make my story short, he at once turned a convert, embraced Christianity, became a monk, built this church, and died a Catholic and confessor of the faith.

I confess, I am sometimes inclined to think those old stories are allegorically prophetical of what has come to pass in modern times. This old magician with his tower, seems evidently intended as a mystification of a poteen distiller, with his tower of smoke rising from one of these islands; and his magic glass evidently means the fiery liquor which can make a man see double, and then it is so natural for the Devil to fly away with a distiller; therefore the matter is quite clear, that the indomitable rage of the people of Tyrconnel for illicit distillation, is a verification of one of Columkill's prophecies.

After leaving the valley in which Gortan Lake is embosomed; we rose into a wide and wild moorland district, covered with immense blocks of red granite; this district, composed of this granite formation, extends to the foot of Lough Salt, and blocks of any size, and

pillars of any length could be procured of granite as compact in texture, as fine in colour, and capable of as perfect a polish as Pompey's pillar, and the sea at hand to carry away this beautiful material for ornamental architecture, to the Liffey or Thames. On the road to Lough Salt some days after, as we passed an immense block of this red granite; my friend alighted, and putting his shoulder to the rock, it moved slowly to and fro. I was surprised, and alighting from my horse, moved it also with perfect ease, a child might have done the same; but one hundred men could not have moved it out of its place. It was what is called a rocking-stone; whether it was consecrated to the rites of Druidical worship, or whether it was ever admitted into the superstitious observances of the people, I could not ascertain.

We proceeded to Glen Veagh, and at length reached it after a very deep descent. We were delighted with the beautiful water, winding far between immense mountains, and apparently without end, losing itself in

gloom and solitariness amidst the distant gorges and defiles of the hills. On the right hand side of the lake the mountain rises like a steep wall out of the water, lofty and precipitous, for a thousand feet; and this cliff is the secure eyrie of the eagle and jer-falcon. On the other side the shore was lofty also, and mountainous; but still there was room for the oak and the birch, the rowan and alder, to strike their roots amidst the rock, and clothe the ravines and hollows with ornamental copse wood. wet woody islands, out of which rose perpendicular columns of smoke, which told full well that in this solitary secluded spot the il·licit distiller was at his tempting and hazar

The lake was studded with

dous work. I have never been in Switzerland or Scotland: it has not been my lot, at leizure to wander along the waters of Westmorland or Cumberland, but I have seen good drawings of these most frequented scenes; and have thus admired Lough Catrine, the subject of the poet's pen and painter's pencil. But if my glen and my lake were

not Irish; if the curse of being out of fashion did not put every thing Irish under attainder, I would venture to shew Glen Veagh against any of these foreign fashionables, and would encourage my mountain nymph to hold herself as fair in varied beauty as any of them.

My pleasant and most companionable friend told me an anecdote in which this lake was concerned, which may be worth relating, as illustrative of the peculiar circumstances in which the whole north-west of Ireland was placed a few years ago by the operation of the Excise Laws. I shall relate it as nearly as possible in his own words, only premising that he has a peculiar unction in telling a story, which I have been unable to appropriate :

"One morning in July, as I was dressing myself to walk out before breakfast, I heard a noise at my back door, and observed one of my people remonstrating with a man who was anxiously pressing into the house. I went down and met the man, whose demi-genteel dress and peculiar cut, marked him to be a gauger.O! for mercy's sake,' cried the man

when he saw me, 'let me into your house; lock me up somewhere; hide me, save me, or my life is lost.' So I brought him in, begged of him to sit down, and offering him some refreshment, requested him to recover his courage, and come to himself, for there was no danger.-While I was speaking, an immense crowd came up to the house, and surrounded it; and one man more forward than the rest, came up to the door and demanded admission. On my speaking to him out of the window, and enquiring what his business was, he replied, 'We find you have got Mr.

:

the gauger, in your house you must deliver him up to us, we want him.' What do you want him for?' 'Oh, Doctor, that 's no business for you to meddle in; we want him, and must have him.' 'Indeed that I cannot allow; he is under my roof; he has come, claiming my hospitality, and I must and will afford it to him.' 'Doctor there are two words to that bargain you ought to have consulted us before you promised; but to be plain with you, we really respect you very much; you