Welsh Journals

knowledge. It would be interesting to know where the well was situated, to find the message that Edwyn Roberts put under the foundation of the storehouse, and to locate the hollow where bread was baked. The certainty that the remains of Punta Cuevas are the first footsteps made by the Welsh colonists in Patagonia compels us to preserve and revalue this site. Punta Cuevas, because of the beauty of the scenery and its easy access, is a highly vulnerable place, which must be carefully managed. Although the existing ruins are rather humble, they mark a valuable historical site because they reveal something of the very beginnings of the first successful attempt in colonizing Patagonia. 141 FERNANDO R. CORONATO Centro Nacional Patagonico Puerto Madryn, Argentina 145 I am very grateful to Mr Ellis Roberts (Trelew) for lending me the Edwyn Roberts writings and for helping in the survey of the caves. I am indebted to Mrs Tegai Roberts (Gaiman) for her invaluable documentary research. Mr Tomos Roberts (Bangor) and Mrs Ana Beeskow (Madryn) contributed some documents. I wish to acknowledge the valuable advice of Elvey MacDonald (Aberystwyth). Mr Guillermo Defosse and Mrs Patricia Hopkins (Madryn) revised the English version of this manuscript.