Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-08

of Irish prehistoric remains, and weapons consisting of spear heads, war axes and bra zen sword blades similar to those of the ans eient Phonicians. On Lord Landsdowne's estates little further down the Boyne are found, not only illustrations of the dreadful work of Irish evictions, but the ruins of the once great domiciliary Abbey of llybogan. At Clonard, which was once the most dis tinguished bishops see in Ireland, and where was built her first cathedral, is seen most ancient tumulus; here in 1136 the chief poet of Ireland, O'Daly, was "stripped to his skin" by Brefneyans; it was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of 1798; and there is still to be seen oEe of the oldest and finest baptismal fonts in western Europe. The massive walls, round towers, lofty steeples, quaint architecture and the historic memo ries of ancient Trim, would require a vol ume for adequate description. Further down stream is Scurlog's castle, one of the ancient impregnable fortresses and watch towers of Meath, many of it's massive walls and lofty turrets still standing; below are found the sepulchral mounds and ruins of
 Trubly; midway between Trim and Navan
 are the majestic ruins of the great Cistercian
 monastery known as Beetive or ssOld Bridge"
 Abbey, still so perfectly preserved that the different halls, galleries, cloisters courts and
 dormitories can be traced st Gladly are some remarkable subterranean structures and the | underground structures having been identi-
 fled as the remains of prehistoric troglo- dyte village: near where the Boyne breaks
 between innumerable dainty islands at Bel linter are ruins of castles with square keeps
 and circular fanking towers, type of those erected along rivers within the ancient Eng fish pale; and on the hills of Athlumney, overlooking Navan, are the decaying walls and towers of that most splendid sixteenth century pile, the fortress of Sir Launcelot Dowdall, who upon news of the defeat of the British forces at the battle of Boyne, heroi- cslly burned his castle rather than permit it's
 dissertation by 8 victorious foe. All this and incomparably more can be found and enjoyed behind the meeting of the Boyne and Biackwater at moldy old Navan. An cient moss grown, indolent, struggling along the lines of massive, hidden walls, reeking with filth, and the picture of hesitant but certain decay, Navan sits between and at the shores of the streams, huggipg close the sides of the now ampler Boyne, which leaps away from it's taint and quaint, cramped ] arches, through scenes of wondrous interest and beauty, often as noble as, and ever more \ impressive frcm the middle age and dim < world tales they tell than, you may anywhere find in the same distance upon the Rhine.
 A century old canal follows the river bank ! to the sea, and Flemish scenes are now and | again recalled Between the canal and the ! ''salmon full' stream is 8 grassy, unused | way. The ash, beech and sycamore trees \ spreading above, are leaf1ess now. But they
 sweep into the valleys distance with hint of | royal summer sun and shade. To the right ! and left are numerous burn, shapely glen, | lofty height; noble demesne and upland ! meadow sweeping down. Here the Boyne runs deep and dark and still. Beyond it breaks into siluery shallows and sings melo- Il diously. The orange and crimson are still in the overhanging woods. Tramping along ' SHoI,i ChT1f | antiquity, history, splendor and silence. To | the left far above and beyond the heights \ rises a slender silhouette against the steel | blue of the November sky. That is the great round tower of Donaghmore. It is ! one hundred feet high, and it gives certain \ proof of the Christian origin of these won- derful relics of Ireland's past, in shadowine ] at it's feet ruins of the ancient church oi that name built on the site of the first church of the great plain of Echnach, wh1ct ! owed it's origin to St. Patrick himself. 1T | lovely picturesqueness the old canal passes | under a messy mill arch so tremendous and l massive that one's fancy, filled with feuda
 reminders, conj jures up medieval scenes oi ! court yards and inner great galleries beyond ! But emerging into the sunlight, you find in. stead only scene on scene of increasing natu ral splendor, with perhaps the striking con
 trast of thatched cabin, set like bit O ! cameo against the emerald of frs and thu \ ASo
 here bit, as I did, by bright peat fire
 while the negotiable lock keepers wife com
 pels you to quaf a posset. and you migh ! hear from her garrulous lips more legend ] and fairy tales of the Boyne than ever Carle
 ton or Croker spun of the Irish midlan'
 mountaineers and the warm, poetic south
 It is pleasant thing to stand on the moss. old lock and watch the gurgling and seethinI I of the waters below, where they sweep be
 meath the cumbersome arehed stone bridge
 From lettering and revery here you awakel
 to 8 glimpse through the trees above tn
 foot path, of splendid sweep of river an
 the magnificent ruin of the De Lacy caatl of Dunmoe, it's walls and circular tower
 still rising an hundred feet above nobl
 eminence. At it's feet the Boyne leaps owe l weir and turns the grooming bolts of
 squatty little thstch roofed mill. Thousand l of rocks wheel and cav around the ghostl.
 pile, which, with no tree near, cuts intensi fed and sharpened outlines into the blu
 background of sky. The whole place is in l stinct with olden elories-