, &c. Maiiv 

 rare and curious plants are found on thefe mountains, and 

 oil the borders of the lakes. The whole of the county was 

 formerly known by the name of Snowdon, and a great part 

 of it is Hill dillinguiihed by the appellation of Snowdonia. 

 The mountains between Conivay and Can-narvon feem em- 

 buiohicd in one another, and from the Aiiglelea fliore are 

 fcen to rile, range after range, in three gradations. The 

 lower valleys and bafes are genera'ly very fertile and tempe. 

 rate, and confequeully are chofcn as the fceiies of habitation 

 and cultivation. The fecoiid range affords fome paituraoe 

 and fuel, fuch as long grafs, peat, and furze. The highe'.t 

 ridge is nearly divefted of vegetation, and partakes of the 

 temperature of the fiigld zone. Snow remains here nearly 

 three quarters of the year ; and is often found at the latter 

 end of June. 



The Icenery of Caernarvonfliire is peculiarly grand, ro- 

 mantic, and piitnrtlque. Its narrow glens, expanded lakes, 

 roaring cafcades, and " tempeft-torn rocks," confpire to ren- 

 der it eminently attraftive to the painter, whilll its ininera- 

 logieal and botanical pn-dudions are equally enticing to the 

 mineraloJill and to the botanifl. Fur further particular* 

 relating to the hiilory and antiquities of particular plai.es in 



this 



