17 



of the shore at Drum Hill, near Castle Espie, were found the ele« 

 gant and lasting flowers of the sea lavender (Statice bahusiensis) , 

 The winding shores of the Lough and its numerous islets would 

 doubtless repay a more extensive examination by the persevering- 

 botanist. After enjoying a most agreeable day, the whole party 

 returned to town by the 5.22 train, 



The year's series of Excursions was brought to a close, by an 



EXCURSION TO DOWNPATEICK AND 

 NEIGHBOUEHOOD, 



On Saturday afternoon, 2§th September. 



The party left town by the 1-40 train, and were rewarded 

 by as beautiful and pleasant an afternoon as they could have 

 desired. They were received at Downpatrick by Thomas 

 Galway, Esq., Secretary of the Downpatrick Literary Society, 

 and a deputation of four or five other members, who did all 

 in their power to entertain their Belfast friends, and conduct 

 them to the various places of interest in the locality, Having 

 engaged cars, the party went first to visit the fine old Cathedral, 

 one of the few of the ancient ecclesiastical edifices of Ireland 

 still used for its original purpose, after surviving the vicissitudes 

 of more than fourteen hundred years. It was one of the many 

 Christian buildings erected soon after the landing of St, Patrick 

 at Eingbane headland, County Down, in the year 432. It fre- 

 quently suffered during the ravages of the Danes from 940 to 1111. 

 It was enlarged and dedicated to the honour of St. Patrick, by 

 the pious zeal of Sir John de Courcy, and Bishop Malachy III., 

 soon after the former made himself master of that part of Ulster, 

 It was subsequently burned by Edward Bruce, in 1316, previous 

 to his being crowned King of Ireland at Dundalk. Having 

 been improved and beautified by Tiberius, Bishop of Down, it 

 was again destroyed by Leonard, Lord Gray, Lord Deputy of 

 Ireland, who converted the Cathedral into a stable. Several 

 efforts were afterwards made to repair it, but it was not finally 

 restored until 1789, by the Earl of Hillsborough and the Very 



