| Description | "Visit to the Parys Mine, and description of it. Farewell call at the Ripleys’. Welsh fair on the Menai shore. Death of Dr. Howard’s son. Hope to get a peep of Hartford House, the future residence of Thomas Jones Wilkinson."
Beaumaris Oct 28th 1839.
My dear Papa
This is I believe the last bulletin you will receive from Beaumaris as according to the plan mentioned in Aunt Bessy’s letter we purpose leaving this place on Wednesday and reaching home on Saturday next—We have been for some time the only bathers all the machines excepting one reserved for our use having ere this been drawn up in their winter quarters; fortunately we have not missed a single dip—The weather too which has been unusually mild all along though still lovely, is becoming much more autumnal & yesterday evening for the first time we found a fire very comfortable Thursday last we dined at Gorphwysfa our farewell visit to the Ripleys who preceed us on our journey by a day; going thither we came in for a curious scene namely a fair on the shores of the Menai a very different though no less picturesque affair to the last scene of the same description we were at in Wychwood forest. the beautiful bridge grouped in with clusters of people on the wooded side of the straits made quite a picture Welch Ponies were in the greatest abundance from 3 pounds & upwards Aunt Bessy lost quite an opportunity of coming home ready mounted.—We met at dinner a Mr Gryffyth cousin to Mrs Lucy of Charlecote & her sister Lady Willoughby de Broke. he had lately married one of the Maclean’s of Coll—Mr G is a great sailor & keeps a yatch and kindly volunteered his services to give us a sail the season however being too late for any more aquatic excursions, we declined—I must now mention one other Beaumaris friend to whom we were introduced by Miss Kendrick viz Miss Davis who had been for several years in the family of the late Queen of Naples & related to us many original and interesting anecdotes of her master Murat and other members of the Buonaparte family her life and the different adventures she has gone through would make quite a romance We are going to day to read several letters she has promised to shew us from divers celebrated personages—Beaumaris has been in the dismals last week, on account of the sudden and melancholy death of Dr Howard’s son, a young man just going to Cambridge; but driving his father over to Bangor last week met with an accident which brought on a lock jaw & terminated fatally, this event has caused a great sensation the bells were muffled yesterday out of respect to Dr Howard, it will likewise in some degree throw a damp over the festivities of the ensuing hunt week though the intention of stopping the proceedings which was first entertained has been abandoned—
Aunt Bessy having received a commission from Mrs Corrie to procure her some specimens of Anglesey Copper Ores we went for that purpose on Saturday to the once celebrated Parys Copper Mine—The drive through the island gave us a better idea of the country than we should otherwise have had the shore of the straits being the only woody part of the whole nothing can be more dreary than the interior hardly a bush deserving the name of a tree to be seen it must be strangely altered since the Druids called it the dark & shady island—Our route lay through Pentraeth by Red Wharf Bay to Amlwch. Here we meet with Lord Anglesey’s agent Mr Trewick who took us to see the smelting furnaces and took great pains in shewing and explaining all the various processes: giving us each specimens of the copper ore in its different stages. a walk of two miles from Amlwch brought us to the mine where an intelligent guide shewed us all we could see short of going down the shaft which we declined—About 1000, workmen are still employed in these mines though they are much less productive than formerly. The greatest quantity of copper now obtained is by means of the pits o[r] reservoirs of water drawn from the beds of copper. the water is so highly impregnated with copper which is dissolved by the acid quality of the sulphur, that by means of old iron immersed in it, it produces a great quantity of fine copper. Lord Anglesey’s part of the property is chiefly the Mona mines but the Pary’s Mine is far more striking—We could have lingered much longer about the mountain but our time was short, and having no intention of passing the night in the mines, we bade adieu laden with as many specimens of copper ore as we could carry & returned to Beaumaris—
Aunt Bessy has not heard any further of Mr Jones W— plans we hope to get a peep at his future abode on our road home his post and market town is Northwich distant we believe about a couple of miles he is also in the vicinity of the forest of Delamere and Vale Royal woods—Please to thank Montagu for his entertaining epistle detailing your Cambridge proceedings. We are just going to take our last dip so I must now conclude At Bessy will probably write from Plas Clough to tell you of our safe arrival so far & with the best loves of our little party to all at home believe me to remain dear Papa
Your very affectionate daughter
Kathne E. Boulton.
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