Washington sentinel., 1898-07-30

In THE IRISH HIGHLANDs-The
air Of Western Donegal is the most
perfect atmosphere that healthy
lungs can inhale. 1t is strong and
bracing, but Just as much, it is
incomparablY gracious and balmy;
it is mountain air; it is also a sea
breeze, and the seas it has traversed
were sweetened and warmed by
the Gulf Stream from the tropics.
And if anything could so clelude
one, the breathing OF this air, and
the treadng OF these elastic noun
tain slopes, would make one be-
lieVe that he was young again.
"But why do you omi, to mention
that it always rains in Donegal2'
No, my fine friend, 1t rains exactly
the proper quantity-no more and
no less. There is good rainfall
in Donegal, l will confess; but
only on condition that you admit
in turn that good rainfall is the
very reverse Of a bad one. Sub
tract one pint of moisture from the
atmosphere, and the heather will
not be of so magnificent a purple,
n or the CLEAN OF the full brooks so
restless, nor their song so clear,
neither will the glory OF the sun
set (and as am credibly informed
OF the sunrise elsG5SS-Iw sG5S: wear that soft
.iS s.S Sts' '-and exquisite tenderness
or charm, beside which the utmost
pomp OF a Swiss evening is hard
and unsy upathetic, as the light OF
diamonds compared with that OF
woman's loving eyes. On the
other hand, one pint more, and we
should never get out of doors at
al. To cap the argument, see
wnat has happened now. 1t has
been raining all the morning, until
we were half done breakfast; yet
here in the nick of time comes the
sunshine with a dazzling rainbow,
and the maid has brought our
sandwiches. y One
cannot say how long we walked --
call it one hour, two hours, who
can tell7-for it W Is springing turf
and mountain ar and rapture, when
| a cool breeze in our faces an
nounced that we were near the top,
since the wind blew over It; and
suddenly we stopped, face to face
with a precipice. This was about
the centre Of the horseshoe, and
the view, looking out and away
from it, was inland and northward,
over a vast expanse Of hill and lake
and plain. Here also was an ancient
chapel--a mere heap of uncemen-
ted stone-and a holy well. A
brief walk southwark brought us
again to the edge, and we looked
down upon a strangely different
scene. Stoop over: that is your
shadow in the Atlantic Ocean,
nineteen hundred feet below; the
cliff in reality slopes little, but
the incline is quite unapparent, and
there is no such an abyss in the
British Islands. The roar OF the
sea comes up like thunder, and a
white girdle Of agitated foam
swingsto and fro a.the basealways;
but the greatness OF the waves IS
obscured by the vast distance in
sheer perpendicular descent, and
you can only infer it from the fierce
blast against which YOU almost
lean. coming in treacherous gusts
and roaring like the blast Of a fur.
mace. Along the razor edge of the
cliff is One Mans Path, oil no reaI
difficulty in calm weather, bul
quite impossible in such a tempest
as this 1t is just behind the sum
NIT, therefore, that we make ouI
way for miles, looking over from
many a tempting coign Of vantage
and envYing the lonely sea birds
which hang impassive, here anc
there, in the awful chasm. QAi0er