1802. }. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
JOURNAL Of a WELSH TOUR, made du- 
ring the PRESENT SEASON. 
[Continued from page 232. ] 
UGUST 1.—-Wandering along the 
rocks fkirting the vale of Llanber- 
ris, we fee a couple riding to church ina 
true Welfh ftyle: the woman on a fide- 
faddle before, the man aftride, without a 
faddle, behind, and holding himfelf on by 
clafping her waift. This mode has its 
advantages: on roads like thefe, a pillion 
would be a moft unfafe feat. Purfuing 
our walk, we climb the rock on which 
ftands Dolbadern Cafile, now a mere fhell, 
a fingle tower: with out-works was the 
whole of its original extent. © A fmall 
copper-mine is worked on the borders of 
the lake. 
2d.—Having eaten up the coun- 
try fora mile.round, we leave Llanberris, 
and travel over ten miles of bad road, in 
conftant rain, to Carnarvon—the beft 
Welth town we have feen. We firoll, in 
the evening, to take a general view of the 
Cattle, a large fortre(s, communicating 
with the water on one fide, the town-walls 
on the other. ‘The towers are decagonal, 
and their walls three yards and a half in 
thicknefs. We afcend the Eagle-tower, 
in which Edward Il. was born, which is 
ftill in high prefervation, and commands a 
wide view over the country. The latt 
glimmer of twilight compels us to with- 
draw with half-fatished curiofity to an 
inn, which is a perfect palace compared to 
that we have left. 
3a.—Returning to the Caftle, we find it 
to have confifted formerly of fave parts, 
now laid together by the ruin of the walls 
dividing them. The windows are fmall, 
and turned, for the moft part, towards 
the inner courts. On the whole, Carnar- 
von Caltle appears to have been more 
adapted to repel an enemy, and lodge a 
numerous garrifon, than to accommodate 
a king or noble in time of peace. The 
battlements are ftill acceffible, and the 
whole is in fufficiently good prefervation 
to fhow what it has been. An old goat 
with a moft venerable beard ftalks through 
the grafs-grown courts, and fome pretty 
kids peep through the narrow windows, 
Under one of the towers two large fubter- 
ranean apartments have been dilcovered, 
filled with human bones, probably the de- 
pofitory of fuch of the garrifon as fell dur- 
ing a fiege, by the fword, or by ficknefs. 
Leaving our ponies, we proceeded in a 
chaife, two of the party walking, along 
the coait of the Menai, through a coun- 
try very different from the parts we had 
MontTuix Mac, No, 93. 
Fournal of a recent Well Tour. 
303 
left—flat, woody, and highly-cultivated. 
Croffing the ftraits at Bangor-ferry, we 
enter the unintereting plains of Anglefey, 
an inclofed cultivated tra&, with large 
cattle, and rich corn-fields. The cottages 
are fomewhat better than thofe we left, 
and we obferve the farmers themfelves 
riding to market, not their wives, as in 
other parts of Wales. The day had been 
dark and lowering ; but juft before we 
reached Amlwch, the fun burft forth, and 
prefented us with a {cene of inconceivable 
grandeur. The whole Snowdon ridge was 
in full view, from its fartheft inland peak 
to Penmaen Bachand Orme ; Head jutting 
into the fea. Suddenly every pinnacle is 
on fire, a flood of ruddy light rolls down 
over them, melting into the moft brilliant 
purple, which defcends to meet the light 
haze, diftinguifhing the diftant, from a 
nearer, range of mountains, lying in deep 
fhade, and trom the blue fea melting inte 
the (ky. Onthe other fide, the lofty pro- 
montory of Holyhcad juts into the bound- 
lefs expanfe of ocean, tinged with the 
countlefs hues reflefted from an evening- 
fky: In front, the Parys mountain 
{peads its dreary wildernefs, whence the 
fulphoreous vapours of the mine banifh 
every trace of vegetation ; its forges and 
fmelting-houfes flame up in the diftance. 
Gradually the light fades away, and we 
enter, without reluctance, the comfortable 
town of Amlwch, peopled, by the vici- 
nity of the mine, with feveral thoufand ins 
habitants. 
4th.—We devote the whole of this morn- 
ing to the furvey of the Parys- Mine, 
wnofe huge excavations come to open day. 
In fome parts the cavity is as much as 
eighty yards deep, and furrounded with 
rocks of every poffible thade of grey and 
yellow, and ftarting into a thouland gro- 
tefque forms. We furvey the whole procets of 
procuring and refining the ore,which, hew- 
ever curious, fcarcely compenfates me for 
the pain occafioned by the fuffocating ef- 
fe&ts of the fulphur, which is procured 
and roafted in large quantities. In the 
evening we vifit the narrow creek, im- 
proved by art into a port, and obferve a 
floop entering the harbour with crowded 
fails, The fhore is very rocky; the wa- 
ter extremely deep, even clofe to land, and 
of the moft beautiful green I ever be- 
held. 
sth.—After wafting great part of the 
morning in waiting for a chaife, we re- 
trace our footiteps to the fhores of the 
Menai, which we crofs, in a delicionfly 
calm evening, and fleep at Bangor. Fer- 
Ty. 
Q 7 6.—Pro- 
