144 



A YEAR OF liberty; OR, 



This huge lake has been called the "Windermere of Ireland ; and of 

 all the wrongs inflicted by the Saxon on this much-complaining 

 land, this is about the greatest and most tangible. Windermere, 

 indeed ! Well, the love of country is praiseworthy, but not when 

 it makes a man tell fibs. Possibly the comparison was meant as a 

 compliment ; we hope so, and must pardon the infatuation, for the 

 sake of the intention. Lough Erne does not offer one dull or 

 uninteresting view. Bound its whole shores beauty reigns every- 

 where ; slopes, the fairest and greenest, rise from its margin ; finely 

 wooded promontories stretch far into its bosom, forming calm inlets 

 and peaceful bays; the islands are imrivalled in loveliness, and 

 number about one hundred and eighty. 



At its eastern end stands Devenish, known far and wide for its 

 ruins and graceful round tower, the most perfect in the kingdom. 

 This mysterious edifice seems as fresh as the day in which unknown 

 hands laid the last stone. Over each loophole or window, imme- 

 diately under the cornice, rests a fine sculptured head. How many 

 centuries have these silent watchers looked out on the inconstant 

 world around? The iron horse snorts near, and noble mansions 

 have risen, owned by a new race. How lonely the grey old seers 

 must feel ; there is nothing to remind them of the far-off time when 

 they were young, By day they are silent; under the starry sky, 

 which is also unchanged, do they hold converse on what was, 

 what is, and is to be. If Mr. Home would throw one of these old 

 gentlemen into a clairvoyant state, and make him tell us all he knew, 

 I should perhaps believe there was something in his science after all. 



It is too bad to leave my- party so long. Here I am at the east 

 end of Lough Erne, whilst my friends are at the opposite extremity. 

 Well, I must once more take an oar, and tug that savage old Colonel, 

 who is growling like an ancient " grizzly," to the ground. He tells 

 me the various races in this watery realm do not live on amicable 

 teiins ; that the trout stand on their gentility, and will not associate 

 with the bream ; that the perch fall out with the roach, and the 

 pike are universally detested. Yet my old friend troubles not him- 

 self about these intestine divisions, but is eagerly selecting the best 



