made by Order of the Royal Dublin Society. 71 
mined, the consistence of a black mud, rather heavier than 
water, 
The surface of the bog of Kilmaleady was elevated upwards of 
20 feet above the level of the valley, from which it rose at asteep 
angle; and its external face, owing to the uncommon dryness 
of the season, being much firmer than usual, the inhabitants of 
the vicinity were enabled to sink their turf holes, and cut turf at 
a depth of at least 19 feet beneath the surface of the valley, and, 
in fact, until they reached the blue clay which forms the sub- 
stratum of the bog. Thus the faces of many of the turf banks 
reached the unusual height of 80 feet perpendicular ; when at 
length, on the 19th day of June, the lower pulpy and muddy 
part of the bog, which possesses little cohesion, being unable to 
resist the great pressure of water from behind, gave way, and, 
being once set in motion, floated the upper part ‘of the bog, and 
continued to move with astonishing velocity along the valley to 
the southward, forcing before it not only the clamps of turf on 
the edge of the bog, but even patches of the moory meadows, 
to the depth of several feet, the grassy surface of which heaved 
and turned over almost like the waves of the ocean; so that in 
a very short space of time the whole valley, for the breadth of 
almost a quarter of a mile between the bog edge and the base of 
-the hill of Lisanisky, was covered with bog to a depth of from 
eight to ten feet, and appeared every where studded with green 
patches of moory meadow. 
The hill of Lisanisky retarded the progress of the bog for 
some time; but at length it began to flow at right angles to its 
first course along the valley, where it turned to the west, and con- 
tinued with unabated rapidity until it reached the bog road of 
Kilbride, (which runs directly across the valley, and is elevated 
five or six feet above it,) and choked up by the bridge through 
which the waters of the stream pass. This barrier retarded the 
progress of the bog for five days; at the end of that time, the 
accumulation was such from the still moving bog and the waters 
of the stream, that it flowed over the road, and covered the valley 
to the south of it for cbout half a mile, flowing with varied velo- 
city, till it was again stopped for a few hours (as I understand) 
by a second road across the valley leading from Clara to Wood- 
field : having also overcome this obstacle, it proceeded slowly 
westward ; and if its progress had not been checked by the very 
judicious means that have been employed, the whole extent of 
the valuable meadows, which compose the valley where it ex- 
pands to the westward, must long since have been covered. But 
when the flowing bog had passed over the road of Kilbride, and 
the consternation in the country became general, at the = re 
of the lords justices, Mr. Gregory employed Mr. Killaly, en- 
gineer 
