1882-1883.] 1^5 



rather quaint inscription to the memory of two brothers who 

 *' parished" in a shipwreck near Ardglass early in the century. 



There are one or two interesting old houses in the village, 

 one bears the inscription " 1 71 8 J.W.," another "R.A. 1764," 

 and in one of them are pointed out some of the old oak beams, 

 said to have been taken from the Castle when it was pulled 

 down. 



The village may-pole is still seen standing at the cross roads. 

 The route homewards was taken down the Cregagh Glen, a 

 romantic piece of scenery with several pretty cascades over the 

 ledges of the old Silurian rocks, the escarpments of these hills 

 forming the North-Western boundary of that formation. The 

 landscape of this portion of the vicinity of Belfast is in marked 

 contrast to that on the other side of the Lagan Valley, and well 

 marks the diiference of geological formation. The long slopes 

 and broad valleys of the Antrim side, upon the very slightly 

 inclined secondary and tertiary rocks, though of greater alti- 

 tude, are much tamer, except along the line of the ancient 

 sea cliffs, than the constant succession of narrow little valleys 

 and deep rounded hills which cover so large a part of the County 

 Down, and where denudation by running water has been going 

 forward, probably, with various oscillations and submergences, 

 ever since Carboniferous times. 



At the foot of the glen a halt was called, and the collections 

 made for the prizes offered by the Club were handed in, and, as 

 well as the fast waning light would permit of, adjudicated upon. 

 The prize for the best collection of flowering plants of the order 

 Compositse, was awarded to Miss Sara T. Greer, that for the 

 best collection of mosses to Mr. James Creeth. 



The party then separated, all of them disposed to acknow- 

 ledge that the records of this, as of former excursions, would 

 show what a remarkable amount of instruction and interest was 

 to be found within the compass of an afternoon's walk round 

 the outskirts of Belfast. 



