The picturesque beauties of the Vale of Ovoca, or Avoca, have been celebrated in Moore's ' Irish Melodies.' In his song The Meeting of the Waters' he has commemorated the junctiou of the Avon-More and Avon-Beg, which unite to form the &soca. In a note to the song, Mr. Moore speaks of the junctiou of 'the rivers Avon and Avoca.' This however is not correct. The name Avoca, or Ovoca, is not given except to the united stream; the constituent waters are both called Avon, one the Avon-More (or Great Avon), and the other the Avon-Beg (or Little Avon). The Avon-Beg is a rapid stream rolling over a rocky bed. The Avon-More has a geutle current. About 3 miles below Newbridge is a second meeting of the waters,' equal in beauty to that celebrated by Moore. Indeed there has been soma dispute which of the two formed the poet's subject ; and in his pub lished Diary' he owns that he "wrote the song at neither place, though he believes the scene under Castle Howard [the upper meeting] suggested it." The lower meeting is constituted by the brawling mountain stream the Daragh, Derry, or Aughrim, and the stiller stream of the Ovoca.
The central mountain range divides the county into two slopes, the eastern and the western. The first is drained by the Dargle, tho Vartrey or Fartrey, the Three Mile Water, the Potter's River, and the Ovoca: the western by the Liffey and the Slauey, with their respective affluents. These two lastaneutioned rivers, although draining the western slope, afterwards turn eastward, and passing through openings in the mountain range, fall into the Irish Channel, as well as the rivers which drain the eastern slope. The Dargle rises to the north west of Douce or Djouce Mountain, and flows first east, then north, then north-east into the Irish Channel below Bray. In its upper part above the junction of the Glencree, it is called the Glenieloreane. The Vartrey rises on the easteru slope of Deuce Mountain, and flows first cast, then south, then south-east into the Irish Channel, below tho town of Wicklow. It waters the Devil's Glen. It approaches very near to the sea, about two miles north of its present mouth, but being prevented from flowing into it by the ridge of mud or beach which here lines the shore, expands into a narrow lagoon above two miles loug, called ' Broad Lough,' at the southern or lower cud of which it flows into the sea. The long tongue of land intercepted between this lagoon and the sea is called the Murrough, or 3Iurragh, and is partly occupied by the Wicklow racecourse. The Three Mile Water has a course of 6 miles, and Potter's River of 7 miles. The Ovoca is formed by the junction of the Avon-More and the Avon-Beg. The Avon-More rises on the south-east slope of Duff llill, and passes through Lough Dan ; it receives on the left bank the Annamoe, which rises in Croghan Pond, a little lako 1770 feet above the level of the sea, passing through Lough Tay, an oval lake, the longer diameter of which is above half a mile, elevated 807 feet above the level of the sea, and surrounded by steep, abrupt, and wooded heights. Lough
Dan, through which the Avon-More flows, is nearly two miles long front north-west to south-east, and about three furlongs across at the broad est part ; it is about 6S0 feet above the level of the sea. From tho junction of the Avon-More and the Avon-Beg, the river now called Ovoca flows nine miles into the sea below Arklow, receiving on its right bank the Aughrim, which pmses through a pretty glen of the Caine name, into which the Gold-Miue River and the Ow both fall. The Ow rises on the eastern slope of Lugnaquills. The Liffey rises iu a bog near Croghan Poud, and rune first west-north-west, then south west (partly within and partly upon the border of the county), to the place where it quits the county altogether to enter that of Dublin, to which it chiefly belongs. It receives the King's River, between Bles sington and Ballymore Eustace. The Slaney rises on the northern elope of Lugnaquilla, and flows in a winding channel westward to a little below the junction of the Carrigower : it then turns south, and flows by Baltinglass into the county of Carlow, to which county, and to the county of Wexford, the lower part of its course belongs. It receives on the left bank, above the bend, the Little Slaney, from the western slope of Lugoaquilla, and the Carrigower from the north-west slope of Shove Gadoe, on the right bank. The.Derry River has its source, and a considerable part of its course, within or upon the boundary of this county. It joins the Slaney soon after quitting this county, near Clouegall on the border of the counties of Wexford and Carlow.
Most of the lakes have been noticed in connection either with tho scenery or the rivers. Upper Lough Bray and Lower Lough Bray are mountain lakes in which two feeders of the Glencree have their respective sonreca; the first is 1453 feet above the level of the sea, and has an area of more than 29 acres; the second is 1225 feet above the level of the sea, and has an area of nearly 65 acres.
The chief roads of Wicklow county are, the Dublin and Wexford mail-road, which enters the county at Bray, and ruua southward by Dclgany, Newtown-Mount-Kennedy, Ashford Bridge, Rathdrum, and Arklow into the county of Wexford ; a branch road from this iu the nighbourhood of Ashford Bridge to Wicklow ; a road from Wicklow to Arklow ; a road branching off at Rathdrum, by Talbotstowu to Carlow ; a road from Dublin to Carlow on the western side, by Blcasington, Hollywood, Stratford-ou-Slaney, and B dtiuglass ; a road from Dublin to Glendalough, by Enniskerry and Armee:me; a road from Illessington to Naas ; and the military road from Rathfarnharn to Ashaeanagh, by Gleuerve, Glandalough, Laragh, and Drumgoff. The other roads have been considerably Improved of late year*.