361 



Accordingly, about a dozen labouring men commenced to remove 

 the stones, and to make a passage inwards from this point. As they 

 advanced in this way into the cairn, the loose stones composing it occa- 

 sionally fell in dangerous masses, filling up excavations already made ; 

 so that it was at length determined to make a cutting right through the 

 cairn, running east and west, and commencing on the top. After two 

 weeks spent in this labour, and with as many men as could be conve- 

 niently engaged at it, I regret to say, as I could not then remain longer, 

 that we did not come upon any of the interior chambers ; but, at the 

 same time, the cutting had not reached the bottom — though nearly so — 

 of the cairn; and I have little doubt that at no very distant date Mr. 

 Naper will continue the exploration. This, however, is now the only 

 one of all the cairns left unexamined. 



As the cutting proceeded, about midway down among the loose 

 stones, were found portions of a large skull and twelve teeth of a gra- 

 minivorous animal, probably of an ox, sacrificed on the pile. 



At a distance of 105 feet to the north-west of this cairn, and on the 

 very point of the escarpment of the hill, stood a pillar of quartz, eight 

 feet high, three feet broad, and two feet thick. How far it may have 

 entered the ground when being placed there, I have not ascertained. At 

 present it is broken across a little above the ground, and now lies as it 

 fell. It might be interesting to consider whence it could have been 

 brought. ' The distance of the nearest native beds of quartz rock would 

 beatHowth, about fifty miles, S.E.; Wicklow, S.E., sixty miles ; Done- 

 gal, K, ninety miles; Sligo, K¥., ninety miles ; Galway, "W"., 110 

 miles. Most probably it has been a glacial deposit from Donegal. 



E. 



Traces of this cairn only sufficient to indicate the site remain ; and 

 these show it to have been about five yards in diameter. 



E. 



About five feet in height of the original cairn still remain. Its 

 diameter is 16| yards. Clearing away the loose stones and earth which 

 filled the centre showed the arrangement of the interior chambers to be 

 in the form of a cross, the shaft, denoting the passage to the chambers 

 represented by the top and arms of the cross, having a bearing of E. 

 10° N. The length of the passage is eight feet, and it is two feet two 

 inches broad. The entire length from the commencement of the pas- 

 sage to the extremity of the opposite chamber is fifteen feet, and the 

 breadth from the extremity of the southern to the extremity of the 

 northern chamber is nine feet four inches, The commencement of the 

 passage is not closed up by a block of stone, but merely by small loose 

 stones laid against it. Only one of the roofing flags, covering the com- 

 mencement of the passage, remains in its original position. Across the 

 entrances of the southern and western chambers are laid stones, about 

 a foot in height, and from four to five inches in thickness. On the 

 floor of the northern crypt rests a rude sepulchral stone basin, three 

 feet five inches long, two feet four inches broad, and five inches thick. 

 Under this basin were found a portion of a bone pin and a flake of flint. 



