across the Dee, at an
elevation of an hundred and twenty feet above the bed of the natural
stream. A few miles further on, the little town of Llangollen offers
a delightful resting place, and is deservedly much resorted to.

"There is a beautiful view from the churchyard near the inn: here I
climbed upon a tomb, and stood for half an hour enjoying with deep
and grateful delight the beauties so richly spread before me.
Immediately below me bloomed a terraced garden, filled with vine,
honeysuckle, rose, and a hundred gay flowers, which descended to the
very edge of the foaming stream. On the right hand, my eye followed
the crisped waves in their restless murmuring course through the
overhanging thicket; before me rose two lines of wood, divided by a
strip of meadow-land filled with grazing cattle; and high above all,
rose the bare conical peak of a mountain crowned by the ruins of the
old Welsh castle Dinas Bran, or the Crow's Fortress. On the left,
the stone houses of the town lie scattered along the valley; the
river forms a considerable waterfall near the picturesque bridge,
while three colossal rocks rise immediately behind it like giant
guards, and shut out all the more distant wonders of this enchanting
region.

"Before I left Llangollen I recollected the two celebrated ladies who
have inhabited this valley for more than half a century, and of whom
I had heard once as a child, and again recently in London. You have
doubtless heard your father talk of them;--'si non, voila leur
histoire.' Fifty-six years ago, two young, pretty and fashionable
ladies, Lady Eleanor Butler, and the daughter of the late Lord
Ponsonby, took it in their heads to hate men, to love only each
other, and to live from that hour in some remote hermitage. The
resolution was immediately executed; and from that time neither lady
has ever passed a night out of their cottage. On the other hand, no
one who is presentable travels in Wales unprovided with an
introduction to them. It is affirmed that the 'scandal' of the great
world interests them as much as when they lived in it; and that their
curiosity to know what passes has preserved all its freshness. I had
compliments to deliver to them from several ladies, but I had
neglected to furnish myself with a letter. I therefore sent my card,
determine