158 NOTES OF AN 



were sitting on the grass, in retired and picturesque situations, 

 reading, or otherwise enjoying themselves, in a most rational 

 and agreeable way. 



Westport is a regularly built town. The principal street 

 consists of Mrs. Robinson's hotel, — so highly spoken of by 

 Inglis, as scarcely second to any in the kingdom for the ex- 

 cellency of its accommodation, — occupying a considerable 

 frontage on one side ; the Catholic chapel, a substantial and 

 handsome stone edifice, on the other, with many very respect- 

 able private residences. It is wide enough to admit of the 

 river being conducted through it in a straight course, banked in 

 and planted with a mall of ash, elm, and alder. The trunk of 

 each tree is bastioned round, and there is a good carriage road 

 before the houses, on each side of the river. The whole had 

 a singular and somewhat continental appearance. About the 

 centre the I'iver is crossed by a stone bridge, leading up the 

 steep declivity of one of the business streets of the town. The 

 Market-house, alternately used as a school and chapel as well, 

 occupies the centre side of a pentagon, with a street out of the 

 opposite angle, appropriately enough called Shop Street, and 

 another street out of each of the two lateral angles. The 

 usual long rows of low mud cabins terminate one or two of 

 the streets, and stretch far into the country, making up a con- 

 siderable population ; but being of good width, and on a steep 

 ascent, they were kept tolerably clean and looked healthy. 

 There seemed to be a kind of stocking-market going on, from 

 the assemblies of women, each with some half dozen pair under 

 her arm or in her lap ; and we observed a greater proportion 

 of the population comfortably furnished in this respect than in 

 the more interior towns. There was even a considerable 

 sprinkling of English straw bonnets and veils, contrasting 

 prettily with the almost bare and fullblown busts of some of the 

 native beauties. Westport has a good quay, extensive gra- 

 naries, and considerable shipping, on the side where the 

 estuary comes up ; and there are several large linen factories 

 in the neighbourhood. 



We walked a mile or two out of the town, and then, by way 

 of exploring the country, struck into one of the cross roads, 

 that seemed to lead up into the heart of the bare and barren 

 mountains. From below they were apparently devoid of cul- 

 tivation, and without an inhabitant. To our astonishment we 



