Cork is a large City containing according to the estimate of its citizens 120,000 inhabitants. In 1788 it appears that the houses were 8093 some of them containing 50 inhabitants but the average was estimated at 10 at least.33 Since then the city has increased very much, but when one observes the multitude of little mud cottages in the Suburbs it seems difficult to conceive so many as 10 to an house — it must be acknowledged however that they swarm with inhabitants.
[p. 22] Some of the streets are very fine with openings gained in rather a singular manner by filling up the docks, or perhaps rather the canals which used to divide Cork into several islands & which all served the purpose of docks. There are good houses but no public buildings of much consequence. The cathedral34 is only a modern Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity35 which is larger than the cathedral attracts more notice from a remarkably ill formed spire than from any other circumstance. There are five other parish Churches, a French Church36 and three Roman catholic chapels but none of these are conspicuous buildings and an English traveller feels very sensibly the want of some lofty and important object to attract the eye in a general view of the city. Above the city is a long straight walk planted with trees called the Mardyke which is the usual promenade — it runs along a dead flat but is nevertheless pleasant & will probably be more so as the banks of the valley above Cork abound with fine situations very capable of improvement and the situations below the town are pretty fully occupied. The banks seem hardly to offer
It proposes not only to furnish food for the mind but also to teach people their business & to show manufacturers the best & cheapest way of producing their articles. This institution gives lectures on agriculture and farming as well as on botany and natural philosophy. It gives premiums for the culture of hemp & of potatoes, Encourages green crops & red clover & assists the farmers with Seed and directions. The Dublin Institution40 I believe extends also its protection to antiquities & the fine arts but I do not know that the Cork establishment has yet attempted anything of that sort.
[Note, p.182] The Cork Institution has a botanic garden which to judge of the future by what has been already effected promises to do great credit to the Directors. The ground is extensive [and] well situated, tho not having the advantage of any bog or marsh Land. The Directors have taken an additional piece in a bottom to receive the plants which require such circumstances. It is well arranged and well managed as Mr. Drummond the Chief Gardener41 seems fully equal to the duties of his Situation, [p. 26] He has found in the neighbourhood of Cork rare plants. Hypericum calycinum42 grows in several places; we only saw it in one & there the habitat was about to be enclosed in the Garden of a new built house. Mr. D. remembers it before the house was in existence. It is mentioned in Smith's History of Cork43 published in [...] and may therefore probably be considered as a naturalised if not an indigenous plant. He has also observed a dianthus in the Limestone House quarries which he thinks is Dianthus plumarius44 — & one of his men brought him a root of a syngenesious plant with which I am totally unacquainted it has the habit of a Lapsana but the seeds are crowned with a Pappus45.
The man pointed out the meadow in which he thought he had gathered it but he did not seem sure and we searched for it a considerable time in vain. Hypericum dubium46 is very abundant and we were conducted to the habitats of Sedum dasyphyllum & Sedum Forsterianum47.