College Museum at Lampeter. After having made every search about the dwelling-house and farm buildings, we proceeded, armed with a pickaxe, to the field called Cae Cestyll or the Field of Castles; this field was, unfortunately for us, teeming under a luxuriant crop of barley, and could not be examined with the pickaxe; we were however informed that it was full of stones and old mortar: we saw that it was surrounded by a very high hedge containing stones, and contained about three acres. We then descended into a field to the south, about two and a half acres in extent, which we examined for some time. There is a well in the upper part towards the north, from which flowed a plentiful supply of water. About thirty yards below the well we perceived plainly the remains of walls, forming two small enclosures. Between the well and these remains of walls we found several pieces of bricks, which evidently formed the watercourse from the well towards the baths or dwellings. We turned up quantities of bricks and mortar from several other foundations of buildings, like broken ridge tiles, broken bricks, and a quantity of very hard mortar, evidently "grouted" in, and containing large lumps of gravel. This enclosure is literally covered with portions of Roman brick and mortar, wherever the pickaxe was introduced into the soil. Another field adjoining, of about five acres, near the river Tivy, containing another crop of barley, was said by the occupier to be full of portions of broken bricks; for the plough, he said, brought up nothing but bricks and mortar with the soil; hence the luxuriance of the barley crop. We could not therefore examine this field with the pickaxe. This Roman town of Loventium must have been of very considerable extent, for, including Cae Cestyll, it must have covered ncarly twelve acres of land. A large flat brick, with figures upon it, was taken by the miller of Llanio Mill and inserted in the floor of the oven. This we did not see; it may probably be an encaustic tile. It is to be hoped that, as there now exists railway accommodation between Carmarthen, Lampeter, and Aberystwith, our Associa tion may be induced next year to meet at the Welsh university— there is a museum attached to the library at Lampeter. The specimens of Roman bricks which were picked up by us at Llanio were left at the museum at Lampeter College, where they may be examined. Meyrick, in his History of Cardiganshire, gives but a meagre description of the Roman remains at Llanio Isaf. Gibson's Camden is much more accurate, and the figures on the inscribed stones are better done. The occupier says that he has no objection to making excavations or searching for foundations of houses, provided there is no corn in the fields. Before we came to the railway bridge at Llanio isaf, and just before crossing "Sarn Helen," we entered a field to the north of Llanio isaf, but adjoining Cae Cestyll, called "Cae Gwrfil," or the Warrior's Field; it is nine or ten acres in extent, and is part of Llanio Ucha Farm. We perceived it contained no traces of walls; we were informed that about twenty years ago the occupier of Llanio Ucha removed a mound in the west corner of this field, containing some bones for manure. This "Cae Gwrfil" was probably the exercising ground for the troops to the north of the citadel or

castle. "Sarn Helen," a paved way, can be traced in several places in the neighbourhood; this was the "Via Occidentalis" from "Maridunum" to Machynnlleth, supposed to have been made by Julius Agricola, who also probably built Loventium, and took possession of North and South Wales, A.D. 78.

WALTER D. JONES, M.D.

[We would refer our correspondent to the account of a visit to Llanio Llanddewy Brevi in a late volume of our Journal.-ED. Arch. Camb.]

LIBER LANDAVENSIS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ARCH. CAMB.

SIR,-The account given by Mr. Haddan, in your number just published, of the original MS. of Liber Landavensis, does not appear to agree with the Act Book of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Llandaff, from which I beg to send you the following extracts:

"2ndo Julij 1687. "Received then the 18 loose folios belonging to Lib. Landaven., and promise to return the same to this Chapter at Peters tyde next, upon the penalty of forfeiting xxl.-GEO. BULL."

"The loose leaves above mentioned were returned to the Chapter by the archdeacon."

"30mo Junij, 1688. "Memorandum that the Revd. Mr. Archdeacon Bull has this day brought to the Registry of this Chapter the eighteen loose folios, and delivered the same into the hands of the Revd. Mr. Franklyn; whereupon the caution given for the return of them was declared null and void.

"Ita testatur THOMAS ROBERTS, Notarius Publicus." (Act Book, p. 329.) The position of the sentences shews how they are written in the book.

In the same volume, at the back of a page numbered 341, under date 3rd July, 1693, there is an entry stating that "the Bishop, Archdeacon, and Chapter, upon the motion of Dr. Edwards, the Treasurer, ordered that Tylos Book, with the 18 loose folios, should be delivered to him upon his giving a caution of the penalty of xxl. for the redelivery thereof to this Chapter at next Peterstyde." And on a subsequent page, viz. 349, I find "Tylos booke brought in", written in the margin, under date June 30, 1697; and by the side of these words are the following: "At which day Mr. Griffith Thomas brought in Tylos Book with the 18 loose folios, and left it in the Registry; whereupon the said Chapter discharged Dr. Edwards of what obligation he entered into for the returne thereof."

I regret to say that I have not found in the Act Book any later information respecting this interesting MS.; but it is clear from these extracts that Bishop Field (A.D. 1619-1627) is not responsible for its first departure from its lawful owners, and that it was in their safe keeping so late as 1697, the year after Mr. Davies is stated by Mr.

The ex

Haddan to have placed the Latin inscription on its cover. tracts also afford proof that the Chapter appreciated their treasure, and took precautions against the loss of it, which makes its disappearance the more unaccountable.

I remain, Sir, your faithful servant, Bishop's Court, Llandaff, July 18, 1868.

Miscellaneous Notices.

A. LLANDAFF.

RESTORATION OF ABERDARON CHURCH, CAERNARVONSHIRE. It will be in the recollection of some of our readers that an illustrated account of this ancient church was given in one of the earlier volumes of the Arch. Camb. Its neglected and desecrated condition was commented upon, and the state of the new church was also alluded to. The subject, indeed, led to some discussion at the Caernarvon Meeting of the Association; but assuredly it was hardly supposed probable that a restoration of the ancient edifice would be witnessed by any one then present. We refer our readers to the accounts mentioned above for particulars of the notable instance of Vandalism which the case-by no means a solitary one-implied. It is, therefore, with equal surprise and satisfaction that we have recently learnt from the Rev. Hugh Roberts, Rector of Aberdaron, that the work of restoration is actually in progress, and that a sum of about £400 has been already expended upon it. A new timber roof has been put up, the windows repaired, and other works effected; but the funds at the Rector's disposal are now falling low, and pecuniary assistance is much needed to complete the good work. In describing the actual condition of this ancient building, the Rector observes: "It is astonishing in what excellent condition the walls are, after having been exposed to the wear and tear of the elements for so long a time; and the old church will yet outlast the unsightly building by which it has, with Vandalistic taste, been replaced." We trust that this appeal to Welsh archæologists will be liberally responded to. Meanwhile it is consoling to find our own statements and predictions verified. It is probably too much to expect aid from any church building or repairing society, but we hope that there is still good taste and good feeling enough among the nobility and gentry of Wales to induce them to aid in preserving this valuable edifice. The examples of Llandudno, at the other end of the county, restored by the munificence of a member of our Association; of Llanaber, in Merioneth, so well restored; of Llandanwg, in the same county, now falling rapidly into ruin; of churches in Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire, neglected or destroyed, passim ; and still nearer home, of some bad cases in Montgomeryshire and Anglesey; should supply a stimulus to aid in such a good cause. Subscriptions should be addressed to the Rev. the Rector, Aberdaron, Pwllheli.

A HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE OF ST. ASAPH is announced as in progress of compilation by the Rev. D. R. Thomas, Rector of Cefn,

near St. Asaph, the beautiful church lately erected by Sir Watkin Williams Wynn and other members of his family. It is to be published in Parts, at 5s. each, and will be arranged as follows: the first Part will contain-1. A history of the diocese from the earliest times to the present; and as the various questions that have affected the Welsh Church will be touched upon in their bearings on this diocese, it is hoped that this Part will form an useful contribution towards a complete history of the Church in Wales. 2. Short biographical notices of the bishops. 3. An account of the Cathedral. 4. A list of the dignitaries, with brief notes on the more eminent of them. The remaining Parts will contain-1. The parochial histories, giving an account of the livings, churches, and charities, with a list of the incumbents from 1534 downwards. 2. An account of the grammar schools of Ruthin, Oswestry, and Llanrwst. 3. A short account of the dissolved religious foundations at Bangor, Basingwerk, Halston, Llanllugan, Maenan, Rhuddlan, Ruthin, Strata Marcella, and Valle Crucis. Several of the clergy have already sent in an account of their respective parishes; and the architects of many of the new and restored churches have promised descriptions of them. The work will be illustrated by woodcuts of a few of the churches; but any subscriber, by taking four copies or procuring the sale of five, will be entitled to have an illustration of any church he may choose.

DRAWINGS BY MOSES GRIFFITH.-We have just received the following intelligence from the Rev. D. R. Thomas:-"I was rather fortunate the other day in picking up at a sale two old portfolios full of water colours and pencil sketches, which proved to be the work of Moses Griffith, the artist who illustrated Pennant's works. There is a series of forty, illustrating the scenery of North Wales, especially Carnarvonshire and Merionethshire; and there are some thirty others of other places. Besides which there were two dilapidated sketchbooks containing pencil views of some of the gentlemen's seats in Flintshire, e.g., Rhual, Gwysaney, Vron, Soughton, and Bettisfield. There are two good drawings of (1) the tomb of K. John's daughter at Baron Hill, and (2) one of the brasses in Llanrwst Church. Some of the sketches are quite rough, and two or three only just outlined, but they are interesting from their connection with Pennant." Our correspondent may well congratulate himself on this unexpected "find." The drawings of Moses Griffith are of very great value to the Welsh antiquary; for he was not only far in advance of his day in archæological acumen, but he also sketched with admirable accuracy, and recorded architectural details with a spirit and accuracy quite unexampled at his time. We hope our correspondent will allow us to inspect his acquisition, and to publish copies of some of them in the Archæologia Cambrensis.

CORNISH CROMLECHS.-A book on the cromlechs of Cornwall is announced by our correspondent, Mr. Blight. This is good news; for it is sure to be well written, and skilfully illustrated. We shall look forward to its publication with interest.

Reviews.

COLLECTANEA ANTIQUA. Parts 1, 2, 3, 4. Vol. VI.
By C. ROACH SMITH.

THE present four numbers of this valuable collection, forming the sixth volume, contain several papers of interest to Cambrian antiquaries. In Part I a paper on Chester and its Roman remains is full of curious details; and, from the locality described lying so much in the route of Welsh visitors, deserves careful perusal. Mr. R. Smith in it adverts to the large stones used in facing its Roman walls, and dwells on the probability of DEVA having been built on the site of an earlier British town. A valuable paper on the archæology of horti culture, in this and the succeeding Part, is worthy of careful study by all country dwellers. One of the chief points developed in it, as also in a separate pamphlet lately published by Mr. R. Smith, is the possibility of cultivating vines in the open field in certain parts of England, the same as in France, and on its importance to the welfare of the working population. The second Part is rich in illustrated descriptions of Saxon antiquities found in Kent. In the third Part there is a very interesting account of Roman fictilia found at Colchester and other places; on early pottery; and on metallic remains; and it concludes with biographical notices of antiquaries lately deceased.

The second Part has a curious account of the Egyptian Babylon, now called Old Cairo or Fostat, close to the modern Cairo. It is written and well illustrated by the late Mr. Fairholt. This city is described as still populous, and as having received very little damage at the hands of its Arab conquerors. All the great Roman walls are standing; and it presents an admirable specimen of complete Roman fortification, dating even from the time of Augustus. In this part, too, are a couple of plates of the coins of Carausius, from the cabinet of C. Warne, Esq., F.S.A., of very great interest. The only drawback to the satisfaction of looking over these parts is the notice that they are printed for subscribers only, and are not published. Hence it is of no use recommending our readers to purchase them; because they cannot do it. We only know that the Collectanea forms one of the most important antiquarian works of the day, and book collectors will do well to secure a complete copy of it whenever opportunity

serves.

[We are again compelled, with regret, to postpone the Reviews of some important books mentioned in our last number, on account of the extra space required for the Report of our Annual Meeting at Portmadoc; but we shall endeavour to make up for our shortcomings as quickly as circumstances will permit.-ED. Arch. Camb.]