636 Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Voyages and Travels. 
Dr. Hixw’s “ Account of the Life and 
Writings of Dr. Blair.” Dr. Hill un- 
dertook the task at the express request 
of his venerable friend; but before he 
could present the world with the fruit 
of his labours, he was himself summoned > 
to the grave. Under such circumstances 
criticism would he disarmed, even did 
the execution of the task excite severity: 
but in this instance, we have only to 
bestow our~praise. The work is an 
honourable memorial of the piety and 
affection of a grateful pupil, to the me- 
mory of a beloved and vencrable master. 
In another Retrospect, we shall give a 
full detail of its contents. 
Here also may be noticed the octavo 
edition of “ Isaac Walton’s Lives of Dr. 
Donne, Herbert, Hooker, Sir Henry Wot- 
ton, and Bishop Sanderson, with Notes, 
and a Life of the Author,” by Dr. Zoucn. 
The price of this work, in the quarto 
form, was too high to allow of a general 
circulation. Itis now reduced, and we 
hope its success will be proportionate to 
its real value. 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
Under this head the number of works 
we have to mention is but small. 
One of the most valuable is the “ Jour- 
nal of a Tour in freland,” in 1806, 
by Sir Ricnarp Corr Hoare, Bart. 
In the Introduction, which occupies no 
less than a hundred and nine pages, we 
are presented with a summary of such 
authentic particulars as relate to the 
early periods of Irish History; and more 
especially to the English affairs in Ireland, 
in the twelfth century, as related by 
Giraldus de Barri. Closing with the 
cre ee. Se eS. 
civil and ecclesiastical divisions of the 
country. . 
To follow the Journal itself minutely, 
is unnecessary: Sir Richard Hoare ap- 
pears to have crossed in the usual way 
from Holyhead to Dublin; making first a 
Southern, and afterwards a Northern 
tour. The accounts of the more inter- 
esting curiosities are not confined to 
mere description, but are accompanied 
by ‘references and quotations which 
evince both the learning and researches — 
of the author. As a fair specimen we 
shall quote the description of the “ Gr- 
ANTS’ CAUSEWAY.” 
“ Sunday, August 17.—Our intended 
plans and high expectations were con- 
siderably deranged, by the very -unfa- 
vourable appearance of the morning. 
Our curiosity to see this far-famed wonder 
of the North was great and urgent ; and 
the very idea of moping within our dull 
quarters at Coleraine, was too much for 
us to support: we proceeded therefore 
on our journey to the Causeway, which 
is distant from Coleraine eight long mites. 
No one object on this tract intervenes, 
either to amuse the eye, or divert the at- 
tention; they must feed by anticipation 
on the natural curiosities they have in 
view. Passing by the shell of a large 
church in ruins, we came to the little 
village of Bush Mills, situated on the 
river Bush, which falls over a weir near 
the bridge; we stopped at a cottage, not 
far distant from the Causeway, where 
we found a room for ourselves, and 
stabling for our horses. 
“¢ About twelve o’clock the clouds dis- 
persed, and the heavens seem disposed 
to favour our expedition. Of things so 
much talked of, we are too apt to form 
exaggerated ideas; for omne ignotum pro 
magnifico est, and I know of none, whose 
praises have been so much vaunted as 
the Lake of Killarney and the Giants’ 
Causeway; the Southern and Northern 
wonders of Ireland. When such gigantic 
epithets are applied to objects, we of 
course expect to see nature decked in 
her grandest and most horrid attire; and 
the idea which my imagination had 
formed concerning the Causeway, was 
that of a high and extensive range of 
basaltic columns, stretching forth boldly 
into the sea like a stately pier; but from 
its flatness, the Causeway is totally over- 
looked, until pointed out by your guide ; 
its detail; however, when examined on 
the spot, is extremely curious. The sur- 
rounding mountains, though rather on a 
large scale, are not sutiiciently varied to 
give them a beautiful appearance, or 
‘columnar enough to give them an impo- 
sing one: in short, the whole of this 
scenery wili prove more satisfactory to 
the natural philosopher and mineralogist, 
than to the artist. Having never studied 
mineralogy, I feel totally incompetent to 
give either a just or adequate description 
of this great natural curiosity; but my 
readers will have no cause to lament my 
inability, when I lay before them an 
account of the Causeway and its hasaltes, 
drawn up by the Rev. William Hamilton, 
in his Letters concerning the Northern 
Coast of Antrim. : 
“ The Causeway itself is generally 
described asia mole or quay, projecting 
from the base of a steep promontory, 
some hundred feet into the sea, and is 
formed of perpendicular pillars of ba- 
saltes, which stand in contact with each 
other 
