So great was my veneration for this “Bard of other times,” that I felt as though it would have been an indelicacy to have offered him any pecuniary reward for the exertions of his tuneful talent; I therefore made my little offering to his wife, having previously, while he was reciting his “unvarnished tale,” taken a sketch of his most singularly interesting and striking figure, as a present for Glorvina on my return to Inismore. While my heart a thousand times called on hers to participate in the sweet but melancholy pleasure it experienced, as I listened to and gazed on this venerable being. The following account of the Bard of the Magilligans was taken from his own lips, July 3, 1805, by the Rev. Mr. Sampson, of Magilligan, and forwarded to the author, (through the medium of Dr. Patterson of Derry,) previous to her visit to that part of the north, which took place a few weeks after. Umbro, July 3, 1805. Magilligan. “I made the survey of the ‘man with the two heads,’ according to your desire; but not till yesterday, on account of various _impossibilities_. “Here is my report.-- “Dennis Hampson, or the ‘man with the two heads,’ is a native of Craigmore, near Garvah, county Derry; his father, Brian Dorrogher Hampson, held the whole town-land of Tyrcrevan; his mother’s relations were in possession of the Wood-town (both considerable farms in Magilligan.) He lost his sight at the age of three years by the smallpox; at twelve years he began to learn the harp under Bridget O’Cahan: ‘For,’ he said, ‘in those times, _women_ as well as men were taught the Irish harp in the best families; and every old Irish family had harps in plenty.’ “His next master was John C. Gairagher, a blind travelling harper, whom he followed to Buncranagh, where his master used to play for Colonel Vaughan; he had afterwards Laughlan Hanning and Patrick Connor in succession as masters.