Stories of persons and places in Europe . THE THAMESo CHAPTER VI. IRELAND. The country that was once called the Gem of the Sea and the« Emerald Isle, is to-day Poor Erin, Unfortunate Ireland. Her greenforests are sunken into blackbogs ; her prosperity has de-parted ; the subject of herwrongs has filled Nature deals kindlywith her : she has many richacres, which, if properlycared for, would supply allher wants, and the sunkenforests furnish an abund-ance of heat fuel to take theplace of wood and coal. Allshe needs to make her aprosperous and happy coun-try again is good govern-men
Stories of persons and places in Europe . THE THAMESo CHAPTER VI. IRELAND. The country that was once called the Gem of the Sea and the« Emerald Isle, is to-day Poor Erin, Unfortunate Ireland. Her greenforests are sunken into blackbogs ; her prosperity has de-parted ; the subject of herwrongs has filled Nature deals kindlywith her : she has many richacres, which, if properlycared for, would supply allher wants, and the sunkenforests furnish an abund-ance of heat fuel to take theplace of wood and coal. Allshe needs to make her aprosperous and happy coun-try again is good govern-ment. Peat-bogs.— BetweenGalway and Sligo bays, onthe west coast of Ireland, is alarge shoulder of land ex-tending into the , drawn from the north-ern and southern extremitiesof this projection across tothe east, would measure offa belt of country know as the bog region of Ireland. Nearly all of this strip is marshy groundcovered with a growth of mosses, lichens, heaths and grasses. Underneath. 136 Persons mid Places in Europe. these living carpets lie the decaying roots and leaves of former growths,imbedded inmnd, and kept continually wet by the moist climate. In some places this rank growth has choked up shallow ponds and lakes,in others it has spread itself over good ground, converting it into is not uncommon to see a large patch of bog itself moving along over theground, as if on rollers. Water has collected under it, until it has brokenloose from its resting place, and is carried along by the overflowing wateruntil it comes to a level meadow where it stops, and begins to grow. A few years ago the people in the neighborhood of the great Slogganbog, were alarmed one day by several loud reports like discharges of artilleryor claps of thunder coming from the bog. Then, to their astonishment, theysaw an immense field of turf, moving slowly toward the road. In a fewminutes it had covered the road for a distance of fifty rods and continuingon towards the riv
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