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me, I frequently repeated their names, and was much entertained with a beautiful echo, which returned the found of my voice in three different directions; had I been inclined to fuperftition, many circumstances would have contributed to raise its full effect upon my mind, which as it was, bufily employed itself in creating images of fear. An awful filence fucceeded the laft vibrations of the echo, which was only interrupted by the diftant barking of the watch dog, that proceeded from the lonely hut of the fhepherd; or the shrill fhrieks and hootings of the owl and rock eagle. In the midst of my melancholy cogitations, I fully expected that the genius of the mountain would have appeared to me in fome formidable shape, and have reproached me with rafhly prefuming to disturb the facred filence of his folitary reign; or at least that fome banditti,

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ditti, more terrible in afpect than ever Salvator Rofa could have painted, or even imagined, would have rushed upon me from behind a rock, and made me pay, perhaps with life, for my unintentional temerity. We had the good fortune, however, to arrive at the inn together, nearly at the fame time, that is to fay, about nine o'clock. You may eafily imagine that the difficulties we had previously encountered, heightened the enjoyments of our prefent fituation, and we paffed a very pleasant evening in difcourfing upon the adventures of the day. There is a cataract about a mile from Abber, worth feeing, on account of its precipitous fall; but it is totally deftitute of wood or fcenery. This evening we mean to crofs the ferry into the Ifle of Anglefea, but I will referve the account of this part of our journey until another opportunity, or

till

till the experience of new adventures. may render a repetition acceptable.-In the mean time believe me, my dear friend, under every circumftance of time or place, I shall still continue my best wishes for your happiness, and remain

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LETTER IV.

CAERNARVON, July 19, 1794.

SINCE my laft, my dear friend, I have

encountered fome difficulties both by land and water, and am, in confequence, come to a final determination in my own mind, that terra firma is infinitely preferable to that changeable element where Neptune holds his powerful fway. I muft acknowledge the dangers of the latter are not by any means fo agreeable, nor can I view them with that tranquillity which, upon moft occafions, I have treated the former; not indeed that I am bleffed with any great share of philofophy, although I am always toiling to acquire a little of that neceffary ingredient to human happiness;

but

but alas! the irritation which fuch exercife has upon my nerves, is fo hoftile to the object in view, that it drives philofophy to a very respectful distance. In the uncertain voyage of life, fome fail upon troubled, others on smooth and gentle waters, and fome again on stagnant; and it is our duty to expect to encounter all forts of weather: man is at the best but a weak being, like a reed to be shaken by every wind, and buffeted about by every ftorm; fome are better failors than others, and look upon the angry tempest with different degrees of fortitude; for my part. I must honestly confefs that I am at the beft but a bad navigator, and am often run afhore with only a cap full of wind.

The following anecdote which I have accidentally met with, is fo fingular, that I cannot refrain from fending it to you:

A merchant who lived in the golden days

of

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