THE castle of Dunluce is one of the most extensive and beautiful remnants of feudal architecture at present remaining in Ireland. Though it has long ceased to be the residence of man, and its walls are crumbling to decay, the boldness of its situation, the extreme regularity of its structure, and the events connected with its history, render it an object of peculiar attraction, as well to the antiquary as the traveller. The remains of several castles, which have evidently been places of great strength and security, are scattered over the cliffs in the vicinity of the Causeway, and give a melancholy beauty to the grand and everchanging scenery of these romantic shores. But the subject of this sketch is decidedly the most interesting and deserving of notice.

Dunluce castle is situated about two miles from Bushmills, a neat little village in the county of Antrim, on the estate of Sir F. W. M'Naghten, and about the same distance from the grand national curiosity, the Giants' Causeway, many parts of which can be seen from its turrets. It is built on an isolated cliff, which rises abruptly from the ocean to the height of two hundred and fifty feet; but is not more than twenty distant from the adjoining land. A

narrow parapet, in the form of a bridge, is constructed over the intermediate chasm, which is the only communication between the castle and the outer buildings, and which, before the invention of artillery, must have rendered its possessors secure from the dread of invasion. This space divides the castle into two parts. That on the main land is neither so extensive, nor so well fortified, and is supposed to have been the place allotted for the residence of the Gallowglasses, who attended the person of the lord of the castle. The buildings on the rock are fantastically adapted to the peculiarities of its shape, and extend entirely over its surface. In many places the earth and rocks have deserted the foundations, which hang uninjured over the precipices, as in defiance of desolation. The walls, both in this and the outer buildings, are composed entirely of basaltic marble, and cemented with a sort of bitumen, remarkable for its strength and durability. The cornices and arches of the doors and windows are adorned with beautiful specimens of columnar basaltes, taken from the Giants' Causeway, which are so arranged as to display their polygon sections, and discover no signs of decay. There is not a vestige of a roof remaining on any of the towers or apartments; but the greater part of the walls are still undilapidated, though vast masses of them have fallen in several directions, and block up the passages. The remains of a

spacious chapel occupy the centre of the building, the walls of which are considerably higher than the rest; and immediately adjoining it is the Baushee's room, from whence, according to the traditions of the country, unearthly cries are frequently heard, and huge fires seen, especially before any great calamity. It is said that this room is the frequent visiting-place of the Baushee, who forboded, in nocturnal wailings, the ruin of the Macquillans, and the destruction of Dunluce.

A little below the wall formerly mentioned, which connects the buildings with the main land, is a prodigious It is about two hundred feet in length, and in some places nearly one hundred high. The noise caused

cavern.

by the perpetual rushing of the waves into this tremendous vacuum is truly awful; and an approach to it by sea is dangerous even in calm weather. It is supposed that it was formerly used as a dungeon for prisoners taken in battle; but the walls have long since disappeared by the action of the waters. How dismal must have been a confinement in this abode !

The prospect from Dunluce is beautifully romantic. The rocks contiguous, and those along the coast, are white as the spray that lashes against them, and present a most imposing appearance. The bold projecting headlands in the vicinity of the Causeway rise in grand continuity on one side, and the extensive promontory of Innisowen, with the Skerry Isles, on the other. The island of Raghery, with its limestone cliffs, is nearly opposite, and completes a prospect that cannot be surveyed without feelings of interest.

The early history of Dunluce is lost in the stream of time. Some antiquaries suppose that it was founded by Sir John de Courcey, during his conquest of Ulster; and that it was subsequently enlarged by the Macquillans, (a powerful Irish sept, who took a lead in the political dissensions of their country,) in whose possession it remained till the reign of James I., when it fell into the hands of the M'Donalds.

Dunluce was soon afterwards deserted, and fell to desolation; but it is impossible, even at this advanced period, to visit this beautiful ruin without melancholy feelings. Those walls, that formerly resounded with the noise of revelry, and the clang of warfare, now echo with the cries of the raven and the sea-gull; and the place where the martial banner floated in victory and defiance is now overgrown with moss and ivy; all furnishing a melancholy memento of that rapidly approaching period, when The cloudcapt towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all that it inherit, shall dissolve; And, like the baseless fabric of a vision, Leave not a wreck behind.

JAMES F. LANKTREE.

184

NOTES BY A MISSIONARY.

No. VI.

"In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt."

Isaiah xix. 19.

CAIRO, or Grand Cairo, as it is generally called, is the metropolis of Lower Egypt, and is situated on a vast plain, about three short miles from the Nile. Though the city itself is on a plain, yet in the midst of it is a high mount, have a very commandcalled the citadel, from whence you ing view of the surrounding country. In the distance are seen the pyramids of Sakara, and nearer those of Gaza. Near the former spot, it is thought, ancient Memphis stood. The majestic Nile, with its noble stream, appears very conspicuous from this height, as also old Cairo, distant about an hour's ride from the metropolis. It is in the citadel that the Pasha holds his courts of justice. I saw about twenty dromedaries waiting to convey any intelligence to His Highness, or any communication by telegraph from Alexandria, as the last telegraph stands on this spot. In the citadel is a very deep well, called Joseph's Well, which is descended by many steps. The water is good.

The most conspicuous objects in the city are the minarets of the Mahomedan mosques, with their gilded crescents towering in the air. From the galleries of these high towers, men call aloud in the morning, noon, and night, "There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." At midnight also the sound reverberates through the air. They are, in general, I was told, blind men who are employed in this work. When will the time come, that the voice shall say, "There is one God; and Jesus, the Messiah, is the Son of God?"

A few rays of divine light are now beginning to penetrate the dense cloud which covers the land of Egypt. In that part of the city, called the Coptic Quarter, the Church Missionary Society have their establishment.

Here is a

school in which the children are taught to read the word of God; here is a depository for Bibles, Testaments, and other books, in different languages; here missionaries reside, who travel into different parts of Egypt, and the adjacent countries, to distribute books, and converse with the natives; and here an altar is erected to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt. It was pleasing to hear the Gospel preached in the native language of the country; and though it be the day of small things, yet the Lord has said, he "will not break the bruised reed," he "will not quench the smoking flax."

It is not far from this city that the Lord wrought out the deliverance of the children of Israel; and “his arm is not shortened that he cannot save, nor his ear heavy that he cannot hear:" For thus saith the Lord, "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." Zante. W. O. C.

PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Section II.

(Continued from page 157.)

Q. 72. WHAT are the principal characters sustained by the Lord Jesus?

A. His great character is denoted by his name JESUS, which signifies a Saviour. But in accomplishing the salvation of man, he has assumed, and still sustains, the characters of a Prophet, a Priest, and a King :

A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Jesus of Nazareth, which was a Prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.