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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76556 ***
+
+
+
+
+
+A DESCRIPTION OF KILLARNEY.
+
+
+
+
+                                     A
+                                DESCRIPTION
+                                    OF
+                                KILLARNEY.
+
+                      ——τὴν δὲ χρυσάμπυκες Ὧραι
+            Δέξαντ’ ἀσπασίως, περὶ δ’ ἄμβροτα εἵματα ἔσσαν,
+            Πολλὰ δ’ ὄρη σκίοεντα, καὶ αὐλῶνας κελαδείνους,
+            Καὶ πεδί’ ἀνθεμόεντα.
+
+                                              ὉΜΗΡΟΥ ὙΜΝΟΙ.
+
+                              [Illustration]
+
+                                  LONDON:
+                   PRINTED FOR J. DODSLEY, IN PALL-MALL.
+                              M. DCC. LXXVI.
+
+
+
+
+A DESCRIPTION OF KILLARNEY.
+
+
+
+
+SECTION I.
+
+
+To convey to the fancy a lively representation of substantial visible
+forms, is deemed rather the province of that artist who speaks to the
+eye, than of the mere verbal describer. Yet so limited are the powers
+of the pencil, that by it, the same object can only be represented, in
+one moment of its existence, and under a single point of view; whereas
+description ranges in a wider field, commands the several changes which
+time, in its silent lapse, draws along with it; exhibits things in
+all the different lights, and positions, in which they can be viewed;
+discovers new beauties in effects from unravelling their causes; traces
+under the mouldering ruin, stately temples, domes, and palaces, the
+monuments of a race of mortals long forgotten; takes in an extent
+of scenery, which the unassisted eye loses, and the pencil faintly
+pourtrays; and throws a mysterious veil over every object, by allusions
+and details drawn from the stores of history and fable:
+
+    There Arthur lies, and there the Runic bard;
+    Here fell the hero; these sad hollow anters,
+    That grove, did hear his moan.
+
+Revolving these advantages of the descriptive method, over the mere
+plastic, I wished to prove its excellence by an example; and meeting with
+a subject altogether engaging, I made the following attempt to exhibit it
+in its true colours. I inscribe it to the Academy of Royal Artists, as
+a poor atonement for my presumptuous encroachment upon the province of
+picture.
+
+I visited Killarney in the most favourable seasons for viewing it, when
+the trees resigning their foliage, were already marked with all the
+different colourings of decay: and when spring, repairing the winter’s
+ravages, had again cloathed them with renewed verdure: but I preferred
+the autumnal prospect.
+
+The lake is divided into two great branches, or more properly speaking,
+there are two distinct lakes, A, B, connected by a winding river.
+
+The northern lake, called also Lough Lane, from its receiving a torrent
+of that name, is by many degrees the larger. It is divided into two
+branches, the one distinguished by the name of the Great Lake, and the
+other called Turk Lake, C, from a mountain that overhangs it.
+
+The Great Lake lies East and West, and from Mr. Herbert’s park, to the
+mouth of the Lune, measures about seven English miles. Its breadth, from
+the neighbourhood of Reen Point, to the opposite side, is said to be
+nearly four.
+
+Turk Lake is about two miles and a half in length, and three quarters of
+a mile in breadth; it stretches from East to West, with an inclination to
+the North and South.
+
+The southern shores of both these lakes are formed by high mountains;
+those of the Great Lake covered with wood, those of the other without
+wood. The land which bounds them to the North, the East, and the West,
+is either a flat, or only raised from the water by gentle swellings. ’Tis
+generally diversified by plantations.
+
+I shall first trace out the several bays, banks, and islands, which occur
+in the lakes, proportioning my detail to the importance of the objects;
+that passing from particulars to generals, we may, on some good grounds,
+establish a comprehensive character of the whole; and, with the better
+relish and judgment, proceed to consider the more remarkable points of
+view.
+
+The angular mountain Glynnau, or Glauná, D, stands on the South side
+of the lake, and has two sides washed by it; for round this mountain
+the lake takes a turn, and so runs to a narrow point, where it receives
+the water from the upper or southern lake. This is a very beautiful
+mountain, covered for a great part of the ascent with forest trees, such
+as oak, ash, pine, alder, and birch, intermixed with hazel, whitethorn,
+yew, holley, and arbutus, all perfectly wild. The forest trees are not
+very stately, but the yews, holleys, and strawberry-trees, are in great
+perfection; and blending their different greens, form a fine mixture.
+The sides of the mountain, though not uniform, rise with an easy
+acclivity from the water, and are here and there broken by gullies, and
+streamlets, which is pleasing. The shores are all along indented; and
+from the angle particularly, there runs a point richly wooded, which
+forms two bays. The principal inhabitants of this mountain are the
+red deer, which, among the sequestered thickets, enjoy an undisturbed
+repose; except on some gala day, when O’Donahue makes a sacrifice to the
+curiosity of the visitors of the lake, or his own passion for the chace,
+which happens rarely. The music of the dogs and horns, and the shouts of
+the hunters, posted in great numbers along the ridge of the mountain, are
+re-echoed from the several parts of it; and produce an effect singularly
+pleasing. It is from hence the stag generally precipitates himself into
+the lake, when hard pressed by his pursuers; who studiously reduce him to
+this necessity, by hemming him in on all sides; and his spirited efforts
+to prolong existence in an element so unfriendly to him, afford the
+highest entertainment. This mountain is the property of Lord Kenmare.
+
+Toomish, or Tomé, E, stands to the westward of Glynnau, from which it is
+separated by a torrent, called, in the expressive phrase of the natives,
+Screech Stream. It completes the Southern boundary of the lake, and in
+its situation, and appearance, much resembles Glynnau. The finest cascade
+in the neighbourhood of Killarney, falls from this mountain; which,
+retaining the name of its ancient possessor, is called O’Sullivan’s
+Cascade. While the rains prevail it is amply supplied with water, and
+exhibits a very beautiful picture. It falls from three great stages, of
+nearly equal heights, disposed in such a manner, that the course of the
+stream which supplies it, is hid from the spectator. The water is so
+agitated in its course down the mountain, that from the instant it breaks
+upon the eye, it is one entire sheet of foam; and dashing from stage to
+stage, enlivens every thing around it, by the reflection of the scattered
+rays which fall upon it; serving at once to illuminate, and contrast,
+the shady green trees and shrubs which overhang it. The only spot from
+which it can be seen to advantage, is from a rock in the channel below;
+from thence the stages seem to diminish from bottom to top, from twenty
+four or five feet, to twenty, and from twenty to fifteen or sixteen.
+The whole scene abounds with the most picturesque beauties, but the
+minuteness of the objects, and that air of regularity which is diffused
+over the whole, strikes it out of the class of grandeur and sublimity.
+At some distance from the cascade, there are two or three rude cottages,
+inhabited by a set of hardy mountaineers, who probably subsist by the
+chace. They generally come down to traffick with strangers, bringing with
+them nuts, and wild berries; and sometimes cuttings of yew, thorn, and
+oak, for walking sticks. The only bounties of Heaven they seem to enjoy,
+are health, and a fine prospect; contentment, if they possess it, is with
+them an heroic virtue. This mountain belongs to Mr. Herbert of Mucrus.
+
+Towards the West, the lake washes a very rich and improveable country.
+The part of it which extends from Tomé, to Dunlow castle, is called
+O’Sullivan’s Country, F; but is now the property of Mr. Herbert. It is no
+where marked with very striking features; it rises in a swelling slope
+from the lake, and is here and there diversified by trees, particularly
+on the banks of the Lune. This river is very considerable at its source,
+being the only outlet from the lake, which receives from the surrounding
+mountains several plentiful streams. Winding for a considerable way
+through a rich valley, it separates O’Sullivan’s country from the estate
+of Macarthy-more; and taking a westerly course, discharges itself into
+the ocean at the distance of seven or eight miles. It is called by the
+natives the Leaune.
+
+The estate of Macarthy-more, G, compleats the western boundary of the
+lake. The house is well situated, upon a rising ground near the river;
+but the improvements are much neglected. In alighting to take a view
+of the ancient family seat at Pallice, I gave the bridle of my horse
+to a poor boy, who seemed to look for it with a degree of eagerness.
+From his manner of answering some questions I asked him, I was led to
+enquire into his situation; and was not a little surprized to find, that
+though sunk in the most abject poverty, he was, nevertheless, a good
+classical scholar. He was well acquainted with the best Latin poets, had
+read over most of the historians, and was then busy with the orations
+of Cicero. I could not help pitying, at the same time that I admired
+him, and lamenting the hard situation which rendered his knowledge
+useless; his taste and refinements the sources of continual disgusts and
+mortifications; and even his habits of study pernicious, as they diverted
+him from those active employments, which alone could keep him above want
+and wretchedness. I found, upon further enquiry, that this classical
+spirit is very general among the lower sort of people in Kerry: a
+circumstance, which gives an air of probability to the romantic accounts
+of a late Memoir-writer[1], concerning the learning and taste of certain
+northern shepherds.
+
+The lands, which lie along the northern shores, H, of the lake, have a
+very uniform character; they are such as one sees every where, hills and
+dales tolerably wooded, and pretty well enclosed; but capable, from their
+soil, and above all from their situation, of being made very enviable
+scenes. A neat farm house, built upon a charming neck of land, called by
+way of eminence The Point, and possessed by Mr. Mahony, is better adapted
+to the spot, and raises more pleasing ideas, than if it wore a more gaudy
+assuming air. The bay, which lies between this neck and Reen Point, is
+one of the largest, and most delightful in the lake; and owes so great a
+share of its beauty to the islands, that I can scarce forbear mentioning
+them. Reen Point lies nearly in the middle between the extremities of
+the lake; and, about an English mile behind it, stands the village of
+Killarney, and Lord Kenmare’s house. About half a mile to the East
+of it, the Flesk, a very fine stream, which springs from Glanflesk, a
+mountain some miles distant, falls into the lake. On its eastern bank,
+close upon the shore, is Cahiranane, the seat of Mr. Arthur Herbert,
+which has nothing remarkable to boast of. This side of the lake ends in a
+sandy bay, one of the finest I remember to have seen in it. Lord Kenmare
+is the principal proprietor.
+
+We now come to the eastern boundary of the Great Lake, which is every
+where rich in wild beauties. The northern part of it is called Mucrus,
+I; as it stretches southerly, it gets the name of Camillan, K; and round
+the extremity of Camillan is the passage to Turk Lake. It is impossible
+to conceive any thing more charming than the shady bays, creeks, and
+recesses, which the lake here forms. The variety of their shapes, the
+smoothness of the water, the reflection of the trees with which the banks
+are fringed, and the fertility of the very rocks which form the points
+and angles, produce a mixed sensation of surprize and pleasure, which
+it is difficult to describe. There is a stillness and tranquillity in
+the air of these retreats, that is uncommonly engaging, and sets the
+imagination to work to conjure up forms and build castles in every one
+of them; the accessary ideas give new life to the scene, and the mind
+returns with additional ardour to contemplate it. In some places you are
+presented with an abrupt shore, and rocks of unchisselled marble hollowed
+into caverns; in others, the level beach, covered over with smooth green
+carpeting, seems to court your approach by a display of internal scenery.
+Here you meet with a promontory, rising from the lake with the majesty of
+a colossus; there stands another, the Parnassus of Silvanus, adorned with
+every chosen shrub in which the God delights: and woe to the dull mortal,
+that hears him not, as he passes, rustle among the thickets; for lo! even
+now he emerges, and dispensing fragrance as he ascends, looks down with
+benign complacency upon those happy regions, for which he has rifled the
+gardens of Flora, to rival her once favourite Tempè.
+
+    ——_Deus, ecce Deus!_——
+
+Mucrus abbey is situated upon an eminence, rising over the lake, near the
+northern extremity of this range. It is in tolerable preservation, and
+still serves as a burying-place to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.
+A modern hermit, some years ago, pitched upon it as the place of his
+retirement. He chose an open cell, in one of the upper apartments, for
+his mansion; and formed a defence for himself against the inclemencies
+of the weather, from the shattered remains of the tombs and coffins. His
+vow was not rigidly strict; for he sometimes mixed with the world. He was
+communicative enough on some subjects, and, as I have heard, tolerably
+well informed. But at length he sullied the lustre of his character, by
+indulging in the sordid unmanly vice of private drinking, oftentimes to
+intoxication; till, finding the veneration he was held in daily diminish,
+he abandoned a scene where he could no longer appear with credit. He was
+an Englishman; and, when he left Killarney, proposed going to the rock
+of Lisbon. There is certainly no place better adapted to a recluse than
+this, especially if he possesses any degree of enthusiasm, as there is
+none which can compensate the loss of social enjoyments by such a variety
+of contemplative ones. The greatest curiosity of the abbey is a yew
+planted in the center of the building. Its trunk is between seven and
+eight feet in circumference, and its boughs form a compleat covering to
+the cloister, which is a square of twelve yards. My Cicerone, pointing
+to a wound in the bark of it, told me with a very grave face, that the
+wretch, who had the hardiness to inflict it, paid the full price of his
+sacrilege; for that a numbness instantly seized the guilty arm, spread
+gradually over his whole frame, and in a few minutes dispatched him.
+The abbey is too much shut up by trees; it might be so managed, by a
+delicate hand, as to become a fine object of view, without being entirely
+dragged from its retreat, and exposed to open day. An objection of the
+same kind lies against the situation of Mr. Herbert’s house, which, in
+the midst of the most desirable objects, enjoys a very limited prospect
+of the lake, and appears to no advantage itself. The gardens are not
+dressed with care; and would deserve little notice, were it not for
+the extraordinary ledges of rocks which run through them. These have
+not the least covering of earth to defend them, and yet rival the most
+luxuriant spots in their produce. They are cloathed from one end to the
+other with shrubs and trees, which seem to draw their juices from the
+very marble itself, as the crannies and pores, from which they issue,
+are so scantily provided with mold, that it is difficult to conceive
+it sufficient for their nourishment. It is wonderful how pliably they
+accommodate themselves to the several windings and crevices of the stone,
+and how artfully their roots are disposed for the reception of every
+drop of moisture; and their great variety, some of them the most tender,
+delicate shrubs our climate admits of, still adds to the surprize. The
+service-tree grows here spontaneously; the vine flourishes; the common
+fruits are the produce of every cliff; the arbutus seems indigenous; the
+lilack, rose, lauristinus, and cytisus, require no other culture than
+that of the pruning knife; every neglected spot in this wilderness of
+sweets is enamelled with flowers, and fragrant herbs, and plants loaded
+with blossoms, or berries.
+
+    _Dum vagor aspectu, oculosque per omnia duco,_
+    _Calcabam, nec opinus, opes._
+
+I observed, almost universally, in the trees springing from these rocks,
+that the part of the trunk contained within the stone was much smaller
+than the external, sometimes by several inches in the diameter;—a proof
+of fertility this, which renders all others superfluous.
+
+From the house at Mucrus to the extreme point of Camillan, there runs a
+winding road of near two miles in length, very judiciously calculated to
+unfold the interior beauties of the Peninsula: (for it is a Peninsula,
+and as one side encloses the Great Lake to the East, the other forms
+the northern boundary of Turk Lake.) Here there is a vast number of
+those rocks and craggs, vegetating from every pore, differing in shape
+and situation, and thrown without order into irregular groupes, which
+afford new landscapes as you advance, and every instant present different
+combinations and figures. They generally lie at a considerable distance
+from each other, and are separated by low marshy swamps, which produce
+nothing but heath, and the common aquatic shrubs; by which means they
+have much the appearance of islands. And here I cannot help indulging
+a conjecture, that the islands in the lake itself have been, at some
+distant period, situated as these are: and that, by the stoppage or
+interruption of the great outlet from the lake, or an additional influx
+into it, the body of water has been so increased as to insulate the
+higher grounds; and that the continuance of the cause has rendered
+the separation permanent. It is certain this conjecture appears more
+probable, if we consider the near resemblance of many of the islands
+to the rocks I have just now described, and their proximity to the
+level shores on the north and east sides of the lake, where the water
+is comparatively shallow. It might be further confirmed by similar
+instances; and particularly by the instance of Lough Neagh, in the
+province of Ulster; which has for many years past gained on the land,
+as is clearly evinced by a late writer. But as I cannot support it by
+testimony or observation, the only sure grounds to build upon, I abandon
+it as a bare probability.
+
+Nearer the point of Camillan the surface is less varied by detached
+heights, and risings, and more uniformly wooded. It is of a very stoney
+nature, and almost every where covered with a thick moss, which is here
+ornamental. As the lakes lie on both sides, with their islands and
+mountains, how greatly might the charms of this spot be enhanced, by
+introducing them judiciously in different views and situations? which,
+by the simple management of leading a path from one side to the other,
+now skirting the bays, and now ascending the heights, might easily be
+accomplished. And how much might the views from the lakes be improved,
+by here and there opening up the bays and recesses, and allowing the eye
+to penetrate into the more remote scenes, as if by stolen glances? To
+mutilate nature is inhuman, to aim at excelling her is madness: It is the
+province of art to withdraw the veil that conceals her beauties, and
+discover them in all their wildness.
+
+The side of the Peninsula, which forms the northern boundary of Turk
+Lake, so nearly resembles the other, that what Ovid says of the sisters
+of Phaëton is literally true of them: they have the same general air
+and complexion, though they differ in particular features. The whole
+Peninsula is the property of Mr. Herbert of Mucrus, whose estates in this
+country are very considerable: his ancestors were among the first English
+settlers; and tho’ he generally resides in England, his tenantry seem to
+enjoy more happiness, than ordinarily falls to the share of the deserted
+Irish peasant; who, between intrinsic indolence and external exaction,
+penurious in the midst of plenty, wanders upon the surface of the most
+fertile country in the world, a melancholy instance of complicated misery.
+
+The eastern shore of Turk Lake, L, is distinguished by no particular
+beauty I know of: it is formed by the bleak side of Mangerton, and
+separated from Turk, the mountain which confines the lake to the South,
+by the Devil’s Stream. This stream has its source near the top of
+Mangerton, which is esteemed the highest ground in Ireland[2]. Its
+source is a vast cavity in the mountain, fed by the discharge of the
+clouds which are daily bursting over it. The natives stile it the Pit of
+Hell, but it is more commonly called the Devil’s Punch-bowl. It sometimes
+sends down very impetuous torrents, which sufficiently mark their course
+by their ravages: to this it probably owes its original name.
+
+Turk, M, though not so lofty as Mangerton, is a much nobler object.
+Its outline is free and graceful, rising to a point by easy stages,
+and sinking towards the plain in such a manner as to form an irregular
+cone. The side towards the lake is quite inaccessible, and to the eye
+below has a wild air of grandeur, occasioned, as I conceive, by the
+uniformity of its appearance, which presents no gaudy colourings to
+divert the mind from contemplating the single idea of its extent. It is
+entirely without trees, which as it contributes to the above effect, and
+affords a striking contrast to the shady banks of Mucrus, is hardly to be
+regretted. The river Lane rises near the summit, and is seen throughout
+its course, which is a very direct one: it gives its name to the whole
+lake, anciently called Loch Lein.
+
+Between the Peninsula, and the low land which stretches from Turk, lie
+the islands Brickeen and Dinish, which separate the two northern lakes.
+They are divided from the shores by very narrow straits: that between
+Brickeen, and the Peninsula, which is the widest, not exceeding twenty
+yards. Both these islands are richly wooded, and abound with luxuriant
+arbutus; they serve as resting places to the deer, which descend from
+Glená, at the dawn of morning, to feed in the plains and meadows of
+Mucrus; and here too they often shelter themselves, when roused by the
+hunters, and driven from their more secret haunts in the mountains.
+
+Dinish extends to the very mouth of the river which flows from the upper
+or southern lake; and, by the opposition of its sides, distributes the
+stream into two unequal channels. The river issues from the northern side
+of the lake, and with all, its windings and angles, measures four miles.
+The eastern bank, N, presents nothing interesting; it is low, craggy,
+and infertile, scarcely producing a shrub or tree. The high grounds,
+at some distance, which extend from Turk to the southward, though by
+no means picturesque, are a relief to the prospect. The opposite bank
+is skirted by the shaggy sides of Glená, that runs into the country in
+this direction for a considerable length: its appearance here is not so
+varied, as from the lower lake, but is still pleasing; it is terminated
+to the South by the Eagle’s Nest.
+
+This remarkable rock, O, presents its principal front to the North, and
+the river, making an abrupt turn, passes directly under it. It has that
+bold freedom in its general outline which sets at naught description,
+and demands the pencil of Salvator himself to express justly. From the
+ruggedness of its impending cliffs, which almost overshadow the river, it
+would be truly aweful, if the trees and shrubs which cover them, did not
+counteract the effect, by diffusing an air of festivity over the whole,
+which strips it of its terrors. The parts of it, considered singly, are
+beautiful; their strange combination produces surprise. The effect of a
+musket or peterara discharged against this mountain, exceeds every thing
+I had conceived possible. The report is encreased to a degree almost
+incredible, and returning upon the ear in redoubled peals, now from the
+neighbouring, now from the more distant mountains, imperceptibly dying
+away, and again reviving, till it finally expires in hollow, interrupted
+murmurs, bears a nearer resemblance to natural bursts of thunder, than
+any thing artificial. The mountain is inhabited by Eagles, which build
+their nests on the craggs, and inaccessible heights, and are continually
+hovering round it: like true birds of Jove, they seem to have chosen it
+for their abode, from the allurements of its pealing echoes.
+
+The mountain which runs from the Eagle’s Nest, to the upper lake, is two
+miles in length. It is one continued ridge without break, or rising; and
+from its figure, and inclination, is with singular propriety called the
+Great Range, P. Near the upper end of it is the seat of the musical echo.
+The spot where it resides is a hollow bosom in the mountain, covered on
+all sides with trees. The sounds are reverberated from the several parts
+of it, and are softened upon every repetition, so as to terminate in the
+sweetest cadences. A single horn produces a concert, and is multiplied
+into as many instruments as there are echoes; these mellowing in their
+tones, from the original notes of the leading instrument, to the dying
+falls of the last repetitions, and mingling together in a wild, but
+harmonious confusion, afford the finest specimen of natural music in the
+world. The power of the echoes might easily be ascertained by breathing a
+single note on any instrument, or by the voice; and afterwards, it would
+be an easy matter, at any period in a passage of music, to determine the
+number and quality of the sounds, which are employed in expressing it.
+
+The southern lake, which is entered by a narrow pass called Colman’s Eye,
+stretches East and West for above a league; but does not any where exceed
+three quarters of a mile in breadth. It has a different air from the
+others, being encompassed on all sides by high grounds and mountains.
+
+Ghirmeen, Q, one of the most considerable of these, forms a right angle
+with the Great Range, and bounds the lake to the North. It is partially
+covered with trees, and on the whole has rather a pleasing, than a bleak
+appearance. Arbutus Bay is the finest it affords; it derives its name, as
+well as a great share of its beauty, from an island contiguous to it.
+The mountain is the property of Mr. Herbert.
+
+M’Gilly Cuddy’s Ricks take their rise from Ghirmeen, and encircling a
+valley, R, of pretty large compass to the West of the lake, form an
+extensive amphitheatre. These mountains are very numerous, and, as
+if Nature meant to exhaust her varieties, are broken into the most
+irregular, whimsical, shapes, imaginable. They seem to be quite destitute
+of planting, and indeed their fertility, at the distance most of them
+lie, would contribute little to their beauty. They are plentifully
+stocked with grouse, or, in the language of the natives, the hen of the
+heath, notwithstanding the depredations of their joint commoners the
+eagles. They furnish the lake with its principal supplies of water,
+which tumbling down in a multiplicity of channels, unites in one stream
+at bottom, and enriches the valley. The valley owes nothing to culture,
+though to all appearance capable of it: a few wretched cottagers derive
+from its borders a penurious subsistance. Its shore is distinguished by
+one of those singular rocks already described; to those who see it at a
+distance, it has the appearance of an island; and by a small elevation of
+the water would actually become one. The whole circuit is now possessed
+by Mr. Herbert; it formerly belonged to the ancient family of M’Gilly
+Cuddy, whose name it still bears. The mountains are called Ricks, in
+allusion to their shape, which approaches nearer to a cone than any other
+regular figure.
+
+The southern boundary of the lake is formed by a range of high mountains.
+Cahirnee, S, which joins the Ricks, is the largest of them, and belongs
+to Lord Shelburne: it is distinguished by a waterfall, but is no
+otherwise remarkable. Towards the eastern angle this range terminates
+in a sloping bank, which forms one side of the Glynn of Derry-Cannihy.
+This Glynn, T, gradually contracting as it retires from the lake, loses
+itself in another, still more extensive, about a mile distant. Its
+sides are covered with very stately timber, particularly oaks; and it
+affords a delightful repose to the eye, fatigued with reiterated mountain
+prospects. The Kavoge rolls a considerable stream through the center,
+which, tumbling down a rocky channel, where it forms a variety of lesser
+falls, makes the woods and caverns vocal. The Glynn belongs to Lord
+Kenmare, who is now preparing to disrobe it of its trees, as well as the
+adjoining mountain Derry-Dimna. Whether the Genius of the lakes, or some
+more persuasive Divinity, will have power to stay his uplifted axe, time
+will determine. The determination, with respect to his Lordship’s taste,
+will be final.
+
+May no future traveller have occasion to quote here the mournful lines of
+Virgil!
+
+    _Itur in antiquam silvam, stabula alta ferarum._
+    _Procumbunt piceæ, sonat icta securibus ilex,_
+    _Fraxineæque trabes; cuneis et fissile robur_
+    _Scinditur: advolvunt ingentes montibus ornos._
+
+Crom-a-glaun[3], which belongs to Lord Kenmare also, confines the lake
+to the East, U. It extends from Derry-Cannihy to within a mile of Turk,
+and, though no where lofty, is one of the largest mountains in the
+neighbourhood. Its sides are covered with a luxuriant copse, which
+reaches down to the water’s edge: and its modest height, compared with
+the aspiring cliffs over-against it, gives it the appearance of a larger
+hill. The foot of this mountain is washed for a considerable length by
+a narrow confined bay, lying parallel to the river. This bay has no
+beauties to boast of; its western side is bleak and barren, and it is
+quite destitute of islands.
+
+The Purple Mountain, though not immediately touching upon the lakes, is
+an object of curiosity not to be passed over, W. It rises from behind the
+Great Range, in a conical shape, and is strongly characterised by its
+deep indigo colour. It abounds with a kind of heath, found in no other
+part of the country, which produces purple berries; but receives its
+prevailing tinct from another herb, used by the natives in dying. This
+is probably the _Lichenoides saxatile foliis pilosis purpureis_, found
+by Doctor Smith in an adjoining Barony, though overlooked by him here.
+It affords shelter to a bird, so little known in Kerry, that as yet it
+has no popular name. This bird, as it was described to me, is somewhat
+larger than a grouse; its breast red, the rest of its plumage a clear
+shining black, except the wings, and tail, which are interspersed with
+white feathers. Whether this be of the same species with the heath cock,
+so common in Scotland under the name of the black game, I know not: I am
+sure I have heard, that the heath cock of the Highlands delights in the
+purple-berried heath, and resembles our rara avis in colour.
+
+
+
+
+SECTION II.
+
+
+I have now given a general sketch of the confines of the lakes, and their
+most remarkable bays. The islands are no less worthy of notice; though,
+from their number, situation, and varieties, so difficult to describe,
+that I despair of conveying any distinct conception of them.
+
+The number of islands in the lower lake exceeds thirty. They are
+dispersed, without order, along the level shores to the East and North;
+for to the South and West, there is one unbroken sheet of water. A few
+of them lie unconnected, but the greater number is distributed into
+two irregular clusters, or archipels, on the opposite sides of Ross,
+X, Y. This island is the largest in the lake: it lies to the East of
+Reen Point, about a mile from the village of Killarney. A very narrow
+gut, scarcely navigable for boats, separates it from the shore; and
+over this there is a bridge thrown, for the conveniency of the castle.
+The castle stands on the land side on the island, and was formerly a
+royal residence; being the seat of the Lords of the Lake, who assumed
+the title of Kings. The family of O’Donahue was the last that bore this
+title: its present representative enjoys a degree of respect from the
+country-people in right of his ancestors, but their power has been long
+extinct, and their property is now passed into other hands. The great
+O’Donahue, the hero of this ancient race, still survives in the praises
+of his countrymen; who set off his virtues with all the colourings of
+enthusiasm. They represent him like the Demi-gods of old, a contemner of
+danger, a sworn foe to oppression, a passionate admirer of whatever is
+great and honourable. The severity of his warlike virtues was tempered,
+say they, by a generous hospitality, which embraced a Friend in every
+Stranger: The rigour of the Legislator was blended and lost in the
+endearing condescension of the Friend; the Prince was the Father of his
+country. His court was the seat of joy and festivity: worth took its
+place at the board by inherent birthright, grey hairs received their
+reverence, distressed innocence had a peculiar plea of admission, for
+humanity was paramount, and suspicious policy absolutely unknown. He
+was wise too, and the Gods sped his councils, for his subjects were
+happy. Fruitful seasons crowned the year with plenty, and undisturbed
+tranquillity led the way to enjoyment. ’Twas the reign of Pan in Arcadia:
+nor were the shepherds ungrateful; for every valley resounded with his
+praises: nor was their patron unpropitious; for death, that extinguished
+his earthly lamp, seemed to rekindle his love. And still he reigns
+to bless them; and to his unseen protection do they hold themselves
+indebted, for every gift of fortune. Often as the hind returns to his
+cottage, by the favour of the moon’s pale light, are his eyes blessed
+by the figure of the good old King amidst a train of his attendants;
+his silver locks floating in the breeze, his limbs invested with a
+robe of regal dignity, and superbly mounted, like the twin brothers of
+Helena, upon a milk-white courser. Such a vision is considered as the
+happiest omen of good; it is reported with ecstasy, and listened to with
+transport: there are no unbelievers; even to hesitate were heresy: and
+why should we wonder? O’Donahue is the Hercules and Quirinus of this
+retired people, their _San Januario_, their _Julium Sidus_. The ancient
+tribute of the kings of Munster to this prince, was ten dun horses, ten
+coats of mail, and ten ships[4]: This gives us the idea of a powerful
+chieftain, possessed of a navy, in these days, truly formidable. The
+castle, which has a non-resident governor, now serves as a barrack for
+infantry. From the top of it there is a good view of the island, which
+appears low and swampy, and rather narrow for its length. It is every
+where covered with trees, unless where it has been industriously cleared;
+which is the case around the castle, and from thence to the opposite
+shores. The winding Peninsula towards Innisfallen is particularly
+pleasant: The bays and creeks are much like those at Mucrus, but the
+happy situation of the surrounding islands gives them many additional
+beauties.
+
+Innisfallen lies at a small distance to the Westward. It is not so
+extensive as Ross, but much more beautiful. Its shape is triangular, and
+its sides, from promontory to promontory, are hollowed into bays. The
+soil is exceedingly rich, and the verdure perpetual. The cattle which
+feed upon it testify to its fertility. Its surface is naturally molded
+into a variety of sweeps and banks, which are cleared of the underwood,
+and shaded by well-grown trees. Near the north-east promontory are the
+ruins of an abbey, and what the boatmen call a banqueting-house. The
+abbey is a very paltry building, and was probably rather an occasional
+retreat to the good Fathers at Mucrus, than the seat of a distinct
+Brotherhood. Such retreats, with all reverence be it spoken, are no less
+agreeable to the Anchorite, than Caprea was of old to the Roman Emperor.
+Whether it is, that the extremes of vice, and the rigours of virtue,
+equally decline observation; or that affected sanctity, and avowed
+sensuality, though looking different ways, aim at the same objects; or
+that a suspension, and perversion, of the human powers, produce similar
+effects; I leave to the curious to determine. Certainly here might Virgil
+find the realities of his beautiful descriptions,
+
+              ——_Hic lætis otia fundis,_
+    _Speluncæ, vivique lacus; hic frigida Tempe,_
+    _Mugitusque boum._—
+
+and, looking upon the distant mountains, he might still subjoin,
+
+    _Non absunt illic, saltus, ac lustra ferarum._
+
+The Hermit I have before mentioned, frequently shut himself up here;
+subsisting, as he made the country-people believe, upon rats and other
+vermin: but they were deceived as usual; for the bounty of strangers, who
+almost daily touched on his island, supplied him with food better suited
+to his palate, and his private resources made up their deficiencies.
+
+The low island to the Westward is inferior to Innisfallen in every thing
+but extent. It is called Brown Island, from its colour, and Rabbit
+Island, from its being stored with those animals. There are no trees upon
+it, and its only covering is fern: It seems to be placed here as a foil
+to the others.
+
+The remaining islands of the western cluster, are of a less size, and
+more contiguous to the shore, than those I have spoken of. Lamb’s Island
+is the largest of them: It is finely wooded, and is indeed Innisfallen
+in miniature. Hern Island lies South East of Lamb’s: it is small, but
+wooded. O’Donahue’s Prison, and Mouse Island, complete the cluster; and,
+tho’ naked rocks, are not destitute of beauties: they derive their names,
+the one, from its resemblance in some views to a house; the other, from
+its diminutive size.
+
+The islands which compose the eastern cluster, Y, though smaller, are
+more numerous. Garvillan, or Rough Island, at the east point of Ross;
+and Alexander’s, nearer the shore; are very little raised from the
+surface of the water. O’Donahue’s Table is a naked cragg, by gradual
+dilapidation worn into cavities. The other islands rise boldly to a
+point, and are counter parts of the vegetating heights at Mucrus. They
+are in general finely fringed with evergreens, which cover their angles
+and unevennesses; and are peopled by distinct tribes of birds, that feed
+on land in the day, and return at the dusk of evening: The jackdaw,
+pigeon, hern, eagle, and osprey, have all their separate habitations.
+
+Besides these which lie in irregular groupes, there are several single
+islets scattered along the shores of Mucrus. Friars Island is contiguous
+to the abbey; Oak Island more distant; and another, which produces
+junipers, still farther to the South. Cannon Island, a white rock off
+Camillan, is remarkably well situated for shewing the power of the
+echoes. A gun mounted here, and pointed against Glená, must produce a
+striking effect; for Turk, the Eagle’s nest, and the several mountains on
+the opposite sides of the river, would serve as so many conveyances to
+transmit the undulations to the upper lake, and multiply the repetitions.
+
+Brickeen, and Dinish, which lie in the mouth of Turk Lake, have been
+already described: the only other island in this lake is Illanan-Deoul,
+the Devil’s Island: it is lofty, steep, but not wooded.
+
+The upper lake contains eight islands, which are all worthy of notice.
+The Oak Islands, or Rossburkree, separated only in winter, are the most
+considerable; and lie in the south-east part of the lake, opposite the
+mouth of the river. They are richly covered with timber, but particularly
+the eastern, which must yield up its oaks at the same time with the
+adjoining Glynn: they are rugged, and uneven, though no where hilly, and
+stretch away in length.
+
+Arbutus Island lies over-against Rossburkree, half encompassed by a shady
+bay. Its shape is pyramidical, and its rocky sides are covered with
+strawberry-trees. In the latter end of October, when I first visited
+Killarney, they were in high beauty: many of their bells and blossoms
+still remaining, the fruit on some just forming, and on others nearly
+ripe. The same bough often exhibited all these varieties. The ordinary
+height of the tree is ten, or twelve feet; but I have seen some of a
+happier growth which rose to eighteen, or twenty. The blossom is shaped
+like a goblet, and the fruit nearly spherical: it is at first of a pale
+yellow, which deepens as it advances to ripeness, and gradually gives
+place to a rich scarlet. It equals the largest garden strawberry in size,
+but must be eaten with more caution, for those who are unaccustomed to
+it, and indulge too freely, are seized with an oppression little less
+than lethargic: This I take upon the credit of the country-people, who
+use it themselves without reserve, generally accompanying it with a
+hearty draught of water, to qualify its juices. The elder Pliny calls
+this fruit Unido, because no more than one berry can be eaten at a time
+with safety: but Virgil makes it the common food of the first inhabitants
+of the earth, following Lucretius, who ranks it with the acorn itself,
+and tells us that in the earlier ages it grew to an extraordinary size,
+and was found in greater abundance.
+
+    _Glandiferas inter curabant corpora quercus_
+    _Plerumque; et quæ nunc, hiberno tempore, cernis_
+    _Arbuta, pœniceo, fieri matura, colore,_
+    _Plurima, tum tellus, etiam majora, ferebat._
+
+                                      LUCRET. Lib. V.
+
+The arbutus was no less esteemed among the ancients for its pleasant
+shade, than its fruit; as may be discovered from the poets, and
+particularly from Horace, the admirer, and best judge, of whatever is
+elegant in retirement.
+
+The remaining islands to the number of five, lie together in a cluster,
+Z, at the west end of the lake, about half a mile from the shore. They
+are beautiful in themselves, and are so grouped as to form a delightful
+assemblage: They are all lofty, all wooded; and the bold broken craggs,
+and angles, in many places overhanging the lake, seem to forbid the
+approach of human footsteps, and consecrate them to their native ospreys
+and eagles. But man has notwithstanding intruded; for in the central
+one, which is only accessible in one spot, there is a cottage raised
+under shelter of the rocks, and trees, which is occupied every season.
+The cottage is composed of timber, interwoven with boughs; and is so
+matted, and covered in, with leaves, and sedge, as to form a comfortable
+habitation. The gentleman to whom it belongs, visits it twice a year,
+for the benefit of shooting and fishing: he sometimes continues for two
+entire months, as much secluded from the world as an Indian in Ontario,
+or Mishigan: He is a man of independent fortune, and, as I have been
+told, a batchelor.
+
+In traversing his little island, I observed it was carpeted over with a
+thick covering of decayed leaves, and boughs. I could easily discover
+the strata of the several past years, by the different degrees of
+putrefaction; till near the bottom, where the dissolution was more
+complete, they were cemented into one uniform mass, condensed by the
+pressure above, and so swoln by the rains and moisture, as not to be at
+all distinguishable. As the decay was more perfect, the colours declined
+more perceptibly from the original lighter tints, ending, in the bottom,
+in as perfect a black, as I ever saw in any of our bogs. The similitude
+of the contexture, as well as the colour, convinced me, that the black
+bogs with which Ireland abounds, have been formed by the same process:
+a process which is probably forwarded, by the continual moisture, and
+rains, in a climate, neither burnt up by scorching heats, nor congealed
+by the rigours of cold.
+
+This inhabited islet is the center of the groupe; to the South-west of it
+lie Stag, and Hind; and M’Carthy’s, and the Eagles Rock, to the North and
+North-west.
+
+
+
+
+SECTION III.
+
+
+The objects we have just taken a review of, gave me such pleasure in
+the contemplation, that I cannot help wondering at those, who profess
+themselves disappointed in them, and affect to decry them: Men should be
+cautious in admitting preconceptions. If they expect to see something
+altogether great, and stupendous, in a circuit of ten or twelve miles;
+the variety of objects, and the narrow limits of the scene, must
+necessarily disappoint them: for greatness in natural objects requires
+an unbroken uniformity of appearance, and that uniformity reigning over
+a wide extended surface. If they look for the aweful and terrible; the
+happy temperature of the climate, which cloaths even the rocks and
+precipices with a rich covering, and overspreads the rugged face of the
+mountains with luxuriance, is a natural bar to it. But if beauties will
+content them, in every degree of the scale, from wild magnificence,
+downwards; it is strange to me if they go away unsatisfied. Indeed
+what can be more beautiful, than the several views of a fine piece of
+water, studded with islands, encompassed by mountains, resounding with
+waterfalls, and reflecting, on all sides, the umbrageous trees, and
+evergreens, that adorn its banks? What can be more surprising than the
+fertility of the rocks, where the trees, too ponderous for their feeble
+roots, are often bent towards the earth, and flourish thus distorted?
+What more curious than different species of shrubs springing from the
+same decayed stock; which, no longer able to push forth leaves itself,
+serves as a nidus to others? And is there any thing more wonderful than
+the power of the echoes; which not only multiplies and reiterates the
+most ordinary sounds, but swells them to the pitch of natural thunder?
+
+To hazard an opinion: The prevailing character of Killarney is Variety;
+the second Beauty; Magnificence is subordinate. Here Beauty, by her
+magic, and diffusive influence, gives a grace to Variety; whilst
+Variety furnishes her benefactress with flattering contrasts: United,
+they present the fancy with the most delightful images, of repose,
+tranquillity, unstudied order, natural wildness, and rural magnificence.
+
+Objects, desirable in themselves, derive new beauties from their position
+with respect to others; and even such as excite no pleasing emotions
+when viewed singly, have often an agreeable effect in combination. But
+these relative beauties, as they result from the harmonious proportion of
+a number of parts, are entirely lost by an injudicious jumble of them;
+so that to see a multiplicity of objects to advantage, it is necessary
+to class them with taste, and consider them in those lights, and points
+of view, where they neither run into a perplexing confusion, on the one
+hand, nor a tiresome sameness, on the other.
+
+The most magnificent view of the Great Lake and its environs is that
+from the Yellow Mountain (1), about two miles to the Northward. The eye
+passing over a rich valley, meets the lake in the center, with the Eagles
+Nest, and the other mountains which stretch to the upper lake, behind
+it: on one side are Glená, Tomé, and M’Gilly Cuddy’s Ricks, which lose
+themselves to the Westward; on the other, Turk, Mangerton, Glanflesk, and
+the Paps, in the opposite direction; all together forming a range of more
+than twenty miles. The waving outline of these mountains is uncommonly
+beautiful: the lake is happily placed in the center; and there is a
+degree of unstudied regularity in the whole, which, added to the majesty
+of the single parts, makes a noble, regular, and striking picture.
+
+Aghadoe (2) was of old an episcopal seat, and a place of some
+consequence: a ruined turret, and the shattered walls of a cathedral, are
+the only vestiges of it remaining. It stands on an eminence to the North
+of the lake, near the western extremity, and commands a most extensive
+prospect of its borders, and islands. Innisfallin, and the western
+cluster, appear from hence in perfect beauty: the shaggy sides of Glená,
+and Tomé, are finely opposed to the level shores; the distant islands,
+referred to their contiguous banks, have the air of so many promontories;
+and the stately mountains, Turk and Mangerton, rising from behind the
+peninsula of Mucrus, complete one of the most beautiful scenes in nature.
+
+Dunlow castle (3), the seat of Mr. Crosby, is the best station for
+viewing the lake from the West. It stands on a perpendicular cliff over
+the river Lune, about a mile from its source, and with the surrounding
+scenery is a very fine object. From hence the islands are seen in a
+different, but less pleasing situation; the view is bounded to the right
+by Tomé, and Glená; and, taking in the sloping bank, and the village of
+Killarney, to the left, terminates agreeably on Mucrus, and the high
+grounds beyond it: The several doublings, and turns, of the river, that
+winds through the rich valley beneath, have a pleasing effect; and for
+a contrast, the bleak sides of the Ricks, and the hollow Glynn which
+divides them from Tomé, afford one sufficiently glaring.
+
+The views from the East (4) are very numerous, and beautiful: there is
+scarce a break, or height, along the Peninsula, that does not present a
+new face of things, or a different arrangement of them. The eminence near
+the abbey, the meadows and gardens at Mucrus, and the point of Camillan,
+where Turk, Glená, and the Eagles Nest, meet the eye at once, must be
+noted by the most careless observers.
+
+To those who would have a perfect knowledge of the lakes, the top of
+Turk (5) is the best station. From thence they appear as distinctly,
+as if delineated on canvass; but the minuter beauties are lost by the
+height of the mountain, and at best, a prospect from such an overtopping
+eminence, is better calculated for the Ichnographist, than the man of
+taste and fancy.
+
+From the side of Mangerton (6), about one fourth of the common ascent,
+there is a very commanding prospect of the Great Lake, and the adjacent
+country, which shews the objects more in the light of perspective
+than that from Turk, at the same time that it preserves the natural
+arrangement of the islands, and the sinuosity of the bays. Here the
+Peninsula seems to float on the surface of the water like a vast serpent,
+and, when illuminated by the sun’s rays, displays its green spiry length,
+every where distinct with shining beauties, in a manner at the same time
+singular, and pleasing.
+
+From the top of this mountain, ascended by a tedious path of three miles,
+the prospect is wild, commanding, and in a manner unbounded. On one side
+lie the lakes, diminished almost in the scale of Shakespear’s fancied
+simpler: On the other, at some distance, the noble river of Kenmare,
+along which the eye passing for near thirty miles reposes at length on
+the swelling bosom of the Atlantic. On all sides save one the country is
+mountainous; to the East the mountains trend away in an irregular ridge,
+till obscured and lost in the opaque vapours; to the West, and indeed in
+every other direction, they are thrown together in as tumultuous, and
+wild an assemblage, as if Chaos had been here arrested in his billowy
+career, and chained to stability by the supreme _fiat_. The lakes are
+seen from hence but partially, and in truth appear only as a drop of
+water, to the vast ocean in view: while the mountains which encompass
+them, compared with Mangerton itself, hide their diminished heads,
+declining all rivality. Taken together, tho’ far inferior even to the
+maritime Alps in grandeur, and as much to the mountains in Switzerland,
+and the Esterelles in Provence, in fertility, they exhibit an appearance
+of nature so uncommon, as must furnish the best informed fancy with new,
+and picturesque images.
+
+And now, traveller, having satisfied thy curiosity, plod thy way
+downwards; for the clouds begin to marshal, the vapours to accumulate,
+and soon will the scene thou gazest at vanish, and the spot where thou
+standest become the seat of darkness; unless thou indeed wouldest inhabit
+the clouds, and _sensibly experience_ that palpable Obscure, which thou
+hast only _read of_ in Milton.
+
+The most desirable view of the upper lake is from the East, on the cliffs
+of Crom-a-glaun, or Bolinendra (7). The islands, and mountains, are seen
+from hence in a very happy arrangement; and there is a certain air of
+wildness in the prospect, which borders on the romantic.
+
+These are some of the views from the banks, and eminences, in the
+neighbourhood of the lakes, that appeared to me the most pleasing. Those
+from the lake itself, though not so extensive, are no less beautiful; but
+they are so numerous, and it is so difficult to convey an adequate idea
+of their nice varieties, and differences, that I shall barely hint at one
+or two in the most distinguished classes.
+
+Turk, when viewed from the lake below (8), has some pretensions to
+grandeur: it rises to a respectable height, fills the eye with an
+unbroken surface of two miles in extent, and is one great and uniform
+object: but greatness is a relative term, and that degree of it we speak
+of, is rather calculated to give the mind a certain taste of grandeur,
+than to satisfy it with a complete idea.
+
+From the river immediately beneath (9), the rugged appearance of the
+Eagles Nest inspires surprise, and awe; but the sportive hand of Nature
+has so managed it, that these feelings never border upon that anxious
+uneasiness which attends the contemplation of objects properly speaking
+terrible.
+
+From the upper lake between Arbutea, and Rossburkree (10), the western
+isles are seen at a due distance, and appear to great advantage. The eye
+is confined on each side by two uniform risings, and the back ground
+of the picture is occupied by the amphitheatre of mountains which
+encompasses the western valley. There is a beauty in the islands, a
+wildness in the mountains, and a magnificence in the air of the whole
+prospect, which not only amuses the mind, but seems to exalt and expand
+it, and awakens such sentiments as one feels from a sublime passage in
+Homer or Milton.
+
+The effect of many of these views is, in my opinion, much heightened by
+the hourly revolutions in the face of the heavens. The vast volumes of
+clouds, which are rolled together from the Atlantic, and rest on the
+summits of the mountains, cloath them with majesty: the different masses
+of light and shade, traversing the lakes in succession, as the shifting
+bodies above float across them, exhibit all the varieties of night, and
+day, almost at the same instant: the mists interposing their dull, yet
+transparent coverings to the view, raise new desires of a fuller, and
+clearer prospect: and the wandering vapours flitting from cliff to cliff,
+as if in search of the clouds from which they have been separated, amuse
+the eye with their varieties, and irregular motions.
+
+After all, this happy spot labours under one disadvantage, and one
+too I am the more averse to mention, since so celebrated a writer as
+Doctor Johnson has thought it sufficient, in the case of Loch Lomond, to
+counterbalance so many natural beauties; and this is no other than the
+immense rains; which fall here more abundantly, and that even in the best
+seasons for visiting the lake, than in all other parts of the kingdom.
+But surely Philosophy will suggest many topics to quiet our complainings
+on this head. She will tell us, that to expect perfection in things
+sublunary, is to wish where we cannot hope: that the cup of pleasure,
+even when presented to us by the pure hand of Benevolence, is never
+without some unpalatable ingredients: that where Nature has provided us
+with so rich a repast, where she has displayed such enchanting scenery to
+the eye, and gratuitously accumulated all this variety of entertainment;
+we ought to enjoy her bounties, in the time, manner, and circumstances
+she chooses to exhibit them. But if we should further discover, that
+the limitations she sets to our pleasures, are necessary to our being
+pleased at all; that what we call a disadvantage is the spring and source
+of all we admire; that the Hyades are here the handmaids of Flora; for
+that without these perpetual effusions of rain we complain of, the rocks
+must resign their vegetable inhabitants, the rivers mourn their exhausted
+urns, and the cascades no longer resound save in the dull ear of Memory;
+that the living lake itself must dwindle into an inconsiderable pool,
+and the mountains, stript of their honours, become a dreary waste, the
+abode of gloom and barrenness: In this case, surely, our complaints must
+be turned to admiration, and our regrets to a grateful acquiescence.
+Shall we not here exclaim in the spirit of Homer!
+
+    With gold-embraided locks, the exulting Seasons
+    Received her from the hands of forming Nature;
+    And round her silver margin did encircle,
+    With never-fading forms, umbrageous hills,
+    Sweet vocal vallies, plains enamel’d o’er
+    With many a flower.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+FOOTNOTES
+
+
+[1] Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland.
+
+[2] By the experiment of the barometer, Mangerton was found to be 3060
+feet in perpendicular height. But the sudden variations of the state of
+the air, at considerable heights, in a climate so changeable as ours,
+seem to require the concurrence of repeated experiments as the basis of
+admissible conclusions.
+
+[3] I have included the several ranges of mountains which form the
+shores of this lake, under the name of the most considerable, to avoid
+multiplying uncouth terms. What I have called Ghirmeen is known by the
+several denominations of Doogery, Ghirmeen, and Derry-Carnagh: On the
+opposite side, besides Cahirnee, are Derry-Lishigane, Galloveely, and
+Derry-Arde: and to the East, under Crom-a-glaun are included, Bolinendra,
+Derry-Dimna, and Derry-Cannihy.
+
+[4] Vide _Collectanea Hibernica_.
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76556 ***