HOOKS. 179 



seldom break, yet they now and then bend ; 

 and the English hooks, made of cast steel in 

 imitation of Irish ones, are the worst of all. 

 Tliere is a fly nearly of the same colour as 

 that which is destroyed ; and I can tell you 

 that I saw it made at Limerick by O'Shaugh- 

 nessy himself, and tied on one of his own 

 hooks. Should you catch with it a fish even 

 of 30 lbs. I will answer for its strength and 

 temper : it will neither break nor bend. 



PoiET. — Whilst I am attaching your pre- 

 sent, so kindly made, to my line, pray tell me 

 how these hooks are made, for I know^ you 

 interested yourself in this subject when at 

 Limerick. 



Hal. — Most willingly. I have even made 

 a hook, which, though a little inferior in form, 

 in other respects, I think, I could boast as 

 equal to the Limerick ones. The first re- 

 quisite in hook-making is to find good malle- 

 able iron of the softest and purest kind — such 

 as is procured from the nails of old horse- 

 shoes. This must be converted by cementation 

 with charcoal into good soft steel, and that 

 into bars or wires of different tliickness for 

 N 2 



