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sand hills, thrown up from the sand constantly dropped 

 from the great submerged banks which lie along the Wick- 

 low coast. Those near the mouth of the Ovoca are dis- 

 tinguished for their fertilizing property. They were found 

 to contain immense quantities of human bones in a state of 

 decomposition. Many battles are recorded as fought in this 

 place, and the hills here seem tumuli raised over the bodies 

 of the slain. 



In other places the sand banks are covered with a rich 

 sward, which seems to rest upon a soil as firm as any other 

 land. It was suggested by a gentleman, to employ the pea- 

 santry of the neighbourhood in- weaving the sedge, and 

 other marine plants, into mats and baskets. When they 

 were cut away for this purpose, the hills, losing the tenacity 

 they afforded, began to move, and have continued to do so, 

 changing the whole face of the country, covering up farms 

 and houses, and converting the townland, like Bannow, into 

 another Irish Herculaneum. 



The ridge of the hill affords many remains of remote an- 

 tiquity, some are blocks of stone fifteen feet in length, laid 

 parallel to each other, resembling burying places made for 

 men of gigantic stature. Beside one of these, a curious dis- 

 covery was recently made. A farmer was raising stones in a 

 wild and solitary part of the mountain, to fill up gaps ; about 

 two feet below the surface, he turned up a flag, under which 

 was a stone coffin, containing an urn in an inverted position, 

 under which were two small bones laid parallel to each other. 

 The coffin, consisting of six flags, was eighteen inches long, 

 the sides seven inches high, and ten broad, put together with 

 neatness, the corners rectangular, and the sides perpendicu- 

 lar ; the inside perfectly clean, and free from dust or mould. 

 The urn was four inches deep, swelling in the middle, and 

 contracting at both ends. It was rudely but neatly sculptured 

 with great care ; the bones were very small, but perfect, 

 having articulations at both ends, and were pronounced to be 



