The road from hence winds over the hills passing between the more elevated points. After one considerable ascent and descent we observed the ruins of an old castle, a very fine & picturesque object seated in a wild valley among rocky hills57. The second ascent brought us within view of Bantry Bay and the magnificent mountains which surround it. Hungry Hill carries its flat top to an [p. 34] immense height. Mount Owen58 on the Eastern side of the bay is also very lofty but the intervention of lower hills hides every part but its top. At a division of two roads on the long descent from the high land down to Bantry our driver amused us very much by his angry conversation with a man who could not give him a direction in English. After some time he let the man pass & determined to go to a cottage at a little distance. In doing this he overtook the man again and we saw them stop two or three times face to face in earnest conversation which neither of them could understand. ‘Not all the Devils in Hell’ said Pat when he returned ‘can get that man to speak a word in English.’
Lower down we passed a pool abounding with Lobelia Dortmanna59 & Nymphaea
Bantry is built at the bottom of a hollow at the head of a little cove in Bantry Bay. The [p. 35] long island of Whiddy stretches itself opposite to the mouth of the cove & separates a large basin from the bay. There are two or three other small coves in the basin and the sinuosities of the shore have a very beautiful effect. The island of Whiddy is composed of a low ridge of hills which do not obstruct the view of the distant mountains. It is quite naked. The other shores of the basin do not abound with wood but there is enough in the immediate neighbourhood of Bantry to give some appearance of Shelter. Lord Bantry's park is very pleasant; the house ugly, not large, but well placed62.
[p. 37] We walked along the shore in the evening and admired the beauty of the Medusae of which we observed two species which neither L[each] or myself have ever seen before.