IRELAND. 



269 



Tib. 



it derives its source from a small lake on the borders of 

 the county of Longford. Below Belturbet, it expands 

 itself into a lake ; it again assumes its former shape, 

 and flows past Ennitkillen; between this place and 

 Church-hill, it is sometimes a lake and sometimes a ri- 

 ver; but a little to the south of Church-hill, it widens 

 into an extensive lough, appearing like an inland sea. 

 From this description it will be seen, that Lough Erne; 

 properly (peaking, consists of two loughs; the one lies 

 north and south, joinu.g the other, which lies east and 

 west, by a small canal ; and from this last the river Erne 

 runs into the sea ; the first of these loughs is 20 miles 

 long, the other about 15 ; the greatest breadth of Lough 

 Erne is 12 miles; its medium breadth 10 miles. This 

 lough contains, in its two basins, 300 or 400 islands. 



Next in magnitude is Lough Neagh, which lies in 

 the centre of the province nf ( NUT, and is bounded by 

 five counties, Armagh on the south, Tyrone on the west, 

 Londonderry on the north-west, Antrim on the north 

 and east, and Down, which barely touches it on the 

 south eastern angle. It was formerly believed that 

 Lough Neagh covered 100,000 acres of land, and it is 

 so laid down in all th old map* of Ireland ; but, by a 

 recent accurate survey, its area is reduced nearly to one 

 half, as it does not exceed 58,300 acres ; its length is 

 >s and breadth seven mile*. This lough is sup- 

 plied by the constant influx of several river* of consi- 

 derable magnitude, although there is but one narrow 

 channel by which these are again discharged, yet it very 

 seldom inundates its shores. The river Bann, through 

 which its waters And their way into the ocean, has been 

 already described. In some places, the coast of Lough 

 Neagh is bold and abrupt ; but in general it is flat, and 

 nearly bare of wood ; nor are there in it " any of the 

 delightful interruptions," for which Lough Erne and 

 KilUrney are celebrated ; there being no breaks in the 

 prospect, with rocky and wooded island*. The tame- 

 ness of its surface is broken only in two parts, by 

 Black-water island, in the south-western angle of the 

 lough, at the mouth of the river of the sane name, and 

 by Ram Island, on its eastern borders, near the coast of 

 Antrii.1. Lough C orrib, in the province of Connaught 

 and county of Gal way is next in sise to Ixxigh 

 and Neagh ; it is 'i ' miles long from north to south, and 

 at the upper end broad, but grows narrower, so that its 

 medium breadth is only about four miles. In the midst 

 of the mountain* of the county of Kerry, i* the cele- 

 brated Lakes of Killamey : they are three in number ; 

 the largest, which is called the lower lake, occupies an 

 area of SOOO acres: its south-west shore is bounded by 

 a majestic range of mountain., while, on the opposite 

 shore, there is the fine and striking contrast of flat 

 land, in a high state of cultivation. Mueraw lake, to 

 the south, occupies 64O acres : it lie* immediately un- 

 der the Turk mountain. For about three miles, the 

 lake* continue with a width which give* them the ap- 

 pearance of a river, till they approach the upper lake, 

 conu icres \- this : IM lies in a hollow, 



mountains, its scenery is magnificent 

 degree. " These glassy 



lakes, overlooked by stupendous mountain! ; bordeved 

 with pendent woods, mast delightfully variegated, or- 

 namented with the most romantic verdant islands. 

 mounding on all sitle* with waterfalls, and the rever- 

 berations of a vast variety of echoes, combine n as- 

 semblage of beauty, perhaps unparalleled, at least far 

 all power of language to express '' The 

 * '** are almost the only ones in the south of Ireland ; 



the eatt, there. ate none of any importance; on the 



t 



north-west are the lakes of Cask, Frierty, Melno, Gill, Statistics. 

 and Macnean. Lough Allan, is in fact the river Shannon S "~V^ P ' 

 under another name, and has been already described. 



The water-fall at Hungra-hill, in the county of Cork, \Vtterfll. 

 may aptly be mentioned in this place ; it is thus de- 

 scribed by Dr. Smith, in his Ancient and Present Slate 

 of the County of Cork. " Not far from Ross-Mac-Owen, 

 is one of the largest and highest water-full-; in this king- 

 dom. This cataract is very visible from the town of 

 Bantry, at least 11 miles distant from it. The water is 

 collected from various small rivulets and springs, form- 

 ing a large lake on the top of a vast, high, rocky, and 

 almost perpendicular mountain, called Hungra-hill, 

 which is at least TOO yards above the level of the bay 

 of Bantry. The water cascades from the top of thf, 

 mountain, in a beautiful sheet, at least 10 yards broad, 

 which expands as it falls ; about half the height of the 

 mountain, it dashes perpendicular on a prominent rock, 

 from whence a mist arises, almost the third part of the 

 hill, which, in some particular stations, the sun's rays 

 playing upon it, and meeting the eye of the spectator, 

 must make a charming appearance ; these kinds of 

 mists, in such positions, generally reflecting the colours 

 of the Iris : Hence it falls from rock to rock, till it has 

 passed the rugged declivity of Hungra-hill ; and, be- 

 fore it joins the ocean, it has another fall, cascading in 

 an arch over a lower hill, all which make a fine sight 

 one sails up and down the bay." 



lany years after the example set by the Duke Canii*. 

 of Hridgewater, a grand canal was begun from the city 

 nl' Dublin to the river Shannon ; but, in the original 

 plan ami survey, great errors were committed, and tin- 

 work was interrupted in the year 1 770, after the canal 

 had been carried to the Bog of Allan, at an expence of 

 77,000. At the time of the I'nion, 500,000 was 

 voted by government to assist the completion of this 

 and other canals in Ireland ; and the grand canal now 

 extend* from Dublin to Shannon harbour, while ano- 

 ther branch proceed* to Atby, where it joins the Bar- 

 row ; it* greatest utility is to upply the capital with 

 turf. The royal canal, one branch of which IK* gin* at 

 Glasemanogree, in the county of Dublin, and the *Wr 

 at the Liffy, near the Lou, extends to Coolnahay, be- 

 yond Mullingar ; it is principally used for the carriage 

 of corn and turf. The New ry canal, which runs along 

 the southern boundary of the county of Down, is one of 

 the most useful in the kingdom. The improvement of 

 agricultve, and the conveyance of coals from the Ty- 

 rone coaleries, suggested the execution of thin canal ; it 

 ii cut from Carhngtbrd Bay, and, joining the N'ewry 

 water, embraces the upper Bann at Portodown ; thus 

 continuing the navigation to Lough Neagh, while a 

 branch strikes off to the Tyrone coaleries. Thi- canal 

 carries vessels of 5O or 60 tons burden The naviga- 

 tion of Lough Derg, above Killaloe, of the Shannon 

 from Lough Ree, and of the Barrow from Athy, hni 

 been improved, by director* appointed under an act of 

 the iSd of George III. 



Ireland has a circuit of 250 leagues of coast, which Set tout. 

 is deeply indented, particularly on the west and south- 

 west, where the whole force of the Atlantic ocean, 

 welling to a tremendous height, and breaking with 

 inconceivable violence on its shores, forms in the deep 

 recieaes of the promontories, by which these coasts are 

 distinguished, some of the noblest havens in the world. 

 Fourteen harbour* for the largest ships, seventeen for 

 frigates, and thirty-six for coasting vessel*, besides 

 twenty-four good summer roads, are to be found on the 

 different coasts of Ireland. 



