IRELAND. 167 



south-east. It offers, far above any other lake in Ireland, inland 

 navigation to a great extent, though occasionally obstructed by 

 shallows. 



There is an abundant supply of fish in this lake, such as salmon, 

 trout, perch, pike, bream, eels, and a vast quantity of smaller fish. 

 Along- its shores are to be seen the ruins of several ancient castles : 

 and there is a round tower, still in good preservation, on the island 

 of Devenish. The country is very thinly populated, and there is 

 not one village on the immediate shores of this beautiful lake. 



Lough Erne is divided into two the upper and lower lakes, and 

 there is a distance of seven or eight miles between them, consist- 

 ing of a very circumscribed channel, which many have considered 

 might, with more propriety, be called part of the river Erne. The 

 lower lake, which has a depth of 230 feet in many places, is both 

 larger and deeper than the upper, and is interspersed with many 

 beautiful islands. It is not more than four miles distant from the 

 sea, yet it stands at an elevation of nearly 150 feet above the tide- 

 way. The first fall occurs at the village of Beleck, from which to 

 Ballyshannon there are many falls of picturesque beauty. There 

 is in this lake a sheet of water, about ten miles in length and five 

 in breadth, which is tolerably clear of islands. 



The upper lake, in its most open part, does not exceed a mile 

 and a half in each direction ; and its depth is seldom more than 

 twenty feet. It is elevated about two feet ten inches above the 

 lower lake. 



The general aspect of the surrounding country is barren, with 

 many isolated limestone hills, which seldom rise above 600 feet 

 except towards the west, where the Poola Fooka range of land 

 reaches 1,000 feet. 



The small river _ Erne, which runs out into the sea at 

 Ballyshannon, is said to be one ^f the most prolific streams in 

 the country. It runs rapidly, and is onlv about five miles in length. 

 It abounds with salmon and trout, and a variety of other inferior 

 kinds of fish. 



A friend of ours, a gentleman well acquainted with angling in 

 Ireland, has given us the following miscellaneous remarks irqm his 

 note-book on the subject. They are thrown together without 

 much order, but will be interesting to the tourist, notwithstanding. 



Should the Irish angler wish for a day's sport in pike or perch 

 fishing, he will find Loch Deig, on the Shannon, will afford him 

 amusement. Pike of twelve and fifteen pounds have often been 

 taken out of this piece of water. There are good trout in it, but 

 not many of them. A few specimens of the gillaro trout may here 

 be met with occasionally. Ely-fishing is here unworthy of the 

 angler's notice. 



Should he step aside, about ten miles from the banks of the 

 Shannon, from Killaloe to Broadwood, he may, perhaps, have a 

 chance of hooking some of the large pike, said to be sometimes 

 found in the Broadwood Lake. The country people tell us, that 



