1805.) 
fome commanding ‘views of Conway, and 
at.eight o'clock entered its. romantic 
gate. i 
The next morning, as bright as thofe-we 
had experienced, induced us to vifit the 
caile early. The whole town of Conway 
is incloféd by a fingle wall, with many 
towers open withinfde, the only one Lhave 
feen, which fo nearly refembles the fortifi- 
cations of the.cjties in the Levant, made by 
the Norman crufades. The elevatiow is 
more favourable thin that of Caernarvon ; 
and is more picturefyue, from the beauti- 
ful grouping of the fmall round towers, 
which rife from others, circular without, 
and angular withinfide the cattle. In fe- 
veral parts, there are deep projecting 
brackets or michicolations which are not 
feen at Caernarvon, where on the battle- 
ments are armed figures carved in ftone; a 
curious military ftraiacem. Here, inftead 
of the figures, are fharp {pikes placed on 
the top of each, upon which the heads of 
the conquered Welfhmen might be ex- 
pofed. Of the hall, the fhape is irr-gular, 
bending to that of the rock, on which it 
fiands ; the roof on that account was fup- 
ported by eight gioined arches, four of 
which remain. 1. am inclined to think, 
that it was originally divided into three 
feparate apartmenis, as there areas many 
chimney-pieces. The inner court contains 
@ rooin on the firft floor, with three fingu- 
Jar wj dows, the heads of which are {qvare, 
the upper parts filled up with quater foils, 
as obiervable in eeclefiaftical -buildings of 
the age of Edward [. 
prefence-chamber. The caftern towers of 
the caftle were appropriated to the-royal 
refidence. There are remains of a private 
oratory. Conlulting my guides iz offavo, 
I found them totally filent as to two hifto- 
sical fats: Richard IY. Janded -here 
from Ireland, though Shak‘peare calls it 
Barkloughley, by which he meaned Har- 
Jech; and at the breaking out of the grand 
rebellion, Archbifhop Williams fortified 
Conway for the king, inviting the gentry 
of North Wales to inlift under his banner, 
The entrance into_the caftle is made by a 
draw-bridge over the fofs, and a very nar- 
row portal with many fteps to afcend to 
another gate, which opened to the firtt 
court.. From a fine oak grove on the 
north-eaft of the town, the whole fortifica- 
tion bu:lt in the ferm of a harp, rifesin a 
ich clufter, and is extremely grand. 
Above the arm of the fea by which it is 
furrounded, the bafe of one of the towers 
fell down, about fevesty years ago, leaving 
the upper part fufpended inthe air. - The 
effect is novel and furprizing, as the foun- 
‘dations are every where ingrafted into the 
Mosruiy Mac. No. 1286 
Obfervaticns on Modern Tours in Wales, &e. 
_tifully wooded bank behind shem, 
It was probably the - 
S45 
folid rock, and in that refpe&, not unlike 
Warwick. Croffing the eftuary, for 
about a mile, from an eminence, near the 
ferry-houfe, we enjoyed a pertest view 
both of the caftle and town, with the beau= 
Woon 
our return, we landed ‘on a fhrubby rock, 
divided a few yards only from the fhore, 
and faw the eaftern fide of the caftle in 
front and arich groupe of towers and tur- 
rets in perfpective. We left Conway well 
fatished with the comfort and cheapnefs 
of the inn (the Bull’s- head.) 
Turning back to Conway, we foon loft 
the towers by which it is furrcunded, and 
at the fecond mile followed a good road to 
the right, above the river Conway, through 
a wide and fertile valley, which’ {preads 
between the hills. Thofe above us be 
came craggy and fcarcely lefs abrupt than 
Penmaenmawr, though with the advane 
tage of fingle trees andcopfes. The river 
Conway, precipitous near its fource, flows 
with an eafy {weep, and has every charac- 
teriltic of a placid and large ftream, ex~ 
cepting fulne{s, which was to be attributed 
to the longs abfence of rain. This circum. 
ftance too, fpoiled the eff-& of a confider- 
able fall, at Tallybont. On this account 
we were univerfally lofers by the unufual 
continuance of fine weather. At the ter- 
mination of this fertile valley we firft per- 
ceived the town of Llanrwit, embofomed in 
mountains of very harmonizing tints in the 
diftance. 
The bridge, of three arches, has great 
architectural merit, and is traditionally 
one of the eariieft works of Inigo Jones, 
who is the boaf of the principality, 
Llanrwi is a town as awkwardly built, as 
others we had feei, but with a favourable 
fituation on the banks of the Conway. 
Gwyder, the ancient feat of the Wynnes, 
has been injudicioufly modernifed. It lies 
at the fvot of a richly wooded hill, imme. 
diately cppofite Llanrwft, and what isa 
peculiarity, the park is at the very fummit 
which is level and of greatextent. Walk- 
ing on the road towards Bala, the expanfe 
of Snowdonia opened to us with infinite > 
grandeur; but a view of the higheft point 
was not feen till we had left Llanrwitabout. 
five miles behind, near the bridge called 
Pont'y llyn Diffs, a {pot well known to ar- 
tilts. ‘The waterfall had become copious 
by the rain, and the accompaniments are 
little inferior to thofe at the Devil's bridge, 
excepting in extent. 
Of many very beautiful views, which I 
have feen, taken fiom this narrow dingle, 
the moft accurate is that publifhed in the 
Rev. B. Brovghton’s Views in North 
Wales, accompanied with a poetical de- 
coon S : {criptica, 
Se ee 
SS te ee es 
a 
EAI 
