SALMON ANGLING IN IRELAND. 75 



too, a long splice is cut, and glued to the first part. The spring, 

 straightness, and balance are now carefully examined, and any fault 

 corrected. Lastly, the butt is made from clean ash, and glued. 

 The rod being now roughed out, we will next suppose it perfect, so 

 we put on the slides for the wheel. 



The finishing is done by rasp and glass-paper. We must now 

 stain shall it be yellow or black ? If the former, the wood must be 

 brushed over with diluted nitric acid, and heat applied. If the latter 

 be preferred, treat the parts with a strong solution of nitrate of 

 silver, and afterwards with hydro-sulphuret of ammonia. Glass- 

 paper is again wanted, and now our work is smooth as ivory, and 

 round as a ruler. We have spent so much time on the job, that it is 

 not worth our while to omit French polishing. Eings are put on, 

 and top splices finished. The lapping must be perfectly smooth and 

 even. Copal varnish for the silk, and a lignum vitae button, the size 

 of a five-shilling piece, for a rest, and you have an article our friend 

 in Jermyn-street need not blush to own. 



The coast scenery round the cottage is perhaps the most beautiful 

 in Ireland. Within half an hour's stroll is the Giant's Causeway. 

 The mountain cliffs of basalt extend for miles, terminating at Fair- 

 head ; and happy is the man who has yet to see for the first time the 

 glorious beauty of that scene, extending far and wide over land and 

 water, mountain and island, bays, harbours, and hamlets, beautiful 

 in detail, and as a whole almost without a rival. 



As everybody has at least half a dozen stereoscopic views of the 

 Causeway, we will climb the Giant's path, and walk along the 

 furze-clad headlands, which, in my humble opinion, are worth all 

 the Hexagons in the world. I felt disappointed on first seeing this 

 wonderful piece of crystallization, and the feeling has never left me ; 

 compared with everything around, it seems insignificant. Well, 

 there is here beauty to please every taste ; but the breezy mountain 

 rocks for me. Shall I tell you what may be seen from their summits? 

 Far away to the north, clear, blue, and beautiful, lay the Hebrides, 

 the sun shining brightly on the cliffs of Islay, whilst the peaks of 

 Jura mingle with the clouds. At our feet the Causeway slopes gently 



