Welsh Journals

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We may wonder why Kings took such interest in pigs, but we must remember that this was in the time when these animals were introduced into Britain for the first time. It would be interesting to discover the remains of Pryderi's Royal Palace, as in all probability it was the first large mansion ever built in Cardiganshire. On the Highmead estate also once stood the mansion of Llanfechan, or Llanvaughan, where in former times lived an ancient family named Lloyd, and there is a tradition in the neighbourhood that there was a Church here. Not far from Llanfechan, and in the Parish of Llanwenog, there is a farm-house called Alltgoch, where in the year 1673 was born the Rev. Abel Morgan, a Baptist minister, who was the author of the first Concordance to the Bible ever published in the Welsh language. Mr. Morgan emigrated to America in the year 1711, and died there in 1722. In 1730, that is 8 years after his death, the Concordance which he had written was printed at Philadelphia, and one of the printers who was engaged in setting the type was a young man who became known to the world in course of time as Benjamin Franklin. A copy of this Concordance has been presented to the National Library by Sir John Williams. The title page of it runs as follows:- "Cydgordiad egwyddorol o'r Ysgrythyrau, neu sylfaen llythyrenol o'r prif eiriau yn y Bible Santaidd yn arwain dan y cyfryw eiriau yn fuan gan fod pob rhyw ddymunol ran o'r 'Scrythrau, a gyfansoddwyd trwy lafurus boen Abel Morgan, gweinidog yr Efengyl, er lies y Cymry Argraffwyd yn Philadelphia, gan Samuel Keimer a Dafydd Harry, 1730." The book contains a Preface written by one John Cadwaladr, a wealthy and respectable Welsh gentleman who lived at Philadelphia, and is dedicated as follows:- At yr Ardderchog Davydd Lloyd, Ysw., Pen Barnwr neu Bryf-Ynad Talaeth Pennsylvania." Welshmen were very numerous in Pennsylvania in those days, indeed one part of the country seems to have become almost a New Wales, and we find that as early as the year 1700, the Bishop of London, Dr. Compton, sent out a Welsh clergyman, the Rev. Evan Evans, D.D. There are still to be found in the State of Pennsylvania Welsh names of places and farms, such as Bryn Mawr, Meirion, Gwynedd, <fcc. The Parish of Llanwenog has been noted for its learned men, and it is a remarkable coincidence that when a native of Llanwenog was writing his Welsh Concordance to the Bible in America, the then Vicar of Llanwenog, the Rev. Moses Williams, was engaged in preparing a new edition of the Welsh Bible, which was published in 1718. Mr. Williams also rendered valuable assistance to Dr. Wotton with his Latin translation of the Laws of Howel Dda. This work was published in 1730.