him grind the ore, whilst an attendant sprite is pouring a continuous stream of water on the triturated mass.

This is really what Mr. Readwin has contrived to do.

His "Genius" is the lovely waterfall which excited our admiration, and which is formed by the stream as it flows past the engine-house.

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Causing a portion of the water to diverge, he lets it flow along a wooden conduit that leads it to a little water-wheel, which is thus set in motion. This wheel turns a horizontal shaft or axle in the engine-shed, and, by means of two vertical cog-wheels attached to the shaft, and two other horizontal ones, into which these work, two smaller vertical shafts are set in motion, and to these are affixed the arms, which cause the grinders or pestles to revolve in the mortars containing the quartz. This is effected much after the manner in which a druggist's apprentice pounds drugs with a large pestle and mortar. The arms attached to the vertical shaft are of iron, and the reader may form an idea of their shape and mode of operation, if he turns the palm of his hands downwards, doubling his thumb and two last fingers underneath, protrudes his first and second fingers, and slightly separates them, lowering the points. These two fingers will then represent the " arms.' Let him now suppose that his fingers can be made to revolve horizontally, and that they carry round with them a pestle, which is held between them, but allowed to roll freely against the sides of a mortar, in which it works, and he will thus imitate the grinding or pounding process here employed. (See Plate IV.) The pestle is shaped like a peg-top, with the pointed end downwards, and weighs about 2 cwt.; and the mortar is a vessel of cast iron, of proportionate size and strength; of a suitable form internally, and externally a hemisphere. The quartz is first broken as fine as the hammer can reduce it. It is then placed, along with mercury, in the mortar, and a little stream of water is allowed to trickle continually through a siphon upon the triturated mass. The gold contained in the quartz is taken up by the mercury as the trituration proceeds, and a lump of amalgam sinks to the bottom of the mortar, and is taken out through an opening closed by a plug. It is heated in an iron retort over a furnace, the mercury driven off, and the residue is pure gold, worth about £3 an ounce.

In some cases, the gold is visible in the quartz, and Mr. Readwin showed us a piece of the latter, so charged with it, that he valued it (the crude mineral) at £1,200 per ton; in others, it is scarcely to be detected with the aid of a pocketlens, being disseminated in fine granules throughout the

matrix.

There are other processes by which the gold is extracted

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from the quartz on these hills, but this one appeared to us so simple that we describe it in preference to any other for the benefit of our readers, who must permit us now to conclude our visit to the gold-mine, and will, we hope, return with us, more expeditiously than we came, to the centre of our excursions-Barmouth.*

Enough has, we trust, been said to show that this place and its vicinity abound in features of interest to the man of science, and a great deal more might be added to the same effect; but, possibly, there may be amongst our readers some who would feel a desire to visit it, as we did, for relaxation and rest from those very pursuits which may be here so successfully followed; and to such we will, therefore, address a few words in conclusion.

This quiet little fishing town, nay, we need not hesitate to call it village, for it contains at present only 1,200 inhabitants, certainly offers no attractions to the man or woman of fashion. There is no promenade except the beach extending for miles round Cardigan Bay; no Spa; no morning or evening dress.

If the frequenter of the parks or ball-rooms of the city desire to meet fashionably-attired ladies, we advise him to seek these and similar attractions at Scarbro', Brighton, or some other equally fashionable and well-frequented watering-place, but not to embarrass and disturb the tranquillity of the students, artists, and overworked men of business, who take refuge here, with their wives and children, from the noise and bustle of the busy, struggling world; and who, bringing with them their oldest garments, wear out these instead of the bodily frame which they cover; and take away with them

* The account here given of the gold-extracting process is necessarily imperfect and superficial; but such of our readers as desire more detailed information, on that and kindred subjects, are referred to the following printed papers :

"On the Occurrence of Gold in Merionethshire," by T. A. Readwin, F.G.S. Read before the British Association, 1861. Published by A. Ireland & Co., "Examiner" Office, Manchester.

"The Gold Discoveries in Merionethshire, and a Mode for its Economic Extraction," by T. A. Readwin, F.G.S. Same publishers.

"List of Gold Ores from Merionethshire," exhibited at the International Exhibition, 1862. With detailed description, by T. A. Readwin. Same publishers.

"The Geological Structure of Merionethshire and Caernarvonshire," by Professor Ramsay, F.R.S., &c. Reynolds & Co., London.

The Manchester Examiner and Times, of Tuesday, July 29, 1862.

Mr. Readwin informs us that two such machines as we have described and sketched are in constant use at a mine near the "Garthgill" (the Clogau), and that they extract weekly 140 ounces of gold from 7 cwt. of quartz.

bronzed faces, fresh roses in their cheeks, an increase of corporeal substance, light hearts, and renovated spirits to enable them to enter once more into the battle of life.

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If, however, there be any one who can admire a quaint little seaport town, standing on the sea-beach, at the foot and on the incline of a precipitous rock whose summit may be 1,000 feet above the sea-level; a town consisting of neat grey stone houses, so built upon the precipitous cliff that the inhabitants of one set of houses look over the chimneys of another row beneath;-if he can find enjoyment in rambling five or six (or as many more) miles along the broad sands or beautiful coast road which extends in either direction along the Bay of Cardigan; can appreciate a sail, row, or ramble amongst the hills and valleys, and wishes to realize the beauties of the Rhine without quitting his native land, or, lastly, if he rouse himself sufficiently to scale the sides of glorious Cader, as we did one fine summer afternoon, rambling by the way through wooded glens, rich in trees and ferns and flowering shrubs, and by the side of rushing waterfalls, climbing rugged steeps, sweeping round magnificent hill-sides, stopping to ponder over the vestiges of ancient rule in Britain-man's handiwork-or to admire the grand operations of Nature as exhibited in volcanic action, in pumice and heaps of slag-like stones and columnar basalt set on end in architectural order, treading elastic heath and breathing its invigorating atmosphere; if he can find delight in a constantly-extending landscape, hill after hill, lake after lake, town after town opening to the sight; clouds spread out like a sea beneath, or sweeping past him like volumes of smoke from a cannon's mouth, or floating gently, as snowy fleeces, overhead, until at length he has risen so high above the earth that he appears to have reached some new celestial region, from which all beneath looks small and insignificant, whilst the beholder feels himself raised high above all earthly passions and sensations;if, we say, any of our readers can appreciate such delights as these, then let them speculate upon and anticipate now, visit and enjoy hereafter, and recollect, as we shall do, with life-long remembrance, a vacation trip in North Wales, a sojourn at the little town of Barmouth, at the entrance of the river Mawddach, in Merionethshire, and many a pleasant health-reviving ramble through its valleys and across its mountain ranges.