In consequence of the elevated surface of the greatest part of the county, and its cold, piercing, and damp atmosphere, there is little corn grown in it. Near the sea, however, and in some of the vales, barley of fine quality is grown ; and in some of the higher districts, oats are cultivated. The vales yield a little meadow grass for bay, which is got in with out the aid of wheel-carriages, the .uneven surface of the ground not admitting their use. Sheep and black cattle, however, constitute the principal agri cultural stock of the Caernarvonshire farmers. The former are pastured on the mountains, which, in ge neral, are commons ; and .the latter on. the lower grounds. A considerable quantity of cheese, made from the mixed milk of ewes and cows, is made. From the peninsulated hundred of Lyn, which is in general flat, oats, barley, cheese, and black-cattle, are exported ; of the last, about 8000 annually. The numerous herds of goats, which used to frequent the rocky districts of this county, are now nearly extinct. There are some profitable orchards in the vales, but in general the climate is very unfavourable to fruit trees.
Caernarvonshire is an interesting county to the Mineralogist ; but we can only very briefly notice the principal features of its mineralogy. The high est and interior regions of the Snowdon mountains are composed of granite, porphyry, whin, and other primitive aggregate rocks, enclosing considerable blocks of quartz. The western side of Snowdon itself consists of ironstone, on which are placed ba saltic columns, of different lengths, and about, four feet in diameter. On each' side of the primitive rocks, there are Mountainous banks of slate, the coarsest on the eastern, and the finest invariably on the western side of the central ridge. At Nant francon are the slate quarries of Lord .Penryhn, who has constructed admirable railways from them to Port Penryhn. The banks of slate, growing finer as they descend, occupy the country between Snowdon and the Menai, usually terminating within a few hundred yards of its banks. The channel of the Sheet, as well as its banks, consists of limestone ; brecCia, or the fragments of the Snowdon moun tains, in. a calcareous 'cement, and bard marl, inclos ing shells. The general dip of the strata, in the
promontory of Lyn, is to the southwest ; on .the north coast is chlorite slate and coarse serpentine.
On the former rest beds of primitive aigillaceow schistus. The argillaceous schistus in some places is largely mixed with carbon, forming a kind of hard drawing slate ; and in others it is penetrat• ed by carbon and pyrites, fOrming alum slate, No mines have been opened in this district. A hard stone, used instead of brass,.for supporting the pivots of light machinery, and another stone, some. thing resembling the French burr, have been found in this county. There are some lead mines near Gwydir ; but the most impbrtant and valuable metal found in this county is copper. The richest mines of it are in the vicinity of Llanberis ; it is also found in various parts of the Snowdon mountains; and the green carbonate of copper lies between the limestone strata, in the promontory of Orme's Head. There are mines of calamine on the Caernarvon side of the river Conway.
Many rare vegetables, lint with only on the most ele vated spots, grow in this county. Some of the steep. eat crags of the Great Orme's Head are inhabited by the peregrine falcon. Considerable quantities of fish, particularly herrings, are caught on the shores of this county ; and lobsters and oysters are found in great abundance. In some of the lakes are found the char, and the another alpine fish. Foxes are the chief wild animals.
The money raised for the poor in 1808 was] L. 9187, being at the rate of 4s. Old. in the pound. In the year ending the 25th of March 1815, there was paid in parochial rates the sum of L.15,776, 17s. 6c1. In 1800, there were 8804 inhabited houses, and 41,521 inhabitants ; 19,586 males, and 21,935 females, of whom 12,808 were employed in sOcul• ture, and 4234 in manufactures, trade, and handi crafts.. The inhabitants live in a state of the utmost simplicity, manufacturing their clothes from the wool of their own flocks, and dyeing them with lichens: a little oatmeal added to the produce of their dairies constitutes their food. In 1811, the results of the population returns were as follows :