more desirous to preserve the body of their beloved commander from insult than to contend for the honour of an uncertain victory-a victory from which they could derive no immediate advantage-made good their retreat to the ship. The place where this battle was fought is called to this day Mugha Ith, or, the scene of Ith's defeat, on the banks of Lough Foyle.

The Gadelians had not proceeded far to sea before their heroic leader died of his wounds. His son LUGHAIDH assumed the command, and conducted them safely to Brigantium. He was careful however to preserve the body of his father till he arrived on the Spanish coast, where it was brought on shore and exposed to the view of the Gadelians, to inspire them with a just resentment of the treach ery which they experienced from the inhabitants of Ireland.

Lughaidh then took occasion to inform his countrymen of the salubrity of the climate and luxuriance of the soil of Erin, and that as discord and division prevailed amongst its rulers, that it might be easily conquered. The effect of this speech was to kindle the ambition and resentment of the Gadelians, and the hope of conquest and the desire of revenge gave an impetuous incentive to their resolution of invading Ireland; with what success shall be seen in the next chapter.

Having now given a brief history of the the origin and wanderings of the Gadelians, it is necessary to notice some objections which may be urged against the account we have given of their voyages and travels.

The grounds on which this account is founded have been furnished by our most creditable historians. It may be said that from the imperfect knowledge of navi gation in those remote times, it is not probable that the Gadelians could accom plish so many voyages from Egypt to Crete-from Crete to Scythia-thence to Africa-thence to Spain, and thence to Ireland. To remove this objection we must refer to what we have already said with regard to the early knowledge of navigation, in vindicating the history of the four Ante-Milesian Colonies.

"Voyages and transmigrations," says M'Geohegan, "were the humour of these ancient times. Men had not yet taken root; and territorial possessions were not established by law, nor defended by justice. The Tyrians, after coasting Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Gaul, and all the countries which surround the Mediterranean Sea, without stopping at any, entered the ocean by the straits of Gibraltar, and established themselves on the western coast of Spain, where they built the city of Cadiz, a long time before Utica and Carthage were founded, and while -naval knowledge was yet in its infancy." In addition to the remarks of the Abbe M'Geohegan, we might observe that the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Carthagenians sent colonies into different countries, at a very early age. We are told by the historians that even Carthage, in the age of her glory, after founding 300 cities on the coast of Africa, finding herself still surcharged with inhabitants, sent General Hannon with a fleet of 30,000 volunteers, to survey the countries lying beyond the pillars of Hercules, and to establish colonies, as Strabo terms it, "on these remote confines."

The Scythians, from whom the Gadelians descended, and who were masters of the vast regions which extend from the Boristhenes to the country of the Massagetes, and from the Saces to the east of the Caspian Sea, had neither cities nor houses. They were always itinerant, and dwelt in tents, now in one country, and again in another.

The ships of king Solomon traded to Arabia, Persia, India, and even to the western coasts of Africa, so that it is more than probable that from the earliest times, and immediately after the flood, men had discovered the secret of constructing vessels after the model of the ark, which had preserved their ancestors from the waters of the deluge.

"Whatever truth," says Dr. Warner, "there may be in the Gadelian voyages, it appears incontestible that the people derive their origin from the Scythians. Their name, Kinea-Scuit, (i. e. the clan of Scythia,) or Scots, denote their eastern lineage. The agreement of foreign writers with their Fileas and Bards confirms it. Newton, after Appian and others, says that Greece and all Europe have been

peopled by the Cimmerians, or Scythians, from the borders of the Pontus Euxinus, who led a wandering life, like the Tartars of the north of Asia."

It is true indeed that our Senachies have made some mistakes in their manner of conducting the Gadelians from Scythia to Spain, which, instead of sailing through the Mediterranean, they would fain make us believe that they bent their nautical course through ways that were utterly impassable. But though they have mistaken the line which the Gadelian emigrants pursued, yet they have carefully preserved the names of the different places where they had landed, in their passage from Phoenicia to Spain. This proves satisfactorily that the names related in our annals have been scrupulously preserved without alteration or correction. 'The testimony adduced from foreign writers by Mr. O'Connor, (which we shall insert in a future note,) in support of the emigration of the Scoto Milesians from Egypt to Spain, adds strength and solidity to our historical monuments.

OSSIANIC FRAGMENTS.-NO. II.

Translated from the Irish of TORNE EIGIS, the chief Bard of the O'Neils, in the thirteenth century.

THE CASTLE OF DUNLUCE. (A Historical Tale.)

[In 1182, DE COURCEY, at the head of the English army, made an incursion into Ulster, with a view of compelling the O'Neils and O'Donnels to submit to the government of Henry II. He visited several of the subordinate chiefs, especially Magennis of Iveah, Dunlevy of Down, and M'Quillan of Dunluce*, in order to

The ruins of Dunluce Castle, are among the most magnificent relics of feudal architecture in Ireland. The Castle was the noble residence of the Chieftian mentioned in the above fragment, and who is so celebrated in Irish history. In viewing the architectural remains of Erin's Milesian nobility, how are we struck with the instability of sublunary things. Here in this ruined Castle, in the days of chivalry, ere the sceptre of Henry II. prostrated our glory, beauty gave inspiration to the Bard, and the exploits of heroism swelled the voice of minstrelsey; in its silk-draped halls and vaulted chambers, which formerly resounded to the harp, the Owl and the Raven have taken up their abode; and those floors on which Lords and Ladies had mingled in the sprightly dance, are now covered with hemlock and nettles. It is now a memento of the days of other times."

This Castle is about three miles north of Coleraine; from the road thence, which leads along the sea, through highly cultivated fields, that in summer, present all the vivid tints of the rainbow, the prospect is picturesque and beautiful. The village of Bush Mills, raising the white spire of its church above the "garniture of its groves;" the rural port of Ballintre, overlooking the wide expanse of the ocean, in the distant perspective of which the vessels are seen, like sea Gulls, hovering "where the round æther mixes with the wave;" the whole forming a landscape worthy of the Poet's pen, or Painter's pencil. Sea-port Castle stands on the west side of Baliintre. It is a small, modern, and elegant building of polished freestone; its doors and windows are adorned with the enrichment of Ionic architecture; round the roof is a terrace, embattled with a fine ballastrade. Dunluce Castle is built on an isolated rock, which is 400 feet long, 60 broad, and 200 feet high; it was formerly connected to the hill opposite, by a bridge 18 feet long, which was extended over the intervening chasm; a rugged wall, about 2 feet broad, is all that now remains of it, and is the only means of approaching the Castle. The dilapidated walls of this once proud edifice, rise perpendicularly on all sides of the rock, and are, a great part of them, entire. From the bridge a range of barracks, 270 feet in length, were enclosed by high walls, forming two spacious courts, whence the soldiers rushed out to meet the enemy.

The Castle rock is perforated by the waves, which have formed under it an extensive cavern, 400 feet in length and 60 in height, through which the raging waves dash with tremendous noise. In 1574, when Essex treacherously murdered the great SHANE O'NEIL, of Claneboy, he made a grant to Alexander M'Donnell, a Chieftian of the western Isles of Scotland, (who had come over as the ally of the brave O'Neil,) of a large portion of O'Neil's and M Quillan's estates, as the price of his treason. M'Donnell kept a large army on foot in Ulster, and though he was the hired mercenary of Elizabeth, he, in 1576, assaulted the garrison of Carricfergus, slew Captain Baker, and plundered the town; but Sir Henry Sidney arriving shortly after this transaction, compelled the predatory Chieftian to come to terms of agreement. M'Quillan had still possession of the estates in the neighbourhood of the Castle of Dunluce, and M'Donnell employed every art to ingratiate himself in his favour. The Irish chief deceived by his professions of sincerity and friendship, conceived so high an opinion of his candour and disinterestedness, that he invited the Scottish chief to become his guest, whilst he cantoned his followers amongst his vassals and retainers during the winter. How did the wily Scotchman requite the kindness and generosity of his host? Just as might have been expected from the man that betrayed and deserted the magnanimous O'Neil. He seduced the daughter of his friend, whom he afterwards privately married, and by force and fraud obtained possession of the Castle and lands of M'Quillan. In 1584, M Donnell, wishing to enlarge his possessions, entered into an alliance with Brian O'Neil and

seduce them from the Dalmarian confederacy. While at the Castle of Dunluce, Agnes, the daughter of the chieftain, conceived an affection for him, though she was betrothed to Con, the young Lord of Down. Failing in his plan of weakening the forces of O'Neil by the disaffection of the vassal chieftains, he determined to try the fortune of a battle. This conflict, in which the Ultonian chiefs were defeated, took place at Dunbo, in the county of Antrim, in September, A. D. 1182.] "Let the deeds of the chivalric Dalrieda be consecrated in song, for their fame swells the voice of a thousand harps, and the martial fields of Europe are the scenes of the radiant glory of O'Neil and O'Donnell, the car-borne victors of Erin.* But sad is the task! mournful to my soul are the melancholy notes that breathe from my strings, when I sing of the fatal beauty of Agnes, the blue-glancing daughter of M'Quillan, she that was the sweetest rose of loveliness among the graceful daughters of green Ullin,

"Blue-eyed nymphs of winning smiles and snowy bosoms, listen to my song of sorrow, and let the tear of sympathy bedew your roseate cheeks, as you swell the soft sound with your mournful notes, whilst I gently awake the living strings that resound with the death-dirge of heroes! Weep, ye waters of the Bann! Sigh, ye stately oaks of Strangford! Lament, ye breezes that moan- through the ruins of Dunluce Castle, for the Saxons have triumphed on the bloody field of Dunbo! and the flower of Erin's chivalry blooms no more in the valleys of Ulster. light of the moon shines on the graves of our heroes; the grassy sod, draped with the green verdure of the Shamrock, covers the lonely dwelling of the fallen brave! But let me tell the tale of other years-the deeds of days that are gone.

The

"De Courcey, the ruthless Saxon chief, carried the terrors of war into the pastoral meadows of wood-shaded Ulster, and used all his cunning guile to estrange the vassal lords of Dunluce, Down, and Iveah from their sovereign chiefs-from the heirs of the renowned hero of the nine hostages. But true to their honour and allegiance, the noble warriors were deaf to the siren voice of the Saxon; they spurned his offers contemptuously. The fame of these gallant spirits shall be preserved in Erin's annals-the names of M'Quillan, Dunlevey, and Magennis will shine in the light of song.

"De Courcey feasted at the banquet which the chief of Dunluce spread in his hall for the Saxon stranger. The dome rung with the music of harps and the sounds of festive revelry. Cheerfulness and pleasure brightened every bosom except the Saxon's; hypocrisy and deceit were the demons that engrossed his mind, and treachery like a dim spectre might be seen, in spite of his forced smiles, through the gloom that brooded on his brow. But his looks were pleasing to the eyes of Agnes, as they beamed upon him like stars of light reflecting lustre on the skirts of a cloud, and her glances gave expression to the feelings of her heart, She loved the Saxon, and soon found an opportunity of pouring into his ear the whispered words of her passion. Every feeling for Con was absorbed in her at tachment for the Saxon chief-every vow was forgotten; the youth was no longer present in the dreams of her rest-his voice was no longer music in her ear.

O'Cahan, and at the head of their foliowers, and 1000 Highlanders, he took Coleraine by assault. But Sir John Perrot, soon obliged him to retreat to the Castle of Dunluce, which was quickly invested by Sir John, and captured after a siege of twenty days. By the inquisition taken of M'Donnell's property, it appears, among other items of enumeration, that he was possessed of 50,000 cows! Having suplicated the Queen for the means of support, she yielded to his petition, and restored to him the Castle of Dunluce, and four estates belonging to it, which his descendant, the Earl of Antrim, enjoys at the present day.

DALRIADA. This name was given to a colony from Ulster, headed by Carbre Dal Rida, or the long armed, an Irish Prince, that settled in Scotland A. D. 221. From this leader, according to O'Flaher ty, the Knights of Ulster were distinguished by the appellation of Dalriada. For their colonies in Albania (Scotland) they were obliged to pay tribute to the Monarch of Ireland, and do him homage for the fiefs which they held in Ulster. The Albanian Kings continued to pay the Dalnarian tribute to the Kings of Ulster, until St. Columbia, who was at once heir to the throne of Ireland and Scotland, released them from it, in A. D. 565. This Princely saint renounced the sceptre for the crosier, converted the Caledonians to Christianity, and founded the celebrated Abbey of lona, which Dr. Johnson has so graphically described, in the most beautiful passage that can be found in the English lan guage,

Forgetful of her plighted faith, she felt no pity for a man who adored her, and whom she sacrificed to a rival who was the enemy of her country, and the destroyer of her family. She had stolen assignations with the Saxon, whose heart her beauty had captivated; but scarce had night's sable curtain seven times shrouded the bower where the lovers indulged in caresses and endearments, and the moon, like the shield of æther, dimly floated in the grey mists that skirt Lough Neagh, when O'Donnell, on the hill of Clyfin, sounded the martial horn; soon was the signal obeyed-up starts the Dalnarian hosts, and stand like tall pines on the shady side of Coleraine, ready for action and array. The banner of the Red Branch, emblazoned with the yellow lion and the bloody arm, is seen waving on the tower of Bush Mills, and O'Neil himself, cased in a burnished coat of mail, mounted on his gorgeously caparisoned war horse, presented a noble spectacle that served to recall to recollection the image of Nial the great. The dalliance of love did not, however, lull the vigilance of De Courcey, for no sooner had the dawn tinged the mountains' tops with the beams of Phoebus than he was at the head of his troops. The morning lowered; dark mists rest on the rising hills of Glenarm; the clouds drop blood; the Dalnarians with their chiefs, the O'Neils, O'Donnells, O'Cahans, M'Laughlins, M'Quillans, and Dunleveys, thronged in martial order, ready for battle and revenge on the English invaders. Both armies gazed on each other for a moment, when O'Donnell, striking his bossy shield, gave the signal for the strife of spears, and then the combattants fall upon each other with such destructive fury as spread the ravages of death through all their ranks, while the surrounding mountains reverberated the thunder of shields, and the flashing sparks that flew from the terrible collision of their javelins and battle axes, presented a scene that resembled a city in flames. Ranks fall like the leaves of Scarva's forest, when swept by the brumal tempest. The prodigies of valour performed by the Ultonians could not secure victory; five hundred men of the noble host of Erin rested in the narrow house, among whom were Donald M'Laughlin, prince of Bally Castle, M'Quillan, Magennis, and other brave chiefs. "The fatal spear of De Courcey, as if directed by jealousy, pierced the breast of the gallant Con. In her secret bower, within Dunluce's walls, pensive and anxious for her lover's fate, sat Agnes, ruminating on the morning's events. The shades of night began to mantle the mountains, as the sun sunk behind the hills; darkness veiled the light; ghosts of former times howled in the blast; the cry of the Banshee was dismal and mournful. Pale lightnings flashed from pine to pine, that shaded the sloping sides of Port-Rush; the hoarse raven croaked in anticipation of the feast of slaughter; and thrice the unstrung harp had sounded the notes of death, when with hasty steps and gore-stained spear Roderick, her father's armourer, announced the defeat of Erin's armies, and the downfall of her illustrious house, and that her father, brother, and constant lover all slept in the narrow tomb.

* * * * *

"She shrieked dismally. 'Alas,' she cried, 'can I accept the hand of him that killed my father? Can my ill-fated passion chill filial and patriotic feelings in my breast? No! never shall I wed him that comes to enslave my country, and dethrone her Milesian princes.' With trembling steps and distracted mind she sought the forest shade, and on the lonely banks of Larne she sat like a weeping Naiad, where in dark-bosomed mists, on fleeting gales she heard and saw the ghosts of warriors slain. Con, her once fond lover, demanded oft in plaintive accents his plighted faith; her father lamented the downfall of his house, and her brother reproached her for fixing her affections on the enemy of her native land.

"Cease, cease!" she said, 'ye revered shades! soon shall I be with you in the narrow house; that shall soon be the nuptial bed of the hapless Agnes. No virgin of Erin shall shed a tear on my lonely grave-no bard shall raise my fame in song, because I loved the Saxon chief, De Courcey. I come, dear shade of my father! open the portals of your hall of clouds, and let my spirit bask once more in your smiles.' She threw herself in the lake, and was no more."

LITERARY AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF IRISH AUTHORS AND ARTISTS.-NO. VII.

LEONARD M'NALLY, ESQ.

We are sorry that we have not materials to enable us to give more than a biographical sketch of a man who was not less eminent for the scope of his genius, and the profundity of his learning, than for the warmth of his patriotism and the amiable qualities of his heart. Who that knew the celebrated subject of this memoir did not esteem him, not only for his personal worth as a gentleman, but for his high professional talents as an advocate who had reached the loftiest station at the Irish bar?

Mr. McNally was born in Strand-street, Dublin, in 1752. His father, who was a respectable merchant, died when Leonard was not more than six years of age. Within two years after, his mother married Thomas Fetherston, Esq. of the county of West Meath, in whose house he resided until he had attained his twentieth year.* The family of Mr. M'Nally, on the paternal and maternal side, was highly respectable, and of the ancient Milesian race. His father's ancestors were proprietors of the castle and lands of Raheboth, in the county of Dublin, of which they were despoiled by the sanguinary Cromwell, as appears by a tombstone over their graves, within the railing of the communion table in the church of Donnybrook. His grandfather was an extensive wine merchant of considerable opulence, and expended very large sums in building in Strand-street, Mary-street, and Britain-street, in the city of Dublin. The father of Leonard was also engaged largely in the wine trade, and in pursuit of gain made several voyages in his youth to France, Spain and Italy. He was a man of a classical education, who besides the Greek and Latin, could speak most of the European languages fluently, and write essays with taste and perspicuity. His mother was also a scion of the Milesian oak; her name was Murphy, of the sept of Oulach-Leagh, in the county of Wexford, who claim their descent from Dermot Macmurrogh, the last king of Leinster, and they still retain, as a remnant of their former greatness, an estate which had been a portion of the possessions of a monarch whose lascivious passion for the wife of O'Rourke has doomed his country to the oppression of six centuries.

The mother of his father had in her veins the "blood of all the Howards;" she was the niece of the Duke of Norfolk; and his maternal grandmother, named Charters, a Scotch lady, was the first cousin of the Earl of Nithsdale, who escaped out of the Tower of London. Mr. M'Nally's family lost a great deal of their property by the injustice of those penal laws which tyranny enacted in barbarous times, with the view of extinguishing the lights of the Catholic religion in Ireland. The possessions which the grandfather of our author acquired by inheritance and industry were sacrificed to that intolerant policy that punishes man for obeying the sacred dictates of his own conscience It is a fact as remarkable as it is true, that the subject of this memoir never inherited any of his grandfather's property, though he did not profess the religion of the proscribed class.

During his rustication in the county of West Meath, he neglected his studies, and the cry of the fox hounds had more charms for his ear than the notes of the Aonian swans; but he soon began to store his mind with ancient and modern lore, and to drink deeply from the balmy fountain of philosophy. His mother's death, which occurred in 1771, oppressed his mind with the acutest affliction. To dissipate the anguish with which that event darkened his heart he visited London, where there was a brother of his mother's in good circumstances. His uncle's

"Mrs. M'Nally was one of the finest women I ever saw; tall, full, and majestic. Leonard himself was much under size, but had a handsome, expressive countenance, and fine, sparkling, dark eyes: He was a sprightly boy, and such his passion for private plays, that he was indulged in having a little theatre fitted up in his mother's house in Strand-street; all the boys of his turn frequented it-I one of then."-O'Keeffe's Recollections.