THEIR HEIGHT, FORM, AND STRENGTH. 91 



Another Frenchman, Elie Keclus, writes : " In a 

 few of the remote districts the aspect of the inhabit- 

 ants is almost that of savages, their small eyes, low 

 foreheads, and tangled hair giving them the appear- 

 ance of Tartars. But, as a ride, the Irish are a fine 

 race, notwithstanding the small, turned-up nose 

 which at once enables us to pick out a son of Erin 

 amongst a crowd of Englishmen.* The natives of 

 Joyce's County in Connemara are of almost gigantic 

 stature, with fine limbs and strong muscles. The 

 men of Tipperary, though smaller, are no less strong, 

 and are distinguished for their agility and grace. 

 Comparative measurements made in the Universities 

 of the United Kingdom prove that the young men of 

 Trinity College, Dublin, do not yield in stature or 

 strength to their rivals of Oxford, Cambridge, 

 Glasgow or Edinburgh ; nay, that they are even 

 slightly their superiors. Even Englishmen, such as 

 Thackeray, in his Irish Sketch-book, admits that 

 most Irishwomen, who are able to lead a life of 

 ease and to nourish their beauty, are of more 

 distinguished appearance than Englishwomen. There 

 are few countries in Europe whose women possess 

 so much true dignity and self-respect. In many 

 districts of Ireland, even the peasant women, not- 

 withstanding their arduous labour, are indebted to 



* This is an echo of our Trinity College friend of 1836. E. H. 



