[from Brown's Popular Guide, 1887]

DOUGLAS TO THE SOUTH OF THE ISLAND (BY ROAD).

Distances by road - Ballasalla, 7½ miles; Port Erin, 13½ miles ; Port St Mary 15 miles ; Castletown, 19 miles; back to Douglas, 28¾ miles.
Distances by train : - Ballasalla, 8½ miles; Castletown, 10 miles; Port St Mary 14¾ miles ; Port Erin 15½ miles

Crossing the bridge of thehead of the harbour at Douglas we enter the Castletown-road, having the Nunnery Castle and Grounds on our right and the green slopes of the Nunnery Howe to our left. At the top of a Kewaigue Hill we have a choice of two routes - the Old Castletown-road and the New. The former keeps nearer to the coast-line, and though the gradients are steeper, the district through which it passes is more varied and picturesque, and it affords finer views of the southern district, and better opportunities of diverging to the coast. The new road descends the hill under a railway bridge, passes through Kewaigue Village, and then climbs Middle Hill and Mount Murray.

The historically interesting Mount Murray estate situated on the Castletown road, about 4 miles from Douglas. It was the home of the Murrays when the "Right Honourable Lord Henry Murray,".the fifth son of the Duke of Athol, was the Governor of the Island, to whose memory a monument is erected in Kirk Braddan. A stone which was inserted in the walls of the mansion, and which still remains, records that "this estate, by ye Hon. Worthy Governor was called Moor Hall, November 1, 1736," at which date, no doubt, it was the home of hospitality, ease, and elegance ; but, like many other estates, since that period it has passed through various changes, and, in recent years, long wanted an occupant to preserve it from decay and ruin. This is all the more astonishing from the fact that the estate is situated in the midst of one of the most charming landscapes of which the Island can boast. From the grounds a considerable view, including the chief mountain scenery of the Island, is obtained. From the upper portion of the estate, Castletown and Port Erin, with the intervening country, are spread before the eye like a charming scene in a panorama. Near the estate is the famous Glen Darragh and some Druidical stone circles, which, according to Dr. Cumming, are the burying-places of the British or Scandinavians who first settled on the Island. Mount Murray was, a few years ago, purchased by Mr S. H. Marsden, under whose direction artistic workmen from England effected such important changes in the mansion that if any of its former occupants were again permitted to "walk this earth," they would not be able to recognise it. Passing the lodge at the chief entrance, the visitor cannot but be delighted in going through a grand avenue of trees which spread over several acres, and which are only a portion of the almost countless trees which ornament every part of the estate, and which afford delightfully cool retreats in the hottest summer days. The carriage drive leads to the door of the mansion, and is then continued to the second entrance, which abuts upon the Castletown road. The building, without being taken down, has been so changed, in its outward features, that it is essentially a new structure. A tower, which has been added to the front Portion of the house, serves the double purpose of a prominent ornament and an opportunity of viewing, from its summit, one of the grandest scenes conceivable. The walls of he hall and staircase, in common with the rooms throughout mansion, are most tastefully decorated, without the sightest approach to glare or meretricious ornamentation.

The chief and most interesting features of the Mount Murray Hotel, however, are the grounds, the gardens, and the fields belonging to the estate - about fifty acres in extent. These,as they become known, must attract many visitors, especially pic-nic parties desirous of needed convenience for al fresco enterainments and the retirement which makes life for a few hours "under the greenwood" so enjoyable. It would certainly be difficult to create, not to say select, a more appropriate or desirable place to visit, as all needed refreshment accommodation can be obtained, and the usual out-of-door sports and amusements indulged in without let or hindrance. The property has been purchased by the Mount Murray Hotel Company, by whom it has been still further beautified.

A little beyond Mount Murray Hotel, the prospect to the south is very fine. At the foot of the descent beyond Mount Murray, we cross the Santon burn by the Ballalonney Bridge ("The Fairies' Bridge"), and, nearer Ballasalla, we have a closer and more detailed view of the South, including the whole coastline from Cass-na-Awin to the Calf, and, inland, round by the Mull Hills, Bradda, Cronk-ny- Irey- Lhaa, and South Barrule, with the square keep of Castle Rushen, and the houses of the town clustering about it in the centre, and King William's College to the left. The district beyond, and the various objects of interests in it, are fully described in this Guide's section relating to the South.

Should the route indicated at the head of this chapter be taken, we turn to the right through the village ; and, leaving Rushen Abbey on the right hand, pass over the river Silverburn. If time will permit, Rushen Abbey, a full description of which we give hereafter, should be inspected. Soon after leaving Ballasalla, we pass some important limekilns. In Arbory, at a little over two miles from Ballasalla, the old friary of Bimaken, said to have been founded in 1373, is passed. All that is left of the old building has been converted into a barn. A little beyond this, on the right hand side of the road, is the parish church of Arbory. Less than a mile further on is the King Orry's Tavern. The road then passes through Colby village and over the Colby river. There are two or three lead mines close to, on the right, at the foot of the Carnane hill. Shortly afterwards we have Bradda Head in view in front, surmounted by the Milner Memorial Tower. Rushen pet church is then passed, and a short drive brings us to Port Erin.

In starting on the return journey from Port Erin, we proceed towards Port St. Mary, which should be visited if the tourist have time. A pleasant drive along Poolvash Bay, &c., brings us to Castletown. The road from Douglas to this town has been described.

DOUGLAS TO THE SOUTH (BY RAIL).

+5 shown in our chapter headed "How to Use the Manx Railways" [page 93], the Island can be completely inspected by 2 judicious blending of rail and road. All we have to do r is s to state, briefly, the principal features of the journey - rail from Douglas to the south of the Island, leaving the J to refer, for further details, to the chapter alluded to. A very short distance out of the town, the line turns to the left and crosses the combined river Dhoo-Glass, affording a ee peep up and down the Nunnery Grounds. After ssing through a deep cutting, the train emerges on to the ereen slopes at and about Kewaigue. On the left is the Berane Hill, commanding a magnificent view of the Braddan valley; and, on the right, the east side of the Manx mountain range is seen, the most important mountains, from this point of view, being Colden, Garraghan, Pen-y-Phot, and Snaefell. At Oakhill we pass through a deep, rocky cutting, and, on reaching the top of the hill, we get a fine view of the magni- cent rock scenery at and about Santon Head and Port Soderick. Our first stopping place is Port Soderick [see pages 69 & 70], exactly three miles from Douglas. For some distance from here the line runs through Crogga Glen: this is certainly one of the prettiest views on the line. _ Soon afterwards the sea again comes into view. On the left is Greenwick Glen, and, on the right, the mountains of South Barrule and Cronk-ny-Irey-Lhaa. After passing Santon Station, which is five-and-a-half miles from Douglas, the line passes over a steep embankment, surmounting a bridge which crosses the Santon burn. On the left is Ballalonney, or Fairy Bridge. A little beyond this we come to the top of the hill looking down into the southern plain of the Island, and commanding an expansive view. King William's College, Castletown, Langness, and Derbyhaven Bay appear on the left ; while on the right are Bradda Head, the Caraane, the Mull Hills, Beda, Cronk-ny-Irey-Lhaa, and South Barrule. We next stop at Ballasalla Station, which is eight-and-a-half miles - Douglas. It is at this station we have to alight to visit ushen Abbey, the Crossag Bridge, Silverdale, &c. A mile and a half from here is Castletown ; and a twenty minutes' ride from there lands us at Port Erin, the southern terminus of the railway..

For further information respecting the places incidentally alluded to in the preceding accounts of the journeys to the south of the Island by road and rail, we must refer the tourist to the succeeding chapter.

THE SOUTH OF THE ISLAND

The southern district of the Isle of Man, which, in this work, we may consider as that part of the Island lying south of a line extending from Dalby Point to Cass-na-Awin Head, and including the important parishes of Rushen, Arbory, Malew, and part of Patrick, is undoubtedly, in many respects, the most interesting part of the Island. Within an area of about fifty square miles it contains a greater variety of scenery than is to be found within the same space in any other part of the country - than, probably, any other part of the British Islands - from the flat, steppe-like country round Castletown, to the rocky grandeur of the tremendous precipices of the south-western coast; from the fertile woodlands of Ballasalla, to the barren wilds of the Mull Hills. Nor is mere diversity of scenery its only attraction. During the greater part of the existence of the Island as a semi-independent kingdom, the chief seat of its government, ecclesiastical as well as civil, was within this district; and hence, every part of it is crowded with historical sites and remains, so that it is almost impos- sible to treatl a step within its boundary without exposing to view some fresh relic of the ancient glory of the kingdom of Man - some spot made famous in its story by noble deeds or bitter suffering. Nor are its scientific features less interesting. Within its limits are found all the different varieties of rock existing in the Island, and that under the most interesting conditions. From Cass-na-Awin Head to Perwick, along the southern coast, and inland to the foot of Barrule, the carboniferous limestones are developed in great perfection ; while, along the west and south shores of Langness, and in a few other places, the old red sandstones and conglomerates are very fairly exposed. Elsewhere, the clay slates and schists are found in great variety ; while, in all directions, throughout the entire district, run volcanic cracks and dykes, and other other marks of igneous action, highly suggestive of the agencies employed in the formation of the Island and of the circumstances attending their operation. To the naturalist and the botanist, too, it is peculiarly interesting, as, in many of the remoter parts of the district, there still linger plants and animals not found, or found very rarely, in other parts of the British Islands. Among its mountainous cliffs the hawk 2nd the falcon may be seen ; and the puffin and the stormy petrel, the guillemot and the diver, breed in countless numbers upon its inaccessible rocks ; while on the face of its Precipices grow the samphire and the sea-kale, and in its ceep, sheltered ravines and damp sea-caves are found the stately osmunda and the beautiful maiden-hair. Altogether, this portion of the Island is one in which the visitor, whether tourist or scientific investigator, may find ample employment for a lengthened visit, and that, too, in its most agreeable and profitable form.

This division of the Island, physically, consists of two mountain regions, separated from each other by a low, and, in parts, undulating plain of great fertility. The most southern of these mountain districts comprehends the Mull Hills, a mass of rocky waterworn hills, the highest summit of which is about 500 feet above the sea, and presents on every except the north-east a perpendicular descent into the 2. At the south-western extremity they terminate abruptly in the huge rock of Spanish Head. The north mountain district consists of the southern portion of the great central range which traverses obliquely the entire country from Maughold Head to the Calf, forming the backbone of the Island. It consists of a single range of mountains, culminating in South Barrule. Between the two, and skirting for distance the eastern foot of the mountains, lies an extensive tract of low, almost level land, the highest point of which does not exceed 100 feet above the sea level. This flat district was until comparatively recent times a narrow strait between the two seas, the outlet on the west being Port Erin, and, earlier, Fleshwick. Upon its fertile sands and gravel now stand Port Erin, Port St. Mary, Castletown, Derbyhaven, and Ballasalla, besides many a hamlet of less importance. The two mountain districts are very similar in the character of their scenery and outlines, consisting of a succession of barren, treeless wastes, covered with a luxuriant growth of gorse and heather, whose yellow and purple flowers in summer give a glorious colouring to the otherwise dark and gloomy mountain sides. The upland regions afford pasture to great numbers of a small and hardy breed of sheep, whose flesh, though not so fat or highly fed as most of the English breeds, is of an exquisite flavour. The lower slopes of the mountains, and the deep picturesque glens lying between their long projecting spurs, are, on the whole, carefully cultivated, and are divided into large irregular fields by stone fences, or by the high earthen banks so characteristic of old-fashioned Manx farming, while numerous farmsteads and cottages dot the hill sides, at times far above the line of cultivation, their white walls glittering in the sun, or their uncurtained windows twinkling like so many stars in the darkness of the night. The upland regions are covered in all directions by numerous good roads, often at a considerable elevation above the sea, and a walk across them is both pleasant and health- ful : the fresh breeze blowing from the sea, the sweet smell of the heather, and the beautiful and expansive views of land and sea which are obtained from them, make a mountain ramble in the Isle of Man a present delight and a memory never to be forgotten. We cannot too strongly urge our readers to accompany us in some of the mountain excursions we shall shortly describe. One ramble along the high mountain roads, for healthy enjoyment, for the novelty and beauty of the scenery, and for the glorious glimpses obtained of the island and its surrounding seas, is worth a dozen of the tamer and more hackneyed walks in the lowlands ; and whoever leaves the Island without having seen something of its mountain scenery has left unexplored and unseen its most charming scenes,

Beginning our southside rambles from the centrally situated village of Ballasalla, we have a most bewildering choice of routes before us. We may turn inland, and take our first stroll by the clear waters of the Silverburn, and amid the remains of the ancient abbey of St. Mary muse upon the departed glories of the past, which its broken fragments so vividly recall ; or we may wander further up the valley, in the footsteps of Julian Peveril, and explore the romantic recesses around St. Marks, and, among the lower slopes of Barrule and Cordeman, prepare ourselves for our higher mountain climbs, later on ; or we may follow the course of the western branch of the stream, past Athol-bridge and Grenaby, and mounting to the Round Table, the high plateau between Barrule and Cronk-ny-Irey-Lhaa, descend into Glen Rushen, and return by Foxdale and St. Mark's ; or, turning west, we may proceed to Dalby and the Niarbyl, returning by Cronk-ny-Irey-Lhaa to Port Erin - both glorious mountain rambles ; or, lastly, we may turn eastward, towards the Santonburn, and explore our way round the coast to Castle- town and Langness. We shall follow the latter course, as being the most generally convenient, reserving the others for some of our later rambles.

Passing through Ballasalla, and following the Douglas road for about half a mile up the hill, we come to a bye-road striking to the east, and, turning down it, a short walk over a low rounded hill, the Brough, brings us into the valley of the Santonburn, about a quarter of a mile above its outlet into thesea. Following the course of the stream, this glen, one of the least known, but undoubtedly one of the most picturesque and romantic, of the Manx glens, we emerge on to the shore through a wild gorge between two high rocky headlands; the one to the left a craggy cliff of claret-coloured clay schists, disturbed and contorted in an extraordinary manner by volcanic action, and pierced by several beautiful waterworn arches, opening with a little cave beyond. The summit of this cliff is crowned by the remains of an ancient earth-work, appears also to be probably of the British period. The headland to the right (Cass-na-Awin Head) is formed by a huge mass of dark limestone, containing fossils, the base of which is hollowed into several waterworn caves. This headland is the most northern point at which the limestone is found along this coast ; its most southern point being at Perwick, west of Port St. Mary. The view up the glen of the Santonburn from this point is very beautiful. Before leaving this interesting locality, our geological friends should notice some very curious impressions in the slate rocks on both sides the stream, at the mouth of the glen, as shown in the illustration on this page. They are of an oval form and of various sizes, but usually about nine or ten inches long, by five or six inches wide. They appear to be indentations made in the substance of the rock when, during the Cambrian Age, it existed as a vast flat muddy beach. There appears also to be a species of order in the manner in which they occur on the face of the rock, and their track (that is, the direction in which they succeed each other) is parallel to the ripple marks which cover these rocks, that is to say, they were formed along the margin of the Cambrian Sea. Altogether they bear an extraordinary resemblance to the reptilian footprints which are found in certain later rocks.

There are many curiously formed rocks: on the shore of this bay, of two of which - " The Bull-Nose" and "The Mushroom" - we give illustrations on this and the following page.

Proceeding along the coast in a south-westerly direction, a walk of about half-a-mile brings us to the historic site of Ronaldsway, the northern extremity of Derbyhaven. To the truehearted Manxman this is almost sacred ground. Again and again its soil has been drenched with the best blood of his fore-fathers fighting for their freedom, and upon. its fatal battle field the independence of the country sank for ever before the overwhelming power of Scotland. But, above all, it is endeared to him as the home of the patriot martyr of Mona, William Christian, the fair-haired Illiam Dhone." This unfortunate individual was the son of Ewan Christian, of Ronaldsway, and belonged to an ancient and influential Manx family. Early received into the service of the great Earl of Derby, he acquired such influence over him, by his talents and conduct, that he was appointed Receiver-General in 1648, and, on the Earl's departure for England, in 1651, to assist the young King Charles II. in his attempt to regain his father's crown, he left him in command of the Insular militia during his absence, and placed his wife and children in his especial charge. But, though he was thus the honoured and trusted servant of the Earl, he by no means shared in his per- sistent and arbitrary attempts to extend and strengthen the royal authority, from which indeed his father and other prominent members of his family had suffered severely, both in person and estate ; on the contrary, his sympathies were entirely with the people in their struggle with the king for the preservation of their ancient and undoubted liberties and possessions. In consequence of these tyrannical proceedings, discontent was universal throughout the Island, and several attempts at resistance occurred, which the Earl, by skilful and vigorous measures, suppressed. But, after his departure, the popular discontent rapidly gathered to a head, and, on the atrival of the news of his execution at Bolton, it burst out in a general insurrection. With this rising Christian was more or less connected, but to what extent is unknown. That, either from want of ability or inclination, he did nothing effectual towards its suppression is plain ; indeed, it is stated that, so far from opposing the rising, when it had become general he presented the demands of the insurgents to the widowed Countess, and used his influence and authority to procure her acceptance of them. The high-spirited lady, unable to resist, was obliged to yield. but she appears to have regarded Christian as the ringleader of the rebellion - a belief in which she was, unfortunately, confirmed by succeeding events. After the execution of the Earl, his estates were sequestered by the Parliament, and a strong body of troops, under the command of Colonel Duckenfield, sailed from Chester to reduce the Island. On nearing Douglas, he entered into communication with the insurgents, who offered to surrender the Island without resistance, on the sole guarantee of their ancient lands and liberties. Landing in Ramsey Bay, the entire Island, together with the persons of the Countess and her family, was surrendered without resistance to the Parliamentary forces in virtue of this capitu- lation. The Countess was closely confined in Castle Rushen until the restoration. In these transactions, the name of William Christian does not directly appear, but it is highly probable that he approved of them all, except, perhaps, the unnecessary rigour exercised towards the unfortunate Countess of Derby, whose partizans do not scruple to say, in extenuation of his subsequent execution, that he was the instigator of them all; that he treacherously seized the Ceuntess at midnight, and surrendered her, together with Castle Rushen, to the Parliamentary commander. But of this we have no proof, and as his written defence, given in to the Court which tried him, was suppressed (a suspicious proceeding, for why should his statement be kept back, unless it told against his accusers ?), it is now impossible to determine what amount of truth there may be in this charge, or how far he was actually implicated in these transactions. Under the administration of Lord Fairfax, to whom the Parliament granted the Island, Christian retained his office of Receiver-General, and in 1656 he was appointed Governor, which office he held, in addition to that of Receiver-General, until 1658, when he was superseded by James Challoner, who had pre- viously been one of the commissioners, appointed by Lord Fairfax, to administer the Island on its cession to him by the Parliament. Soon after, some irregularities in his accounts as Receiver-General being discovered, his estates in the Island were sequestered, and his brother John was imprisoned tor having assisted him to leave the Island. "At the restora- tion he was living in England, but, trusting to the Act of Indemnity, he returned to the Island, when he was seized by order of Charles, eighth Earl of Derby, and, after a mock trial, was condemned, and executed as a traitor on January 2, 1663. Respecting the character of this unfortunate man, great difference of opinion naturally exists. The partizans of the Derby family have represented him as a traitor of the deepest dye, who richly deserved the punishment he received; but the people for whom he turned traitor, if he was a traitor, and for whom he, in effect, suffered at Hango Hill, have always regarded him as a true-hearted patriot, who, though the trusted official of the tyrannising sovereign, refused to be the instrument of the destruction of his country's liberties, and who gave his life a sacrifice for the people's rights, and in their hearts his memory is still fondly cherished as one who died for his country. The records of those times are both fragmentary and confused, and while the accusations of his enemies were recorded against him, his own defence was carefully suppressed, and his memory was thus left unvindi- cated, save by the grateful love of his countrymen - a love which has remained unchanged and undiminished until this day. On his execution his estate was confiscated, but by an order of King Charles II. it was restored to his son, and, we believe, still continues in his family.

On the level country in the neighbourhood of this spot numerous battles, important in the history of the Island, have been fought. The most important was that fought, in 1270, between the Manx, under Ivar, regent of the kingdom, and the Scots, under Stewart and Comyne. After a hotly contested battle, in which the Manx fought with the energy of despair, they were totally defeated with a loss of 537 killed, including their leader; and, incapable of further resistance, the entire Island fell into the hands of the Scots, by whom it was retained as a subject province until about 1290, when it was taken possession of, by Edward I., as a fief of the English Crown. This battle finally decided the fate of the Island; henceforth its "independence" was but a shadow of the old reality, and its "kings" were but governors for the more powerful kings who reigned beyond the sea. : The district round Derbyhaven is especially interesting, and the views, from many points, are extensive and remark- ably fine. Derbyhaven is undoubtedly the finest natural harbour in the Island, being protected on all sides by the land except to the north-east.. In former times the port of Derbyhaven was of much greater importance than it is at present, a large portion of the trade of the Island being once carried on in it, and, for its defence, a circular fort, of great strength, was built on St. Michael's Isle, by Queen Elizabeth, in 1603, or, as others think, by James, seventh Earl of Derby, in 1650. A turret has been erected on the top of the east wall, in which, during the fishing season, a light is kept burning from sunset to sunrise. This harbour is now chiefly used by a portion of the southern division of the Manx fishing fleet, many of the boats being laid up in it during the winter. To protect these and other small craft using the bay, a substantial breakwater, 275 yards in length, has been built upon a tidal rock in the centre of the bay. Within the limited area of Derbyhaver almost every species of rock existing in the Island is found zm sztw. Along the eastern shore, from St. Michael's Isle, the clay slates are found in several varieties, and, from the modifications resulting from volcanic action, under very interesting con- ditions. Next, as we round the southern corner of the bay, we have the old red conglomerate ; and, lastly, the lower limestones and shales, which are continued along the coast to Cass-na-Awin Head. _In the two opposite corners of the bay we have the boulder clay resting upon these sub-rocks, and the upper sand and gravel of the recent period form the superficial covering along the rest of the bay. To the fossil- collector, the north corner of the bay, near Ronaldsway, where the small stream flows into the sea, is especially attractive. Here with a good heavy hammer, he can easily make a good collection ot the characteristic species of the lower limestone rocks, including a series of fine coral and brachiopoda. It may be interesting to know that, though no coal has yet been found in the Island, its proximity to the coal-bearing rocks of England and Wales, and the remarkable appearance of the rocks in various parts of the Island, have repeatedly led to the belief that the valuable mineral existed in this country, and might be found by a proper search. Accordingly, mining operations have several times been commenced, and, on one occasion, during the formation of the railway from Douglas to Peel, it was actually announced as discovered. The supposed discovery proved, on examination, to be a vein of blende, which bears a superficial resemblance to a seam of coal. Derbyhaven, from its geological formation, has long been regarded as a promising locality by the coal-seekers, and, on one occasion, an extensive search was carried on for some time within its area, and borings made to a considerable depth, but with no practical result.

From Derbyhaven the tourist has, two courses open to him : he may turn to the right and make straight for Castle- town, a distance of about a mile and a half; or he may keep to the left along the shore and make the tour of Langness. The latter course, if the entire circuit of the peninsula is per- formed, will involve a walk of about seven miles ; but the character of the scenery through which he will pass is so interesting, that none should miss the walk if they can possibly spare the time for it. St. Michael's Isle, which forms the south-east corner of Derbyhaven Bay, is connected with the mainland by a substantial causeway. It contains, on its southern side, ruins of a small chapel of great antiquity. Its workmanship is of the rudest description, being built of small unwrought fragments of slate rock, and there is no mark of a tool on any part of it, except.on the coping stone of the west gable. Under the east window there are the remains of a stone altar, "and at the same end in the north corner, three stone steps which may have served as an ambo, or pulpit." The age of this building is unknown, but it has been thought to belong to the fifth or sixth century - a conclusion by no means extravagant, for it is asserted that chaples were erected by St. Germanus upon three quarterlands about the middle of the fifth century, and the ruins of several of these treen chapels still remain in different parts of the Island. This ancient chapel is surrounded by a burial ground of consider- able extent, in which Roman Catholics were frequently interred. The place is wild and bare, even now amid the warmth of summer; and in winter, when the storm winds shriek across the heavy seas, driving before them the blinding rain, and the waves dash heavily upon the rocks, sending their white spray over the entire islet, it must be bleak and desolate beyond expression. 'This islet appears to have been of considerable importance in former times, and was, according to Camden, the ancient Sodor : in this, however, he seems to have been mistaken.

At the north end of the islet, opposite to Ronaldsway, is a circular embattled fort. Over the doorway is a stone tablet, bearing an earl's coronet and a date only partially decipherable, but which is probably 1650, the date of its erection. Its walls are of great strength, and as it completedly com- mands the entrance into Derbyhaven Bay its possession must have been of great importance in former times, whenthat port was the principal outlet for the produce of the south of the Island. From the walls of the fort and the grassy slopes of the islet a beautiful and extensive view of the southern half of the Island is obtained, Cronk-ny-Irey-Lhaa, Barrule, and the entire mountain range to Snaefell being visible.

Recrossing the causeway, which joins the islet to the mainland, we follow the coast along the eastside of Langness, passing 2 succession of terrific chasms and ravines, with sharp outlying rocks, all along the coast, whose cruel points have often crushed the sides of the unfortunate vessel cast upon them. Until recently destitute of a warning light, and projecting far into the track of ships navigating the Irish Sea, and surrounded by currents of exceptional strength, wrecks frequently occurred along this dangerous coast. One of the latest of these disasters was the wreck of the James Cross- field, an Indiaman of large size, which struck on the rocks near the south-eastern corner of the peninsula, and becamea total wreck, her entire crew of forty souls perishing in the vain attempt to reach the land, and their bodies, with three exceptions, being swept away by the strong current. The scene of this disaster bears the sinister name of the "Grave Gully." Near the southern end of the pro- montory, upon an elevated rocky mound, is a tower-like building, sixty feet high, erected by the English Govern- ment, in 1818, as a landmark; and, with the hope of pre- venting the numerous shipwrecks of which Langness has been the scene, the Northern Lighthouse Commissioners have erected near the end of the promontory a magnificent light- house, fitted with everymodern appliance. The prospect from the foot of this landmark is magnificent, comprehending the entire coast, from the Chicken Rock, with its tall, tower- like lighthouse, to Douglas Head. The extreme point of Langness consists of two large detached masses of rock, insulated at high water ; and beyond these, again, is a dangerous reef known as ''The Skerranes." At Dreswick Point, the southern extremity of the promontory, the old red conglomerate is seen resting unconformably upon the underlying slate rocks, and the scene at this point is wild and romantic in the extreme, the rocks being broken up into numberless deep gullies, the sides of which are formed of the disturbed and contorted slates standing up almost on their edges, with the conglomerate lying nearly horizontally upon them. These gullies are the ruined fragments of vast sea- caves, which were formed in the cliffs when the land lay lower than at present, and destroyed during its latest upheaval. These caves, together with the similar ones found along the western shores of the promontory, bear witness to the strength and persistence of the sea action upon this coast during the post-glacial age, as well as to it duration, and the entire series is well worth the most careful examination of the geologist. Following the line of the old red conglomerate across the narrow point which separates Castletown Bay from the open sea, we come upon a similar series of ruined caves, forming numerous romantic arches and grottoes and deep chasms. These remains extend for a considerable distance along the western side of Langness, and form a very interesting feature in the coast scenery of this district. The beauty of the outlook from this point is so great, including, as it does, a view of Castletown from its most picturesque point, together with the entire south coast to the Calf and the Chickens' Lighthouse, that every visitor to the Island should contrive to pay it a visit; and no one should altogether omit Langness from his programme.

Proceeding northward along the coast, a pleasant walk of a mile and a half, partly along the top of the cliffs, brings us to the Isle of Man Racecourse. This spot will be interesting to Englishmen as the site of the original " Derby Day," the principal event of the annual carnival on Epsom Downs. During his residence on the Island, James, seventh Earl of Derby, instituted a series of races, for the amusement of his followers, to which the name of "The Derby" was given, thus anticipating by a century and a half its establishment on Epsom Downs. Passing the Racecourse, we find ourselves at the foot of a low cliff, about twenty-five feet high, formed of the boulder clay, and containing numerous boulders of various sizes, together with shells of the usual drift charac- ter. The cliff is commonly called Hango Hill. Upon its top are the picturesque ruins of an ancient building, formerly used by the King of the Island as a state prison, and especially famous as the scene of the execution of William Christian, the Illiam Dhone of Manx tradition, in 1662. In connection with this event, we copy the following entry from the parish register of Malew, in which parish this locality is situated : - "Mr William Christian, of Ronaldsway, late Receiver, was shot to death at Hango Hill, the 2nd January, 1662. He died most penitently and most courageously ; made a good end, prayed earnestly, and the next day was buried in the chancel of Malew."

Mounting the cliff, and crossing by a footpath through a small cultivated enclosure to the highroad leading to Derby-haven, we find ourselves in front of a large and imposing building in the mixed early English and Elizabethian character. This is King William's College, an institution intended to supply the place of a Manx university. The origin of this institution may be traced to the great Earl of Derby, who, in a letter to his son, written in 1643, says : - "I had a design, and God may enable me to set up an university without much charge (as I have conceived it), which may much oblige the nations round about us. It may get friends into the country, and enrich this land. This would certainly please God and man." The confusion which prevailed in Manx affairs at this time, and his own violent death soon after, prevented his carrying out this noble design. The scheme remained in abeyance until the occupancy of the See of Man by Dr. Isaac Barrow (1663-1671), a man of large and liberal views. The first step was taken towards its accomplishment, and a sum of £600 was set aside out of certain funds collected by him in England to improve the condition of the poorer clergy, which he directed should be applied towards providing a master for the proposed academic institution. He also left by will a further sum of £20 per annum out of the rents of the estates of Ballakilley and Hango Hill, with the ultimate reversion of the estates themselves, towards the maintenance of three boys at this academic school, should it be established, or, in default of its establishment within twelve months after his decease, towards the maintenance of two youths at one of the universities, In 1728, the trustees came into full possession of these estates, and after the year 1808 the two funds were merged into one trust. The want of such an institution as that projected by the Earl of Derby in 1643 being increasingly felt in the Island, and the funds in the hands of the Barrow Trustees having by the year 1830 accumulated to upwards of £2,000, it was reselved to raise additional funds, and to commence the erection of a suitable building for the projected college. Accordingly, public subscriptions to the amount of £2,700 were raised through the exertions of Bishop Ward ; and a further sum of £2,000 obtained by a mortgage upon the College estate, making, with the accumulated trust fund, a total of nearly £6,800 - an amount sufficient, it was thought, to enable the trustees to carry out their projected enterprise. The foundation-stone was Iaid April 23, 1830, by Lieut.- Governor Smelt, and the building was first opened for the reception of students on rst August, 1833; receiving its name, by special permission, from the reigning king, William IV, The length of the building is 210 feet, and of the transept in the centre, including the chapel and tower, 135 feet ; the height of the tower is 115 feet. The entire cost of this building was £6,573, and for numerous reasons its erection was marked in the Island as a great national event. For a period of ten years nothing special occurred, the College gradually gathering strength and character under the able guidance of two successive principals, the Rev. E. Wilson, M.A., and the Rev. A. Phillips, D.D.; but on the 2nd January, 1844, during the rectorship of the Rey. R. Dixon, D.D., a fire, the origin of which was never ascertained, broke out, and, in spite of all efforts to subdue it, in a short time destroyed the entire building, chapel and tower included, with the exception of a portion of the vice-principal's residence, together with the extensive library and almost all the other property on the premises. F ortunately, no lives were lost, though the inmates at the time numbered about one hundred. This disaster was a serious blow to the institution, burdened as it was with a heavy debt, and unfortunately only insured to the amount of £2,000, scarcely half the amount of the damage done to the building alone. But the trustees were equal to the occasion, and at once set to work to restore the building. A circular was issued stating the facts of the case, and subscriptions, including one from Bishop Short for £300, were collected to the amount of nearly £2,000. This money, together with the amount of insurance, defrayed the cost of rebuilding, which amounted to £3,800, and so rapidly was the work of restoration pushed on that, on the 4th June in the same year - that is, within six months from the date of the fire - the work was so far advanced as to enable the annual distribution of prizes to take place in the large class-room. Through the exertions of Bishop Short, and other friends, the library has been in great part restored, and now contains a large number of books, -many of them of considerable value. In addition, the College also possesses a number of curiosities, presented by old students ; but the great attraction of its museum is the large and unique collection of fossils belonging to the Manx carboniferous rocks, formed some years ago by the late Rev. J. G. Cumming, M.A., a former vice-principal, and presented by him to the College. Considering the circum- stances of the Island, this institution is moderately well endowed. Through the natural increase in the value of land, the trust estate has so largely increased as to provide funds for the endowment of no fewer than eighteen scholar- ships, ranging in value of from £10 to £25 per annum ; and also of four exhibitions of the value of £40 to the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, or Dublin ; while, from later endow- ments, or out of the ordinary income of the College, two additional exhibitions to the Universities of £40 value, and five scholarships of £20 value, have been established. The governing body consists of the Lieutenant-Governor of the Island, the Attorney-General, the First Deemster, the Clerk of the Rolls, the Bishop of the Island, and the Archdeacon. Owing to the admirable improvements introduced during recent years, the College is in a highly prosperous condition.

CASTLETOWN

Leaving the College to our right, a pleasant stroll along the shore of the bay, or by the Derbyhaven road, brings us into the ancient town of Castletown. This town, the ancient stronghold and capital of the Lords of Man, derives its name from the noble old fortress whose huge bulk towers up in its centre. The origin of the town is lost in the mists of antiquity ; the earliest records of the Island speak of it as in existence, and, from certain discoveries of ancient re- mains, it is probable that, during the Roman period, a considerable town existed upon its site. In fact, this little town, with its grey stone houses, and its narrow, winding streets, is, beyond doubt, one of the oldest towns in the British Islands. During the middle ages it was the principal seat of the royal power - an honour which it retained until the seat of the Government was transferred to Douglas. Radiating from its centre-point, the old castle, and lining the roads which branch out west and north, its streets are narrow and winding, and its houses of diversified shape and size; but it possesses some good buildings ; its houses look clean and comfortable, and it suburbs are pleasant and well laid out. Altogether it possesses an air of respectability and dignified quiet which is well suited to its ancient recollections. :

The Castle stands upon an eminence rising directly from the rocky bed of the river. It is built of blocks of the local limestone, and the timber used in the roof of the keep is traditionally said to have been brought from Anglesea. The Castle is generally stated to have been built by Guthred, the son and successor of Gorry or Orry, the first Manx king of the Danish line, and finished in 960. In support of this statement the fact that, during some repairs in 1815, an old beam was discovered bearing, with some ancient characters, the date 947, which has consequently been assumed to be the date of the erection of the Castle; and, as this date coincides with the reign of Guthred, that prince, who is also traditionally said to have been buried within the Castle, has been credited with its erection. This statement, however, cannot be ac- cepted without some qualification. That a fortress of Danish, if not of more ancient origin, existed upon this spot is highly probable ; it is also possible that some small portion of the present structure may belong to that ancient fortress, but that the present building is substantially the one erected by Guthred the Dane is most improbable - in fine, cannot be accepted as a fact. The form of the building, though evidently of an early date (the square form of the central keep pointing to the eleventh or twelfth century as the date of its erection), is certainly of a later period than the tenth century, while the original building suffered greatly during the various sieges it sustained, notably one by Edward Bruce, in 1313, when, after a defence of more than a fortnight, it was taken and "demolished." From this time it is unnoticed in the Manx records until 1593, when the Earl of Derby "thought fit to erect again his two garrisons of the Castles of Rushen and Peel." It would thus seem to have remained in a ruinous condition, after its demolition by the Scotch, for a period of nearly 300 years. From these and other considerations it is extremely improbable that the existing building is the original fortress erected by the Danes. Of its great antiquity, however, there can be no doubt, and it is one of the finest specimens in existence of the military architecture of the middle ages. The main building is a square keep, with massive towers of the same form on each of its four sides. This was the ancient residence of the kings of Man, and it contains, in addition to numerous other rooms, a large banqueting hall and a chapel. The walls of the keep are twelve feet thick at the base, and seven feet thick at theirsummit. The north or flagstaff tower is eighty feet high, and the other three are each seventy feet high. The ancient gate of the keep was situated about the middle of its south wall, and a loftly portculls exists in its eastern side - between the north and south towers. Surrounding this central mass, at a distance of about fifteen feet, is an embattled wall, twenty-five feet high and nine feet thick, defended by seven square towers placed at irregular intervals. There is a sally-port towards the harbour, and the appearance of others which opened into the ditch. Exterior to this forti- fied rampart was the ditch or moat, now filled up. The site of the ditch, it will be seen, is much higher than the level of the river at the Castle foot, and, therefore, it could not have been filled from the river at this place, but it appears to have been supplied from a point higher up the stream, the remains of the wooden pipes used for the purpose of bringing the water into the ditch having been discovered some years ago. Beyond the moat is a glacis of an irregular form, fortified with three round towers or redoubts, now in ruins, supposed to have been built by Cardinal Wolsey during the minority of Edward VI., Lord of Man. The best pre- served of these redoubts is that at the north-west angle, near the harbour.

Let us now enter the Castle, the form and arrangement of which we shall better understand from the above general description. Entering by a long, narrow, winding road, between high walls, and passing the point where formerly was the drawbridge over the moat, we come to the Castle gate and the first portcullis. Here we observe a flight of stone steps leading to the Rolls' Office, in which the public records of the Island are preserved. Passing through the gateway into the Castle court, there is a second flight of steps going up to the ramparts, and also to the Court-house and Council Chamber, where the law courts are held, and the Council formerly met. These buildings were erected by James, the seventh Earl of Derby, in 1644, and were occupied by the Derby family, and the governors of the Island, until the time of Governor Ready ; after which Lorne House, on the margin of the bay, became the Government House. Formerly, in imitation of eastern custom, the Governor, attended by his Deemsters, sat within the Castle gate to try all civil cases, and three stone chairs were placed there for their accommodation. An example of this Court, called " The Great Enquest," being so held, is on record in 1430, when Henry Byron, lieutenant of the Island, held a court of all the commons betwixt the gates of the Castle of Rushen. Crossing the court of the Castle, and passing through the second portcullis into the inner court of the keep, on the left of the gateway is a room formerly used as the Castle prison. It is a small, dark, and wretched plaec. altogether unfit for the lodgment of a human creature, and yet it was here that Bishop Wilson was closely confined for two months, in 1722, for the non-payment of a fine of £50 imposed upon him by the Governor. At the opposite side of the entrance, at the foot of the flagstaff tower stairs, is another similar cell, in which the Bishop's two Vicars-General were confined, at the same time, for smaller sums. The Bishop had suspended Archdeacon Horrobin, the Governor's chaplain, for a serious breach of ecclesiastical discipline, and the Archdeacon, appealing to his friend the Governor, Captain Horne, instead of to the Metropolitan, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop was fined £50, and his two Vicars-General, who had been officially concerned in the suspension, £20 each. They refused to pay these fines as arbitrary and unjust, upon which they were arrested and closely confined in these cells. Their arrest caused great excitement among the people, by whom the Bishop was greatly beloved. Vast crowds gathered about the Castle walls, and it was with great difficulty that they were restrained from pulling down the Governor's house by the personal intercession of the Bishop himself, who spoke to them from a grated window and from the Castle wall. On appeal to the King the Governor's proceedings were reversed, and the prisoners released, but the expenses of the trial were so great that the Bishop was permanently impoverished, while, from the closeness of his confinement and the dampness of his cell, he contracted a disorder in his right hand which partially disabled it for the rest of his life. The Bishop's cell is now used as an office.

Next to the large room which is now used for the accommodation of debtors (for whom, as well as for criminals, the Castle is used as a prison) is a cell connected with a more recent case of imprisonment, that of Mr James Brown, then proprietor of The Isle of Man Times. The case is worth stating, as an instance of the arbitrary powers which the Legislature of the Island was, even in these modern days, supposed to possess. The following account of the affair is given. It appears that the Commissioners of Douglas applied to the House of Keys, as the lower branch of the Manx Legislature is called, for increased powers, to enable them the better to discharge their municipal duties. At that time the House of Keys was a self-elective body, and when a vacancy occurred in their number they nominated two persons to the Governor, who was bound to appoint one cf them to the vacancy. The Town Commissioners were popularly elected; and there seemed to be a kind of antipathy between the two bodies. thus' so oppositely constituted. Consequently the application for increased powers for the Town Commissioners was treated with considerable levity and derision by the self-elected Keys, who, by a large majority, threw out the bill introduced by the Commissioners. This conduct of the Keys was very severely commented upon by two of the Manx newspapers, the Jfona's Herald and The Isle of Man Times. At the next meeting of the House of Keys the members of this branch of the Legislature resolved that the comments in these two newspapers were "a contempt of the House and a breach of its privileges ;" and Mr J. C. Fargher, the proprietor of the Jona's Herald, and Mr James Brown, of The Isle of Man Times, were summoned before the House to answer for their conduct. On the next day the two unfortunate printers appeared before the House, and were asked to explain their conduct. Mr James Brown was first called upon, and in defence contended that the comments in his newspaper were quite justifiable, considering the course the House had taken in reference to the bill alluded to. The House then passed a resolution condemning Mr Brown to six months' imprisonment in Castle Rushen, and he was at once arrested and taken to the grim old fortress. It was at first proposed to put the unfortunate journalist among the criminals ; but as he was in bad health at the time, an appeal was made to the Governor of the Island, who ordered that he should be placed on the debtors' side of the prison, and he was accommodated in the cell we have pointed out. The result of Mr Brown's being put on the debtors' side was, that his friends were enabled to supply him with comforts which he could not have had had he been confined amongst the criminals.

The severe sentence on Mr Brown seemed to have alarmed his fellow-journalist, Mr Fargher, who, promising to apologize for the comments which had appeared in his journal, escaped the imprisonment which had been so unexpectedly awarded to Mr Brown.

The affair, however, turned out rather unfortunately for the members of the House of Keys. Mr Brown appealed for release to the Court of Queen's Bench ; and in less than seven weeks he was again free, and was brought down in triumph to Douglas by a large number of persons. He then entered an action at law against the members of the House of Keys, and was awarded heavy damages for the illegal imprisonment to which he had been subjected. It is said that this affair, which happened in 1864, cost the members of the self-elected House of Keys above £1,000.

Under the Bishop's cell is an underground dungeon, formerly used for dangerous criminals, who were lowered into it byropes. Not a ray of light is admitted to this miserable 'place, except through the chinks of the trapdoor. During some repairs in 1816, another of these dreadful underground dungeons was discovered under the north-west tower, the existence of which had been previously unknown. Passing on into the inner court of the keep, we enter that part of the Castle used as the general prison of the Island. The rooms to the right, occupied by the Countess of Derby during her imprisonment by the Parliamentarians, are occupied by the male prisoners; and those to the left by the female prisoners. Let us now ascend the spiral staircase which leads to the top of the southern tower. This tower contains the ancient chapel of the Castle, which still retains traces of the altar and confessional. It also contains the ancient clock presented by Queen Elizabeth, 1597. Its con- struction is very simple, but it still keeps good time. The bell upon which the hours are tolled was, by its inscription, the giit of James, the tenth Earl of Derby, in 1729. ane view from the top of the tower will well repay the labour of climbing the hundred steps which lead to its summit. Deep down below us lies spread out, as in a map, the town and its suburbs, while beyond, the country stretches before us to its farthest extremity. To the northward the country rises in a succession of rocky mountains of varied shape and appearance, whose eastern ridges thrust themselves far out into the sea at Douglas Head, Santon Head, Langness, and Scarlett ; to the west the mountain range bounds the view, the dark tops of Barrule and Cronk-ny-Irey-Lhaa showing to great advantage, while through the gap between the Mull Hills and Bradda Head, directly over Port Erin, we can see on a clear day the granitic mountains of Mourne, Slieu Donard, and Slieu Bingian. To the south lies the Mull Hills, with the entire coast line gradually increasing in height and ruggedness, until it ends in the precipices of Spanish Head, trom behind which again the Calf Islet projects its dark outline. In this direction the view is terminated by the tall pillar-like lighthouse on the Chicken Rock. More to the left, on a clear day, the blue mountains of Anglesey and Carnarvon can be seen on the distant horizon.

Among a people so tenacious of old customs and beliefs as the Manx, among whom, even in these days of steam engines and electric telegraphs, the belief in fairies and elves and witchcraft is still common and sincere, it is not to be wondered at that a building of an antiquity so great that its origin is lost in the darkness of the past, should be associated with wild legends of enchantment and spiritual appearances. Indeed it would be extraordinary were it not so. Among the strange stories thus related of the Castle and its former in- habitants, the following are the most characteristic and generally interesting. The underground rooms, which it is now ascertained were constructed in the solid foundations of the Castle towers, were asserted by tradition to be connected with a long winding subterranean passage, at one time said to connect the Castle with Rushen Abbey, and at other times believed to lead to the dwellings of the enchanted giants - - a story of which we have the exact counterpart in the Arthurian legends of England and elsewhere. The legend, as told by Waldron in his "Description of the Isle of Man," is as follows : -

There is an apartment in the Castle of Rushen that has never been opened in the memory of man. The persons belonging to the Castle are very cautious in giving any reason for it, but the natives unconnected with the Castle assign this, that there is something of enchantment in it. They tell you that the Castle was at first in- habited by fairies, and afterwards by giants, who continued in possession of it until the days of Merlin, who, by the force of magic, dislodged the greater portion of them, and bound the rest of them in spells, indissoluble to the end of the world. In proof of this they tell you a very old story. They say there are a great many fine apartments underground, exceeding in magnificence any of the upper rooms. Several men of more than ordinary courage have, in former times, ventured down to explore the secrets of this subterranean dwelling-place, but none of them ever returned to give an account of what they saw. It was, therefore, judged expedient that all the passages to it should be con- tinually shut, that no more might suffer by their temerity. About some fifty or fifty-five years since, a person possessed of an uncommon boldness and_ resolution begged permission to visit these dark abodes. He at length obtained his re- quest, went down, and returned by the help of a clue of packthread which he took with him, which no man before had ever done, and brought this amazing discovery : - That, after having passed through a great number of vaults, he came into a long narrow place ; which the farther he penetrated, he parceived that he went more and more on a descent; till, having travelled, as near as he could guess, for the space of a mile, he began to see a gleam of light, which, though it seemed to come from a vast distance, was the most delightful object he ever beheld. Having at length arrived at the end of that lane of darkness, he perceived a large and magnificent house, illuminated with many candles, whence proceeded the light he had seen. Having, before he began the expedition, well fortified himself with brandy, he had courage enough to knock at the door, which, on the third knock, was opened by a servant, who asked him what he wansed. ''T would eo as far as I can," replied our adventurer ; ''be so kind, therefore, as to direct me how to accomplish my design, for I see no passage but that dark cavern through which I came." The servant told him he must go through the house, and accordingly led him through a long entry, and out at aback door. He then walked a considerable way, till he beheld another house, more magnificent than the first and, all the windows being open, discovered innumerable lamps burning in every room. There, also, he designed to knock, but had the curiosity to step on a little bank which commanded a view of a low parlour, and, looking in, he beheld a vast table in the middle of the room, and on it, extended at full length, a man, or rather a monster, at least fourteen feet long and ten or twelve round the body. This prodigious fabric lay as if sleeping, and his head upon a stool, with a sword by him, answerable to the hand which, he supposed, made use of it. This sight was more terrifying to our traveller than all the dark and dreary mansions through which he had passed, He resolved, therefore, not to attempt an entrance into a place inhabited by persons of such monstrous stature, and made the best of his way back to the other house, where the same servant who reconducted him informed him that if he had knocked at the second door, he would have seen company enough, but ceuld mever havereturned. On which he desired to know what place it was, and by whom possessed ; the other replied that these things were not to be revealed. He then tvok his leave, and, by the same assage, got into the vaults, and soon afterwards once more ascended to the light of the sun. Ridiculous as the narrative appears, whoever seems to disbelieve it is looked upon as a person of weak faith.

Further on in his " Description" Waldron also tells of the Black Lady of Castle Rushen : -

A mighty bustle they make of an apparition which they say haunts Castle Rushen in the form of a woman, who was some years since executed for the murder of her child. I have heard not only persons who have been confined there for debt, but also the soldiers of the garrison, affirm they have seen it at various times ; but what I took most notice of was the report of a gentleman of whose good undersanding as well as veracity I have a very great opinion. He told me that, happening to be abroad late one night, and catched in an excessive storm of wind and rain, he saw a woman standing before the Castle gate, where, being not the least shelter, it somewhat urprised him that anybody, much less one of that sex, should not rather run to some little porch or shed, of which there are several in Castletown, than choose to stand still exposed and alone to such adreadful tempest. His curiosity exciting him to draw nearer that he might discover who it was that seemed so little to regards the fury of the elements; but, as he proceeded, she retreated and at last he thought she went into the Castle, the gates were shut. This obliging him to think that he had seen a spirit, he went home very much terrified ; but next day, on relating his adventure to some people who lived in the Castle, and describing as near as he could the garb and stature of the apparition, they told him it was that of the woman mentioned, who had been frequently seen by the soldiers on guard to pass in and out of the gates of the Castle, though they were locked and bolted, as well as to walk through the rooms, though there was no visible way of entering. But though she is so familiar to the eye of the inmates of the Castle, no person has yet, however, had the courage to speak to her ; and as they say a spirit has no power to reveal its mind without being conjured to do so in a proper manner, the reason of her being permitted to wander is unknown.

Leaving the old Castle, with its reminiscences, real or imaginary, and turning to the right up the gentle eminence on which it stands, we pass, in a little square opposite the southern wall of the Castle, a small unpretending building, with two pillars at the door, and looking altogether like a third-rate Dissenting chapel. This was the House of Keys - the Manx Parliament House, in fact - in which, for nearly 170 years, the Insular Legislature held its sittings. It is now the Castletown office of Dumbell's Banking Company, Limited. Since the removal of the seat of Government to Douglas, however, the Keys do not meet in Castletown, the Governor, for convenience, more generally requiring their attendance at Douglas, where a handsome chamber, in oak, has been fitted up. for them in the Government Buildings, Prospect Hill.

Passing on, we enter the Market-place, in the centre of which is a Doric column, erected in 1836, in memory of the late Lieutenant-Governor Smelt; and near to it stands an ancient town cross, containing a very curious antique sun-dial, which is well worth notice. On the west side of the Market-place, opposite to the modern entrance into the Castle formed through the glacis, are the Barracks ; on the opposite side of the square is the Custom House, and at its south-east corner is St Mary's Church, built in 1826, in excavating the foundations of which three Roman coins of Germanicus and Agricola were discovered embedded in a large stone, probably the foundation stone of a Roman temple, of the existence of which tradition speaks. There is also preserved in Castle Rushen a Roman altar, said to have been found in the same locality. We give illustrations of the. Roman altar and of St. Mary's Church. ;

The town contains two good hotels - the George and the Union - together with several respectable inns, refreshment-rooms, and boarding-houses.