The Common itself is a glorious place, its size is only to be spoken of in miles; its position, high and dry; its surface undulated; and its air so pure, that as you admire the mountain ranges of Radnorshire before you, you find yourself involuntarily stretching your chest to fill it to the utmost. It has all the freshness of a mountain breeze without giving you the trouble of climbing to get it. It makes breathing a positive enjoyment. It is well to give all this in detail, for the spirit of change, alas! has invaded the Common. The city of Llandrindod, that is to be, is on paper, with the elevation of its crescents, its villas, its new church, its grand hotels and boarding-houses, &c., &c.; and there, unmistakably in the turf, are the lines newly cut for the allotment of considerable portions of it..

And what shall we say of the Mineral Springs? The lecturer ably gave us their scientific character; but what of their real utility? To laud them, would be in bad taste and suspicious; to decry them, worse. Take a walk there with some old habitué of Llandrindod,-specimens are always to be found plentifully in fine weather-and judge for yourself. Take your regular visitor by the arm (there is ample time, between the glasses!) and, having listened with interest, through the usual raptures on the wonders effected by "the waters," which you hear from every one, keep him to the point, and you will get all the anecdotes and all the floating gossip of the place. You will hear such a series of boyish freaks, learn such merry tricks, and see such proofs of practical joking, that if you have a philosophical turn of mind you will begin to think there is some truth after all in the language of an imaginary guidebook. "Truly blessed indeed to mankind is the possession of these health-giving waters. They strengthen youth, they invigorate old age, they heal the sick. Gently, and yet effectively, they purge the vile humours from the blood, restore to the body its proper powers, and leave the natural elasticity of spirits to develope themselves in all their pristine vigour and cheerfulness." You will be shown for example that pool in the Ithon where the poor old salmon was left by the too-rapidly receeding waters. There it was, clear at all times to be seen, and as the secret spread itself, every rod in the neighbourhood was put in requisition. Never pool was so continuously whipped! never salmon so tempted before with such a variety of flies and minnows, true and false ! It availed nothing, however, for the cautious old salmon, though in a “fix,” was wide awake," and he became at length "the lion" of the day. Visitor after visitor was set to catch it, with due secresy and care; and each after the other, with his favourite apparatus, went out in high spirits to secure the prize, only to return back again crest-fallen to meet as best he could, the laugh of the company. The fish would not be caught. At length a well-known ironmaster appeared upon the scene, and all the Pump House visitors chuckled with glee; "We'll set him at the salmon" was the cry. The fresh arrival, nothing loth, with the fish in sight, resolved on its capture. The man took the bait readily,

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but not for an instant would the salmon look at the flies of the skilful ironmaster. Great was the quiet quizzing that went on at the table d'hôte, too great for its

subject to bear patiently, and a wager, bottles round-not of "the waters" it is to be presumed !—was very quickly the result. The salmon was to be produced bodily to the assembled company within twenty-four hours. Sure enough the very next evening the great ironmaster appeared at the window holding it up by the tail with great satisfaction. The thin lanky sides of the fish bearing witness to the cruel useless murder-and since there was no Fishery Preservation Act in those days-the wager had no counterpoise. And this was the way of it; finding all his skill of no avail, he had sent off an express messenger on horseback more than forty miles, with a peremptory order to five of his men to start immediately with his salmon nets, and thus he had accomplished his object, albeit ingloriously! "That's the spirit that draws the metal from the rock," was the remark of a man who knew him well.

Then again (between the next glasses probably) you will be shown a Druidical circle of stones, in which the belief of the district and of the exhibitors too, perchance, is rapidly growing. A Druidical circle! no such thing! It is simply an enduring emblem of practical fun, made with the stones which formerly marked the road across the common, and if he should appear who could play the part of Edie Ochiltree with Monkbarns' imaginary Roman encampment, "Pretorian bere! Pretorian there! I mind the bigging o't," it would be no less a personage-can it be believed?—than a grave and dignified Inspector of Education who was here "drinking the waters." After this it is surely unnecessary to give further examples of their exhilarating effects. Practical jokes of lesser degree abound-indeed they seem to be the natural effervesence of the place.

Come then, poor careworn humanity, sick, or surfeited, come to Llandrindod and drink health, strength, and vivacity from its springs! Come, and be boys once more! No one it is said ever stays there three days without wishing to stay longer and resolving to come again, and surely three days is a period short enough for the eradication of morosity and care.

The Club unfortunately could only remain a few hours. These passed agreeably enough, and after a prosperous journey home through the lovely vale of the Wye, their memory remains as bright and pleasant as the day was fine.

The Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club.

MEETING AT GRAIG-Y-PWLL-DDU,

JULY 18TH, 1867.

Thursday last was the day appointed for an extra meeting of the Woolhope Club at the beautiful waterfall of Graig-y-pwll-ddu, in Radnorshire, between Boughrood and Erwood. On this occasion many ladies had been invited, and the weather was looked forward to with some anxiety. "You will never be able to go on with 'Ladies'-days,' "" said the energetic manager of a neighbouring Field Club; "we had them at one time, but the weather was invariably wet, and we were obliged to give them up." This lugubrious prophecy never seemed more likely to be fulfilled. It had rained heavily the day before, it poured in the night, the barometer was falling, and now heavy clouds, with loose scattered edges, hung over the sky, and seemed ready to scatter their contents at any moment. It was certainly a day for prudent people to stay at home, but then prudent people so constantly have to do so. The committee could take no prudential motives into consideration. They were to meet al fresco at the Moorfield Station at 9.10 a.m., according to programme, and at 9.10 a.m. they were there, with true English perseverance and pernacity. They were not left long alone, however, for members began to arrive, and ladies, yes, ladies in twos and threes, called for their attentions. When the train left the station "Twenty-eight tickets wanted for the Hereford party," was the message telegraphed by the clerk to the Three Cocks Junction.

Our excursion again follows the course of

Plinlimmon's fairest child,
The peerless Wye.

but we are actually off without "transacting the business"-of course the committee this-they elected unanimously six new members, good men and true, to wit: The Rev. T. B. Beavan, Much Birch; the Rev. D. P. Capper, Lystone Court; R. Harcourt Capper, Esq., Northgate, St. Weonards; Edwd.

Myddleton Evans, Esq., Llwyn-baried; Evan Owen, Esq., Builth; and the Rev. Thos. James Thirlwall, Nantmel Vicarage, Radnorshire; other new members were proposed; bills were ordered to be paid, and then that tiresome minute book was closed. By this time matters looked more promising, and though station after station proved in a negative manner how many prudent people belonged to the club, the weather got brighter, and a pleasant day was in prospect. One solitary gentleman was the only addition to the travellers between Hereford and Glasbury, but here a goodly number-bright and cheerful-joined the ranks. The railway authorities had most kindly made every possible arrangement for their convenience. Not only was the train allowed to stop mid-way between Boughrood and Erwood stations to set them down, but a temporary platform was most thoughtfully provided, and a ganger and his men, with rough-and-ready good nature, were there to see that no accident happened, to help them out and help them off, and their hampers too, with all due security to themselves, and to the line. As the train moved on, it left behind a numerous company-a goodly muster of stout hearts and strong waterproofs, ready to brave a wetting, if need be.

The President of the Club, Chandos Wren Hoskyns, Esq., to the great regret of all present, had been unavoidably prevented from coming, and the duties of the day therefore devolved on the Vice-President, the Rev. Thomas Woodhouse. Besides Mr. Woodhouse, there were present T. Curley, Esq., vicepresident; the Rev. W. Jones Thomas, of Llanthomas; Miss Grace Thomas, Miss Charlotte Thomas and Master W. Jones Thomas; Miss Greenly and Miss Alice Greenly, of Titley Court; the Rev. T. W. Weare and Mrs. Weare, Hampton House; R. Hereford, Esq., Sufton; Miss Hereford, Capt. Hereford, and the Rev. R. Hereford; Dr. Bull, Master Bull, and Master Alexis Bull; The Rev. Thomas Phillipps, Mrs. and Miss Phillipps, Dewsall; Dr. Alfred Smith and Mrs. Smith, Hereford; Miss Ashmore, Droitwich; John Lloyd, Esq., Huntington Court; C. W. Alford, Esq., Glasbury, Miss Alford, and Miss S. Alford; the Rev. R. H. Williams, Bridge Sollers; Mrs. Hanbury and Miss Louisa Goss, Hereford; Messrs. Herbert, and Carrington Smith, Worcester; F. C. Symonds, Esq., R.A., and Mr. Reginald Symonds; J. T. Owen Fowler, Esq.; Capt. Williams, Talgarth; Mr. and Miss Pitt, Freetown, Ledbury; Mr. and Miss Thompson and Mr. David Griffith, Builth.

The general arrangements for the day were announced, and under the guidance of Mr. David Griffith they moved out from the cutting in which they had alighted from the train.

The travellers found themselves close to the river Wye; which here flows through a narrow and romantic valley over a rocky bed. It is altogether unlike the sober and somewhat sluggish stream to which the inhabitants of our ancient city are accustomed. It rushes and tumbles from rock to rock under steep hill-sides covered with wood, or through deep and narrow gorges of contorted rock. The waterfall, which was the object of their expedition, is formed by one of the tributaries of the greater river called the

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Bachowy, which was interpreted to mean "Little rushing water," a name singularly descriptive of its appearance and character. It falls into the Wye immediately below the railway bridge; and its course upwards had to be followed for about a mile and half. The path lay along a narrow mountain glen. Down below, to the left, foamed and dashed the Bachowy.

Now wind we up the glen, and hear below

The dashing torrent in deep woods concealed.

Opposite rose a high bold hill, the hill of Garth, clothed on its slopes with luxuriant woods of oak, and looking back over the Wye, the Epynt range of mountains came the more into view the higher the path rose.

A considerable portion of the Trewern Hill has been recently inclosed. The wire fence-that spider-like web of advancing civilisation-has spread over its slopes. A fresh plantation of young larch on this side had taken the place of the oaks as it so frequently does in South Wales. Larch grows more quickly into money and is very valuable for colliery purposes.

The glen grew narrower and the path steeper and more difficult as the visitors proceeded, and

"Not without frequent pause, as ever new,
Some glorious prospect opens to the view."

On reaching the upper end of the glen they saw beneath them a deep, narrow, rocky chasm, clothed with luxuriant foliage on both sides half way down this chasm and almost closing it up was a bare green promontory. This was the Craig-y-pwll-ddu-the rock of the Black Pool,-to which they were bound. The descent to it was by no means easy: but was at length accomplished in safety; and all the party assembled on the little table-land of turf and rock, the very pefection of a spot for a pleasant pic-nic. But where, all this while, was the expected rain? No signs of it were to be seen. The freshest of mountain breezes swept up the glen, the sun shone out as bright, and the air was as clear, as heart could wish. The turf was dry; and the wild thyme was in its gayest bloom: wild strawberries lurked in the crevices of the rocks; and the pretty tormentil (Potentilla tormentilla) studded the verdant carpet, on which the travellers were not unwilling to rest awhile.

Advantage was taken of this interval to give a brief account of the Geolological features of the place. It was told how Murchison had studied the district and given a section of its rocks in his great work, "Siluria." He had shown that the stream here separates the Upper and Lower Ludlow rocks. The massive rock they were then upon was seated in the middle of the glen, and blocked up the stream, causing the waterfall below. It was a mass of Ludlow rock, and probably a landslip from the hill of Trewern which they had come down. The hill of Trewern was a continuation of the Bigwn Hills, and the chief formation of the range was the Upper Ludlow rocks, but over them, on the top and the southern side, the Old Red-Sandstone rocks appeared. This range will ever be remarkable for having first clearly shown to Sir Roderick Murchison the passage downwards from the Old Red Sandstone to the older rocks beneath