238 JOHNSTOWN. 



near it. Befides affording thefc forts of wild 

 fowl, the quantity and fize of its fifh are 

 amazing. Pikes fwarm in it, and rife in weight 

 to 5olb. In the little flat (paces on its banks 

 are fmall but deep lochs, which are covered in 

 winter and in floods ; when the river with- 

 draws, it leaves plenty of fifli in thfem, which 

 are caught to put into ftews. Mr. Holmes 

 has a fmall one before his door at Johnftown, 

 with a little ftream which feeds it ; a trowling 

 rod here gets you a bite in a moment, of a 

 pike from 20 to 4olb. I eat of one of 27lb. 

 fo taken ; I had alfo the pleafure of feeing a 

 fiflierman bringing three trouts, weighing 

 i4lb. and fell them for fix-pence halfpenny a 

 pieqe. A couple of boats lying at anchor, 

 with lines extended from one to the other, and 

 hooks in plenty from them, have been known 

 to catch an incredible quantity of trout. Co- 

 lonel Prittie, in one morning, caught four 

 ftone, odd pounds, thirty-two trouts : in ge- 

 neral they rife from 3 to plb. Perch fwarm ; 

 they appeared in the Shannon for the tirft time 

 about ten years ago, in fuch plenty that the 

 poor lived on them. Bream of 61 b. Eels 

 very plentiful. There are many gillaroos in 

 the river, one of i2lb. weight was fent to Mr. 

 Jenkinfon. Upon the whole, thefe circum- 

 flances, with the pleafure of fhocting and 

 boating on the river, added to the glorious 

 view it yields, and which is enough at any 

 time to chear the mind, render this neighbour- 

 hood one of the molt enviable fituations to 

 live in that I have feen in Ireland. The face 



of 



