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gtrctaflttfiia: €Mirimm FOURTH SERIES.—VOL. X, NO. XXXIX. JULY 1879. TALLEY ABBEY. In the north-eastern portion of Carmarthenshire, in a narrow valley that connects the Vales of the Cothi and the Towy, stand the ruins of Talley Abbey, which de¬ rives its name (an abbreviated form of " Tal-y-llychau") from its position at " the head of the (two) Lochs or Lakes". The village stands on the watershed ; and of the two streams, the one carries the waters of the lakes northwards into the Cothi, a little above Edwin's Ford, the earlier Rhyd-odyn ; the other southwards, by Tali- aris, into the Towy, a short distance above Llandilo. The highway from Llandilo to Lampeter passes through the village, which is distant from them seven and four¬ teen miles respectively. The situation is very charming; and the view, as seen on a bright autumn day, is one to be remembered. There, on the opposite side of the valley as we approached it along the Lampeter road, and partly concealed by a noble ash, stood the one sur¬ viving wall of the great central tower, still retaining its original height. Here, in the foreground, cattle were cooling themselves in the still, clear, waters of the upper lake, and swans were sailing proudly on its bosom. The mountain-side, which formed the background, was occu¬ pied on the right by an extensive wood, rich in foliage of many colours, and on the left by cultivated fields continued far up its side till lost in furze and heather. Immediately behind, the cup-like basin of Cwm-byr lies 4th see., vol. x. 11