tential stations; sixty-six wells, many of them bearing the name of some saint; and twenty-nine miscellaneous remains. This list, of course, only applies to such antiquities as have had some remains of them existing about five years ago, when I compiled the list; but I earnestly hope that none, or at least but very few of them have been since destroyed. How many more fine remains have been lost during centuries of blind fanaticism and internal warfare! Such as the list is, I venture to say that no other part of Ireland, of the same size as Corkaguiny, can number so many and such a variety of ancient remains, and in such a fine state of preservation, as are to be found in that interesting barony. Since making out the above list, I have found in lady Chatterton's very interesting Rambles in the South of Ireland, second edition, vol. i. p. 189, an engraving of a cromleac on Ballyferriter hill, which may probably be added to the number already mentioned; but I regret to say that this cromleac, or, as lady Chatterton calls it, "sun altar," does not now exist, the stones which composed it having been broken and carried away for building purposes, as if there were no others in the neighbourhood! It is, however, fortunate that we have even a small engraving of the monument preserved to us. I may also take this opportunity of stating, that I have made no mention, in the above list, of the "stone circles," so numerous in Corkaguiny. They are to be found in all parts of the barony, and no doubt are of very remote antiquity. That this district was anciently remarkable for cultivation, fertility, and piety, is, I think, sufficiently proved by the numerous remains of churches and other vestiges of civilization which still remain there. Dr. Smith, in his "Antient and Present State of the County of Kerry," published nearly a hundred years ago, enumerates no fewer than twenty parish churches in Corkaguiny (p. 172); and it has been seen above, that the remains of many more than this number of churches still exist there. Smith seems to conclude from this fact, that the barony of Corkaguiny was formerly better inhabited than at present,' each parish having had its respective church, most of which were very large, as appears by their ruins. Another proof to which he refers of the barony having been formerly better peopled than at present, is the fact, that several of the mountains, though of but poor and stony soil, are marked by old enclosures and other signs of former culture on their sides even to the very tops.

By the lover of wild and romantic scenery, as well as by the invalid, Dingle and the country around will be found equal to, if not surpassing any other place in Ireland, in peculiar attractions and salubrity. To be sure (I suppose because of its remoteness and the primitive simplicity of its inhabitants), Dingle has not yet been honoured

There is no doubt of this fact. The histories of the Desmond wars in the end of the sixteenth century, from 1578 to 1580, attest the flourishing state of the district

(the fertile barony, as its name signifies it to have been) at the commencement of these wars, and its desolate condition when they were ended.

with visits from many of those tourists, who might write laudatory books on it, such as have been written on Killarney, Wicklow, and some other places in Ireland; but let persons of delicate constitution, or with mind and heart alive to all that is lovely in nature, reside but one short summer or autumn in Dingle, and I am bold to say, that they will leave the place with both mind and body in healthier and happier condition than when the party first arrived in Dingle, and with a feeling towards the people of that town and district which can never be effaced from the memory. To use the words of a distinguished geologist who visited this part of Kerry some years ago, after speaking of "the variety and beauty of the wild flowers" which adorn the sides of the mountains there, he proceeds:-"But if the lovers of the picturesque beauties of nature knew but half the glorious scenery that is to be found among them [the mountains], this extreme point of western Europe would be more frequently visited and acknowledged as equal to any of the favourite haunts of tourists. If we walk along the shores we see mural precipices of eight hundred feet in height, opposed as barriers to the vast Atlantic, whose waters, in their calmest mood, break against the rocks with a violence which conveys an idea of the power and strength of the ocean, hardly appreciable by those who are acquainted only with the channel seas. If we ascend the mountains we are charmed with the wildness of their rocky defiles, the richness of their flowery vegetation, exceeding anything I have elsewhere seen, and the depth at which the lakes are embosomed in the midst of them. The precipices over Connor lake rise to about fifteen hundred feet above its surface; from the summit' a panorama is exhibited, of which I know no equal. To the north, the broad mouth of the Shannon, flanked by Kerry and Loop heads, and the distant peaks of the Bunabola or Cunnemara mountains; to the west, the spacious Atlantic with the Blasket islands, thrown out as it were a breakwater against the violence of its surges; to the south, the tumultuous mass of the Iveragh mountains from the serrated Reeks to the island of Valentia, and in the far distance Hungry-hill, and the southern headlands of Cork and Kerry." Another writer says:"From Connor Hill, to the north-east of Dingle, on the road to CastleGregory, a splendid view, embracing both sides of the peninsula, is obtained. On one side is seen the bay of Dingle, as far as the island of Valentia, with the great Skellig rock in the distance, and the town and harbour of Dingle lying immediately beneath; and on the other side, Brandon bay and several bold headlands. On each side are mountains, with wide and deep valleys intervening, and numerous tarns or small lakes lying in the hollows of the hills.”

But, in my zeal for the antiquities and natural scenery of Corkaguiny, as they now present themselves, I must not depart too far

I suppose of Brandon Hill.

2 Charles William Hamilton, Esq., in the

first volume of the Journal of the Geologi.

cal Society of Dublin, p. 277.

from the heading which introduces this article.

I could willingly linger amid these subjects, but time and space forbid me.

I feel, however, that, after the hurried and I fear imperfect sketch of ancient and modern Dingle which I have attempted to give, it is now time to introduce what I consider to be a very curious account of the town, its inhabitants, and customs, as they existed three centuries ago, and which I trust will not be without its interest for many of the readers of our Transactions. The account is taken from "the voiage of the right honorable George Erle of Cumberland to the Azores, &c. Written by the excellent Mathematician and Enginier master Edward Wright"-as given in "the Second Volvme of the Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation, made by Sea or ouer-land, to the South and Southeast parts of the World, at any time within the compasse of these 1600. yeres. By Richard Hacklvyt, Preacher, and sometime Student of Christ-Church in Oxford." Part ii. pp. 165-6; folio: London, 1599. Hakluyt's collections for the history of British voyages and discoveries are now much valued, both for their antiquity, scientific accuracy, and rarity; and we even have a "Hakluyt Society," instituted on the 15th of December, 1846, for the purpose of printing the most rare and valuable of these collections.2 With the view of rendering the following extract the more acceptable, I have here and there added a brief illustrative note.

"The first of December at night we spake with another English ship, and had some beere out of her, but not sufficient to carry vs into England, so that wee were constrained to put into Ireland, the winde so seruing.

"The next day we came to an anker, not far from the S. Kelmes vnder the land & winde, where we were somewhat more quiet, but (that being no safe harbour to ride in) the next morning wee went about to weigh anker, but hauing some of our men hurt at the Capsten, wee were faine to giue ouer and leaue it behinde, holding on our course to Ventre hauen, where wee safely arriued the same day, that

1 The Azores, or Western Islands, are a group of islands in the Atlantic, between 25° and 30° W. long. and 37° and 40° N. lat., 900 miles west of Portugal. They are nine in number, and are seen at a great distance, one of them having a very high mountain, called the Pico, or the Peak of the Azores.

2 The account of the earl of Cumberland's voyage, taken from Hakluyt, is also given in the first volume of Pinkerton's General Collection of Voyages and Travels in all Parts of the World, pp. 804-19 (4to. Lond. 1808); but, not to speak of one or two verbal differences, I prefer Hakluyt's old spelling and black-letter text. This is here printed in Roman type, and Hakluyt's

Roman words are here in italics, to distinguish them. The earl of Cumberland's voyage to the Azores took place in the year

1589.

3 This harbour is exposed to the S.W. winds, but on all other sides it is sheltered by lofty mountains. The strand (in Irish Fionn traiż), being remarkable for its fine white sand, has given name to the parish of Ventry, and is justly considered to be one of the finest strands in Ireland. It is further celebrated as being the scene of the romantic story, entitled Cat Fionn Traiże, i.e. the Battle of Ventry, a correct version of the account of which, from a vellum MS. of the fourteenth century, in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, I am glad to learn, is now

place being a very safe and conuenient harbor for vs, that now wee might sing as we had iust cause, They that goe downe to the Sea,' &c.

"So soone as we had ankered here my Lord went foorthwith to shoare, and brought presently fresh water and fresh victuals, as Muttons, pigges, hennes, &c. to refresh his company withall. Notwithstanding himselfe had lately bene very weake, and tasted of the same extremitie that his Company did: For in the time of our former want, hauing a little fresh water left him remaining in a pot, in the night it was broken, and the water drunke and dried vp. Soone after the sicke and wounded men were carried to the next principall Towne, called Dingenacush, being about three miles distant from the foresaide hauen, where our shippe roade, to the Eastwards, that there they might be the better refreshed, and had the Chirurgians dayly to attend vpon them. Here we wel refreshed our selues whilest the Irish harpe sounded sweetely in our eares, and here we, who for the former extremities were in maner halfe dead, had our liues (as it were) restored vnto vs againe.

"This Dingenacush is the chiefe Towne in al that part of Ireland, it cōsisteth but of one maine streete, from whence some smaller doe proceede on either side. It hath had gates (as it seemeth) in times past at either ende to open and shut as a Towne of warre, and a Castle also. The houses are very strongly built with thicke stone walles, and narrow windowes like vnto Castles: for as they confessed, in time of trouble, by reason of the wilde Irish or otherwise, they vsed their houses for their defence as Castles. The castle and all the houses in the Towne, saue foure, were won, burnt, and ruinated by the Erle of Desmond. These foure houses fortified themselues against him, and withstood him and all his power perforce, so as he could not winne them.

"There remaineth yet a thicke stone wall that passeth ouerthwart the midst of the streete which was a part of their fortification. Notwithstanding whilest they thus defended themselues, as some of them yet aliue confessed, they were driuen to as great extremities as the Lewes, besieged by Titus the Romane Emperour, insomuch that they were constrained to eat dead mens carcases for hunger. The Towne is nowe againe somewhat repaired, but in effect there remaine but the ruines of the former Towne. Commonly they haue no chimneis in their houses, excepting them of the better sort, so that the

announced for publication by the Ossianic Society. How beautiful to walk along this strand on a fine moonlight evening, when all around is stillness, broken only by the gentle ripple of the ever active waves on the sand! How sweet then to muse on the days gone by here! A pier has been lately built at the west side of the harbour by the Board of Fisheries, which will prove of great service to the poor fishermen and others in the neighbourhood.

1 Psalm cvii. 23.

2 This is exceedingly interesting, as showing how late the Irish harp was in use in this remote district.

3 After the lapse of nearly three hundred years, this is still the form of the town, and the principal street is now literally named the Main-street." This passage also shows the importance of ancient Dingle.

4 Remains of this wall are still (1853) to be seen, as before mentioned.

smoake was very troublesom to vs, while we continued there. Their fewell is turfes, which they haue very good, and whinnes or furres. There groweth little wood thereabouts, which maketh building chargeable there as also want of lime (as they reported) which they are faine to fetch from farre, when they haue neede thereof. But of stones there is store ynough, so that with them they commonly make their hedges to part ech mans ground from other; and the ground seemeth to be nothing else within but rockes and stones:2 Yet it is very fruitfull and plentifull of grasse, and graine, as may appeare by the abundance of kine and cattel there :3 insomuch that we had good muttons (though somewhat lesse then ours in England) for two shillings or fiue groates a piece, good pigges and hennes for 3. pence a piece.

"The greatest want is industrious, painefull, and husbandly inhabitants to till and trimme the ground: for the common sort, if they can prouide sufficient to serue from hand to mouth, take no further

care.5

"Of money (as it seemeth) there is very small store amongst them, which perhaps was the cause that made them double and triple the prizes of many things we bought of them, more then they were before our comming thither.

"Good land was here to be had for foure pence the Acre yeerely rent. There are Mines of Alome, Tinne, brasse, and yron.

There is no lime-stone in the barony of Corkaguiny. See a letter from the Rev. A. B. Rowan, D.D. (one of our members), in the fifth volume of the "Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin," describing the curious geological phenomenon of immense lime-stone boulders occurring in the bed of a river at the eastern extremity of the barony. A similar geological curiosity, near Kenmare, is mentioned by Mr. Windele in his Notices of Cork and its Vicinity, pp. 334-5; ed. 1848.

* Verily, there are stones enough in Corkaguiny. I believe the entire of Connor Hill, at least of one side of it, is composed of immense layers of rock. The part where some of these overhang the new road is awfully grand. Above the beholder are mountains of rock, seeming as if about to fall and crush him to pieces; while beneath is a broad and steep valley, the bottom of which is studded with the fragments of rock already fallen, and lying round some small lakes. Of all the mountain scenery about Dingle, I know of no place to equal this and the top of Brandon Hill on a clear day.

3 I have seen wheat growing in spots in this barony, which, to look at them at another season of the year, one could

Stones

scarcely believe that they were so fertile; and yet the poor people are in great want of the common necessaries of life.

4 The Blasket islands are celebrated for fattening sheep, and the flavour of the mutton they produce is excellent.

5 This is in a measure a mistake, at least as applied to the present inhabitants: for during a three years' residence in Dingle, when I have had the best opportunities of becoming acquainted with the industrial habits of the people, I found them to be hardworking and industrious. I have seen men and women in Corkaguiny do work which is only fit for beasts of burden! and surely the reasonable being who can do this is not to be stigmatized for not being "industrious" and "painefull." In any place where there is sad want of spirited and considerate landed proprietors, possessing some amount of capital, and where the men are, consequently, badly fed and badly used, there cannot be that natural desire for work and improvement of their several holdings, which under other circumstances will surely follow.

6 Very different are the rents now-from £2 to £5 being the average rent per acre.

7 There must be some exaggeration in the enumeration of these mines, as I have