206 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



equally suitable rock on the Kintire coast at Banan-head, Dess-point 

 and other mining headlands opposite Torhead in Antrim. 



Of course, the promoter, being surveyor and engineer, with a wide 

 experience of work and means, did not fling off his idea, and leave it 

 nebulous for others to mould into working order. He joined figures 

 to facts, and proposed that it should be a national enterprise this 

 gigantic isthmus scheme that should not be made a pretext for taxa- 

 tion, but should, by the reclamation of land, secure the redemptions 

 by rents of a special issue of costless paper-money, and cheap metai 

 tokens, and that all able-bodied convicts of the state should be worked 

 here, however short their term of sentence. Details in other forms 

 of a practical nature were briefly stated by the engineer. This is the 

 other giant's causeway which would make the sister islands integral. 

 The projector says "It is not engineer's work to fill up a big ditch." 

 He has spent his time, means and money in his investigations, and 

 has issued two editions of his "land-junction" pamphlets and charts 

 and is now engaged on a third edition, looking forward to no gain 

 from it "except financially," and willing, as heretofore, to give a 

 part of his busy life to its fulfilment, which he says will cost about 

 3,000,000 of paper-money, and occupy three years to accomplish. 



The study of Fairhead with its varied stone and mineral wealth 

 ranging from brownstone, coal and limestone to basaltic rock and gran- 

 ite, possessed for me the greatest interest for the purposes of the 

 proposed isthmus. 



Fairhead is honey-combed with coal, iron, and limestone; and 

 stone -workings and air-shafts, some of them ages old, are found. The 

 bold headland, over 600 feet high, is backed by the round- topped hill 

 of Knockalayd, nearly 1,700 feet high, with a pretty town Bally 

 castle nestling almost between the "head," the "hill" and the sea 

 at its narrowest part. Here I rested myself and my camera, after 

 long tours afoot, from which I only returned at 9 or 10 o'clock at 

 night, oftentimes seeing no one in twelve hours' outing but a shepherd 

 or perhaps children, whose homes would be in some out-of-the-way 

 nook in the hills. 



The question of food may occur to the reader. This was surely 

 the mountain air, for although possessing a fair appetite I often con- 

 tented myself with a biscuit and drink from some rill. 



When I arrived at Ballycastle for the first time early Sunday 

 morning, I was shown good quarters by the kind village post-man. 

 This was at Mrs. Blair's in the main street a quiet, comfortably- 

 furnished home, where without fuss a breakfast was at once set be- 

 fore me, along with slippers for my aching feet; and I may add that 

 my welcome was increased by the proprietor's two nice daughters, who 

 talked genially and without intrusiveness. 



People know that touring is cheap in Ireland, so I shall astonish, 

 no one by mentioning that the tariff was 1 s per night for one room. 



