The principal rivers are the Dee, the Descenny, the Dyssi, the Avon, and the Dyrwhydd. The Dee has two spring heads, in the eastern part of the county, near the sides of the Arran mountain ; these, after uniting and passing through the lake of Pemblemoer, run by a north east direction into Denbighshire. The Descenny rises about 3 miles to the south of Dolgelly, and falls into the Irish sea a little to the west of Towyn ; the Dyssi or Dory rises in the west part of the county, and falls into the Irish Sea at Aberdovy. The Avon rises to the south-west of Bala, passes by Dolgelly, and falls into the Irish sea a little below Barmouth. The Dyrwhydd rises in the north of the county, on the borders of Caer narvonshire, and falls into the Irish sea about 3 miles north from Harlcch. The coast of this county pos sesses only one port, Barmouth, which stands on a lit tle arm of the sea, and is of difficult entrance, the bar admitting only vessels that draw 8 or 9 feet, even at high water. On the northern part of the coast adjoin ing Caernarvonshire, are two inlets of the sea, Troeth Bach and Troeth Maivr, having one entrance, and each receiving a small stream ; the greatest part of them are dry at low water, and become quicksand. 2000 acres of the latter have lately been recovered by embanking. Tradition states, that a whole division or hundred of this county has been swallowed up by the sea, and there arc appearances that strengthen it. This hundred is said to have stretched north and south 12 miles, and to have been about 5 in breadth ; and to have been si tuated between Harlech and Barmouth. About half way between these towns is a causeway, 24 feet thick, which runs for a considerable way into the sea, the end of which is met by another causeway, which stretches out from a point to the north-west of [laded). The space between these is supposed to have been the hun dred. The inundation is said to have happened about the year A. D. 500. The natural history of this coun ty, so far as its mineralogy is concerned, is rather inter esting. The mountains consist principally of granite, porhpyry, and other unstratified rocks. The secondary hills are composed of mixed schistus ; the rallies con tain schistose clay, and the level parts of the county abound with peat earth. The Ferwyn mountains arc composed of primitive schistus, in thick irregular lami nae, intersected in places with veins of quartz. There are large quarries of slates in those mountains. The only metals found in them are calamine and lead. Ca der Idris consists of siliceous porphyry in mass, inter sected by vines of quartz. Siliceous schistose porphyry also intersected by viens of quartz ; argillaceous pro phyry in mass, and granitell in mass. There are no mines in or near Cader Idris. The lake of Bala abounds in a variety of fish, of which the red trout and the g•y Mad are the rarest and most esteemed. It is remark ed that the trout in the Dee have white flesh, whereas those in the lake have theirs always red. The climate of this county is very cold, and at the same time moist, and is said to be particularly unfavourable to fruit. The soil in some part of the vallies is fruitful, but in general it :s very sterile.
After having described the surface, the mountains and lakes of Merionethshire, little remains to be said of this county, for its agriculture cannot be a matter of any importance, when we reflect on the nature of its soil, surface, and climate, all of which are unfriendly to agriculture. In its valleys, potatoes, barley, and oats arc cultivated on a small scale, and in an inferior manner ; the pastures in these valleys are good , and the less lofty hills, especially on the sea-coast, near the mouth of the Dovey, furnish extensive and excellent sheep•wolks.
In other parts of the county, breeding and the dairy are attended to with sonic spirit and success. Though it is even at present well wooded, especially when compared with the adjoining county shire, yet, formerly, from the account of Leland, it ap pears to have been much more thickly covered with timber. There are one or two large trees in it, which deserve notice. In the church yard of Mal•ydd is a remarkable yew tree the girth of the trunk, a yard high, is 22 feet and a half, the radius of the branches 39 feet, forming a circumference of about 240 feet. The peasantry near Harlech, chaunt with the harp some verses in celebration of an oak tree, the trunk of which, 15 feet in length, and 25 in circumference, measured 609 cubic feet. From the fork it divid ed into several branches, 3 of which extended to the length of 45 feet. The roads of this county have been much improved within these few years. From the accounts laid before Parliament, it appears that in the year 1814, the length of the paved streets and turn pikes in this county was 206 miles 2 furlongs ; and the length of all the other highways 393 miles I fur long. The estimated value of labour expended on their repairs, was 775t.; the composition money, 449/. ; the highway rates, 180/. ; and the money expended in law, 8!.; making a total of 1102!. for the maintenance of 599 miles three furlongs of streets and highways.
Merionethshire is celebrated for its woollen manu factures ; strong cloth is made principally near Dol gclly. Almost every little farmer makes webs ; and few cottages are without a loom. The cloth is generally sold on the spot, though some is still sent to Shrews bury ; a great deal is exported through Liverpool and London to Holland, Germany, and America ; the rest is used at home. Stockings, wigs, socks, and gloves, are made in the town and neighbourhood of Bala ; they are generally purchased by chapmcn, who sell them in the adjoining English counties.
This county returns one member to Parliament ; is partly in the diocese of Bangor, and partly in that of St. Asaph, and in the province of Canterbury. The following are the results of the returns to Parliament respecting its poor, for the year ending the 5th of April, 1815.
Annual value of real property 4111 436 Money d by parochial rates 14,254 Money expended for the poor - - 12,096 Money in removals, suits of law, Scc. 425 Money for militia purposes 50 Church rate, county rate, &c. 1713 Total expenditure £14,285 Persons relieved out of workhouses - 2213 Persons relieved in ditto - - noneOccasionally in and out of ditto - 336 Members of Ft zendly Societies - - 34 Annual amount of charitable donations for parish schools - - - 0 etc; for other purposes - 221 18In the year 1Su3, the parochial rates amounted to the sum of 9,449, so that in 1315 there had heen an increase of nearly 50 per cent.
The following are the results of the last population return : in the year I 70u, 23,800 inhabitants ; in 175u. 30,900 ; in i SO1, 30,500, a decrease ; and in 1311, 30,24; from this it appeals that the population in 1811. though greater than that in 1801, scarcely ex ceeded that in 1750. There is one baptism to 40 inha bitants ; one burial to 62, and one marriage to 129.
Ilouses inhabited - - - 6220 Families occupying them - - 6817 Houses building - - - - 33 Houses uninhabited - - - 115 Families employed in agriculture 3619 Families in trade - - - - 1270 All others - - - - - 192S Males - - - - 14,308 Females - - - - - 16,616 Total 30,924 Sec Davies's View of the Agriculture cf TT ales ; Aikin's Tour through North Wales; and Nicholson's Cambrian Traveller's Guide. s.)