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Diary of Charles Francis Adams, 1864

Friday 19th

19 August 1864

Sunday 21st

21 August 1864
20 August 1864
95
Saturday 20th
Conway
CFA

1864-08-20

AM

At four o’clock of a brilliant moonlight morning I found myself in the narrow streets of Conway, the only passenger guided by a solitary guard to the principal Inn of the place. My son Henry had sent me a telegram from there, without designating the situation. I found the family here but I went to bed for a few hours without disturbing them. After breakfast I went out to see the castle, the great object of curiosity. This place preserves its ancient character very much, as the limits of the castellated walls yet fully define its extent. They form a triangle, filled in a hollow between two hills, of which the apex runs upwards, and the castle is at the lower angle, close on the River Conway. As usual the houses are huddled up and ugly in themselves, but as seen from a distance the effect is highly picturesque. The Castle is in sufficiently good condition to give an admirable idea of the inner arrangements. In this respect it is more perfect than Carnarvon. What is commonly designated as the banqueting room remains, and appears to me to have been three rooms. After a pretty thorough exploration, and a luncheon, all but Mrs Adams and Louisa took the railway to Llanwrst from whence we took a vehicle for a drive of five miles to Bettys y Coed. This is a valley of the most attractive kind. The day was lovely, and we strolled about to see the stream and the bridge from different points. We felt a great desire to come here, but found the hotels crowded to excess. On our96 way home however we made enquiries at Llanwrst, with a view to come next week. The situation of the house at Conway is so unattractive, that although in other respects it is neat and comfortable, we incline to remove. We received the news from America, by the Scotia, which is very favorable, which made us enjoy the trip still more.

Cite web page as:

Charles Francis Adams, Sr., [date of entry], diary, in Charles Francis Adams, Sr.: The Civil War Diaries (Unverified Transcriptions). Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 2015. http://www.masshist.org/publications/cfa-civil-war/view?id=DCA64d233