506 
oppofite to Gwydir. MoelShiabod and 
Snowdon foon appear in fight, piercing 
with their higheft pinnacles the light veil 
of clouds wrapping their dufky forms. 
After fkisting tor {ome miles the rich val- 
Jey of the Conway, and cafting many a 
backward glance on its majeftic fkreen of 
mountains, we enter ona high, dreary, 
moorland tract, deftitute of corn, wood, 
and water, which extends through parts 
of the counties of Denbigh and Merioneth, 
almoft as far as Corwen, where a little 
torrent, with rocky and deeply-wooded 
banks, begins to attend the courfe of the 
the road, and * bears its {canty tribute’” 
to the Dee, a ftream of fuperior fize and 
dignity, flowing through the celebrated 
vale of Langollen. The mountains now 
dwindle into hills, from which no torrents 
take their rife. The wood defcends from 
the heights to cloath the banks of theriver ; 
the majeftic wildnefs of Wales begin to 
difappear, and is not yet fully re-placed 
by the fertile beauty of England. The 
commencement of the valley, therefore, 
difappoints, from the want of a ftrongly- 
marked character. A little farther on, 
however, fome beautiful woods of pendant 
birch and alder are feen; the river pours 
along its clear dark ftream over foaming 
rapids ; fields of yellow corn, and bright 
green meadows, bounded by luxuriant 
hedges, adorn its banks. The forms of 
the hills are marked by the lighteft and 
moft elegant curves, and an air of placid 
beauty reigns over the {cene, in{piring 
fentiments of the fofteft and moft compla- 
cent fatisfaétion. Pafiing hailily through 
the little town of Llangollen, we begin to 
approach the Englith border ; and a rich 
Jime-ftone foil fucceeding to the fate, 
forms a natural, nearly correfponding with 
the civil, boundary. Stone walls are fup- 
planted by thick hedges; the white 
fmoke rifes curling from numerous lime- 
kilns in the hills; gentlemen’s houfes be- 
come more frequent; comfortable white 
cottages, of two ftories, fucceed the mi- 
ferable hovels of the Welfh. Sheep be- 
come fcarce, and large brown and mottled 
cattle people the meadows. Blue cloaks, 
and beaver hats over mob-caps3 peat 
flacks, and blear eyes, utterly ceafe. A 
noble range of ftone columns, intended to 
carry an aqueduét from the Eliefmere Ca- 
nal acrofs the River Dee, marks the in- 
troduction of commerce and manufactures. 
Some low-hung clouds ftill reft on the hills 
in view behind us, but not a fingle rifing 
appears in front to break the deicent into 
the plain of Shrewfbury. Another aque- 
duty bosne upon arches, and a camal {up- 
Fournal of a recent Welh Tour. 
| [ Nov. I 3 
ported by embankments, crofs the little 
vale of Ceiriog, whofe wooded rocks, and 
little foaming torrent, preferve the laf vef- 
tiges of Welth fcenery. Chirk bridge 
fucceeds, and a fireet of red brick houfes 
welcomes the Englith traveller to his na- 
tive land. With a mingled feeling of 
pleafure and regret, I once more obferve 
large waggons, gardens before the cot~- 
tages, fields of turnips, and wooden itiles. 
Our Welfh poftilion, fitting, as ufual, on 
the fplinter-bar, fpeaks Englifh to all he 
meets, without danger of being anfwered 
with that ‘© Dym Sarfaeg” (No Englith), 
which had fo often vexed us. A feve 
miles more of jolting road brings us to 
the ugly town of Ofweftry, where no- 
thing but the harp on the ftairs (a thing 
univerfal in Welfh inns) reminds us that 
our Cambrian trip was more than a de- 
lightful vifion. 
11¢/,—Proceed through a waving fea of 
corn to Shrewfbury—after all, even a flat 
country, teeming with plenty, and fmiling 
witheomfort, isnounpleafantfight; and the 
neighbourhood of Salop has hills too, which 
before my Welfh journey, EF fhould have 
Icoked up. to with reverence. But ¥ 
ought to have feen them firfi—after con~ 
templating Snowdon, who can pay due ho- 
nour to the Wrekin? or admire the Se- 
vern, polluted by recent fhowers, after 
the tranfparent current of the Dee? Some 
objects of curiofity, however, in the way 
of buildings, attract our attention, and 
the hearty welcome of a friend gives the 
highett zeft to the entertainment. 
124).——Quitting our kind hoft with great 
regret, we arrive, in the evening, at Coal- 
brook Dale, fourteen miles. Leaving the 
Abbey of Buildwas in the valley behind 
us, we crofs the airy arch of an iron 
bridge, which introduces us to one of the 
moft fingular fcenes imaginable. ‘The 
broad ftream of the Severn ficws through 
a narrow glen, whofe rocky banks are 
cloathed with luxuriant woods. In the 
midft of this rural fcenery another iron 
bridge appears; the fire and {moke of a 
thoufand tr tes raife their volumes to the 
fky : long mounds of burning coke caf a 
lurid glow around them, and the thunder- 
ing explofions of the mine-blaft, mixed 
with the hiffiog. of fteam-engines, and 
beating of huge hammers, breaks on the 
deafened ear. The enchanted wood of 
Taffo, with its wall of fire, and horrid 
noifes, was full in my memory—for once 
a poetical thought is fuggelted by the 
haunts of manafaéture and commerce ! The. 
moon now rifes in full {plendour over the 
wooded hills, and adds to the a iui: 
2 eG 
