HOURS AMONG ROCKS AND CLOUDS. 367 
action of water upon the loosened soil. Hence it is toilsome work to cross this 
turbary from one eminence to another, and amidst rain and mist confusing and 
confounding. No lady tourist should suffer herself to be tempted to an eminence 
where the roughest gales are eternally battling with each other, for assistance is 
scarcely available in some places, and I was witness, on my last ascent, to the 
unpleasant incident of a lady being violently hurled to the earth by the fierce 
wind, in spite of every effort, while her veil and bonnet sailed, beyond the ken 
of vision, over the precipice. Blood profusely flowed from her head, meeting the 
sharp rocks in her descent, and though little beyond fright eventually ensued, 
such disasters to females are not very pleasant. 
The great mass of Plinlimmon consists of primary Slate, which has, however^ 
been subjected to an unpleasing process by the vicinity of Trappoid rocks, and 
their injection into its strata from beneath. Hence, though the masses in situ, 
are mostly concealed by turf and Sphagni, the inequalities of the surface, and 
the Quartzose fragments scattered around, give abundant evidence of the process 
that has taken place in the magnificent crucible of Nature. Schistose piles occur 
in various places on the ridge, vertically elevated and serrated sharp as a needle, 
whilst at intervals, amidst the elevated plain and turbary, broad masses of 
Quartz appear like heaps of snow starting from the Moss. The elevated points 
around the turbary are mostly Trappean Quartz, the loosely-crystallized pre¬ 
dominating ; and close to the highest point I found a beautiful slab of Siliceous 
crystals on Greenstone. The whole mountain, therefore, must be considered as 
modified by igneous agency, although the mosses and bogs that conceal its 
rocks derogate from that magnificent regal aspect which most hills of eruptive 
character assume. The sides and buttresses of the mountain betray the 
same origin as the summit, for I noticed, close to Blaen Hafren, huge masses 
of indurated rock in the infant Severn, penetrated with Quartzose veins, and 
a rock of similar appearance presented itself higher up the stream. By the 
side of the Bhydol Pool I also observed a mass of Breccia, the pebbles composing 
which were very smooth, as if subjected to the attrition of water ; but the con¬ 
nection of this mass with the Schistose strata was not apparent. A dome of 
Whinstone of enormous size is mentioned, by the anonymous writer in the 
Cambrian I have before referred to, as occurring in the ascent of the hill from 
Machynnleth, but this did not come under my notice. The dependent buttresses 
of the mountain towards Pont Herwid on the Aberystwith-road abound with 
Lead-ore, interjected probably into the rock when in a fluid state by the igneous 
action from below; and so great is the quantity this vicinity has yielded, that it 
bears the appellation of the Welch Potosi. 
Every elevated point on Plinlimmon is crowned with cairns, which are con¬ 
tinually increased by the hands of idle shepherds, so that some of them form 
3 c 2 
