Wednesday, July 26th
When the Party was formed it was our intention to have gone from Killarney to Dingle, & from thence via Tralee to Limerick but the loss of Mr Woods' Company, added to the great difficulty (or rather impossibility) of getting either Chaises or Beds in the neighbourhood of Tralee during the time of the Assizes which will not be over till next Monday, induced Mr Leach & myself to abandon this part of our Plan & we determined on proceeding by the direct Road to Clonmel. I rose soon after 6 & packed my Luggage in hopes that we should have been able to procure a Chaisee (for which our Landlord offered to use his best endeavours) & have set out for Mill Street in the afternoon. As soon as we had breakfasted we walked to the Ross Island Mine where Capt. White had promised that his Boat should be at our disposal. On the Hedges near the Mine we found Vicia sylvatica76 growing in great abundance & which I am much mistaken if I did not see growing in Mucross Abbey but if so it was there out of flower. We embarked about 10 in Company with a City Ship Merchant who begged to be of our Party, & were first landed on Innisfallen which excepting that of Ross is the largest Island on the Lakes, & contains about 18 Irish Acres. An old Man who inhabits the only Cottage on the Island officially introduced himself as our Guide & first conducted us over the old Abbey, whose ruins covered with Ivey are far more extensive than they appeared to be as I passed them on Friday.77 The old Chapel is beautifully situated on a Rock
Our Companion seemed to have no idea of Happiness excepting that of making Money & made a great boast of having as he passed thro' Killarney on his way to Tralee about Business, thus given up one whole day to see the Lakes. He absolutely called us back to ask the name of a Plant that beautifully covered an old Wall & we told him it was Ivy which it seems he had neither seen or heard of before. The leaves were unusually large & it grew perhaps more luxuriantly than I had ever before seen it. He also enquired the name of a Tree which he much admired & when told it was an Ash he declared he should have known the Timber if it had been stripped of the Leaves & began immediately to calculate its value. We found an Orobanche80 which is common on Ivy & which Mr Drummond considers as a new Species. When the great City Ship Owner heard such a fine outlandish Name applied to such an ugly Weed he seemed much surprized & his ignorance afforded Leach such a fair opportunity for quizzing & cramming him that he occasioned us a good deal of merriment.
- 'to spoil the Dance of youthful Blood
And strike the Dimple from the Cheek of Mirth.'79
Innisfallen is skirted on all sides with Ash, Yew & Holly, which have grown to an unusually enormous size (expecially the latter of which one Tree measures 11 feet in circumference) & it abounds with such lovely scenery that I could readily have fancied myself in the very Island of Calypso. I was particularly pleased with the beautiful contrast formed by the silvery tints of the Ash & the solemn shades of the Yew as their quivering Leaves appeared reflected together on the surface of the Lake beneath them.
From this Island we were rowed across the Lake & landed among some noble Woods at the foot of the Tomies Mountain, which after having ascended about 50 yards we saw the White Foam of O'Sullivan's Cascade sparkling among the Leaves. We found the Stream much more miserable than we expected but the Cascade is not near equally high, nor independent of the far finer Woods by which it is surrounded, so I think it equally beautiful with the lower (?)Culhepeste to which of the Falls about Pont Nedd Vechn81 it bears most resemblance. Hymenophyllum alatum82 of English Botany grows on the Rocks about the Cascade in great profusion & an examination of recent Specimens has increased my suspicion that it ought not to be regarded as any thing more than a variety of the common Species. On the Rocks we also gathered Dicranum majus, Dicranum falcatum83, Hypnum proliferum84 & several other Mosses in front & on some marshy ground we saw Sium verticillatum85 which is rather a common Plant in the neighbourhood of Killarney. The City Merchant, surprized to see us gather such large quantities of the Hymenophyllums [sic] was very inquisitive about its use, & Leach so far made him believe, tho' it is the most scentless of Plants, that it is used by the West Indians in the manufacture of Snuff & gives the fine flavor to Majueba, that he seemed half inclined to ship a Cargo for the London Market.
On our return there was only a gentle Breeze but the waves were sufficiently high to make me feel a little uncomfortable, & the Lake especially in this part is often so violently agitated that even Lord Kenmare's large Yacht dares not venture out. Hurricanes even during the finest Weather, so often & so suddenly descend with impetuous fury from the Mountain that no Boat ever ventures to carry a Sail on the Lake. As the Merchant wished to extend his Voyage, and see a few other Wonders, besides Ivy, to tell about in the City, we agreed for his conveneancy to be landed on the outermost point of Ross Island, from which we walked to the Mines. The Man who steered our Boat was a remarkable, shrewd & nearly the most impudent Fellow I every met with & he gave us the following account of himself in the face of the other Boatmen without the least hesitation. ‘I was born & bred in Killarney & have lately been discharged on account of my Wounds from his Majesty's Navy in which I have served most of
We examined the Copper Ore at the Mines which we found imbedded in Lime Stone & were told that till lately it had not been worked since the Danes were in possession of the Country. The Miners in the old Danish Shafts have found several Hammers made of a very hard Stone which is said to differ from any that the neighbourhood produces, but nothing remains of the handle except the Indenture by which it was affix'd to the Stone.86 We returned to Killarney after having spent half an hour with Capt. White, who politely offered me one of the Danish Hammers, but it was so ponderous that I hardly thought it worth bringing away.
By the road side we saw Sirex Gigas,87 which Mr Leach for a long while endeavoured to catch, but in vain. On our arrival at the Inn we were vexed to find that our Landlord's endeavours to get a Chaise had been unsuccessful. None of the Innkeepers at Killarney keep any Carriages & only three are kept in the Towne, which the Proprietor will not let for travelling when he can hire them out for pleasuring about the Lakes. The Fellow told me positively that I should not have one on Thursday, nor would he make any promise for Friday or even Saturday, under the pretence that they were half engaged. In order therefore that we might not be thus delayed, we hired a Cart to take our Luggage & determined to set out on foot for Mill Street tomorrow morning. It was late before we dined, & as we meant to rise at 5 we settled our Bill & soon afterwards retired early to Bed.