been destroyed. The only perfon miffing was a poor old woman, who was confined to her bed by ficknefs*. Whilst speaking of the neighbourhood of Llanwchllyn, I must digrefs a little from my subject to relate a whimsical adventure which happened to a gentleman of my acquaintance, Mr. D., an artist, and his friend, whilft at this village a few fummers ago.These gentlemen, in a pedestrian excurfion round Bala lake, found themselves, on their arrival at Llanwchllyn, fatigued and hungry. As neither of them could fpeak a word of Welfh, they were compelled to have recourfe to figns in order to make themselves understood. These fo far anfwered their purpose, that a man whom they met in the village exclaimed in answer, "eze" (intended doubtless for "yes"), and pointed with his finger to a kind of hut, from the rafters of which two or three dirty candles, and a few bits of bacon were fufpended. On entering they again made the figns of eating and drinking, and the woman, though beyond mea-. fure astonished at their manners and appearance, had fenfe enough to conduct them to what they conjec tured to be the public-house. Here their attention was fixed upon fome fragments of bacon, which had hung fo long, that all the ftrings had nearly cut their way through. They explained by figns, as well as they were able, what it was they wanted, and the Pennant, ii. 87. female eggs. This female of the house brought out three was a flender supply for two hungry men. They both called out "more," the woman anfwered "eze," but brought out the frying-pan. They fhook their heads, fhe fetched a fauce-pan. Here they found a difficulty that they knew not how to encounter. A bright thought fuddenly came into the other gentleman's head:-" D., you can draw, ask the woman for a piece of chalk, and draw an egg." The abfurdity of the idea was fuch, that Mr. D. could not refrain from a loud and hearty laugh. It was, however, at last agreed, that the woman fhould be fuffered to boil the three eggs, but that when he brought them to the table, D. was to fnatch them from her, and pretend to eat them all himself. The plan fucceeded; the woman laughed immoderately at the conteft, and running out with a cry of "eze, eze, eze," foon afterwards brought in four eggs more. There was no difficulty in making the payment for this rude cheer: Mr. D. held out some filver in his hand, from which the honest Welshwoman took eighteen pence for the feven eggs, and a quart of ale! On the fummit of a high and craggy rock, at fome distance from the road, and about a mile from Llanwchllyn, are the remains of Caftell Corndochon, an ancient British fort. It was of a fomewhat oyal form, and has confifted of a fquare tower, and another oblong, but rounded at the extremity. I have met with no historical data whatever refpecting this fortre's. In my return I obferved an eminence on the west fide of the head of the pool, which the guide informed me was called Caer Gai. There was on this spot a fort that belonged to Cai Hir ap Cynyr, or, as Spencer has called him, Timon he was the fofter-father of king Arthur, who during his youth refided here. The Romans are supposed to have had a fortress on this fpot; and many of their coins have been dug up in the neighbourhood. This place of defence was doubtlefs conftructed to guard the pass through the mountains. Of its history I am altogether ignorant.. THE RIVER DEE. The fource of the Dee is under one fide of Arran Benllyn, the high mountain at the head of Bala pool. Its name is thought to have been derived from the Welsh word Dwy, which fignifies fomething divine. Some centuries ago it was held in fuperftitious veneration by the inhabitants of the country, from what were then believed the miraculous overflowing of its banks at times when there had been no preceding heavy rain; and from its being believed to have foretold fome remarkable events by changing its channel t, History informs * See Spencer's Faerie Queene, book i. canto ix., and Camb Reg. i. 191. + Giraldus Cambrenfis, lib. ii. c. ii. us, in battle array us, that when the Britons, drawn up on its banks, have been prepared to engage with their Saxon foes, it was their custom first to kiss the earth, and then for every foldier to drink a fmall quantity of the water *.-The name is certainly not derived, as many have fuppofed, from Dû, black; for, except when tinged by the torrents from the mountain moraffes, its waters are perfectly bright and tranfparent. In Spencer's defcription of Caer Gai, the dwelling of old Timon, the fofter-father of Arthur, the colour of the Dee is confidered very different from black: Lowe in a valley green, Under the foot of Rawran, moffie o'er, That lover of the marvellous, Giraldus Cambrenfis, informs us very gravely, that the river Dee runs through Bala lake, and is discharged at the bridge near the town, without their waters becoming mixed. He doubt!efs means to fay that the river might be traced by its appearance from one end of the lake to the other. Giraldus believed every thing that the inhabitants chose to impose upon him. * Gibfon's Camden, 556. CHAP. XXI. BALA TO SHREWSBURY. Cafcade at Pont Cynwyd.-Rhiwedag. -Trûm y Sarn.-The Berwyn Mountains. —Llangynog. - Slate Quarries. -Hazardous Mode of conveying Slates from the Mountain into the Vale.-Lead Mines.-Llanrhaiadr.-The Catara& of Piflyll Rhaiadr.-The Vale of Langedwin.- Knockin.-Account of the fingular Difcovery of a Murderer. - Kynafton's Cave in Nefs Cliff.-Montford Bridge. Shrewsbury. LEAVING Bala, I turned my steps towards England, and occupied two days in the journey from hence to Shrewsbury. Thefe, from fevere rain that fet in when I had got about ten miles from Bala, and lafted with little intermiffion till I arrived at Shrewfbury, were rendered two of the most unpleasant days I had spent in the country.-At my outfet the morning was, however, very ferene. The fun, in exhaling the dews, gave a delightful air of freshness to all the furrounding objects. The whole fcene was enlivened by the music of the birds, whofe various tones and elegant strains would have interested less ardent admirers of the works of nature than myself. Every thing feemed to partake of a general fprightlinefs. The thrilling tones of the sky-lark were heard on every fide: the notes of the blackbird echoed from among the diftant foliage, Whilft |