230 Fournal of a 
vered, and the fteep precipices clofe to the 
brink of which it winds. Buta Welth 
poney ciambers like a cat, and never 
fumbles but on level ground, fo ‘that I 
find no difficulty in riding up within a 
few bundred yards of the fummit. After 
reaching a confiderable height, we are 
fuddenly enveloped in thick clouds, and are 
unable to difcern any thing beyond the 
rude tract immediately around us, Over- 
fpread with huge crags and loofe frag- 
ments of rock ftarting through a thin co- 
vering of mofs and ftunted grafs, on which 
the mountain fheep laborioufly tear their 
{canty pafture. A huge crater, 600 feet 
deep, yawns befide us, and, looking over 
the giddy brink, we fee bare fteep rocks 
ftretching down into an abyfs of clouds, 
Theview now begins to clear, and we ob- 
ferve the white- clouds rolling away over 
the tops of the neighbouring crags. Far, 
far, below, the verdant vallies appear with 
clear green lakes and mountain ftreams 
lying in their warm bofoms; higher up, 
the dufky hills appear thinly fprinkled 
with fheep and cattle; higher ftill, yet 
far beneath us, bare abrupt crags are al- 
ternately hidden and difplayed by roiling 
mifts and fhifting clouds. The {ua burfts 
forth for amoment and difcovers on one 
fide the river Mathew,: winding through 
the vales and falling into the fea at Towyn. 
On another fide the little town of Barmouth 
is diftinétly feen rifing from its white 
fands ; and, beyond, the ifle of Bardfey 
and the high rocky fhores of Carnarvon 
appear jutting into the ocean, which 
raifes its blue convexity to mingle with 
the diffant horizon. The profpect is 
bounded on another fide by the Berwyn 
- Mountains; and part of the great Snow- 
den-ridge and Bala-pool are vifible from 
other parts. The temperature of the 
mountains is very fenfibly colder than that 
of the valley: we wrap ourlelves in our 
cloaks, and, after taking a hearty meal 
under the rocks, are giad to return to our 
humble fiation belew—our minds how- 
‘ever indelibly imprefied with the fub- 
limity of the profpeét on which our eyes 
had feafted. ~ 
24th and 25th. We ftill remain at 
Dolgeliu, whofe neighhourhood proves 
more interefting to the mineralogifts than 
to myfelf. 
26th, Leave Dolgellu in ftyle—we 
Jadies on old hack ponies fhabbily ac- 
coutred, wrapped in cloaks and otied 
fiik hoods for the rain; the gentlemen on 
foot, with large canvafs fpecimen-bags at 
theirfides; a poney with great wicker pan- 
miers covered with an old wooi-fack, and 
led by a little Welhh boy, clofing the pro- 
Welfo Tour. [ O&ober i, 
ceflion. 
the banks of the Moddac, with fine hang- 
ing woods, dafhing torrents, and diftant 
mountains. But the rain, which fell 
without a moment’s intermiffion, got inte 
my fpectacles and I could fee nothing. 
The inn at Barmouth was full, and I was 
fomewhat furprifed at our lodgings, which 
_ were not bad, to be obliged to goupa flight 
of ftone ftairs on the outfide of the houfe 
to bed. ThisI foon found, however, to be 
the ufual mode of building in this part. 
27th. Great is my delight on) opening 
my eyes this morning to find myfelf once 
more by the fea-fhore; and fuch a fhore 
too! Juft in front a flat fandy beach, 
with a boundlefs blue expanfe of ocean ; 
on either fide the high abrupt mountains 
of Pembroke and. Carnarvon mingling 
with the clouds and fhutting up the bay. 
A thoufand crowding recolleétions of the 
friends and the little {ports of childhood, 
-rufh mingled on my foul as I gaze on the 
white breakers, liften to the {creaming fea- 
“gull, and tread the loofe fand under my 
feet. ‘To meet with old familiar obje&s 
in a ftrange land, furrounded with fo many 
new and ttriking fcenes, has a charm im- 
poffible to defcribe. I could have fteod 
upon ‘that beach for ever! But I am 
hurried away, and we ride acrofs a coun. 
try marked with the ufual treeleffnefs of a 
fea coaft, to Harlech, a miferable affem- | 
blage of huts, though it poffeffed, till very. 
lately, the dignity of a county-town. 
The kitchen-floor of ourinn is of dirt ; 
the county hall has the appearance of a 
ruined pig-fiye. To atone for all this, 
the cafile is one of the three grand onés - 
of North Wales, and ftands proudly 
towering over the marfh on which the 
town is built, commanding one of. the 
fineft fea views imaginable. It is quite a 
ruin, but we find a praéticable ftaircafe 
leading to the battlements, and the whole 
plan of the edifice is fill diftinguifhable. 
After dinner we fet out on another ten 
mile Rage to Maentwrog, attended by a 
guide to conduct us acrofs a ftream only 
tordable at low tide. Arriving juft in 
time, we crofs and land, if landing it might 
be called, in a black peat mofs feveral 
miles in extent and fkirted by bare, cloud- 
capped hills. After croffing this dreary 
tract, the two Llyntecwyns appear 
fpreading their clear blue waters at our 
feet, and the road is fhaded by light woods 
of afh and young oak; we defcend a ficep 
racky eminence, and paffing a little milk 
turned by the torrent, the lovely vale of Fef- 
tiniog breaks upen us, the Eden of Wales! 
This little valley is about three mides 
in 
Reach Barmouth, a ftage of ten ~ 
miles, along a beautiful terrace road by. 
