IRELAND 261 



when we consider the prodigious •woods of KUlarney, 

 the unmensity of the mountains, the uncommon beauty 

 of the promontory of Mucrus and the isle of Innisfallen, 

 the character of the islands in general, the single circum- 

 stance of the arbutus, which grows here with unequalled 

 luxuriance, and the remarkable echoes, it will appear, 

 on the whole, to be in reality superior to all com- 

 parison." 



Lough Erne is, in many respects, a very interesting 

 lake, situated in the county of Fermanagh, through 

 which it runs from one end to the other. The limits 

 are considered to extend about forty English mUes, from 

 Beleck on the north-west to Betherbet on the south-east. 

 It offers, far above any other lake in Ireland, inland 

 navigation to a great extent, though occasionally 

 obstructed by shallows. 



There is an abundant supply of fish in this lake, such 

 as sabnon, trout, perch, pike, bream, eels, and a vast 

 quantity of smaller fish. Along its shores are to be 

 seen the ruins of several ancient castles ; and there is 

 a round tower, still in good preservation, on the island 

 of Devenish. The country is very thinly populated, 

 and there is not one village on the immediate shores of 

 this beautiful lake. 



Lough Erne is divided into two — the upper and lower 

 lakes, and there is a distance of seven or eight miles 

 between them, consisting of a very circumscribed 

 channel, which many have considered might, with 

 more propriety, be called part of the river Erne. The 

 lower lake, which has a depth of 230 feet in many 

 places, is both larger and deeper than the upper, and is 

 interspersed with many beautiful islands. It is not 

 more than four miles distant from the sea, yet it stands 

 at an elevation of nearly 150 feet above the tide-way. 

 The first fall occurs at the village of Beleck, from which 

 to Ballyshannon there are many falls of picturesque 

 beauty. There is in this lake a sheet of water, about 

 ten miles in length and five in breadth, which is toler- 

 ably clear of islands. 



The upper lake, in its most open part, does not 



