He then turned his face towards the
unimpeachable Registry of Cathedral number
three, hoping for better success.

THE IRISH "STATIONERS."

"IF you wear a handkerchief tied on your
head, you'll be able to pass everywhere without
question."

I declining, however, to adopt this counterfeit
presentment of a pilgrim, my companion
resumed, "You will at least be careful not
to show any disrespect, nor pry too much
into what you may see going on around
you?"

I assured him, that to insult my neighbours
in their conscientious observances, was what
I should be sorry to do, and, furthermore,
promised to restrain my curiosity within
moderate bounds; whereupon we made
arrangements to visit together that celebrated
place of Roman Catholic pilgrimage existing
on an island in Lough Derg, County Donegal,
Ireland; to which as many as fifteen
thousand people are said to have repaired to do
penance in a season (extending from the first
of June to the fifteenth of August in each
year), though it is calculated that the numbers
of pilgrims, during the season of 1850, is not
likely to exceed six thousand.

After a drive of about two hours' duration,
chiefly along the shore of Lough Erne, whose
wide sweeps of still water, broken by woody
promontories, with cliffs wearing their velvety
summer green, and streaked with changeable
sunlights in the background, opened and
closed upon us successively as we pursued the
winding road; we turned northwards, and,
passing through the village of Pettigo, entered
upon a bleaker region, where the road became
gradually worse, the huts poorer and less
frequent, the patches of oats more scraggy
and unfenced, and the land boggier and
browner; until at last the view on every side
presented nothing but dark stony hills, with
marsh at their feet, and rough heather on
their sides, among which lay here and there a
very few miserable cottages, scarcely
distinguishable from the weather-beaten rocks
and crooked clumps of turf which were
scattered about these cheerless uplands.

Leaving our jaunting-car at a hovel by the
road-side, we proceeded on foot towards the
Holy-Lake, which was about a mile distant.

We had previously passed many pilgrims
going to, and returning from, it, and now soon
fell into company and conversation with three
women, each barefoot and carrying the usual
staff in her hand and small bundle on her
shoulders. They had walked about sixty
miles, performing on their way part of the
required penance, as is permitted in certain
cases. Those who do thus are said to " bring
their fast in with them." These pilgrims,
however, had made but a short journey in
comparison with others; some of whom
reached the Lough from the remotest southern
corners of Ireland, others (but these of
course not on foot,) from various parts of
England and Scotland, and some even from
America. It was by no means an unusual
thing, I was assured, that a person should
cross the broad Atlantic for the single
purpose of " making the stations " here. In most
of such instances, and indeed in many of the
others, the pilgrimage is undertaken in
discharge of vows made during sickness. Oi
the remainder, the majority are voluntary
penitents; the number of those on whom the
penance is enjoined by their priests being, it
is said, very small.

The Lough soon unfolded itself to our sight;
an irregular sheet of water that seemed about
two miles across, surrounded by a waving
circle of wild brown hills. Several green
islands were strewn on its surface; but a
small fleet of whitewashed houses, jumbled
together " stem and stern," which appeared to
float on the water about half-a-mile from the
shore where we stood, soon monopolised our
attention. These edifices are, in reality, built
upon the Station Island, almost hiding it from
view (its dimensions being probably no more
than one hundred yards by forty), and
comprise two Chapels, the Prior's house, and five
lodging-houses. At the end of the pilgrim-
season the island is altogether deserted.

On the small scrap of ground unbuilt upon
near the centre of the Island rose a solitary
tree; and round this, and across by the wall
of one of the houses, and disappearing behind
its gable, we could see a constant succession
of figures moving in Indian file.

After satisfying our first curiosity with this
prospect, and learning that it would probably
be a considerable time before the appearance
of a boat to ferry us across, we joined (with
some consciousness of an un-pilgrim-like
exterior) a party of pilgrims who were lolling
the grass beside a boat-quay of rude
stones, and not far from a building resembling
a coach-house, inscribed " Pilgrim Lodge,"
which had a third of its length inside cut oft
by a wooden partition, and a slit in this with
"Tickets " written above. Not without
qualms in concealing my character of a
heretic, though determined not to assume
that of a true believer, even so far as it might
have been accomplished by taking off my
gloves and brushing my hat the wrong way
(this suggested itself to me, I confess), I
reclined among the way-worn and anxious
company.

Two wrinkled old women, who had made
the pilgrimage many times before, conversed
earnestly about the picture of the Virgin at
Rimini, said to have lately become endowed
with motion; repeatedly ejaculating their
praises and thanks in reference to the
miracle; though as to whether its direct
object was the cursing of Protestants or the
blessing of Catholics, they were unable to
form a conclusion. A stout, middle-aged
woman, with a Louth brogue, who sighed