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Account Of A Tour To Killarney, &C. In A Letter To J. And E, Fry.
September 12 . This morning ( as a disci ple of Ossian would say ) the sun rose in unclouded beauty , and a fine morning encouraged our departure on a journey of seven miles , to the top of the noted mountain Mangerton . About nine o ' clock we left Killarney on horseback , and rode up the side as far as the ascent rendered riding easy , which I think was about
three miles , then , consigning the horses to the care of our attendants , we pursued the journey on foot at a pace sufficiently slow and wearisome . When about half way up we halted for the double purpose of rest and p leasure , and one of the finest views that can be conceived afforded us the latter . The two lakes , containing thirty-eight islands , the grounds of Mucrus , and the town . of Killarney , were under us , whilst a fine country , abounding in meadows of beautiful verdure , formed the boundary of a diversified and extensive landscape .
Near the top we came to a round hole , or lake of water , called the Devil ' s Punch Bowl , which is about a quarter of a mile in circumference ; from this place a deep channel of two miles in length has been lately cut down the mountain , and which in rainy seasons , being filled with the overflow of the Punch Bowl , forms a pleasing and distant waterfall . Our guide told us a foolish story about a drummer who was some time ago drowned here , having been often heard in the ni g ht his drum the
beating on top of Mangerton ; but , observing that ' we . did . not give credit to his account , he added that the common people insisted they had often heard him . Apparitions and witches , I believe , are full as common in Ireland as in England , and are the same kind of shy and diffident gentry , visiting none but the very poor or the very ignorant . After spending near three hours in the ascent , we at last experienced the benefit of our perseverance b y arriving at the top , where " we found the surface exceedingly swampy , and hi most place ? covered with a kind of red moss .
^ The objects which before courted our notice were now lost to the view , but' they were succeeded by others in which the contemplation of marine and rural beauty was enjoyed alternately . We had a very extensive view into the counties of Kerry , Cork , and Limerick , and could likewise clearly discern the great Atlantic Ocean , the mouth of the river Kenmare , and the Skeli g Isles , the hirgest of which seemed about ei
ght miles from the shore . A gentleman with whose company we had been favoured in this excursion , informed us that a bird called the Ganet was very common to the coast of Kerry , and about which a very singular dispute happened a few years ago ^ betiyeen the poor Roman Catholics and their clerical governors . — --The flesh of the ganet , from its living entirely on fish , has taste which
a very fishy , on account the poor people insisted that they ought not to be restricted from eating them in Lent , for that things pf similar taste would to the mind be of similar consequence . This doctrine , however , . though very feasible , their pastors would not allow to be orthodox , but threatened to punish with all the severity of ecclel siastical rigour every future instance of delinquency . Tea ' * - ¦ r
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of A Tour To Killarney, &C. In A Letter To J. And E, Fry.
September 12 . This morning ( as a disci ple of Ossian would say ) the sun rose in unclouded beauty , and a fine morning encouraged our departure on a journey of seven miles , to the top of the noted mountain Mangerton . About nine o ' clock we left Killarney on horseback , and rode up the side as far as the ascent rendered riding easy , which I think was about
three miles , then , consigning the horses to the care of our attendants , we pursued the journey on foot at a pace sufficiently slow and wearisome . When about half way up we halted for the double purpose of rest and p leasure , and one of the finest views that can be conceived afforded us the latter . The two lakes , containing thirty-eight islands , the grounds of Mucrus , and the town . of Killarney , were under us , whilst a fine country , abounding in meadows of beautiful verdure , formed the boundary of a diversified and extensive landscape .
Near the top we came to a round hole , or lake of water , called the Devil ' s Punch Bowl , which is about a quarter of a mile in circumference ; from this place a deep channel of two miles in length has been lately cut down the mountain , and which in rainy seasons , being filled with the overflow of the Punch Bowl , forms a pleasing and distant waterfall . Our guide told us a foolish story about a drummer who was some time ago drowned here , having been often heard in the ni g ht his drum the
beating on top of Mangerton ; but , observing that ' we . did . not give credit to his account , he added that the common people insisted they had often heard him . Apparitions and witches , I believe , are full as common in Ireland as in England , and are the same kind of shy and diffident gentry , visiting none but the very poor or the very ignorant . After spending near three hours in the ascent , we at last experienced the benefit of our perseverance b y arriving at the top , where " we found the surface exceedingly swampy , and hi most place ? covered with a kind of red moss .
^ The objects which before courted our notice were now lost to the view , but' they were succeeded by others in which the contemplation of marine and rural beauty was enjoyed alternately . We had a very extensive view into the counties of Kerry , Cork , and Limerick , and could likewise clearly discern the great Atlantic Ocean , the mouth of the river Kenmare , and the Skeli g Isles , the hirgest of which seemed about ei
ght miles from the shore . A gentleman with whose company we had been favoured in this excursion , informed us that a bird called the Ganet was very common to the coast of Kerry , and about which a very singular dispute happened a few years ago ^ betiyeen the poor Roman Catholics and their clerical governors . — --The flesh of the ganet , from its living entirely on fish , has taste which
a very fishy , on account the poor people insisted that they ought not to be restricted from eating them in Lent , for that things pf similar taste would to the mind be of similar consequence . This doctrine , however , . though very feasible , their pastors would not allow to be orthodox , but threatened to punish with all the severity of ecclel siastical rigour every future instance of delinquency . Tea ' * - ¦ r