Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

From Dowjlas to I'ecl. 125leap really took place, it was a remarkable exploit ; if thegreat writer, seeing the place, imagined the incident, it wasan almost equally remarkable effort of the creative power ofthe imagination. But, dear young friends, so enthusiastic,so sympathetic, Fenella never existed, consequently could nothave jumped into the l^oat ; and Scott never saw the rock, orthe castle, or the slijipery steps, or, indeed, anything else inthe Isle of Man, for he was never there, and trusted to thedescription of Waldron and one or two other writers of moreor less authority. Take his own words at the beginning of" Note K" to " Peveril of the Peak" :— " The author has neverseen this ancient fortress, which has in its circuit so muchthat is fascinating to the antiquary." So fades an illusion;and the story of Feuella's leap must be remitted to the regionof the " might have been."The Palace of the Earls of Derhjj, Kings of Man, was attlie extreme western angle of the enclosed space, and thereare traces of an extensive range of buildings, probably officesand servants' dwellings. The Tiltyard is opposite the socalledFenella's Tower.In 1874 and 1875, the Preservation Committee madearrangements for securing the ruins as far as possible fromfurther injury, and for adding to the comfort of visitors. Inthe course of removing some accumulation, a number of relicsAvere discovered, including portions of the bells and old leadwindows of the cathedral, keys, granite shot of varioussizes (some weighing 54 lbs.), and other objects of interest.The greater number of these stone shot were found in theprivate chapel attached to the cathedral.The Giant's Grave.Beyond the walls is a green mound, known as The Giant'sGrave. It is about ninety feet long, but only five feet broad;so if a giant was really buried there, and his grave was a goodfit, he must have been extremely thin for his length. Hehad three legs, as became a giant of Manxland, and was soactive that he thought nothing of leaping from one hill tothe other, across the inlet of the sea that divides the Castlerock from the opposite headland. As he was also veryferocious, he was naturally enough an object of gi'eat terror,and his playfulness was almost as appalling as his anger. Oneday, being especially lively, he tore up a mass of rock, weighingmany tons, and hurled it against the opposite hill withsuch force that it broke into three pieces. Three masses ofwhite quartz are still to be seen near the mansion of Lher-