has not yet been found, and have already described the various beds found in the mountain tract; a continuous vein passes through the central vale of Connamara on the south of those mountains. The most eastern is in the form of Bunagippawn, about a mile south of Oughterard, and in the north front of the granite field, with a hill of syenite to the north, towards the fletz limestone; from this westward it is found in the farm of Rusheens, where a ridge of it crosses the valley into the farm of Glengowla, and, after some interruption, appears at Derryadglinne; it also arises through the farm of Learwan, on the south of the river, in broken ridges, to a considerable elevation, beyond Derryglinne; it occurs again in Letterfione, and crossing the hill in three or four beds, appearing on the very summit, it descends into the farm of of Derrowra, where it forms. the mining field, and where I have shafted down upon it at four fathoms, where it was not before suspected: beyond this farm it is unknown, and does not reach the lake; but on the north side it appears in Doon, &c. singularly mingled with the hornblende; and to the westward we have it in the vale of Bealnabrack, &c. In the central vale we have an island in Lough Bofin, and some ridges of limestone passing down the hollow towards Lough Corrib; again along the lake of Arderrow and Shindela; also in Lough Elan at Bunscanive on the summit; on Lough Oured at Boheshul, Cappahoosh, Garomin, to Ballynahinch; again at Imlagh, Munga, and Ballinaboy, on Ardbear harbour, and at the village of Clifden a little limestone also, though much intermixed with silica; it occurs between Ballynahinch and Cashel hill in Cloonile: the name is obviously derived from that circumstance, as is that part of Eilan near Mameen. None of this limestone is accessible by water from the southern bays; and from

the particular position of the strata it is impossible at any reasonable expense to form artificial navigations to extend the benefit of it to the southward; nevertheless the existing navigable lakes will greatly facilitate the transport of limestone whenever an extended agriculture shall call for it. The position of this limestone is usually vertical, with conformable beds of hornblende slate, very irregular in its thickness, from the fraction of an inch to 126 feet, and frequently contorted and interrupted: it is in general white or grey, sometimes striped green; grains of lead, copper, and iron pyrites sometimes occur in it: it is granular and micaceous, and sometimes there are thin plates of silica running through it; the quantity of carbonate is various, according to the portion of foreign matter, but is sometimes as high as 96 per cent. and it is in general easily calcined. Where there is a choice, it is preferred by the country people to the secondary limestone, for the purposes of agriculture. The only other remarkable rock, is that occupying the great granite field on the south of the district, and appears under all the others at the falls of Oughterard. This rock has little variety of structure, and contains few foreign beds, excepting hornblende, though frequently micaceous, yet the hornblende must refer it to the syenite of the German mineralogists. The north part from Oughterard runs in steep cliffs by Magheramore, Doon, Drumcong, Woodstock, and Dangan, to Galway, where it enters the sea in the east of the harbour. Low hillocks of silicious and limestone gravel mark its separation from the great limestone field on the north east; and in some places the successive beds of intervening rock are also visible. The rock is composed of quartz, felspar, (which is usually creamcoloured in the western, and flesh-coloured in the

eastern districts, rarely greenish,) and shorl or hornblende, black usually, but frequently green (actinolite). In some places the rock is of a porphyritic structure, with large and very beautiful crystals of felspar (as to the south of Drumcong, &c.) rivalling in beauty the finest Egyptian specimens I have seen. The western parts are more micaceous, and having less hornblende have the aspect of a regular granite. At Urid the shistose structure gives the appearance of a true gneiss. Along the northern front occur beds and veins of black hornblende, which rock also, with the beds of limestone, distinctly rest on it at Bunagip

paun.

The hornblende is hardly to be found further south: There are various metallic veins in this formation, which need not be here specified, but not an atom of limestone of any description, some fluor only excepted, in some of those veins. A few tumblers, and some gravel of the fletz limestone, occur towards the east end, as at Tonebricky, Corbally, Barna, &c. in the county of the town.

"I have already observed, that the great granite field contains no mountains of great elevation. The hill of Killeginly rises to about 700 feet on the northern edge, but the greatest part is a kind of platform, ascending gently from the level of the sea to nearly 300 feet. In this great moor are numerous lakes, being shallow basins in the granite, but in general the wells are such as afford a free descent to the numerous streams, and if the tract was well provided with roads, there seems little to hinder the extension of its cultivation. The map of Mr. Larkin does not give a faithful representation of this moor, as it seems there interposed with mountains. The only mountains of note in the granite field to the west of Leam are, the ridge of Leam, and Glentrasna, about 900 feet, which runs

E

along the eastern side of Glentrasna, from Lough Bofin to the castle bog, gently descending as it passes southward. From hence to Kilkerran, the hill of Commas, and two hummocks in Letterfore island, about 500 feet, are those only worthy of note. Urid, and a range behind it, run to near Screeb, and are about 800 feet high; a wide plain then intervenes to Knockmaiden, a range which occupies the west of Kilkerran bay of nearly 1000 feet; then the wide boggy plain of Orrisannagh has only the hills of Glynsk and Culleen, 300 feet each, the whole still a bed of granite. Beyond the bay, Urrisbeg rises to nearly 100 feet, and though numerous granite blocks incumber its side, the mountain seems rather a mica slate, passing into granite. The remaining tract, to Slynehead, is a plain of similar composition."

SECTION VI.

WATER.

In winter many parts of the county have the appearance of large lakes; they are formed by two narrow or shallow outlets; they are called Turloghs; of this description is that large body of water near Rahasane, and a much larger called Turloghmore, which covers a great tract of land between Tuam and Claregalway it is a curious circumstance that horse and boat races are held on the same ground, but at different seasons; and it has happened that at Christmas the Turlogh has been completely dry, and on the 24th of June a flood as great as that usually seen in winter. There are many other Turloghs, which, though individually they cannot be compared to those two, yet

the aggregate covers a very extensive surface of the county. An attempt to drain Turloghmore was made about 50 years ago, by a Mr. Bodkin of Lackagh, who had an idea of making a navigable cut between Tuam and Galway: it is reported that the difficulty he encountered from the bed of rocks near the bridge of Lackagh, on the road to Galway, frustrated this spirited attempt. It is probable he undertook it without professional assistance, and probably, like most country gentlemen, totally ignorant of the probable difficulty or expense of the undertaking. The Turloghs of Rohasane and Turloghmore alone cover many hundred acres of fine land from September or October, sometimes sooner, until May, often longer: when the water subsides, the greater part is used as a common by the adjoining tenants, who are greatly distressed for food for their cattle and sheep if a continuance of wet weather keeps the water on longer than usual, which was the case in 1811, and many other years. The expense of draining these Turloghs by acreable assess. ment would be a mere trifle to each individual, but it is almost a certainty that this never can be accomplished without an act of parliament, as one stubborn ignorant booby would render every effort of the other proprietors nugatory. I must consider it a strange neglect in the Legislature that they will not bring in one comprehensive act, to prevent the necessity and expense of getting an act which costs £500. for every trifling improvement.

Lakes abound in this county, some very insignificant, but there are others very beautiful. In Cunnamara there are many picturesque lakes. Along the road from Oughterard to Ballynahinch, a distance of nearly 20 miles, there is a chain of lakes; some are