1 inclement season they forebode," the variety of the foliage, and the brilliant reflection of the innumerable tints upon the water, surpass all description. Within the forest, at a short distance from the water, there is a wild path amongst the rocks, leading from the point of Glena to a cottage at the head of the bay. In following its devious course, the eye is bewildered amongst the romantic beauties of the scene, whether it penetrates the gloomy recesses of the woods beneath the rocky cliffs of the moutain, or, from the verge of the glens, surveys the distant prospect of the lake and islands, above the trees which are sunk in the hollows. Innumerable rills fall in cascades from the mountain height, sparkling Within the twilight of the distant shade: these, as they descend through the forest, unite into larger streams; and tumbling over rocks covered with moss, and decayed trees which have fallen across their course, run roaring into the lake. The wildness and solitude of this scene might lead a person, who was secretly transported hither, to imagine that it was as far removed from the haunts of mankind as the woods of America; were it not that through an accidental opening between the trees, a painted boat was seen, with its gay company, on the lake beneath; or the sound of music heard reverberated along the recesses of the mountain. From the very delightful effect of the echoes, under the wooded shores, few parties visit this part of the lake unattended by musicians. I was once at Killarney with a party of ladies, who, enamoured with the charms of the scene and the effect of the music, were tempted to remain on the water in the bay until midnight. The day had been sultry in the extreme; but with night-fall a gentle breeze had arisen, just sufficient to ruffle the surface of the water. The moon at the same time was seen emerging from behind the woods, on the mountain top, The musicians, in a separate boat, were kept at such a distance that the notes might reach the ear softened by their passage over the water, and the oars were only occasionally plied, to preserve a proper interval. The effect of music under such circumstances may be more easily conceived than described; The silver-sounding instruments did meet He who has never sailed along the shores of Glena by the light of the moon, nor ever listened to the dying cadence of the echoes during the stillness of the night, may be justly pronounced a stranger to the most fascinating charms of Killarney. Painful is the task which now devolves upon me, of relating, that the woods of Glena, its glory and its ornament for ages have been consigned, for a trifling compensation, to the timber-merchant. Cold must be the heart of that man, and insensible to the beauties of nature, who, conscious of their impending fate, could behold their romantic and venerable shade without heaving a sigh. Their sentence, I fear, has been inconsiderately pronounced, and hastily executed. Already had the woodmen, when last I visited Killarney, commenced their ravages; and at the moment in which I write, Glena may mourn her denuded rocks and leafless glens. Deeply, however, as the loss of these woods is to be lamented, the alteration which their removal will occasion, in the general effect of the landscape, will probably be less severely felt, than that which has resulted from cutting down the woods at Rossisland. The latter contributed to adorn the shores of the lake, in a part where embellishment was most wanting. The ground upon which they grew was comparatively low, so that the height of the trees was fully observable; while the castle of Ross, just rising above them, had its full effect, and acquired increased dignity in the landscape, from their contrasted grandeur. The woods of Glena, on the contrary, being all disposed on the slope of a mountain, and so thickly interwoven that none of the stems of the trees were visible through the foliage, could scarcely be distinguished, at the distance of a mile, from a coppice-wood; and a few years will be sufficient to produce other trees, which will conceal the nakedness of the mountain, and again exhibit, equally with those of larger growth, the variety and beauty of autumnal tints. But on advancing into the bay of Glena, and approaching nearer to the mountain-shore, the melancholy deficiency must but too plainly be observed: it will be like entering the tenantless mansion of a departed friend, whose presence had given animation and pleasure to the now deserted scene. man. The red deer still runs wild on Glena, and perpetuates its race, amidst its native woods, alike unprotected and uncontrolled by The liberty of the chase, which constitutes a leading object of interest at Killarney, is readily granted on the solicitations of strangers. The expense, however, which attends the indulgence, and the precariousness of its ultimate success, contribute to prevent the frequency of its recurrence. When, therefore, a hunt is announced, it is expected with all that anxiety, and welcomed with all that joy, which are usually attendant upon events calculated to gratify curiosity, or favour idleness. Immense crowds of people never fail to appear on the appointed day; every boat on the lake is put into requisition; and if a sufficient number of vessels could be procured, to convey the whole population of Killarney to the shores of Glena, it might be apprehended that the whole town would be left destitute of inhabitants. On the day preceding the hunt, those preparations are made which are thought best calculated to ensure it a happy issue. An experienced person is sent up the mountain, to search for the herd, and watch its motions, in patient silence, till night comes on. The deer which remain the most aloof from their companions are carefully observed, and marked as the objects of pursuit ; and they are generally found, at the dawn of the ensuing morning, in the vicinity of their evening haunts. Before the break of day, the dogs are conducted up the mountains as silently and secretly as possible, and are kept coupled, until some signal, commonly the firing of a small cannon, announces that the party which commands the hunt has arrived in boats at the foot of the mountain. Then they are loosed, and brought upon the track of the deer. If the business has been silently and orderly conducted, the report of the cannon, the sudden shouts of the hunters on the mountain, which instantly succeed it; the opening of the dogs, and the loud and continued echoes, along an extensive region of woods and mountains, produce an effect singularly grand. Tremble the forests round; the joyous cries Float through the vales; and rocks, and woods, and hills Return the varied sounds. The deer, upon being roused, generally endeavours to gain the summit of the mountains, that he may the more readily make his escape across the open heath to some distant retreat. To prevent this, numbers of people are stationed, at intervals, along the heights, who, by loud shouting, terrify the animal and drive him towards the lake. At the last hunt which I attended, a company of soldiers were placed along the mountain-top, who, keeping up a running fire, effectually deterred him from once ascending. The hunt, however, begins to lose its interest after the first burst; and the ear becomes wearied with the incessant shouts, which drown the opening of the hounds, and the echoes of their mellow tones. The ruggedness of the ground embarrasses the pursuers; the scent is followed with difficulty; and often is totally lost, for a considerable space of time: much confusion also arises from the efforts of the people on the water, emulous to follow the course of the hunt, especially if it should take a direction towards the upper lake; when the contending boats are frequently entangled among the rocks and shoals of the river which leads to it. Those who attempt to follow the deer through the woods are rarely gratified with a view, and are generally excluded from the grand spectacle of his taking the soil, or, in other words plunging into the lake. It is therefore recommended to remain in a boat; and those who have the patience to wait so long as five or six hours, are seldom disappointed. I was once gratified by seeing the deer run, for near a mile, along the shore, with the hounds pursuing him in full cry. On finding himself closely pressed, he leaped boldly from a rock into the lake, and swam towards one of the islands; but terrified by the approach of the boats, he once more sought for safety on the main shore: soon afterwards, in a desperate effort to leap across a chasm between two rocks, his strength failed him, and he fell exhausted to the bottom. It was most interesting to be |