A volume containing general observations and instructions relating to agricultural and horticultural matters, a corpus of data relating to agricultural practices, agricultural and rural economy, animal husbandry, horticulture, and related matters in various counties in England and Wales, ?incomplete accounts of journeys in parts of Wales [by Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg')], and other miscellaneous items, all in the hand of the aforesaid Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The general observations and instructions relating to agriculture and horticulture have usually been extracted from such sources as, according to the superscriptions to the notes, 'Will's Almanack, 1804', [Arthur] Young: [The Farmer's] Calendar, and [ ] Lawrence: The New Farmer's Calendar. The data relating to agricultural practices, etc., in the counties of England consists mainly of extracts from, or notes based upon, sections of the published surveys of agriculture, etc., in these counties which appeared largely under the auspices of the Board of Agriculture in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, viz. those of Jacob Malcolm and William James for rather William, James, and Jacob Malcolm] for the county of Surrey, George Turner for the county of Gloucester, John Boys for the county of Kent, John Monk for the county of Leicester, Nathaniel Kent for the county of Norfolk, Robert Lowe for the county of Nottingham, John Billingsley for the county of Somerset, and John Middleton for the county of Middlesex. The data concerning agriculture, etc., in Wales relates to the counties of South Wales. Some of this data has been extracted from, or is based upon, published agricultural surveys similar to those for the English counties also made in respect of the Welsh counties, e.g., those of Charles Hassall for the counties of Carmarthen and Pembroke, John Clark for the county of Brecknock, and Thomas Lloyd and the Reverend Mr. Turner for the county of Cardigan. It would appear, however, that most of the data relating to the counties of South Wales has not been extracted from such sources but it may possibly be linked with the work which Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') himself undertook in 1796 in surveying the counties of Glamorgan and Carmarthen on behalf of the Board of Agriculture and with the work he undertook in assisting the Reverend Walter Davies ('Gwallter Mechain') in collecting material for his review of the economy of South Wales subsequently published under the title General View of the Agriculture and Domestic Economy of South Wales . . . Drawn up for the Consideration of the Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement (London, 1815) (see the introduction for references to the assistance rendered by Edward Williams to the Reverend Walter Davies in respect of this project). Pp. 73-88 of the present manuscript contain an account of a journey undertaken [by Edward Williams] in the course of which he passed through or by the following neighbourhoods, places, buildings, etc., commenting on the features noted in brackets after the names - Penygored or Llechryd (tin works, salmon weir, coracle), Kilgeran, Cardigan, Blaen y Ffos Baptist meeting house, Fryni Vawr, Llanfernach ('a rich lead mine on the Estate of Captain Lloyd of Bronwydd worked by Lord Milford about 7 years ago . . .'), Bribwll ('a large old mansion'), Glandwr Meeting House ('very large, Independants'), Llangludwen Mill ('saw the place where they had been without any success digging for coal'), Llanboidy (adverse comments on the inhabitants of the area and also on the 'Pembrokeshire Peasantry'), Meidrym ('a decent village'), Job's Well near Caermarthen, and Gillimoor near Caerm[arthe]n Town ('100 acres of the rankest moor or bog drained by . . . Philips, Esqr.'). (continued)

Pp. 149-71 contain further notes relating to a journey [by Edward Williams] proceeding from Aber Cothi via Llanegwad, Hendre Wencyn Farm, Plas Newydd, Middleton Hall ('fine seat of Sir William Paxton . . . highly finished appartments and numerous flourishing plantations'), Grongar Hill, Dryslwyn Castle, Llanarthne, Golden Grove ('a fine old Mansion'), Llandeilo ('an ill planned and in general ill-built Town . . . some good houses . . . a large clumsy old Church', adverse comments on the inhabitants of the district, comments on a local custom of hanging jugs on nails 'all round the rooms of their houses', rather adverse comments on Dinevor Castle, Dryslwyn Castle, Carreg Cennen Castle, and the tomb of Sir Rhys ap Thomas in the church of Caermarthen), Newton Dinevor ('Fine seat of Lord Dinevor, the Park . . . one of the finest in the whole Kingdom', report on a conversation with Lord Dinevor), Derwen fawr, Aberglasney ('Mr. Dyer's, the Birth place of the Bard of Grongar Hill', praise of Grongar Hill and the views of the surrounding country to be seen from there), Crongaer Farm House, and Cross Inn (a brief note on and a sketch of 'Caermarthenshire Gates and Posts'), to Allt y Gog (a note here on 'Caermarthen Trade' with mention of 'Vaughan's anchor smithery', 'Vaughan's foundery', shipping, and ship building). Pp. 177-205 contain a further account of a journey [by Edward Williams] from Landilo ('Scattered Town with some good houses others wretched') via Dinefwr Park, Dinefor Castle, Llanfynydd village ('neat without & whitened, dirty & black within'), Glyn Cothi Mountains, Bryn Llywelyn Mountain, Llanybyddar, Llanwnen ('people most intelligent of any in Wales, mostly Presbiterians, very little English'), Cribin Clottas, Silien ('a scattered village of shabby aspect'), Langybi ('Church no Windows . . . a grammar school in the church . . . women do all the works of husbandry, threshing, grubbing, hedging . . . . have a tone or brogue that is far from pleasant . . . meeting houses numerous'), Llonio isa farm house, John's of hafod's estate, Llonio Mill, Llan Ddewi Brevi ('large double Isle Church & large village'), Tregaron New Bridge, Tregaron ('ragged Town that has a market, inferior to a Glamorgan village . . . Church large and long a clumsy high Tower, no windows in front'), House of Twm Siôn Catty ('½ mile out of town in ruins'), Llynn maes y llynn, Pont Rhyd fendigaid, Ross Fair ('4 or 5 houses only'), Yspytty ystwyth, the great bog between Tregaron & Ystrad Meuryg ('the property of Johns, Lisburne, &c., who are paid 5s per day for as much as one man can cut . . . this is called Corsgoch ar Deifi'), Ystrad Meuryg ('a dry healthy place, fine views . . .', note on E[dward] Rich[ar]ds and his school and library), Devils Bridge ('meet Messrs. Boddington & Este . . . walk over Havod grounds'), Ystrad Flur (brief note on the ruins of the abbey), dreary mountainous Country for many miles in Lanbadarn parish (' the inhabitants very stupid and extremely ignorant . . .'), foot of Pumlumon, Glasbwll village, Machynlleth ('a very good Town for Wales, many neat houses, good hall recently built. . . '), Pennegos, Dolgeiog, Llanwryn, Llancemais ('Decent Church & good village'), Mallwyd ('a very pleasant village . . . Church is a rude building with a Tower of oaken boards constructed in 1640', notes on Dr. John Davies 'the saviour of the Welsh language', his 'grammar of the Welsh language', his 'Welsh & Latin Dictionary', his revision of 'the Welsh Bible and prayer book' and his translation of 'some useful books of practical devotion into the Welsh language'), Mallwyd Bridge (sketch of bridge), Dinas ym Mowddwy ('a Market weekly but its number of houses do not exceed 30, here is a new meeting house built about 4 years ago'), Abercowarch village ('many new cottages . . . a spinning mill at work', a note here on South walians who were thronging 'to the Methodist Association at Bala' and on one young woman whom the writer had met who had come '100 miles on a pilgrimage to this circulating Mecca of Welsh fanaticism'), and Llanymowddwy, as far as Bwlch y Groes (further note on the Methodists looking forward to hearing [David] Jones of Llangan preaching at Bala). The accounts of the three journeys noted contain observations on topographical, agricultural, and geological features of the areas through which the traveller passed.

Fifteen testimonial letters, 1899-1921, for Dafydd Rhys Jones ('Jones Pat'), headmaster of the Gaiman Higher Grade School, Chubut, 1906-1915, and of the Cwmystwyth, Pontrhydfendigaid and Ysbyty Ystwyth Council Schools, Cardiganshire, 1902-1906, 1917-1941.
Among the referees are Professors Edward Anwyl, 1900 (ff. 4-5), and T. Gwynn Jones, 1919 (f. 16). Also included are extracts from the annual reports for Cwmystwyth School for 1903-1905 (f. 19) and newspaper cuttings, [c. 1916]-[1953], mostly relating to Devil's Bridge and Ysbyty Ystwyth (ff. 20-21).

A bundle of papers of G[eorge] Cumberland containing miscellaneous notes on religion, etc., sermon notes, a description of Hafod and Devil's Bridge, poetry, etc.

A commonplace book containing a copy, [?1812] (watermark 1808), of a journal of a picturesque tour in Wales and Ireland, 11 July-23 August 1812, probably written by William Osmund Hammond of St. Alban's Court, Nonington, Kent, describing scenery and points of interest, the weather, towns, people, inns, food, local customs and legends (ff. 17-148 verso).
The writer travelled by carriage in the company of his brother Maximilian [Hammond, later Dalison]. Departing from London on 11 July, the itinerary included Cheltenham and Gloucester (ff. 20-27), the lower Wye Valley (ff. 28-45), Brecon (ff. 49-52), Llandovery (ff. 53-54), Lampeter (ff. 58-60), Cardigan (ff. 61-62), Aberystwyth (ff. 65-71), Dolgellau (ff. 74-75) and Caernarfon (ff. 81-87), reaching Holyhead on 28 July (f. 87). In Ireland they stayed in Dublin (ff. 93-97), then travelled through County Wicklow (ff. 97-111) to Waterford (ff. 115-122) and Cork (ff. 123-126), reaching Killarney (ff. 128-148 verso) on 20 August. Included in the volume are descriptions of boat trips on the Wye from Ross-on-Wye to Chepstow (ff. 29-42) and around the Lakes of Killarney (ff. 131 verso-148 verso), the voyage from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire (ff. 89-92), visits to a pin factory in Gloucester (ff. 22-24) and the glass blowing factory in Waterford (ff. 121 recto-verso), Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire (ff. 30-33), Tintern Abbey (ff. 38-41), Devil's Bridge, Cardiganshire (ff. 66-70), Snowdonia (ff. 78-80, 86), Caernarfon Castle (ff. 83-85) and Glendalough, County Wicklow (ff. 101-107). The Hammonds, and their friends and neighbours the Plumptres of Fredville (see ff. 20-21, 25), were acquaintances of Jane Austen (see Jane Austen's Letters, 4th edn, ed. by Deirdre Le Faye (Oxford, 2011), pp. 530, 562).

Manuscript journal of a tour of south and west Wales, as well as parts of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, 4 June-2 October 1805 (ff. 3-32 verso passim), also including several contemporary illustrations and later pasted-in engravings.
The writer is unknown but appears to be female and was travelling in the company of her 'Papa' and several other presumed relatives. Beginning in Gloucester (ff. 3-4), the journal then recounts a journey down the River Wye from Ross-on-Wye to Chepstow (ff. 7-8, 10-11 verso) and an extended stay at Swansea, 16 June-30 July (ff. 13-14, 16-17, 19, 21-22), before proceeding to Pembrokeshire (ff. 22 verso-23, 26-28 verso), Aberystwyth (ff. 29-31 verso) and Dolgellau (ff. 32 recto-verso), where the narrative ends abruptly, mid-sentence. The volume includes descriptions of Gloucester Cathedral (ff. 3-4), Margam Park (ff. 12-13), the Brownslade estate, [Castlemartin] (ff. 26-27 verso), St Govan's Head (ff. 26 verso-27 verso), the lower River Teifi (ff. 28-29), Devil's Bridge (ff. 29 verso-31) and the house at Hafod, Cardiganshire (f. 31 recto-verso). The illustrations are of pen and wash in a naïve style and comprise eight full page drawings (ff. 2, 6, 9, 15, 18, 20, 24, 25) and three text illustrations (ff. 8, 14, 17) all depicting views along the route. Conversely the fifteen engravings, [1831]-[1845], pasted into the volume depict various views in England, Wales and India and are, with a single exception, unrelated to the text (inside front cover, ff. 1 verso, 2 verso, 33-44 (rectos only)).

Tour journal, 1835-1837, of Joseph Gurney Barclay, banker and astronomer, containing accounts of tours of parts of England, 1836, and of North Wales, 1837.
The English tour, 16 March-7 April 1836 (pp. 1-33), consists of Barclay's journey from London, via Matlock and Wakefield, to Darlington, mostly in the company of his second cousin Samuel Gurney, mainly to visit members of their extended, interlinked families of fellow Quaker bankers and philanthropists, the Leatham family in Wakefield, including the brothers William Henry and [John] Arthington Leatham (pp. 14-24), and the Backhouse and Pease families in Darlington, notably Jonathan Backhouse and Joseph Pease, MP (pp. 26-31). On the Welsh tour, 26 [recte 25] July-[9] August 1837 (pp. 33-106), Barclay travelled with his father and four sisters in a Britzka from London to Gloucestershire, explored the lower Wye Valley (pp. 45-47), then journeyed north via Brecon, Rhayader, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, Dolgellau, Harlech, Tremadog, Llanberis, Bangor and Beaumaris, ending in Conway (pp. 103-106). Barclay describes the scenery of Matlock, Derbyshire (pp. 6-9); a visit to the naturalist and explorer Charles Waterton at Walton Hall, Wakefield (pp. 16-19); a railway journey from Darlington to Middlesbrough with his uncle, Joseph Pease (pp. 29-30); a visit to Devil's Bridge, Cardiganshire (pp. 53-57); the ascent of Cader Idris (pp. 61-69) and an excursion to see waterfalls on the River Mawddach (pp. 70-77), both in the company of local guide Robert Pugh; and the ascent of Snowdon (pp. 93-97). Also included is a short account of the wildlife of Wales, as described to him by Robert Pugh (pp. 169-172). A small pen and ink sketch of the summit of Snowdon is on p. 95. An almanac for 1835 is bound into the volume (pp. 181-196, inverted text).