Some Observations upon Lough-Neagh in Ireland. In a Letter from Francis Nevill Esq; To the Lord Bishop of Clogher

Remarks; but my design being only to give you a Narrative, and not to Criticize or make Observations, I leave that Province to those who are better able to make a Judgment of these Circumstances. And as it is pretty sure the Urns are Roman, and consequently that the Number must denote a Station or Colony of that People: So I should be glad to hear your Thoughts and Opinion of the Place where that Station was appointed, or Colony planted; upon what Occasion, and at what time it might be placed there. I am, &c. Note, Two of these Urns, of different sizes, with pieces of Bones, Ashes, Teeth, and part of an old Brass Instrument (Supposed to have been a Roman Fibula) contained in them, were presented to the Royal Society by Mr Le Neve, and are in their Repository at their House in Crane-Court in Fleetstreet. XXIX. Some Observations upon Lough-Neagh in Ireland. In a Letter from Francis Nevill Esq; to the Lord Bishop of Clogher. Belturbet, Feb. 12. 1712-13. My LORD, I hope it will not be amiss to give your Lordship an Account of what I have heard and observ'd of our considerable Lake Lough Neagh, so much talk'd of for its changing Wood into Stone, which Report is too much credited by some, who do yet live near the Lough; but I can assure your Lordship, there is no such petrifying Quality in that Water. I lived fourteen Years in Dun- gannon, within five Miles of it, and was very often there, about the Skirts, for many Miles, and in a Boat upon it several times. I have taken the Survey of a great part of the Shore thereof, when I drew the Scheme for making the Glan-Bog Navigable, from the Lough thro' part of the upper Bann to Newry; which was done at such a time as the Waters were very low, and a large Strand left in several Places: And many Trees lay in the Verge of the Lough, which I believe might some of them have lain there some hundreds of Years, which had been overtun'd by the Lough's encroaching on the Land, where great Woods had grown; and many Roots of great Trees were standing in their proper Places, where the Water had prevail'd on the Land, and no Alteration in the Wood at all, but it was firm, sound Wood, without any Petrification. I have had an occasion, among other Things, to talk to Mr. Brownlow upon this Subject, a great part of his Estate in Ardmagh, lying contiguous to the Lough; and he told me, that he did believe that there was not any petrifying Quality in the Water; for that he had made several Tryals, and had order'd Holly Stakes to be driven into the Ground within the Verge of the Lough, and that some of them continued there many Years, but that he found no Alteration. Yet notwithstanding all this, there has been great quantities of such sort of Stone, like unto Wood, found upon the Strand after great Floods and Storms of Wind, which have put the Lough into a Ferment; the Waves breaking down the Banks, incroaching on the Land, and tumbling over Trees, by which Incroachment this sort of Stones are discover'd: And if ever they were Wood, they were petrify'd by the Earth, and not by the Water; of which kind I have seen several Pieces big and little, some like Oak, some Ash, and some like Holly, with Bark, Grain and Knots like Wood; so that any by the Eye would judge it Wood, till they come to try it. I had a Piece about sixteen Inches long, that look'd as if it had been a great Chip cut out of the side of an Oak-Block, with the Bark on it; and in cutting such Chips, there happens generally some Shakes or Flaws in such large Chips, so that there will be a Separation of Parts at one end, and they remain firm at the other, as it was in this. I could have rais'd several of such Splinters of this large Chip, some bigger and some less; and when so raised, they would have slap'd down as though they were a Spring. Some of those Stones would appear at one end as if rotten, and decayed Wood; but trying it, it was as much Stone, as any other Part. Now as to the Lake itself, your Lordship has seen it, and I may forbear to give your Lordship an Account of the Boundaries thereof: However, it is reputed to be Twenty four Miles long, and Twelve Miles broad, and Navigable from Charlemount to Portlenone, which is about Thirty five Miles. It does not abound with many sorts of Fish, but those that are are very good, such as Salmon, Trout, Pike, Breame, Roch, Eels and Pollans, with which last it does abound: The English call them fresh Water Herrings, for want of another Name; for Pollan is an Irish Name. They catch them in the Summer with Seives, as they do Herrings, and they are a great Relief to the Poor, being very cheap: They are much in shape and bigness like to the largest Smelts, full of very large bright Scales, and pleasant Meat, being eat fresh. These were supposed to be a peculiar Fish to that Lake; but since I came here, I find Lough Earne has the same sort, but not in so great Plenty. They are generally caught here in their Eel-Nets, running to the Sea; so that I am of Opinion, that they are that sort of Fish that is caught in the Sea, or between the fresh and Salt-Water, call'd Shads; and that the large ones come from the Sea, as the Salmon doth, and leave their Spawn Spawn in the Lough; which, when they grow to be big, go to the Sea, and there come to their full Growth: And that which confirms me in my Opinion is, that at the Salmon Fishing at Colraine, they catch many of the large ones going up to the Lough. There is one sort of Trout in Lough Neagh very large: I have seen one weigh thirty Pound weight; and the largest Salmon that I ever saw weigh'd not more than Thirty five. This sort of Trout the Irish call a Budagh. That there is some' Healing Quality in the Water of this Lough, is certain; but whether diffus'd through all Parts thereof is not known, nor pretended. There is a certain Bay in it, call'd the Fishing-Bay, which is about half a Mile broad: It is bounded by the School-lands of Dungannon, hath a fine Sandy Bottom, not a Pebble in it, so that one may walk with safety and ease from from the Depth of his Ankle to his Chin, upon an easy Declivity, at least Three hundred Yards before a Man shall come to that Depth. I have been in it several times, when Multitudes have been there, and at other times; and I have always observ'd, that as I have walk'd, the Bottom has chang'd from Cold to Warm, and from Warm to Cold, and this in different Spots through the Bay. Several have made the same Observation. The first Occasion of taking Notice of this Bay for Cure, happened to be no longer ago than in the Reign of King Charles the Second, and was thus. There was one Mr. Cunningham, that lived within a few Miles of the Place, who he had an only Son grown to Man's Estate. This young Man had the Evil to that Degree, that it run upon him in eight or ten Places: He had been touch'd by the King, and all Means imaginable us'd for his Recovery; but all did no good, and his Body was so wasted, that he could not walk. When all Hopes of his Recovery were passed, he was carried to the Lough, where where he was washed and bathed; and in eight Days time, bathing each Day, all the Sores were dry'd up, and he became cured, and grew very healthy, married, begot Children, and liv'd nine or ten Years after. This Account I had from Capt. Morris, and his Brother, who were Eye-witnesses, and at whose House the young Man lay, while he continued to bathe there. After so remarkable a Cure, many came there, who had running Sores upon them, and were cured after a little time. The Natives thought it could not do well, but upon some particular Time appropriated for that Service; and now great Crowds come there on Midsummer-Eve, of all sorts of Sick; and sick Cattle are brought there likewise and driven into the Water for their Cure; and People do believe they receive Benefit. I know it drys up running Sores, and cures the Rheumatism, but not with once bathing, as People now use it; and the drinking the Water I am told will stop the Flux. I look upon it to be one of the pleasantest Bathing Places I ever saw. I am, &c. Fran. Nevill.