which the castle stands is not surrounded by water, but is united at the bottom of the chasm to the main land by a ledge of rock a little higher than the surface of the ocean. The castle was entered by a bridge formed in the following manner :-two parallel walls, about eight feet asunder, thrown across the chasm, connected the rock with the main land. Upon these planks were laid crosswise for the admission of visitors, and removed immediately after the passage was effected. At present but one of the walls remains, about thirteen inches in thickness, and the only pathway to the castle is along its summit, over the awful rocky chasm. The distance. at which the other parallel wall was placed may be perceived by the traces of its adhesion to the opposite rock.

On the main land, close to the castle, a second collection of similar buildings are seen, erected at a later period by one of the Antrim family, in consequence of the giving way of an apartment on the verge of the rock. Beneath the cliff on which the castle stands, is a cave penetrating completely through from the sea to the rocky basin on the land-side of the castle. It may be entered by a small aperture in the south end, and at low-water there is a good deal of the flooring uncovered, which consists of large round stones; this form is the consequence of the action of the waves. The sides and roof are of basalt, possessing merely the usual characters; here also is a very remarkable echo when the surface of the water is unruffled.

Though all accurate knowledge of the date of erection, and name of the founder of Dunluce Castle are completely lost, yet the history of its proprietors for the last few centuries is extremely interesting, and affords a very characteristic account of the state of society in the feudal periods of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It has been conjectured that De Courcy, Earl of Ulster, originally founded this castle, but the architecture is not of so very ancient a date. In the fifteenth century it was held by the English; at which period it seems to have fallen into the hands of a noble English family, called by Camden, M'Willis, from whose hands it passed into the possession of the M'Donalds of the Isles, and to their descendants it belongs to this day.

About the year 1580, Colonel M'Donald, brother to James, Lord of Cantyre, came into Ireland with a band of men to assist Tyrconnell against the great O'Neill, with whom he was then at war. In passing through the Rout, he was hospitably received and entertained by M'Quillan, the lord and master of the Rout and Kilconery. At that time there was a war between M'Quillan and the men of Killiteragh beyond the Bann. On the day when Colonel M'Donald was taking his departure to proceed on his journey to Tyrconnell, M'Quillan, who was not equal in war to his savage neighbours, called together his militia, or gallogloghs, to revenge his affronts over the Bann; and M'Donald, thinking it uncivil not to offer his services

VOL. I.

that day to M'Quillan, after being so kindly treated, sent one of his gentlemen with an offer of assistance in the field. M'Quillan was well pleased with the offer, and declared it to be a perpetual obligation on him and his posterity. So M'Quillan and the Highlanders went against the enemy; and where there was a cow taken from M'Quillan's people before, there were two taken back; after which M'Quillan and Colonel M'Donald returned with great prey, and without the loss of a man. Winter then drawing nigh, M'Quillan gave Colonel M'Donald an invitation to stay with him at his castle of Dunluce, advising him to settle there until the spring, and to quarter his men up and down the Rout. This M'Donald gladly accepted; but in the course of the winter seduced M'Quillan's daughter, and privately married her; upon which ground the M'Donalds afterwards founded their claim to the M'Quillan's territories. The men were quartered two and two throughout the Rout; that is to say, one of M'Quillan's gallogloghs and a Highlander in every tenant's house. It so happened that the galloglogh, besides his ordinary mess, was entitled to a noggin of milk as a privilege. This the Highlanders esteemed to be a great affront, and at last one of them asked his landlord, "Why don't you give me milk as you give the other?" The galloglogh immediately made answer, "Would you, a Highland beggar as you are, compare yourself to me or any of M'Quillan's gallogloghs?" The poor tenant, heartily tired of both, said, “Come, gentlemen, I'll open the door, and you may go and fight it out in the field, and he that has the victory let him take milk and all to himself." The galloglogh was soon slain in the encounter, after which the Highlander came in and dined heartily. M'Quillan's gallogloghs assembled to demand satisfaction; and, in a council which was held, where the conduct of the Scots was debated, their great power, and the disgrace arising from the seduction of M'Quillan's daughter, it was agreed that each galloglogh should kill his comrade Highlander by night, and their lord and master with them; but M'Donald's wife discovered the plot, and told it to her husband. So the Highlanders fled in the night-time, and in attempting to escape into Scotland, were driven into the Island of Raghery.

In 1642, Dunluce Castle was the scene of a villainous act of treachery. In the month of April of that year, General Munroe made a visit to the Earl of Antrim at this castle, and was received with many expressions of joy, and honoured with splendid entertainments; and further, the earl offered him assistance of men and money to reduce the country to tranquillity. But Munroe, when this was over, seized on the earl's person, and put the other castles of his lordship into the hands of the Marquis of Argyle's men. He conveyed the earl to Carrickfergus, and imprisoned him in the castle, but from this he soon effected his escape, and withdrew to England.

There are, of course, numerous traditions connected with Dunluce, but I had not

time to inquire them out among the people, and it has been well done by that fruit-gathering traveller, Cesar Otway, whose description of a visit to Dunluce I subjoin.

"It was as fine a morning as ever fell from heaven when we landed at Dunluce, not a cloud in the sky, not a wave on the water; the brown basaltic rock, with the towers of the ancient fortress that capped and covered it-all its grey bastions and pointed gables lay pictured on the incumbent mirror of the ocean; every thing was reposing every thing so still, that nothing was heard but the flash of our oars and the song of Alick M'Mullen, to break the silence of the sea. We rowed round this peninsular fortress, and then entered the fine cavern that so curiously perforates the rock, and opens its dark arch to admit our boat. He must, indeed, have a mind cased up in all the common-place of dull existence, who would not while within this cavern and under this fortress, enter into the associations connected with the scene; who could not hold communings with the Genius Soci.' Fancy I know called up for me the war-boats and the foemen, who, either issued from, or took shelter in this sea-cave. I imagined, as the tide was growling amidst the far recesses, that I heard the moanings of chained captives, and the huge rocks around must be bales of plunder, landed and lodged here, and I took an interest, and supposed myself a sharer in the triumphs of the fortunate, and the helplessness of the captive, while suffering under the misery that bold bad men inflicted in troubled times, when the M'Quillans of the Rout, and the M'Donnels of the Glyns, either gained or lost this debateable strong-hold. Landing in this cavern, we passed up through its land side entrance towards the ruin: the day had become exceeding warm, and going forth from the coolness of the cave into the sultry atmosphere, we felt doubly the force of the sun's power-the sea-birds had retreated to their distant rocks—the goats were panting under the shaded ledges of the cliffs-the rooks and chaughs, with open beaks and drooping wings, were scattered over the downs, from whose surface they arose with a quivering undulating motion; we were all glad for a time to retire to where, under the shade of the projected cliff, a cold, clear spring offered its refreshing waters.

"Reader, surely you cannot be at a loss for a drawing or print of Dunluce Castle; take it now I pray you in hand, and observe with me the narrow wall that connects the ruined fortress with the main land; see how this wall is perforated, and without any support from beneath, how it hangs there, bearing time and tempest, and still needing no power of arch, simply by the power of its own cemented material; the art of man could not make such another self-supported thing, it is about eighteen inches broad, just the path of a man, do not fear to cross it, rest assured it wont tumble with you, it has borne many a better man, so come on, who's afraid? I really cannot bring myself to venture,' was the reply of both my

companions.

'Sit ye down then, ye giddy-headed cockneys, and bask your day in the sun, Alick and I will step across and visit the Baushee.' So, with the greatest ease, we tripped across : Carrick-a-Rede is seventy times more fearful. And now, Mr. M'Mullen, as you and I have this old place to ourselves, come show me every thing, and tell me all about it.' With the greatest pleasure in life, sir," says Alick, ́ for it gave me joy to see a gentleman like you, hopping like a jackdaw over that bit of a wall; and indeed many a good one comes here like yon, gentleman and lady, who I believe have their skulls full of what they call nerve, instead of sensible steady brains.' 'Well, Alick, beyond a doubt this is a fine old place.' Why then, sir, it's you that may say that, for many a battle and bloody. head was about it in good old fighting times, when fighting and fun were all one in merry Ireland.' Come then, Alick, tell me some of this fighting fun that the good old happy people you speak of enjoyed here in Dunluce.' And does it become me to tell your honour of the wars of Dunluce? why I thought as how with your black coat and spatterdashes, you might be a scholar-besides, as you intend to see the Causeway, and the Cave, and Pleaskin, it may be your honour wont have time to hear all I have to tell you about the M'Quillans and M'Donnells, and Surly Boy and Captain Merriman-but, at any rate, I'll tell you, in short, about the boat-race, whereby this castle was won and lost, when the M'Quillans and M'Donnells contended for it in the presence of the King of Scotland, and agreed to leave their right to the issue of a row from Isla to Dunluce—he who first touched the land was to have the castle as his prize; so they started on just such a day as this, wind and wave agreed to sit still and let the oarmen have fair play—and to be sure it was they who rowed for honour and glory as for life, and the M'Quillans prayed enough for St. Patrick, and the M'Donnells to Columkill of the Isles, and neither, you may be sure, spared the spirits-for it's hard to say whether John Highlandman, or Pat of the green hills, is better at that work; but, at any rate, on they came, beautiful and abreast, like two swans cutting, with white bosoms, the green waters; and now it was pull Paddy, and now it was pull Sandy, and none on the shore could tell for their lives which was foremost; but at any rate, the Irish boys shouted enough, and prayed enough for the M'Quillans; and now, sir, they were within stone's throw, and now almost within oar's length, when what do you think my Scotchman did? For never put it past canny Sawney, all the world over, for getting the better of others; and if he fails at fair beating, he'll not pass by cheating so it was here. The two chiefs were each at their boat's bow, and M'Quillan had his long arm outstretched, and M'Donnell held his lochabar axe in his hand, and all at once laying his left wrist on the gunwale before him, he slashed at it with his hatchet; severed it at a blow, and while it was spinning out blood, he flung it with all his force against the rock; and do you see where that sea-parrot