To draw Barmouth, you must go a long way down upon the sands, when the tide is out, but it is a confined, heavy subject, and will hardly repay the labour. Some contrive to take part of the town, with Llanaber church in the distance.

Llanellyd Bridge is sometimes sketched, and Cader Idris as seen from the village. There are some ruins of an abbey near Dolgelle-Kimmer, or (as the Welch call it) Y Vanner Abbey; but they are said to be by no means picturesque.*

The water-falls are on our next stage to Maentwrog, a seventeen miles walk, which will take up a long day.

Yours, &c.

* Girald. Camb. vol. ii. p. 46.

ONLY two of the water-falls are fit for the pencil, though all three deserve a visit. Falling

water is attractive in every variety: who crosses a bridge without stopping to watch the stream? The softness and composure of gliding water; the liquid lustre, playful change, and lulling sound of light cascades; the downfall, roar, impetuosity, whiteness, and all the nameless features of the cataract; are sure to attract every beholder, and raise emotions of wonder and delight. Hence the high beauty of falling water in embellishing, or even forming a picture. But it is difficult of execution, and few masters succeed in it. One difficulty is, to catch the features, their rapid change at first perplexing the eye; but by watching attentively, a constant recurrence of the same forms may, I think, be perceived: and must it not

be so, while the same quantity of water flows through the same channel with the same velocity? In colouring water a failure seems often occasioned by assuming a general tone, painting it green, blue, like a torrent of milk, or as if cut out of stone, though it must obviously reflect the hue of the adjacent objects. There is one remarkable appearance of water, which I do not remember to have seen imitated by the best masters-its glossiness. In the pictures of Ruysdaal, for instance, there is much water, but never this gloss-this pearliness (if I might so speak): yet it is picturesque, for we see it in the representation of the metals, satin, fruit, &c. Is it then too difficult? a perfection the art has not yet reached? This I leave to the consideration of wiser heads, and will now conduct you to the falls.

The first is the Dolmelynllyn Fall, Rhaiadr Dû, as it is called, or the black cataract, probably from the dark colour of the rocks. It is a

* This must not be confounded with another of the same name, to the right of the road between Beddgelert and Harlech.

K