I9IU-1911.] ,~C- 



bestowed on the islanders. The islanders themselves are a fine 

 stock, of good physique, and often distinctly handsome. Their 

 voices strike a stranger as somewhat peculiar, musically soft and 

 mellow in the lower notes, but in the upper notes having all the 

 shrill wildness of a sea-bird's cry. Even the children show a 

 grave dignity of manner, and quite the prettiest sight of the day 

 was the graciously gentle way in which they accepted gifts of 

 rosaries from a staunch Presbyterian of the party. 



A short walk along the one road of the island brought the 

 party to West Town, the only port of the island. The houses of 

 this little town are an instructive contrast, one-half of them being 

 the ugly comfortable Districts Board cottages, the others low 

 badly-thatched dwellings, hardly better than hovels, with great 

 stagnant middens in front of the doors. Among this collection of 

 dwellings stand some of the most interesting island antiquities 

 of Ireland. Near the harbour, and mounted on a platform of rude 

 stones, is the famous Tau Cross. The peculiar type of the cross 

 warrants the suggestion that it may have been pre-Christian in 

 origin, but it was undoubtedly consecrated from very early times. 



Near to the cross is the Cloig-teac, or Bell Tower, the erection 

 of which is attributed by some to St. Columba. It is interesting 

 as being one of the smallest Round Towers known, a fact probably 

 rendered necessary by its exposure to the great gales of the 

 Atlantic. Immediately in front of the Round Tower a number of 

 interesting fragments of ancient stone sculpture have been built 

 into a square altar-like structure known to the islanders as St. 

 John's Altar. These fragments include two stone coffin slabs, 

 showing remains of Celtic ornamentation ; a trough-like hollow 

 stone, hardly as deep as a coffin ; a curious circular stone, 

 evidently the base of a cross ; several sculptured stones, and the 

 central portion of a cross on which is carved a human figure, 

 which may represent either St. Columba or St. Ernan. On the 

 altar are several rude stone vessels. Near the tower is the Abbey 

 enclosure, or Rath Finian, which has been attributed to St. 



