throughout the kingdom, was to investigate, by actual inspection, such ancient remains as were now in existence throughout the country, and, thus acting, if he might use a legal phrase, as a "jury of view," establish a correct basis for history, which, without the aid of such evidence, would be involved in fable and in mystery. That such investigations had been attended with important results was proved by the fact of several most interesting remains having been first discovered and recorded, and afterwards preserved from utter decay or wilful destruction, by the efforts of such societies. With regard to the selection of the place of the present annual meeting of the Cambrian Archæological Association, he thought he could, without being actuated by undue partiality for his native town, venture to assert that there could be but one opinion. Situated at the base of some of the most lofty and magnificent mountains in the Principality, -environed on two sides by an ancient British and a Roman camp,watered by rivers which mingle together after flowing through valleys and glens of surpassing beauty, filled with fine specimens of castellated and ecclesiastical architecture, and traversed by ancient roads which, eighteen centuries since, had witnessed the stately march of the Roman legions,--this town, small as it was, might indeed claim a place among the most interesting in Wales, or in the whole empire. Mr. Powell then proceeded to point out and explain the intended course of proceedings for the week, and expressed a hope that the weather, though that evening rather unpromising, would prove favourable for the excursions. He said that the first object of interest of the first day's examination would be a tumulus at Alexanderstone; from thence they would proceed to Alltfillo, where might be traced an ancient British camp, and a well, on which the Rev. W. Bowcott, the Vicar of the parish, proposed to read a paper; from thence their route would lie to Gwernyfed, an ancient mansion belonging to Colonel Wood, the former member for the county, which was rendered interesting by the circumstance that King Charles I. had been there entertained by the then owner, Sir Henry Williams, on the 6th of August, 1645. At Porthaml, they would find a gateway of the Tudor period, and an embattled wall, of which Mr. Lewis Thomas, son of the distinguished sculptor, Mr. Evan Thomas, had furnished a drawing. At Talgarth, there was a curious square tower mentioned by Leland. On the river Ffoestyll they would find barrows, supposed to be British remains. From thence they would proceed to Brynllys Castle, the large round tower of which had given birth to a great amount of conjecture and discussion; by some its origin was asserted to be Phoenician, while others were firmly convinced that it was British, and believed it to be coeval with the celebrated Irish round towers. At Llanddew, which was interesting from having been the residence of Giraldus Cambrensis, they would examine the church, which was highly interesting to the architect. There were also remains of the Palace, which had been one of the residences of the Bishops of St. David's; they were much dilapidated, and with them

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would terminate the proceedings of that day's excursion. On Wednesday they would commence their inquiries at Llechfaen, where an ancient stone, placed over a spring, gave the spot its name; several carved stones gave indication of an ancient edifice, which was supposed to have been a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas. At Waun Myneich they would find an ancient ecclesiastical residence, now in the occupation of the Lloyd family, who had kindly contributed several curious articles to their local museum. In the same neighbourhood, they would find at Kingstone a cromlech, upon which much interesting matter had been written by Archdeacon Williams. Allt yr Yscrin, their next point, was more celebrated for the beautiful and extensive prospects which it commanded, and which would well repay a visit, than for the traces of a supposed camp, the existence of which was much doubted; the name, however, appeared to denote a place of sepulture. Blaenllyfni, the next object of interest, was the ancient residence of the Fitzherbert family, and the most celebrated castle in the history of this country. From Treberfedd they could either cross the lake in boats, or go round by coach to Tal-y-Llyn Church. The lake of Llangorse itself was one of the most beautiful objects in the county, and, if half the legends related of it were true, it would also be one of the most interesting in the kingdom. Tymawr, there was a tumulus, open to doubt certainly, but worthy of examination. They would then visit Ty Illtyd, described at considerable length in Jones' History of the county, and there was a stone there, supposed to retain an inscription, not however in such preservation as others they would have an opportunity of visiting. Their tour would terminate at Llanhamlach, where, over a window in the ruined parsonage, an inscribed stone had been discovered by the distinguished antiquary Mr. Westwood. On the third day they would first proceed to Pencelli Castle, which now presented but little of interest beyond its site, the title to which could be traced back to the time of Edward III., when it belonged to the Mortimers; it afterwards was in the possession of the Duke of Buckingham, who was beheaded in 1521; it afterwards became the property of Earl Ferrers, then of the Earl of Essex, and is now the property of Mrs. Gwynne Holford; one of the grants of it from the Crown would be exhibited in the Museum. At Llwynfedwen they would see one of the largest Maen-hirs or upright stones in the county. At Glanusk they would see a new chapel, recently erected by the President, and would next proceed to Crickhowell Castle and Church, fully described by Theophilus Jones; here also the well known gateway at Porthmawr would be found well worthy of a visit. If time permitted, they would avail themselves of the opportunity of inspecting a British fortress on the Crûg, a height above Crickhowell, distinguished by its great natural advantages. They would then visit the Turpilian stone, supposed by Mr. Westwood to be marked with Ogham characters, and next inspect a tumulus on the roadside, said to mark the site of St. Edmund's Chapel.

ARCH. CAMB., NEW SERIES, VOL. IV.

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The President would venture to interrupt his friend Mr. Powell, in order to remark that, before they quitted his neighbourhood, they would probably visit Tretower, the best road to which lay through his grounds. On that occasion he should be most happy to receive the party at his house, to partake of some refreshment.

Mr. Powell continued, that after availing themselves of the hospitality of their honourable President, they would proceed from his mansion to the very interesting remains of Tretower Castle, the erection of portions of which had been attributed to Phoenicians, Britons and Romans, by various writers. Tretower Court was a curious old mansion belonging to the family of Parry, throwing considerable light on the manners of their ancestors. They would next reach Cwmdû, interesting as the church of Carnhuanawc, a man whose genius reflected honour on the Principality, and whose name would ever be dear to his own countrymen. For his own part, he could only regret that the Rev. Thomas Price was not present among them in life, to explain, with his peculiar power, the objects to which he was thus feebly endeavouring to direct their attention. They would find the stone of Peregrinus, discovered by Mr. Price, and secured by him, as far as possible, from further injury. At Gaer Cwmdû they would see a very perfect specimen of a Roman camp, and near Scethrog they would find the stone of Victorinus, noticed by Campbell and Malkin, and supposed from the traces of the inscription, to denote the place of interment of a son of Victorinus. He now came to the closing day, which would be devoted to what he might perhaps fitly designate as their home circuit. They would commence it at the Maendû Well, which was greatly celebrated in the neighbourhood, and from which pipes intended to convey a supply of water to the Priory had recently been traced. The ancient building by which it was covered in was also well worth inspection. From thence the distance was but short to the Crûg, where would be seen one of the best specimens of a British camp now in existence, and which was probably constructed before the period of the Roman invasion. Not only would the antiquary be repaid by its inspection, but every lover of nature would be gratified by the exceeding beauty of the views extending over a great extent of country. They would next proceed to Pytin Gwyn, the mansion of Sir David Gam, from whom several of the first families in the county claimed descent, and who had formed the original of the great Shakspeare's character, Fluellin. It was asserted that his remains rested in the College Church, but he considered it far more probable that he was buried on the field of Agincourt, where he fell. His well known answer to Henry V., when he returned from reconnoitering the French army, that there were enough to be killed, enough to be taken prisoners, and enough to run away, was matter of history. Though his conduct in his earlier days was not defensible, his subsequent heroism and patriotic devotion greatly atoned for his errors and covered his last moments with glory. At Llandefailog, the Cattwg

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stone,1 mentioned by Jones, formerly stood. There was a stone built into the Pennoyre mausoleum which had puzzled the learned. At Pool, there was a Maen-hir, from which they came to the celebrated Maen y Morwynion, which stood in the great Roman road, and was so named from a tradition of the country people, but was itself of Roman origin, great part of the inscription being still legible. Very near stood Gaer, the ancient Bannium, presenting a very perfect illustration of a Roman camp; he hoped it would be visited by all present, for it was one of the most interesting remains of the conquerors of the world now extant in this country. There were some British remains at Aberyscir, close at hand, and they would thence proceed to Llanspyddyd, where there was an ancient tomb asserted to be that of Brychan Brycheiniog, but open to very great doubt; indeed the principal interest of the place arose from its very splendid yew trees, of great age and quite unrivalled in this country. They would next bend their steps to Ffrwdgrech, where the proprietor, Colonel Pearce, would show them what he firmly believed to be a Roman bath. Newton, they would see a very fine specimen of an ancient mansion. Having exhausted the principal objects worthy of notice in the vicinity, they would re-enter the town, and commence their examination at Christ's College. The next great object of interest would be the Priory Church, presenting some examples of Early English architecture, second to none in the kingdom, and the inspection of which would repay the kind attendance of many friends from a great distance. It was not only beautiful in its structure, but connected with incidents of great interest. The old castle, unfortunately, was but a ruin, though there was ample evidence that at one time it had been a majestic and important building. The remains of the town fortifications were few and scattered, but were worthy of notice. He had the good fortune to have one portion in the garden attached to his house, which he should be most happy to show them, and at the same time to invite them to partake of such hospitality as his means would enable him to provide. Mr. Powell concluded by expressing his regret that the task of explaining the programme had not devolved on one better qualified for its efficient performance than himself, but he was greatly relieved by the consideration that most of the objects would be treated of by gentlemen who were prepared to read papers in the course of their proceedings. The Secretary having explained some recent alterations in the gramme, read the following

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1 This stone is now built into the wall of the church at Cwmdû, with the following inscription placed by the side of it :

66 CATACUS HIC JACET FILIUS TEGERNACUS.

"Here lies Cattoc the Son of Teyrnoc.

"This stone was removed from a field called Tir Gwenlli, about one mile S.S.W. of this church of St. Michael, Cwmdû, and placed in this buttress for preservation by the Rev. Thomas Price, vicar, A.D. 1830, having been presented to him for that purpose by the owner, the Rev. T. Lewis. Its original site is not known.

"Catawc ap Teyrnawc."

Report of the Committee for the YEAR 1852-53.

The past year has been marked by a steady although not a rapid increase in the Members of the Association, as well as by considerable activity on the part of its Members. The Committee is bound in particular to notice the excellent contributions to the Archeologia Cambrensis, which have appeared since the Ludlow Meeting, and a great part of which are among its most valuable fruits.

In connexion with the researches of one of the contributors to its Journal, the Committee desire to notice with approbation and gratitude the zeal manifested by the inhabitants of Leominster and its neighbourhood, in investigating and bringing to light the remains of the ruined portions of their noble Priory Church, and the extreme kindness of the authorities at whose disposal the site is at present, in permitting the excavations to be carried on, and in allowing the foundations to remain exposed for the benefit of Archæological Science.

The Committee anticipate results not less satisfactory than those of the Meeting of 1852 from one occurring in a district scarcely less rich in objects of antiquity than the neighbourhood of Ludlow, and if possible exceeding it in natural attractions.

They have to express their deep gratitude to the Hon. R. H. Clive, M.P., late President of the Association, for the kind manner in which he undertook and discharged the office just resigned by him to Sir Joseph Bailey.

A vacancy has occurred in the list of Vice-Presidents by the death of Edward Rogers, Esq., of Stanage Park, a warm friend to Archæological Science, and to the Association, which he continued to benefit by his own labours until within a few months of his decease.

The Committee recommend the election of the following gentlemen to the office of Vice-Presidents :-The Hon. R. H. Clive, M.P., and the Rev. J. M. Traherne, M.A., F.R.S., F.S.A.

The following Members of Committee will retire this year in rotation:-The Rev. J. M. Traherne, the Rev. Charles Williams, and J. O. Westwood, Esq.; and the Committee recommend to supply the vacancies, Charles Cardale Babington, Esq., M.A., Matthew Moggridge, Esq., and John Powell, Esq.

These names will be submitted to the suffrages of the Society on Friday evening, at which time the place of meeting for next year will be announced.

The following changes in the Rules will be proposed at the same time, by permission of the Committee:-That in Rule IV., for two or more General Secretaries, be substituted, one or more General Secretaries.

The motions by Mr. Jelinger Symons, announced in the last Number of the Journal, are withdrawn at his request.