IRISH INSECT-HUNTER. 165 



we never encountered any approach to that reluctance or 

 difficulty among the most isolated of these people, which is 

 often the case in Wales and Scotland. The mother conversed 

 freely. She said we were still twelve miles from Clifden, but 

 five might be saved by a short cut about three miles further on. 



Our guide was an intelligent man for his station in life. 

 We had much conversation with him on the light in which 

 strangers — ourselves, for instance — were looked upon on 

 coming amongst them ; the general feeling towards England 

 and the English government ; the state of education ; the 

 terms between the Catholics and Protestants in this part of 

 the country ; and the opinion respecting O'Connell. I had 

 several times expressed my surprise at the readiness with 

 which our English was understood and answered even by 

 children. He said that schools were now formed almost every- 

 where, in which English was universally taught ; that, had we 

 carried our proposed visit to Cleir Island into execution, we 

 should have found the people just as civilized, and just as good 

 English spoken ; that, though they had hitherto no great 

 attachment to England, they could not but look upon good 

 English coming among them as friends ; that there were no 

 heartburnings between Catholics and Protestants here; and 

 they fancied O'Connell was doing quite as much for himself as 

 for them. Our guide himself was a Catholic. 



At length we reached the point where we were to take the 

 short cut. We here met a man on horseback. He said we 

 could not possibly reach Chfden, on foot as we were, that 

 night, for he was more than two hours out of it. We spoke of 

 the short cut. He advised us against attempting it. Our 

 guide reckoned he knew the direction perfectly, and could 

 find the way readily enough when once put into it. The 

 temptation of saving five Irish miles, and reaching our desti- 

 nation at last, was too strong ; and the horseman then pointed 

 out some land-marks for our guidance, as far as the eye could 

 reach. So up the face of the mountain we went, glad to escape 

 the road ; and our spirits rose as we ascended above it, and 

 saw it winding its weary length far away and round. So far 

 all well. The ascent was glorious. Nothing could exceed 

 the magnificence of the views that burst upon us. Awful 

 mountains, as desolate as could be conceived, rose one above 

 another, on one side ; on the other, Cleir Island, the Claggan, 



