about half a mile from the fea.-They have a strange cuftom there, that has an air of great indelicacy to a stranger; which is, that the inferior orders of people commonly bathe, without the ufual precautions of machines or dreffes; nor is it fingular to fee ten or a dozen of both fexes promifcuously enjoying themselves in the lucid element, regardless, or rather unconfcious, of any indecency. Not being myself accustomed to this mode, I chofe to retire farther up; but it is very unpleafant bathing, being a flat level beach, and necessary to wade a quarter of a mile into the fea before one can arrive at any comfortable depth.

The approach to Conway, from the oppofite fide of the water, is extremely grand. The caftle (built by Edward the First, A. D. 1284.) ftands upon a rock,

the

the foot of which is washed by " Conway's foaming flood." I there paid a visit to the tombs of my ancestors, fome of whom lie buried in the church belonging to the town. Obferve that this vifit muft not be attributed to fuperftition, or ought of peculiar veneration for their memory, but the effect of mere curiofity; for there is a fingular monument of one of them, who was the father of forty-one children, by two wives. I took down the infcription with a pencil, and then left my prolific ancestor to his uninterrupted repofe.

We strengthened our party at Conway by the addition of two of our particular acquaintance, whofe plan being fimilar to our own, we united our interests, and fet out from Conway, each provided with a stick, knapsack, and trowfers. We certainly prefented to the aftonished Cambrians a very formidable appearance; fometimes

fometimes exciting their risible muscles, and fometimes being the occafion of much alarm, particularly amongst the children, who always took us for Frenchmen; but the country people, in general, looked upon us as recruits. Our walk to Abber was fingularly beautiful; this road was formerly almost impaffable, but with incredible labour and expence, it has of late years been rendered more commodious. The deep and gloomy paffes between the stupendous mountains, that feemed ready to close over our heads, had an appearance truly terrible and grand; and almost induced me to give credit to what Cambden has afferted,-that two shepherds might converse together upon oppofite mountains, and be a day before they could meet. The pass of Paenman Mawr, that was once attended with fo much danger to the wary traveller, is now perfectly safe. We arrived late in the even

Ing at Abber, which confifts but of three or four houses; the inn is very commo dious, but, at the fame time, the accommodations are rather extravagantly pur chafed. We rofe early the following morning for the purpofe of afcending to the top of Paenman Mawr, and ordered dinner to be ready for us at two o'clock, expecting to have returned by that hour; but we reckoned without our hoft, for the expedition took up nearly the whole of the day, and we thought ourselves happy to return when we did.-We rafhly took the refolution to venture up this ftupendous mountain without a guide, and therefore unknowingly fixed upon the most difficult part to afcend, and confequently were continually impeded' by a vast number of unexpected obftructions. At length we furmounted every danger and difficulty, and fafely arrived at the top; but

the fatigue we had undergone, and the exceffive heat of the day, deprived us, in

a great degree, of that pleasure we should otherwise have received from the prospect, and occafioned a tormenting thirst that we were not able to gratify; for water was an article which we fearched for in vain, Preparing, in the utmost despondency, to defcend, we accidentally turned over a large flat ftone that concealed a little spring, which, thus obftructed, became abforbed under the furface of the earth. The parched-up foldier of Alexander's army could not have felt greater joy in the discovery of his little treasure, than we did of ours. In the courfe of our defcent we incautiously separated; and as it was dusk, I began to be under fome apprehenfion that we might lofe ourselves in the intricacies of the mountain; in order to discover their direction, or distance from

me,