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Aug. 5, 1891. BYE-GONES. 135 natural basin of immense capacity, bounded by ranges of gently rising hills, and having as its only outlet a narrowgorge,through which the stream makes its way. This basin, which there can be little doubt is a pre¬ historic lake basin, is entered by a narrow gorge, through which the water of the Ceiriog rushes on its way to the Valley. The task of erecting a firm and solid dam would be a comparatively light one, as the gorge is flanked with cliffs of slate. If the gap were filled up with a dam of 50 feet, the lake so formed would contain 600,000,000 gallons of water, with an average depth of 24 feet, an area of about 100 acres, a length of about a mile, and a watershed of about 8,000 acre3. But if another 12 feet of masonry were added, and a small embankment erected at the end of the lake nearest the outlet, the holding capacity of the basin would be doubled. Assuming that there is no " fault" or other physical fact which would make the ground pervious, it is perfectly certain that there can here be formed, at a comparatively small cost, a reservoir of the dimen¬ sions stated. As to the quality of the water, nothing need be said at present further than that it was tasted by the company, and gave full satisfaction ; but it should be added that anything in the way of pollution is impossible, for the lake would be close to the source of supply, and moreover,there is not a single house or building of any kind, not only on the ground itself, but anywhere within sight. The whole gathering ground, it is stated, does not contain a solitary dwelling. With regard to the engineering problem, it is not necessary to go into details, but to lead the water from the lake down the Teirw and Ceiriog valleys to Chirk, and thence northwards along the Holy¬ head road by Ruabon and Wrexham to Chester, and southwards along the same highway to Shrews¬ bury, would be a matter of no great difficulty. The distance from the lake to Chirk is about ten miles ; and from Chirk to Chester on the one hand, and Shrewsbury on the other, is about 21 miles. The transport of the pipes and other materials would be effected by the Glyn Valley Tramway, which now runs up to Glyn Ceiriog. At the present time a granite quarry is being opened in the Teirw Valley by Mr F. E. Rooper, and for the purposes of this new industry a tramway connected with the Glyn Valley Tramway is now in course of construction. Any quantity of the finest building stone can be quarried on the route of the proposed new line. As to the financial question, of course an Act of Parlia¬ ment would have to be obtained, but no material hostility is apprehended. The landowners whose property would be affected by the proposed lake, Mr Myddelton Biddulph, Capt. Hamer, and Mrs Green, are believed to be in favour of the undertaking, and we understand that it will be easy not only to secure to the mill and quarry owners, whose works are now served by the water of the Ceiriog, the power they at present employ, but even to improve it by regulating the supply, and storing a great deal of water which now runs to waste. The party having inspected the ground, returned to Glyn Ceiriog, where they were entertained to a capital luncheon by Mr Griffith. At the close of the repast, the Hon. Cecil Parker, of Eaton Hall, thanked Mr Griffith for his kindness and hospitality. This was seconded by Sir Richard Green-Price, Shrewsbury, both gentlemen expressing themselves as hopeful of getting a good water supply from the Ceiriog in the future. After luncheon the Glyn Ceiriog granite quarries were visited under the guidance of Mr John Thomas. AUGUST 5, 1891. NOTES. THE VIRTUE OF A POD WITH NINE PEAS IN IT.—My people were shelling peas the other day, and I overheard the following remark made by a person born nob very far from Welsh¬ pool :—" When we were girls at home we used to like to shell the peas for dinner, for if we found a pod with nine peas in it we used to tie it up with a piece of twine and hang it over the door, and the name of the first person who came into the house through that door would be the same as that of the future husband of the one who hung up the pod." Senex. THE CONFLAGRATION IN WELSHPOOL IN 1665.—Through the courtesy of the Rev. E. J. Evans, vicar of Chirk, I had lately the pleasure of looking through the Parish Books, and as is always the case I was repaid by finding many curious entries. One of these has reference to the burning of a considerable portion of Welshpool in the year 1665. I will give the entry as it is re¬ corded — By vertue of .... a briefe whereof came into our handes towardes the reliefe of the poore distressed inhabitants of the Towne of Poole in the County of Montgomery who by a lamentable fire happenninge in the sd towne on the tenth day of May 1665 had losse to the value of 3000£ beside the bur- niuge and defaceinge of a great parte of the Church there was collected by us in the parish Church of Chirk the 3rd day of ffeb 1666 the summe of nine shillings & ten pence. If the loss is rightly estimated in the extract, a large part of the town occupied by the poor must have been destroyed. E.O. QUERIES. GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS IN WALES. Mr Warter, in his " Old Shropshire Oak" (Vol. 2, p. 254), says he should like to read a book he had never seen, but only heard of—the Rev. Edmund Jones's " Relation of Ghosts and Apparitions which commonly appeared in the Principality of Wales," published at Bristol in 1767. Can any one tell us anything of this book or its author ? A few extracts might be interesting. W.O. LEGEND OF A CASTLE AT LLAN- SANTFFRAID.—According to local belief, there at one time stood a fine old Castle, near to Hendreboeth, which name in English signifies " old burnt town," which evidently shows that some sad calamity or other occurred in the