DE LILLE our rfinagination.
The particular and minute beauties of this popular poem we need not trouble our readers with pointing out. Its general characteristic merits are an un affected elevation and sweetness of sentiment, terse and comprehensive description of rural scenery, and a style of pure and transparent simplicity. The beauty of external nature was never more finely worshipped than in the conclusion of the ninth stanza, which Gray so truly pronounced to he _inspired : " Oh I how canst thou renounce, and hope to be forgiven." Dr Aikin, with his usual coldness as a critic,' has ob jected to the fairy vision of Edwin as too splendid and artificial for the fancy of an untutored youth. This is a most absurd objection. If we suppose Edwin to have lived in minstrel days, untutored as he was, he must have heard the ballads of his country ; and in these there is sufficient mention of all the ma terials which constitute his dream. The description of Edwin's walks, and of the hermit's valley in the second book, are perhaps the very finest poetical paintings of landscape which our language possesses.
or BEA1JMARSII, the principal town of the isle of Anglesea, in South Wales, is si tuated at the north entrance of the Mcnai strait, which forms here a spacious bay. The town, which is extremely neat, has two large streets, which con tain 267 houses, a handsome church adorned with' a lofty square tower, and an elegant and commodious town-hall. A free grammar school, and eight alms houses, evince the charitable disposition of the inha.
bitants.But the most remarkable object at Bean- I mans is its castle, to which the town originally owed ' all its importance, and probably its existence. When Edward I. had subjugated Wales, he found it neces sary to erect fortresses in different places, to overawe the inhabitants, spirit, still unbroken and ex tremely impatient of the yoke, panted for an oppor tunity of regaining their independence. Magnifi cent castles had already been reared in Caernarvon and Conway ; and the insular situation of Anglesea rendered it still more necessary to have it commanded by a fort and an English garrison: Accordingly, in the year 1275, the foundation of a castle was laid in a place called Bonover Marsh, which afterwards re ceived the French appellation Beaumarais, or beau tiful marsh. Its situation enabled the engineers to surround this castle with a ditch, which might con stantly be filled with water from the bay ; and to cut between the river and the castle a canal by which small vessels might convey their cargoes up to the very walls. When this castle was completed, it was garrisoned by twenty-four soldiers, and entrusted to a governor, who was also made general of the town. As this fortress became extremely oppressive to the town, many contentions arose, and several bloody encounters took place between the inhabitants of the • town and the soldiers. One of these encounters, called the black-fray, which happened in the reign of Henry VI. was attended with great 'slaughter.
The insolence both of the governors and the soldiery in all these Welsh garrisons, was indeed intolerable. .Their general object was to exclude the native inha bitants from the towns dependent on their fortresses; and so far had they succeeded in Anglesea, that in a rental of the borough property of Beanmaris, taken so late as 1608, there appear only seven Welsh names, and one burgage in the tenure of a Welshman. In the turbulent reign of Charles I., the gentlemen of Beaumaris and Anglesea, animated with the warmest loyalty, determined to oppose the parliamentary forces which had assembled at Conway, and had deputed five commissioners to manage their business. But their loyalty was of no avail against the superior dis cipline and courage of their antagonists. They were routed and dispersed in every direction ; and on the 2d of October the town and castle surrendered to general Mytton, and the inhabitants came under an obligation to pay to their conquerors the sum of seven thousand pounds within fourteen days. This castle, which is now. the property of the crown, stands on the grounds of lord Bulkely. It is attach ed' to the east end of the town, and covers a consi.
i derable space. of ground. Part of it lies in ruins; but its outer walls, several towers, and many other parts, still remain to mark out its dimensions, and to shew the style of its architecture.
Beaumaris cannot boast of great antiquity. Be fore the erection of the castle, it seems to have been an obscure, insignificant place. Edward I. surround - cd it with a wall, made it a corporation, and endowed it with some privileges. Since the time of Edward VI., it has regularly been represented by one mem ber in parliament, the right of electing whom is vest ed in the mayor, bailiffs, and capital burgesses only, ',amounting- to twenty-four in number. Th14 is the only place in Wales where the right of election is confined to the c ?oration. The government of the town is entrusted to the mayor, two bailiffs, and the capital burgesses; whose number is limited to twenty one ; to the number of ordinary burgesses no limits are set. Beaumaris is distant 254; miles N. W. from London. Population 1576. N. Lat. 53° 14', W. Long. 4° 15'.
- The bay of Beaumaris is a very fine bason, in which ships can ride safely at anchor, in six or seven fathoms water, even at ebb tide. Between Aber and Beaumaris, the distance is four Miles broad, though r the sea, at low water, fills a channel of not more than one mile. The remainder is one bed of sand ; and the roots of oak trees, found at a considerable distance from the present shores, sufficiently prove that the sea has here made great encroachments, and that these beds were formerly soil quite free from water. See Mr Pennant's Tour in Wales. Bingley's Tour round North !Vales. (es)