advantage, and offered, instead, the lands of Clanahustie, lying nearer to his own territory, which he gladly accepted; and thus the Donegal family became possessed of these immense estates. Mac Quillan being unable to contract his hospitalities to the limits of his fortune, soon sank beneath his embarrasments; and this ancient and noble family soon lost their distinction in the North.

In the life of Sir John Perrott, the Lord Deputy, the capture of the Castle, in the year 1586, is thus described. A battery of culverins having been brought to Portrush, then called Skerries, was drawn by force of men to the Castle, and placed upon a suitable post, but not without a desperate resistance on the part of the besieged, under their chief, the celebrated Sorley Boy, or Yellow Charles. At length, all being ready, the Deputy fired the first cannon, but with little effect. Shortly after the pile began to shake, and Mac Donnell, fearing that it would be swept away, sent to sue for mercy, which was obtained chiefly out of consideration for the Castle, lest this important fortress should have to be rebuilt again, as its possession was of great consequence in the district. It continued in the possession of the English for some time, but was lost by an act of treachery on the part of one Peter Cary, a pensioner, whom Sir John placed as constable in charge, with sixteen English soldiers as a guard, thinking him to be of the English Pale; but instead thereof he was of the Carews of the north. This man, confiding in his countrymen, gradually dismissed the English soldiers, and filled up their place by the

Irish. Two of these having conspired with the native enemies, drew up fifty of them into the Castle by withs, and having attacked the constable in a small tower, offered him his life, and leave to retire, which, however, he refused; and choosing rather to pay the forfeiture of his own treachery, rushed into their midst, and fell, fighting bravely, a victim to his mistaken confidence in his countrymen.

The closing scene of Dunluce is one of the basest instances of treachery on record. In 1642, General Monroe made a visit to Mac Donnell, now Earl of Antrim, at Dunluce. He was received with much cordiality and entertained with the most profuse hospitality; but in an unguarded moment the unsuspecting Earl was seized by Monroe, and sent in chains to Carrigfergus. His Castle was taken possession of, and the other castles of the Route and Glynns handed over to the Marquis of Argyle's highlanders.

Shortly after this, upon the restoration of the Earl, the Castle was abandoned as a residence, and Ballymagarry, near Dunluce, selected instead, until it was accidently burned by fire in the year 1750; after which, and to the present, Glenarm became the residence of the Antrim family, as already related.

Immediately in the vicinity of the Causeway is Bushmills House, the seat of the late venerable and universally esteemed Sir Francis Mac Naghten, now belonging

to his successor.

CHAPTER XIII.

COUNTY OF LONDONDERRY.

The County of the O'Cahans-Settlement of the County-Origin of the Title of Baronet-Coleraine, its History-Mount Sandal-Portstewart-Portrush-The White Rock-Down Hill-The RailwayLimavady Dungiven-Coeynagall-Church of Banagher-Ancient Tombs-Local Superstitions-Elf-stones, &c.

We have now entered upon the territory of the London Companies, and the ancient district of the O'Cahans. Some short account of that family, whose name is still impressed on many of the localities of this county, is subjoined.

Little is known of these early chieftains, except as they are mixed up in the petty predatory wars so frequent in the north during the period of its semi-barbarism. Their territory was called Kenaght Cathanaght, and extended from the Foyle to the Bann. The ancient possession of the O'Cahan family was granted by O'Neil, and was, according to local tradition, meted out in the following whimsical manner: O'Neil, in return for important services, granted to O'Cahan as far as his brown horse could run in a day, and also the fisheries of the Bann at Coleraine. Accordingly, starting from Burn Follagh, in the parish of Comber, he rode eastward to the Bann, which was henceforward to constitute his boundary in that

S

direction. The power and authority of the chieftains of this family entitled them to the great distinction of throwing the shoe over the head of O'Neil upon the day of his inauguration, the ceremony of which is thus recorded by Camden, as given by Gibson, folio 1018: "The O'Cahan was the greatest of the Uraights who held of the O'Neills; and being of the greatest authority in these parts, he had the honour of throwing the shoe over the head of the O'Neill when chosen, according to the barbarous ceremony then practised, upon some high hill in the open air." The residence of the Supreme Chief was near Newtown Limavady, situated upon a high crag, nearly 100 feet above the river, and adjacent to the cascade called Limavady, or the Dogsleap, in the midst of the most delightful scenery, in the valley of the Roe. The castle is now erased from the face of the country; but its site, and the rath or fort by which it was defended on the land side, may still be traced. The name is frequently mentioned by the Four Masters; but no circumstances worthy of record require observation. The last of the O'Cahans was implicated in the Tyrone rebellion, and his estates forfeited. He was thrown into prison, and afterwards banished, and his castle demolished. It was the wife of this O'Cahan that was visited by the Duchess of Buckingham, wife to the Earl of Antrim, her second husband. She had raised a levy of 1000 men on the Antrim estates, in aid of Charles I., and by order of the Deputy, Lord Westmeath, marched them to Limavady. Curiosity in

duced Her Grace to visit the wife of O'Cahan. The old lady continued to live in the seat of her family; she had kindled a fire of branches to keep off the rigours of the season within the roofless walls; the windows were stuffed with straw, and the Lady O'Cahan herself was found by her noble visitor "sitting on her bent hams in the smoke, wrapped in blankets ;" an affecting illustration of the ruined fortunes of her ancient and noble house. Her only son was sent to College by order of the King, but no trace has been found of him, nor of his subsequent history. Several members of this family were restored to their lands at the planting of the county, and became freeholders under the Crown.

This county was settled in 1618-19. From a paper printed in 1608, and given in the Appendix of Sampson's Survey, we find the following curious and interesting particulars :

The undertakers of the several proportions should be of three sorts: 1. English or Scottish, who were to plant their portions with inland Scots; 2. Servitors in the kingdom of Ireland, who may take mere Irish, or English, or inland Scottish tenants; 3. Natives of Ireland, who are to be made freeholders. The portions were to be distributed by lot.

By Pynar's Survey, the following twelve divisions. were made and distributed, viz.: 1. The Goldsmith's Hall; 2. Grocers' Hall; 3. Fishmongers; 4. Ironmongers; 5. Mercers; 6. Merchant Tailors; 7. Haberdashers; 8. Clothworkers; 9. Skinners; 10. Vintners; 11. Dra