luxuries are purchased at the expense of much hu- | is, however, a fact, that so much depends upon the man suffering. True it is that by habit men may become inured to extraordinary and unnatural circumstances, which do not indeed exert their fatal influence at once upon them, but which would sink an unaccustomed hand. Undoubtedly, by early use and training, the body may successfully withstand high degrees of heat, as the experiments of Sir C. Blagden, Chantrey, and others, and the every-day experience of our gas-factories, glass-houses, &c., prove; and it is possible that in all the successful cases the individuals are fitted peculiarly by nature, or the habit of early training, for the exercise of these pursuits; still, however, it is to be lamented that there are many cases of workmen whose powers fail them for their own peculiar callings. How far habits of intemperance influence their fate, it is not within our province to discuss, although we fear that much is to be attributed to this energetic and too common cause. On a visit a few years ago to an immense foundry, about noon on a hot summer's day, we were much struck by the situation chosen by several of the men for the consumption of their dinner. They were seated on the copings of several enormous forge-fires, the heat of which was so great as to prevent our approach within several yards, and yet these men appeared to suffer no inconvenience whatever, for as it would seem they were in a temperature natural to them, which, however, was so great that the broad sunshine, into which we soon went, appeared cool in comparison. most exact attention to a number of minute parti culars, only to be attained by a rare union of judg ment and experience, that a person who thoroughly understands the business is invaluable as a workman, and his earnings are accordingly great. Honourable instances are not wanting of these melters having become persons of property, not to say that they have set up their carriages! The importance of their avocation is indeed much greater than may generally be imagined, even when the best irons are used. Not only does the perfection of innumerable exquisite cutting instruments depend almost entirely upon the quality of the metal, but much of the glory of the fine arts. The steel plates, which by a wonderful triumph of skill the engraver has appropriated, the burine of Heath and the chisel of Chantrey, respectively owe their excellence to a judicious management of the crucible by the Sheffield cast-steel melter."-Manufactures in Metal. : A melancholy case has occured recently to a friend of the writer, an ingenious painter on glass and glassstainer. The stained glass which enters into the composition of church and cathedral windows, often containing pictures and figures of high excellence, is produced in the first instance, by applying a coloured composition to white glass, or painting on glass, as on canvass, with a coloured compost which will resist heat: the glass being thus prepared by the artist, its durability through long ages is ensured by a process termed firing, which consists in placing the glass in a close iron box or oven, called a muffle, But the above instance of the power of the human and which is provided with horizontal iron shelves, frame to bear intense degrees of heat, sinks into placed at regular distances, and covered with insignificance when compared with many cases of well-burnt powdered lime, to prevent the contact constant occurrence in the arts and manufactures. of the glass and the hot metal. On these shelves We must be content at present with the selection the glass plates are deposited, the coloured surfaces of one only. The reader may be aware that steel of course upwards. The muffles are placed in a furis fusible, or capable of being melted, and when in nace, and each muffle is furnished with a tube, which the fluid state of being cast in moulds, by which passes out through the furnace-wall, the use of which process the natural qualities of the metal, its hard-tube is to enable the operator to examine the state of ness and elasticity, and the permanence of the edge in cutting-tools, are very much improved. The steel which is to be cast is previously broken into small pieces, put into a clay crucible capable of holding between thirty and forty pounds of the metal, and so placed in a wind-furnace, where it is brought to a white heat, which is sustained for about four hours, in which time the liquefaction of the mass is complete the furnace-cover is then removed, and other preparations are made for pouring the metal into cast-iron moulds. "This is a process which places the melter in a situation little, if at all, enviable, as compared with the inside of M. Chabert's celebrated oven: indeed the eyes and the hands that are daily conversant with molten steel would hardly shrink at the mention of a temperature sufficient to broil a beef-steak! Previously to drawing the crucible, the artist, whose body, arms, and legs, are defended by sacking-wrappers, goes to a water-trough, and with a besom thoroughly moistens his outer covering, that his clothes may not get a-flame, while he is bending over the mouth of the 'burning fiery furnace. Thus prepared, with a pair of strong tongs he withdraws the pot from the fire, takes the lid off, and pours the metal into the mould. The ingot thus formed is either a bar about two inches square for tilting, or a plate six inches broad, twelve to eighteen inches long, and an inch thick, for rolling, as the same may be wanted to be wrought into its ultimate form by the hammer or the shears. It may perhaps be thought that this fluxing and pouring of the metal requires no very great skill in the management. It the glass during the process of firing. A fire is now kindled and heat continued until, on inspection, the glass contained in the muffle is found to have acquired a heat just sufficient to fuse it by this means the colours are absorbed into and become part of the glass. The watchful eye of experience alone detects the exact moment when the white heat, to which the furnace has been brought, must be reduced: the whole contents of the furnace are left to cool gradually for about twelve hours, at the end of which time the glass is said to be annealed, or to have lost that brittleness which it would have had if it had been removed from the furnace immediately. The gentleman referred to had been engaged for several years in managing the above process, when a few months back, after looking for a longer time than usual through one of the tubes into the furnace, while the contents of the latter were at a white heat, he entirely, and as it appeared to him suddenly, lost the sight of the eye he was employing. The retina was in fact struck with palsy, from which we regret to add he has not since recovered. And yet how wonderful is the fact, that although the eye in this case is totally insensible to luminous impressions, and at present is of no assistance to its owner, yet the pupil still retains to a certain extent its contractile and expansive power when light is more or less admitted to the visionless orb. This fact tends to show how independent the function of the iris is of the will. In this class are included stokers in iron-furnaces and glass-houses, and the denizens of the smithy generally, together with tavern cooks, &c. THE OVAL, THE ELEMENTARY FORM THE indescribable beauty of outline which pervades many of the works of antiquity, has been the cause of many attempts to discover if there was any fundamental principle to which this peculiar beauty was to be ascribed. All parties seem to have agreed that it depends on various modifications of a curved line. Mr. Reinagle, the Royal Academician, endeavoured to show, in a lecture delivered at the Royal Institution in 1827, that ovals of various sizes would mechanically produce various elegant and symmetrical outlines. His endeavour was to prove," that a line formed by an elliptic curve was beautiful even in an abstract point of view, free from all association." To illustrate his views he employed various diagrams, such as are seen in the following figures. The following method of further elucidating the properties of the oval, will form an amusing problem two ovals of different sizes, cut in card-board, are for the young draughtsman. To make these drawings, necessary. Fig. 6 is a Greek vase, with handles, Fig. 6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. 1 and 2 are a series of straight parallel lines, arranged horizontally and vertically; these were shown to produce no principle of beauty. In No. 3, a series of straight lines are drawn so as to radiate from a centre producing the simplest beautiful arrangement of lines. In Nos. 4 and 5, he endeavoured to prove that a series of straight lines, radiating from centres, as fig. 4, were improved in beauty by the addition of curves, as in No. 5. Nos. 6 and 7 illustrate the improvement produced by substituting curves in the rays, as in No. 6, and a still further improvement by additional curves, as in No. 7. Pursuing the same idea, it was shown that if the rays proceeded from a curved instead of a straight line, as in Nos. 8, 9, the beauty of the arrangement was increased, No. 9 being the most elegant. If an oval disk, fig. 2, is prepared, the beauty of the Fig. 3. formed in the following proportions of seven parts; the body has four parts, the foot one, and the neck two. The greatest width of the body is equal to the longest diameter of the larger oval. Fig. 7 is another illustration of the use of the oval in forming a flattened vessel called a patera. Fig. 7. VIEW ON THE UPPER LAKE, FROM RONAYN'S ISLAND. THE Upper Lake at Killarney, lying to the westward | The channel of communication itself is about three miles in length; it winds considerably, and varies very much in its breadth. The narrowest part is at the very top, where it is contracted into a little passage, scarcely more than thirty feet broad. This pass bears the appellation of Coleman's Leap; and it is said to be so called after a legendary hero of that VOL. XII. name, who, in the eagerness of the chase, or in the pursuit of an enemy, leaped across the chasm here, and left the impression of his foot or feet (for the accounts differ,) in the solid rock. There is a mark still shown as his veritable foot-print, and the wonderful phenomenon is "minutely described, and studiously exaggerated, by the credulous guides." To a traveller ascending this connecting river in his passage from the Lower Lakes to the Upper Lake, this extraordinary contraction of the channel at Coleman's Leap has a very remarkable appearance. The devious course of the river above the Eagles' Nest*, and the numerous impediments which commonly arise from rocks, shoals, and the rapidity of the current, are productive of repeated disappointment, and excite no small degree of impatience in those who anticipate the view of the romantic confines of the Upper Lake. The long-wished for scene is expected to open at every turn; but one short reach of the river succeeds to another, terminated by huge rocks, beyond which nothing is visible but distant mountains. At length the boat arrives in a little basin, bounded for the most part by steep rocks, to which several different outlets appear. The stranger naturally concludes that one to be the proper channel which is the widest, and whose direction accords best with the course of the river; it is not without Of this remarkable rock we have already given a description. See Killarney, No. I., Vol. XI., p. 57. 376 surprise therefore that he beholds the oars, after a few strong and rapid stokes, drawn in, and the boat suddenly put about and directed through a narrow pass between the rocks, barely sufficient for its admission. This is the entrance to the Upper Lake, and soon after passing it, the most distant shores are revealed to view, with the immense mountains which rise beyond them. On passing Coleman's Leap the traveller enters at once upon the Upper Lake. He finds it to be entirely encompassed by mountains; and if, after proceeding a short distance, he cast his eyes back, he is unable to distinguish the narrow opening by which he entered, so completely is it lost in the confusion of hill, bay, and promontory." In this retreat from the busy scenes of life, the beautiful and the sublime are exquisitely united." On the south of the lake stands Cromiglaun or the Drooping Mountain, which rises from the very water. Adjoining this, on the west, is Derricunnihy, after which comes Derry-Dinma, separated from it by the little river Kavoge. The Coombui Mountains are seen in the distance towards the south-west; and further to the west is Barnasna. In the west are also seen Baum, with its conical summit, and the Macgillicuddy's Reeks, with their lofty, shattered, and shelving tops. The nearest of the Reeks to the lake is that called Ghirmeen, at the foot of which is the entrance to the sequestered defile of Comme Duff, or the Black Valley. On the north and east are Ghirmeen and the Purple Mountain at a distance, and the Long Range (as the mountains on the north of the channel between the Upper and Lower Lakes are called,) backed by Tomies and Glena. From its situation in the midst of a stupendous amphitheatre of mountains, the Upper Lake displays the most wild and romantic scenery. Its length is nearly the same as that of Turk, its breadth somewhat inferior. The mountains which bound it on every side, are a continuation of those forming the defile through which it is approached, and their characteristic features are similar, but they are loftier, and all their parts are on a grander scale; the glens are deeper, the woods more extensive and of older growth, the rivers larger, and the falls more lofty and precipitous. The highest mountains are those at the upper end of the lake, which are likewise the most varied in their outline; among them rise Macgillicuddy's Reeks, "pre-eminent in grandeur." Of these Reeks, which are the highest mountains in Ireland, we have already given an account*. They are visible from the Lower Lake, but their appearance, from the Upper Lake, is so different, that they would scarcely be recognised for the same. On entering the Upper Lake (says Mr. Weld,) the attention is at first wholly engaged by the vastness of the mountains, and next by the extreme wildness and ruggedness of the scene. The numerous islands, as well as the shores, present on every side immense rocks; some bleak and terrific, others of a less savage aspect, teeming with vegetable life. The islands in the Upper Lake are very numerous; the rocks along their shores generally consist of a green stone, which, close to the edge, assumes a dark hue, agreeing so nearly with the reflections of overshadowing trees in calm weather, that the line of separation cannot be traced without difficulty. And here (says Mr. Wright), as in all her works, Nature has proved herself the most accomplished artist, in adapting the light and airy tints of the limestone-rock to the gay and luxuriant shores of Glena and Mucruss, and the more dingy shadows to the bold, terrific, and savage features of the Upper Lake. This exposure of the rocky bases of the islands and stony strands, which occur in the lakes of Kerry, forms a distinguishing character between *See Saturday Magazine, Vol. XII., p. 137. them and the English lakes, where the green sod always confines the apparently overflowing waters, producing the idea of eternal plenitude. The most striking of the islands upon entering the lake is, Oak Isle, or Rossburkree, which in the Winter season, is separated into several parts, so as to form a cluster of islets. It rises from a rocky base, and is crowned with wood; from its shores is obtained a splendid and majestic view of the lofty mountains, which form so characteristic a feature of Killarney, grouped in the most varied manner. The shores of the Upper Lake are extremely intricate, being indented by numerous wooded and rocky promontories, by bays, inlets, and long creeks, which wind towards the base of the mountains, as if purposely to receive the streams which rush through the glens, and conduct their waters in silence and tranquillity to the lake. The largest of these inlets is that bearing the name of Newfoundland, which lies at the eastern extremity of the lake, and is nearly three quarters of a mile long. The entrance into this inlet lies through a narrow pass, defended by two vast perpendicular rocks, in passing which an extensive basin suddenly opens to view, bearing the On the right of appearance of a fourth lake. this inlet rises a steep overshadowing cliff, clothed with straggling trees: on the opposite side it is bounded by masses of bleak rocks, while the distant view in the middle of the picture is occupied by a wood of oaks, from out of which issues the river Esknamucky, which may be ascended for some way in a boat. Mr. Wright says that a walk along the banks of this stream will surprise and delight the tourist. An irregular path winds along the banks until at the end of about half a mile, a space sudbetween trees whose thick foliage confines the view denly opens, discovering some cottages, surrounded by a few small enclosures. The sound of falling wa ter here strikes the ear; and on turning the eye towards the Turk mountain, which the visiter has thus insensibly approached, a beautiful cascade is seen over the trees at the head of a deep glen. It is scarcely in the power of imagination to conceive a more romantic retreat. No vestige of human industry appears beyond the precincts of this little hamlet: woods and mountains surround it; and the inhabitants seem totally cut off from the society of their fellow creatures. Nor is the retreat less remote in reality from the busy scenes of life than it appears to be: the plough has never left the traces of its furrows on the vale; the soil is turned with the spade; and the produce, if more than sufficient for the maintenance of the humble cultivators, is conveyed away on horses, by a craggy path which winds along the borders of the stream. Advancing up the lake towards its western end the visiter passes Arbutus Island, which lies on the northern shore, about half a mile to the west of the It is so entrance into the lake at Coleman's Eye. called on account of the profusion of the arbutus plant which it displays, and which indeed covers the rocky sides of its pyramidal form. Of these strawberry trees, which are to be found in abundance on every part of the shores of Killarney, but in especial luxuriance in the islands of the Upper Lake, which are celebrated for possessing the finest specimens of the plant in the British Islands,—an anonymous writer thus speaks: In the latter end of October, when I first visited Killarney, they were in high beauty, many of their bells and blossoms still remaining, the fruit on some just forming, all these varieties. The ordinary height of the tree is ten and on others nearly ripe. The same bough often exhibited or twelve feet; but I have seen some, of a happier growth, which rose to eighteen or twenty. The blossom is shaped like a goblet, and the fruit nearly spherical; it is at first | matter, which is furnished by the trees, and the ap- of a pale yellow, which deepens as it advances to ripeness, and gradually gives place to a rich scarlet. It equals the largest garden strawberry in size, but must be eaten with more caution, for those who are unaccustomed to it, and indulge too freely, are seized with an oppression little less than lethargic. This I take upon the credit of the country people, who use it themselves without reserve, generally accompanying it with a hearty draught of water, to qualify its juices. The elder Pliny calls this fruit unido, because no more than one berry can be eaten at a time with safety; but Virgil makes it the common food of the first inhabit-rains and moisture as not to be at all distinguishable. As ants of the earth; following Lucretius, who ranks it with the acorn itself, and tells us that in the earlier ages it grew to an extrordinary size, and was found in great abundance. The arbutus was no less esteemed among the ancients for its pleasant shade than for its fruit, as may be discovered from the poets, and particularly from Horace, the admirer and best judge of whatever is elegant in retirement. Thy isle, gay green, of never-fading dye, Spreads Nature's comeliest wardrobe to the eye And when the honours of the groves are shed, Midst the pale ruin lifts its blooming head: Now o'er the glassy and pellucid stream, Throws the mild lustre of the emerald beam; One everlasting smile of joy it wears, And winter's sickly, drear dominion, cheers. The similarity here spoken of between the mass of decayed vegetable upon this island and the peat of the bogs does exist. The average depth of the peat in the bogs being twenty-five feet, its surface is covered with moss of various species, and to the depth of ten feet it is composed of a mass of the fibres of similar vegetables in different stages of decomposition, proportioned to their depth from the surface; below this to the depth perhaps of ten feet the fibres of moss are still visible though not perfect. more, generally lies a light blackish-brown turf, in which At a greater depth the fibres of vegetable matter blacker, and the substance much more compact in cease to be visible, the colour of the turf becoming A little beyond Arbutus Island, on the opposite side of the lake, the visiter reaches Coffin Point; and as soon as he has doubled it, he discovers that it is the end of a very long narrow promontory, and stands at the mouth of a large bay or inlet, which runs inland for a considerable distance, and receives at its termination or head, the little river of Derricunnihy Mountain, or the river Kavoge as it is called. The cascades on this river far surpass, both in beauty and volume, all others at Killarney, being, in gene-proportion as the depth increases; near the bottom it ral, the best supplied with water. They lie concealed from the lake, being situated in the depths of a thick wood; and the numerous rocks and thick tangled underwood which intervene, render the approach to them a task of some difficulty. At the western end of the lake lies the little cluster or archipelago of the Seven Islands, which are beautiful in themselves, and so grouped as to form a delightful assemblage. They are all lofty and rise very boldly from the water upon rocky bases, whose bold broken crags in many places overhang the lake, which "seem to forbid the approach of human footsteps, and consecrate them to their native ospreys and eagles." The largest of these islands is called Ronan's or Ronayn's Island; and a visit to it forms an essential part of the regular tour of the lakes. It is richly wooded with oak, arbutus, and other trees, and is accessible at only one spot, namely, close to the cottage. Hence a path winding round the rocks leads to an eminence or sort of natural terrace on the summit of an island, about thirty feet above the surface of the water. No power of language, (says Mr. Weld,) is adequate to convey an idea of the wildness and variety of the view which opens from this spot. The lake is seen in all its intricate windings studded with islands, and bounded by immense mountains .... With woods o'erhung and shagg'd with mossy rock, Whence on each hand the gushing waters play, And down the rough cascades white dashing fall, Or gleam in lengthened vistas through the trees. Not a single habitation, not a trace of man's labour can be discovered in any part of this vast amphitheatre... It is scarcely possible to enter the confines of this sequestered and enchanting region, without feeling the influence of a spell which abstracts the mind from the noise and folly of the world, and banishes for the moment the desire of returning to the gay and busy scenes of human life. It is from Ronayn's Island that the view represented in our engraving is taken: the large mountain in the background is that which bears the name of Derricunnihy. The surface of the island is covered with successive layers of the decayed vegetable forms a black, which, when dry, has a strong resemhowever, at one time very generally adopted, that the blance to pitch or bituminous coal. The old opinion, bogs have originated from the decay of large forests is not tenable at the present day; more recent investigations having led to the discovery of facts incompatible with that theory of their formation. The trees which are found in the bogs, standing as they grew, have generally six or seven feet of compact peat under their roots, clearly proving the formation of the peat to have been previous to the growth of the trees. To enter at any length into a description of the various bays and inlets, glens and cascades on this romantic lake, would be useless and fatiguing to the reader. The visiter who has sufficient time at his disposal will do well to explore it at his ease; he will find an ample reward for his trouble in the extraordinary variety of scenes which its irregular and almost fantastic arrangement enables it to display. The new road running along the margin of the channel between the Upper Lake and the Lower Lakes, should not pass unvisited; to those who have but a little time at their disposal, it affords a good survey of this remarkable passage which is spoken of as being " quite unique in mountain scenery." The rocks which enclose the channel have a very romantic appearance, every cleft being choked with arbutus, holly, and other evergreens; and "the scenery along the whole of this beautiful piece of road," to use the words of Mr. Barrow, "is quite enchanting." The new road to Kenmare, (says another recent writer,) has converted the aquatic system of viewing the lakes into a more secure, and for that reason, perhaps, a more agreeable mode, and has at the same time unfolded a new series of landscapes into which the lakes themselves enter as minor component parts, an advantage but partially enjoyed in sketching either from the water or its banks. From the curious tunnel through which Mr. Griffiths' romantic road is conveyed, the Upper Lake is seen expanding and spreading away amidst lttle bays and indentations, until it appears to lave the foot of the majestic Carran Tual. |