590 C A E \ 
powered by numbers and difpoffeffed of it. Caerleon at 
relent is but an indifferent town, having a long wooden 
ridge over the Uik, w ith a market on Thurfdays, which 
is in general well fupplied. Fairs, Ma-y i, July 21, and 
September 20; and alfo a cattle-market the fetond Mon¬ 
day in every month. Here is a good free-fchool ; and a 
confiderable tin-work, by which the poor are principally 
employed. 
CAERMAR'THEN, a borough-town, the capital of 
Caermarthenlhire, in South Wales, diftant from Brecon 
forty-five miles, and from London, by way of Gloucefter 
in miles, by way of L T Hc and Briflol 219 miles, and by 
way of Swanfea and Brillol 228 miles. It is governed by 
a mayor and fix peers, (juflices,) returns one member to 
parliament, and was erected into a borough 38 Henry V 1 i I. 
and made a county corporate by James I. It is a fmall 
port, and lies near the Briflol channel. Its markets, which 
are Wednefdays and Saturdays, are well fupplied. Fairs 
are June 3, July 10, Align ft 12, September 9, October 9, 
and November 14. The town is of great antiquity, being 
the Meridunum of Ptolemy. It is pleafantly fituated in 
a fertile country, on the river Tovvy, which is only navi¬ 
gable for fmall veffels. It was the refidence of the princes 
of South Wales. The Normans, loon after tlie conqueft, 
poffeffed themfelves of it; and, as the inhabitants endea¬ 
voured to r.efcue their property, the town was frequently 
in danger of being demolilhed, till fecured with a wall 
and flrong caftle, ereCted on a pendant rock, and which is 
now ufed as a gaol. At the time that Whiles was tirft e- 
refled into a principality, the chancery and exchequer for 
South Wales were kept here. It has a very commodious 
quay for loading and unloading goods, and a ftone bridge 
over the river. This town is famous for the birth of the 
old Britifh prophet Merlin, of whom fo many things are 
fabled, and who flourilhed in the year 480. Near Kily- 
Maen Llwyd, on a great mountain, is a circle of immenle 
liones, very much like Stone-henge in Wiltlhire, or rather 
like the Rollrich ftones in Oxfordihire ; the people call it 
Buart/i Arthur, or King Arthur's Throne. About two miles 
to the eaft of the town is the bifliop of St. David’s palace. 
Caermarthen gives the title of marquis to his grace the 
duke of Leeds. 
C AERM A R'THENSHIRE, a county of South Wales, 
bounded on the north by the county of Cardigan, from 
which it is feparated by the river Tivy, on the eaft by 
Brecknockfhire and Glamorgandiire, on the foutli by the 
Briflol Channel, and on the weft by Pern broke (hire; about 
thirty-five miles long, twenty broad, and 102 in circum¬ 
ference. The country is in general mountainous, woody, 
and well watered. The air is reckoned mild and healthy, 
and the foil fertile. Coals and lime-ftone are plentiful. 
It is divided into fix hundreds, and contains eight towns, 
which are Caermarthen, Llanymdovery, JLlanelleUy, Kid¬ 
welly, Llangadock, Llandillo-Vawr, Laugharn, and New- 
caftle in Emlyn. The principal rivers are the Towy, the 
Cotlvy, and the Tave. It returns only one member to 
parliament. This county abounds with ancient forts, 
camps, and tumuli or barrows. Towards the eaft of Caer- 
marthen may be feen the ruins of Kaftelk Karrev, which 
was fituated in a fteep and inaccelfible rock; and alfo fe- 
v.eral vaft caverns, fuppofed to have been copper-mines of 
the Romans. Near this fpot is a fountain which-ebbs and 
Hows twice in twenty-four hours like the fea, by which it 
is fuppofed-to be affedted. 
CAER.N AR'VON, a fea-port town, the metropolis of 
Caernarvonlhire, and the moil polite and pleafant place in 
North Wales. The purity of the water and falubrity of 
the air here are fo remarkable, that an epidemical difor- 
der is not known to exift among the inhabitants. Caer¬ 
narvon caftle is noted, not only as being the place where 
the firft prince of Wales was born, but for the magnificence 
of its immenfe ftrudlure, which never fails to ftrike the- 
curious obferver with admiration. The walls are feven 
feet nine inches thick, having a gallery with narrow Hips 
for the difclnirge of arrows. It is the bell preferved.of 
CAE 
any in Wales. Thus did Edward I. the conqueror of 
Wales, give the Wellh, according to his prornife, a native 
prince to rule over them, in the perfon of his fon, after¬ 
wards Edward II. They fhew the queen’s bed-chamber, 
and alio the cradle in which Edward II. was rocked, 
which is a curious piece of antiquity. This caftle is in 
the Roman fiile of architedlure, and has one tower emi¬ 
nent above the reft, called the Eagle's Tower, from an ea¬ 
gle carved upon it. The coaftable of the caftle is always 
mayor of the town by patent. The town and caftle are 
agreeably fituated on the batiks of the Streights of Men.ii, 
having an exceeding good quay and harbour, commanding 
a delightful view of the ille of Anglefea. The chancery 
and exchequer for North Wales were eftablifhed formerly 
in this town, which, though fmall, is neatly built, and 
very populous. It is a place of confiderable (irength by 
nature as well as art; for it is furrounded on all fides (ex¬ 
cept the eaft) by two rivers and the.fea. In the year 1294, 
the town and caftle were furprifed by the Weill), and many 
Englifhmen killed. In the year 1644, the town was taken 
by captain Swanley, an officer of the parliament, who 
made 400 prifeners, with a great quantity of arms, am¬ 
munition, ant! plunder. It was afterwards retaken by the 
royalifts, and lord Byron appointed governor, who was 
compelled to yield, in the year 1646, to general Mytton,, 
though on honourable terms. I11 the year 1648, Sir John 
Owen belieged it, but, colonel Carter and colonel Twiffel- 
ton marching to relieve the place, Sir John was defeated 
and made prifoner, when the whole country fubmitted to 
the parliament. Caernarvon has no manufactures, but 
carries on a confiderable trade with London, Briftol, Li¬ 
verpool, and Ireland. It enjoys feveral immunities, and 
lends one member to parliament. The right of election 
is in the burgelfes of Caernarvon, Cricaeth, Pwllheli, 
Nevin, and Conway. The town is governed by a mayor, 
two bailiffs, a recorder, and two ftewards. The markets 
are on Saturdays. The fairs, January 12, March 12, May 
16, June 26, Align ft 12, September 17, and December 5. 
The principal article by which the town derives any con¬ 
fiderable advantage is flate, and the returns of it alone 
amount to about 50,000!. per annum. Caernarvon is dil- 
tant from London 253 miles; from Bangor 9, where the 
great road leading by Bangor-ferry communicates, by way 
of Holyhead, between England and Ireland. From Con¬ 
way, by Aber, twenty-four miles. From Beaumaris, in 
Anglefea, by Bangor-ferry, fourteen miles. Within five 
miles of Caernarvon is Plafnewydd, a very ancient edifice 
on the Angelfea fiiore, the palace of the right hon. the earl 
of Uxbridge, conftable of the caftle, and rangerof Snowdon. 
CAERNARVONSHIRE, a county of North Wales, 
bounded on the north by tlie fea, on the eaft by Denbigh- 
Ihire, on the foutli by Merionethfhire and the fea, and on 
the weft by the Irilh.Sea and the Menai. Its length from, 
north to fouth is nearly fixty miles; but the breadth in its 
broadeft part does not exceed twenty. The number of its 
inhabitants has never been calculated with, any exaffnefs ; 
yet the general opinion is, that it contains twenty thoufand 
fouls. Here are fixty-eight parifhes, and fix market-towns; 
and the whole is divided into four hundreds or cantreds, 
and ten comots. The towns are Bangor, Aberconway, 
Caernarvon, Pwlhelly, Crickierh, and Newin. The in¬ 
habitants of the more retired parts live in a date of the 
utmoft fimplicity, manufacturing their clothes themfelves 
from their own flocks, and dying the doth with plants ga- 
thred in tiie paftures. This, county claims precedency to 
every other in Wales, for the loftinefs of its mountains, 
which are dignified by the name of the Britifh Alps. They 
occupy almolt the whole extent, in a curved ferrated chain, 
from the promontory of Ormlhead eafterly to Bradfey ifte, 
a ragged rock, in the weft. All the fp.ace is abundantly 
diverlificd with bare and ftupendous elevations, with wide 
gaping chafms of favage afpeef, with pleafant incurvations 
of fome fertility, with rich bottoms, and fome abrupt and 
fome gentle Hopes and fvvells. This is now the general 
appearance of Caernarvonlhire,. taken from almoft every. 
point 
