70 — Report relative to the moving Bog of Kilmaieady, 
assistance of a gentleman named Waugh, and conveyed to a 
place of safety in “his park, and I was afterwards most hospitably 
entertained at his mansion. To him my gratitude is due; and but 
for his kind exertions, I have no doubt the balloon would have 
suffered considerable injury from the great crowd of persons that 
assembled on my descent. I believe, from the best calculation 
J can make, that I travelled altogether, in various directions, up- 
wards of 50 miles. 
49, Goswell-street, July 20. CuarLes GREEN. 
REPORT RELATIVE TO THE MOVING BOG OF KILMALEADY, IN THE 
KING'S COUNTY, MADE BY ORDER OF THE ROYAL DUBLIN 
SOCIETY. 
To Bucknat M‘Cartuy, Esq. &c. &c. 
Royal Dublin Society-House, July 10, 1821. 
Sir,—In compliance with the request of the Royal Dublin 
Society, conveyed to me by your letter of the 11th inst. I have 
visited the moving bog of Kilmaleady ; and finding on my return 
to Dublin to-day, that very erroneous notions, respecting its 
magnitude and destructive effects, have been entertained, I think 
it my duty immediately to communicate to you, for the infor- 
mation of the Society, some accounts of the nature and extent 
of this once alarming phenomenon. 
The bog of Kilmaleady, from whence the eruption broke out, 
situated about two miles to the north of the village of Clara, in 
the King’s County, is of considerable extent ; it may probably 
contain about 590 acres; in many parts it is 40 feet in depth ; 
and it is considered to be the wettest bog in the county. It is 
bounded on all sides, except the south, by steep ridges of high 
land, which are composed, at the top, of lime- -stone, gravel, 
and beneath of cavernous limestone-rock, containing subterra- 
neous streams; but the southern face of the bog is open toa 
moory valley, about a quarter of a mile in breadth, which for nearly 
half a mile in length takes a southern direction in the lands of Li- 
sanisky, and then turns at right angles to the west, and continues 
eradually widening for upwards of two miles. Thr oughoutthe centre 
of this valley flows a stream about 12 feetin breadth, which servesas 
a discharge for the waters from the bog and surrounding country, 
and finally joins the river Brusna, above the bridge of Bailycumber. 
The bog of Kilmaleady, like all other deep and wet bogs, is 
composed, for the first eight or ten feet from the surface down- 
ward, of a reddish brown ! spongy mass, formed of the still unde- 
composes fibres of the bog moss (Sphagnum palustre) which by 
capil ary attraction absorbs water in great quantity. Beneath 
this fibrous mass, the bog gradually becomes pulpy, till, at length, 
towards the bottom, it assumes the appearance, and, when exa- 
mined, 
a ae 
