238 THE GARDEN. 



of the western sun, came rippling along the edge 

 of the coast, and sported over the sands. The 

 contrast was inconceivably fine : never did ocean 

 appear so mighty, nor ' all the grand magnificence 

 of heaven' so imposingly sublime, as when I had 

 just emerged from that labyrinth of neglected 

 flowers and permitted weeds. Yet it was all in 

 keeping : sea and sky most beautifully harmonized 

 with the wide range of tall green shrubs, on which 

 I could look back, or rather down, from the emi- 

 nence : and the many-tinted clouds of sunset ap- 

 peared as the very pallet from whence the flowers 

 had stolen their corresponding hues. I was then 

 a wild young girl, and my feelings were kindled to 

 the highest pitch of enthusiasm by the scene : but 

 I little thought that a deserted garden on England's 

 eastern coast, was, in after years, to furnish a type 

 for the lovely western isle, concerning which I, of 

 course, knew less then I did of Peru or Kamt- 

 chatka. I say of course, because it seems to be 

 a general rule among us, that young people should 

 know no more of Ireland than they can learn by 

 committing to memory the names of its four pro- 

 vinces and thirty-two counties ; and old people only 

 what they can glean from the newspapers : in 

 proof whereof I will just mention that, four years 

 ago, wanting to refer to an authentic history of 

 Ireland, I went to borrow it from the library of a 

 first rate military public institution, which salaries 



