The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-13 00:00:00

LITERAT URJ

HEATH'S PICTURESQUE ANNIIAL.
Lonyman, London, 1837.
The present volume forms the COnclusiorn of Mr.
L. Ritchie's tour through Ireland. It is
spirit ; evinces considerable powers of descriVien ; Is
every re-
of a manly, impartial character ; and is in •
probe.-
spect, far superior to the general run of such
tions in Annuals. There are also less of tho se senti-
mental and romantic episodes in it, half-fac,, half.
fiction, with which of late it has been so muc,h the
wr.i ten with
custom—a custom more honoured in the breach the!tt
vvorks of travels'
in the observance—to inundate
Generally speaking, Jr. Ritchie coincides with Inglis
in opinion as to the leading causes of the evils of Ire'
land, and their remedy ; and where he difftrs from that
impartial and dispassionate traveller, differs from hie'
only in minor points. He bears favourable testirnotri,
on the whole, to the character of the Irish pe
but adds, that "being hrou,ht up in the thrall of n.asant;
pression, he is almost always insincere." In 016 s
county of Tyrone our author was made acquainte
li-
with a singular custom, which we give in his "11

words : for
cot°
gut'
" It was—and in some districts,
marriages to be brought about by a voluntary elopen'e___
When the lover's wooing is successful he does not go to l,
gociate with the parents, but carries off his bride to a nog,
bouring village, or to a friend's house, and there the t
rehaetY;r
is entered into by means of ambassadors. Whenhrtide..
is now—the
reach their destination they find a crowd of the
bla
groom's friends waiting to receive .them, provided, as
yto ee,a it,
as their circumstances allow, with whiskey
them to pass the time. Sometimes the host, l'Jefornee
thatan
ting them, swears the youthful pair upon the nk is
their purpose is lawful and honest, and that the rnarriaga.l4
actually to go on ; the priest is then sent for, and beplo
properly instructed by th P.r;e lover, he proceeds to the iOO
,
of the bride to demand their approbation. In this Ta
he is generally successful, for it is only on rare occa.sio_Pg,
that the maiden makes an imprudent choice. Sonaetialtehe
I-:swever, though rarely, irregularities occur, excitedbY f r_
whisky, and the felicitations of friends, the young'
gets that an important preliminary is still to be erran'od,
• Then comes the father's refusal of the Locher demanded, a
as a matter of course, under the circumstances, the Ic'vetrhe
infidelity to his vows. For this reason, if for Do other' -0
practice of elopements is greatly condemned by
who frequently admonish the young women from the Pa }
on the subject?' 'nted
Mr. Ritchie states that he was greatly disaPPt „,
with the scenery in the neighbourhood of Loch r.3.`"--11;
he thong
of which he had heard so many marvels ;
it, generally speaking, tame and monotonous, excePa.
towards the end of the upper lake, where it becames
little bolder and more picturesque. Of the Shaluwoi
the prieisiit'
especially where it expands into that spacioas sheet
water, Loch Derg, lie speaks in warm terms of
ration ; nor is lie less delighted when he comes to
lie
scribe the enchanting scenery of Killarney, Which h
.
does con amore, and therefore successfully. T°
lone he pays a high compliment, observing that '.lO
without exception, the dirtiest town in all Etn.°Pe. ,he
this be really the case, then the representative f°l' ht
borough, to be in harmony with the genius loci' °°s"
unquestionably to be one of the " Great LTnwasbe
tbe
The Illustrations to this volume are executed lo
most finished style of art. They are not less than
nineteen in number, and not one of them but 11,.:J
vie with anything of the sort that ever aPPea.,/'
in an Annual. The " Lower Lake of lalarged„f,
is a perfect scene in fairy-land—a thing to Bream ..r.O
not to describe. Heath, hill, wood, and water,
blended together in the most romantic fashion; and an
air of serenity and solitude pervades the landscat'
just as if it had never yet been invaded mortal folod
" Fair Head," in the county of Antrim, is a b do's:
rocky sea-view, the massive shades of which are
posed of by the engraver, Wallis, with cousu—ilaef
ability. " Ballyshannon," as a landscape, is I°-and
sylvan beauty ; but as a work of art, it wants force
spirit. It looks dim and indistinct. " BantrY,;l3:l a
deserves praise, for the ease and skill with v"IT
most difficult perspective is managed. On al° 'q-j°full
the present volume of the Picturesque Annual
as interesting as the best of its predecessors.