on that account would have been thought a conceited coxcomb, or, in the phrase of the country, more nice than wise.

At a small distance from the house where I had been visiting is Drumra Bridge, an edifice of great antiquity, built over a beautiful winding river, called the Cammon (which is the Irish word for crooked). At the far side of the bridge are the remains of Drumra old church, founded by no less a personage than St. Patrick himself. St. Patrick was a great benefactor of Irishmen; he not only made them christians, and chased all venomous creatures from their island, but he levelled mountains, overthrew rocks, and built churches: this, at least, is the Catholic account of him. The Protestants, it must be confessed, hold him, and the whole of his fraternity, in contempt, swearing they were more sinners than saints; a kind of spiritual jugglers, who threw dust into people's eyes, and cheated them with tricks of legerdemain and sleight of hand. This has been for ages a very gentle place. I was at a loss to understand the meaning of gentle, thus applied, and asked an explanation. This was easily given; it has long been a favourite haunt of the fairies. Soft music is frequently heard here in summer evenings, and at midnight they generally begin their dancing. Near the church there is a small cabin, the owner of which took it into his head, a few months since, to cut down some old hawthorn trees, which grew in a field behind his house. They had not been cut down many nights, when his house became disturbed with uncommon noises, and turf, clay, and sand, were thrown about in an extraordinary manner: one of his neighbours (our inform

ant) could safely swear he saw a sod loosening itself, rising gradually from the lower part of the wall, behind the bed, and then, just as if it had been blown from the mouth of a bast, it struck him plump on the breest, over several people's heeds. It did not do him the least injury; had any thing human thrown it, it certainly would have knocked him down. He had scarcely time to bliss himself, before his wife was struck on the side of her head with a lump of clay; and though her cap was as white as snow (being not more than three or four days washed), it was not in the least soiled. She blissed herself, and ran home as quick as possible; and the good man, from his care of her (for he wasn't in the least afeard), followed her immediately. The next morning they sent for the man to whom the house belonged, advised with him, and raisoned with him to tak back the hawthorn trees to the place he had brought them from, but all to no purpose. He said, that now the deed was done, there would be no use in taking them back: besides that, he had always said that the gentry were gude folk, and that he never intended to harm them by taking away the trees; but all his good speeches behind their back had no effect on the gentry, as the throwing about turf, clay, &c. still continued. They at last sent for the priest, who read prayers in the house. The gentry had so much respect for his holy function, as to keep tolerably quiet while he was present, but the moment his back was turned, became more noisy and obstreperous than ever.

The man who gave us all this information was decently enough dressed. He said, "that gin he was to die the next morning, he would tak it to death with

him that every word he spoke was as true as the Bible." Whether he was deceiving or deceived, I will not take on me to determine; perhaps he was both: a part he thought true, and endeavoured to strengthen it, by feigning the remainder. We are too fond of simplifying, in judging the actions of men. one cause only, when there are many. of simplicity and cunning, folly and frequent than people are aware of.

We think of

The mixture

knavery, is more How else should

we have so many miracles, saints, quack-doctors, and methodist preachers?

CHAPTER XX.

Stage-coach conversation-Newtown Stewart-Orangeism-English prejudice and arrogance.

Newtown Stewart.

I CAME here in the coach last night. I travel by easy stages. Newtown Stewart is only eight miles from Omagh. It was dark when I took my seat. seat. I could not see my fellow-travellers, but I heard them. Young ladies, we are told, should be seen before they are heard. In Ireland, both young ladies and old gentlemen are generally heard before they are seen. A man in a corner They were talking of the Jews. said, "it was an observation made by Grotius, that the Jews were probably scattered over the earth by a wise dispensation of Providence, to make them the means of propagating the gospel to the remotest parts of the universe." He quoted two lines of Homer, I suppose, in illustration of this: how he came to pro

"If he had

am sure he “Oh, mam,

cure his authority for the conversion of the Jews first, and then of the Pagans, I am at a loss to conjecture; perhaps it would puzzle Grotius himself, if he were alive, to explain it. I said, "I had no doubt they would be successful missionaries: if they circulated the gospel as extensively as they now do English guineas, Christians would shortly be as plentiful on the earth as gold is now scarce in England." A young man told us of a great affront that had been put on him in London, some weeks before. He went (from curiosity) to the Jewish Synagogue. A person asked him some questions about the nature of the worship. "Confound ye," I said, "do you take me for a Jew ?" looked in your face," said a female, “I never could have made that mistake.” much obliged to you; stupid brute of an Englishman, if it had not been in a place of worship, I should have beat his snub nose as flat as a pancake." A few days afterwards, he proceeded, he was invited to a Jewish wedding. There were a great number of fine girls, and the bride could not listen to the Rabbi for looking at him. "You would have had no objection," said I," I suppose, to have taken the form of the humblest of the tribe of Issachar if it had been a more effectual means of recommending you to these black but comely daughters of Jerusalem ?" "A gentleman of his ap pearance," the modest dame again observed, " required no other shape than his own, to please either Jew or Christian." I record this silly chit-chat, merely to show how cautious a traveller should be in forming his opinion of a country from loose observation or casual conversation. Not one of these three persons was a native of the North of Ireland. He who quoted

Greek was a priest, and had been educated at the university of Salamanca; the young man was a citizen of New York; and the lady was a strolling player.

A little distance from Newtown Stewart, a bag of dollars, that was loosely fastened on the top of the coach, fell off, and poured a portion of its precious contents on the ground. We got out to assist the guard in picking them up. It was his own fault that he had not more numerous helpers. The country people came flocking in crowds to see what was the matter; and when they found a harvest of dollars was to be gathered, they were all willing to become labourers. What was so kindly offered, however, was most ungraciously rejected: the guard levelled his musket, and desired them to keep at a distance. "It was his majesty's silver," he said, " and if one of them dared to touch a copper of it, he would blow his brains out." The poor people retired as expeditiously as they came: whatever relish they might have for silver, they did not seem to have any for lead. We continued our search so long for his majesty's stray silver, that I do not believe we left a single copper for any person who came after us. I supped most deliciously on bacon and eggs. I should recommend this dish to any of my readers who may travel in Ireland, for two reasons: in the first place, he will generally find it excellent; and in the next, it is the best relish for whiskey punch I am acquainted with. I quaffed the latter off in full streams, as clear as if they had issued from Mount Helicon. They did not give inspiration, perhaps, but they did happiness, which is to the full as good a travelling companion.