Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1884-12-23
MISCELLANEOUS.
Sketches of Foreign Travel.
By Coz. JNo. r. Grpsox.
(Continued.)

Slane Castle, about eight miles from
Drogheda, the noble mansion of the
Marquis of Conyngham, 1 did not
have the pleasure of seeing except
through large gate in front of his
castle. 1t is situated by the Boyne,
near the old ruins of the heritage of
st. Ere, who was the first Bishop of
Slanc, and who was consecrated by
st. Patrick about the year 500. 1t
stands on beautiful little green rise
of ground, along the base of which
winds the clear and noiseless river,
and down below the public road from
which you look upon it over a green
and close shaven lot, fringcd with
dense groves. The lord had returned
from London only the day before, and
his gate-keeper told me that he WAS
ordered to admit no one on the prem
Uses for the present. Possibly he
still had the dynamite chflIspn him
which he caught in London. / saw
him. however, and lso his I
was Standing in frol.t OK TING sinn IA
the village of SIane, when saw a
man and woman in 81 little yellow one
horse dog-cart, with one seat and n
very short body, etrotting along and
looking neither to{thc right nor to the
left. Upon enquiring of a young lady
who, i'll the absence of her husband,
who was off at work, was 8cting as
hostess of the inn and storekeeper of
little grocery shop together-who
they were, she replied that it was the
lord-Lord Couygham., lie was a
very small man and sat crouchingly.
His lady was at least n head higher
than he, and carried herself up much
better. SIanc and all the lands in
sight Belong of course to the lord.-
1. remarked to my talkative hostess
that l supposed that his lordship was
very rich. OF course he is, she
quickly replied, as all the protestants
are. That reply revealed all. Lord
Conyngham, no doubt, inherited his
estates from an ancient carpet-bagger
who followed the fortunes of Crom-
well or other invader, or was cor
rupt and hcartIcss courticr of the
Royal Court of England. He was
enjoying, perhaps, an estate which
was taken by the strong hand of an
invader from the ancestor of those
who are now living in foreign lands,
or in. poverty in sight of the present
occupant who docs not deign to notice
them as lie passes along. George the
Nv was once distinguished guest of
Slane Castle. And it is but fair to
infer that the heart of the present pro-
prietor beats for England and not for
Ireland. How horrible it is to take
his property from brave man who
thought it no crime to defend his
home, his religion and his native land
o God! the inhumanity of man To
man. How often has the iron been
thrust through his soul! And will it
never be stopped? Will Christ never
establish his kingdom upon earth?
In driving about this interesting re-
gion, ] came in sight of the hill upon
which ''Tara's halls" were situated.
1 did not go upon it, but gazed at it
with mute contemplation and rcflec-
ton, for it was once the place, far
back in time before the disintegration
of Irish nationality, where the kings
of Ireland held their court, where
their Parliaments sat, their Bards
sang and the Druids performed their
religious rites-but now alas! where
nothing certain of the ruins of those
halls remains to mark the spot where
once centred royalty, power, justice,
religion, song and harp.
The region back of Drogheda is
chopped up or sculptured into many
steep hills, with truncated tops and
sides terraced, looking like they were
once crowned with Notifications, sec.
tions of which now only remain in the
form of low ramparts covered with
grass. These hills are not unlike
Lowndes hill'' at CLarksburg, w.
Va, and the terraced hills along the
railroad from Clarksburg to Weston,
only they are not so high and steep,
and are free from wood.
no more to chiefs and ladies bright,
The harp of Tara Ewells !"
The next and last place of interest
to see in the vicinity of Drogheda,
was the battlefield of the Boyne,