constantly during foggy weather, to direct those coming from the island by its sound to that line across the sands which is esteemed the least perilous.

Passing the small village and church of Llanvair

Vychan, a vast promontory, rising abruptly, like the Rock of Gibraltar, from the ocean, presents itself in tremendous majesty, and with its grey and weatherbeaten sides, forms a fine contrast to the verdant meads and fertiles fields of the surrounding country. The celebrated Pass of

PENMAN MAWR

Was justly once the terror of the traveller; the mountain, protruding itself into the sea, afforded but a very narrow passage along a shelf on its side for the terrified traveller: under his feet were showers of rude stones that impeded his progress: beneath, some hundred fathoms down, the roaring ocean: and, above his head, the over-hanging precipice, that momentarily threatened to overwhelm him, or hurry him headlong down the craggy steep. The danger, from the steepness of the mountain, and the crumbling. strata under his feet, increased with his progress, and one false step in different parts must have inevitably. proved fatal; it was long a terror to the neighbourhood, and the winter evenings were fearfully occupied in reciting the dangers and the accidents of Penman Mawr.

In 1772*, an application was made to Parliament,

*The road could only have been repaired at this time, not entirely made, as some state, it being defended by a wall towards the sea at a

and a generous aid was granted for the purpose of improving and securing this part of the road to Holyhead. A voluntary subscription, in which the city of Dublin bore a distinguished part, was also added ; and under the judicious management of that able engineer, Mr. Silvester, what was deemed beyond the power of human art to remedy, was speedily effected; the road is widened a proper breadth for carriages to pass each other, by cutting the solid rock; while the side towards the sea is secured by a wall built upon a series of arches, meeting the irregularity of the precipice, with circular holes at regular distances, to take the great quantities of water that descend from the mountain in rainy seasons. One obstacle, however, yet remains, that will probably for ever baffle the efforts of ingenuity: the sides of the mountain in some places rise nearly perpendicular the whole of the height; but, in others, they project over the present road, and many disjointed masses, of precarious te

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much earlier period. "We went over the famous precipice called Penman Mawr, which fame has made abundance more frightful than it really is; the rock is, indeed, very high, and if any one should fall from it he would be dashed in pieces; yet, on the other hand, there is no danger of falling; and besides, there is now a wall built all the way on the edge of the precipice to secure them. Those who have been at the hill or pass of Enterken, in Scotland, know very well the danger there is much greater." Vid, a Tour in Great Britain, printed by Strahan, 1725.

* Caswell, who was employed by Mr. Flamstead to measure its altitude, reported it 1545 feet above the beach at low water.

nure, threaten to crush the traveller to atoms. The strata having its earth washed away by torrents, and rended by severe frosts, fragments at intervals fall, and, for a time, render the road utterly impassable: lapses of this kind are not unfrequent, and men are employed to separate these huge masses in pieces, by blasting with gunpowder, to facilitate their removal; numbers of such were now lying in the road of several tons weight each; it sometimes happens, that the goats, skipping from crag to crag, to browse the alpine shrub, detach fragments sufficiently large from the space which they pass through to prove fatal to persons passing at the time; the traveller, therefore, cannot divest himself of all fear, nor absolutely feel himself secure from danger.

On the summit of a hill called Braich i ddinas, ris→ ing out of Penmaen, are the ruins of a castle, the fortifications of which were capable of containing 20,000 men; the remains of walls are still standing, and a well that supplied the garrison is constantly full of water, furnished by the condensed vapour of the mountain. A very faithful description of this is given in Gibson's edition of Camden, Vol. II. p. 804.

This was considered the strongest post possessed by the Welsh in the district of Snowdon: it was of great magnitude, and so strong by its natural position, that a hundred men might have defended themselves against an army; in that age it was deemed impegnable, and here it was the remains of the Welsh army were posted pending the negociation between Edward and Llewelyn,

The mountain abounds with the CRATEGUS ARIA, but we sought in vain for the Nondescript Plant, which is called AFALEUR PREN, whose fruit resembles a lemon, and is said to grow upon the top of Penmaen; we were informed that continual attempts have been made to transplant it from this elevated situation without effect; the last attempt was made by Lord Bulkley; it was transplanted into his garden at Baron Hill, but soon dwindled and died. This failure might be accounted for from a general error not only of Horticulturists but Botanists themselves, that plants which are the inhabitants of hills and mountains require a dry soil: whereas, on the contrary, most alpine plants delight in a wet soil: their element is water, not to mention the abundance of rain, and the constant oozings of numerous springs; the habitats of many are the PEAT BOGS, with which the sides and summits of uncultivated hills constantly abound. It is time this fundamental mistake was removed from the regions of Botany.

In this vicinity are a variety of Druidical and Ro man remains: Cromlechs, Carnedds, Meini hirion, old forts, &c. and the whole parish of Dwygyvylchi furnishes abundant matter of speculation for the learned antiquary.

A small rivulet of the same name divides the little from the great Penmaen, and the hollow which used to be a ravine is nearly filled, and a bridge thrown across the stream. Ascending the laborious steep of Sychnant, and leaving Castell Caer Lleion to the

left, we descended a hill for two miles, and entered, through the Porth ucha, the town of

CONWAY.

It stands upon the river Conway, called by Ptolemy, Conovius, and which, at high water, is here a mile over. The river rises out of Llyn Conwy, at the southern extremity of the county, in the mountains of Penmachno; the name Kynwy signifies the great or chief river, and it perhaps deserves this appellation, as it is one of the noblest streams of its length in Europe: in the course of twelve miles it receives so many rivulets as to be able to bear ships of burthen; and for small craft is navigable to Llanrwst Bridge. Camden says this river abounded with a species of muscle (Musculus niger & omnium crassissima, & ponderosissima of Lister) called Kregin diliw, producing valuable pearls.* According to Pliny, they were fished for and held in high repute by the Romans. A breast-plate, studded with British pearls, having been dedicated by Julius Cæsar to Venus Genitrix, and placed in the temple of that goddess at Rome.

It is a prevailing opinion, that Sir Luchard Wynne, of Gwedir, presented Queen Catherine with a pearl taken in this river, which has a place to this day in the regal Crown.

Mr. Pennant terms this shell-fish Mya margaritifera. Pearls are a disease in the fish, similar to the stone in the human body; on being squeezed they will eject the pearl, and sometimes they cast it spontaneously on the shore.