That Such were the grand characters which diftinguished this extraordinary country, our descent from which, on a hanging fhelf above the river Mawdoch, brought us to Dolgelly, the modern capital of the wild county of Merioneth. This poor town has only its fingularly ftriking fituation to boat of, being compofed of a few irregular and illbuilt ftreets. The view from its bowling-green is peculiarly grand, and it derives much beauty from its pofition immediately under the northern bafe of Cader-Idris. mighty mountain rifes here in a flope nearly perpendicular, but broken by various rocky hollows to its two peaks, the higheft of which, called Pen-y-cader, bears a very volcanic appearance. This circumftance has induced many travellers to compare the height of Cader-idris with that of Snowdon, which from the irregularity of its afcent and the inequalities of its prodigious bafe, often deceives the eye, and feems lefs lofty than it really is. A nearer view cannot fail to diffipate the charm, and the admeafurement which has been accurately taken, fettles the point; for, according to Mr. Pennant's account, the higheft fummit of Cader-Idris is not more than 2850 feet above the level of Dolgelly green; whereas the great peak of Snowdon called Y-wyddfa, or the confpicuous, is more than 3600 above the quay of Caernarvon. Close to Dolgelly, the Mawdoch from the north meets the Avon from the east, and both together form a wide æftuary, which becomes an open fea near Barmouth. The ride on its northern bank can scarcely be paralleled in the boldnefs of its furrounding scenery, the romantic grandeur it exhibits in every part, and the extraordinary art and labour with which the road is conftructed.Winding round the hill oppofite to Dolgelly on a fine level fhelf, we foon came to the feparation of the vallies oppofite to Tan-y-bwlch and Barmouth, as we reached a handfome new bridge which croffes the Mawdoch, juft before it falls into the Avon. Immediately after this junction, the expanfe of water became more confiderable, and at length filled the whole of the vale, bearing at high tide the appearance of a large lake encompaffed with noble mountains. Their rocky fides waving in a vaft variety of undulations, advanced towards the very margin of the water, fometimes covered with brufh-wood, and at others frowning with all the majefty of impending cliffs. Where the ground would admit of it, fmall patches of cultivation, and a few verdant paftures enlivened the fcene, being frequently intermixed with groves of high trees rifing finely beneath eminences fo placed as to fhelter them from the fea winds. The road, following the inequalities of the coaft, wound beautifully round the northern fhore of this great bafin, and fhewed all its beauties to advantage, till the high rock of Barmouth, advancing far into the water, obliged it to occupy a fhelf not unlike that of Penmanmawr, cut with great labour and ingenuity in its fide. From thence we gained a view of the mouth of the river emerging into the fea from the receffes of a vaft amphitheatre of mountains, among which the two points of Cader-Idris bore the moft confpicuous appearance, and crowned the whole with indefcribable grandeur. Barmouth is faid to reprefent Gibraltar in its afpect and fituation, being placed under a prodigious rock, and the houfes occupying high terraces one above the other, as far as it was practicable to raise them. It may certainly be admired for its fingular pofition, as well as the profpect it commands acrois the fea to those oppofite hills of Caernarvonfhire which form the extremity of the great bay of Cardigan; yet when confidered as a town, it fell fhort of what I had been led to expect, both from the great labour and expence beftowed on its approach, and from its having long been frequented by many families of North Wales for the purpose of fea bathing. The place itself indeed is fmall, and the houses in general are mean and difficult of accefs from the inequalities of the ground on which they are built; the accommo VOL. II. 4 M dation dation of the inns alfo is very moderate, and the shore is obftructed by feveral hills of fand; notwithstanding which inconveniences Barmouth is commonly much crowd. ed during the fummer months, and lodgings are often very difficult to be obtained. After our return to Dolgelly, a perpetual fucceffion of heavy ftorms prevented our intended ascent of Cader-Idris, and we were, after various attempts, obliged to relinquifh the defign, which, from the fame caufe, I have never fince been able to execute. The fame fate ever attended me at Snowdon and Plinlimmon; and fuch is the stormy atmosphere furrounding thefe great eminences, that I believe much leifure and patience might be exhausted in vain to accomplish this object, though fometimes an accidental funfhine may render it easy. After all there is lefs to be regretted in the prevention of thefe expeditions than an unpractifed traveller may imagine, for the elevation is too great for any difplay of picturefque beauty, every diftinction of the vales is loft in the general chaos of the furrounding mountains, and the difpofition of their rugged tops, when viewed from above, is rather a matter of curiofity than pleasure. Add to this, the labour of the undertaking, with the chance of its failure by fome changes above, which we from below can neither forefec, nor even difcover when they happen; compute'the dangers that may arife from ftorms, fogs, violent gufts of wind, and extreme cold, and you may eafily imagine the undertaking not very eligible without a favourable opportunity, From Dolgelly we purfued the course of the Avon through a valley enclosed within high hills, and well inhabited, the river growing more rapid and the country wilder as we approached the barrier forming the divifion of those waters which feed the two great divifions of Merionethfhire. After traverfing fome high grounds we gained at length a view of the lake of Bala or Pimble-Meer, the whole northern fhore of which we traverfed in our way to the town of Bala, which is fituated at its eastern extremity. This lake, known by the names of Pimble-Meer or Lyn-Tegyd, is the largest in Wales, being near fix miles in length and a mile in breadth; but its fcenery is rather deficient, as the country about it is generally bare of wood, and the hills, though confiderable, are void of that majefty which the mountainous country we had paffed abounded in.—From the bottom of this lake iffues the great river Dee, and pafling under a romantic old bridge, winds gently in a wide and deep ftream through a courfe of rich meadows towards Corwen and Llangollen. The town of Bala confifts principally of one handsome street, with a high artificial mount, apparently the keep of a fortrefs, at the fouth-east end of it. Together with its lake and bridge it presents feveral agreeable objects to the neighbouring feat of Mr. Price, whofe grounds are laid out in a very elegant modern tafte under the judicious aufpices of Mr. Eames. This agreeable fpot is well fheltered from the mountains which impend over it by a thick. grove, and a fine lawn defcends from the houfe in feveral bold fwells to the town. the right a pleasant winding walk is conducted by the fide of a rapid torrent, which flowing from the mountains, forms a winding dell beautifully fringed with wood in its paffage, and joins the Dee foon after it emerges from its lake, in the meadows below. Bala is furrounded on every fide with mountains, through which various roads are curiously wrought towards Dinafmonthy at the back of Cader-Idris, towards Llanvilling over the Berouin, and towards Llanrwft in the vicinage of the Snowdonia; all thefe tracts are remarkable for the wildness of the diftricts through which they lead, and that to Dinafmonthy in particular abounds in those romantic objects with which nature has decorated her moft favage regions. On On On leaving Bala and its lake, the aspect of the country was lefs interefting till we rejoined the Dee, which we croffed juft before we reached the great Irifh road, where we turned to the left for about a mile to fee the pafs of Glyndiffis, over which that roadis conducted. A torrent here is precipitated from the hills with great force, fretting in perpetual curves between two chains of rocks, and falling at times perpendicularly from bafin to bafin. The road is fo conftructed as to follow the windings of the torrent on a fhelf above it, fpringing acrofs it by a bold arch in one place, and commanding all its falls interwoven beautifully with brush wood in great perfection; it thus afcends gradually to the wild moor of Caniogè above, after traverfing which for many miles it defcends in a long flope through one of the great woods which fringe the hills bounding the vale of Conway. We pursued it no farther, but returning through the pafs of Glyndiffis, foon reached the neat town of Corwen on the banks of the Dee, at the extremity of Merionethfhire, and close to the borders of Denbighshire. This was the territory of that renowned hero Owen Glendower, the formidable opponent of Henry IV., in the 14th century, whofe gigantic features ftill decorate the fign poft of the principal inn, and whose whole district yet bears the name of Glendwrdwy, or the valley of the Dee. Leaving the turnpike road here, which abounds in beauties nearly equal to thofe we went in fearch of, we croffed the river by a handfome bridge of fix arches, and foon reached Llandifilio, the charming feat of Mr. Jones, on the oppofite file of the valley. The mountains grew bolder and more abrupt as we proceeded, and thick woods with rich paftures, interfperfed with an abundance of whitened cottages, and decorated with several gentlemen's feats, began to enliven the nearer ground, while the Dee, differing in its progrefs as well as its origin from the other rivers in this country, from the fmooth and tranquil ftream we first admired, became a rapid and furious torrent as we receded from its fource, and forced its turbulent paffage over a rocky bed between the various groves, cliffs, and mountains, which feemed planted there to obftruct its courfe. In a narrow recefs on the left, almost overshadowed by a vaft luxuriance of wood, the elegant ruin of Vale Crucis abbey disclosed its monaftic fragments to our fight. Distinct and separated as it is from the bufy haunts of men, the most rigid enthusiast could not have chofen a spot more reclufe, or better suited for the purposes of devotion and retirement. A vaft chain of wild mountains hems it in on every fide, leaving barely room between them for a little ftream and a thick grove, amidst the gloomy fhade of which the mouldering walls and arches of the abbey make a moft picturesque appearance. This was a Ciftertian monaftery, founded by the name of Llan-Egweft, or de Valle Crucis, in the year 1200; its architecture is of that kind in which the Gothic began to admit fome ornament, but had not yet arrived at the loaded acceffion of finery which has been improperly called "the improved." The pillars that fupported the tower, and feveral of the doors, are fpecimens of this tafte, but the arches vithin are mostly of the purer and more ancient Gothic, and fome of the windows correspond nearly with thofe of Salisbury cathedral. Three fides of the church are mostly entire, as is part of the abbey, now inhabited by a farmer; and the weft front, being almost perfect, cannot fail to attract the notice of every admirer of thefe interefting remnants of antiquity. The little valley in which this ruin is fituated, foon terminates in the high ridge of hills forming the fouthern boundary of the vale of Clwydd, over which an excellent road is conducted to Ruthyn and Denbigh; but having already vifited 4 M 2 |