Welsh Journals

Feb., 1880. B¥E-GONES. 11 This coin is well figured and described in Ending's great work on British Coinage.* When Edward III. took Calais he made it a staple of, among other things, lead and tinf. In Henry V.'s reign an Act was passed to erect a mint in that town J. How¬ ever, the words "Villa Calisie" appear on coins of Ed¬ ward III., showing that coins were struck there in that reign. The groat of Henry VI. is certainly not pure silver, but maybe stated to be an alloy of silver and lead. The value of the groat is usually said to be fourpence. But in 1460 it was enacted that the gross of London, York, and Calais, not clipped within the extreme circle, should be fivepence, the demygross and denier in proportion. The gross clipped was valued at fourpence, and the others at an equal rate. Although Henry VI. was the only Monarch of England ever actually crowned King of France in France, the words "Bex Angl. & Franc." occur on coins of Edward III. of the value of twopence, and on coins of Henry V. This was a very simple method of king-making, though the fact might possibly be open for the reigning French Monarch to dispute. I believe the words "Posui, &c," "I have made God my helper," first occur on groats of Edward III.'s reign. My specimen of groat is only about one-fortieth of an inch in thickness, and weighs 3783 grammes. Strata Florida. w E. Halse, A.R.S.M. FEBRUARY 4, 1880. NOTES. ENGLAND SAVED BY HODNET !—" Oh ! Jemmy Thompson, Jemmy Thompson, Oh I" What a lot you have to answer for ! Had you not written your vain-glorious song, Hodnet would not in 1803 have rivalled the " Three Tailors " by such an effusion as the following:— HODNET VOLUNTEERS. Tune— Rule Britannia. Bellona spreads her dire alarms, And calls the Hodnet men to arms, With eager haste behold them fly, Resolv'd to conquer or to die. Arouse, free born Britons, at your country's call, Join your bold leader and your foe shall fall. With joy the glorious call obey, For glory points to them the way, Undaunted they with British heart, Will join to conquer Bonaparte. Arouse, free born Britons, at your country's call, Join your bold leader and your foe shall fall. Let dastard souls be aw'd by fear, And tremble when no danger's near, The gallant heart no danger knows, But pants to meet great George's foes. Hodnet's brave sons in loyal bands unite, Boult cheers their valour and directs their might. Britannia rais'd her drooping head. And smiliDg thus the Goddess said, " My sons the glorious task pursue, Maintain your rights and France subdue." Hodnet's brave sons, in loyal hands unite, Boult cheers their valour and directs their might. Who the party with the ominous name of " Boult" was, I cannot say. The name does not appear in the list of * '« Annals of the Coinage of Great Britain, &c," by the Rev. Rogers Ruding, 1840. t Hume's History of England, chap. XV. t■" Miscellaneous Views of the Coins struck by British Princes in France," Ac, Thos. Snelling, 1769. Salopian officers a year or two later. The lines I have quoted appeared in the Salopian Journal for Oct. 12, 1803, with the following request:—liTo the Printers. You arede- sired to insert the following Song in your Paper, and you will much oblige the Hodnet Volunteers." J.?.R. A LADY'S IMPRESSIONS OF WALES. [Letter II.] (Jan. 7, 1880.) Irom Mrs. Presland (of Walford Hall, Salop) at Peniarth, Merionethshire, to her sister Miss Slaney, at Shrewsbury :— I promised in my last to tell my Dear Sister how I likd Peniart. very well, but am unfortunate in the weather, and this situation is low, and damp, constant fogs, which is owing in some measure to ten Acres of Gardening being so full of wood, bowers, walks coverd with trees, it is romantick, and if it was layd open to the river, which runs close up to it, and layd in a Lawn and Shrubery it woud be more beautyfull and healthfull, and by that means get a full view of some inedows, and a pretty Hill planted with trees, amongst which a gothick, or any Building woud have a pretty effict to the eye, on the back of the House is a steep mountain coverd with trees, near the bottom a small hill, at top of which is a Summer House, from it a _ view of the sea, a Caskade below, a cottage in the view of a small raget rock, with gloomy walks, and some shrubs, in the front windows, you see one very high rock, and the highest mountain in North Wales cald Cadridrous, which nombers go to see, but when they get to the top are quite lost in clouds except it be by chance, and them from it the view is said to be wonderfull beyand description bat you may go twenty times and not see it, which chance we intended to have took, if the weather had not bin so bad. Peniarth House, as in it a dale of room, bad- rooms backwards, four good ones, but not large to the front of the House, the furniture old but good, the tea drinking room, is fitted up quite in taste with a large India Cabinet, wherein is many valueable trinkets, at top some fin old china our table con¬ sists of nine, and are move, thirty Sallmon at a time catchd out of the river at bottom of the garden, the family seems friendly without form, but the weather has bin so bad, no body coud come, but tenants and the lower kind of neighbours, with eggs, butter, fowl, Ducks, &c, which the all present at their coming in to the country, where their stables and housekeeping must be very expencive, I went yesterday to the Sea but when I heard it rore, see the Breakers and so many naked men and wemen half drownded my spirits sunk, my eyes weepd and upon my horse I got, disparing of ever geting courage to go in, but the next day I did, but still think the appearance of the Sea, a pleasing melloncholy sight, there was twelve small ships sailing, the tide quite out, the breakers very high, and the thoughts of being under mountains of water, had a second time like to have got the better of me, but away with the reflection. We ride out every day the Views are uncommon, and sur¬ prizing, we rode to day near four miles along some medows on each side rocks wood, and rivulets purling by, at last we came to a prodigious perpendicular rock, all over Little holes, out of which at the smack of a wip, came thousands of birds of different kinds, which made a pleas¬ ing consert, we then went up to the Rock, and heard something within so like human voices that I coud not help saying it was aDother world, and they inhabi¬ tants by their mirth and jolity Welch, whos spirits and merry lives, is not to be outdone, Cotil¬ lions are here danced every night, musick at meals ramping, or walking all morning, tea drinkinhing at