"Twelve apostles," shouted the inquirer; "why, man, there are only three of them!" To which Pat, not to be caught by such a trifle, said:
"Sure, an' yer honor wouldn't have thim all out in this dom rain, would ye? The rest of 'em are inside sortin' o' the letters."
The first day I was shown over Dublin my guide, in pointing out the college, said: "This is the Library, and an institute for learning." I asked, "How far does the Library extend?" meaning, which was the Library and which the Institute. The honest, but thick-headed, paddy replied, "To the roof, mum."
The comparative neglect by tourists of a country like Ireland, where nature has lavished her charms with such wonderful profusion, can only be explained by its hitherto unsettled condition, and its long-a-dying notoriety for inferior accommodations and modes of transportation. But whatever difficulties and discomforts may have existed to deter the traveler in former days, it seems to me that little now is wanting to render a tour through Ireland all that the rational traveler can desire.
It is well nigh impossible to tell of the exquisite scenery of the beautiful island without seeming fulsome. Almost every county so teems with prehistoric remains, and the island is so begirt with varied attractiveness, that it is as alluring to the student and artist as it is to the pleasure seeker.
ITALY
For Italy, my Italy, mere words are faint!
No writer's pencil can convey thy heaven's blue,
Thy languorous bay.