In Lough Erne, the most celebrated island for holy purposes is _Devenish_, in which there are a round tower and considerable ecclesiastical ruins, some as early as the 12th century. These buildings are of the Augustinian order of monks; and the most ancient part is called St. Molaise's House, a vaulted building of hewn stone; coeval with which, in Mr. Ledwich's opinion, is the round tower; and both, as he supposes, of Danish origin.
The mineralogist will find little here to interest him; but the geologist may discover much food for research; especially in the bogs that lie N. of Enniskillen, where sea shells are often found mixed in strata of white clay, 15 feet below the surface. This clay is calcareous; and the whole, in process of time, may become a bed of marble.
_Bryum flexuosum_, Soft Bryum:--on rocks.
_Cicuta virosa_, Long-leaved Water Hemlock:--in watery places and rivers, in Fermanagh.
_Serapias latifolia_:--a variety of broad-leaved Bastard Hellebore; in woods and hedges.
_Vaccinium Myrtillus_, Black Whorts, Whortle-berries, or Bilberries:--on heaths and in woods.
This county is maritime, and of great extent, being the second in the island. It contains several lakes; but as the scenery round these is not very romantic, they are but little known to the tourist; and the aspect is not improved by the dry stone walls or hedges; except in the western district, where the beautiful shores of Lough Corrib will repay the trouble of a visit, through an extensive tract of irreclaimable bog and mountain. On the sea coast it is picturesquely broken by numerous arms of the sea; and its rivers deserve the notice of the inquisitive tourist. Dr. Beaufort observes, that several of these rivers are subterraneous in part of their course: near the village of Shrull, on the borders of Mayo, the Black river runs under ground for about 3 miles; but the most remarkable fact is that of the Moyne and the Clare, which unite their streams under ground, alternately appearing and retiring from view at the Turlachmore, which in winter forms a lake and in summer a beautiful and sound sheepwalk, upwards of 6 m. in length and 2 in breadth. Bounded W. by the Atlantic; N. by Mayo; N.E. by Roscommon; E. by King's County, Tipperary, and the Shannon; S. by Clare, and Galway bay.