The park, though small, is well wooded, and laid out with taste; and the woods extending along the bold cliffs of the Menai, with the parapeted bastion wall, which supports the terrace at the bottom of the lawn, cause this elegant edifice, with its turrets and gilded vanes, surrounded by its venerable groves, to be viewed to great advantage from the water or opposite shore. The front is composed of a centre nearly semilunar, with two wings semioctagonal; these receive a bold and happy finish from octagonal turrets rising from the basement of each angle of the front and wings, several feet above the embattled parapet, finishing in small spires surmounted by gilt vanes.
Behind the house are two of the largest cromlechs; the upper stone of one is twelve feet seven inches long, twelve broad, and four thick, supported by five upright ones; the other is close to the first, and is only about five feet and a half square.
Not far from these is a carnedd, part of which is destroyed; within was found a cell, about seven feet long and three wide, covered with two flat stones. On the top of the stones were two semicircular holes, for what purpose intended I leave to others to determine; some conceive they were places of confinement, and these holes served as stocks, in which to secure the victims of the Druidical sacrifices; but let us rather hope not; for as the learned of those days here for a period found a shelter, and as these woods
“Were tenanted by bards, who nightly thence,
Rob’d in their flowery vests of innocent white,
Issued with harps, that glitter to the moon,
Hymning immortal strains:”Mason’s Caractacus.
we may as reasonably conceive that learning, poetry, music, and religion, would soothe and soften the angry passions of the soul, as that they would rouse to the horrid immolation of human sacrifices.
Being unavoidably prevented at this time from visiting the celebrated Parys Mountain, the property of the Marquis of Anglesea and Colonel Hughes, we again returned to the hotel at Caernarvon; purposing to stay the following day (Sunday), with the intention of making a strict enquiry into the religious sect, settled here, and in many parts of Wales, called Jumpers. [195]
The account we had received from our landlord, we imagined, was exaggerated; and this more strongly induced us to visit the chapel, that we might be enabled, in future, to contradict this ridiculous report.
At six in the evening the congregation assembled; and, on our entrance into the chapel, we observed, on the north side, from a sort of stage or pulpit, erected on the occasion, a man, in appearance a common day-labourer, holding forth to an ignorant and deluded multitude. Our entrance at first seemed to excite a general dissatisfaction; and our near neighbours, as if conscious of their eccentricities, muttered bitter complaints against the admittance of strangers. The chapel, which was not divided into pews, and even destitute of seats, contained near a hundred people: half way round was erected a gallery. The preacher continued raving, and, indeed, foaming at the mouth, in a manner too shocking to relate:—he allowed himself no time to breathe, but, seemingly intoxicated, uttered the most dismal howls and groans imaginable, which were answered by the congregation, so loud as occasionally to drown even the voice of the preacher. At last, being nearly exhausted by continual vociferation, and fainting from exertion, he sunk down in the pulpit. The meeting, however, did not disperse: a psalm was immediately sung by a man, who, we imagined, officiated as clerk, accompanied by the whole congregation. The psalm had not continued long before we observed part of the assembly, to our great surprise, jumping in small parties of three, four, and sometimes five in a set, lifting up their hands, beating their breasts, and making the most horrid gesticulations. Each individual separately jumped, regularly succeeding one another, while the rest generally assisted the jumper by the help of their hands. The women always appeared more vehement than the men, and infinitely surpassed them in numbers: seeming to endeavour to excel each other in jumping, screaming, and howling. We observed, indeed, that many of them lost their shoes, hats, and bonnets, with the utmost indifference, and never condescended to search after them; in this condition, it is not unusual to meet them jumping to their homes. Their meetings are twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays. Having accidentally met with a gentleman, at the hotel, a native of Siberia, we invited him to our party; and, induced by curiosity, he readily accompanied us to the chapel. On the commencement of the jumping, he entreated us to quit the congregation, exclaiming “Good God! I for a moment forgot I was in a Christian country. The dance of the Siberians, in the worship of the Lama, with their shouts and gesticulations, is not more horrid!” This observation so forcibly struck me, that I could not avoid inserting it in my note-book.
With disgust we left the chapel, and were given to understand, by our landlord, they celebrate a particular day every year, when instances have been known of women dying by too great an exertion; and fainting is frequently the consequence of their excessive jumping.
This sect is by no means confined to the town of Caernarvon; but in many villages, and several market towns, both in North and South Wales, they have established regular chapels. “They have (says a correspondent to the Gentleman’s Magazine) [197] periodical meetings in many of the larger towns, to which they come from thirty to forty miles round. At one held at Denbigh, about last April, there were, I believe, upwards of four thousand people, from different parts. At another, held at Bala, soon afterwards, nearly double that number were supposed to be present.” The last number appears rather to be exaggerated, though the letter, being dated from Denbigh, should be considered as authoritative.