7 >8 K t L 
of air from the furfounding mountains, on an extraordi¬ 
nary phenomenon home times vifible at fun-fet, and on 
Angular echoes by which the traveller is aftonifhed. The 
optica] illufion is thus reprefented : “ Occafionally an ef- 
feCl is produced by the fetting'fun, on the range of moun¬ 
tains bounding the lake, not lefs beautiful than rare, and 
totally differing from what I remember to have feen in 
other mountainous countries ; though doubtlefs, in par¬ 
ticular lituations, the fame appearance may refult from 
the variations of the atmofphere. I can only attempt to 
give an idea of it by defcribing it as difplaying the moun¬ 
tains in a tranfparent ftate, and fuffufed with a lively 
purple hue. Varying however from the aerial afpeCt of 
diffcmt mountains, all the objects upon them, rocks, woods, 
'and even houfes, are diftinCtly vifible; more fo, indeed, 
than at noon-day ; whilft at the fame time their forms ap¬ 
pear fo un fubftantial, fo ethereal, that one might almoft fancy 
it poflible to pafs through them without refinance. I 
happened to be alone when I firft witneffed this beautiful 
phenomenon ; and, having communicated it to fome friends 
■who were with me at Killarney, we feveral times walked 
down to the lake when the hate of the atmofphere deemed 
ropitious ; but, being frequently difappointed in our 
opes of beholding it, my defcription began to pal's for 
the mere creation of fancy ; at laft, however, the moun¬ 
tains put on this magical afpefl, and incredulity initantly 
gave place to admiration and delight. This appearance 
as very tranfient, continuing only for about ten minutes, 
whillt the fun approaches the earth, and is finking below 
the horizon. The mountains on which it is oblervable 
are Toinies, and thofe which lie next in the chain to¬ 
wards the well.” 
Though the lingular echoes in one part of the lake of 
Killarney have often been mentioned, their effects have 
never perhaps been more fully difplayed than by Mr. 
Weld: “ It is fcarcely in the power of language to con¬ 
vey an adequate idea of the extraordinary eft'eCt of the 
echoes under this cliff, whether they repeat the dulcet 
notes of mulic, or the loud difcordant report of a cannon. 
Enchantment here appears to have refumed her reign, 
and thofe who liften. are loft in amazement and delight. 
To enjoy the echoes to the utmoft advantage, it is necef- 
fary that a number of muficians Ihould be placed on the 
banks of the river, about fifty yards below the bafe of the 
cliff; while the auditors, excluded from their view, feat 
themfelves on the oppofite bank, at fome dillance above 
the cliff, behind a fmall rocky projection. Were a ftranger 
conducted hither ignorant of this arrangement, and un¬ 
prepared by any previous defcription for the illufory effeCt 
of the echo, I am perfuaded he would be unable to form 
a tolerable conjecture, as to the fource of the founds, or 
the ’lumber of the inftruments. The primary notes are 
<]uite loft ; whillt thole which are reverberated meet the 
ear increafed in ftrength, in brilliancy, and in fweetnefs. 
Sometimes it might be fuppofed that multitudes of mufi- 
eians, playing upon inftruments formed for more than 
mortal ufe, were concealed in the caverns of the rock, 
or behind the trees on different parts of the cliff; at 
others, when a light breeze favours the delufion, it feems 
as if they were Hovering in the air. But, notwithftand- 
ing the occafional fwell and predominance of certain in- 
ftruments, the meafure of the melody is not impaired, 
nor do the notes come confufedly to the ear; the air 
which is played Ihould, however, be very flow, and the 
Harmony Ample, affording a frequent repetition of perfect 
chords. When the mufic has fubfided, whillt every au¬ 
ditor ftill remains in a ftate of breathlels admiration, it is 
nfual to difcharge a cannon from the promontory oppo¬ 
fite to the cliff, which never fails to ftartle, and to Itun 
the ear, ill prepared as it nuift be for the fhock, after 
dwelling upon the fweet melody which has preceded it. 
The report of the gun produces a difcordant crafli, as if 
the whole pile of rocks were rent afnnder; and the fuc- 
ceeding echoes referable a tremendous peat of thunder. 
Daring a favourable ftate of the atmofphere, upon which 
Iv I L 
much depends, twelve reverberations, and fometimes more, 
may be diftinCtly counted ; and, what appears extraordi¬ 
nary, after the lound has been totally lolt, it occafionally 
revives, becomes louder and louder for a few feconds, 
and then again dies away. Smith's Hifl. of Ktrry. Weld's 
llhiflrations of the Scenery of Killarney, 1807. 
KIL'LAS, yi The name applied by the miners to the 
rocks that lie on the granitic ridge of Cornwall. Dr. 
Berger, in the firft volume of the TranfaCtions of the Ge¬ 
ological Society, i8t 1, fubftitutes the uncouth German 
nameof granwacke. This rock (fays Dr. B.) is compofed 
of filicious particles, united by an argillaceous cement 
with a little magnefia and iron. To this, as a general 
definition, the Edinburgh Reviewer obje6ts, oblerving, 
that the particles united by the argillaceous cement con- 
fift often of fellpar, and have the appearance of proceed¬ 
ing from the ditintegration of porphyry. 
ICillas is alfo a fpecies of Ardijia, or Slate ; which fee 
under the article Mineralogy. 
KILL'COCK, a town of Ireland, in the county of Kil¬ 
dare : eleven miles fouth of Trim, and fifteen weft of 
Dublin. Lat. 53.21. N. Ion. 6. 40. W. 
KILLCUL'LEN BRIDGE, a town of Ireland, in the 
county of Kildare, on the Liffy. A mile from the town 
is the village of Killcullen, once a walled town, with feven 
gates; of which only one remains. In 1319, a bridge 
being built acrofs the Liffy, a new town fprung up, and 
the old one fell to decay. In the church-yard of the vil¬ 
lage is an ancient round tower: feven miles eaft of Kil¬ 
dare, and twenty-two fouth-weft of Dublin. 
KILLE'AM, a parochial village in Stirlingfliire, fitua- 
ted on the water of Enrick, near its junction with Loch. 
Lomond. Killeam is the birth-place of the celebrated his¬ 
torian and poet George Buchanan, whofe Hiltory of Scot¬ 
land, and Latin Paraphrafe of the Pfalms of David, are fo 
univerfally known. Near Killeam a handfome pillar was 
lately ereCted as a monument to his memory. An exten- 
five print-field is the only manufacturing eftablilhment in 
this neighbourhood. The pure foft water of the Enrick 
is indeed extremely well fitted for all the operations of 
bleaching, dyeing, and printing; but the want of coal is 
an almoft infuperable objection in point of economy to 
luch works : the neareft are nearly twelve miles diftant. 
In the neighbourhood is Buchanan-houfe, the family man- 
fion of the duke of Montrofe. 
KILLEE'N, a town of Ireland, in the county of Meath, 
formerly a place of confiderable note, now mean and de¬ 
cayed : feven miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Navan. 
KILLENAU'LE, a poft-town of Ireland, in the coun¬ 
ty of Tipperary, and province of Munfter. The country 
around it is very fine, in the neighbourhood coal is found, 
of the fame kind as that in the county of Kilkenny : 72^ 
miles fouth-weft from Dublin. 
KIL'LER, f. One that deprives of life.—What forrow, 
what amazement, what fhame, was in Amphialus, when 
he faw his dear fofter-fatlier find him the killer of his only 
fon ? Sidney. 
Wilt thou for the old lion hunt, or fill 
His hungry whelps, and for the killer kill ? Sandys. 
KIL'LERY HAR'BOUR, a bay ou the weft coaft of 
Ireland. Lat. 53. 38. N. Ion. 9. 46. W. 
KILLESHAN'DRA, a town of Ireland, in the county 
of Cavan: eight miles fouth-weft of Cavan, and eighteen 
eaft of Leitrim. 
KILLEVAN', a town in Ireland, in the county of Mo¬ 
naghan, and province of Ullter. 
KILLFENOfRA, a village of Ireland, in the county of 
Clare, and fee of a biftiop, founded in the twelfth centu¬ 
ry; united to Killaloe in the year 1752: twelve miles 
north-weft of Ennis, and fifteen weft-north-weft of Gort, 
KILLICRAN'KY, a village of Perthfliire, twelve mile's 
north of Dunfield, where is a celebrated road cut 011 the 
fide of a mountain, called Killicranky Pafs ; on one fide is 
a lofty .mountain, and on the other a precipice into the ri¬ 
ve* 
