248 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Cave (High Level), down the Chimney (c) to junction with Eoute I, and back 

 to the House of Lords and House of Commons. 



(This route can be taken only in this direction.) 



Eoute IV. — From the House of Commons past the junction with Eoute II, 

 to Sadlier's Cave, through the Kingston Gallery to the Kingston Hall — the 

 Closets. Keturn via the Sand Cave to the Garrett Cave, the Maze, Sadlier's 

 Cave and back to the House of Commons. 



Fkom the Entrance to the House of Commons. 



After passing through the entrance doorway (Plate XVI., fig. 2) you 

 immediately clamber down the steeply tilted limestone rocks, and then 

 descend a sharply inclined plane covered with loose stones for a distance 

 of 30 feet, and reach the top of a rock-face, 18 feet high, which is 

 negotiated by means of a fixed wooden ladder. Still declining, the path 

 winds between boulders, which are heaped up at the bottom of the slope 

 until the way becomes more level, and enters a wide and lofty passage which 

 finally emerges into the first great chamber known as the House of Commons, 

 a little over 100 yards from the entrance doorway. 



This chamber is roughly square, and at its greatest elevation is about 

 30 feet, by 100 feet broad and long. 



You are now in the House of Commons, the starting-point for the four 

 routes through the cave. 



Length of Passage. 



From entrance to the House of Commons (centre), 110 yards. 



Route I. — Leaving the House of Commons, you go south through a wide 

 and lofty passage, and presently emerge into the House of Lords, a spacious 

 chamber which is distinguished by the number of fine stalactite columns 

 it contains. These stretch from floor to ceiling, uniting one to the other, 

 and are 30 feet in height. To the right lies a huge pile of boulders, 

 derived from the falling-in of part of the roof. Making your way upwards, 

 you come to an enormous boss of stalagmite crowned by a column which 

 reaches to the roof. Bearing to the left and then to the right, you enter a 

 tunnel 3 feet high, and crawl round a depression in the floor. From here 

 onwards the path becomes very intricate and difficult to follow, trending, as 

 it does, amongst and over piles of boulders ; you reach the junction with 

 Eoute II, and then turn sharply to the right over a large boulder, next 

 downwards and abruptly to the right again ; crawl on your hands and knees 

 along a narrow passage which finally opens out into a loftier part where you 

 can stand upright. A few yards further on is the foot of the Chimney (c), 

 which descends from O'Leary's Cave, marking the junction with Eoute III. 



