60 



The black ones are always found in the water, or on the shores of 

 the lough: sometimes in the mouths, or on the shores of rivulets, 

 that empty themselves into it. Those which have- wood continu- 

 ous with them, have not yet been found above twenty yards distance 

 from the waters of the lake ; which is about the distance to which 

 the waters reach in winter, and at other times., when its waters are 

 extraordinarily swelled. This gentleman observes, that the whet- 

 stones or hones, vulgarly so called, which are often sold for Lough 

 Neagh stones, are not so ; but are of a soft gritty kind, and are 

 found near Drogheda. 



There seems, however, little reason to believe, that the waters of 

 Lough Neagh possess, at present, any petrifying power ; since 

 the supporters of .this opinion, have not been able to adduce a sin- 

 gle well supported fact in proof of it. 



Mr. Carew observes, that " the Cornish tynners hold a strong 

 imagination, that in the withdrawing of Noah's floud to the sea, the 

 same took his course from east to west, violently breaking up, and 

 forcibly carrying with it the earth, trees, and rocks, which lay any 

 thing loosely, neare the upper face of the ground. To confirme the 

 likelihood of which supposed truth, they doe many times digge up 

 whole and huge timber trees, which they conceive at that deluge to 

 have been overturned and overwhelmed : but whether then, or 

 sithence, probable it is, that some such cause produced this effect*/' 



He also observes, that " the ancient name of St. Michael's 

 Mount, was Car a Clowse in Cowse, in English, the hoare rock in the 

 wood : which now is, at every flood, encompassed by the sea, and 

 yet at some low ebbes, roots of mighty trees, are discryed in the 

 sands about it-f " 



Camden not only notices those roots of mighty trees being seen 

 in the sands ; but remarks, that similar roots have been seen about 



*The Survey of Cornwall, written by Richard Carew, Esq. 1602, p. 7. 

 t Ibidem, p. 3. 



