THE Rev. Mr. Lightfoot difcovered in our dingles, in the month of May, a variety of the Anenome Nemorofa, Syft. Pl. ii. 637. with the leaves dotted on the back like the fructifications of a polypody: precisely correfponding with the figure of a suppofed fern, in Mr. Ray's Synopfis, 124, after N° 24; and fig. i. tab. iii. at p. 128. THE arenaria faxatilis, Syft. Pl. ii. 364. is found on our mountain in plenty, and chears the ground with its white flowers, in May. I do not find it in Mr. Hudson, nor any of our British florists. It is found in Sibiria, Fl. Sib. iv. 157. tab. 63; and in Switzerland, Haller, p. 383, N° 867. THE geranium phæum, Syft. Pl. iii. 32. has also been discovered in the hanging wood above my garden. THE picturesque dingle Nant-y-bi abounds with what the botanifts name the cryptogamous plants. The idea of cryptogamy inspired Timeus with ideas of loves of other kind; and makes our Nant the tender scene of courtship for all the nymphs and swains of Whiteford parish, which he candidly admits does always terminate in honeft matrimony in the parish church. I leave to the learned in German, to peruse his very graphical account • The learned J. C. Timæus, of the Lunebourgh College, at Hamburgh, did me the honor of tranflating into German my Literary Life, and illuftrated it with notes; and gives a letter from Doctor John Reinhold Forfer, and another from my friend Zimmerman, containing certain important anecdotes, viz. That I dine at one, drink constantly two glaffes of ale and two of wine after dinner, and then take a nap in my elbow-chair.-I confefs the ale, and its quantity: but as to the wine, I do not limit myself but by the bounds of temperance. My hour of dining is half an hour past two; and, excepting in the very depth of winter, I constantly take a walk after I rife from table. As to the nap, which may fometimes furprize me, let me only plead—Aliquando bonus dormitat, &c. &c. A DREADFUL Perhaps the quotation of two lines from Dr. Darwin's elegant poem, book ii. line 361, On the Loves of the Plants,' may prove full as pleafing. He makes Mufcus, one of the claffes in queftion, thus addrefs itself, juft in the manner our amorous couples may be fuppofed to do: Rife, let us mark how bloom the awaken'd groves, And 'mid the banks of rofes hide our loves. THE rareft plants of the dingle, of the cryptogamous kind, are the Polypodium creopteris, Lin. Soc. Tranf. i. 181. Bryum extinctorium, Fl. Scot. ii. p. 718. Dillen. Musc. tab. 95. fig. 8. So called from having a membranaceous calyptra hanging lower than the capfule, like an extinguisher upon a candle, Bryum calliftomum, Dicks. Fafc. iii. tab. 10. Jungermannia ciliaris. Hudson Fl. Angl. i. 515. · Lichen concentricus, Lin. Soc. Tranf. ii. 284. Difcovered by my excellent botanical affiftant, the Reverend Hugh Davies Aber, Caernarvonshire. Lichen quercinus, Dicks. Fafc. i. p. 9. Agaricus piperatus, Fl. Scot. ii. p. 1013. Fl. Angl. i. 613. A most acrid fungus, and the moft fufpicious of the whole class; yet is eaten in great quantities by the Ruffians. They fill large vessels with them in the autumn season, or pickle them with falt, and eat them in the enfuing Lent. • The Haller gives a dreadful account of the fatal effects. • mouth, 'mouth, with bloody lotions and bloody ftools. Laftly, it is ⚫ certain that some species have an intoxicating quality, followed ' often by deliriums, tremblings, watchings, faintings, apoplexies, 'cold fweats, and death itself. Some have fancied that skilful 'cookery would deprive them of their bad effects, and that oils ' would sheath their noxious qualities; but these are fatal deceits, ' not to be trusted. Notwithstanding this, nothing can prevail on ⚫ the northern nations from depriving themselves of fo favorite a food.' Agaricus deliciofus. Orange agaric. Hudson Flor. Angl. ii. 613. Boletus fuberofus. Cork boletus. Hudson Flor. Angl. ii, 624. Flor. Scot. ii. p. 1032. So called from its being light, tough, and spongy like cork, and is fometimes cut and shaped by the country people, and used as corks for their bottles; but must not be fuffered to touch any liquid, for moisture foon renders them soft and useless. Helvella mitra. Curled helvella. Hudson Flor. Angl. Fl. Scot. ii. p. 1047, is nearly allied to the Phallus efculentus, and like that is esteemed to be of the eatable kind. THE peziza defcribed by Ray, Syn. Stirp. Brit. i. 18. N° 5. is found near my houfe; it is a fungus of the cup-form, and of a moft brilliant fcarlet color. THE waters of this parish are very numerous, as is the cafe of all mountanous tracts. Here indeed we must confine them to the steep flope that falls rapidly to the fea. It abounds with little springs, which accumulating in their course, form streams of power fufficient to turn fome corn-mills of confiderable fize. WATERS. FFYNNON OSWALD. BRYN-Y-GROES. WHITEFORD THE largest independent rivulet is that which gushes from Ffynnon Ofwald, or the well of Ofwald, in the township of Merton Ychlan. It takes its name from the Saxon monarch, martyr, and faint, Ofwald king of the Northumbrians, who was defeated and Dain on October 5th, 642, near Oswestry, by the pagan Penda, king of the Mercians, who hung his limbs on stakes dispersed over the field, as trophies of his victory. Some of the tradition reached our parish: for there is near to the well a certain field called Aelod Ofwald, or Ofwald's limb, as if one of them had found its way to this place. (For a farther account of the legend, I refer to article Ofweftry, vol. i. p. 258, edit. 1784, of my Tour in Wales.) This ftream divides the parish of Whiteford, for a certain way, from that of Holywell. POSSIBLY St. Ofwald had near his well a crofs; for not remote, on an eminence named Bryn-y-Groes, or the Hill of the Cross, stood one of those marks of piety, of which still remains the fhaft. THE stream of most utility rifes from a spring a little beyond the village of Whiteford. It runs by my house, and is no small ornament to my ground. It turns my two mills, which, with much patriotism and little wisdom, I erected. The first is near the Gwibnant or Wibnant, and made in form of a chapel. My great folly is about half a mile lower: is an excellent mill, and does much business for the leffee. This ftream is much augmented by an-. other, which rises at a place called Saith Ffynnan, or the Seven Wells, and murmurs through the romantic Nant-y-bi, and uniteş with it at the Wibnant. It concludes its courfe near Llanerch-ymor fmelting-house, to which it is of great ufe, by setting in motion fome stampers for comminuting the flags before they are committed to the hearth for the extraction of the remaining lead. THE laft ftream runs through Felyn Blum, or the lead-mill, a great romantic dingle which divides this parifh from that of Llan-Afaph. Near its fall into the fea is a confiderable mill, the property of Sir Roger Moftyn. This dingle probably takes its name from the number of antient fmelting-hearths for lead found in it, in use in the primeval artlefs times of finelting. FELYN BLWM. DINGLES. ALL our dingles run parallel to each other, and begin at fome NATURE OF THE distance from the firft or steepest descent from the mountain. The fides of all are cloathed with oaks, and each has its rill at the bottom. These great ravines, I may call them, were evidently formed on the running down of the waters of the deluge on its fubfidence, when they found their way to what the ALMIGHTY determined. fhould ever remain a circum-ambient sea... NUMBERS of the small fprings which arife in the lower part of the parifh fhew fymptoms of the internal contents. In the neighborhood of the coal, they are covered with a dirty yellow. ochreous fcum; and are more or lefs chalybeate. One, which rifes before my house, is strongly fo, and proved very beneficial to the.. only perfon I know who made a fair use of it.. IN refpect to the husbandry of this parish; it may be divided into feveral parts. I fhall first pay attention to the higher or the mountanous. That tract is very extenfive, covered in general with heath mixed with coarfe grafs. The climate very cold in comparison of the lower parts. We often find during winter. CHALYBEATE HUSBANDRY: MOUNTAIN GROUND.. |