The village is situated on an eminence between the rivers Dwyryd and Cynvael, whence there is an enchanting view down the vale towards Maentwrog and Tan-y-Bwlch. The church, built in the

ancient style of architecture, is dedicated to St. Michael. There are also several dissenting places of worship, with Sunday-schools attached. A national school, for the parishes of Ffestiniog and Maentwrog, was opened in 1830, in a neat building erected a short distance from the village, on the Maentwrog road. Mrs. Oakley, of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch, has recently erected and endowed a chapel of ease, near the slatequarries.

Two Roman roads are supposed to cross each other in one part of this parish one leading from Segontium to Mediolanum, and the other from Conovium, or Caer Rhûn, to Lovantium, or Llanio, in Cardiganshire. At Tommen-y-Mur (or the mound within the wall) have been found several Roman coins, urns, and Roman inscriptions. One Roman road led from Tommen-y-Mur to Caer Gai, and another from thence to Sarn Helen (Helen's causeway), as the Britons attributed the formation of all the Roman roads to Helen, mother of Constantine the Emperor, and a British lady. Rhyd-yr-Halen (the fort on Helen's causeway) is another remarkable place in this parish. Near it are the remains of "Beddau gwyr Ardudwy," or the graves of the men of Ardudwy. The tradition respecting these graves is as follows:-The women in the cantred of Ardudwy being but few in number, the young men, in want of wives, made an inroad into Denbighshire, and took away by force a great number of females from the Vale of Clwyd. They were, however, overtaken near this place by the warriors of the vale, and slain; but the women, during their short acquaintance, became so thoroughly attached to the Ardudwy men, that, rather than return with their relatives, they determined to drown themselves in the neighbouring lake, still called, in commemoration of that event, "Llyn y Morwynion" (the lake of the maids).

The slate-quarries in the immediate neighbourhood are conducted with enterprise by several parties. Lords Newborough, Palmerston, and Poulett, Mrs. Oakley, S. Holland, J. Greaves, W. Turner, and G. Casson, Esqs., are proprietors of the quarries. Upwards of 2000 men are employed in these extensive works, and in the Education Report it is stated, that “the children are employed at a very early age in the quarries; that at seven or eight years old they can begin to make themselves useful by splitting blocks of slate, and will earn in this way 5s. a month. Boys under ten years will earn 25s. a month." The population of the parish is 3138. There is a branch of the North and South Wales Bank in the village.

Inns.—The Pengwern Arms, and the Newborough Arms. There is also an excellent boarding-house, kept by Mrs. Owen.

The scenery in and about Ffestiniog has long been the subject of enthusiastic admiration by philosophers, poets, and painters. Pennant confers upon it the classic title of the British Tempé; Warner says, "it comprehends every object that can enrich or diversify a landscape;" Wyndham is equally profuse in his laudations; Lord Lyttleton adds, "with the woman one loves, with the friend of one's heart, and a study of books, one might pass an age in this vale, and think it a day." "More than once," remarks Roscoe, "from its peculiar site and pleasant aspect, the Vale of Ffestiniog has not undeservedly, by those who have observed the characteristic features of both, been compared with the valleys of Sicily and Greece. But it stands in no need of classical resemblances to enhance its natural beauties, when beheld, richly wooded and finely watered as it is, in the glowing hues of the year, when the departing sun, illumining the surrounding peaks, reflects a radiant light upon the scene, which may well remind the traveller of the most lovely spots which he has ever visited in other lands." Nor are these rapturous praises the emanations of a merely fervid imagination, the Vale of Ffestiniog is veritably a lovely spot, and worthy the best and most heightened description ever given of it, in verse or prose. The river Dwyryd, at the bottom of the Vale, receives the tide, and expands into a wide lake-like channel, called Traeth Bychan, where it flows through the sandy estuary of Traeth Bach and into Cardigan Bay, the sea at a distance closing the view.

There are several lakes in the vicinity, all of which are noticed in our pages devoted to ANGLING. The Falls of the Cynvael comprise two cataracts, called by the inhabitants Pistyll-y-Cynvael (the cataract of the river Cynvael). One of these is about 700 yards above, and the other 300 yards below, a rustic stone bridge. The upper fall consists of three steep rocks, over which the water foams into a deep black basin, overshadowed by the adjoining rocks. The other is formed by a broad sheet of water, precipitated down a slightly-shelving rock, about forty feet high. The path to these cataracts runs across the fields in a tolerably direct line from the village, and then enters a wood near the river, to the first fall, which is about half a mile from Ffestiniog. In the middle of the river is a tall columnar rock, distinguished by the name of "Pulpit Hugh Llwyd," or Hugh Lloyd's Pulpit. Of this bard, magician, and warrior, for he claimed all these titles, the following anecdote is recorded:- "When he was a young man he had a stone seat put at the door of his house, which was not far from hence; and his wife's sister was the first that sat upon it. 'Molly,' he said, 'you have sat first upon this bench, and you must pay me three kisses for it.' The demand was satisfied. Some time afterwards his wife died, and he went to London, leaving his sister-in-law, then married, and her husband. He enlisted into the Parliament's forces, where he soon obtained a commission, and he was in the army of General Monk at the restoration of Charles II. After having been from home many years, and at length growing old, he returned to his native country. Arriving at his own house one fine summer's evening, he saw his sister-in-law, her husband, and children, 'all had grown up,' sitting on the same stone bench, eating flummery and milk. He asked them in English, if they would give him a night's lodging? but none of them knew a word of this language. They however conjectured what he wanted, and showed him a bed, the best in the cottage, but asked him to partake of their fare before he retired to rest. This he did, and being satisfied with his hospitable reception, addressed them in Welsh in an extempore stanza, which has thus been translated :

"For wines delicious, mighty France is prais'd,

And various dainties are for London raised;
With butter, Holland half the world supplies,
But milk and flummery more than all I prize.'

"What! you are a Welshman, my good friend,' exclaimed his sister. 'Yes,' said he, 'I am; it is many years since I had three kisses from the female who first sat on this bench.' He was imme.. diately recognised with the utmost joy. He then took out of his pocket a large purse filled with gold, and throwing it into her lap, 'Here,' said he, 'take this as a reward for your hospitality to the English stranger, who is more than fourscore years of age; he requires nothing more for it than a bed every night, and flummery and milk every day while he lives.' From this time, it is said, that he resided with them till his death, which did not happen till some years afterwards."

Sarn Milltyrn-Glynn, an old Elizabethan mansion, the property of W. Ormsby Gore, Esq., M.P., of Porkington, near Oswestry; and Maes-y-Neuadd, the seat of Sir Wm. Wynn, Governor of the Isle of Wight, are in the neighbourhood.

In our route from Ffestiniog, we shall furnish brief descriptions of Harlech, Barmouth, Dolgelley, Cader Idris, Aberystwith, Machynlleth, Llanidloes, Newtown, Welshpool, Oswestry, and Chirk; from thence the tourist may pass through the Vales of Llangollen and Edeirnion; return to the Llangollen road station (on the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway), visit Wynnstay, Rhuabon, Wrexham, and the Vale of Gresford; return by the same railway through the pretty village of Whittington, two miles from Oswestry, pass Halston, the seat of the late John Mytton, Esq.; skirt Pradoe (in West Felton), the residence for many years of the Hon. Thomas Kenyon (brother of Lord Kenyon); also Nescliffe, the traditional retreat of Humphrey Kynaston (the Jonathan Wild of Shropshire); and proceed onward to Shrewsbury, for a long period, and even still, one of the most important Border Towns.

This once distinguished town has long since dwindled into a mere village, the population comprising scarcely 500 persons. Some of its

former privileges are, nevertheless, still retained, as the representative of Merionethshire is elected there, and it is therefore considered the county town. It also possesses a corporation, and is governed by the mayor. It is in the parish of Llandanwg, but in consequence of the distance of its old church, dedicated to St. Tanwg, which is situated upon a small isthmus, or point of land, at the mouth of the river Artro, a new church, in the Chinese Gothic style, was built a few years ago, and consecrated in 1841. There is a free school in the town, with an endowment of £10 per annum. The town is situated on the summit of a high rock, as its name seems to signify (Ar-lech, on the rock; or, according to others, Hardd-lech, the beautiful rock).

Harlech Castle is one of the great architectural monuments of Cambria. It was anciently called Tur Bronwen, the fair-necked, from the daughter of Llyr, of Harlech, wife of Matholwch, and sister of Brân ab Llyr, King of Britain. In after-times it obtained the name of Caer Collwyn (Collwyn's Castle), from Collwyn ab Tangno, one of the fifteen tribes of North Wales, and Lord of Eivionydd, Ardudwy, and part of Lleyn. His grandchildren flourished in the time of Grufydd ab Cynan. He resided some time in the ancient fortress. The present castle was the work of Edward I., and was commenced, according to Mr. Hartshorne, in 1286, but Hugh de Wlonkeslow was appointed constable in 1283, at a salary of £100 per annum; which sum was afterwards reduced to £26 13s. 4d. a-year, or, as in some accounts, £50, which amount was to be for both constable and captain of the town. The whole garrison, at the same time, was twenty soldiers whose annual pay was £140. Some Welsh writers assert that the castle was built by Maelgwyn Gwynedd, about the year 540. In 1404, Owen Glyndwr seized the fortress from Henry IV., but it was retaken in 1408, and sheltered Margaret of Anjou, the faithful and spirited Queen of Henry VI., after the battle of Northampton. In 1468 Davydd ab Evan ab Einion, a thorough friend of the House of Lancaster, and distinguished for his valour and great stature, possessed the fortress, and held it for nine years in defiance of Edward VI's power after his possession of the crown. Being summoned to surrender, the gallant Cambrian answered, that "once in France he held a tower till all the old women in Wales heard of it, and that the old women of France should now hear how he had defended a Welsh Castle." In