1796.] 
‘ 
we arrived at the brow of a hill, called 
-‘Tan-y-bwlch, and were gratified wich a 
view of the vale of Feftiniog in all its 
glory. The defeent was by a very 
good. road, moft beautifully overhung 
with fome of the fineft oaks that we met 
with in our whole tour; and which, on 
our left. firetched almoft to the fummit 
of the lofty hiil that overlooked the val- 
ley; while, on our right, they deepened 
to receive within their fhelter, a iarge 
manfion, called Tan-y-bwich-hall, the 
refidence, - of Oakley, Efg. We 
halted at a fmall neat inn, that we found 
at the bottom of the pals, referving a 
fuller furvey of the valey for the next 
day. 
July 7. Being fingularly favoured hy 
. the weather, and much ftruck with the 
beauties that furrounded us, we refolved 
_.to fpend the whole day “in this delightful 
retreat; fo, fixing on the little inn where 
we {pent the evening, as our head quar- 
ters, my companion and I parted for the 
prefent, each taking the part that feemed 
_to him moft pleafant, or beft adapted to 
his favourite branch of natural biftory. 
I began my excurfion by croffing a tor- 
rent, which, rifing out of a little lake, 
called Llyn-Haféd, forms one continued 
cataract for more than a mile, that is, 
» from within a few yards of its fource to 
its junétion with the féream that flows 
through the middle of the valley. In one 
place, where it is the leaft turbulent, and 
overhung with wood, above which is 
feen the naked rocky fummit of a lofty 
mountain, known by the name of Moel- 
wyn, is placed a mill, which greatly en- 
hances the beauty of the profpeét: whe- 
ther it is by contraft or affociation, that 
the fight of man and human habitations 
.pleafes in fituations fuch as thefe, which 
mature feems to have appropriated to 
herfelf, 1 pretend not to determine; 
certain, however, it is, that, be the 
. {cene ever fo rude and defviate, or grand 
and harmonious, the introduction of a 
cottage or a ruin, of children at play, or 
of atomb-ftone, in fhort, any thing that 
calls up in the mind of the obferver the 
- Memory of man, adds a charm and creates 
an ixterefi in a view, which nothing elfe 
can give. 
I quitted, with reluétance, this lovely 
» f{pot; and winding round the ‘fkirts of the 
wood that furrounded the hill, came to 
the edge of Traeth-bychan, a fine expanfe 
of water, near two miles long, and about 
a quarter of a mile broad, which is 
formed by a conflux of the almoft innu- 
merable ftreams that defcend from all 
Montuiy Mac. No, III. 

Pedeftrian Zour in North Wales. 
#93 
fides into the vale of Feftiniog, form- 
ing this lake-like channel, the further 
opening of which difcharges its waters 
into the fandy efluary of Tyraeth-Bach. 
{ returned through the low meadows, 
that border the courfe of the river, re- 
galed by the perfume of the new hay, 
and amufed by the different groups of 
labourers of both fexes and every ages 
who, taking advantage of che weather, 
were exerting all their a€tivity to fecure 
the winter food of their cattle from the 
fickle climate of a firuatron expofed to the 
fea on the one fide, and environed on every 
other by the mountains. 
“¢ Now {warms the village o’er the jovial mead: | 
“ The ruftic youth, brown with, meridian toil, 
‘« Fleaithful and ftrong; fuli as the fummer 
role. ee 
“« Blown by prevailing funs, the ruddy maid 
“ Half naked, {welling on the fight, and all 
‘Her kindled graces burning o’er her cheek. 
«ben ftooping age is here, and infant hands 
® -Trail the leng rake, or with the fragrant 
load 
“ O’ercharg’d, amid the kind oppreffion roll.’”’ 
In the afternoon, we walked up the 
vale, through the village of Maentwrog to 
Feftiniog, a diftance of about twe miles 
and'a half: finding we could be accommo- 
dated here for the night, we fpent the reft 
of the evening in exploring the nejghbour- 
hood of Feftiniog. ver 
This little village, containing {carcely 
a dozen houfes, is fituated on the top of 
the hill that fhuts up the eaftern end of 
the valley: its bleak aad lofty expofure 
forbids any trees to be planted upon it; 
but, by way of compentation. has vrant- 
ed to it a moft commanding proipect; to 
the north, of Snowdon, and the Moelwyn 
mountains, two giant brothers, in height 
the fecond, and in fymmetry of form 
‘the firft, of the Welth Alps; on the cat 
and fouth-eaft, the eye plances over the 
boggy wilds that occupy the interior of 
the county of Merioneth, filling almoft the 
whole intervening diftance between Fef- 
tintiog and that ample range extending 
from Lianwrfi to the Ferwyn mountains, 
and thence to Cader-Idris; while on the 
weft in full contraft is feen the entire 
length of the gay, rich, and luxuriant vale 
of Feftiniog. 
July 8. We recommenced our jour- 
ney early this morning, and, after going 
through eighteen miles of a country but 
little interetting, arrived a fecond time 
at Bala. We were welcomed with much 
apparent fatisfaction, by our worthy 
hoftefs, the nmeatnefs and comfort of 
whofe accommodations, and the ‘-a!on- 
Ce ablenefs 
