Morfa Bychan, The Little Marfh, across the channel eight miles towards Harlech. This injured much of the grafs in fuch a manner as to kill the cattle; and it fet hay and corn-ricks on fire for near a mile from the coaft. It is reprefented to have had the appearance of a blue lambent flame, which by any great noise, such as the firing of guns, or the founding of horns, was easily extinguished. All the damage was invariably done in the night; and, in the course of the winter, no fewer than fixteen hayricks, and two barns, one filled with hay, and the other with corn, were entirely deftroyed by it. It did not seem to affect any thing else, and men could go into it without receiving the leaft injury. It was obferved much more frequently during the first three weeks than afterwards, yet it was seen, at different intervals, for at least eight months. The occafion of this fingular phenomenon is not exactly known. It appears most probably to have arifen from fome collections of putrid fubftances, the vapour coming from which might have been directed towards this place by the wind; and yet it is fingular that, although the prevailing winds here are from the south-west, which ought to have blown it in a very different direction, it fhould not have been obferved in other parts north of Harlech. Bishop Gibson conjectured that it might have proceeded from the corrupted bodies of a great quantity of locufts which visited this kingdom about that time, and were destroyed by the coldnefs of the climate. He He fays that a confiderable number of them had been seen lying about the fhores of Aberdaron, in Caernarvonfhire *. The public houfe at Harlech, for fuch it can only be denominated, is kept by a very civil man of the name of Anwyl. The provifions, at the time I was here, were homely, but the beds (only two, and those in the fame room) were clean and comfortable. The tourist, in inquiring for a guide, will find it worth his while to ask particularly for John Richards, a man who speaks English fluently, is well acquainted with the neighbourhood, and, for his fituation, has a very superior understanding. * Lowthorp's Abridgement of the Philofophical Tranfactions, ii. 183. Gibfon's Camden, 659. CHAP. II. EXCURSION FROM HARLECH TO CWM BYCHAN. Cylch Cyngrair, or Druidical Circles.-Crom Bychan,-Bwlch Tyddiad.-Dras Ardudwy. - Cwm Nancoll.-Cataract.-Sarn Badrwyg.-Cantref Gwaelod, or overflowed Hundred.-Cardigan Bay. CONDUCTED by Richards as my guide, I went from Harlech to explore an obfcure vale, about four miles diftant, called Cwm Bychan, The Little Hollow. About a mile from the town, on a large elevated moor, he pointed out to me a circle of small stones near thirty yards in diameter, with another at fome distance, surrounding it. From its form and appearance, I am inclined to fuppofe that this was one of those DRUIDICAL CIRCLES In which were formerly holden the Gorfeddau, or bardic meetings. Thefe meetings were always in some place fet apart in the open air, in a conspicuous fituation, and furrounded by a circle of ftones, having in the centre a larger one, by which the prefiding bard or druid ftood. There was here no relic of the middle stone. This kind of circle was called Cylch Cyngrair, or the circle of congrefs. At these meetings, candidates were admitted to the different degrees of bardifm, and on these occafions it was that all the oral bardic poems and traditions were recited, and their laws fettled. During these cere monies all the bards ftood within the circle, with their heads and feet bare, and clad in their unicoloured robes. CWM BYCHAN Is a graffy dell, about half a mile in length, fur rounded by scenery as black and dreary as imagina. tion can draw. On the right of its entrance there is a small pool called Llyn y Cwm Bychan, from whose edge, Carreg y Saeth, The Rock of the Arrow, (from its being the station where the ancient British sportsmen watched and killed the paffing deer,) towers the blackest of all the vale.-I rested myself for a while on a rock above the pool, in a fituation whence I could at ease observe the rugged beauties of this romantic hollow. From hence the landscape extended in all its magnificence the vale was seen embofomed in ftupendous rocks, black and barren, and enlivened only by the patches of meagre vegetation lodged on their fhelving precipices. We defcended into the hollow, and paffing there an ancient manfion, afcended on the other fide till we came to a deep mountain hollow called BWLCH BWLCH TYDDIAD. Here the rocks close, and oppose a series of shattered precipices, forming a fcene of defolation and barrenness throughout. A few graffes, liverwort, and heath, constitute all the vegetation of this place. We wandered on this rocky cleft, for fuch it only feemed, till we got beyond the higher mountains, when, on a fudden, a fine open profpect of all the country eastward was extended before us. Here we were treated with a pastoral landscape, bounded by high diftant mountains, which formed a majestic barrier around: amongst these, Cader Idris, and the two Arrennigs, were particularly confpicuous. DRWS ARDUDWY. From hence we made a turn to the right, ftill continuing our journey over a wretched horse-path, and foon afterwards turning again to the right, we entered another deep glen called Drws Ardudwy, The Pafs of the Maritime Land, a place well calculated to infpire a timid mind with terror. The fides and bottom were almoft covered over with loofe fragments of ftone, once detached by the force of frost, or the irresistible rufhing of torrents, after ftorms and heavy rain, from the heights above. The fear for personal fafety must sometimes, in places fimilar to this, be accompanied with a tremor; for the mind is not always able to divest itself of VOL. II, C pre |