On the crown of a hill, about half a mile to the north-west of Carneddi Hengwm, there is a circular camp, called Dinas Corddyn, which commands a full view of the plain of Ardudwy.

There are several specimens, in this parish and neighbourhood, of the houses of the Welsh gentry of ancient times. Among these, Engryn, Llwyn Du, Llwyn Wews, Hendrev Urien, Hendrev Vechan, Llwyn Grifri, and Tal Treiddyn, are the most conspicuous.

There are the ruins of ten or twelve old houses on the farm of Egryn, besides several others in the neighbourhood. There is one house still inhabited, which is mentioned in one of the poems of Davydd ab Gwilym, composed about the year 1340; and the present building appears to be the same as existed at that time.

The sea-port town of Aber Maw, whimsically turned into Barmouth, and which has a market, and is a bathing-place well resorted to, is at the southern extremity of this parish.

THE following is a SUMMARY of the POPULATION of this county, according to the census taken last year, (1821,) and recently published. The order and arrangement are those adopted in the foregoing pages.

MANUSCRIPTS

OF

THE REV. EDWARD LLWYD.

It is, we believe, generally known to the readers of Welsh literature, that the Rev. Edward Llwyd, the celebrated author of the ARCHEOLOGIA BRITANNICA, had formed a valuable and extensive collection of Welsh MSS. These consisted as well of ancient MSS. as of others of his own writing, which had a more immediate reference to the project, he is known to have contemplated, of publishing a second volume of his elaborate work, but which the want of adequate encouragement seems to have prevented him from accomplishing. In some remarks on the present state of Welsh MSS., prefixed to one of the volumes of the Archaiology of Wales, it is mentioned, that Mr. Llwyd "left this collection to Sir John Sebright." This, however, was not strictly the fact; for, it appears from some letters, preserved amongst the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum*, that the collection in question was, in fact, sold to Sir Thomas Sebright, for the benefit of Mr. Llwyd's estate. This took place in the year 1713, four years after Mr. Llwyd's death; and we learn from the same documents, that this sale was not effected until both the University of Oxford and Jesus College had refused to become purchasers, a circumstance which is the more remarkable, as it was well understood at the time that, had Mr. Llwyd's affairs permitted him, it was his intention to bequeath his collection equally between Jesus College and the University. What the motives were that occasioned the rejection of so favourable an opportunity for preserving these valuable remains, it would now, perhaps, be vain to inquire; but, considering the untoward fate to which these MSS. have since been consigned, it has, unfortunately, become a matter of serious regret that the learned bodies alluded to were not actuated, on the occasion, by a more liberal, and, it may be added, a more politic feeling.

It farther appears, from the documents above quoted, that, after the contract with Sir Thomas Sebright had been completed, Lord

* Vol. 3777, p. 11.

Oxford, ignorant of the circumstance, made overtures for the purchase of all these MSS. which, if they had become his property, would, no doubt, have now made a part of the famous Harleian collection. But a singular and mortifying fatality seems to have, altogether, attended Mr. Llwyd's labours in this respect, excluded, as they thus were, successively, from Jesus College, the Bodleian Library, and the British Museum, in either of which depositaries they would have found a secure asylum from the fatal ravages to which they have since been exposed. The MSS., thus bought by Sir Thomas Sebright, were afterwards again sold, and became the property of different purchasers, among whom were the late Mr. Johnes, of Havod, and Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. Such as had fallen to the lot of the former gentleman were consumed in the fire which, unfortunately, destroyed his elegant mansion about fourteen years ago; while most of those, purchased by Sir W. W. Wynn, met, subsequently, with a similar fate, at the house of a person in London, to whom they had been sent for the purpose of being bound. And, we believe, that some such catastrophe has befallen another portion of Mr. Llwyd's collection; but we have no precise remembrance of the particulars, nor are we aware, if any of these ill-fated MSS. remain, excepting the few at Wynnstay, where they are now to be found.

The following "Account" of the MSS. purchased by Sir W. W. Wynn, with the accompanying remarks, cannot fail to be interesting, affording, as it does, the only consolation now left, that of knowing the value of one portion, at least, of the literary treasures thus lost. The "Account" comprises, likewise, it will be seen, some other part of the Wynnstay Collection, unhappily involved in the same calamity; and its interest will be enhanced as having been the work of a gentleman, whose learned labours have endeared his memory to the admirers of Welsh literature. For this reason, as well as for those previously stated, it has been thought that the insertion of the following memorial in these TRANSACTIONS could not be deemed irrelevant to their particular object.-ED. TR.

SOME ACCOUNT of MANUSCRIPTS which lately belonged to the valuable Collection of Sir W. W. WYNN, Bart. and were unfortunately destroyed by the Fire in Covent-Garden.-By the late Rev. PETER ROBERTS.

THE loss of manuscripts is one which, though its more immediate estimation must regard the personal property in them, must also be considered as affecting the public interest, according to their importance to the literature of the country. It is, therefore, with great regret, in both respects, that another loss, similar to the one at Havod, is recorded, which will be deeply felt by all who are interested in the antiquities of Wales or Ireland.

The collection of MSS. at Wynnstay is, undoubtedly, one of

the best in Wales, and particularly as to the number of Welsh MSS.; and it had lately been enriched by a large number from the collection of the celebrated Llwyd, the author of the Archæologia, purchased at the sale of the Seabright MSS. The principal part of this addition, and several of the MSS. of the previous collection, being in want of new binding, it was judged expedient to send them to London for that purpose. The misfortune that has befallen them there has left little more to alleviate the regret for the loss than the power of stating generally what they contained, which is the more to be lamented, as it is well known to have been the intention of their liberal owner to have had some of the most important published, and that he is indulgent in permitting every proper use of his collection.

MANUSCRIPTS LOST.

THE WHITE BOOK OF HERGEST.-This was one, and probably the latest, of two books which bear the name of Hergest. The oldest, called the Red Book of Hergest, is now in the library of Jesus College, Oxford. Both were miscellaneous collections in prose and verse. The White Book was particularly valuable, as containing some old Welsh laws, and particularly a specification of the Charter of Hywel Dda, which was not known to Wotton, and which explains much of the motives and purpose of that prince in his revisal of the Welsh laws. A copy of this is at present in the possession of Sir W. W. Wynn. The remainder consisted of religious tracts, one on heraldry, historical notices, and poems. Most of the latter are still to be found in other collections at Wynnstay.

Four copies of THE LAWS OF HYWEL DDA, whole, or in part. Four copies of GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH'S HISTORY: one in Latin, the remainder, I believe, in Welsh. One of the Welsh copies appeared to have been written about the latter end of the thirteenth, or the beginning of the fourteenth century, at the latest, and was remarkable for the correct orthography of the proper names. In a note at the end, but which was written in a later hand, this copy was said to have been taken from the last copy published by Geoffrey.

A WELSH CHRONICLE.

THE STATUTE OF WESTMINSTER.

AN ESSAY ON The Welsh TriaDS, by Mr. Vaughan, of Hengwrt (the antiquarian).

AN ESSAY ON BLATOS, i. e. on a coin bearing the word Vlatos, which Mr. Vaughan (the above-mentioned) understood to signify the Bleiddyd, or Bladud, of the Welsh history. An impression from this coin is given by Camden.

Eight volumes of Mr. LLWYD'S NOTES, taken in his tour through Wales. The general substance of these notes was given to Bishop Gibson for his edition of Camden.