without any hesitation, took upon him to answer, not only for his own terrors, but for those of all the others who were present too.

Among the perils of the Narrows, it is heartsickening to be constrained to mention the atrocious spirit of the Cratloe peasantry, who, descending from the woods and mountains in the vicinity, when vessels are in distress, instead of affording them any succour, approach in their boats only for the purposes of plunder. This may be observed even in Limerick itself, from the turrets of the steeple of St. Mary's Cathedral, with a telescope, where (as there is a view of eighteen miles down the river) the Ship-brokers have a watch, to give notice of the approach of vessels from the Atlantic.

The day before that on which I was aboard the Lord Newborough, the crew had been under the necessity of preparing their arms, to prevent some of the Cratloe-men, who were in a boat alongside, from forcing their way on board; and the day after, one or two of them, who, under some pretext, were admitted, while the crew was engaged in throwing the cargo into lighters, contrived to open the chest upon deck, in which the arms had been laid the day before, and stole out of it a pistol, with which they got away.

The son of another Limerick Ship-broker (Mr. Mullock, jun.), mentioned to me, that in the last year of the late war, his father had been obliged to send a corporal's guard on board some of his ships,

to prevent them from being boarded and plundered in passing this part of the river.

A western boat was some years ago plundered by these mountain robbers; the unhappy crew was murdered, and then buried in the mud.

There is, near Kilbaha bay, in the lower Shannon, a spot believed to be haunted. The crew of a Portuguese vessel was here savagely murdered; and their spirits are believed by the peasantry to glide at midnight about the place where this deep damnation was perpetrated,

Among many other superstitious and romantic legends of this part of Ireland, is one of a spectreship, that shews itself amidst the storms.

There is a point which ought not to be omitted by any one who writes upon the means of diminishing the dangers of the Navigation of this part of the Shannon. Pilots ought to be ordered to ascertain with accuracy, for themselves, what number of feet of water the vessels draw that they take in charge, and not to depend upon the reports of any other person whatever. A Master told a Pilot that his vessel drew thirteen feet ten inches; now she really drew fourteen feet and a half. I give this as an example.

And the Children of Israel went into the midst of the sea.

EXODUS, chap. xiv.

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INSTEAD of detailing what I think ought to be done for the improvement of the Navigation of the Narrows, I shall continue the description of the dangers along the line, as far as they can be considered to have an existence; and I shall then endeavour to give a general and comprehensive exposition of the measures which, after a great deal of meditation upon the subject, I believe to be the best calculated for effecting their removal.

I have already said, in the words of one of the Pilots (Magragh) who gave me the angles of the currents, that, "after passing Sod-island point, "there is a straight tide, and FAIR PLAY, to Bahy

castle."-So there is; but certainly not before; for, as was said in the same page, "the whole tide 'from Grass island sets right down bodily upon "the Big-bird rock, near Sod island," and this rock

is the point which, in this part of the river, sepa

rates the north and south channels. It is so called from its resemblance, when seen at a distance, to a black water-bird floating upon the river. The two channels are separated, a little lower down, by the middle bank of Sod island; a sand-bank, with several rocks on it, which extends from the island to the westward for about three miles.

Of these rocks, "the westernmost begins to dry " at half-ebb; the next appears at two hours' ebb; "the third is not quite covered at high-water "neap-tides. The easternmost one dries at three

quarter ebb. The west end of the sand on which "these rocks lie, is always covered with from two to six feet. The extremity of this part of the "sand bears north-east by north from Bahy castle.”

Now the tide, "THE WHOLE TIDE,' sets from Grass island so vehemently down upon the Big Bird, and the foul ground by which it is surrounded in heavy floods (I of course do not mean floodtides), in calms, that vessels are sometimes "DRAGGED down" towards that rock by the current, and are in imminent peril, unless they can come to anchor; and that peril arises from a twofold cause-First, To get into the north channel is very hazardous, under the drift of such a current as I have described, by reason of the narrowness of the entrance to it, and the extreme foulness of the ground to the north of "the Big Bird." This rock is described by the Pilots and Fishermen as a very bad rock, with a hard root and tails;"

and the foul ground extends not merely to the north, but for a considerable way around it in every direction.-Secondly, Even though, by good fortune, or the perfection of good piloting, the vessel, so DRAGGED down upon the Big Bird," should effect the entrance of the north channel without striking on the rock, "the hard root," or the tails, or receiving damage to her bottom on the foul ground; yet still there is very great peril in running through it now, even though the channel itself be perhaps better than the south one.

I now come to a subject on which there is a very great and general error among those who have not given it due consideration-I speak of the danger to vessels at the "Herring rock," near Ahenish island, by reason of the vehement current "which sets right dowu upon that rock from the Beeves ;" and I affirm, that the extent of that danger has been enormously exaggerated. It is, I most freely acknowledge, an exceedingly dangerous part of the river in a dark winter night, even with the very best piloting, in a strong ebbtide; but by day, the peril is not in the tide, however rapid be its current; nor in the rocks, however far they extend under water; but in the ignorance or obstinacy of pilots and crews.

I shall shew the mode of removing the danger of this passage by night, when I come to speak on the subject of improvements. With any point lower down the Shannon than this, I have nothing to

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