1 10 Descriptive Notice of Castle Coolct Ireland. 



chestnut, 80 ft. high, 10 ft. in girt, 20 ft. of a clear bole; a horse- 

 chestnut, 50 years old, 60 ft. high, girt of the trunk 7 ft. 7 in., 

 and diameter of the head 60 ft. This is a very superb specimen; 

 and Lord Belmore told us that it increases one inch every year 

 in solid timber. We measured another very fine beech, which 

 was planted by Lord Belmore about thirty years since, and found 

 it to be 80 ft. high, 10 ft. in girt, with a head 18 ft. in diameter, 

 and a straight bole of 20 ft. We saw, also, some other fine speci- 

 mens, which we noted down for the Arboretum Britannicum. 

 In a noble avenue of oaks, we measured several, one of which was 

 90 ft. high, girt 10 ft. 5 in., bole to the branches 30 ft. Here 

 we were shown an old oak, taken out of the wood when it was 

 70 years old, and planted in the lawn, in a very exposed situa- 

 tion, by His Lordship, after some peculiar method of his own, 

 differing from Sir H. Steuart's plan. This oak has now been 

 planted 25 years; and, it having thrown out some small spray, 

 and proved strong enough to weather the Atlantic blast, we need 

 not say that such planting will answer the purpose, particularly 

 where there is little shelter. We were shown a design for a walk 

 round the rear of the plantation in front of the mansion, but 

 which we thought would be of little interest or use, except being 

 on a level with the other parts of the grounds. We would beg 

 to suggest the propriety of bringing it on the same level in front 

 of the plantation, when it would form by far the best walk in the 

 demesne, at once giving a beautiful prospect of the different 

 surrounding scenery, and affording a full view of the front of the 

 house. Situated at a short distance in the rear of the mansion, 

 and seen from the approach road leading to Enniskillen, is a 

 beautiful lake, nearly two miles round, inhabited by numbers of 

 domesticated and wild fowl. The bank on the distant side is 

 clothed with venerable oak trees projecting over the water, and 

 thus affording shade for the swans and wild geese; while their 

 tops are clustered with myriads of rooks, and the trees in the 

 island, and on the margin of the lake, are knotted with the nests 

 of the heron. The varied chattering of the waterfowl, combined 

 with the monotonous croaking of the raven colony, and the sin- 

 gular beauty of the wild scenery around us, raised in our minds 

 poetic feelings fraught with beauty, that it would require the 

 genius of a Scott or a Byron to describe. 



The approach to this front comes too near the lake, and is too 

 low. It would be a decided improvement to carry it into the 

 majestic oak avenue, bringing it with a gradual sweep towards 

 the offices. The garden is an extensive parallelogram, sur- 

 rounded with high walls, which are well clothed with fine old 

 fruit trees. There are extensive ranges of hot-houses on the old 

 plans ; peach-houses, vineries, and pine-stoves ; and frames for 

 forcing melons, cucumbers, &c. ; a general assortment of herba- 

 ceous plants, dahlias of every variety, rhododendrons of the 



