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The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland

Author: Jonathan Binns

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Funded by School of History, University College, Cork

1. First draft, revised and corrected.

Extent of text: 165 510 words

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Sources

Editions
1. Jonathan Binns, The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland (London 1837). (Available on www.archive.org).

Further reading, including authors, books and topics mentioned in the text
1. Gerard Boate, Ireland's Naturall History (London 1652. Reprinted as 'Gerard Boate's natural history of Ireland', edited, with an introduction, by Thomas E. Jordan, New York 2006). Online at CELT.
2. Edmund Borlase, The reduction of Ireland to the crown of England: With the governours since the conquest by King Henry II. Anno MCLXXII. With some passages in their government. A brief account of the rebellion anno Dom. MDCXLI. Also, the original of the University of Dublin, and the Colledge of physicians. (London: Printed by Andr. Clarke for Robert Clavel 1675).
3. Edmund Borlase, The history of the excreable Irish rebellion: trac'd from many preceding acts, to the grand eruption the 23d of October, 1641. And thence pursued to the act of settlement, MDCLXII (London: Printed for Robert Clavel, in St. Pauls Churchyard, 1680).
4. Henry Eeles, Philosophical Essays, in: Letters to the Royal Society (Dublin 1771).
5. Thomas Leland, History of Ireland (Dublin 1773).
6. Charles Smith, The ancient and present state of the county of Kerry (Dublin 1756). Charles Smith, The ancient and present state of the county of Kerry. Containing a natural, civil, ecclesiastical, historical and topographical description thereof. (Dublin 1774. Reprinted Dublin/Cork: Mercier Press 1979).
7. Philip Dormer Stanhope Earl of Chesterfield, Principles of Politeness (London 1775, and many later editions).
8. Arthur Young, A Tour in Ireland, with general observations on the present state of that kingdom in 1776–78. And brought down to the end of 1779 (London and Dublin 1780).
9. Sir John Davies, Historical tracts,by Sir John Davies, attorney general, and speaker of the House of Commons in Ireland; Consisting of I. A discovery of the true cause why Ireland was never brought under obedience of the crown of England. 2. A letter to the earl of Salisbury ... in 1607. 3. A letter to the earl of Salisbury, on the state of Ireland, in 1610, giving an account of the plantation in Ulster. 4. A speech to the Lord-Deputy in 1613, tracing the ancient constitution of Ireland. To which is prefixed a new life of the author, from authentic documents (London 1786).
10. Edward Ledwich and Francis Grose, Antiquities of Ireland (Dublin 1790).
11. John M'Evoy, Statistical survey of the county of Tyrone: with observations on the means of improvement: drawn up in the years 1801, and 1802, for the consideration, and under the direction of the Dublin society (Dublin 1802).
12. James M'Parlan, Statistical survey of the County Leitrim, with observations on the means of improvement: drawn up in the year 1801, for the consideration, and by order of the Dublin Society (Dublin 1802).
13. James M'Parlan, Statistical survey of the County of Mayo, with observations on the means of improvement: drawn up in the year 1801, for the consideration, and by order of the Dublin Society (Dublin 1802).
14. Sir Charles Coote, Statistical survey of the county of Cavan, with observations on the means of improvement (...) for the consideration, and under the direction of the Dublin Society (Dublin 1802).
15. Sir Charles Coote, Survey of the County of Armagh, with observations on the means of improvement, drawn up in the years 1802, and 1803, for the consideration, and under the direction of the Dublin Society (Dublin 1804).
16. Mary Blachford Tighe, Psyche, or the Legend of Love (London 1805).
17. Sir John Carr, The Stranger in Ireland; or, a Tour in the southern and western parts of that country, in the year 1805 (London 1806).
18. Sir Henry Brooke Parnell, A history of the penal laws against the Irish Catholics; from the treaty of Limerick to the Union (Dublin 1808).
19. Francis Plowden, The History of Ireland from its Invasion under Henry II. to the Union with Great Britain (London 1809).
20. John Curry, An historical and critical review of the civil wars in Ireland: from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the settlement under King William. With the state of the Irish Catholics, from that settlement to the relaxation of the popery laws, in the year 1778. Extracted from parliamentary records, state acts, and other authentic materials. A new and improved edition, edited by Charles O'Conor. (Dublin 1810).
21. John Doubourdieu, Statistical survey of the County of Antrim, with observations on the means of improvement, drawn up for the consideration, and by direction of the Dublin Society (Dublin 1812).
22. Edward Wakefield, An Account of Ireland, statistical and political, 2 volumes ( London 1812).
23. Edward Chichester, Documents illustrative of the oppressions and cruelties of Irish revenue officers (London 1818).
24. R.H. Ryland, The history, topography and antiquities of the county and city of Waterford; with an account of the present state of the peasantry of that part of the South of Ireland. (London 1824).
25. Thomas Warton, The history of English poetry from the close of the eleventh to the commencement of the eighteenth century. Four volumes. New edition (London 1824).
26. George Petrie, 'Account of a human body in a singular costume, found in a high state of preservation in a bog on the lands of Gallagh, in the county of Galway', The Dublin Philosophical Journal, and Scientific Review, 1 1825, 433-435 (for a modern account see http://irisharchaeology.ie/2015/02/gallagh-man-a-bog-body-from-co-galway/).
27. John Ramsay McCulloch, The Principles of Political Economy, with a sketch of the rise and progress of the science (Edinburgh and London 1825).
28. Thomas Crofton Croker, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (London 1825).
29. John O'Driscoll, The history of Ireland (London 1827).
30. Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology (London 1828).
31. Richard Griffith, Geological and Mining Survey of the Coal Districts of the Counties of Tyrone and Antrim (Dublin 1829).
32. Philip Dixon Hardy, the Northern Tourist Or, Stranger's Guide to the North and North West of Ireland (Dublin 1830).
33. Isaac Weld, Statistical survey of the County of Roscommon, drawn up under directions of the Dublin Society (Dublin 1832).
34. John Ramsay McCulloch, A dictionary practical, theoretical, and commercial, of commerce and commercial navigation (London 1832, 1834).
35. Thomas Moore, A Selection of Irish Melodies (1808–1834).
36. George Newenham Wright Scenes in Ireland: With Historical Illustrations, Legends, and Biographical Notices (London, Dublin and Glasgow, 1834).
37. Henry D. Inglis, Ireland in 1834. A Journey throughout Ireland, during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn of 1834 (London 1835).
38. William Blacker, An essay on the improvement to be made in the cultivation of small farms, by the introduction of green crops and house-feeding the stock thereon. Tenants' edition (Dublin 1835).
39. Mary John Knott, Two Months at Kilkee,a watering place in the County Clare, near the mouth of the Shannon, with an account of a voyage down that river from Limerick to Kilrush, and sketches of objects of interest in the neighbourhood, which will serve as a guide to the coast scenery. (Dublin 1836).
40. William Blacker, The claims of the landed interests to legislative protection considered: with reference to the manner in which the manufacturing, commercial, and agricultural classes, contribute to national wealth and prosperity, and suitable remedies for relieving the distress of the latter suggested: addressed to the most noble Marquess of Chandos and the Committee of the Central Agricultural Society (London 1836).
41. John Ramsay McCulloch, A Statistical Account of the British Empire (London 1837).
42. Jonathan Binns, Corn-Laws superseded by improved agriculture (Lancaster 1839?).
43. George Petrie, The ecclesiastical architecture of Ireland: anterior to the Anglo-Norman invasion, comprising an essay on the origin and uses of the round towers of Ireland (Dublin 1845).
44. Jonathan Binns, Notes on the agriculture of Lancashire, with suggestions for its improvement. 8 vols. (London 1851).
45. Desmond John Clarke, Dublin Society's Statistical Surveys (... ) Paper read before the Bibliographical Society of Ireland (Dublin 1957).
46. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Fears in Solitude, 1798.
47. Alexander Pope, The Universal Prayer (1738).

The edition used in the digital edition
1. The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland. Jonathan Binns First edition [xii+418 pages (vol. 1)] Longman London (1837)

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Created: By Jonathan Binns, an assistant agricultural commissioner (1785-1871) who conducted a survey in Ireland between July 1835 and the end of 1836. Date range: November to December 1836.

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Language: [EN] The text is in English.

Language: [FR] Some words and phrases are in French.

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Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition: E830001-002

The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland: Author: Jonathan Binns

Volume 1

p.1

Kingston — Dublin — Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin — House of Industry — Rotunda Gardens — Rent of Shops in Dublin — Departure for the Country — Hay-making, and character of Irish labourers — The Scalp — Enniskerry — Powerscourt — Tinehinch — The Dargle — Bray — Cruelty to animals — Hill of Howth — Castle of Howth — Grace O'Malley — Hospitality of the Irish.

On the 3d of July, 1835, I embarked on board the Post Office packet, from Liverpool, at five in the afternoon. The weather was fine and mild; and at midnight, the moon shone so bright that many parts of the Welsh coast were clearly distinguishable. As the morning dawned, the floating sea-weed and polypi indicated our approach to land; but, unfortunately, the atmosphere was

p.2

Having taken up my abode at Gresham's hotel, Sackville-street, I proceeded to the office of the Commissioners of the Irish Poor Inquiry, and received, from the proper authorities, particular directions in reference to my duties as one of the Assistant Agricultural Commissioners.

So much has been said of Dublin within the last thirty years — so many travellers have described

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The Botanic Gardens, at Glasnevin, about a mile from Dublin, have lately been much improved under the superintendence of Mr. Nevin, who has been trying a series of valuable experiments on the potato and various sorts of grasses, and has also introduced many tasteful decorations. They are well worth visiting. The ground they occupy, consisting of twenty-seven acres and twenty perches, was purchased by the Royal Dublin Society; the gardens, established in 1800, by the last act of the Irish Parliament, have been supported by the general funds of the Society, arising in part from private subscriptions, but principally from an annual parliamentary grant. The Society, instituted in 1731, was supported for eighteen years by private subscription.

p.5

Glasnevin has other attractions besides its Botanic Gardens. It was here that Addison, Parnell, Steele, Tickell, Swift, and the celebrated Stella, at different periods resided. The "Drapiers' Letters" were printed in the demesne of Delville, and the author of "Cato," composed several of his choicest pieces here. The fine yew trees in Addison's walk are said to have been planted by the delightful essayist himself.

Dr. Litton, who had accompanied me round the gardens, afterwards conducted me to the House of Industry and the four general hospitals attached. The House of Industry is chiefly supported by parliamentary grants. Since its commencement, 421,148 paupers have been admitted. It was formerly opened for the indiscriminate admission of paupers, whether healthy or infirm, and from all parts of Ireland, but is now restricted to certain diseased and destitute objects from the county and city of Dublin: firstly, aged and infirm paupers; secondly, idiots and incurable lunatics. Such of this class as are inclined to work are encouraged to do so by small premiums;

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p.7

The rent of shops with houses attached in the best streets of Dublin, varies from one to two hundred pounds a year; some being from three hundred to a thousand pounds fine besides. The decrease of trade in Dublin may be principally attributed to the general change which took place upon the establishment of a steam communication between the Irish capital and this country. Before that event, nearly the whole of Ireland was supplied with English and foreign manufactures through the Dublin importers, who of course derived considerable advantages from the business. Now, however, the generality of the country shopkeepers go to England at a trifling expense, and purchase for themselves; but in a greater ratio, it may be observed, than the trade of Dublin

p.8

I left Dublin for the interior on the 6th. The morning was fine, but the prognostications of an agreeable tour were anything but favourable. For a great part of the way, even where the road was so nearly level that it was a point of dispute whether we were ascending or not, Pat's horse declined, or rather was unable to go beyond a walk; for we were placed in that unpleasant dilemma so often experienced by travellers in Ireland, of being dragged by an animal almost entirely exhausted. Objecting to the merciless use of the whip, which in cases of necessity is applied to some lacerated part of the jaded beast, in the barbarous hope of quickening his speed — and yet seeing no prospect of an amended pace — I stepped off the carriage, and tried to soothe my impatience by walking a considerable distance in advance. As we proceeded we had an opportunity of observing a very lazy system of hay-making in use among the Irish. In one field we saw a gang or company of fifteen

p.9

p.10

Pat informed us that "the Scalp," about twelve miles from Dublin, was a remarkably "illecant place." We knew it possessed celebrity, and to an inhabitant of Lincolnshire or Cambridgeshire it might afford considerable interest; but one in the habit of traversing the wildest and most romantic glens and mountains of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire, could find in it little to admire, being merely a passage of the road through an opening in the Wicklow Hills, with some broken rocks and loose stones on each side. On reaching this spot, I began to think that if these were the beauties of Ireland, they were not worth the seeking. We soon, however, arrived at Enniskerry,

p.11

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On reaching the banks of the Dargle, we found a happy circle reposing on a knoll high above the river, which commanded views of a succession of wooded brows and slopes, with the winding stream at intervals opening to the view. We scrambled down the steep banks of the wood till obstructed by the ruggedness and abruptness of the impending cliffs which compelled us to retrace our steps. Soon afterwards we reached a huge granite rock which rises precipitously from a frightful depth below: this rock commands a rich view of the valley. The receding banks of the woody slopes are lost in aerial distance. After a long ramble we found the chief beauties of the Dargle, where the river is confined within a chasm of stupendous rocks, overhung with trees. Below this chasm the stream is deep and dark, reposing in a rocky basin,

p.15

On arriving at the lower Dargle gate our driver was not to be found, and after a walk as far as Bray, in the vain hope of meeting with him, we mounted a car that was on the point of leaving. In addition to those seated before us, we made seven in number, and had to go fourteen miles on heavy roads with only one horse. The willing creature dragged us along for a considerable distance, at the rate of nine miles an hour, but this did not exempt him from the merciless and undeserved torture of the whip, which continued to be applied until the poor beast could trot no longer. This cruel treatment of animals which contribute so greatly to our comforts, is, I am sorry to say, far from uncommon, nor is it discouraged as it ought to be, by those who have

p.16

The next morning a gentleman accompanied us to the Hill of Howth, which is in a northerly direction from Dublin. Our road lay along the shore of the Bay, which presented no inviting appearances to the botanist; but my friend, a man of science, informed me that it afforded about fifty varieties of shells.

The Hill of Howth is on a peninsula, and is six hundred feet above the level of the sea. The view of the sea from the hill was particularly fine; the extensive and noble Bay of Dublin lay before us; and Ireland's Eye, and other islands, were beautiful objects on the wide expanse of the

p.17

The abbey is a venerable and interesting ruin. The Castle of Howth, situated in a flat and unattractive part of the peninsula, belongs to and is inhabited by Lord Howth. Parts of it display great antiquity; several implements of war and utensils of early times are exhibited in the spacious and baronial entrance hall. Lord Howth showed us every civility, and pointed out, among

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Swords — Round Towers — Drogheda — Dundalk — Newry — Postchaise travelling — Hedges of furze — Rathfriland — Hilltown — Lords Downshire, Annesley, and Bangor — Mourne Mountains — 12th of July, and Orange demonstration — Friends' Meetinghouse — Rathfriland — Dresses of the women — Rostrevor — Mountains of Carlingford — Warrenspoint — Kilkeel — An Irish dinner — Cock and Hen Mountains — Peaceable character of the people.

The Board having now decided upon the routes of the Assistant Commissioners, we left Dublin for the Barony of Iveagh, in the southern part of the county of Down. The first place of any note on our road was the village of Swords, about nine miles north of Dublin. I was here gratified, for the first time, with a sight of one of the pillar or round towers for which Ireland is celebrated. Of the antiquity and objects of these singular structures, of which something will be said in a subsequent part of this work, different writers have given very

p.22

p.23

Proceeding northwards, on a flat uninteresting road, the next place of importance is Dundalk, the immediate neighbourhood of which is woody and of great beauty, having the Bay of Dundalk on the right. During the time of the English Pale,¹ Dundalk was surrounded by castles and

p.24

We travelled by coach as far as Newry, a town of considerable trade, and from which much of the agricultural produce of this part of Ireland is exported. At Newry, also, many emigrants embark to America. To Rathfriland, in the county of Down, we took a post-chaise, a dirty, damp, ill-shapen, rattling vehicle, that produced an insurmountable disrelish for Irish post-chaise travelling; and it was the first and last we ever entered. When we should have started, the landlord and waiters, knowing the inefficient state of both the equipage and its cattle, busied themselves, some at the wheels and others at the horses, in trying to effect a progressive movement. At length they succeeded; but frequent stoppages took place up the hill on leaving the town, and the driver had occasionally to alight and tie up his harness. We passed a few old castles, and the sea was occasionally seen. As we proceeded, I remarked that some of the hedges or fences were of furze, not a continuous line, but straggling, and that others

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The view of the Mourne Mountains, with Hilltown in the foreground, has a very picturesque effect. Amongst these mountains the river Barrow takes its rise, and flows through the county of Armagh to the celebrated Lough Neagh. On arriving at Hilltown, we sent out our notices of the examination which was to take place at Rathfriland. To these notices we attached the great seal, which gave them a wonderful authority in the eyes of the people. The day after our arrival, Sunday, the 12th of July, was the anniversary of the celebrated victory gained by King William "of glorious memory" over the Irish at the battle of the

p.27

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The Friends' Meeting-house mentioned before, is an unassuming building, at the lower end of the town, with a grave-yard of considerable dimensions planted round with trees. The exterior of the building wore an appearance of neatness, with which the inside did not correspond: its dilapidated condition marked the humble pretensions of the few of this persuasion who remain within its circle.

In passing through the north country afterwards, I observed in many of the gardens clusters of orange lilies, ostentatiously displayed by the road-side. Christianity teaches us to avoid giving offence, and to do unto others as we would have them to do to us. If the mass of the people are to be taught a better system of religion, a better example should be set before them. To vex and persecute those from whose religious faith we differ, is the surest mode of causing them to cling the closer to it, and gives them good reason

p.30

1. Let not this weak, unknowing hand
   Presume thy bolts to throw,
   And deal damnation round the land
   On each I judge thy foe.

1. Thus artists melt the sullen ore of lead
   With heaping coals of fire upon its head;
   In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow,
   And, loose from dross, the silver runs below.

Rathfriland and many of the neighbouring villages are built upon regular round hills, and being conspicuous from a great distance, give to the country an inhabited and civilized appearance; disappointment, however, is the consequence of a nearer approach. There are, indeed, few large

p.31

On returning from Rathfriland I observed a multitude of people, who filled the road for a considerable distance. On a nearer approach they proved to be a Catholic congregation leaving their chapel at Hilltown. The white and scarlet dresses of the women, shining brightly in the sun, and backed by the scenery of Hilltown with its noble mountains in the distance, composed a gay and busy picture of indescribable interest. The women are very partial to showy colours, particularly scarlet. Bonnets are never seen, but the caps are very white, with broad borders ornamented with gay ribbons and flowers. It was an imposing scene, and on meeting them I desired Pat to let his horse move slowly, to give me an opportunity of closer inspection. The men had nothing attractive about them, and the dresses of the women, which assumed so splendid an appearance

p.32

The neat village of Rostrevor, which I visited on the 13th, is five miles south of Hilltown, and lies in a beautiful verdant vale, close to Carlingford Bay. It is surrounded by high mountains, and possesses the peculiarity of being ornamented with noble trees — an advantage but seldom met with in Ireland. Rostrevor deservedly ranks high in the scale of Irish scenery. The houses have an unusual respectability of appearance, and nothing is seen of the appalling poverty so frequently encountered. The mountains of Carlingford, south of the bay, are upwards of 1900 feet high, and liberally supply the southern part of the county of Down with limestone of good quality, which is brought over the lough in small vessels, carrying eleven tons each. One ton of stone is said to produce five barrels of lime (four bushels to the barrel) and twenty-five to thirty barrels are used to the acre. Some of the farmers fetch the limestone to burn with turf on their farms. They are

p.33

Warrenspoint, near Rostrevor, is a well-known port, from which great numbers of emigrants embarked, two or three years ago, for America, and where large numbers of cattle and quantities of agricultural produce are regularly shipped for Liverpool. Its name is derived from its being the site of a rabbit-warren.

Along the shore of the Lough, for some distance, lies the road to Kilkeel. The ride exhibits at intervals varieties of mountain and lake scenery, richly interspersed with wood. Mourne Park, the seat of Lord Kilmorey, who is the proprietor of Kilkeel, is seen to the left. At Kilkeel, which is in the direct road from Rostrevor to Newcastle, I walked down to the shore, nearly a mile distant. This coast is remarkable for the singular form of the stones, which are principally granite: they are egg-shaped or elliptical. I

p.34

At the inn we were indulged with a specimen of an Irish dinner. A woman waited at table without shoes or stockings, and, judging from appearances, the necessary act of washing her hands and feet had long been dispensed with; this, added to moderate cooking, considerably abated a good appetite.

The road from Hilltown to Rostrevor is barren and devoid of beauty, with the exception of the view of the Mourne Mountains and the descent into Rostrevor. These mountains, beautiful from any point of view, are truly magnificent when seen from Hilltown. They are all composed of granite. The Eagle Mountain, pre-eminently conspicuous from its bold and indented top, is upwards of 2,000 feet high, and Slieve Donard, near Newcastle, is 2,796 feet above the level of the sea, and is the highest mountain in the county.

The ride to Hilltown by the pass of the Mourne

p.35

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p.37

Examination of Upper Iveagh — Extent of the Barony — Number of the agricultural labourers — Linen trade — Cause of its depression — Wages — Mode of keeping accounts — Employment of women and children — Pigs — Cottier tenants and landholders — Expenditure of an Irish family — Clothing of the labourers — Food — Usurers — Potatoes — Cottages — Want of fuel — Conacre — Payment of rents — Ejection — Early and improvident marriages — Subdivision of farms — High prices for tenant-right — Small holdings and their advantages — Rotation of crops — English and Scotch farmers — Absenteeism — Tenancy at will — Lord Annesley

Our public examination respecting the Barony of Upper Iveagh commenced in the Court-house of Rathfriland, on the 14th. We had the attendance of the police in uniform, and many soldiers under arms, whom the authorities thought it desirable to retain in order to preserve the peace; not, however, on our account, but because the Orange party were still parading about the country in cars with banners and music The clergy,

p.38

This barony contains 159,038 acres.² No evidence was obtained on which reliance could be placed, as to the number of agricultural labourers in the parish above sixteen years of age. It was stated to have greatly increased since the year 1831, when the returns were made. Up to that time the linen weavers confined themselves exclusively to their trade; but the linen trade has become so bad, that most of the weavers now work as agricultural labourers whenever they can find employment. It is only when they cannot get employment in the fields, and on wet days, that they work at the loom. The number of labourers for this barony in the population returns amounts to 4,545; to

p.39

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p.41

By a summons at petty sessions, the labourer can easily recover his wages, if withheld. The charge for a summons is sixpence, and the serving of it sixpence, both of which sums he is repaid; and sometimes he is compensated for the time and trouble he has lost in seeking the debt before he goes to law about it. The labourers, however, are not in general fond of litigation, and but few of them go to law to recover wages. "When a labourer can write," said M'Allunden, "he keeps his accounts in writing; if he can't write, he keeps a tally — that is, a stick split up — one part being kept by the labourer, and the other by the farmer; for every day we put a notch or stroke on the stick; sometimes the farmer does not put a notch on his stick; and at the end, when we are counting up, if the tallies don't agree, he makes us go to a magistrate and take our oath; but if there is one or two days between us, we lose the days, because we don't think it worth while to go to the magistrate about them."

The wives of some of the labourers find employment in flax and hay time, and in the harvest;

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Upon asking what sum could be earned by rearing a pig, one of the witnesses, Davison, said, "I can get a young slip of a pig about six weeks old for 6s. 6d.; in six months it will be worth a pound; we feed it on the refuse of our victuals; if the farmer will not let it run on the grass, we are obliged to buy something for it, because, as it grows up the refuse will not be enough for it." M'Crome said, "I have a pig, and he cost me fourpence a week to buy bran for him." "At that rate," he was asked, "what would you gain by your pig at the end of six months — ""Deuce a hap'orth, sir," was his reply.

A cottier tenant differs from a small landholder in this, that he has only a house and a small garden. Some have a rood of land, which they call the cot-take; the rent paid is from £1. 10s. to £3. The cottier has a house, garden, and flax ground; some have a cow and ground for it, and pay for grazing £3. 10s. from May to December. The holding is occupied from year to year, generally at the above rent. If the house has but one small room, the rent

p.44

"If a labourer were employed every day," said M'Crome, "he would have, I suppose, £18 a year; but then he is not employed half his time; he is employed about three days in the week, at a shilling a day; the outside is not more than sixpence a day all the year round. His wife, having four children, could not do more

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Labourers who are Protestants or Presbyterians pay no dues. The Rev. Mr. Poland, P. P., stated "that a labourer's family pay him, upon an average, three shillings a year."

Some of the labourers in this district were badly clothed, but the generality did not appear very destitute. The following, agreed on by all present,

p.47

1. Two yards of cloth, at 5s. per yard, 10s.; making, trimming, &c, 5s.; two coats in the year ... £1 10s. 0d.
2. Two pairs of trowsers, at 7s. each ... 0 £ 14s. 0 d.
3. Two waistcoats, at 3s. each, 6s.; two shirts, at 2s. each, 4s.; two pairs of stockings, 3s. 4d.; two neck handkerchiefs, 2s.; hat, 2s. 6d.; total £0 17s. 10d.
4. Two pairs of shoes, 10s.; women's clothes, £1; children's ditto, £1 ... £2 10s. 0d
5. ......total £5 11 10
6. The above expenditure for potato ground and provisions, amounts to ... £9 2s. 5d.
7. Clothing £ £5 11s. 10d.
8. Rent of cabin £1 10s. 0d.
9. Total expenditure ... £16 4s. 3d.
10. Total income as above stated ... £9 2s. 6d.
11. Balance against the labourer ... £7 1s. 9d.

It must be remarked, that their calculations for clothing are too high, and are made rather from what they conceive a labourer's clothing ought to be than from what it really is. When the difference between the expenditure and income was shown to them, they stated that it was correct, but said they made up the difference by means of

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The principal food of the labourers is potatoes — except at Christmas and Easter they never touch flesh meat. They sometimes have salt herrings, and are never reduced to less than the ordinary number of meals, three in a day. A labourer, his wife, and three or four children, require two or three stones of potatoes per day. In times of distress, it has been usual to get provisions on credit; and in reference to the usurers employed for these purposes (a class of men who have made

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From the middle of July to the latter end of August, the potatoes are unfit for use. "All that time," said one of the witnesses, "the potato colloughs" — that is, becomes ropy or gluey. The

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These rude dwellings are invariably placed as near the bog as they can be, for the advantage of fuel, and the farmer usually selects the poorest parts of the farm to build them on. "If there is a bog," said one of the witnesses, "or a rock, or a swamp, or a fen on the farm, 'tis there he puts the labourer."

The ordinary fuel is turf, and although the bogs, which are similar to our peat mosses, are abundant in this district, fuel is not cheap. A creal or pannier-full, which a man carries on his back, costs fourpence. Small farmers generally take about a rood of the bog, at a rent of from fifteen to twenty-one shillings, underletting small portions of this at a higher price to the labourers.

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Conacre, here called "rood land," is a small portion prepared by ploughing and manuring, and afterwards let by the farmer to a labourer, at a rent of £8 the Irish acre (equal to £5 the English) for potatoes, and of £2. 10s. a rood (Irish) for flax. The labourer takes it to supply his family with potatoes; the flax is usually sold. All that can afford it, take conacre or rood, but many are not able. From one rood to three roods and a half is mostly taken. The average produce

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The peasantry pay the rent of their small holdings, sometimes in money, sometimes in labour, and occasionally in both. An agreement is often made for them to work a certain number of days in the year; these they call duty days. The prevalent competition for small holdings often induces the labourer to give more than he can afford. If a farm of five or ten acres were vacant in the barony, there would be hundreds of bidders; and

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Land, when out of lease, is not canted (i. e. put up to auction). A valuator is sent out by the landlord, and whatever he values the land at must be paid by the tenant, who is allowed to keep the holding. If he consents to the new rent, which is always sure to be raised, there seems to be, in fact, a customary right to hold on in a family, a right which the practice of the landlord does not interfere with. There is very little ejecting in the barony. Lord Downshire, the principal landlord in the district, is very unwilling to eject. None of the rent is ever excused, not even in a bad season. No tithe or cess of any kind is paid by

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In answer to the question whether men are induced to marry, feeling that their condition could not be worse, Morgan said, "No, faith — they marry when the whim takes them — when the spirit seizes them." "Do you mean whiskey — ""O no, that's but a wee bit of false spirit." "They find themselves," said M'Loughlin, "but doing poorly at their father's house, and they try if they could not do better by themselves. And being of no use in weaving, their parents are more willing to let them go." Labourers often marry from sixteen to twenty years

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In this district the landlords all exact the rent, and everywhere the Assistant Commissioners heard that land was high. The most remarkable circumstances connected with agriculture in this part of the country are the extreme subdivision of the farms, and the high price given for the possession of them. If a man wants to sell the occupation of a small farm of five or six acres, the usual price under a good landlord, even without a lease, will be ten years' purchase upon the rental, subject, at the same time, to a full rent, as if no such consideration had been paid. This is

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Both the quantity and the quality of the produce on the small holdings are improving. "There is five times as much produce," said the same witness, "as there was twenty years ago; if there wasn't the produce, what would we do, and the

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On being asked whether many farmers had come over from England and Scotland to take large farms, M'Loughlin said that "they'd get the mountains for large farms if they wanted

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The rent will average about £1. 10s. per Irish acre. "If any leases fell in, or any farms were to be let," according to Morgan, "the rent has been increasing." But it has been mentioned by farmers in the northern part of the barony, that if any leases expired on Mr. Sharman Crawford's property, he does not charge for any land more than 1£l. 5s. per Irish acre. Bradshaw and his brother (substantial farmers of Armacloan) stated that adjoining land of the same quality was

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An absentee is a man residing always or mostly in England; "Aye," said Morgan, "and a man sometimes residing here, but spending his money in England. They live in poverty here that they may have a great sum to spend when they go over. I am sure I don't know how they spend all their money; it must be in some extravagance, and not in any natural way of living. We have no great experience of resident landlords. Our corn, our pigs, and our cattle go in ships, and the money in the post-office; but if we had them residing at home, we would be the better of them; they would build better houses for us, and the estates would be more cultivated."

Tenancy at will is more common than formerly; more than one half the tenants are without

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Examination continued — Course of management in farms — Mode of trying the quality of corn — Red and white clover — Failure of Potato crop — Superstitions connected with it — Arthur Young — Black rot — Manures — Milk and Butter — Breed of cattle — Fences and trespasses — Taxation — Roads — Emigration — Pawnbrokers — Spirit shops — Intelligence of the people — Remarks on tenant-right — Bog-land — Description of cabins — Poverty and contentment — Beds — Civility and resignation of the Irish — Stock of small farmers — Flax — Gate-pillars — Tethered pigs — Poor Laws.

The Irish acre is principally used in this district, though the landlords are introducing the English. The barony is mostly under tillage, the usual average of the tillage farms being from three to ten acres. One acre out of every three is devoted to the keeping of the cow, and in a farm of six acres two cows and sometimes a horse are kept. One acre, with a little assistance from clover, was stated to be quite sufficient for one of the cows of this district.

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Much more produce is raised now than formerly; and five times as much grain is exported. "I can remember," said Hogan, who seemed about fifty years of age, "when no corn was sold at all to pay the rent; when we used to get three shillings a yard for the web; we get but 1s. 2d. for it now. I well mind Jacky Cowan making from four shillings to 5s. 5d. a day, and now he could not make more than one shilling at the best. If a man had many daughters and a family at that time, they would pay the rent, when spinning and weaving was good." "The produce," said Morgan, "is increased according to the population;" and this seems to be the truth. The pressure arising from a very dense population requires a corresponding exertion, and latterly this exertion has no object to turn to but agriculture.

Two-thirds of a farm are generally appropriated to corn, flax, and potatoes; the sheep are sent to graze the mountains. There is no naked fallow, and the people are very negligent in weeding their crops, which costs them one shilling an Irish acre. The corn is threshed immediately: "If you

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Clover, vetches, trefoil, and rye-grass, are all sown to a limited extent in this barony — a small

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Arthur Young mentions a disease called the black rot as known in Ireland when he wrote his tour in the year 1779: — "In the county of Tyrone, towards Ardmagh and Dungannon, they

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The manures in general use are lime and dung; the former being brought from Rostrevor, after having been boated across the bay from Carlingford. The farmers burn it with turf. Some idea

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The quality of the butter is generally considered second rate, being packed from several churnings (a necessary consequence of small holdings). The increase of intercourse with England does not appear to have induced a better mode of saving butter. "When we used to get 1s. 3d. and

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Some of the fences are of stone, others of hawthorn, but the generality are of whins or furze, and are always made by the tenant. Few disputes arise in the low lands from the state of the fences; but in the mountains, where no fences exist, frequent contention results from cattle straying over their limits. The losses, however, from such trespasses are inconsiderable. If a summons be given for trespass, the fine is so much a head; but if much damage be done, and the summons be for the amount of injury, a valuator, generally some farmer in the

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Taxation is about one-eighth of the rent; the amount paid yearly as grand jury cess varying from 2s. 6d. to 3s. per Irish acre. A certain sum is laid on each townland according to the number of acres, and the same rate is fixed on bad land as on good. It is collected by two men in each townland, who receive sixpence in every pound. It must be paid six days before each assizes, and levied in two assessments. There is no parish cess now for coffins; there used to be about four years ago, but now two respectable men go about the neighbourhood, and collect whatever they think necessary. No complaint was made against tithe in this barony. In some parts none is demanded from the people, the landlords having undertaken to pay it. In most places it amounts to about one shilling per acre. There is but little voluntary taxation. Some few shopkeepers, who are also farmers, pay towards the support of the dispensaries, but it is not a common practice among them.

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The roads are hilly, but in other respects good. It was agreed on all hands that they had improved considerably within the last twenty years. They are now capable of carrying much greater weights than formerly — this, however, is owing as much to the improvement in carriages as to the amendment of the roads themselves. Twenty years ago one horse could draw to market eight or ten cwt. only, he can now take fifteen. "Although," remarked Mahony, "this improvement in conveyance has been of great service to the farmers, I never heard the increase of rent attributed to that cause."

There had been very little emigration this year; the people were not able to go out; the emigrants are chiefly those who are able to pay their way. Some time since people used to sell their little farms and go, but now they are more reluctant to part with their holdings. "It has partly been the case," said Mr. Rowan, "that the substantial farmers have been driven away by the nominal rents promised by the peasantry;" the farmers present did not think so; they said that some

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There is but one pawnbroker in the parish, and he went there about four or five years ago. There never was one before him. "Some," said Branagan, "pawn a coat as the best thing they have to pawn; sometimes they pawn the blanket and keep the quilt, sometimes the quilt and keep the blanket; sometimes even their tools, if they have

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The number of retail spirit shops in the barony is decreasing, partly in consequence of a temperance society, established in the parish six or seven years ago, and partly, according to the testimony of Branagan, because of the scarcity of money. The poor drink because they fancy that they cannot, in any other way, obtain equal sustenance for an equal sum. Others resort to spirits literally for the purpose of warming themselves. Notwithstanding the decrease of the spirit shops in some parts of the barony, there were twenty-seven

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In the course of the examination, the respectability, intelligence, and shrewdness of the small farmers of six or ten acres surprised me: they instantly saw the drift of the questions put to them, and answered them without reserve, and I am persuaded, honestly, and to the best of their belief.

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The circumstance that would strike an Englishman as most remarkable on first investigating the agriculture of Ireland, is the enormous price given for the tenant-right or good-will of a farm, in addition to a full and sufficient rent. £10 per Irish acre is no unusual price. This cripples the farmer, and keeps him in debt as long as he lives. Nor is the practice confined to farms held under lease; those held from year to year are purchased, and if belonging to a kind landlord fetch nearly as much as those held on lease, though the tenant is liable to be turned off whenever the landlord chooses. Such is the confiding disposition of these people, when the conduct of the landlord, whatever be his politics or religion, is regulated by honourable principles. This confidence in their superiors is one amongst many proofs of the docility of the Irish people, and the ease with which they may be governed. I was anxious to ascertain how these farmers, always poor and in debt, could possibly raise the money to buy the farms. This I never got satisfactorily answered, and I believe they scarcely know. Some go to England

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The distance between Rathfriland and Hilltown is from three to four miles. A considerable tract of bog land, which yields excellent fuel, lies between these places. On a fine day, at this season, the bog presents a lively appearance, from the number busily employed upon it. Some work the bog into a pulp, and afterwards spread it on the surface to drain; then it is formed into ribs with the edge of the hand, and when sufficiently solid is cut with a large knife in the lines marked out, and set up to dry. This turf is superior to that merely cut out of the raw bog. Turf is nearly the only fuel used for all purposes.

I visited several of the small farms belonging to the Marquis of Downshire near Hilltown, on the west side of the road leading to Rostrevor, where I found the houses any thing but comfortable: the floor of earth containing little pools of water that had found its way through the roof. In these pools the ducks were paddling, and the

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The women in this part are certainly not of elegant form, being short and broad, with stout legs, probably the effect of hard labour and exposure to the weather. The mention of the word elegant reminds me of the frequent use of it in Ireland; it is introduced upon almost every possible occasion. For instance, the driver of my car, when I asked him if the road over the hills were good, replied, "It is illicant enough." When driving, they are incessantly in action, either crying out to the horse "golaang" or applying the whip, which, fortunately for the poor beast, is a clumsy soft instrument, attributable I hope to a merciful feeling in the driver. The harness is generally tied together with strings and ropes, some of which are sure soon to give way. From a break down of the car, or jingle, as it is aptly called in some parts, you are not likely to suffer much injury, even should it be a fracture of the axletree, or should the wheel come off, or the horse fall, as it is so easy to dismount. They are also very convenient: I have frequently left the vehicle to pick up a plant by the road

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The roads through the county are under the care of a county surveyor at a salary of about £300 per annum, and are kept in repair by a cess upon the county. The traveller is not annoyed as in England by the interruption of toll-bars. About Hilltown the roads are repaired with granite, which, though hard, does not cement; if rain should fall heavily in the night, and the morning following be dry and windy, they are dusty before noon. The fences consist chiefly of furze, which, when in flower, must be excessively gay and beautiful; even in its green state it greatly enriches the appearance of the country. This district is extremely populous, the people consisting chiefly of small farmers, each of whose stock may be said generally to be composed of two cows, together worth £10, a horse worth £5, a plough worth £1. 10s., and a cart worth £5, making a property whose aggregate value may be accordingly estimated at £21. 10s. These, I ought to mention, are the cost prices.

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On the 17th of July the ear of the oat was just visible, and the flax particularly beautiful. It is extremely interesting to watch its slender stems of pale green waving gently before the breeze, and its little flower of delicate blue expanding or closing in obedience to the alternate influences of light and gloom.⁴

Formerly, when the linen manufacture was in a more flourishing state, several flax mills were in busy operation on the river Ban, below Hilltown. These we found in a state of ruin. Many of the corn mills have shared the same fate, as the farmers could not afford to keep the corn to grind, but were obliged to sell it immediately for the rent.

Not only has almost every mean cottage or farm-house two huge gate-pillars with conical tops built of stone and mortar, whitewashed, and accordingly

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The attention of strangers cannot fail to be arrested by the extraordinary spectacle which some of the clover fields present, of cows, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs, each fastened by a rope or chain to a stake. The pigs have a belt before and behind the shoulders, to which the rope is attached; and such is the force of education (for the Irish pig is domesticated in the family of its owner) that a practice at which an English pig would assuredly rebel, is borne with the most patient unresisting submission. Goats are frequently tied at the road-side, one rope sometimes fastening a couple. This practice of confining cattle within a small circle is not only barbarous

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Our impression, after finishing the examination at Rathfriland, and inspecting the various farms, cabins, and labourers, was, that but little was required of government beyond a system of poor laws, applicable chiefly to the aged and infirm. The rest might be accomplished by the opulent and influential inhabitants of the neighbourhood, most of whom, I feel persuaded, are sincerely desirous to assist in rescuing their country from

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Tullymore — Educational Schools — Slieve Donard and other Mountains — Geology of the district — Dundrum — Houses buried in sand — Killough — Ardglass — Examination at Strangford — Barony of Lecale — Employment — Marriage — Receipts and Expenditure of a family — Usurers — Potatoes — Spirit Shops — Clothing of the Peasantry — Conacre — Cabins — Tenant-right — Rents increasing — Average extent of farms — Agents' fees — Agriculture of the district — Cholera among pigs — Butter — Sheep and Bulls — Farmers retrograding — Manures — Hedges — Assessment of the Barony — Poisoning of Children — Tithe — Pawnbrokers — Loan Society — Emigration — Farms in the neighbourhood of Ardglass and Strangford.

Having taken leave of our excellent host and hostess at Hilltown, we mounted a tandem outside car, and pursued the road along the coast northwards to Ardglass, near Downpatrick — the county town — in the Barony of Lecale. Had it not been for the diversified views of the Mourne Mountains, the road would have supplied but little interest till we reached Tullymore, the seat of the Earl of Roden. Tullymore is a short distance

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The park, which consists of a delightful alternation of hill and valley, wood and lawn, intersected and diversified by rapid streams, is considerably more indebted to nature than to art for its beautiful and imposing effect. The mansion is far from being a handsome structure; and in many parts of the grounds there are attempts at ornament in the shape of grotesque buildings and other fanciful erections. That, for instance, which appears to be a church at a short distance, proves, on a nearer approach, to be nothing but an imitation of one; yet it is agreeable, notwithstanding their imperfect execution, to witness these innocent endeavours to encourage ornament and taste. Having animadverted upon some portions of Lord Roden's domain, I am bound to observe that the inn and the school-houses display a more enlightened sense of architectural propriety.

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The road from Maghera to Dundrum affords a fine view of the sea, Slieve Donard, and Newcastle, the seat of Lord Annesley. This neighbourhood would doubtless supply interesting materials for antiquarian research for several days: and a visit to the summit of Slieve Donard, when the atmosphere is clear, would amply compensate for the labour of ascending. The cave of Donard, who lived in the fifth century, is shown at the top of this hill. Slieve Bingian is 2449 feet high; Slieve Girkin 1340 feet; Slieve Snaven 2370 feet; and Slieve Donard 2796 feet. This district is rich in interest for the geologist, as the mountain range produces magnificent hexagonal crystals of beryl, terminated by a plane; topazes finely crystalized in groups or single specimens;

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At Dundrum, close to the bay, the Marquis of Downshire, who has extensive property here, has built an excellent inn. While the horses were

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The shore appeared destitute of all interest to the botanist or mineralogist. I was afterwards informed by Mr. Riley, a gentleman whom I met at Lord Bangor's, that on the occasion of a great storm, the sand near Dundrum was blown away from the flat land on the shore, and exposed to view a number of houses that had been buried in the sand, time out of mind — the inhabitants being previously ignorant of their existence.

The dwellings of the farmers within view of the

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At Ardglass we arrived on the 23rd of July. The first view of this place is exceedingly imposing, exhibiting a high bold coast of very rugged cliffs, with an extensive prospect of the sea and the Isle of Man, about twenty-four miles distant. Ardglass possesses a fine harbour and lighthouse and an extensive new pier. The purity of the air, the clearness and beauty of the sea, the perpetual arrival of company, together with the passing in and out of vessels from the harbour, concurred to produce a scene of great variety and animation, and to make Ardglass a very interesting place. The inn was kept by a Mr. Steptoc

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On the 27th our public examination commenced in the Sessions-house at Ardglass. We had previously called on the neighbouring gentlemen, and seen some of the farms. We afterwards held an examination at Strangford, also in the barony of Lecale.

In the population returns of 1831, the number of agricultural labourers in this barony, (which contains 61,592 acres) is stated to be 1868; and it is supposed that since that time but little variation has taken place. None of the labourers are permanently employed, except those who are engaged by farmers for a half year, at wages of from £3 to £3. 10s. with diet, being not quite 3s. per week. All the labourers complained that there was not so much employment as formerly. They are willing to work, if work could be obtained. According to

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Labourers marry very early — usually from sixteen to twenty, "just when they take the notion," said Blarney; "plenty at sixteen." Farmers' sons marry later. But little provision is made for this important contract. One of the witnesses, a Catholic priest, observed, that "children are a poor man's riches, and that if the labourer can but raise the marriage money, they consider themselves well off. They think of the potatoes after the marriage, not before, and leave things to chance."

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The Rev. Mr. Knox informed us that there was no Dispensary in Ardglass; that Dr. Aikin attempted to establish one, but failed. He was a man of education, but was obliged to keep a grocer's shop in addition to his profession.

Women can earn something in harvest time by shearing corn; and if they are not quite able to keep up with the men, their husbands assist them, and help to make up the deficiency. The universal opinion of those present was, that an industrious labourer's wife, devoting all the time that could be spared from the care of her family to spinning, cannot earn more than a penny a day. For children there is scarcely any employment.

The board and lodging of an old person would be 1s. 8d. per week; say 2d. per day for diet, and 6d. per week for lodging. Mr. Trotter thought that a legal provision would be useful for the old and destitute. Sixpence in the pound on the annual value would be sufficient; it would not be felt, and might be collected with the cess without much additional expense.

In addition to the proceeds of the man's labour,

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In periods of distress the small farmers are often charged double by the usurers. Whenever payment is resisted, and the case goes before the assistant barrister, he always reduces the price to the market price at the time of sale. In order to

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Both farmers and labourers agreed that potatoes yield a more abundant crop of food per acre than any corn. In a table of the nutritive qualities and produce per acre of the principal kinds of agricultural plants, published in the Third Report of Drummond's Agricultural Museum, is the following comparison between oats and potatoes. Oats on good soil produce, per acre, 17 cwt.; nutritive matter per cent, 75; nutritive matter per acre, 12 cwt. 3 qrs. Produce of potatoes per acre, 12 tons; nutritive matter per cent, 20; nutritive matter per acre, 2 tons 8 cwt.

Spirit shops are rapidly on the increase; but, compared with the "shebeen houses" (unlicensed houses), those which are licensed are only as one to five. Numbers of portable shebeen houses are taken about to every market, fair, or funeral. A few

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The sum paid to the priest was stated by the Rev. Mr. Kearney to be about 3s. annually; but if the labourer be very poor, the payment is reduced, or not demanded at all.

The clothing of the peasantry was represented to be very indifferent indeed — one coat serving five or six years. They used to buy their clothes second hand from Bangor; but since the prevalence of the cholera, they are afraid to wear them thus obtained. The following we ascertained to be the annual expenditure of a labourer and his family, supposing them to possess such articles of wearing apparel as he ought to have:—

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Conacre is a small portion of ground, generally a rood Irish, taken from the farmer by the labourer. In most cases it is manured by the farmer, and the rent is about £2. 2s. When the labourer manures it himself, the rent is £1. In this case he is obliged to put on it twenty-five cart loads of manure; in case he has not sufficient, the farmer allows him for whatever quantity he has. The chief inducement of the labourers to take rood land is, the certainty of having a little stock of potatoes; it is probable that they might not have the money always ready to buy when they wanted them, and they can pay for a rood in labour. Besides, it insures them a certain quantity of labour. Moreover, even if they had the money, it often happens that they cannot get the potatoes to buy, being five or six miles from a market. The rood system frequently provides potatoes at half the price the labourer could get them for in any other way.

The conacre system is common all over the barony. The quantity taken by a family is regulated by the number and quality of hands capable

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The cabins in this barony are greatly superior to those in Upper Iveagh, though they never possess a second story, nor a ceiling of any sort: "there is nothing," said one of the witnesses,

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The cost of erecting a cabin, if made of good materials, and consisting of two rooms, is about £12. A smaller cabin with only one room, can be erected for £5. The rent of cabins varies from £1. 1s. to £2. 2s.; but there are instances of £3 being paid for cabins of only one room. When a labourer wishes to build a cabin, an acre

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Small farmers pay their rent in money; labourers generally in labour. The competition for small holdings, single acres, &c, causes the

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When the tenant gets a year or two in arrear, the landlord, instead of ejecting him, allows him to sell his "good-will," on condition that so

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The average extent of farms is about twenty acres Irish; there are very few exceeding one hundred acres. The size of the holdings has rather increased than otherwise. According to the statement of Lieutenant Martin, there is only one dairy farm, properly so called, in the barony. Those proprietors who have attempted to enlarge their farms have incurred considerable odium; the farmers would as soon part with their lives as with their farms. When a man is in arrear, the landlord causes him to sell his farm, and is anxious that some adjoining farmers should purchase: this was stated to be the usual course. "I myself," said one of the witnesses, "commenced the world on seven acres, but by hard labour and care I have purchased up to forty-one now." "One of my neighbours," said Mr.

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Lord Bangor informed us that almost all Lecale is held direct from the proprietor in fee, without the intervention of middlemen. The quantity of land held under colleges and endowed charities is very trifling. Lord Bangor further stated, that the chief part of the barony belongs to resident landlords, and that the remainder is under the care of resident agents. "It is usual for the agents' fees," said Captain Saunders, "to be paid by the tenants in addition to the rent;" but "the only fees taken by agents in this barony," said Lord Bangor, "are fees on the execution of leases. It is not usual, when proprietors receive their own rents, to charge agents' fees in addition, nor is it the practice to require compliments on the signing of leases." Much land was out of lease. The old leases were for three lives, or thirty-one years; the present leases are generally for one life, or twenty-one years. They

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In respect of the agriculture of the district, we were informed that the produce is more than doubled within the last thirty years. Land being more generally cultivated, more labour is expended on it, and additional skill is brought to the working of it. Better implements are also used. Formerly the ploughs were of wood, but in 1810 the iron plough was introduced, and has been used ever since. There is little or no naked fallow. The produce of the crops is from 25 to 30 cwt. of wheat; from 27 to 32 cwt. of barley and oats, per Irish acre. Clover and rye-grass are grown in considerable quantities; vetches in much greater abundance than formerly. A few rich farmers grow turnips; some are beginning to try a little mangel wurzel. At the time when the potatoes failed, the pigs were affected with a disease which the people called the cholera; whatever the complaint was, great numbers died, of some disease hitherto unknown. If

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The butter produced in the district is generally of the kind called "first quality." The farmers have a pride about their butter, and consider themselves signally disgraced if it be rated lower than first quality. It is packed after several churnings; a practice that does not alter the colour and quality much, if the cows be kept on the same pasture. "The Dutch women," said Captain Brown, "take more pains than we do in scouring the vessels in which their butter is saved." No cheese is made here, except a little for home consumption.

Very few sheep are kept among the farmers. The Irish breed is the predominating one, but latterly it has been considerably improved by the introduction of some English sheep by Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Ford. The breed of cattle has been very much improved by the introduction, on the part of Sir Robert Bateson, of some good bulls.

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The farmers were said by Mr. Burnett and other witnesses to be going back; "it would be better to have 5s. a week than to be a farmer now; it was different with us in the war time." And again — "it would be better for the Irish farmer that Buonaparte had never lived, or never died." The agricultural classes were said to be in a state of bankruptcy. The farmers' stock and leases are mostly in mortgage.

The manures in general use are lime, marl, seaweed and dung; in some instances sea-sand is used. Marl is considered a highly beneficial manure, and was stated by Mr. Henry and Mr. Newhill to remain in the ground serviceable for twenty years. The use of marl as a manure was first introduced into this part of Ireland by Judge Ward, Lord Bangor's grandfather, and its effects then were extraordinary. I have known, said Mr, Gracey, ten or twelve successive crops of barley from one marling, without any additional manure; it is chiefly shell marl, and highly calcareous. About twenty-five tons are used upon

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The soil of this barony is a fertile, friable loam, on a firm subsoil approaching to clay; and in some parts shell marl. Limestone is abundant at Carlingford; at Larne, on the coast of Antrim;

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The baronial assessment is laid according to a valuation made seventy or eighty years ago, and of course is very unequal at the present time. It is also unfair in another respect, viz., that the sum to be levied from each townland is the same on every acre of that townland; so that a poor farm, with rocks and other waste land, pays as much per acre as a good farm without any waste. In most places there is no parish cess: whenever a child is deserted, or a coffin wanting, two respectable inhabitants of the parish go round and collect subscriptions to meet the necessities of the several cases. "Since the closing of the Foundling Hospital in Dublin," said Mr. Gracey, "the desertion of children has almost entirely ceased. The people used to say it was no harm to desert a child, for it would be sent to the college." The women who were intrusted with the children, and made a living by taking them to the hospital, were suspected of administering poison after receiving the money, which was usually

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Tithe is much higher here than in the barony of Upper Iveagh. Several farmers stated it to amount on their land to 4s. an acre, and on some to as much as five. The roads in this barony are generally good and convenient. The assessment for them amounts to nearly 8d. per acre per annum.

There are only three pawnbrokers in the barony, and they live at Downpatrick; thirteen or fourteen years ago there was not one. People go from all parts of the barony to pawn their clothes, and many cases were mentioned of persons pawning trifling articles for the sole purpose of procuring a glass of whiskey. They pawn "their day or night clothes, hats, teapots, shoes, in short anything from a needle to an anchor, as the saying is."

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The Rev. Mr. Knox thought that the convenience of a loan society would create industry. The people, however, say that if such an institution existed, they should not like the publicity. "To make his wants known," said a witness, "is the last thing a man would do; yet it would be useful, particularly as landlords want their rents earlier than formerly. From spring to harvest a loan would be useful. Men that lend money charge two shillings for a guinea, for one month, and 200 per cent."

Within the last five years emigration has taken place to a very considerable extent. All the labourers that could go, went, and some of the farmers also; such labourers as had capital, did well, but those who had none, suffered. Some took their families, others have sent for them,

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Cost of living at Ardglass — Whale-fishing — Dullisk — Institutions of Ardglass — Journey to Strangford — Lord and Lady Bangor — Ancient Castles — Castleward — Portaferry — Temple Cranic — Colonel Nugent's grounds — Shops in Downpatrick — Abbey of Inch Church of Saul — St. Patrick's Wells — Cathedral at Downpatrick St. Patrick's Cross — Superstitious fables — Slieve-na-Griddle — Cromlechs — Assizes at Downpatrick Raths Castlewellan — Stony state of the roads — Newry — Market Hill — Rich Hill — The Retreat — Capabilities and prospects of Ireland — Mr. Blacker's System — Lord Gosford's farms

Ardglass is rather fashionably attended during the summer months, but is certainly not so much frequented as its situation and beauty would seem to warrant. We saw several carriages arrive with company from the interior; most of them had only one horse, and very few of them four wheels. The cost of living here is reasonable, and the supply of fish good. The immediate neighbourhood boasts the ruins of several ancient

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In one of the numerous inlets or sounds formed by the indentures of the rocks, a whale had been entrapped a short time previous to our visiting Ardglass, and the people, concluding that it was dead, fastened it with ropes to a vessel, with the intention of towing it into harbour at the next tide. The animal, however, at the return of the water, revived, and would have carried the vessel and its crew out to sea, had they not instantly cut the ropes and allowed it to escape. On the ledges of the rocks in this sound we discovered a variety of star-fish, sea-hedgehog, and the edible sea-weed, called in some parts of Ireland, dullisk. I thought it by no means unpleasant. It

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From Ardglass we travelled along the coast to Strangford, by Ballyculter and Kilclief, both of them at the entrance of Strangford Lough. The former is a neat village, containing a beautiful School-house and Alms-houses, built and supported at the expense of Lady Bangor. These buildings display good taste, and are very ornamental to the village. Lord Bangor is an excellent landlord, and both he and his lady are very charitable, and take an active part in promoting the education and prosperity of the country.

The most striking object at Kilclief is the ancient Castle, once the See-house of the Bishops of Down. This castle is now used for a storehouse

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About a mile from Strangford is Castleward, the seat of Lord Bangor, who attended our examination. At Castleward we met at dinner Mr. Blacker, Mr. Fitzroy, and Mr. Riley, a gentleman well acquainted with the antiquities of Ireland. One front of the mansion is Gothic, the other Grecian. The grounds are beautiful, and command a fine view of the Lough and the opposite shore; they are remarkable also for containing some rare objects in the shape of fine oak, elm, and lime trees, of which, indeed, the park presents some noble specimens. Lord Bangor is inducing his tenants to adopt Mr. Blacker's system of alternate green and grain crops, and stall feeding. He has the command of limestone from one of the islands on the Lough, and allows his tenants to get it free of charge.

After the examination at Strangford we took advantage of the ferry to cross the Lough to the neat little town of Portaferry. It was the fair day, and I had an opportunity of seeing great numbers of the inhabitants. The town was crowded with country people; here, the men

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I strolled through the town, and ascended the Windmill Hill, which commands an extensive view of the surrounding country — the bay, the South Rock Lighthouse and the ruins of Quintin Castle, similar in character to that of Audley's and others on the opposite side of the Lough; Gray Abbey also, situated on the shore of the Lough, nearly opposite Comber. It was founded in 1192 by Africa, daughter of the king of Man, and wife of John de Courcy, and was peopled by her with Cistercian monks from Cumberland. The Catholic Chapel, a spacious building on the side of the hill, has an appearance of great respectability. This hill affords a good view of the Lough, and the town of Strangford, with its towers and strong walls overgrown with ivy. In the course of my ramble I was agreeably surprised

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These beautiful grounds and the mansion within them belong to Colonel Nugent, and are approached from a spacious quay. The old castle, erected by the Savage family, and the grounds attached to it, form part of the domain. The gardener, whom I accidentally met, expressed great anxiety to conduct me through the gardens, but the lateness of the evening prevented my complying with his wishes. He is an Englishman, and has the grounds, I subsequently understood, in most beautiful order. Lovelier and more delightful spots than Strangford and Portaferry, it has seldom been my lot to see.

A gentleman whom I met in my walk informed me that the poor were not distressed, being well

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The evening, as I returned, was peculiarly fine; the Lough lay before me smooth as glass, and reflected a brilliant setting sun. The scarlet dresses of the country people, who lined the shores or crossed the lake in crowded boats, greatly enriched the splendid scene, to which an animated boat-race contributed additional interest. At length the moon arose, and the bustle of departed day gradually died away into one of the mildest of nights. Our road homeward to Ardglass lay along the bay of Kilclief.

Having to go to Downpatrick, the county town, for some books, it was with difficulty I found a stationer's shop — the only one in the town. I was obliged to wait till the sale of the stock, then going on, was concluded for the evening. Half a hundred quills sold for 1 d.; a hundred,

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From Downpatrick I walked as far as the Abbey of Inch and the Church of Saul, taking in my way Finnabrogue House, the seat of John Warren Maxwell, Esq., who bears a good character in the country, on account of his employing many labourers, and encouraging his tenants in the improvement of their farms. The grounds, which are very beautiful, are rich in copsewood and fine timber, and are entirely undisfigured by the incongruous interpolations of art. The liberty that

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Inch Abbey, which I next visited, is a fine ruin, with ivy mantled walls and tall lancet windows. The grave yard of Inch Church (the wildest and rudest spot for such a purpose I ever saw) is still used by the present owner, Mr. Maxwell. The nettles and other weeds were six or seven feet high, and covered the entire surface. Inch, or Inis Courcy, was founded by Sir John de Courcy, in the hope of making his peace with heaven for having destroyed the Abbey of Erynagh. He

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As I walked along the road, the country people viewed me with some degree of curiosity, and were undecided whether I was an excise-officer, a soldier, or a priest. Indeed I was frequently mistaken for the last. Falling into conversation with a young man, he proposed to accompany me to the celebrated Struel, or Saint Patrick's wells, about two miles and a half east of Downpatrick. They are supposed to have been consecrated by this Saint, and have the reputation of curing all disorders. Four wells, situated within fifty yards of each other, are all supplied by the

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After dining at Denvir's, a comfortable inn at Downpatrick, from the landlord of which I obtained considerable information on agricultural subjects, I engaged a gig to Ardglass, and while it was preparing, took the opportunity of paying a visit to St. Patrick's grave and cross, as well as to the Cathedral, a recent building, erected upon the site of the old one, which was a fine Gothic ruin in the immediate neighbourhood of one of those monuments of antiquity almost peculiar to Ireland, the pillar towers. These, the old cathedral, and the round tower, stood on a commanding eminence, and were an ornament to the country for miles, but they have been barbarously destroyed, to make way for a building destitute of all pretension to taste or beauty. Yet mortifying

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St. Patrick's cross, which consists of granite, is a very rude attempt at sculpture, and, in consequence of visitors constantly taking earth from the grave, (for the purpose either of keeping it, or selling it in the country for the cure of diseases) has a considerable declination from the perpendicular. At the request of the good woman who showed me the relics, I took a piece of the cross for my museum, nor could I disoblige her by refusing to carry away a portion of the soil. Extraordinary stories were told to me, of bloody fights for the bodies of St. Patrick and other saints at Saul; and, in order to appease the people, of St. Patrick having thrust his hand through the earth to prove that he was at Downpatrick. These stories they relate with the most perfect gravity and apparent zeal.

In my way to the hill of Slieve-na-Griddle, three

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At Downpatrick, on our way from Ardglass to Market Hill, in the county of Armagh, we visited the Courts, the assizes not having terminated. The Court-house is a new building, but inconveniently arranged. The part appropriated to the administration of justice, is small and confined — is boxed off and raised above the rest of the court, as if intended to be secluded from the body of the people — and is occupied by the judge, the jury, the witnesses, and the police. The counsel are not distinguished, as in England, by wigs or gowns; and the witness, whilst giving his evidence, stands on a table in the middle of the

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The rath at Downpatrick is a good specimen of the ancient barrows, or, as they are commonly called in Ireland, Danish forts, of which there is great variety of shape and size. They are to be met with both in high and low situations, but principally on the ranges of hills, and command a view of each other. Some have one rampart and fosse, others more than one; and some have outworks. The above rath is not less than three-fourths of a mile in circumference, and is surrounded by three ramparts about 25 or 30 feet broad. In some of these mounts, or raths, caves have been found. The large raths with outworks have probably served for places of defence; some of the smaller ones, particularly those situated on low ground, and having a low and flat space inside, for collecting the cattle of a district in case

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On the 6th of August we left Downpatrick, on our way to Market Hill. We passed through Castlewellan, and saw its old ruined castle on the Mount. Castlewellan is the property of Lord Annesley, who has a handsome seat here. The country around is hilly and beautiful, and proves

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From Castlewellan to Hilltown, about eleven miles, the substratum is granite rock; the soil is wet and shallow. We here entered the flax district; great preparations were in progress — in digging pits, and damming the water for steeping the flax. The ragwort (senecio jacobea) is superabundant in this district, occupying nearly the whole surface of the pastures, as the corn marigold (chrysanthemum segetum) occupies the corn fields in many parts, to the exclusion of the grain. We were glad to see again our host of Hilltown in passing through, and should have been well pleased to have taken him and his inn along with us; but we merely changed the car, and proceeded towards Market Hill through Newry, within a mile or two of which is a rath

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We reached Newry on the market-day. The town, which stands on the Newry river, is well built of granite — the chimney of the distillery, where the far-famed whiskey is made, lifts its direful black head high above the rest. High and picturesque mountains surround the vale of Newry in which the town is seated. On the bank of the canal, about two miles distant, there was formerly an ancient cromlech, of Pagan origin, in a state of great perfection, but a considerable part of it has been destroyed by a brewer in Newry, to avail himself of a paltry advantage of the stones for building.

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On reaching Mrs. Stratton's inn in Market Hill, we immediately issued notices of our intended examination at the Court-house.

On the sabbath I attended the Friends' Meeting-house at Rich Hill, a neat village five miles from Market Hill. About forty families, members of the society, attended the meeting, and I was informed that very often sixty other persons, not members, frequented it. For the most part these persons are engaged in agricultural pursuits. I was kindly addressed by several of them, and accepted an invitation to go home with John Allen, the proprietor of a lunatic establishment, which is called the Retreat, after that at York. This valuable institution is near Hawkley, three miles distant from Market Hill and from Armagh. His system of management, which consists of lenient measures calculated to render confinement as little irksome as possible, is on a principle similar to

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The soil about Rich Hill is fertile and deep, and lies upon limestone; the surface undulates gracefully, and is well wooded. Several gentlemen's seats give an appearance of respectability to the neighbourhood. The principal owners are Edmund Bacon, Esq., Sir Thomas Molyneux, and the Earl of Gosford. The Gosford estate near Market Hill contains 20,000 acres and 1500 tenants; not more than sixty or seventy of whom have as much as 20 acres. The system of Mr. Blacker, Lord Gosford's agent, is first to level all the old crooked fences and make straight ones, as a division between each occupier, allotting a square piece of land, consisting of about four statute acres, to each person; and as the tenants were in the last stage of destitution, he found it necessary to provide them with lime and seeds, as a loan, without interest; opening an account with each of them on their first entering upon the farm. A person called an agriculturist looks after the agricultural department, weighs out the seeds, and instructs the people in the cultivation of their farms. Upwards of sixty of these agriculturists have been

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Mr. Blacker, not being able to attend us himself for a few days, directed the agriculturist, Mr. Bruce, to accompany us on our inspection of Lord Gosford's farms. We soon arrived at Mr. Black's farm; he occupied 14 acres, at a rent of 22s. per acre; the tithe in addition was 1s. 8d., and the county cess 2s. 4d. per acre. He sows a few turnips, and they, along with his other crops, were good. His house, which was very comfortable, contains two looms; these were used when his family were not all occupied on the farm. Some of his cattle were kept up on green food, but they were very dirty. Bruce also kept his own cattle up, and we observed that they were dirty also; on which he remarked that they never cleaned them on Sunday (which happened to be the day before). Black appeared a clever manager; his crops were good, and his land clean,

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We next came to James Lennon, or James O'Neil, of Garvah, who met us near his farm with his hands in his bosom. He was without shoes and stockings; his matted locks informed us that they and a comb were strangers; and his half-witted countenance was altogether calculated to cast ridicule upon the idea of attempting to make such

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Another small tenant had obtained from the landlord some wood for a pig-sty, and the agriculturist

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The following is the course of crops and management that Mr. Blacker recommends: — 1st. Potatoes or turnips. 2d. Flax or wheat, sown with clover and grass seeds for mowing. 3d. Clover, mown. 4th. Oats. The old plan, pursued by many at present, is to have potatoes, wheat, and oats; it is not a barley country, but, when sown, barley takes the place of wheat or flax. The usual produce is, of wheat 17 cwt.; oats 17 cwt.; barley 18 cwt.; tares 17 cwt.; turnips occasionally 40 tons; potatoes 8 1/2 tons. Some of the farmers doubted the advantage of turnips over potatoes. Rape is especially recommended by Mr. Blacker, and is uniformly praised by all who have been induced to give it a fair trial. They found it material to sow the rape as soon as possible after the grain crop comes off; some even remove the grain, as soon as shorn, to another part of the land; then manure the ground, and sow rape immediately; it is ready for cutting

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On further examination of farms we met with numerous and most satisfactory proofs of the advantages resulting from Mr. Slacker's endeavours to improve the condition of the people. The following are a few of the instances, as stated by themselves in public.

James Lennon, the tenant previously mentioned, though not a bright specimen, gave the following account of himself. He was formerly tenant to Col. Graham, and when he became Lord

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Thomas Grant, when he became a tenant of Lord Gosford, owed one year's rent, and gave a note for £6, which he since paid off; he had then no cow, but borrowed money to buy one; he paid for the cow, and when I saw him, had two cows and one horse; he purchased 5A. 2R. 1P. of land (that is, the tenant-right) for £30, and had paid all the purchase-money. His success he attributed to growing green crops and stall-feeding his cows; turnips he found a useful but an expensive crop, and never had less than half an acre or three roods. Mr. Blacker does not insist on turnips being sown, but leaves it to the farmer's discretion. He (Grant) would not have come to the property he had attained had it not been for the assistance of Mr. Blacker. By the stall-feeding and green crops he was able to keep more stock, and could have better crops of grain. His land

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James M'Parlane gave a note for his debt of £10. The benefit derived from Mr. Blacker's system had enabled him to pay it off; he had, however, borrowed money for lime and seeds, but could be clear in November; his ground was formerly poor, but was then in good condition; he could keep three cows in the house for two on the pasture. He possessed six acres of land, and hoped to go on without borrowing.

John Hogg contended that three cows might be kept on green food cut for them, where only one could be kept on the same extent of land pastured.

Mr. Bruce asserted that one acre served three cows.

Mr. Black said, that they are all improved by Blacker and Bruce's assistance; he sowed clover amongst wheat, and it did well.

Mr. Beck has generally four cows and one horse on eight acres, and has as much grain as

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Hugh Marshall has twenty acres; he stall feeds, and thinks it the best; he keeps four cows and two horses.

Mr. Thompson of Greyhillan has eleven acres; keeps two cows, one heifer, and one horse; this stock he keeps in the house on one acre and three roods of clover. Formerly, when he had less stock, he devoted three acres and two roods to them. He had, the last year, saved a small stack of hay.

Mr. Kenovan said that his cows each gave fourteen quarts of milk per day for three months; and that he had not two perches of waste land on his farm; the change had been more in his favour than if he had managed his farm under the old system, without paying any rent.

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Drumbanagher — Colonel Close — Results of Mr. Blacker's system — Mr. Bacon — Dungannon School-lands — Dr. Richardson — Charlemont — Moy — Coal Island — Visit to Dungannon School-lands — Extent — Cabins upon the estate — Rents — Exertions of Mr. Blacker — Lord Charlemont's estates — Francis Quin's farm — Admirable consequences of Mr. Blacker's system — Flax — Examination of Fews — Lord Gosford's school — Draper's Hill — Moyallen — Society of Friends in the neighbourhood.

In company with Mr. Blacker we visited Col. Close, who is becoming, under the able advice of that gentleman, a spirited improver. On his estate at Drumbanagher is a magnificent villa of the pure Italian style, in the design of which the architect, Mr. Playfair, of Edinburgh, has displayed consummate skill. It is surrounded by gently sloping ground of great extent, adorned with plantations and stately trees. The terraces and lawns are ornamented with water, and parterres

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Colonel Close has a large establishment, over which he presides with paternal care. From twenty to thirty servants joined the family at morning and evening prayers. This excellent individual has the good fortune to possess a valuable agent in Mr. Blacker, under whose directions he is adopting the agricultural plan so successfully pursued on the Gosford estate. Several of the tenants I saw: they were confident of success.

Mr. Bacon, of Richhill, who has also adopted Mr. Blacker's system, has a Scotch steward, a Mr. Anderson, who has accomplished much by instructing the tenants. Mr. Bacon gives them premiums for good management. Four years ago there were only three competitors for his premiums; last year they amounted to 295, proving

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Mr. Blacker has introduced his improved system on the Dungannon School-lands in the county of Tyrone, consisting of about 3,000 acres of property, and notorious for the misery and disorderly conduct of the inhabitants. He applied for the agency of this estate, which is an endowment of the School of Dungannon, for the purpose of trying how far the principle he advocated in his Prize Essay on the management of landed property in Ireland, might prove effectual in reclaiming both the land and the inhabitants.

We accompanied Mr. Blacker to these School-lands. On crossing the Blackwater River near Fort Charlemont, on our way, we were not far from the farm of the late Dr. Richardson, of fiorin-grass notoriety, with which few agriculturists of any reading are unacquainted. The Doctor's great partiality for this grass induced him to designate it in his writings his mistress.

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At Charlemont is a large fort, but only a small force of artillery is stationed at it. The town of Moy, on the north side of the river, is a place of some trade, and is approached by a wide and steep street, on each side of which is a row of fine elms.

Coal Island, through which we passed, can boast of coal pits and a spade manufactory, and has the advantage of a canal from Dungannon to Lough Neagh. By this navigation coals are conveyed from Coal Island, and timber and other articles returned.

Mr. Griffith, in his geological and mining survey of the Tyrone coal district, observes, that the Coal Island coal district is six miles long, from Mullaghmoyle, on the north, to Dungannon on the south. Its average breadth is about two miles, therefore the total extent may be about seven thousand acres. The Coal Island district is in the form of an oval. Its strata rest upon limestone; the dip, in all the places where it is visible, is from the edge towards the centre of the district,

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The Tyrone coal district (including, in addition to the Coal Island basin, the Annahone coal, of three hundred and twenty acres) is of trifling extent, when compared with the great southern and western coal districts of Ireland, but is superior to them in the thickness and quality of its numerous beds of coal.

In the immediate vicinity of the village of Coal Island, there are seven workable beds of coal, amounting in the aggregate to 34 feet of coal; in a depth, from the surface, of 244 yards 2 feet. The fine clay of the Tyrone district occurs immediately beneath the beds of coal.

The country between the Collieries and Lough Neagh contains white potter's clay, of great superficial extent, and unknown thickness.

On first entering the School-lands at the south end of Lough Neagh, the quality of the soil was good, and the crops were flourishing; but further towards the east is a tract of poor white sand

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The Dungannon estate contains a large tract of bog, which invariably attracted a number of poor settlers, in consequence of the cheapness of fuel. Before the introduction of the new system, the arable land was occupied in little detached patches. Mr. Blacker began by breaking up the clusters of old mud cabins, and insisting upon each person taking up his residence upon the land allotted to him, in a square holding, averaging

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It is truly gratifying to observe the improvement extending through the country in consequence of the active exertions of Mr. Blacker, who, persuasive, enterprising, firm, and persevering, is well fitted for the noble task he has undertaken. Indeed, no adequate estimate can be formed of the value of his exertions. After a careful examination of these farms, I am fully convinced of the practicability of managing them on his system, with advantage to the owners, the tenants, and the country. If the plan were generally adopted, it would provide employment

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That low rents and indulgence will not produce the desired effect, may be inferred from the fact that the estates of Lord Charlemont, though let much lower than they might be, and though the arrears incurred upon them are continually remitted, are incomparably worse managed than those of Lord Gosford which adjoin. The farmers, moreover, are less comfortable on the former property; yet Lord Charlemont is accounted one of the best, as he certainly is one of the most indulgent, of Irish landlords.

Francis Quin, on the Dungannon School-lands, has 2A. 2R. 5P. of arable ground, two roods of which have been reclaimed since May 1834; he has also 1R. 22P. of water meadow, making in the whole 2A. 3R. 27P. In May 1834 he had the following stock, viz. two cows, one horse and three pigs; in April 1835 he sold one cow and bought an additional horse; in January 1835 he sold one pig, and kept the other two till June; he has a family of ten, which, together with his

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I could not help regretting, when I encountered so much misery during my subsequent journey, that this system was not more generally adopted. If poor laws had been in operation previously to these cottiers being thus settled, they would all undoubtedly have become a burden on the parish; but by the means pursued under Mr. Blacker's plan, they are enabled, not only to provide competently for their families, but to increase the rental of the estate. The Dungannon estate I consider a practical confirmation of every thing Mr. Blacker advances in his "Prize Essay," and a complete proof of the facility with which a surplus population of any district, in which the ordinary bad husbandry has prevailed, may be located on an adjoining reclaim able land, at a trifling expense,

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More flax was grown this year than formerly. The steeping was in full operation, and not a single spot in this part of the country was free from the strong effluvia which attends the process, and which at first I felt to be exceedingly offensive. To this unpleasant smell, however, considerations of general advantage soon reconciled me. The flax remains from six to ten days in the stagnant water, in which it is kept down by sods or stones, and ragweed. After being taken out, it is spread on the grass, and frequently turned. If possible, it becomes more putrid and scents the

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Ireland, from the peculiarity of its climate, appears to be well adapted to the growth of flax. The heat is less scorching than in England, the sun being oftener obscured by clouds; and soft refreshing showers, favourable to luxuriant vegetation, frequently fall. Every encouragement

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Mr. Rennox, steward to Dr. Blacker, in the Newry paper of 1836, gives some directions respecting the growth of flax, which are deserving of notice, not only as regards his judicious remarks, but on account of the great profit derivable from a crop of this valuable plant. I may mention here, on the authority of Mr. Bruce, that when a tenant is poor, and has an acre or two of land, he lets part to grow flax for £5 in hand, to pay his rent with: this is called the "dead horse." Dr. Blacker has let land to grow flax on at £5. 15s. per acre. Mr. Black sows two and a quarter bushels of flax to the acre, and from each bushel sown the produce should be from fourteen to twenty stones — say from thirty-five to fifty stones per acre, at 10s. per stone, which would be from £17. 10s. to £25. This is considered a very

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The examination for the barony of Fews Lower, in the county of Armagh, which contains 33,505 acres, including 3940 acres of water, commenced in the Court-house, in Market-hill, on the 12th of August, when it was stated that the number of labourers in the barony, according to the population return of 1831, was 1713.

In the opinion of the most intelligent persons at the examination, the number of labourers continues nearly the same; and there was a general impression that the linen trade had improved, and that the weavers as a body were better off than they had been for some years. We did not, however, see any reason for acquiescing in this opinion. Under the present system, a few capitalists give out the yarn to be worked by the weavers up and down the country, and pay them wages varying from 8d. to 1s.3d. a day, according to their skill, while the profits of course go to the employer. Formerly, the weavers were able to purchase the yarn themselves; and thus, besides

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Here, as in the previous baronies, marriage is contracted at a very early period of life: one of the witnesses told us, that he knew a man, the joint ages of whose father and mother, on the day of their marriage, did not amount to thirty-one. A man who has no wife and family, is far less highly esteemed than one who possesses both.

Women are employed for a short time pulling flax, for which they get eightpence a day near towns, and sixpence in the country. They receive also sixpence a day for shearing, in harvest. The wives of labourers can sell nothing but a few eggs or chickens; and some of the farmers will not permit them to keep fowls, for fear of injury being done to their corn fields; what a labourer's wife can make by them is not worth mentioning. She sometimes manages to scrape together a few eggs, and exchanges them for "a bit of soap, or a grain of tea."

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On making inquiry as to the expenses of marriages, christenings, wakes, and funerals, we learnt from Barney Halley, who collected for the priest of his district, that a marriage costs from seven to ten shillings, and from that to a pound, besides 3s. 4d. for the license. At a christening, for which there is a gathering, there are five or six quarts of whiskey, and 2s. 6d. for the clergyman. At wakes, for old inhabitants, whiskey and tobacco are supplied; but if the subject be merely a labourer, tobacco alone is used.

A labourer's family, consisting of a man, his wife, and four children, consumes weekly two cwt. of potatoes, value two shillings and sixpence; milk, one shilling; herrings, sixpence; soap and salt, sixpence. Threepence a week, at the least, may be put down for tobacco; many labourers use five-pennyworth. Groceries are used here in very small quantities. Twopence a week was stated as sufficient to cover this department of domestic expenditure. "The labourer is very well off," said a witness, "if he gets praties and a drop of milk." "Aye," another added, "and blue milk

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The priest receives from the farmers four shillings, and from labourers two shillings a year; one being paid at Christmas and the other at Easter, If they cannot afford this, sixpence is paid. "The priest here is kind." Although there are twenty-five whiskey shops in Market Hill, the population of which is only 1040, it was the general opinion that these pernicious establishments are decreasing. There is certainly but little drunkenness among the labourers. Not many women drink, "but still," said Barney Halley "they don't hate a drop." "If a labourer is cold" said another witness, "a Johnny⁸ won't do him harm; and if he is in a heat, it is not the first thing that will hurt him."

The clothing of the labourers is very bad indeed; "they are ill covered." They buy old second-hand clothes at Armagh and Newry, and wear them several years. The cost of clothing for

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Almost all the cabins contain bedsteads; indeed, two or three years ago, Mrs. Blacker, the lady of the Rev. Dr. Blacker, distributed among the poor of her district between a hundred and fifty and two hundred.⁹ The father and mother, and a couple of children, usually sleep in the same bed: "heads and thraws." The floors of the cabins are made by digging up the ground, and then trampling it into a solid consistency; "when this is to be done," said Captin Atkinson, "they sometimes have a dance for that purpose, hav'nt they Barney — "Yes sir," said Barney, "and many a match comes out of a thing of the sort."

The labourers suffer greatly from the scarcity and dearness of fuel. Turf is mostly used; a cartload

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Mendicity is very common in this part of the country, and is not confined to those who are in actual want. We were informed by one of the witnesses, that he knew a beggar who said he could give his daughter £30; another beggar had several sums of money out at interest. In rough weather they frequently stay with the labourers and small farmers for a few days or a week, and amuse the family over the fire, sometimes till

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The only pawnbroker in the barony lives in Market Hill, and his business must be a thriving one, for "every thing that can be mentioned," said one of the witnesses, "is pawned." Such is the attachment of the people to this ruinous system, that the Rev. Mr. Atkinson was of opinion that if small loans could be obtained, upon the deposit of pledges, as now, but upon more moderate terms, and without the present secrecy, though the institution might be encouraged, many would still frequent the pawn-office. The competition for small holdings is very great, and causes the incoming tenant to bid a price which he is little able to pay. There is, however, in this neighbourhood no connexion whatever, direct or indirect, between crime and the taking of land, or the paying of tithe, or other charges affecting land. No persons, accordingly, need be deterred from investing their capital in farming, or other occupations,

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The average size of farms is about eight acres: there are few so large as twenty. Out of fifteen hundred tenants on the Gosford estate, there are not more than sixty or seventy who hold such. The general opinion of those present was decidedly in favour of small holdings, which, in consequence of the adoption of Mr. Slacker's system, are greatly improved of late years — one acre now being worth three formerly. "Small farms, if judiciously conducted, yield comparatively a greater produce than large ones; spade husbandry may be applied advantageously upon them; the farmer is enabled to collect more manure in proportion, in consequence of his family being on the look out for it; and he can keep more stock relatively, and cultivate more cheaply." "No part of the small farmer's land," said one of the witnesses, "is left untilled — not the breadth of your hand can they afford to let be idle." "If I had 100 acres," said Mr. Bruce, "I would divide

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Almost all this barony is held direct from the proprietor in fee, and generally under lease. The chief part is held by a few great landlords, who either reside or visit it occasionally, their agents being resident. The rent is from twenty to 24s. per acre; the tithe 1s. 8d. and the cess 2s. 4d. per acre per annum. The cess, as in other baronies, is extremely unequal. Coals are from 14s. to 26s. per ton, and lime 10d. per barrel of four bushels.

The barony is nearly all under tillage, even in the mountains — not one-sixth of a farm being left for pasture. During the last few years, agriculture has made great advances in the county of Armagh, particularly in the barony of Fews Lower. This advance is mainly attributable to the skill and exertions

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Red clover and Pacey's perennial rye-grass are almost the only articles of grass-seed sown in the lower parts of the barony. On the moory ground near the mountains, where the land is worth seven or 10s. per acre, what is called "white grass" (holcus lanatus) is preferred. The pasture lands in many parts of the barony and country are overrun with rag-weed (senecio jacobea), in part attributable to the absence of sheep, who eat it

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The cattle exhibited at the various fairs were of an inferior description, principally of the old Irish breed. The cows, when in good note or milking, give from 14 to 16 quarts a day, and from 100 to 112 lbs. of butter in the year; they are a flat-ribbed, narrow-backed, slow-growing, and slow-fattening race. The superiority of the produce over some other districts is to be attributed to the full supply of green food which is given to them. The horses, though rather small, are active and useful animals. The breed of pigs has undergone considerable improvement. The

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Many of the inhabitants of this barony have emigrated, and if a free passage to America were afforded, many more would go. Within the last twelve years numbers of girls have gone as servants; they get six or eight dollars a month in Quebec, St. John's, and Montreal. They embark at Warrens-point, fourteen miles off, and at Belfast, thirty-two miles distant. The Roman Catholics, who outnumber the Protestants, have not emigrated to any considerable extent.

Lord Gosford educates upwards of a hundred children of the neighbourhood. They are Protestants,

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I visited the school, which is a beautiful building, surrounded by a garden, in which roses and other sweet flowers and beautiful shrubs abound. The scholars are taught writing, reading, grammar, and accounts. Some of the boys evinced great quickness in answering the various questions proposed to them. The girls are now generally instructed in needle-work.

Education is making rapid progress here. There were stated to be five hundred scholars now for one formerly. Lord Gosford supplies schooling, pens, ink, &c, free of charge; in other schools, a charge of a penny or twopence a week is made. It was gratifying to meet so many children on their way to and from various schools. The extension of education, which is happily taking place, promises a beneficial change in the habits

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On the site of his former mansion Lord Gosford is building a baronial residence, under the superintendence of Mr. Hopper, the architect. Though far from being finished, it has already cost about £80,000. The battlements and corbels struck me as being too light, and the arrangement in some parts appeared rather cramped, but the situation is good, and the grounds are well wooded. Many new plantations have been added, but there is not much large timber. Not far from the castle is the Draper's Hill, where Dean Swift took his seat and exchanged wit with the passer by on the road.

Hamilton's Bawn, too, which we passed, not very far from Market Hill, is celebrated in connexion with the Dean of St. Patrick's — the ruins of an old building there, formerly a place of defence, and since used as barracks, being the subject of some of his poems.

At Moyallen, twelve miles north-east of Market Hill, I attended the Friends' Meeting, which consists

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The country round Moyallen is surprisingly rich and beautiful. The gently rising ground was covered with grain, which, in the brilliancy of its golden hue, as it glittered in the sunshine, surpassed anything I ever saw. It was indeed almost too powerful for the eye. On the 16th of August some of it was ready for harvest, and on the 19th some was cut and carried. The rich verdure of the meadows through which the Bann flows, and the equally rich foliage of the woods upon its banks, formed a strong and delightful contrast to the fields of grain that waved on the sides of this fertile valley. The whole combined to form so truly enchanting a picture, that I irresistibly turned round several times

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The soil is excellent, and I enjoyed the novel sight of some rich grazing land. The neatness of the houses in Moyallen, covered with roses and climbing plants, together with the beautiful gardens and shrubberies, carried my thoughts to England. Such objects as these are not very frequently met with on Irish ground.

Many members of the Society of Friends reside in this neighbourhood, and before the change which took place in the manufacture of linen, were engaged extensively and prosperously in that trade. Not only here, but in other parts of Ireland, they are greatly respected, having contributed in an important degree to the social and moral improvement of their respective districts; an effect that is manifested in the neatness of the cottages and houses, and in the orderly and industrious habits of the people. This statement does not proceed from an undue desire to laud a society of which I am myself a member. I merely record a fact which in Ireland is universally

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Armagh — Archbishop's Palace — Fair at Market Hill — Basalt — Slieve Guillien — Belleek — Protestant Schools — Cairn on Slieve Guillien — Cabin near the mountain — Native Irish language — Monaghan — Tydavnet — Mr. Skelton, and cruelties arising out of a distraint — Examination of the barony of Monaghan — Want of Employment — Wages — Employment of women — Priest's dues — Spirit-shops — Sobriety of the people — Clothing of the labourers — Pawnbrokers — Remarks on the Irish people — Disturbance at the Examination — Threatening notices — Resident agents — Mr. Rose's Improvement Fund — Breed of cattle — Manure — County cess — Orchards — Emigration.

After inspecting, in company with Mr. Blacker, several additional farms belonging to Lord Gosford, we proceeded to Armagh, and visited the ancient cathedral, which stands on the summit of the hill. It was undergoing repair, and receiving embellishment. The tower and spire were temporarily supported on wooden props, while fresh foundations were being laid; and it is extraordinary that they had only shrunk one inch during

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The city stands on the river Callen; its population now is about 9200. The buildings are handsome, and the environs beautiful. The Observatory, Library, and many other public buildings (which I unfortunately had not time to visit) are highly spoken of. In some old parts of the town the streets are narrow, and the houses nothing better than filthy hovels. Beautiful marble, of various colours, and susceptible of a fine

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At a fair at Market Hill, held on the 21st of August, we saw a young bull (the best in the fair), a year and a half old, with a cross of long horn, which was priced at £2. 4s! Cows, nearly all of the Irish breed, are valued at from three to £6. Lord Gosford possesses a fine young bull of the Durham breed, which is likely to improve the stock. On Lord Gosford's estate we inspected some Italian rye-grass, the stalks of

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In the course of my walk through Lord Gosford's grounds, I was surprised to find a bed of basalt of curious formation; the labourers were breaking it for the roads. The upper strata resembled cannon balls, or soldiers' loaves of various sizes, enveloped in a softer mass of a burned appearance, and seemed to have been in a state of fusion, corroborating the opinion as to the igneous origin of basalt; below them was the more solid rock; and lower still, Mr. Blacker informed me, the stones were similar to the pillars and joints of the Giant's Causeway, which he believed crossed the island here. A man began to clear away the superincumbent matter, for our inspection of that beneath, but we had not time to wait the result. The stone is mixed with trap, resembling large hailstones.

Not having seen what are here termed the mountain-farms, we travelled up the high grounds beyond Belleek, near the Tully Galleon and Fork Hill Mountains, with the intention of examining

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On gaining the summit of this mountain I was indeed richly rewarded. The cairn which renders it so celebrated, instead of being a mere rude heap of stones, as I had expected to find it, contained a circular chamber, with which a passage under long flat stones communicated; but of what length this passage has originally been, it is difficult now to ascertain, as it is filled up with earth and stones, which obstruct any further progress to what is supposed to be a large apartment. The entrance, which is now filled with rubbish, appears to have been covered with a roof of large stones, capable of supporting a great weight. The cairn of stones, which has covered the chamber, is nearly 40 feet in diameter at the base. A little lower down the hill, and in front of this cairn, is a flat stone supported by many uprights' and has the appearance of a cromlech. The mountain is of primitive formation, and composed of granite argillite. Its summit commands a

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The mountain is cultivated as near its summit as food for man will grow; and the potato and corn fields are in some places so steep, and apparently so perpendicular, as to resemble, when viewed from the road, pictures in square frames hanging against the walls of a room. Slieve Guillien, and the lake near the summit, afford fruitful materials for the romantic tales of which the Irish are so passionately fond. On the side of the hill are bold rocky cliffs and caverns, formerly the safe retreat of robbers, who plundered the surrounding country at their pleasure. Of these, Redman O'Hanlan was pre-eminently distinguished for his nightly maraudings, and was long the terror of the neighbourhood.

On returning from Slieve Guillien I visited a

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1. Still to ourselves in every place consign'd,
   Our own felicity we make or find.

On the 25th of August we left Market Hill, and again passed through Armagh, Pat driving tandem. That part of the county of Monaghan through which we travelled, was very inferior to Armagh,

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Tydavnet was decided upon for the place of examination, and a room was obtained in a house occupied by a Mr. Skelton. On entering it I observed a brace of pistols lying on the desk, and found on enquiry that the family durst not either remain in the house or go out of it unarmed. The windows, too, were barricaded with iron bars, and the police were in plentiful attendance, a police station having been appointed

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In the course of examination the following facts were stated, viz. that Skelton was the land agent of Henry Mitchell, Esq., and that the animosity excited towards him arose out of some proceedings taken by him against a farmer named Woods, who was six years in arrear for a rent of £10 10s. per annum. Skelton offered to give him £10. if he would leave the farm, but the man refused, alleging that if he did he must beg. Skelton then lent him money, on his own account, to enable him to put in the next crop, but Woods let it to cottier-tenants who would have taken the produce away, had not Skelton, in order to secure himself, distrained it. The farm was afterwards let to another tenant of the name of Cragill, who had not resided there more than a few months before a party of men came to his house, and beat both him and his wife in a most unmerciful manner. The scoundrels afterwards returned, and beat Cragill so severely that he was left apparently dead, and did not survive more than a fortnight.

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During his illness he told Skelton who the men were, and Skelton, as well as his son, had to give evidence against them at the assizes. The men were tried several times. At the third trial they pleaded guilty of manslaughter, though twenty witnesses swore that they had nothing to do with the affair.

One of the Roman Catholic priests present said that when either party, Protestant or Roman Catholic (it mattered not which) considered that they were oppressed and injured, and that justice was refused them, they thought they were acting conscientiously in using every means, even false swearing, to prevent the conviction of the accused.

Skelton afterwards exasperated the people by advertising a reward for mischiefs done in the neighbourhood. His house was accordingly set on fire, and he, his wife, and seven children, very narrowly escaped; his cow was injured, his dog killed, and if his son had not been removed out of the way he would most assuredly have been murdered. Although the magistrates have afforded him every protection, he and his wife live in constant

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The criminals were Catholics, their victim a Protestant; but Skelton said that religion had nothing to do with the affair: under similar circumstances they had equally abused a Catholic. Notwithstanding the terrific jails, with their deaths' heads and cross-bones, no man dare take a farm in this neighbourhood from which another has been ejected.

Mr. Skelton informed us that a rule exists that any person taking land over another shall be punished. They throw down houses, and send threatening notices. "It is to protect themselves against destitution that the people resort to these crimes." Barney Conner said that "it generally arose out of oppression." Mr. Mitchell was a good landlord, but not resident. One of the priests said that Mr. Mitchell himself was a kind man, and that the discontent was the fault of the agents. The priest had told the people they were taking a wrong course.

A magistrate present observed that there have

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In this barony the labourers are increasing in number, and scarcely one twentieth of the population have anything to do except working some little spot of land of their own. "If a man had not conacre," said one of the witnesses, "he might wander about to eat haws and blackberries half his time." Being asked how the labourer usually spends his time when unemployed, Michael Phillips said — "Walking about, and dragging sorrow after his heels."

The wages of the country are 10d. a day without diet, or 6d. with; sometimes, in winter, 4d. and diet. Very little money is paid for labour. A horse and car are occasionally lent to bring home turf, and the return is made in labour. "Very little money," said Mr. Wright, "passes between the farmers and labourers."

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With regard to the employment of women, one of the witnesses observed, that if a woman had nothing else to do, she might make a penny a day by spinning; but the Rev. Mr. Duffy, P.P., added that "it would take a half year's work to keep the wheel in repair." The Rev. Mr. Mahon, P.P., stated that he had never seen more than three women weaving in his life. To this, Bess Hughes, a labourer's wife, replied — "It is often we lament that we leave the whole burthen of supporting the children on the poor men. There is no work for women, nor for children, till they are old enough to go to service. I have a lump of a chap, and he gets a day now and then at weeding; he gets 3d. for the day, without diet."

The priest's dues here are a shilling at Christmas, and another at Easter; "and if the family are in distress, which is too often the case," said the Rev. Mr. Mahon, "of course I cannot expect anything."

The number of retail spirit-shops has greatly increased. In Monaghan, which formerly contained only twenty, there are now no fewer than

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The state of the clothing of the labourers in this barony is wretched. One of them informed us that he wore two pairs of shoes and about five shillings worth of clothes in a year; and another stated that he knew a man who had worn a coat thirty-five years, but that he kept constantly patching it. The accommodation of the poor creatures in respect of beds, is equally wretched. Most of the cabins possess something in the shape of bedsteads, but, in very many instances, straw is shaken down as a substitute for bedding. "It would deprive you, gentlemen, of your rest at night," said Alice Kelly, "if you saw the way we are lying." A bedstead frequently contains five or six people. Some of the cabins have two bays or rooms, others only one; the bay is 12 feet square and 7 or 8 feet high; they are built of stone

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There are two pawnbrokers in Monaghan. On the question being put as to whether the people were generally in favour of them, one of the witnesses, Bess Hughes, replied, "Well, I'll tell you; if a person is pressed for a breakfast, and the pawnbroker would not give the money, you'd want the breakfast. At first, some years ago, we used to go in the dusk to the pawnbroker's, but now I would not care if all the people on the

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The accounts given of their circumstances by the labourers residing in Monaghan, prove them to be in a worse condition than the country labourers. Though they get a greater number of days' work, they cannot so easily obtain conacre; their food is accordingly more precarious.

The desire to possess land gives rise to great and violent competition (the labourer being wholly thrown upon the hire of land for a subsistence), and it was the opinion of several present that a

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The average size of farms was stated to be from eight to ten Irish acres; few above fifty, and none exceeding eighty. The gentlemen are desirous of consolidating the small farms, but they have not yet done anything towards carrying their wishes into effect. From the year 1827 to 1833, no fewer than 230 ejectment decrees were issued, and the ejected tenantry, as in all similar cases, were scattered about the country. Nothing whatever was done for them by the landlords, and of course those who had no means of getting in somewhere, must have suffered extreme privation. The peasantry generally resist ejectment, and the ejected tenantry threaten those who are substituted for them. The following is a copy of a threatening notice handed in by one of the witnesses: — "Take notice, do not offer to proceed any further; stop in time, or if you don't, by the powers above, to heaven or hell, your souls from you we will expel, and send them down to the regions of hell. D—n your souls, go where you

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Almost the whole of this barony is in the hands of proprietors in fee; there are no middlemen. The county of Monaghan is generally the property of absentees, but they have resident agents

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Except in the vicinity of towns, the Irish acre is used. The barony is altogether a tillage district, with the exception of some rough grazing on the mountains, only fit for rearing young dry stock. Clover and vetches are very commonly cultivated, but few turnips and mangel wurzel are yet to be found. Mr. Hazlett, a tenant of Mr. Rose, who bears the highest character as a landlord, and is decidedly one of Ireland's benefactors, informed us that three years ago, that gentleman appointed a committee of his respectable tenants to manage a fund, amounting to £400, for the improvement of his estate. The committee supply good cows at an annual rate of sixteen shillings, to such of the tenants as are unable to purchase them. The cow never becomes the property of the tenant, consequently he cannot be deprived of

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On the question being asked whether bones, salt, soot, rape-cake, &c, were ever used as manures, an answer was given in the negative, when a voice in the crowd exclaimed, "We are very well off if we have salt with our potatoes, for nine times out of ten we can't get it — not to talk

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The soil of the barony is mostly a good brown loam of sufficient depth, upon a firm subsoil of clay, mixed with limestone, gravel, or sand. In the elevated parts it is of a moory or peaty nature, the subsoil frequently clayey. Monaghan and Glennan, near Glassburgh, supply the barony with limestone; the price of lime at the kilns is 10d. for four bushels. The pasture land, in many parts of the barony, in which their cattle ramble at large, and pick up a scanty subsistence, is excessively weedy, being left to spontaneous production, after years of exhausting grain crops.

The inferiority of the grain in this district is caused principally by the number of weeds which grow up in the crops, and the want of proper machinery for winnowing and skreening the grain. Flax is grown to a great extent, and is most valuable as a source of industry and profit; the quality, however, is not so fine as in the county of Armagh.

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The county cess here is very unequal, having been applotted in William and Mary's time. It is generally the same sum per acre, whatever the quality of the land may be. There is no parish cess.

The value of orchards is very much underrated, and the planting of them lamentably neglected. Some of the gentlemen and landlords, as well as the farmers present at the examination, alleged that the farmers have no room for orchards; forgetting, or being ignorant, that an orchard, sheltered with fruit trees and good hedges, produces the earliest and perhaps the most abundant crops of grass of any land of similar extent on a farm. Bees are also rare; they would be a valuable addition to the gardens of the farmers and cottagers.

Within the last few years great numbers of the population have emigrated to America. Many farmers have sold their farms and gone, and several instances were mentioned in which they had been successful. Upon the question being put, whether, if a free passage to America were

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Monaghan — Tydavnet — Coothill — Rockcurry — Ballymire — Carelessness of Irish drivers — Clones — Pillar Tower — Rath — The Rev. Mr. Bogue — Squares in Monaghan — Top-coats in summer — Singular mode of stopping passengers — Holyhead — Difference between the Welsh and Irish people — Holyhead Lighthouse — Menai Bridge — Bangor — Conway — Return to Ireland — Donaghadee — Bangor — Belfast Lough — Belfast — Effect produced on first seeing Lough Neagh — Fossil wood — Shane's Castle — Ancient burial-ground — Movement of Sluggan Bog — Pillar Tower — Basaltic formation — Superstitions respecting Lough Neagh — Description of the lake — Falsehood of Irish drivers — Magherafelt — Moneymore — Cookstown — Road to Omagh.

The vicinity of Monaghan is highly cultivated, and ornamented with wood and plantation. A little south of the town, Dacre Hamilton, Esq., has a seat and a park-like domain, covered with flocks of good Leicester sheep. On the road to Castle Blayney is Castleshane, the seat of E. Lucas, Esq., M. P. The grounds are very beautiful —

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At Tydavnet is a very ancient grave-yard, the oldest in the county. A church formerly stood in it, but not even the foundations now exist. The ancient Lords of Monaghan, it is said, were buried here. I observed many dates of so late a period as 1700, and one as early as 1591. The earlier ones were effaced by time. In this churchyard we were present at a conference respecting some projected improvements, and were highly gratified by witnessing the friendly terms maintained between the Protestant clergyman and the Catholic priest.

Two miles from Monaghan the Earl of Rosmore has a spacious park, and is building a new castle in the Elizabethan style. Fifteen miles from Monaghan, at Coothill, in the county Cavan, is a Friends' Meeting-house, which I attended on the 30th. It is built within the boundaries of one of the ancient raths. The number of members is only eight, but this small congregation is sometimes

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The first few miles of the road from Monaghan is over a high and poor district, the soil of which is of a moorish quality, well adapted to the growth of flax, and numerous patches of this valuable plant were met with on our journey. This part of the country is remarkable for the number of its raths, most of them consisting of only one rampart. As we proceeded, we passed through several congregations of Catholics and Protestants, going to or returning from their respective places of worship. The numbers bespoke the existence of a dense population in a poor and apparently remote region. The contrast of the white and scarlet of the women's dresses produced an effect similar to that previously described as having been observed at Hilltown.

On leaving Rockcurry, which is built on rock, we descended into one of the noblest countries I ever beheld. From Lord Cremorne's grounds (through which, by the permission of the noble owner, I drove) we had a fine view of Dawson

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Ballymire, near to Clones, is a delightful village, having a stream flowing through it. On this stream stand two mills. In the houses and gardens considerable taste is displayed, chiefly by some ladies who reside here, one of whom was laudably occupied in building a school-house, and establishing a school.

During this journey it was my lot to experience some of the unpleasant effects of the notorious carelessness of the Irish drivers. In going down a hill, in the usual reckless manner, one of the wheels flew off, the driver was violently thrown from his seat, the horse galloped off at full speed, and the car was kicked to pieces. The driver was dragged along the road for some distance, and I

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Clones, which belongs to Sir B. Thomas Leonard, son of Lord Dacre, the former owner, was successively called Cluaneois, Clunes, Clunish, and Cloyne. The market place is adorned by a fine old carved cross, surmounting a flight of steps, and beautifully ornamented with sculptured figures of animals. Here, too, are the ruins of a monastery built in the sixth century, and dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. In the graveyard, on the opposite side of the road, the tombstones that lie scattered about are of curious and antique forms, with raised letters in front, and significant carvings on the back. Amongst others, the Scotch thistle frequently appears. In this yard also stands the celebrated Pillar Tower, the top of which has been broken in upon by time. This tower (Sir Charles Coote informs us) contained five stories; the walls are, at the base, four feet thick; at the top, two; and the diameter

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At the house of the Rev. Mr. Bogue, a Roman Catholic priest, about five miles from Clones, I met the Rev. Mr. M'Mahon, the Rev. Mr. Duffy, also Roman Catholic priests, Dr. Kellet, a Protestant, and other gentlemen. Mr. Bogue prides himself upon his climbing roses and shrubs, which he was pleased to say were in the English fashion. His ornamental garden was indeed a

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Monaghan, although the capital of the county of Monaghan, is a poor place with very little trade, and contains only about 4000 inhabitants. It branches out into triangular spaces, in other towns usually called squares, but here designated diamonds — the first, second, and third diamond. The church is an ancient building, with an ugly narrow tower, an irregular pentagon,, and the same width from top to bottom. Here I visited a hairdresser, the only one in the town, and was dignified

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At Monaghan great numbers of webs of coarse linen cloth, about a yard wide, are sold at from 8d. to 9d. a yard. Although it was now the harvest time, we perceived in the market-place upwards of forty labourers, whose hopes of obtaining employment were disappointed. To an Englishman it is strange to see the men, in the very hottest days of summer, attending market in top-coats and cloaks, a fashion to be accounted for by their having scarcely any other garments. They wear them as "an outside shade."

Seeing footwalks near the town, unprotected against equestrians, I asked the tenant of the toll-house which was close at hand, if people did not escape the toll by going along the path. When he first came they did, he informed me, but he kept fire-arms, and fired at them when attempting

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According to Sir Charles Coote, nearly the whole of the county of Monaghan was escheated to the Crown in the reign of James I. under the pretext that the proprietors were disaffected to the King's government. The lands were afterwards given to British and Scotch adventurers, not a twentieth part being reserved to the Irish, who, full of fear and revenge, retreated to the mountains. The small estates are at present held under grants from the Crown. Cromwell's soldiers came in for a considerable share of the forfeited lands, and many of their posterity now enjoy small tracts, yielding about £20 per annum. The county and town derive their name from Hugh Roe M'Mahown, chief of his name, who was executed as a traitor, and whose lands were confiscated.

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Important business requiring my speedy return to England, I left Monaghan on the evening of the 5th of September, and departed from Kingston in a steamer for Holyhead, at nine o'clock the next morning. Not being able to obtain a seat in the coach from the latter place, I availed myself of the opportunity which the disappointment afforded, and sallied out to inspect the "lions" of the neighbourhood. What most immediately and most forcibly struck me was the amazing disparity which a sail of not more than five or six hours had produced in the character and appearance of the people; — on that side of the channel, squalid looks, and lamentable destitution, met me at almost every step — on this, the plump and rosy faces of a well-clothed population greeted me wherever I went. In Ireland, three or four shillings a week was a very respectable amount for wages; here, the same class of persons earned regularly from twelve to fourteen. As in a dream, I was transported from a land of poverty and misery, to one flowing with milk and honey. Many of the inhabitants of Holyhead cannot

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The Lighthouse stands upon a rock, detached from the main land, but communicating with it by a chain foot-bridge, across a deep chasm of perpendicular rock. The bridge is 110 feet between the pillars, and the distance from high-water to the bridge is 75 feet. The rock consists of clay slate, soft and shining, very much curved, and mixed with veins of quartz. The stairs cut in the rock, in the descent to the bridge, are steep and circuitous. The rugged cliffs are exceedingly dangerous, and small vessels have been lost nearly under the lighthouse, when the light on the summit, as is not unfrequently the case, was enveloped in mist. To remedy this, a short railroad has been constructed, reaching from the base of the lighthouse to the sea, on which a wooden building, or sort of deputy, is ingeniously placed, exhibiting brilliant lights, and is lowered down at discretion by a windlass. This invention has happily been the means of saving several vessels. Many

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From Holyhead to Menai Straits there is nothing particularly worthy of note, except, of course, Telford's excellent Dublin and Holyhead road. The celebrated Bridge at Menai is too well known to require description. It is impossible to convey an adequate impression of the greatness of this stupendous work. Its astonishing height, its gigantic strength, its magnificent massiveness, and yet perfect beauty and gracefulness of appearance, address the heart of the spectator in a language that may be felt, but cannot be interpreted. During the progress of this mighty undertaking, the sense of the responsibility which rested upon him is said to have borne so heavily upon the mind of Telford as actually to make him feel that his reason was endangered, and upon these awful occasions, I have been

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From Menai Bridge I proceeded to Bangor, and from Bangor to Conway, where the coachman stopped for a few minutes whilst I examined some old houses which I observed up a narrow street. They were genuine Elizabethan, and the exterior proclaimed them to have been of no ordinary rank. I had scarcely time to see more than two or three rooms. The plaster is ornamented with various animals: the royal coat of arms was over the chimney-piece; and the letters E. R. in large characters inclosed within a circle. The rooms were very large, the spacious windows having stone mullions in walls six feet thick. Queen Elizabeth is reported to have held her court occasionally in these ancient buildings, which are now used as alms-houses.

Early in October I returned to Ireland by way of Carlisle, Dumfries, Portpatrick, and Donaghadee. According to tradition, Portpatrick derives its name from being the place from which St. Patrick sailed to Ireland.

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At Donaghadee I again set foot on green Juverna. The harbour here was designed by Mr. (now Sir John) Rennie. At the north end of the town are two buildings erected upon a rath, and now used as powder magazines. The sappers and miners having speculated on finding some valuable antiquities in the rath, explored it, and, in consequence of the examination, the buildings gave way, and they lean towards each other at the top in a rather grotesque manner.

We passed through Bangor, a sea-port with a safe and convenient harbour, at which corn and cattle are exported. Viscount Bangor takes his title from this place, and has a seat in the vicinity. There are two cotton mills here, and something like the enterprising spirit of trade was visible.

Belfast Lough is a noble expanse of water, the shores of which are sprinkled for several miles with mansions and villas, surrounded by their respective woods and pleasure grounds, and backed by hills of the whitest limestone. The numerous vessels in the lough bespeak the existence of that which is so rare in Ireland, industry, and activity,

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At Antrim I rose at six in the morning (having arrived there the previous evening), and, attended by a guide, set out for the shore of the celebrated Lough Neagh. In passing under the shade of some ancient pines, an apparently unbounded expanse of water burst suddenly upon the view, and on the first glance I inconsiderately asked, "Is that the sea — "The effect produced by the instantaneous prospect of the lake is truly magical, and I find in Arthur Young's description of the lough that his first impression was similar to mine. "It is of such an extent," says he, "that the eye can see no land over it. It appears like a perfect sea, and the shore is broken sand-banks, which look so much like it, that one can hardly believe the water to be fresh." Along the eastern shore of the lough, the Earl of Mazarine's deerpark extends; and from the banks of the same shore some petrifying springs issue. Fossil wood is frequently met with, and in the neighbouring counties it is sold for whetstones. I collected a few specimens in its early stage of petrifaction, as well as small lumps of clay which had become

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Retracing our steps, we crossed the Six-mile river in a boat, and traversed the north end of the lough, as far as Shane's Castle, Lord O'Neill's, renowned in the Irish wars. The castle was burned in the year 1816, and nothing now remains but its tall ruins, which are respected for their antiquity. The grounds are very extensive, consisting, I believe, of 50,000 acres.

Respecting Lord O'Neill's, Arthur Young remarks, "I was most agreeably saluted by four men hoeing a field of turnips, as a preparation for grass. These are the first turnip hoes I have seen in Ireland, and I was more pleased than if I had

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Near the castle is an ancient burial-ground, in which I did not observe any gravestone of earlier date than 1680, but many were obliterated. In this yard stands the vault belonging to the O'Neill family, with an inscription over the door as follows: "This vault was built by Shane Mac Brien Mac Phelim Mac Shane Mac Brian Mac Phelim O'Neill, Esq., in the year 1722, for a burial place to himself and family of Clanboy." Great numbers of people walk or ride from Antrim and the neighbourhood on Sundays, to enjoy these beautiful grounds.

On walking along the shores of Lough Neagh, I observed that they were strewed with masses of bog which had been washed down the river into the Lough, from the Sluggan Bog in Lord O'Neill's estate, in the neighbourhood of Randal's Town.

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One of the pillar towers stands conspicuous about half a mile from Antrim. It is in a perfect state, ninety-five feet high, and fifty-three in circumference. The wall is nearly three feet in

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My guide informed me that in a quarry on a mountain, three miles to the east of Antrim, a basalt formation, similar to the Giant's Causeway, is to be seen; probably it may be a link of the chain of rocks of the basaltic kind connecting the Giant's Causeway with those of Market Hill. I also observed on the shores of Lough Neagh, as well as on the road near Belfast, basaltic stones, spotted with trap, similar to those noticed at Market Hill. I saw such, too, on the road near Belfast.

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I had now been gratified with a sight of both the south and north end of this immense fresh water lake, said to be one of the largest in Europe. Some of the credulous Irish have a tradition that the Isle of Man was formed of the land scooped out of the space now filled by the lough; and in the time of Giraldus (Moore tells us) it was believed that the lake had been originally a fountain, by whose sudden overflowing the country was inundated, and a whole region, like the Atlantis of Plato, overwhelmed. He says that the fishermen, in clear weather, used to point out to strangers the tall ecclesiastical towers under the water. Moore has made delightful use of this singular tradition in a stanza of one of his melodies.

1. On Lough Neagh's bank as the fisherman strays
   When the clear, cold eve 's declining,
   He sees the round towers of other days,
   In the wave beneath him shining;
   Thus shall memory often, in dreams sublime,
   Catch a glimpse of the days that are over;
   Thus, sighing, look through the waves of time
   For the long-faded glories they cover!

Mr. Hardy, in the Northern Tourist, states that while some early writers assert that it suddenly

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Lough Neagh is stated in old maps to contain 100,000 acres; in one published in 1804, by Sir Charles Coote, in his survey of the county of Armagh, 973,785 acres are mentioned. The shores, generally speaking, are rather flat and bare of wood. It has only two islands, Blackwater Island, and Ram's Island, both situated towards the south end. The latter contains one of the pillar towers. The navigation of Lough Neagh extends from Carlingford Bay, by Warren's Point, Newry, and the Newry Canal, joining the River Ban in the county of Armagh, and thence to the Lough; there is also a navigation

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Extreme caution in receiving the information of the Irish drivers is a virtue that all travellers who wish to arrive at the truth must possess. They do not scruple to make the most confident assertions on matters with which they are perfectly unacquainted. I remember that, on first coming in sight of Castle Dawson, and inquiring the nature of the tall building, I was told, without the slightest hesitation, that it was a church. As we drew nearer I expressed my doubts, but was

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The streets of Magherafelt are wide and remarkably clean, and the houses well built and white-washed. Contrary to usual custom, the

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Moneymore, not far from Magherafelt, is also a neat white-washed town with wide streets, and stands upon a hill. It belongs to the Draper's Company, and has been much improved by them. It contains two Free Schools, a Dispensary, and News-rooms, though the inhabitants do not exceed 1000.

Cookstown, in the county of Tyrone, consists of one straight street upwards of a mile in length, and 150 or 160 feet wide, having a row of trees in front of the houses on each side. The town, when viewed from one end, has the appearance of an avenue of trees alone. Though the population is nearly 3000, the houses are of a humble description. The land about is fertile, and abounds with limestone: coals also have been raised near the town. Cookstown and the vicinity belong to

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From this place to Omagh very little cultivation or improvement is observable. Indeed, during the whole of the way I witnessed only one attempt at superior management, and that was in the case of a very respectable looking man, who was working in his small garden, and had a little patch of clover. It is probable that he had seen Mr. Blacker's pamphlet.

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Examination at Omagh — Failure of the linen trade — Drunkenness — Pawnbroking — Condition of the cottiers — Average size of farms — Usual rotation of crops — Emigration — Tenantry of absentees — Agents' fees — Agricultural state of the barony — Sheep — Cars and sleds — Roads — Mendicity and wretchedness of Omagh — Seats in the neighbourhood — Instance of revengeful feeling — Bessy Bell and Mary Gray — Sleds — Singular mode of thrashing — Intoxication — Conviviality of Irish priests — Opinions respecting them — Journey from Omagh to Enniskillen — Superstition respecting thorn trees — Enniskillen — Lough Erne — Number of its islands.

At Omagh we held our examination in the Court-house, and had a numerous attendance.

The failure of the linen trade has been the means of throwing many of the inhabitants of this barony upon agricultural work, and of causing, accordingly, a surplus supply of labourers, seven or eight hundred of whom (it was stated) would work for what their meat would cost. There is no county in which the poor are worse

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Drunkenness is on the increase here, and prevails to a much greater extent in periods of agricultural distress than at other times. Many unlicensed spirit-houses exist in different parts of the country.

Omagh contains only one pawn-office, a circumstance that may be accounted for from the fact that the labourers have nothing which the pawnbroker would accept. The people are wretchedly clothed here. It was the general desire of the meeting that a bank of some kind should be established, which would advance small loans to the farmers in time of pressure.

The cabins of the cottiers are mere mud hovels, unfit for the residence of human beings. They are built on the worst parts of the farms, and generally consist of but one smoky apartment, without window or chimney. Turf is the ordinary fuel all over the barony, and is abundant and cheap. The cottier is better off than labourers who have no cot-take, because he is certain of

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In the year 1802, Mr. M'Evoy, in the statistical survey of the county of Tyrone, writes as follows: "The poorer class cannot afford to use much butter, being obliged to sell the greater part of it in order to purchase necessaries, such as soap, candles, tobacco, and salt. In summer and autumn milk is chiefly used; the remainder of the season, herrings are the most common food with the poor." From this extract it appears that the poor were much better off in 1802 and previously, than at the present time.

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The average size of farms in this barony is from eight to twelve acres. The junction of farms has not been very considerable, though every anxiety exists on the part of the landlords to effect it. "The truth is," said one of the witnesses, "the landlords allowed forty-shilling freeholders to become very numerous, and now they would wish to convert them into £10 freeholders." Here, as elsewhere, the majority of those present concurred in thinking that small holdings produce more in proportion than large ones, and that a small farmer can afford to till his farm better than a large one. The tenants, however, pursue no judicious system of farming, nor is any encouragement given to improvement either by landlords or agents. The only method adopted to recruit exhausted land is to let it rest or lie idle, and leave it to the unassisted care of nature. The usual rotation of crops is as follows: — 1st, potatoes; 2nd, oats; 3rd, flax with clover; 4th, clover; 5th and 6th, oats. Some take four or five crops of oats in succession.

About four years before we visited Omagh,

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The reader will not be surprised to be informed that the tenantry on the estates of absentees are in a much worse condition than those on the estates of resident proprietors. Under absentees, they got no sort of encouragement whatever; how, indeed, as one of the witnesses, Dr. Harkin, asked, can landlords be expected to feel for distresses of which they know nothing — It is customary throughout the country for the tenants to pay, in addition to their rent, one shilling in the pound to the agent, whose fees, by the way, as well as the rent and the duties, are sold, on the occasion of land being disposed of. The tenants are occasionally harassed most grievously by processes for arrears of rent said to be due many years ago — the tenants denying the justice of the demand. Dr. Harkin told us that he had known upwards of three hundred processes served in one day upon the tenants of a nobleman in that neighbourhood. It is usual also in this part of the country for agents to receive money on the signing of leases, the general sum

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The general produce of the barony arises principally from tillage, but in the more elevated parts there is some rough pasturage. The average size of tillage farms is about twelve acres (Irish measure.) The soil is of a light brown colour, of moderate depth, and is considered by the farmers to be unsuitable for wheat. A few of the farmers have the appearance of respectability, and are intelligent men, but the generality of them are in a distressed condition, and are inferior to the farmers of Down and Armagh. The Assistant Commissioners remarked that the tenants are all ignorant

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Very few sheep are kept, not more than one to every twenty acres, and those of the Irish breed. A good bull is worth from four to five pounds, and a good breeding cow from four to seven.

The car with the revolving axletree and solid wooden wheels is still in use here, and the sled or slide is not uncommon. It has the appearance of the shafts of a cart, to the end of which are attached two rude pieces of wood which slide upon the ground. Upon this carriage a basket is placed to convey turf, hay, &c These sledges are used on the mountain sides, being lighter to draw up the steep hills, and less subject to be overturned.

Although the roads in every direction were receiving great injury from the accumulation of water and mud upon them, we did not see, during the ten days we were in the barony, half a dozen

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The yearly amount paid for grand jury cess is from three to four shillings the Irish acre. The amount of tithe per acre is generally two shillings.

This barony forms no exception to the general rule as to early marriages.

No Englishman could fail to be grievously shocked with the wretchedness exhibited in the streets of Omagh. An aged woman, nearly blind, and reported to be 115 years old, was asking charity in front of the Court-house, and would have fallen down a precipice caused by an alteration in the street, if she had not been rescued by a gentleman near her. Another old woman crawls about the streets with a scanty and imperfect covering to those parts which common decency forbids to be exposed. Friday the beggars consider their legalized day for visiting the town, and they are remarkably industrious and sharp-sighted in the prosecution of their miserable employment. They kept a vigilant look-out for us at every turn,

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About three miles from Omagh are the estates of the Earl of Blessington, at present held under the Court of Chancery. Gentlemen's seats are not numerous in this neighbourhood — Lord Belmore, of Castle Coole, Lord Blessington, and Lord

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We here witnessed an illustration of the rancorous effects produced by the system of taking farms over the old tenants. A very respectable looking farmer informed us that he occupied his land under the Court of Chancery, and was going to give it up, because the rent was too high, but he intended taking it again at a reduced rent, though he was afraid some of his neighbours might bid for it. On being asked what he would do if another were to take it, he replied, (at the same time striking his breast in a very energetic manner) — "I would stand over him while he was burning in the flames. My father and my grandfather held it before me, and nobody shall take it from me, and snatch the bread from my children's mouths, if I can help it."

At the summit of Bessy Bell, a mountain 2000 feet high, we found a cairn, consisting of a rude and large heap of stones. That it formerly contained an apartment is sufficiently indicated by the large flat stones which form the roof of a subterraneous

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On returning, I saw for the first time a sled or slide, a sort of carriage in use here. Being less easily upset in carrying hay or turf than an ordinary

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Agriculture in this part of the country is far from being in a prosperous state, and the trade of begging is pursued with systematic regularity and perseverance. Intoxication is complained of, but though our room faced the market-place, I did not observe one drunken man in Omagh. On the market day I heard the voice of one, and only one, and that was in the evening.

The roads about Omagh are exceedingly dirty and ill managed, the wet being allowed to remain upon them, and in many places to cover their surface. It is strange that with so many people close at hand, to whom employment on almost any terms would be acceptable, no efforts are made to introduce a better order of things.

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The bogs in this part of the country are very numerous, but remain almost entirely uncultivated.

On returning from a survey of several farms in the neighbourhood, we found at the house of the Catholic parish priest of Dromore, a plentiful board spread for our refreshment. The curate, who had accompanied us in our walk, and two other Catholic priests, were of the party. Our host had provided abundantly of ham, fowls, ducks, port, sherry, and whisky, all of which were of the very best quality. Indeed, from what I have seen of the Roman Catholic priests in the north of Ireland, I have no hesitation in declaring that they live convivially, and are hospitable to strangers.

Our conversation, amongst a variety of subjects, turned upon religion and general politics. Our host, it appeared, had publicly recommended in his parish, resistance to the payment of tithes; and he declared that he gloried in the act, because he considered the impost against which he had lifted up his voice, an oppressive and unjust one.

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The living of the Protestant rector of Dromore, who was from home when we visited the place, is worth, we were told, upwards of £2000 per annum. The land attached to the glebe-house is of the first quality, and of the deepest green. The income of the Catholic rector is £300 a year, of which £100 is given to his curate. About two-thirds of the population of the parish are Roman Catholics.

We left Omagh for Enniskillen in a car with a pair of horses, which in this part of the country are always driven tandem. Our driver, as usual, made a flourish at starting, galloping from one side of the street to the other; and before we had left the main street, we had to stop no less than four times, owing to the loss of his hat, the traces coming loose, and sundry breakages. On reaching carts, our driver called out to the man to lend him a hand to his leader in order to get him past, and in entering to the village of Fintona, first one

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In the course of our journey from Trillick to Enniskillen, our attention was frequently directed to the luxuriant thorns, almost the only trees that had not fallen before the axe and the fire. Here, as in other parts of Ireland, the hawthorn owes its preservation to the peculiar veneration with which it is regarded as the favourite haunt of the fairy-folk. Our driver related an anecdote which exemplified at once his own credulity and the popular attachment to this interesting tree. A farmer had carried away from his field a thorn which the wind had blown down among his corn; about the same time his cow became suddenly ill, ran into the street, and lay down as if in the act

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Enniskillen is built on an island, and consists principally of one rather steep street a mile in length. Large barracks are maintained here, containing a considerable establishment of military. Part of the old walls, and two ancient circular towers with conical tops, are all that remain of the castle of the Maguires, the lords of Fermanagh; these formed the defence against James II. Enniskillen was considered a military position

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Lough Erne extends from the south east to the north west, across the county of Fermanagh, Enniskillen being situated nearly in the centre, at the point where the lake divides into the upper and the lower water. The northern or lower lake, which is much the more extensive and important, expands at the north end into the form of a rude cross,the arms of which stretch about 12 miles from east to west; but the width of the lake from shore

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A short distance from Enniskillen, the upper lake opens out into a sheet of water about three miles in diameter, above which it again contracts. Still further up, the land and water are intermingled in about an equal proportion of islands and lake, the latter assuming the appearance of narrow channels. Lough Erne stretches through the country to near Belturbet, in the county of Cavan, varying from one to two miles in width. The distance from Belleek to Belturbet (according to

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I must not omit to mention that Enniskillen is remarkable for containing only one pump! — the water of the lake serving the purposes of both washing and drinking.

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Devenish Isle — Pillar Tower — Monastery — Stone coffins — Ely Lodge — Lough Erne — Comparison of this lake with Windermere — Castle Coole — Wild water-fowl — Instance of Irish industry — Belleisle — Examination at Lisbellaw — Wages of farm servants — Spirit-drinking — Clothings — State of the population — Average size of farms — Agents' fees — Objections to a poor law — Inequality of the cess — condition of the people deteriorated since 1799 — Soil of the barony — Cairn on the Topped Mountain — Distant prospect — Interior of a cottage at Ballinamalard — Some remedy for the general destitution absolutely necessary.

Devenish Isle, on Lough Erne, (little more than a mile from Enniskillen) is rich in objects of antiquarian interest. Here are the ruins of an abbey and a monastery, between which stands a pillar-tower, thought by some to be the most beautiful of any of those mysterious buildings. The height has been variously stated at 90, 76, 82 feet, and 82 feet 10 inches, and the circumference from 41 to 48 feet. The differences in the measurements

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The walls of this remarkable structure are of hewn stone and mortar, and are 3 feet 6 inches thick. In the uppermost story are four windows, corresponding with the cardinal points, and above each is a keystone, ornamented with a sculptured human head. The conical roof is supported by diminishing courses, and finished by a well-shaped capstone. In the inside the tower is smooth, except for projecting rests, presumed to be for the support of floors. Additional interest attaches to this remarkable monument when viewed in connexion with its venerable companions in ruins, particularly the monastery or upper church, with its beautiful little ivy-mantled tower. The basement story is groined, and through the ceiling, which is of limestone, two apertures are worn smooth by the passing of the bell-ropes. The carving of the fluted architraves is very perfect. In a spiral staircase leading to the battlements of the tower is a tablet bearing an ancient inscription, dated 1449, signifying

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The burial-ground in Devenish Isle is still used as a place of interment. The funeral party embark at the opposite shore in the cots above-mentioned, and incur considerable danger in the passage across. A few years ago seventeen persons were drowned on an expedition of this sort; but an old woman and two men, who clung to the coffin in their extremity, were saved.

Devenish Isle contains 120 acres, a considerable part of it rich grazing land without a tree. The rent, I was informed, is £110 per annum. One solitary cottage, occupied by a herdsman, is the only inhabited building on the island. The sheep are boated across, and the cattle driven through the shallow part of the lake called the Friar's Leap.

I have frequently had occasion to speak of the superstition and credulity of the people. At the monastery here an extravagant tale was related

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From Devenish Isle we proceeded to Ely Lodge, the seat of the Marquis of Ely. This mansion is beautifully situated on one of the islands of Lough Erne, and we saw it to great advantage. The foliage wore the peculiarly rich and yet pensive hues of autumn — and the day, hushed, and calm, and breezeless, was in character with the season. The company of soft and silver clouds that gathered about the sun, and shaded his glory without obscuring it, were reflected within the bosom of the clear and waveless lake.

Lough Erne is allowed to be the Windermere of Ireland, but in extent and in the number and beauty of its islands it far surpasses our Windermere. On the Queen of the English lakes there is no island in the least degree comparable to that on which Ely Lodge is situated, nor am I aware that this, though the largest and most beautiful

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Ely Lodge is a plain structure with painted walls, but the park and pleasure grounds are truly beautiful. The mansion is approached over a strait of the lough by a handsome bridge, at the end of which are massive iron gates, well barricaded, and committed to the custody of a porter. Within these gates the road winds gracefully round a hill, on the summit of which the house is situated. The grounds abound with wood — and here and there vistas, of rather too artificial an appearance, afford glimpses of the lake.

In our way to Ely Lodge we passed through the estates of the Rev. Mr. Reed, who is spoken of as a kind landlord, and lets his land at 15s. and 16s. per Irish acre, for which other landlords would get 25s. Here we conversed with a respectable

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A mile and a half to the south east of Enniskillen Lord Belmore has a superb mansion, Castle Coole, considered to be the most splendid piece of architecture of the kind in Ireland. It is built in the Doric and Ionic style, of beautiful Portland stone, highly ornamented, and finished with frieze and entablature. A noble portico, consisting of four columns, and extending to the height of the building, supports a well-proportioned pediment. This splendid and classical edifice, in which beauty and utility are united with admirable skill, was designed by Wyatt about the year 1790, and is said to have cost upwards of £100,000. The site, without being too high for shelter, is sufficiently high to command a magnificent view of the surrounding country. On the summit of a green hill to the east of the house is an ancient rath, whose outer rampart contains a number of thorn trees, apparently some centuries old.

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In the domain are several lakes, stocked with wild fowl. On one in particular they are preserved with great care. The water seemed almost covered with bald coots, wild ducks, widgeons, divers, teals, bitterns, wild geese, and swans, all of which, confident of security, allowed us to approach within a short distance, without betraying any symptom of alarm. The grounds contain a good deal of fine timber. Some Spanish chestnut trees in front of the house measure seventeen feet in circumference, five feet from the ground. Here too, I was gratified by seeing numbers of poor men employed; and from the character of their work (which consisted chiefly of filling up hollows, making smooth what nature had made rough, and removing hills where hills were ornamental), I should infer that they were engaged more with a view to their own advantage than to any real benefit that might accrue to Lord Belmore from their labours. His lordship resides at Castle Coole three months in the year.

Many of the tenants from a great distance were attending with their carts, to take away poles of

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Belleisle, the property of the Rev. Gray Porter, is situated on the higher lake, and in addition to its beauty, is remarkable as being the first grant made in Ireland after the confiscation. It contains

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On the 20th and 21st of October we held our examination in the school room of Lisbellaw, a village between five and six miles south-east of Enniskillen, on the border of the barony of Tyrkennedy, and containing about 250 inhabitants.

We ascertained that owing to the declining means of the farmers, employment for labourers had decreased; at the same time, the wages of farm servants were on the rise. This apparent contradiction is explained by the fact of this class of labourers being the most eagerly sought and the most difficult to obtain; for as soon as they can collect a little money, they almost invariably emigrate. The income of a labourer will not enable him to make any provision against casualties.

The same cause which had decreased the employment of labourers, had contributed to render

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In respect of clothing the labourers were stated to be wretchedly off. The yearly expenditure of a family for clothes was calculated to amount to about £2; but it was added, that many did not spend six shillings during the twelve months, for this purpose. They have no shoes; "some of them, 'tis true, have things on their feet," (to quote the words of the above witness) "to keep them from the stones, but they are of no use." The pawnbroking system is the same as in Monaghan.

Again and again were we informed that the small tenants were in a wretched condition, the entire body of them being in debt, to the amount of at least one year's rent. It was said to be impossible for a man, paying as much as from thirty shillings to two pounds an acre, to live comfortably — as to making money, that of course was out of the question. So greatly reduced was the capital of the farmer, and confidence had received

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The average size of farms is from ten to twelve Irish acres. The rent of the larger ones is £1.10s. per acre; that of the smaller ones from £1, 15s. to £2, and sometimes even more.

The principal proprietors in this barony are two noblemen, but the gentry are numerous. It was stated to be the custom here, and a truly disgraceful custom it is, on the signing of a lease, for the agent, his wife, his sister, or his clerk, to receive a compliment in money, equal to about one year's rent.

The barony consists principally of tillage farms,

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A great dislike was evinced on the part of the meeting to the objects of the Commission on which we were engaged, lest it should lead to an additional burden in the shape of poor-rate; and all present were strongly opposed to the establishment of a poor law, alleging that if at first it would require only one shilling per acre, it would very soon be 2s. 6d. The poor householder upon whom the burden would fall, is often, they stated, worse off than the travelling mendicant; they accordingly preferred being as they were. "We might help the poor," they said, "for some years, with what the houses would cost; we think we do not miss

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Here, as in other places, complaints were made respecting the inequality of the cess. Some pay ninepence, others 2s. 4d. for the same quality of land. One end of the barony pays twice as much as the other; that which pays the least being the better land.

By comparing the account given in 1779 by Arthur Young, with the facts elicited in the course of this examination, it will be evident that the condition of the lower Irish, instead of being improved, is considerably deteriorated since his valuable book was written. "The people," says he, "in the neighbourhood of Castle Caldwell on Lough Erne, increase very fast, and are much more industrious

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The soil of this barony varies considerably; near to Enniskillen is a rich loam, in some instances on a clayey, and in others, a peaty subsoil — the low moist lands being occupied as meadows and pastures. The grounds of medium elevation are chiefly arable, and consist of a good brown loam upon a moderately retentive subsoil, and, if properly cultivated, are capable of great fertility. The remainder of the barony is of a light brown soil, frequently upon a clayey gravel, or

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On returning from Lisbellaw to Enniskillen, we followed the direction of a stream, which flows through the village into Lough Erne. By the brook-side we observed some neat comfortable looking habitations in the English cottage style, white-washed and surrounded by trees and orchards. As we had to pass near the Topped Mountain, we took the opportunity of crossing its summit, from which, although only 909 feet high, nine counties are seen; and Lough Erne, with its numerous islands and inlets, may be distinctly traced. The summit of this hill is remarkable also for a cairn, said to contain the graves of three Danish princesses. This cairn is a large mound of stones, 250 feet in circumference, covered with sods and grass. From this eminence we had the pleasure of recognising the mountains of Bessy Bell and Mary Gray; up the former of which, now nearly forty miles distant, we toiled from

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At Ballinamalard, where we next attended, are several miserable hovels, into one of which I took the liberty of creeping. It was inhabited by a feeble old woman of eighty-five, named Jane Lee, and her daughter. The interior measured nine feet six inches, by eight feet two inches. The furniture consisted of two small four-legged stools, about eight inches high, and seven inches broad; a small pan, and part of a wanded basket, which would scarcely hold together; but out of which the poor old woman was eating her dinner of potatoes. A half-starved cat was mewing most piteously — and in a corner of this desolate apartment, on the clay floor, a quantity of straw lay, with a sort of blanket over it. This served the purpose of a bed, and was obliged to be moved from one side of the hut to the other, to avoid the

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The cottage which I have attempted to describe, is situated — not on a lonely and uncultivated moor or bog, far beyond the reach of civilization and the comforts of life — but in the midst of a considerable village, and in the vicinity of wealth. The misery, of which it is but a solitary specimen, is not confined to the idle and dissolute, but extends to the industrious and the meritorious. In Ireland indeed, merit loses its value, and industry becomes discouraged and paralysed under the impossibility of being rewarded. Humanity and justice require the application of some effectual remedy

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Florence Court — The Claddagh — Crystals — Prices of provisions at Enniskillen — Ploughing by the tail — Middlemen — Cottiers — Large and small farms — Crom Castle — Poisoning of cows — Cavan — Lord Farnham's Schools — Belturbet — Bishop of Kilmore's palace — Church and church-yard — Bishop Bedell — Examination at Ballinaught — The police — Conacre — Competition for farms — Tithe — Leases — Farmers poorer than they were — Rents and cess — Religious persecution — Owen Gray's cottage — Trade of Ballinaught — Market-day at Belturbet — "Staggering Bob" — "Bullockeen" — Barony of Loughtee — Deplorable condition of agriculture — Country between Belturbet and Killykeen — Picturesque scenery — Killykeen Lake — Land of Lakes — Irish waiters — Illicit stills.

Florence Court, the seat of the Earl of Enniskillen, nine or ten miles south-west of that town, is seated at the foot of a fine chain of mountains, and surrounded by extensive grounds, richly wooded. It contains some valuable works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Salvator Rosa, and other eminent masters. The Earl's property in this neighbourhood is said to be worth £14,000 a year. His lordship is an absentee.

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The scenery about Florence Court is very beautiful, and near it is a natural curiosity, much visited by strangers. From a large cave, having the appearance of a rude broken arch, the Claddagh, a powerful stream, issues with great force — the several rivulets which supply it being all lost sight of, at or near Cats-pole, and running along a subterraneous passage for about three quarters of a mile. The rocks are of marble, and the entrance to the cave is accordingly called the Marble Arch. The Claddagh falls into the Arney river, east of Lough Nilley, called also Lough Macnean Lower. This Lough is three miles long, and nearly one broad; the cliffs and hills about it are remarkably precipitous, and a wooded rocky island with a cottage upon it, adds greatly to the picturesque effect of the scenery. Upper Lough Macnean, separated from the Lower by a road, is five miles long, and upwards of a mile in width.

Near Lough Erne are the ruins of four ancient castles, similar to Portora Castle, near Enniskillen. The lands adjoining this castle, were granted to

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The neighbourhood of Enniskillen affords very beautiful specimens of double terminated rock crystals, detached as well as in groups; they are transparent and pure as water.

The price of provisions at Enniskillen was as follows: — Potatoes, from 2d. to 3d. per stone; mutton, 4d. to 6d.; butter, 7 1/2d.; beef, from 3 1/2d. to 5d.; fine salmon-trout, weighing six or 7 lbs., from 2d. to 3d. per lb.

Arthur Young gives us the following account of the prices of fish and fowls, when he was at Enniskillen in 1779: — "Wild ducks 3d., and powder and shot; plover, l 1/2d. and do.; woodcocks, 1d. and do.; salmon, 1 1/2d. per lb.; trout, perch, pike, and bream, so plentiful as to have no price; herrings, 3d. to 9d. per hundred; lobsters, 3s. 6d. to 4s. per dozen." He further says, "In 20 years there has been a rise of 2d. per day in labour. In provisions there has been a considerable

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The practice of letting large portions of land to middlemen has been very prevalent here, but I trust is gradually getting into disuse. The county surveyor informed me that in a district of Fermanagh with which he was well acquainted, containing 3,500 statute acres, (1,000 of which is bog, unprofitable except for fuel) are 70 tenants, holding directly from the lord of the soil; and under these are 167 tenants, making in all 237 families. The direct tenants hold, on an average, 36 acres of green pasture and arable land from the lord of the soil, and retain 18 acres each in their immediate possession; the remainder they rent. The 167 under-tenants occupy less than 8 acres each, for which they pay such a high rent, that the portion retained by the direct tenants is actually rent-free to them. In many cases the under-tenants pay more than the entire head-rent, to which, if we add the difference in value between the portion kept (always the best of the land), and the part relet, an idea may be formed of the profit on one side, and the wretchedness on the other. It may be asked, why does the under-tenant

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It is well known that farms are smaller in the north of Ireland — that land lets higher — and that outrage is less frequent. This may be partly attributed to the circumstance of the people having houses and little farms, a sort of home — and to an Irishman, a home, however poor, is dear. These give them a stake in the country, and make

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The small farm system has few advocates, and has been very unfairly judged and decried. By those who do not take the pains to ascertain the difference, small farmers have been considered identical with the under-tenants already described, who are bowed down with wretchedness, owing to the exorbitant profits wrung from them by the middlemen.

On the 27th we left Enniskillen for Cavan, and had the advantage, as we went, of several transient, but lovely glimpses of Upper Lough Erne, our road lying on the eastern side of it. Near the head of the Lake, adjoining the county Cavan, is Crom Castle, the seat of — Creighton, Esq., previously mentioned as one of the best landlords in Ireland. He not only teaches his tenants to improve their farms, but assists them in doing it, and refuses to take more rent than he is persuaded the land is worth, although offered to him. If this system were generally adopted by Irish landlords, the country would soon be in a flourishing condition.

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Near the church of Newton Butler on our left, some cows had been lately poisoned with oil of vitriol, an attempt at the same time being made on the farmer's life. The general opinion was, that though his house was stored with fire-arms, he would eventually fall a sacrifice to the malice of his neighbours.

This district of the county of Cavan is impoverished and neglected, many parts being overspread with furze and rushes. The town of Cavan contains nearly 3,000 inhabitants, and belongs to Lord Farnham. It is almost superfluous to state that we found here a Prison and extensive Barracks. The Court-house is a handsome building, and contains an excellent newsroom.

Lord Farnham has a seat in the neighbourhood. His lordship is an agriculturist — grows turnips, and ploughs with oxen. He has, moreover, exhibited great zeal in the establishment of schools for the religious education of the people, and employs what is called "a moral agent," who has the privilege, I was informed, of a house and grounds, and receives £300 per annum for his

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Accompanied by the county surveyor, we travelled into the country for the purpose of giving notice of our intended examination. After crossing, at Butler's Bridge, the Erne, a clear river that flows into the loch, and passing a considerable lake on our left, and on the opposite side of the road, the ruins of an old church, we entered Belturbet, a pleasant town, conveniently situated for tourists, near the head of Lough Erne. Belturbet contains a population of about 2000, and has a considerable trade. A new bridge of three elliptical

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On the road to Ballinaught, a small town to the southward of Cavan, we pass by the side of the Bishop of Kilmore's domains for a considerable distance. These noble grounds are well watered, beautifully wooded, and abundantly stocked with deer and pure Devon cattle, of deep red colour, and without a spot. The Bishop has lately erected a palace in lieu of the old one, which still exists, and is a capacious building in the Elizabethan style of architecture. It stands on a commanding eminence, and is surrounded by lofty trees. The new palace occupies a lower site, is built in the Grecian Doric style, and covered with Roman cement. It appears too lofty, and in other respects is not well proportioned. The drive from the public road to the house is badly arranged, being tortured into short curves, for which the character of the ground is not fitted. The present

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The church and the grave-yard are in the vicinity of the old palace on the hill. The former has suffered deplorably from the attempts of some rustic Vitruvius to modernize its exterior: fortunately, however, a fine old Saxon door-way has escaped the touch of the spoiler, and, being of hard stone, retains much of its original beauty and sharpness of execution. In the church-yard are many ancient tombstones; but the most noticeable object within its crowded precincts, is the tomb (overgrown with shamrock) of the learned and venerable Bedell, who was consecrated bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh, in the year 1629. The memory of this excellent prelate is piously cherished by men of all parties, as, indeed, it deserves to be. Bishop Bedell caused the Book of Common Prayer to be read in Irish every Sunday in his cathedral, and sought to propagate his own religion, not by adopting hostile measures against those of the opposite faith, but by circulating the Scriptures and useful tracts among the people, and

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Our examination at Ballinaught (in the barony of Loughtee Lower, near Cavan) commenced on the 31st of October; and here, before transcribing some of the facts detailed before us, I may be permitted to state, that in issuing our notices, and making the necessary arrangements for the performance of our duties, we invariably found the police extremely obliging, and ready to assist in promoting our plans. This body of men, whom I scarcely ever saw armed, appear remarkably well regulated, and are respected by the poorer classes for their moderation and propriety of conduct; — another proof that, under a conciliatory system of government, the Irish may be successfully managed.

The condition of the day labourers, who are increasing in number, has been gradually deteriorating for the last twenty-five years; in consequence, however, of so many young men emigrating to America, farm servants are more in demand than formerly. As to the wages of labourers, there are some periods of the year in which they get 8d. a day and their diet; but the

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We had abundant opportunities of verifying, by actual inspection of the people in their houses, the concurrent statements of the witnesses as to the wretched condition of the clothing of the labourers; yet, notwithstanding their ragged state, they spend more than a penny a day in smoking, which happily appears to have superseded the pernicious habit of drinking. There is hot one-tenth of the drinking now that there was some years since. Here, as in other baronies, the

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The labourer is attached to conacre, because it enables him to obtain his potatoes at the least expense. On his own labour he sets no value, inasmuch as he tills the conacre only during those days on which he can get no other employment. In the next place, he secures food during the winter; and, in addition to this, has small potatoes for his pig. The farmers manure and prepare the land for the reception of seed. The labourers then provide the seed and plant it; and afterwards weed and manage the crop. The rent, averaging £9. 9s. per Irish acre, is paid in money or work — sometimes in both. In one shape or other, the Assistant Commissioners met with the conacre system in every part of the province of Ulster. The Tyrone and Fermanagh cottiers are conacre takers, under another name; the cottiers pay their rents altogether in work, and are bound to give certain days in the week to the

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The competition for farms of five or ten acres, the average size being from six to eight, is excessive: and for the tenant-right a man will give his last sixpence. The remission of rents is unknown in this part of the country: so also is the forbearance that allows a portion which the tenant is unable to pay, to stand over. The farms are generally tilled by hand labour.

In most parts of the barony, tithe had not been collected for the last three years; but the people were apprehensive that a large demand for the arrears might be made on them; "such a proceeding," said one of the witnesses, "would put the finishing stroke on us." As for the agriculture of the barony, it is, from want of skill and capital, in the worst possible condition; and, as far as the Assistant Commissioners could learn, no landlord, with the exception of Mr.

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Many of the leases in the barony are held in common, twenty or thirty persons joining at a lease; but this most wretched system, as well as that of middlemen, is fortunately declining. The usual covenants of leases are those which oblige the tenant not to set or sell the land, on the penalty of forfeiting his lease. With the exception of a provision against burning the land, they contain no clauses enforcing a particular system of farming, nor any specific regulations for the guidance of the tenant. Some of the proprietors charge duty-money and agent's fees. The land-agent also gets a compliment of from one to four guineas; four guineas, for instance, for a rent of nine. But little money is given here for the goodwill of a farm, without a lease — a circumstance that indicates a less degree of confidence than exists in other counties.

Since the commutation of tithes, and in consequence of it, the produce of grain has considerably increased. Previously, the titheable land, when

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The rent of land is from £1. 5s. to £2. 15s. per Irish acre; for the mountainous districts, suitable only for pasture, 16s. is paid. The grand jury cess varies from four to six shillings a year per acre; it is considered exceedingly unequal and oppressive, and is bitterly complained of by every body.

The farmers here, as in Fermanagh and Tyrone, complain that although they pay heavily towards the roads, they are much neglected; and I can bear testimony to the justice of their complaint, for never did I travel upon such shocking roads, as in parts of this county, and that of Tyrone. I

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The soil of Upper Loughtee is, for the most part, weak and light, upon a greenstone or basaltic rock. In Lower Loughtee it is rather shallow, upon clay and limestone gravel. The usual rotation is very scourging and impoverishing; and when the land has been deprived of its productive powers, it is left to nature and time, till ready for a repetition of the former operations.

Some of the large proprietors, we were informed, had dislodged their Roman Catholic tenantry, because they were Roman Catholics. "Twenty families," said a witness, "are under notice to quit to-morrow. In 1826, a hundred and sixty persons were turned out in this parish; some lay in sheds, and outhouses, and road sides; others went to America. But the people, notwithstanding, are peaceably disposed, and have no idea of avenging their injuries." "Nothing," said another witness, "but the greatest oppression will induce the people to commit murder."

Owen Gray, one of the witnesses, said that

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We visited, among others, the residence of the last witness. A drawing of it is given on the opposite page; and let me beg the reader, whilst inspecting it, to remember, that it is a correct representation of the dwelling of a man and his wife and their seven children! The whole length inside was 20 feet, the width eight, and the mud and sod walls were 3 1/2 feet high. The principal apartment in the centre was used as a day room. Two small places, entirely dark, one at each end of the house, formed the sleeping apartments. They were five feet six inches wide. The only light that cheered the dwelling of Owen Gray was admitted through the door-way, an aperture nearly four feet high. The whole of the furniture consisted of four old broken stools, about a foot in height; as for a chair, it

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The trade of Ballinaught has decreased. Formerly, £150 a week used to be spent in the town in the purchase of brown linens, and now there is not so much as £60 expended. The cotton trade in other places has superseded it.

It was the market-day at Belturbet when we arrived there; and the street, filled almost to overflowing —

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A strange sort of food, unknown to us, is a saleable commodity in this part of the country. It consists of the carcases of calves which are killed immediately on their coming into the world. During the calving season, as many as thirty are brought into the market at Ballinaught, and sold at from 4d. to 7d. per quarter. The flesh is scalded in water, and fried with bacon. The dish, when thus cooked, is called "Staggering Bob," and is represented as very luscious. The labourers, however, are seldom, if ever, favoured with a taste of it.

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What is often sold as beef is more usually called "Bullockeen" (a young bullock). It would be burnt in England, as unfit for food. Under the term "Bullockeen," however, the carcases of animals that are too old to be fattened, of lean cattle that die of disease, and of cattle that have been stolen, are comprehended. Eggs were sold at 2 1/2d. per dozen; and it may be a question, I think, whether they are as nutritious as English eggs, the hens being fed on nothing but potatoes. Fine trout, weighing from six to ten pounds a piece, fetch 1 1/2d. and 2d. per lb. In respect of fish the Irish have a great advantage over us; the rivers, lakes, and coasts, abounding in almost every variety, of superior size and flavour.

Our examination at Belturbet, of the barony of Lough tee, (county Cavan), was attended by several magistrates and influential men in the neighbourhood, who evinced a lively interest in the objects we had in view, and politely offered to forward them to the utmost of their powers.

Major Bailey informed us that nowhere in the world could agriculture be in a more deplorable

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The land from Belturbet to Killykeen, nearly

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One little inlet on the shore of the lake of Killykeen I shall not soon forget. After descending a bank by a road overhung with trees, whose branches met and screened us from the sun, we came suddenly upon the little creek, whose borders were fringed with reeds and a variety of luxuriant aquatic plants, among which the fish and the water-fowl found a secure and delightful abode. Near this wild and secluded spot, upon the very brink of the lake, is a thatched cottage, tastefully ornamented with rustic wood-work, and deeply embowered in shady trees. The unexpectedness of this lovely retreat — its perfect solitude and stillness — the variety of the surrounding scene, the rich woods, the verdant hills

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1. Those beauteous forms,
   Through a long absence, have not been to me
   As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
   But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din
   Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
   In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
   Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,
   And passing ev'n into my purer mind
   With tranquil restoration.

On this lake stand the remains of Lough Outee Castle, where Bishop Bedell was confined for refusing to give up some Protestants whom he had sheltered in the rebellion of 1641. Killykeen lake also contains an island called Trinity Island, to which we went in a cot with two rowers. The boat was a very frail one and had no seats; we provided ourselves, however, with two old chairs, and by sitting perfectly still, according to injunctions, and not looking round, we succeeded,

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This is indeed the land of lakes. The land and water might have agreed to divide the country between them. The several lakes are connected one with another, their respective waters forming the river Erne, which, as before stated, flows into the extensive Lough of that name. This district would afford abundant amusement to the tourist for a few days, especially if he possesses an amphibious taste.

At Cavan, we took up our residence at the Farnham Arms. The Irish waiters, I may here observe, are very ready to promise, but frequently slow in their performance. Decidedly the best

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The mountainous parts near Cavan contain several illicit stills. A gentleman told me that the whiskey made at them is very commonly used, and that persons who buy it, frequently attend for the purpose of seeing the process, and ascertaining that the spirit is manufactured from proper materials. It is then conveyed home to the purchaser by night, and hid in a place of security.

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Journey from Enniskillen to Sligo — Badness of the roads — Manor Hamilton — Lough Adoon — Sligo — Ravages of the cholera — The Abbey — The Quay — Effect of prohibitory duties on illicit distillation of whiskey — Potheen — A word in behalf of illicit distillers — The Garrogue — Lough Gilly — Hazlewood — A holy well — Church Island — Goat Island — The holy well of Tubernault — Cairns — Wages of labourers — Cabins — Extent of the barony of Carberry — Sobriety of the people — George Waters and his family — Employment — Marriage feasts — Conacre — Singular mode of obtaining employment on Lord Palmerston's estates — Sale of sea-weed — Crime connected with the taking of land — Dislodgement made by Sir R. G. Booth — Disinclination on the part of strangers to invest capital in farms — Early marriages — Middlemen — Absenteeism — Average size of farms — Scotch agriculturists — Breed of cattle — Butter tasters — Sea-weed — Fences — Taxation — Contributions for building a chapel — State of the roads — Bog on Lord Palmerston's estate — Drifting sands — Employment.

Having now completed the examination of the seven baronies entrusted to us, I was anxious to ascertain the state of the country and its agriculture in the west of Ireland. I accordingly took my seat in the coach to Enniskillen, and from Enniskillen proceeded to Sligo by the mail-car. The road was so exceedingly bad in many places,

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Manor Hamilton, a small market town through which we passed, possesses the ruins of a castle erected in Elizabeth's time; and on one side of the area occupied by these extensive remains, are some miserable huts, certainly not half so good as many English pig-sties. The seat of the Earl of Leitrim is near Manor Hamilton, so also is Cor Castle, a ruin.

As we approach Sligo, the country becomes very interesting. The rocks (which are limestone, abounding in fossil remains) are grouped in very

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Sligo has but few good streets or shops for a town whose population is already upwards of 15,000, and the trade rapidly increasing. In 1832 the cholera made dreadful ravages here; above 2000 of the inhabitants died under its influence; and nearly half the medical men fell martyrs to the disease. Knowing this, I was surprised to see such disgraceful accumulations of filth in some of the streets.

The Abbey is an extensive and beautiful old ruin. It was founded in 1252, and rebuilt in the fifteenth century. The tower rests on a Gothic arch; a considerable part of the cloisters remains; and the east window is a fine specimen of the peculiarly rich and imposing ecclesiastical architecture

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At Sligo I met with a retired revenue officer, who had formerly had many encounters with the mountain distillers. From his conversation I had abundant reason to be confirmed in my opinion of the injurious tendency of high prohibitory duties. Even now, greatly reduced as those duties have been since the year 1823, illicit distillation is carried on to an enormous extent; nor will this cease to be the case, whilst the contraband practice receives the sanction of many of the gentry, and the punishment of offenders excites the sympathy of those whom it was designed to admonish and deter. Since the reduction of the duty on whiskey in 1823, from 5s. 6d. to 2s. the wine gallon, the nett amount of revenue received on account of excise duties for home consumption, has been nearly, if not quite, trebled; and a superficial reasoner

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When carefully made, the potheen is considered purer than the whiskey manufactured at the public distilleries, and the price is about one-third less. A gentleman with whom we had the pleasure of dining, introduced a bottle of what he pronounced the pure potheen. He always attended the still, and watched the whole process of manufacture.

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Without attempting to vindicate the manufacturer of illicit whiskey, we may fairly urge in his behalf the peculiarity of his circumstances. Obliged to pay an exorbitant rent, probably to an unpitying and oppressive landlord, he is compelled to resort to any means of raising it that may present themselves; he accordingly converts his produce into liquor, which he knows to be the most profitable form it can assume, as well as the most portable. This last is a weighty consideration to one who lives many miles from a market-town, in the solitude of the mountains.

On one of the finest and freshest of autumnal mornings I embarked on the Garrogue (the Sligo river) in a boat rowed by three lads; the river

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Not long ago a library was open to the public in the shell-house; but the privilege was ungratefully abused. Shells were stolen — the books injured — and ignoble names scratched on the beautiful spars that adorned the sides of the cavern. The proprietor accordingly found it necessary to remove the library, and to admit strangers into the grounds with some degree of caution.

Not far from the house, which is a good plain building, the proverbial care of woman for all that is weak and defenceless, is displayed in an ingenious contrivance by which the wants of the feathered tribe are supplied, and their little comforts promoted. Small wooden houses, with an entrance at each end, large enough to admit a small bird, are placed on smooth poles, five or six feet high. A few crumbs of bread are laid within, and the little warbler is secure from the attacks of its enemies.

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From Hazlewood we proceeded to a holy well up the north-east side of the lake. It is supplied by a copious spring of cold clear water, and was formerly much used for religious purposes. The polish upon the stones in front, seems to indicate that it is still considerably frequented. A station above this Well affords a good view of Lough Gilly and its islands.

We next landed on Church Island, the property of Mr. Wynn. It possesses the ruins of an ancient church, and contains nearly 50 statute acres, consisting of a great variety of soil — bog, pasture, arable land, and wood — and has a small farm-house upon it.

From hence we rowed to Goat Island, to collect some of the native Arbutus, which grows here abundantly, as well as on Bullock Island or Enniskellagan. On this latter island an old man resides. He is a pensioner of Mr. Wynn, who allows him 2s. a week for past services. This island contains the ruin of a church and nunnery.

We next steered towards the west end of the lake,

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From the well and altars of Tubernault, I ascended to the cairns, from the eastern one of which, the lake and its numerous islands are commanded. The other affords a view of the town and bay. These cairns are composed of rude stones, principally limestone, some of which exhibit fossil vegetable remains. The top of the cairns is thinly covered with soil and grass. At the summit they are 260 feet in circumference, and

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Instead of returning to Sligo by the boat, I walked for the purpose of inspecting several cabins. Here I found the usual accompaniments, damp and dirt, and on conversing with some of the small farmers, ascertained that they were miserably poor. They pay from fifty to 60s. per Irish acre for rent, and an extravagant grand-jury cess. The tithe, I learnt, had not been demanded for three years. Lime is plentiful in the neighbourhood, but few are able to purchase it. Mr. Wynn has extensive property near Sligo, said to be worth £17,000 per annum. All agree that his land is let the highest of any about. He employs many labourers, and gives them 8d. per day in winter, and 10d. in summer, without diet. They pay £5 per annum for their cabins and two acres of land; the rent is taken weekly from their wages. At Sligo I met with a gentleman, a land agent from near Enniskillen, who informed me that some of the agents were frequently very oppressive towards the poor farmers, whose cattle

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When at home and at work, the labourers are generally clothed very insufficiently; and many of those who possess a good suit, do not wear it except on Sundays and on particular occasions. The women and children, especially the latter, are still worse off than the men. The children indeed are constantly in rags.

None of the cabins visited by the Assistant Commissioners had ceilings; and the dirt and cobwebs that were continually falling from the roof was a serious inconvenience in a district devoted to the making of butter for exportation. Most of the miserable huts contained rude bedsteads, but very frequently no other bedding than straw or hay, and a single quilt or sheet, made of coarse sacking, invariably in a condition of great filth. When the family was a large one, the bedsteads were occupied by the parents and the younger children, the others having nothing but a litter of old hay, which, in the day time, was collected in a heap in a corner, and had, in most

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Sligo is situated in the barony of Carberry, which, in one published account, is stated to contain 51,121 acres, and in another 55,436 acres. In 1831, the labouring population was computed to be 6206, nearly one half of whom were occupied solely in the tillage of their own lands; the other half may at one time be denominated occupiers not employing labourers, and at another,

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George Waters, a middle aged man with a wife and four children, was said by most of the witnesses to be one who might be considered to have a fair share of employment through the year. All

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Employment has greatly decreased of late years. Fourteen years ago, said one of the witnesses, he could have got as much work in the fields as would have maintained him and his family without land; now, however, the best thing he had to look to was a penny a barrel for breaking stones. This, he added, did not produce more than thirty shillings a year. Another of the witnesses stated that he had at that moment a strong healthy man working for him at twopence a day and his diet!

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The expenses of marriages are in general defrayed by the bride's father, and are so excessive as to cause much subsequent distress. The meanest labourer considers himself bound, upon such occasions, to give a feast. Mr. Dodwell told us that "at a man's wedding in Ardtrasma last winter, he never saw such fine eating and drinking ! — the sport began on Friday, and was kept up till the following Wednesday. On the three first days the man entertained his neighbours and friends, and on the three latter they treated him."

The land taken as conacre is either in grass, or stubble, with or without manure. Stubble land without manure has of course the lowest rent, yet for this not less than £4 per Irish acre is paid, a price more than double the average rent paid by the farmer, who further receives the land in such condition that it yields a remunerating crop of grain the following year. The Rev. Mr. Yates, one of the witnesses, stated, that a labourer did not take conacre with a view to profit; his object was, first, that he

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On the estate of Lord Palmerston, the tenants are numerous, and are anxious to obtain employment in the extensive improvements carried on by his lordship. The overseer finds it impossible to employ all the applicants, and each month he puts the names of a considerable number into a

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Mr. Patterson stated, that on the estate of Captain Jones (situated along the sea coast) for which he is agent, the greater number of the tenants pay at least one half year's rent by the sale of the sea-weed, which they collect for manure. His bailiff is always at hand when the weed is fit for delivery, and, after

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On Sir R. G. Booth's estates, a stack of wheat had been lately burned, and several ploughs and other implements broken to pieces. One of the witnesses exclaimed "no wonder, when you turned 120 people out of their lands at Balligilligan."

Mr. Lumey thought that the destitution apprehended, or really brought on, is the cause of the crime; and both Mr. Yates and Mr. Dodwell concurred

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Sir A. Creighton, Bart., stated, that rents have not been in the least affected by intimidation on the part of the peasantry; they have never combined with a view to lower rents. "I could," said Mr. Dodwell, "mention several instances of individuals having been prevented investing capital

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The generality of the labouring men get married before they are twenty. Mr. Yates, indeed, observed, that he often thought the more destitute a man was, the more likely was he to get married; sometimes it seemed as if he took a wife in desperation, feeling that he couldn't possibly be worse off. We had an opportunity of confirming this suggestion. Seeing a young man, Pat Linahan, with a child in his arms, on the lands of Ballintemple, we asked him how long he had been married: he replied, "about a year and a half," and informed us that when he was married, his portion of land had been completely buried under the sand. For nearly two years he had no means

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There is much moor and waste land in the northern part of the barony of Carberry, but it requires the application of capital, under skilful directions, to make it fit for tillage.

About one-half of the land in this barony is held under middlemen, but the landlords have determined, on the expiration of the leases, not to renew them. "There is no conceivable case," said Mr. Yates, "in which the middlemen can be of advantage to either landlord or tenant, for either he must get more than the real value of the land, or the landlord must get less."

No adequate reason was assigned by any of the witnesses for the absenteeism of landlords. "There is a great difference," said Mr. Lumey, "in favour of the tenantry of a resident proprietor, but it is not to be attributed to the money he spends among

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The average size of tillage farms was stated to be three acres — perhaps rather more. Eighty acres may be taken as the average of the grazing farms — that is, grass land on the sides of the mountains.

Scotch Agriculturists (bailiffs) have been introduced into the neighbourhood by Sir A. Creighton, Mr. Wynne, Major O'Hara, Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Phibbs, and from their instructions benefit will doubtless arise. During the last three years, deficiencies in the potato crops have been frequent, and in some cases the farmer has been obliged to seed his ground three times. If a part of a lot of potatoes fails in the field, the remainder of the lot in the house is at the same time affected with the dry-rot. Those kept through the winter in pits are more likely to succeed than those kept

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The breed of cattle has undergone but little improvement. Those in the hands of the farmers are for the most part Irish; those belonging to the proprietors, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the town of Sligo, are of the Ayrshire breed, or a cross between the Ayrshire and Irish. The Durham breed, or rather what was termed the Durham breed, has been tried, but the preference appears to be given, especially for dairy purposes, to the Ayrshire. The number of cattle fattened is inconsiderable. The supply of hay is very meagre; it is regarded as a valuable privilege to be allowed to cut the coarse grass out of the bottoms of the landlords' plantations, and make it into hay. The best Irish cows give sixteen quarts of milk per day after calving, or ten or twelve quarts per day for two months. From eighty to ninety pounds of butter is the usual

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The butter of the barony belongs to the second and third-rate quality. A butter market is held at Sligo four days in the week; and previously to the purchase of the butter by the merchants, it is tasted by a person appointed by Mr. Wynne, the patentee of the market, and divided by him into six different qualities, the firkins in which it is placed being branded with the respective numbers. The merchants in Sligo, as well as those in London, in purchasing it are guided by the judgment of the taster.

Sea-weed is the manure most in request. Lime is but little used in the greater part of the barony; near Sligo it is burned with Scotch coal, but in the country it is burned with turf. Shell-sand is used for reclaiming coarse land. Mr. Patterson, agent to Col. Jones, stated, that the tenants on the Colonel's estate were permitted to sell the sea-weed, but not to receive the money for it; a driver invariably attended for that purpose, and usually paid the tenant about one-fifth of the

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The fences chiefly consist of dry stone walls, or banks of earth. They are made by the tenants at their own expense; generally speaking, they are thrown down in the winter, and have to be rebuilt in spring: they frequently lead to much litigation. The losses from trespass are considerable: but the witnesses did not appear to think that the amount expended in litigation, added to that arising from the loss of property, would be sufficient to defray the cost of permanent fences. Some idea may be formed of the state of the fences, when it is stated, that hardly a horse, sheep, or pig, can be seen, which has not its legs tied with what is called

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Taxation may be estimated at one fifth or one sixth of the rent. The grand-jury cess is not laid according to the value or the rent, but is an acrerate without respect to the value, and is accordingly a very unequal and unfair impost. The amount varies considerably; for the last three years it has averaged more than 4s. an acre Irish. The periods at which it is collected, as well as the manner of collecting it, are causes of great annoyance and distress to the small farmer; it sometimes happens that when the deputy-collector calls for the payment, he takes one of the farmer's beasts, and keeps it till the cess of a whole townland is collected: the owner of the beast is therefore obliged to collect the cess of the townland. Some witnesses stated that they knew townlands which have paid for ten acres more than they are assessed to in the county applotments. The applotters in

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Contributions for the building of a chapel are obtained in the following manner. A committee is elected, and the members assess each other and the rest of the parishioners according to their

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The roads to the market-towns are for the most part in good repair, and many cross-roads have been made at the expense of the landlords; the road to Mullaghmore, for instance, cost Lord Palmerston £1,900. Much, however, remains to be done. Some of the farmers in Drumcliffe

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Lord Palmerston possesses a large tract of bog on his estate, which he is extensively engaged in reclaiming. On some portions of it, where it is 30 feet deep, and composed of what is called white bog, the cost has far exceeded the value of the land in its improved condition; and according to Mr. Lynch, his lordship's agent, has in some

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Employment has greatly decreased of late years. "Fourteen years ago," said Owen Casey, a labourer, "I could get as much work in the fields as would maintain me and my family without land; but the best thing I have now to look to is a penny a barrel for breaking stones, and that will not bring me in more than 30s. a year." "The fact is," said the Rev. Mr. Yates, "there is not half the employment there used to be; it can't be otherwise, when the population has increased to one and a half souls per acre. In this parish, the number of Irish acres is 10,515, and the population 14,000." Everything, in the opinion of several intelligent witnesses, might be expected from constant employment. It would be of all things most likely to make the people more peaceable, and to render practicable an extensive reduction in the police establishment and other profuse sources of public expenditure, whose burden now weighs heavily upon the farmer, and necessarily disables him

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Journey from Sligo to Ballina — Ballisodare — Public buildings at Ballina — Salmon leap — Rents, and prices of provisions — Lough Conn and Lough Cullen — Lord Lucan's bog — Castlebar — Market-women — Sheep on small farms — Castlebar Lake — Croagh Patrick — Marquis of Sligo — Robinson's Hotel, Westport — Introduction of the linen manufacture by Lord Altamont — Population of Westport — Desire for large farms — Emigration — Leases — Letting in common — Cabins — Size of farms — Agriculture of the district — Sheep shearing — The roads — "Driving" — Potatoes.

From Sligo to Ballina I travelled by the mail, a conveyance dragged by four miserably poor and incompetent horses, to which the driver, after the most approved fashion of his country, applied the incessant but unavailing stimulus of the whip. Such was the respect evinced by the people whom we met or overtook, for the vehicle by which we travelled, that they manifested the greatest anxiety

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Ballisodare, through which we passed, is celebrated for its extensive water corn-mills; here, too, are several fine falls of the river Arrow, or Colloney-water, over a very rocky bed. Marble quarries and lead mines are in the vicinity. The farmers for twenty miles round, bring their corn to the mills at Ballisodare, from whence the meal is exported. Several carts of oats arrived whilst the mail was detained. The factor, without ceremony, ripped open the seams of the poor farmers' sacks in different places, and poked into the oats. The tricks occasionally practised by some of the farmers, render this, I was informed, a necessary precaution.

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On arriving at Ballina, on the border of the county of Mayo, the mail was instantly surrounded by thirteen beggars, all of whom supplicated us, in the most pitiful terms, and, as a matter of course, in God's name, for a trifle — and several of them followed us to the inn, and crowded about the windows.

Ballina is an improving town, and contains about 6000 inhabitants. A fine old bridge formerly crossed the river Moy, and has been much noticed by travellers, but it was taken down two or three years ago, and its place supplied by another, which, though less interesting, is more convenient. A spacious quay and another bridge are also in progress. At Ballina a large Roman Catholic chapel has recently been built, but the funds being insufficient to complete the tower, that part of the edifice remains unfinished. Of this structure (so highly praised by Inglis) I cannot speak in terms of approval. The architect, I think, might have profited by taking a hint or two from the remains of an old abbey near at hand.

At a short distance from the town, Colonel

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The Salmon Leap on the river is a very attractive object. The river is of great breadth, and many deep ledges of limestone rocks, over which the water falls tumultuously, with deafening roar, extend from side to side. The fishery is very productive, and the rent is from £1200 to £1400 per annum. In 1779 it let, according to Young, for £250. I was informed that as many as 1030 salmon had been taken at one time. The season for fishing on this river closes on the 12th of August. The Ballina fish are sent to Liverpool and Glasgow.

At Ballina I saw droves of large mules, each mule carrying a woman, seated behind her panniers of turf, waiting for purchasers.

From several intelligent persons whom I met in the evening at the house of a gentleman to whom I had been provided with a letter of introduction,

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In our way to Westport we passed along the side of Lough Conn. This lake is nine miles long, and is connected with Lough Cullen by a narrow strait, crossed by a bridge, over which we passed. These lakes vary in breadth from one to three miles. The shores are rocky, barren, and lonely; here and there, little plots of cultivated ground appear; and in other places the active mountain sheep may be seen threading their way among the bold masses of granite, or leaping securely from peak to peak. Lough Conn can scarcely boast of a tree or a bush. Very different indeed is it from the rich verdant slopes, and the glowing arbutus-islands of Lough Gilly; yet I felt that I could have spent many days with great pleasure in the wild and rocky neighbourhood of this usually disparaged lake. Its shores are much indented, forming themselves into innumerable little bays and creeks, and at no great distance rises the conical Nephin mountain, whose height

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After leaving the lake, the road to Westport passes over a tract of bog land — to travellers in general uninteresting, but to me full of peculiar interest. It belongs to Lord Lucan, who has shewn a most laudable desire to promote the comfort and the happiness of the poor about him.

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Castlebar, about nine miles from Lough Conn, consists of one street of nearly a mile in length. A Jail and Jailor's house, which cost £20,000, and extensive Barracks, at a similar cost, have been recently built there. These structures, notwithstanding their claims to admiration, as public buildings, are calculated to excite very different feelings, when contrasted with the wretched cabins amid which they rise, and when it is considered that the funds for their erection were wrung from a poverty-stricken and miserable population. The barracks were raised upon the site of the old castle, whose venerable remains were rudely sacrificed, I suspect, to make way for the modern buildings. In 1798, the French force, under Humbert, possessed themselves of the town, in

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It was market day at Castlebar when I arrived there, and I strolled for a couple of hours among the market people. Great numbers of women, holding a hank or two of yarn of their own spinning, stood in the streets and offered their trifling commodities for sale. Very few of those whom I addressed could speak English; but some of the men about, seeing the disadvantages under which I laboured, very obligingly stepped forward, and offered assistance as interpreters. This sort of politeness is common to the Irish. I ascertained that the women could not earn by spinning more than a penny or twopence a day, and hundreds of them attended the market whose earnings for the whole week did not exceed sixpence or ninepence; yet notwithstanding this inadequate reward of long and hard labour, their honest countenances wore the habitual

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The corn and meal were brought into the town by horses, mules, and asses, many of which remained in the market with their loads upon their backs. Oats were selling at 5d. and 6d. per stone. But little wheat is produced in the neighbourhood, nor is barley much grown, except to supply the potheen manufactories in the mountains. Rents are about 20s. an acre; and wages from 6d. to 8d. a day; but if regular work is afforded, 6d., without diet, is the usual amount. Although their agriculture and customs seem better adapted to the last century, yet if we may draw a comparison between their present practises, and the account given by Arthur Young in 1779, some improvement has actually taken place. "To Castlebar," says he, "over an indifferent country and a vile stony road; about that town the husbandry is admirable. They have three customs,

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I attached myself for a short time to a man walking to market with a bale of woollen cloth, or flannel, manufactured by himself and his family. His farm consisted of 9 acres, and he kept 10 sheep; one pound of his wool, he stated, was worth from 14d. to 16d. and would make two bandles of flannel — a bandle being four inches short of a yard. The cloth was worth 1s.per

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On the road to Westport, Castlebar Lake, a fine sheet of water, was on our right for some miles — our way lying through scenery of much variety and beauty. As we descend the hill into the town, the magnificent Bay, including Achill, and Clare, and numerous other islands, opens out grandly before us. Croagh Patrick,¹⁶ too, or the Reek (as some call this mountain), is seen from hence in perfection. Croagh Patrick is of conical form, and is abundantly frequented for the purposes of penance: it is still more useful as a landmark at sea. Upon this hill St. Patrick is said to have collected all the venomous reptiles in Ireland, and cast them into the bay: it is accordingly regarded with an astonishing degree of veneration. I frequently heard the driver of the mail, in allusion to the penitential associations of the mountain, say, "If you don't behave, I'll send you round the Reek."

At the harbour and quay I saw only a boat or two, yet the warehouses are extensive, and there

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The noble Marquis very handsomely presented Mr. Robinson not only with the commodious hotel which bears his name, but with six acres of excellent ground, all rent free. He also furnished the house, and was preparing to fit it up still more extensively and sumptuously, when he left the country. This hotel has been praised, and deservedly praised too, by all travellers. I had not anticipated any thing so comfortable and elegant. The furniture is of the best quality, the plate and glass remarkably beautiful, and the rooms are hung with paintings like a gentleman's house. In front of the hotel is a long flagged walk, and a clean street or mall, planted with trees on both sides, and refreshed by a transparent stream which flows between them. Opposite the house stands a large Catholic chapel, the congregation of which is immense. Mr. Robinson is a highly respectable

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Westport House, the seat of the Marquis of Sligo, is a substantial building of Roman architecture, with walled terraces and flighted steps; it is situated in a beautiful and secluded valley, richly adorned with wood and water. In the park stands a rural-looking church, embosomed in trees. When Arthur Young visited Westport, Lord Altamont, who then owned this mansion, had made valuable experiments on bog land with great success. He states that Lord Altamont's great-grandfather "found the estate, in 1650, a continued forest. These woods were much more than a century's growth. There is a tradition in the country that

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The town of Westport contains about 4500 inhabitants,

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Some men who were digging potatoes near the town, informed me that they paid from £2. 10s.

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None of the tenants in the barony of Murrisk (in which Westport is situated) hold as many as ten acres of arable land, and the majority do not hold more than four. The desire of the landlords, as appeared from some evidence given before the Assistant Commissioners, was to increase the size of the holdings on their estates; but in consequence of the additional pressure of population, they had but few opportunities of carrying their wishes into effect. Sir S. O'Mally stated, that for his own part, the certainty of causing distress was the only reason that prevented him from promoting a more rapid junction of farms. Up to the period of the disfranchisement of the 40s. freeholders,

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No English or Scotch farmers have settled in

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Strictly speaking, there is only one resident landlord in the barony (Mr. Garvey), and he does not own more than 500 acres. No reason could be assigned by any of the witnesses for the absenteeism of the proprietors in the neighbourhood. Lord Sligo is the only one who has a house in the barony. His lordship occupies about 700 acres, which constitute his domain; he has also a deerpark of great extent, consisting of unreclaimed mountain land, and a large stock farm of the same description. Lord Sligo's leases are for twenty-one years, or one life; Sir S. O'Malley's for two lives. Tenancy at will, or from year to year, is much more common than it was, and is rapidly spreading. The frequent practice of the landlords in the barony is to let in common, and the custom will in some measure explain the absence of any attempt at improvement under this system. The cattle in winter roam over the land where they like; which discourages the sowing of wheat, and the raising of winter food

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There does not appear to have been much improvement in the cabins of late years. They have no outhouses except pig-sties, and the pig frequently sleeps in the house. During the cholera season they were whitewashed, but this has since been neglected. The pig sleeps in the cabin as frequently as before, and the floor and roof are in as bad a state as they used to be. The cabin, when repaired at all, is always repaired by the tenant. Many persons are unable to leave their cabins in winter, from want of ordinary clothing; but the very general absence of bedding is more particularly felt than any other want; because the floor being of damp clay, the straw laid upon it becomes rapidly bad and unwholesome.

There is no public common in the barony, and very little woodland, with the exception of what

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From the humidity of the climate, and exposure to the sea blast, the wheat of the district is of bad quality. It is never tried on a naked fallow, but is frequently sown in February. The weeding of corn crops is much neglected, and is done so late as July and August. It did not appear that there were more than six ploughs in the barony; and with the exception of those belonging to Lord Sligo, not a roller is to be

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The main roads are in good repair, but the crossroads leading to villages are bad. Few carts are accordingly used in the barony. Carts, indeed, as one of the witnesses said, are of no use to the small tenantry, for they can carry to market all the produce they have to sell, in five or six journeys

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The crop of potatoes is frequently late in ripening, and the intervening period between the new and the old crop, is one of great distress. Should the crop of one year fail, extreme want is inevitable. Sir S. O. Malley remarked, that if the peasantry were enabled to use corn as their chief diet, the periodical recurrence of distress would in this country be nearly stopped, as a failure in the grain crops hardly ever takes place. Potatoes, on account of their bulk, cannot be conveyed with profit to a great distance, and it frequently happens that they are dear in one place, when, at a distance of twenty miles, they are cheap.

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Departure from Westport — Remarkable change in the country — Agricultural school at Hollymount — Tricks practised by farmers — Tuam Catholic Cathedral — The two Archbishops — The Protestant Cathedral — Galway — Crookanabruky — Tornabruky — Character of the inhabitants — Willow cradles — Presentation Nunnery at Galway — Other Nunneries — Principal landed proprietors in the neighbourhood — Dead Man's Lane — Tragical story — Spanish appearance of Galway — Price of provisions — Catholic priests of Galway.

Westport and Robinson's hotel I left with regret, and proceeded by coach to Galway. Having an unavoidable engagement in Dublin, I was prevented travelling along the west coast, and the very interesting wilds of Cunnemara. This district is rich in minerals, and is celebrated for its black, green, and veined marbles.

Our road to Galway lay through Hollymount and Tuam. The country reminded me of the

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The neighbourhood of Hollymount abounds with gentlemen's houses; and, with its rich land, green knolls, fertile vallies, and abundant water, forms a pleasing contrast to the dreary aspect of the barren tracts between Castlebar and Lough Conn. The river Robe, which supplies Lough Mask, winds round Hollymount. A year or two ago, an Agricultural School was established near Hollymount; the buildings lie close to the road, between that place and Tuam. The condition of this establishment is, I regret to say, anything but prosperous. The ground about the house is tastelessly arranged, and I fear that at least an equal want of judgment is exhibited in the agricultural

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According to the account of the Assistant Commissioners, who visited this institution, the farm consists of 94 English acres. Mr. M'Chlery, the agriculturist here, stated, that previously to taking this situation, he was master of a similar establishment at Templemore, for seven years. His agreement for Hollymount was as follows. He was to pay £100 a year rent, and was to receive 40 pupils (30 males and ten females), who were to pay at the rate of £10 a year each, for which he was to provide them board, lodgings, and instruction, and was to have the benefit of their labour. The Assistant Commissioners, who investigated this barony, state, from personal observation,

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One of my fellow coach-passengers entertained us by relating instances of the tricks resorted to by the farmers, in order to deceive the corn-factors. A bottomless churn is put into a sack, and filled with grain of an inferior quality; it is then surrounded and covered with good grain, and drawn out. This, however, is a practice not confined to Ireland; it is sometimes detected in the markets of this country; and many of my readers will doubtless have had occasion to know that the strawberries which the fruiterers in London exhibit on the tops of the pottles, are very unsafe indexes of the quality of those that lie concealed within. My companion also informed us that the farmers, when in want of a little wool to mend their stockings, are in the habit of cutting off from the side of a sheep as much as will serve their purpose, not choosing to trust their wives with the whole fleeces. A patch of calico is sewed over the bare place, as a substitute for the wool.

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Tuam has a population of nearly 7,000, and is remarkable for its new Catholic Chapel, or, more properly, its Catholic Cathedral. The funds raised for the erection of this edifice, which is in the richest and most florid style of Gothic architecture, were voluntary contributions, and the labour in building it was supplied gratuitously. Unfortunately I had no time to take a survey of the interior, many parts of which are spoken of as singularly beautiful. "The altar," says one who inspected it, "is entirely of Italian marble, of various descriptions; it was made at Rome, and sent as a present from the Pope, carefully packed in boxes. The workmanship of the whole is exquisite." The steeple has not yet been added. Tuam is the residence of Power le Poer Trench, Protestant Archbishop of the place, and also Bishop of Ardagh; and of Dr. McHale, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam. The rancorous feeling that subsists between these two dignitaries of conflicting churches, seems to demand from us a charitable interpretation of the bitternesses that prevail among those who enjoy fewer advantages,

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The Protestant Cathedral here is an old building, of Gothic architecture, and small. It contains nothing particularly attractive. Tuam has been the see of an archbishop ever since the beginning of the sixth century.

The morning after my arrival at Galway (23 miles from Tuam) before daylight had dawned I took a car to Salthill and the village of Tornabruky. The hill of Crookanabruky, which I ascended, commands an excellent view of the extensive and very magnificent bay of Galway, the isles of Arran, and other small islands. In the bay there are upwards of 2,000 fishing boats; the fishermen have chosen the western side of Galway, near the bay, for their residence. They are said to be a singular people, and seldom marry out of their own caste. Cod, haddock, ling, red and grey gurnet, mackarel and lobsters, are found here in great abundance; also some turbot. A fine cod sells at from 8d. to 1s. 6d.; and a turbot from three to 6s. The salmon fishery closes

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Tornabruky is composed of small thatched cabins on the side of the steep hill of Crookanabruky, and is a curious village. The street is exceedingly abrupt, and serves the double purpose of a road and the bed of a boisterous torrent. The inclosures on the mountain side contain each only a few perches, or at most a rood of ground, and are fenced by the industry of the inhabitants at their own expense. The walls are five or six feet high; yet notwithstanding their great extent, considerable numbers of the stones which previously encumbered the ground are unappropriated, and are piled in tall heaps in the little parrocks. At a short distance the village and the surrounding inclosures resemble a honeycomb; nor is there a tree, hedge, or shrub, visible in the neighbourhood. The people pay at the rate of one-fifth of their rent for cess, and do not know to what purpose it is applied. A man, for instance, paying a rent of £5, would

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On descending from Crookanabruky, we found our horse by the fireside amongst the children,

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From these novel and interesting scenes I hastened to take advantage of the kind offer of a lady in Galway, to accompany me to the Presentation Nunnery. On knocking at the door we were immediately admitted, and politely conducted by one of the Sisters to the several rooms in which the pupils were prosecuting their studies. This admirable establishment consists of twenty nuns and a superintendant, bound together by the benevolent desire of promoting the comfort and the happiness of their fellow-beings, and successfully devoting their best energies to the accomplishment of the projected end. The nuns take four vows — viz., poverty, charity, obedience, and instruction of poor female children. The children are admitted at the age of eight, to the number of from four to six hundred, and irrespectively of religious distinctions — and continue under the vigilant and virtuous care of the sisterhood, until fit to enter upon the active engagements of life. They are educated (gratuitously of course), with reference to the situations of governesses, nursery-maids, ladies'-maids, and

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We were presented to the Mother, a venerable lady of eighty years of age. She very kindly accompanied us to some of the apartments, and also to the retired garden of the nunnery; and directed our attention to the burial ground — a small plot, four yards square, and containing only one solitary grave — as a sort of negative argument in

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My visit to this nunnery was a profitable one. It taught me to condemn myself for having entertained harsh and uncharitable opinions of the monastic life; it afforded me a practical proof that seclusion does not necessarily imply inactivity, but that an entire withdrawal from what is called the world, is compatible with a diligent and extensive exercise of the spirit of philanthropy.

Galway contains three nunneries besides that which I have been describing. They are, however, totally dissimilar to it — no children being admitted, and no instruction of any kind being

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The population of Galway is about 38,000. In the town there were 8000 destitute paupers, and within two miles round, no fewer than 20,000, and this number was stated to be daily increasing. No beggars are allowed to be in the streets; they are relieved by the Mendicity Institution, at an average cost of 8d. per week each. There is also a Dispensary and a Fever Hospital, all supported by private charity. The labourers receive, in the town, 10d. per day without diet, and in the country from 6d. to 8d. without diet, but are employed only half their time. With this load of pauperism crippling its energies, no wonder that Galway should not keep pace with some other towns in wealth and prosperity.

The principal landed proprietors in the county are, Thomas Martin, Esq., (the member for the county), the Marquis of Clanricarde, Lord Dunlow, Lord Clancarty, Sir Thomas Burke, Mr. Dealy of

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In Dead Man's Lane, Lombard-street, a tablet representing a death's head and cross-bones in alto-relievo, is considered, and certainly is, an object of interest. It is about two feet wide, by two feet eight inches in height; and the motto, which is now partially effaced, has been — "Remember deathe, vanite of vanite, and all is but vanite." With this tablet a tragical story is connected. James Lynch Fitz-Stephen, Mayor of Galway in 1493, had brought from Spain a native of that country, named Gomez, with whom his only son, Walter, soon contracted an intimate acquaintance. Walter, who was affianced to a young lady of family and fortune in the neighbourhood, began to suspect that the attentions of Gomez were regarded by his betrothed with a degree of

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I ascended the old walls of the town, remnants of which are preserved. They are ten or twelve feet thick, and thirty feet high. At the extremity of the garden of the Kilroy Hotel, a gentleman has

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The old streets of the town are narrow, and the curiously carved and singularly shaped doorways exhibit great antiquity. "At every second step," says Inglis, "I saw something to recall Spain to my recollection. I found the wide entries and broad stairs of Cadiz and Malaga; the arched gateways, with the outer and inner railing, and the court within. I found the sculptured gateways and grotesque architecture which carried the imagination to the Moorish cities of Granada and Valencia."

Provisions at Galway were cheap; potatoes 1d. to 1 1/2d. per stone; oats 6d. per stone of 14lbs.,

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The Catholic Priests of Galway were represented to me as a well-informed and gentlemanly set of men; it was added, however, that whilst they do not object to the bible being in the hands of the well-educated Catholics, they would withhold it from the more ignorant of the laity of their communion. This does not, to a Protestant at least, say much in support of the first of the preceding epithets; and if anything could justify an uncharitable feeling towards them, it would be their cruel policy in withholding from those who stand so much in need of solace, the most prolific source of comfort. The scriptures are often the

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Volume 1

p.1

Examination in the Barony of Kilconnel — Deterioration of marriage-feasts — Premature marriages — The Terrys — Dreadful case of revenge — Sufferings from hunger — Priests' dues — Substitutes for candles — Potatoes, the chief food of the labourers — The cabins of the poorest classes — Improvements at Crith Bog — Inequality of Grand-jury cess — Cattle of the district — Ahascragh Loan Society — Junction of farms — Farms of ten acres — Advice to both landlord and tenant — Meaning of the term "absentee" — Contempt for leases.

It was stated to the Assistant Commissioners, in their examination in the barony of Kilconnel (situated 18 miles to the eastward of the town of Galway, on the road to Ballinasloe) that the barony, exclusive of bog, contains 26,185 Irish acres, and that few labourers can obtain work for more than

p.2

The regular expenses of marriage are confined to £1. 1s., and 5s. to the Bishop for a dispensation, and 10d. to the clerk. The feast which succeeds the ceremony is always at the cost of the parents of the bride; and on these occasions it is nothing uncommon for a labourer to spend three or four pounds, the savings of years, in the purchase of bread, meat, tobacco, spirits, and lights, to celebrate the marriage of his daughter. During the feast, a collection is made for the benefit of the priest who officiated at the marriage, and all present are anxious to give what they can afford, from a shilling upwards. It is, indeed, a matter of pride to see who will give the most. At christenings,

p.3

Here, as elsewhere, premature marriages are the rule amongst the labouring classes, and not the exception. A very large portion are married before the age of 21, some even as early as 18; and very few turn their attention to making any provision before they contract the important obligation. "What," said Neal, a labourer,

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In the parish of Aughrim, the Rev. William Martin stated "that no material alteration had taken place regarding wages;" and added, "I am afraid you would find plenty of men ready to work at 6d. a day all the year round." Mr. Wade said that he gave 5d. a day in winter and summer; and a witness of the name of Lloyd said that he had known labourers to be so hungry as to "give up" two or three times in the course of the day; not having tasted food since their supper the night before. Mr. Bermingham, Lord Clonbrock's agent, stated that the poor people suffer almost more than human nature could be supposed capable of enduring, and that, notwithstanding, they scarcely ever repine. From the great competition

p.7

The better sort of farmers, it appeared, usually give their priest from one shilling to two-and-sixpence at Christmas and Easter: and by such as can get to confession, a shilling is given. The poor people are never required to pay any of these items.

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In lieu of candles, which are very rarely seen, rushes, dipped in butter melted, are used. Others make use of splinters of bog fir, which contains a large portion of turpentine, and blazes very freely.

In periods of particular distress, the labourers obtain potatoes on credit, at a great sacrifice. This, indeed, is their only resource; and if a man happens to have no credit, he cannot get them at all. In all cases, they pay high for the accommodation — sometimes as much as 200 per cent. After Garlic Sunday (the first Sunday in August), the potatoes most in use, namely lumpers, acquire an unwholesome quality; those, accordingly, who can afford to do so, cease to live altogether upon them, and substitute oatmeal in some degree, giving their old potatoes to the pigs. But there are many cottiers who have no alternative but to eat the unwholesome food, which, in part at least, accounts for the prevalence of disease towards the close of summer. About the latter end of August (Mr. Hughes, P. P., stated), a large proportion of the new potatoes are fit for consumption; but those which have not been planted, in

p.9

The cabins inhabited by the very poorest, are frequently without windows. Some of the hovels are truly miserable, consisting of walls of loose stones, thatched with thistles and potato stalks. These are inhabited by mendicants or dispossessed tenants from other parts of the country, and are for the most part placed in the hollow of a wide ditch; the tenants paying no rent to the middlemen

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The cottages recently erected on the estates of Lord Clonbrock, and the other large proprietors, are superior to the generality. Those built on Lord Clonbrock's property are thirty feet long. His lordship provides timber, eave-stones, and iron window-frames, which move on central pivots. The panes of glass cost but 1d. each.

One of the gentlemen present stated "that in some cases landlords have located their cottiers on the verge of bogs, at high rents; and that when these lands have been reclaimed by the exertions of the cottiers, the latter have been further removed into the unreclaimed moor, still at a high rent; and thus the landlord has reaped all the benefit of the poor man's industry."

The improvements at Crith Bog, carried on by Lord Clonbrock, under the care of his benevolent and enterprising agent, Mr. Bermingham, are said by the Rev. Charles Clarke, one of the Assistant Commissioners, to be of great importance.

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It was stated by one witness, that on forty Irish acres of tillage, allowing a fair quantity of horse power, twenty men would be "constantly employed throughout the year;" by another, that "twelve men, working 200 days each, would be sufficient." A third person thought, "that on a farm of 100 acres, half in tillage and half in grass, fifteen labourers, employed 200 days in the year, and four horses, or two horses and two bullocks, would answer the purpose." On a farm of 90 acres, of which 12 were in oats, 3 in potatoes, and 5 in wheat, one pair of good horses were kept; and the amount paid for labour, at

p.12

The grand-jury cess is a little more than 2s. per Irish acre. Every acre, good or bad, which is assessed, pays the same rate. The uncertainty of the amount, the manner in which it is assessed, and the period at which it is levied, are causes of considerable distress and dissatisfaction to the small landholder: Mr. Seymour, who is appointed to make the assessment for tithe, thinks that when made, it will not exceed 6 1/2d. per acre. Where the Composition Act has been acted on, tithe is assessed much more equally than the county rate.

This district contains no dairy-farms, no more cows being kept than are absolutely necessary to supply the family. Sheep are common; the breed in general use is the Irish, with a considerable cross of the new Leicester. Mr. Taafe, of Roscommon, and another breeder of sheep, frequently procured them from Dishley; and by this cross the breed has been somewhat diminished in size, whatever other good qualities may have been

p.13

The small farmers and labourers are so completely destitute of money, that it is utterly impossible for them to commence improvements, or even to do anything to obtain it.

As a proof of the proper application of money advanced to the poor, and their honourable repayment,

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In reference to the competition in bidding for small farms, and the consequently disproportionate rate of rent, which, however, in a majority of cases, is nothing but nominal, Mr. Bermingham stated, that until this practice ceased, the condition of the labourers could not possibly be improved. "Nothing," added this gentleman, "can more clearly prove what may result from an equitable reduction of rents, than what has recently occurred in the townland of Doon, where Lord Clonbrock has succeeded the former lessee of the crown. Lord Clonbrock has lowered

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When Lord Clonbrock came into possession, the land was held by about fifty occupants; his lordship not only offered to each a sum of money as a compensation for being ejected, but proposed to furnish them with locations on the unreclaimed part of another estate, together with assistance towards building houses. Several accepted the latter condition; a few emigrated to the colonies, availing themselves of the money received; and four or five of the old occupants still remain. Mr. Bermingham adds, that so far as he can judge, he has every reason to expect that the produce of the farms of 10 acres will far exceed the united produce of the small holdings from which they have been made; he is also led to hope that the occupiers of these 10 acres will no longer seek for labour abroad, but find full occupation at home, which is not the case with farms of the same extent under the old system, and at high rents. Mr. Bermingham further adds that any tenement of two or three acres, is susceptible of all the advantages of a systematic course of husbandry, but in this barony no such attempt has

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The above observations of so experiened a man as Mr. Bermingham, are worthy of great attention, and go far to prove that by fixing the rents on a practicable scale, not only are the energies of the tenant more industriously exerted, but, no arrears being incurred, more rent is actually paid than when it was nominally nearly double. This, however, though leading the way to improvement, is only half doing what ought to be done. Let the poor tenant be taught that by altering his plan of husbandry he may double his produce, without the application of any additional capital except the labour of himself and family. If his landlord lend him a little assistance at the commencement, so much the better; this assistance he will soon be able to repay, with such interest as every landlord must appreciate; viz., the permanent improvement of his estate; a happy tenantry; increased rents, better paid; and the security and increasing prosperity of the country.

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By far the greater part of the barony of Kilconnel is held direct from the proprietors in fee, without the intervention of middlemen. "The lands of Ballyglass," said Mr. Bermingham, "were this day valued by me as Tithe Commissioner. Two hundred acres are on one side of the road, held by Mr. Conally, under the Bishop of Clonfert, at a rent, as I have been informed, of 19s. per Irish acre. The best part has been re-let to solvent tenants, at £1. 10s. per acre; but the Doon Hills, consisting of boggy bottoms, have been let to industrious but poor men, at £1. 5s. an acre — rents disproportioned to the true value of the respective lands. I have, acting conscientiously, valued the entire lands as follows — 80 acres at £1. 10s.; 80 acres at £1; and 40 acres at 10s. All the non-resident proprietors have resident agents; we only give the term absentee, at least in an invidious signification, to a proprietor who resides entirely out of Ireland, and has no resident agent. Restrictions to a particular course of husbandry are never thought of; but in general, tenants would sign leases containing any clauses

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Few landlords, except Lord Clonbrock and Lord Clancarty, allow for improvements, or encourage their tenantry.

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Cattle fair at Ballinasloe — Lord Clancarty — Rents and wages — Pertinacity of beggars — Athlone — Singular customs of the people — Red bogs — Opinions of Mr. Weld — Iron and coal districts — Seven churches of Cluanmacnois — Sacred relics — Birth-place of Goldsmith — Moate — Return to Dublin — Croghan Hill — Bog of Allen — Splendid sunset — The popular faith in Spirits — A few words on Fairies — Philipstown — Destitution of the people.

From Galway I travelled by coach to Ballinasloe, a neat town with a very spacious area for the cattle and sheep fairs held from the 5th to the 9th of October. In the year 1812, there were 83,527 sheep, and 9,983 cattle, shewn at this fair: in 1828 the number of sheep was 97,384; that of cattle 11,513; in 1834 there were, of sheep, 62,928, of cattle 8,054: which diminution in the numbers may be accounted for by the facilities afforded for

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The river Suck flows through the town, and joins the Shannon seven or eight miles to the south-east of it. Ballinasloe belongs to Lord Clancarty, who uses every means in his power to improve and beautify the town and neighbourhood. Garbally, his residence, is about a mile from Ballinasloe. One of the best of landlords in this neighbourhood is James Daly, Esq. of Dansandale.

This town has a population of about 5000, and is remarkable for having only one pawnbroker. The farms are from twenty, to two or three hundred acres in size. The average rent of arable ground is 20s. per acre, the cess 3s.; lime at the kiln is 8d. per barrel; oats are 6s. 8d. per barrel of 14 stones; and potatoes 1 1/2d. per stone. Labourers, at busy times, get 5d. and 6d. per day, and a meal of potatoes from their employers; and at other times 4d. Lord Clancarty gives 8d. in

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At Ballinasloe I experienced considerable inconvenience from the beggars, who flocked about the coach in great numbers, and were so desperately persevering as to prevent us from looking attentively after our luggage. Nay, so extreme was their importunity, that they actually assailed the outside passengers by pulling at their legs! The women did not seem distressed, but might very properly be designated sturdy resolute beggars, for they laughed and asked charity at the same time. From Ballinasloe to Athlone the road lies through the southern part of the county of Roscommon. Athlone is a remarkably interesting town. The castle, built by King John, was an important fortress. The Dutch General, Ginkle, who commanded the English after the defeat of James II. at the battle of the Boyne, succeeded in taking the city in 1691, and as a reward for his

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Among the singular customs of the people of Athlone is the following, related in the words of Dr. Strean (as cited by Weld). "On the eve of St. Martin, one of the great saints, whose day still continues to form an important epoch in the calendar, the 11th day of November, every family (more particularly in the country part of the parish) kills an animal of some kind or other: those who are rich, a cow or sheep, others a goose or turkey; while the still poorer, who cannot provide an animal of greater value, kill a cock or a hen, and sprinkle the threshold with the blood, and do the same in the four corners of the house. This ceremony is performed, to exclude every kind of evil spirit from the dwelling where the sacrifice is made, till the return of the same day in the following year." Dr. Strean goes on to ask if this does not look like a continuance of the command given to the Jews in the 12th chapter of Exodus; but my readers will excuse me if I decline following him in his interesting and ingenious speculations.

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Dr. Boate, in his Natural History of Ireland, when treating of the bogs of this district, remarks, "Some of these dry, or red bogs, as commonly they are called, are in some parts of a vast extent; instance that by the Shannon side, beginning hard by Athlone, and following the course of the river down towards Limerick, which, being two or three miles broad in most parts, is said to be upwards of fifty miles in length."

The extent of bogs in Roscommon is stated by Mr. Weld, in his Survey of the county, to be 131,057 statute acres; the remaining part of the county, exclusive of water, being only 453,515 acres. Is it not extraordinary that any person should harbour an opinion that there are too many labourers in Ireland, when even in a single county there are 131,000 acres capable of yielding the finest crops, inviting cultivation —

"Agriculture alone," says Mr. Weld, in his interesting survey above alluded to, "appears to offer a sure and stable source of occupation for the people of a county circumstanced like that of Roscommon; and that it would prove

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The northern part of the county of Roscommon is fruitful in iron and coal, and is celebrated for the Arigna coal and iron works, near Lough Allen. In Mr. Griffith's report of the coal district, he states that one of the beds near which these works are situated, is three feet thick, and the quality excellent, and extends over five thousand Irish acres, containing 30 millions of tons, affording a supply, for 500 years, for the iron works and domestic purposes. In addition to this three

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The several failures that have occurred at Arigna, where success ought to have been the result, are attributed by Mr. Griffith, as stated by him in his evidence before a committee of the House of Commons, to improper management, and the frequent changes in the managers, who were not skilful or experienced men. Iron ore, in Roscommon, and many parts of Ireland, is almost inexhaustible.

To the right, after leaving Athlone, are seen the seven churches of Cluanmacnois with their two pillar towers, situated on the border of King's county, on the eastern bank of the Shannon, where St. Kieran founded an abbey, so early as

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Nine miles east of Athlone, on the southern edge of the county of Westmeath, we passed through the town of Moate, a clean and respectable

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The road through Kilbeggan, Tyrrel's Pass, and Maynooth, to Dublin, is most of the way near the Royal Canal. At Dublin I attended a meeting of the Board, in company with my colleague, and instead of being released from the Commission as I had expected, we were directed to take examinations in the barony of Philipstown, in King's county, in the province of Leinster. Although I had been anxious to return home, I was reconciled to this arrangement, from the prospect which it afforded of extending my knowledge of Ireland.

From Dublin to Philipstown the road is uninteresting. On our arrival at the latter place, after issuing notices, and adopting the necessary preliminiaries, we inspected the district and the farms in the neighbourhood. In the course of our survey, we ascended Croghan Hill, a conical elevation, for it scarcely deserves the name of mountain, although it forms an interesting object for thirty miles round, and commands an extensive view of

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From Croghan Hill great numbers of islands, as the natives all them, but more properly oases, or elevated spots of land rising from the bog, may be seen; — of these, Knockarin is remarkable, as being a refuge for vagabonds and malefactors. Though encompassed by the Bog of Allen, which in winter or wet weather may be difficult to cross, and, before any drainage was effected, was wholly impassable by ordinary means, they are covered with excellent soil — part of he substratum being

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During this walk our guide entertained us with accounts of the popular faith in Spirits — a subject with which the lovers of marvellous mythologies are made familiar through The Irish Fairy Legends, one of the most amusing and interesting

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"The Fairies of green Erin present few points of dissimilarity to those of England and Scotland. They are of diminutive stature, but do not appear to have any fixed standard of height; perhaps

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"In the north of Ireland the proportions of the fairies are very minute, approaching to those of Titania's 'small elves,' as will appear from the following established mode of the fairies of that part of Ireland, making their stolen entrance into the houses of mortals. A fairy, the Diavolo Antonio we may suppose of the party, is selected, who contrives to ascend to the keyhole of the door, carrying with him a piece of thread or twine. With this he descends on the inside, where he fastens it firmly to the floor, or some part of the furniture. Those without then 'haul

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The Irish fairies, we have seen, are not greatly dissimilar to those of England and Scotland; and these were far from being universally of a grotesque and comical order. In each of the three countries, the fairy-folk may be divided into two classes — the rural elves, inhabiting the woods, fields, mountains, and caverns; and the domestic or house-spirits, called hobgoblins and Robin Goodfellows. Of the former sort are the exquisite

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If the reader should desire to know more of a race of beings respecting whom some of the

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Philipstown obtained its name from Philip (husband of Mary, Queen of England), who once visited it; the county (King's county) owes its name to the same event. The town is well built, and was formerly a place of note. It contains a capital Court-house and Prison, a large Catholic chapel, and a small Protestant church. The Grand Canal, on which two passage-boats ply daily between Dublin and the Shannon harbour, adjoins the town. Previously to the Union, Philipstown returned two members to parliament, and was a

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There are several places which bear the name of Inns or Hotels. We took up our abode at the south end of the town, at an hotel kept by Mrs. Ellis, the post-mistress. Here — after sufficient time to procure tea and coffee from Dublin had elapsed — we lived very comfortably; regaling ourselves in the meantime with excellent cream and eggs, and a joint, occasionally, of good beef

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My bed-room was part of the Barristers' dining-room, in the palmy days of Philipstown: the sitting-room which we occupied, looked out upon the street, and the windows were frequently crowded with miserable women, carrying children upon their backs, and soliciting charity with pitiful lamentations. To relieve all was impossible — and to relieve only a few increased the number of those who begged. Under such distressing circumstances, my consolation was, that I was engaged in preparing a full and honest statement of their wretched condition, with a view to the introduction of legislative measures of relief.

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Examination at Philipstown — Want of employment — Idleness of the people — Bedding — "Handy-Down" — Conacre — Deficient payment of rents — Average size of farms — A question as to emigration — General remarks on the state of Ireland, as respects the population and employment — Tenant-right — Non-resident landlords — Agriculture — Wealth of the beggars — The cabin of Barney Mangin — Reckless despair of a farmer — Michael Madden's plot of cultivated bog land — George Rait's farm, and system of agriculture — Remarks on the people near Philipstown — Cruelties connected with the taking of farms — The people of Tipperary — White Boys — Oak Boys — Blackfeet, Whitefeet, Terry Alts, &c., &c.

Our examination began in the Court-house on the 16th of November. Here, as in the other baronies we found a superabundant population — for the most part, as a matter of course, unemployed, and the wages earned by those who were sometimes fortunate enough to get work, varying from 3d. to 7d. a day, sometimes with, and sometimes without, diet. Between potato time and harvest the distress is general, and very great; and in consequence of

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Milk is a luxury here. Sergeant Malone informed us, that many a man who sends his milk to the town, eats his potatoes without any; and he knew one man who had only three pints of milk in the year. The distress is considerably greater than it used to be, and was stated by more than one of the witnesses to be the chief cause of crime and mischief. The jail allowance is 9lbs. of potatoes, one pint of milk, and one pint of buttermilk per day. Young men of from sixteen to thirty years of age (called almost invariably "boys") earn from thirty to forty shillings a year as farmers' servants; and these, though half naked and half starved, are far better off than the mere labourers, who are often in debt, to the amount of nine or ten pounds. Some of the labourers are,

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The poor people are sadly off for bedding; they can scarcely, in fact, be in a worse condition. A family of six or seven have usually nothing but a blanket and a half to cover them; straw, for the most part, composes their bed — sometimes the bare floor. The clothes which they wear in the day serve them for the night also, for they have no change.

The dress of the labourers is what is called a "Handy Down, or outside shade," which costs 5s., or a soldier's old coat turned. To clothe a labourer in frieze, would cost twenty or thirty shillings a year; some of them possess a frieze coat for Sundays, but the generality (to use the words of a witness) "have not a stitch but what they have on their bones."

Conacre prevails to a considerable extent about Philipstown. Manured land is charged £5 per acre, and, when seeded, £8, and will produce ten

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Rents are seldom paid up — a portion generally remaining due. In bad years, no remission of rent is conceded; and when good years come, all is swallowed up, and the accumulation of capital

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The farms average from fifteen to thirty acres; some are as small as three. A farm of 100 acres, managed by ten farmers, or, in other words, divided into as many farms, would produce more, it was stated, than if in the hands of one man.

The rent of good arable land is 25s. the acre: the thin land fetches from ten to fifteen shillings; and bog, when improved, from fourteen to fifteen. Previous to the last year, great numbers emigrated, many taking with them their families; yet, in King's county alone, according to Mr. Odlum,

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According to the reports of the Commissioners, there are no fewer than 585,000 labourers in Ireland, who are out of work thirty weeks in the year, and in a state of utter destitution. The bogs and reclaimable land are computed at five millions of acres; therefore, as stated above, three

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The object of manufactures of all kinds is to

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Two or three pounds per acre is the usual price paid for tenant-right in this barony: and it is common to give seven or eight pounds for a small quantity of land, for the convenience of a home. Scarcely a landlord or agent is resident here; and it was the opinion of those who were competent to form a correct judgment on the subject, that tenants of absentee landlords are considerably worse off than those living under landlords who are resident. The lower orders in particular feel the benefit of resident landlords; and the farmers complain, not only that in the absence of both principal and agent, they receive no thanks for

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The land is principally in tillage, is greatly impoverished, and is much more frequently ploughed than formerly. On the borders of Croghan Hill, oats are sown for five or six years in succession; Mr. Morgan and Mr. Scully, two landlords in the neighbourhood, have adopted rape and turnips. The small farmers have often from one to six well-bred sheep, whose wool supplies them with their frieze clothes. The women spin it, and get it woven. The home-made costs 1s. per yard, but when they buy it manufactured they are imposed upon. The wool is worth £1. per stone; that of hoggets, or sheep first shorn, is worth 23s. per stone; the weight of the fleece is from 5 to 6 lbs. From the wetness of the ground, the sheep are subject to the rot. The breed of cattle has improved

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The beggars in this district are very numerous; they sometimes pass through Philipstown, to the number of three or four hundred a day, are often tipsy, and circulate stories of malicious tendency. They shut up their houses, gamble at cockfights, and occasionally amass, by one means or another, considerable wealth. Mr. Odlum, for instance, knew a beggar who gave his daughter £100. Numbers of the labourers would have no objection to go to a workhouse, but, generally speaking, they would prefer rambling about the country — they get more money by this means than they would in a workhouse, and are of course more at liberty to indulge the propensities which a want of education, idleness, and bad habits, have engendered.

In walking over the bog, we came to a cabin

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About a mile to the south of Philipstown we visited a poor farmer who was employed in winnowing his barley in the wind. Though in rags, he had evidently seen better days. He told us that he had no money, nor indeed had any of the farmers; that the landlords would be obliged to come and manage their farms and hold the plough themselves, as the tenants would soon be destroyed;

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On crossing the bog, we had an opportunity of experiencing the truth of some of the observations in a preceding page. Our attention was attracted by a beautiful green patch in the midst of the brown heather; and, on inquiring, we found it to be a little piece of the waste land which had been cultivated by the industry of Michael Madden. At first, he manured it for potatoes, and had a good crop; he then sowed oats and grass seeds, and had an excellent crop of oats and of hay the following year. Madden said he had derived great advantage from the grass it afterwards produced, in the feeding of his goats. This was done without any outlay of the owner's, and thousands might be

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We visited the farm of George Rait, which is a large one, a few miles from Philipstown, and belongs to the Hon. William Barrock. Rait and his brother, who also occupies a considerable extent of land, came from Scotland about twenty years ago, and have devoted their time and attention, during the interval, to the prosecution of agriculture, on a system greatly superior to that which generally prevails. The farm contains 1100 acres of good loamy soil, workable in all seasons, with almost a certainty of at least an average crop. The rent is 25s., with a charge for tithe of 1s. 6d., and cess 1s. 66. per acre. The following rotation is adopted — viz., 1st, oats from grass; 2nd, barley, without manure; 3rd, turnips or potatoes, manured; 4th, wheat, sown with equal quantities

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George Rait's breeding stock, though not very good, was much superior to Irish stock generally. Many sheep and bullocks were fed on turnips; the feeding cattle were eating turnips, and were allowed to have as many as they pleased. As soon as the potatoes are forked out, and the land harrowed, the cylinder roller is passed over it; this leaves hollows for the wheat, answering the purpose of a drill, and at the same time giving solidity. The wooden Scotch plough, with iron mould board, was used here, but iron ploughs were about to be substituted. The farm servants are allowed a certain quantity of meal and milk, and a room and fire to cook them by. The cost of their victuals was calculated at £10; they have also their lodging provided, and receive £7 in money; the whole cost of each man is therefore £17 a year. Mr. Rait has generally several agricultural pupils, who pay him handsome premiums.

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Before leaving Philipstown let me once more advert to the condition of the people in its neighbourhood. They would work, as I have stated before, for fourpence or sixpence a day, or even less, if they could get it. Their food is of the

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King's county has been the scene of many cruelties. A man taking a farm, from which another has been ejected, will probably find his horses without ears, or otherwise maimed, and his cattle houghed, that is, the sinews of the hinder legs cut. A grave dug near his house, with a note in it, is considered a friendly mode of warning him of his danger. If these do not produce the desired effect, they set fire to his house, or shoot him; and cruelty has been carried to such excess, that whilst the house was burning, the inhabitants have been kept in by monsters armed with pitchforks.

The inhabitants of the adjoining county of Tipperary have been considered the most ferocious, but there was no disturbance at the time I visited it; indeed, I considered myself as safe in any part of the country as in England. It is only under an impression of a sense of deep injury that the people seek revenge.

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The White Boys had their origin in Tipperary, and combined in consequence of some inclosures of commons. They then attacked the tithe proctors, and gained such strength as to presume to redress grievances of every description. Arthur Young informs us that they were not heard of till 1760, and that no foreign interposition could be blamed for the formation of the association. He states that one of the usual barbarities was, taking people out of their beds, carrying them, in winter, naked on horseback, and burying them up to the chin in a hole filled with briars, not forgetting to cut off one of their ears. The evil existed eight or ten years. The Oak Boys, and Heart of Steel Boys, are said to have had their origin also in the rise of rents, and in the inequality and oppressiveness of the county-cesses.

According to the information of Sergeant Malone, the several designations of Terry Alts, Blackfeet, Whitefeet, Cummins and Daraghs, have arisen out of trifling circumstances attending the first formation of these bodies. "Terry

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Edenderry — Protestant opinion of schools — Catholics and Protestants — The Marquis of Downshire's silk-worms — Father Mullens — Mount Mellick — The Ballycommon and Mount Lucas bogs — Hints to the Company for the improvement of waste lands — Lancashire mosses — Departure from Philipstown — Tullamoore — Grand Canal — Banagher — Holy Island in Scariff Bay — Portumna — The Shannon — Killaloe — Limerick — Description of the city — Dr. John Jebb — Estates of the Earl of Dunraven — Carragh.

On the 15th of November I mounted a car and went to Edenderry, nine miles from Philipstown, on the road to Dublin — a small neat town belonging to the Marquis of Downshire. A considerable portion of the inhabitants are members of the Society of Friends. The Honourable Mr. Cooley has property, worth three or four thousand a year, in the neighbourhood. Here we saw a Protestant school-house, erected and supported by that gentleman; it is attended also by several Catholic children.

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The Catholics and Protestants do not appear quite so sociable here as in some other places. A notion seems to prevail, that the former are endeavouring to make proselytes. It was stated moreover, that the Protestants consider the Catholics indifferent about going to chapel, not only on account of being unable to derive any benefit

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A few years ago, silver mines were partially worked on the property of the Marquis of Downshire, near the old castle. The Marquis also planted a field of mulberry trees near the town, with an intention of raising silk worms, and introducing the silk manufactory. I went to examine the ground, but not a vestige of the trees could be

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In the course of my walks I passed through the Roman Catholic grave-yard of Killaderry, which contains the tomb of "Father Mullens," of Philipstown. The inscription is "Andrea Mullen, Juvenit, 1818, aged 28." I was informed, at Philipstown, that he was a most benevolent and charitable

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The ride from Philipstown to Mount Mellick in Queen's county (a distance of fourteen miles) is uncommonly dreary — not a tree is to be seen, except a cluster of poor Scotch firs, bent by the unobstructed blast; and much of the land is poor and exhausted, not worth more than 10s. an acre. The roads were excessively bad, and in many places nearly impassable to that most abominable of all conveyances, on bad roads and in stormy weather, an Irish jaunting-car. As we approached Mount Mellick, the appearance of the country improved, and I had the pleasure of seeing one cottage that reminded me of England — it was ornamented with nasturtions and hollyhocks. The Slieve Bloom Mountains to the west of Mount Mellick present interesting outlines, and relieve the monotony of the dreary scene. The population of Mount Mellick is short of 5000, the Protestants and Catholics

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The Ballycommon and Mount Lucas bogs, near Philipstown, contain nearly 10,000 acres, no part of which exceeds five miles from the town. Nearly half the county is bog. This might be easily cultivated, and rendered very productive, particularly of tares, rape, turnips, and other green crops. It lies sufficiently high for complete drainage, and has a substratum of limestone, gravel, and clay, well fitted to consolidate the surface. The Grand

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The Incorporation of the Company for the improvement of waste lands, it is hoped, will be of essential use to Ireland. They would do well to commence by draining the bogs, and giving them a cover of clay, marl, or gravel, by means of a moveable railway, and leave the remaining operations to be executed by the small farmers, providing them, in the first instance, with a little manure and proper implements, at the same time opening an account with them on Mr. Blacker's principle. Some bog land in Lancashire, in the enclosure and cultivation of which I was engaged, though certainly not superior to a great portion of the bog of Allen, produces in some seasons as much as 55 bushels of good oats per acre. This peat moss, called bog in Ireland, in those parts where the surface had been dug off for fuel, was let at from 20s. to 25s. per acre. Where the improvement had proceeded no further than the cutting of the main drains, and the tenant had to clay or marl it, and break up

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On the 25th of November I bade a final farewell to Philipstown, and embarked in the swift boat which plies between Dublin and the Shannon. That evening, however, I proceeded no farther than Tullamoore, a distance of seven miles only, the fare for which was ninepence. The packet was spacious and conveniently fitted up, and drawn by three horses. I alighted at a spacious inn belonging to the Canal Company, and kept by Miss Purcil. The lateness of the day admitted of my seeing but little of the town. The Court-house is on a scale of considerable magnificence. In the centre, six tall Ionic columns support a pediment surmounted by the King's Arms; the floor is approached by a broad flight of steps; the wings are ornamented with elegant pilasters; and the whole building is remarkable for the beauty of its proportions. It is the work of Mr. Murray of Dublin.

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The upper streets of Tullamoore are wide, and lined with good houses. The town belongs to Lord Charleville, whose castle is in the immediate vicinity; the grounds surrounding it are said to he highly ornamented. On the banks of the canal are the ruins of Bally Ecouen Castle, and Shragh Castle; the latter erected by Briscoe, one of Queen Elizabeth's officers in 1588. Tullamoore has about 7000 inhabitants, and is a place of considerable trade in grain and linen. It has also a cotton and linen manufactory, two distilleries, two breweries, several water corn-mills, a County Infirmary, and a News-room.

I left Tullamoore for Limerick by the canal horse-boat at two o'clock in the morning. By this canal we pass for a considerable distance over the bog of Allen, some of which near Tullamoore is cultivated, and lets for 25s. per acre. There is an extensive trade in turf, which the numerous long stacks of black turf on the banks evince.

"The Grand Canal," says Mr. Fanning, in his evidence before the Committee of the House of Commons in 1830, "on the line from Dublin to

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At the ancient town of Banagher a stone bridge of eighteen arches crosses the Shannon, which we entered at Shannon Harbour: and three or four miles below the town, and at the point where the Birr river falls into the Shannon, are two towers

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The Pillar Tower and chapels on Holy Island in Scariff Bay are interesting objects. The tower appears to be of one diameter throughout, and its height is computed at 70 feet. The ruined chapels are said to be seven in number. The island contains about 56 acres, and is remarkable for its fertility and continual verdure.

Portumna is a place of considerable trade, and some of the best land lets for £5 an acre. The Shannon, which here extends into a noble sheet of water, is crossed by a wooden bridge of twelve arches, designed by S. Cox, of Boston in America. As we dashed through its foamy waters, and passed rapidly along its diversified shores and rocky islands, we felt the propriety of the terms applied by Inglis to this, the largest of British rivers. It is indeed "a river of billows — a river of dark mementos!" Here, adorned

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It was evening before we arrived at Killaloe, which is in the county of Clare, on the western bank of the river, and built in a commanding situation. The Shannon is here spanned by a bridge of nineteen arches. There is a fine salmon and eel fishery in the neighbourhood. The cathedral is small, but venerable from its antiquity, having

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After encountering considerable annoyance and danger at the rapids, in consequence of a storm that nearly overpowered the horses by which our boat was drawn, we reached Limerick at ten o'clock at night; and in company with two clergymen, who had come to attend an ordination on the following day, I took up my abode at the Clare Hotel. Here we found several other clergymen, brought together on the same business. Limerick is accounted the third city of importance in Ireland, and is indebted for much of its prosperity to the munificent exertions of the Rt. Hon. Spring Rice, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Its population is about 67,000, of whom one half are Protestants.

Limerick, like Edinburgh, consists of the old and new town; in the former, the streets are so narrow that persons may shake hands across them from the projecting upper-stories of the houses,

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Among the curiosities of the place, the Cathedral lays claim to particular notice. The original cathedral is said to have been founded in the sixth century, by St. Munchin, and was destroyed by the Danes. The present building rises from amidst

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Limerick possesses a Lunatic Asylum, conducted on the best principles, and established on an extensive scale; and a Hospital built at the

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No one who feels any regard for the character of a pious, learned, indefatigable, and peaceable minister of the gospel, can visit Limerick without remembering that it was for some years the residence of Dr. John Jebb, bishop of the diocese. This prelate, whose amiable virtues endeared him to men of all parties, was consecrated Bishop of Limerick in January 1823. By his own parishioners, Romanists and all, says one who venerated his name, the event was hailed with exultation. On his return to Abington, of which place he was the beloved minister, he was met on the borders of the parish by a multitude of the peasantry, who took the horses from his carriage, and drew him in triumph to the glebe. And, there, a still more striking testimonial awaited him. He was presented with an affectionate address from the Roman Catholics of Abington, drawn up by their own pastor, and with his signature at its head.¹⁹ And towards the close of

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Among other objects of interest in the neighbourhood of Limerick are the beautiful domains of the Earl of Dunraven; and Carragh, the residence of Sir Aubrey de Vere. Within the former are the ruins of the ancient castle of the Earls of Desmond, a name connected with one of the most gallant of England's poets, the unfortunate Earl of Surrey, and the far-famed object of his affection, the lady Geraldine. Carragh is said to be a

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Tarbert — Noticeable objects on the Shannon — Mount Trenchard — Droves of fattened pigs detained by the storm — View from near Tarbert House — Trade of Tarbert — State of the people in Lower Conello — Cabins, fuel, and clothing — Emigration — Middlemen — Prices of provisions — Blood of calves — Revengeful feelings of the peasantry, connected with the taking of land — Cabins — Conacre — The golden vein — Rent of land about Tarbert — Fuel — Mr. Maxwell Blacker — Lislactin Abbey — Listowel — Catholic devotees — Irish fights — Lixna Castle — Sir William Petty — Abbey O'Dorney — Tralee — The funeral cry — Ballyseedy — James O'Connell's estate — Castle Island — Arrival at Killarney.

From Limerick I went by steamer down the Shannon as far as Tarbert (situated at the north western corner of the county of Limerick), a distance of thirty-six miles, the fare being three shillings. After leaving the former place, the river gradually expands into a magnificent stream, its banks abounding with modern villas, old castles, and a variety of interesting objects that demand

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Opposite to Askeaton River, the Shannon, on the Clare side, expands into a large lake or bay, into which the waters of the Fergus, after leaving Ennis, and flowing in a southern direction, empty themselves. The bay averages three or four miles in width, and is interspersed with islands. Near Tarbert, the Shannon contracts to about the width of a mile, and forms a very safe anchorage; the building of a pier in this bay was contemplated some time ago.

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We landed on the north side of the Shannon amongst a drove of fattened pigs, which had been detained three days in consequence of the storm. They were in a pitiful condition; many of them could not stand, others walked on three legs, and all night long we were disturbed at the inn at Tarbert by the dismal screams of the poor animals, who adopted this vociferous method of lamenting the loss of their warm beds and comfortable meals, and of protesting against the uncivil proceedings of the people who loaded them on their flat carts, tying their legs to each end of the conveyances. The smell, the dirt, and the horrible noise, of this immense herd of swine, formed a sad drawback to the pleasure prepared for us in the romantic scenery of the Shannon.

I lost no time in making myself acquainted with the neighbourhood. I first walked to the church, a small structure on the hill, and afterwards through the town to an eminence near Tarbert House (the delightful residence of Mrs. Leslie), from whence I had a fine view of the lower part of the Shannon, expanding towards the west, and entering the sea

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From Tarbert there is a considerable export of grain, 3,000 stones per day being sent to Limerick, and seven or eight hundred pigs are sent every week, during the season, from Kerry to Limerick, by way of Tarbert. The harbour is very safe, and is well adapted for trade. The population is scarcely 1000.

In the barony of Lower Conello, in which Tarbert is situated, the principal food of the peasantry is potatoes; they sometimes have milk, never meat. Their eggs they sell, to buy soap and tobacco;

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According to the testimony of Messrs. Shire, Deely, and others, the cabins in this barony are in a wretched condition; the floors, which are of earth, being full of holes, and, after rain, exceedingly wet. They are, however, improved within

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During the last five years, emigration has been carried on to a considerable extent. About 300 went out of this barony in 1834. They consisted of a few large farmers, many small occupiers, and a great many labourers, and were for the most part good industrious men. "Last year," said one of the witnesses, Mr. Brown, "a considerable number of Palatines emigrated to America. The Palatines were originally German Protestant settlers, brought, I believe, in Queen Anne's time, and planted in villages in different parts of the country, having leases of land granted to them. They continue to this day distinct from the Irish population around them, living principally in their own hamlets, and not intermarrying with their neighbours." It was the opinion of the same

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Middlemen are usually more severe on their tenantry than proprietors, and many instances of conspiracies, on the part of under-tenants, against the middlemen, have lately occurred. The disposition to let to middlemen is, however, decreasing; there are very few landlords now who will give leases with power to sublet. "I do not think," said Mr. Brown, "that middlemen could exist in a good state of connexion between landlord and occupier; they are not liked by either. What forms the profit of the middleman, would, of course, if he were removed, go either in rent to the landlord, or in profit to the tenant."

I may here state, in addition to what was said in a foregoing page, that almost all the surface of the mountains, to the extent perhaps of 20,000 acres, is wet, but susceptible of both draining and tillage. Here is another field for the advantageous employment of human labour.

In the parish of St. Mary's, the property of the

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In the barony of Coshlea, in the southern part of the county, a witness of the name of Quinlan stated that he had often known labourers in May, June, and July, obliged to eat nettles, and the weed called prasagh; that he knew many labourers who had not more than one meal of potatoes for themselves and families in the twenty-four hours; and that they frequently retire from their work from mere exhaustion. Another witness, Denis Mahony, a butcher, stated that he had often sold a quarter of cattle, which had died of disease, for 5s.; and a policeman deposed, that at one period, when farmers bled their calves, the blood was given to labourers, who, such were

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These labourers, said a Mr. Adamson, are constrained to use the cheapest food, in order to accept the lowest wages. Corn food of course can never be introduced amongst the peasantry, so long as rents are raised, and wages depressed, by an unlimited competition for land and for employment. Yet grievous as are the effects of the employment of strangers, no cases of violence have resulted from the practice; though a few may be traced to causes

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The generality of cabins in the barony of Coshlea, contain no bedding, but straw or heath, and it is usual for several of the same family, sometimes as many as six, to sleep in the same bed. The furniture for the most part consists of a table, a stool, and some seats, called "bosses," made of straw.

The principal reason for taking conacre, or quarter ground (as it is called here), is that the occupier can grow his own food by his own labour,

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The people here, like the people in almost every other part of Ireland, are addicted to early marriages — the destitute and the comparatively well provided for, equally so; indeed, when a man gets a quarter of an acre of potato-ground, although obliged to borrow money to pay the preliminary expenses of the wedding, he reckons on having enough to keep a wife. "A man or woman," said one of the witnesses, "who has possession of land, can always command a great choice of spouses." One main inducement to marriage is the prospect of having a person to prepare their meals, and the still more remote prospect of assistance from children, when age comes upon the parents.

In this barony, Coshlea, there is a wide undulating plain of land, of the first quality, bounded on two sides by high mountains. The rich low land is chiefly occupied by dairy farmers, who

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The rent about Tarbert is from 25s. to 30s. per acre. Some good land about Glyn lets for 50s., in farms of from fifty to one hundred acres. The cess is more equal here than in many parts. The churchwardens call a vestry, and appoint thirteen of the parishioners, applotters, to value the land; the tithe-bill being taken as the basis.

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No coals are sold here; turf, which is abundant, being exclusively burnt. In my bed-room a large turf fire was piled up on the hearth, just before going to bed, without a fender or guard of any description.

From Tarbert to Tralee I travelled by a car which runs regularly between those places. A great extent of the land near the former town is occupied with grain. About four miles from Tarbert, near Ballylongford, is a large tract of college-property, leased by Mr. Maxwell Blacker, a barrister, and brother to Mr. William Blacker, of whom I have had frequent occasion to speak, and who may justly be designated the poor man's friend. Mr. Maxwell Blacker is a good landlord, and, finding the rents too high, he employed a valuer, and directed him to fix such a price on the farms as the tenants could afford. He pays for any improvements that may be made in draining and building. The cottages have a neat appearance, but the land is in wretched condition, and wants the assistance of his judicious brother.

About four miles to the west of Tarbert is Lislactin

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In the interval occupied by the changing of the horse at Listowell, I had an opportunity of taking a hasty survey of this neat little town, a great part of the road to which, by the bye, was over a barren and moorish country, but in the vicinity of limestone, and capable of improvement. Listowell contains an ancient castle, which in 1600 was taken by Wilmot; and its garrison, who fought for Lord Kerry, were put to the sword. This was the last castle that held out against Queen Elizabeth.

I walked into the Catholic chapel, where several persons, male and female, were kneeling at their devotions, and appeared so attentively engaged as not to be aware of my approach. The chapel and the castle are situated at the west side of a spacious square, from which the road descends to a handsome

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The Rev. Mr. Sands, the curate of Listowell, whom we overtook on the road and took up, informed us that party fights were very common in that part of Ireland, and very frequently occurred without any particular provocation. A short time ago, fourteen men were killed in one of these fights, and on inquiring of some of the others the cause of their hostilities, they assigned as the reason that their fathers and grandfathers had fought before them! Upon such slight and absurd grounds are contests based, that frequently end in the loss of many lives.

Six or seven miles from Listowell, on the right of the road to Tralee, stand the ruins of Lixna Castle, formerly the princely residence of the Earls of Kerry, and now the property of the Earl of Listowell. On the right is a monument raised in honour of one of the Earls of Kerry, and

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The distance from Listowell to Tralee is thirty-six miles, and the fare was only four shillings. Tralee, the county town of Kerry, has a population of 10,000, and is an improving place. There are some excellent streets, and the shops generally are handsome and well stocked. The land about the town is most of it in grass of the finest verdure, and although the limestone rocks appear in many places above the surface, the rent is from three to four pounds an acre. In descending the hill into Tralee, the bay, Kingshead, and the Amethyst Cliff, are seen to great advantage. From the bay, a fine valley or trough extends to the town; and through this valley a canal was in course of being cut, as no vessels, in the absence of such an artificial navigation, could approach within a mile of the town. The gentlemen of the neighbourhood of Tralee are said to be remarkable for their opulence, respectability, and public spirit. The castle here (lately taken down) belonged to the

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Here, for the first time, although I had been in Ireland three months, I heard the far-famed Irish funeral cry at a wake. I was passing the house in a car, and as soon as the vehicle stopped at the inn, I returned to the spot. The "keening" was up stairs, above a shoemaker's shop. The shouting — one of the most extraordinary combinations of noises I ever heard — only occurred when any fresh person entered the apartment, and, after a few minutes' duration, was suspended. The intervals between the vociferations were devoted to the discussion of whiskey and tobacco.

From Tralee we travelled due east to Castle Island (formerly called the Castle of the Island of Kerry), about ten miles. Ballyseedy, now occupied by Sir Edward Denny, is a wooded domain to the south of the road, and belongs to the Blennerhasset family; near to Ballyseedy is one of the

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We were now within twelve or thirteen miles of Killarney, a name with which are associated, all the world over, images and scenes of beauty. The road is uninteresting almost all the way, but this, so far from being a disadvantage, probably gives a keener relish for the delightful scenery that awaits the stranger. About two miles from the town of Killarney, the mountains that encompass these celebrated lakes first burst upon the view. We saw them to great advantage. The evening was remarkably clear; the sun had sunk behind Mac Gillycuddy's Reeks (so called, from an ancient chieftain family in the neighbourhood — still resident there), and their rugged outlines lay softly and yet distinctly traced upon a cloudless twilight of extraordinary tranquillity. This twilight was succeeded by the radiance of a lovely moon, and I enjoyed a ramble by its light among the new and interesting objects that surrounded Killarney.

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The Kenmare Arms, Killarney — Plans for exploring the neighbourhood — Ross Castle — Lead and Copper Mines — Scenery on the Lakes of Killarney — The Arbutus — Glena cottage — O'Sullivan's Punch-bowl — Dinis Island — The Eagle's Nest and Crane Mountain — Old Weir Bridge — Islands on the upper lake — O'Donoghue's Horses — Innisfallen — Return in the evening — Comparison of the Irish with the English Lakes — Agriculture of the district — Barony of Iveragh — Food of the labourers — Cowkeeping — Attachment of the tenantry to their native places — Crops — Butter and cheese — Cattle — Taxation — Manure — Cabins — Loan Society — Disadvantages of absenteeism — Lord Headley's property.

The only company I found at the Kenmare Arms, a very comfortable inn, was an elderly gentleman, whom I took for a clergyman, and a young gentleman from London. The latter, bound on the same errand as myself, agreed to accompany me on the following day in exploring the beauties of the neighbourhood. We accordingly devised a plan of operations for the morrow, and adopting the advice of Mr. Finn, the landlord, engaged a

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The lakes are more than a mile from Killarney. We were to embark at Ross Castle; and as my companion, who promised to follow, had not arrived, I beguiled the time by ascending the staircase of the ancient building, and had a view of the lake and several of its islands from the battlements. The castle is a lofty square building, and was formerly the royal residence of the Lords of the Lake, who bore the title of Kings. In 1652 it was defended by Lord Muskerry against an English force commanded by General Ludlow. This castle was the last place that held out against the English Parliament. In sailing by the shores of Ross Island, we passed near the lead and copper mines, supposed to have been worked at a very

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My young friend and I were now seated comfortably in a swift-sailing boat, with four muscular rowers and a helms-man, and abundance of excellent provisions, supplied by our attentive landlord. The waves were somewhat larger, and the motion of the boat was somewhat less steady, than we had expected, but our conductors assured us of safety, and we relied upon their experience and veracity. The day, though probably not such a one as we should have selected, was exactly the sort of day to set off the captivating scenery to the best advantage. The sun shone occasionally through showers of rain (and this, of itself, is one of the loveliest of sights, the small drops turning to gold as he smiles upon them)

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Passing Darby's Garden, we entered Glena Cottage, erected by Lord Kenmare, in the Gothic style of architecture, and surrounded by pleasure-grounds elegantly laid out. The cottage, however, does not seem to be sufficiently in keeping with the wild and natural look of the scenery about, to merit the ephithet "tasteful." According to my notions, it should have harmonized, instead of contrasting, with the character of the rugged and romantic neighbourhood. Another cottage has been built here by Lord Kenmare, and is devoted, with a praiseworthy liberality, to the accommodation of tourists and visitors. A heavy shower of rain coming on, we had an opportunity of feeling the benefit of his lordship's hospitality,

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The rain having subsided, we again embarked, passing Dinis Island, through a narrow channel, and then by a deep and sheltered basin, called O'Sullivan's Punch-bowl; all these places are peculiarly beautiful. Nothing perhaps can exceed the exquisite loveliness of the scenery about Dinis Island; and it is pleasant, when visiting it, to be informed, that the admiration of Sir Walter Scott was particularly excited by the charming peculiarities of this part of the lake. Dinis Island belongs to Mr. Herbert, who has also shown his

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The middle and lower lake are connected with the upper by a rocky channel, more than two miles in length, and flanked by a long range of rugged mountains, one of which is called the Eagle's Nest, in consequence of being the favourite building-place of that royal bird. This mountain is about 1300 feet in height, and of beautiful outline: it is connected with Crane Mountain, which is apparently much higher. The gracefully sloping sides of these hills are covered with arbutus and other luxuriant shrubs, down to the very water's edge; the woody raiment gradually disappearing towards the top — and the summit, grey with rugged rocks, being left quite bare. On entering this romantic channel, a rude bridge (Old Weir Bridge) had to be passed. Usually, the rowers abandon their oars, and drag the boat through by ropes, the opposing current being generally so strong as to render the passage by rowing impracticable. I was not aware of this; and was surprised to observe the men throw off

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The passage into the upper lake, not more than thirty feet wide, goes by the name of Coleman's Leap. In returning, visitors usually mistake a narrow passage at Coleman's Eye for the channel connecting the higher and lower lakes, and wagers are often made to depend upon the course taken. I, like the rest of strangers, took the

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Innisfallen owes the extensive fame it has acquired, partly to its remarkable fertility, partly to the magnificent trees which ornament it, and partly also to its beautiful marble and the remains of its ancient abbey. It is said to excel in fertility any island in Europe; in beauty, it can scarcely be surpassed. In summer it must be exquisite indeed — a little world of silvan seclusion. The hollies and the ashes are of extraordinary magnitude: one of the former, at four feet from the ground, measured fourteen feet in circumference; and an ash, at two feet from the ground, girthed 35 feet. The cattle and sheep, which are fed upon the island in great numbers, are taken care of by a herdsman residing on the spot; who also acts as Cicerone when parties visit the luxuriant solitude. The surface of Innisfallen is rough, and though so

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As we returned, the moon rose brightly over Ross Castle from her throne of clouds, lighting up our path with sparkling beams, and touching the gentle ripples with a silver radiance. Occasionally the rowers chanted in their native language a favourite national song, resting on their dripping oars. Ross Castle, rendered still darker by being thrown into the shade, was our landmark, and formed a romantic finish to the scenery of this most interesting and memorable day.

Having now seen the Lakes of Killarney, I was enabled to draw a comparison for myself between them and the rest of the Irish Lakes, and the celebrated lakes of the north of England. Lough Neagh, the largest of all the Irish lakes, would be altogether uninteresting, were it not for its immense extent, and for the pebbles, the petrifactions, and the plants, that are scattered upon its shores. Lough Erne, the next in size, certainly surpasses Windermere, as a lake; in the neighbourhood of which art and nature are united with

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I took sketches of the Eagle's Nest, and Crane Mountains, the Old Weir Bridge, O'Donaghue's Prison, and Mac Gillicuddy's Reeks; but as no

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The agriculture of the district around Killarney has little to recommend it. There are no turnips, rape, or clover. The potatoes are planted in beds, by the spade (lime being applied the preceding autumn), and are followed by wheat, oats, or barley. The land is then again manured for potatoes. I was gratified to find that the farmers keep a few sheep, and manufacture their own cloth. They also cultivate some flax, which affords them the enjoyment of spinning at home; it is then sent to be woven. Farmers of sixty or eighty acres keep about twenty cows, and their rent is

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The Assistant Commissioners state that in the barony of Iveragh, which lies on the coast, to the west of Killarney, and is a mountainous district of poor land, bounded by the sea, and deeply indented by fine bays and inlets, running far in amongst the mountains, the food of the peasantry consists almost entirely of potatoes and salt; all other things being considered superfluities. They eat some fish occasionally, but sell their eggs. If a wife gives eggs to her family, she boasts of it. The labourers, even when employed, get only two meals a day. For the daily consumption of a family consisting of a man, his wife and three or four children, 42 lbs. of potatoes are required to keep them in health and strength; but this was above the average consumed by families of that size. In scarce seasons, it was stated, they would eat the flesh of cattle that die of disease, but they seldom are blessed with the opportunity.

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It appears, from the account given of this part of the country by Dr. Smith, in his History of Kerry, that the poor were better circumstanced when he wrote in 1756. — "The soil," he observes, "affords them milk, butter, potatoes, with a few oats; and their sheep and cattle which die by the rigour of the winter, supply wool and leather, which they work up into frieze coats and brogues." The new potatoes are not fit for food till the beginning of August, and during the interval that elapses between the consumption of the old ones and the new being ready, the cottages are often deserted by their inmates turning out to beg. Potatoes have been reduced to meal, for the purpose of preserving them, but the experiment was said to have failed. The people, from habit partly, and partly because, to use the words of one of the witnesses, "they like the feeling of fulness which they experience after eating quantities of potatoes," generally prefer them to bread, as a permanent food. "If," said the same witness, "I were to offer a man his choice for one meal, he would say bread; but if for a week, he would rather live on

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Farms, said Mr. Fitzgerald, are usually let in common, amongst a number of small holders; half a dozen, or more, occupying specified quantities of the same farm, and paying separate rents to the landlord, according to the number of cows each is allowed to keep. If one of these tenancies becomes vacant, a new tenant is put in by the landlord, at the same rent as the preceding occupier paid. The new tenant could not well have his rent raised (it being calculated at so much a cow), without raising the rent also of all the old tenants, who hold cow-keepings on the same farm. The tenants agree amongst themselves what land each shall cultivate. The attachment of the tenantry to their native places is extraordinary, in a great number, perhaps in a majority of instances, interfering greatly with the advancement of their interests. It was stated by one witness that "they would rather remain in wretchedness at home, than go, with a prospect of a fair provision,

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The greater part of the barony of Iveragh, consisting of about 99,540 statute acres, is mountain, pasture, and wet bog. There are some thousand acres of wet bog. Not one twentieth part of the barony is tilled; much of the rest might be brought into cultivation, but roads would of course be necessary. Within the last twenty years, a good deal of hill and grazing land has been brought into cultivation, and the same process is going on daily. There is at present, according to the evidence of Mr. James O'Connell and others, sufficient uncultivated land in the barony to employ all the labourers for many years. The district does not produce good wheat; summer fallows and the roller are unknown. The

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The butter which is made here, is, for the most part, of third-rate quality. After each churning, it is laid in a heap on a flag, and increased until sufficient is collected to fill a firkin; this, with small farmers, is a work of from two to six weeks. It is not salted till put into the firkin. The principal market is Cork, but a great deal is sold at Tralee and Killarney. As for cheese, but little is made, and very little used in Kerry, or indeed in any part of Ireland.

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The Kerry breed of cattle, being particularly hardy, are said to suit the district; they live on steep and hard ground. The value of a good bull is about £2! — the price of a good breeding cow from three to four pounds. Heifers calve at three years old. All cattle are housed in winter. The smallest farmers keep them in their own cabins.

The taxation per acre in this barony is about 10 per cent on the rent; the grand-jury cess has been regularly increasing, being double what it was in 1813. Parish-cess is done away with. Tithes are charged on the rents, and average about 5 per cent. There is no tithe-free property in the barony, except a little glebe land.

Lime is too distant and dear to be commonly used for agricultural purposes: there is none nearer than Killorglin, twenty-eight miles distant. The small farmers carry sea-weed and sea-sand some miles from the shore, on their own backs and on asses, and great pains are taken to collect heath, furze, and fern, to put in the cattle yard for manure. The sea-weed on the shore and rocks is reserved for the neighbouring farmers, but that

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In the barony of Trughenackmy, a little to the north of Killarney, the average of wages is 6d. a day, with diet; but one of the witnesses examined, a Mr. Husey, stated that in summer, when employment is scarce, many men may be had for no other remuneration than a few potatoes and milk twice a day. The cabins in this barony are generally without pig-sties — the pig, when there is a pig, lives, like one of the children, in the house. The cost of erecting a cabin was stated to be £2. 10s. 6d., reckoning the door and timber at £1. 4s. 6d., and the labour and straw at £1. 6s.

In respect of the system of pawning, one of our rowers said that his jacket was then in pawn; though worth 7s. 6d., he should get only 2s. 6d. The pawnbroker, he added, if the articles sell for

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In this barony, nine-tenths of the whole property are held directly from the proprietors in fee, without the intervention of middlemen. Trinity College has a considerable property near Killarney. The tenants of land held under non-resident landlords, were stated by some of the witnesses here to be in a decidedly worse condition than those who hold land under resident proprietors: "for instance," said Mr. Chute, "if I apply to my landlord's agent for any facility which I may require to improve my farm in any respect, he states that he has no power to grant it me, and refers me to a landlord, living at a distance, who knows but little of the circumstances; he refers me back to the agent, and, between the two, I get nothing done." When proprietors receive their own rents, they do not receive agents' fees in addition; but in signing leases, the agent, or the family of the landlord, often require compliments to be made. Tenants

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Journey from Killarney to Millstreet — The Cloghreen Mountain — The Paps — Irish funeral procession — Singular defence of absenteeism — The Kerry sheep and pigs — Macroom — The River Lee — Journey to Cork — Cork — Black Rock Castle — Picturesque banks of the Lee — Trade of Cork — Lloyd's Hotel — Kilcolman Castle — Spenser and the Fairie Queene — The meeting between Sir Walter Raleigh and Spenser — Fair-day at Mitchellstown — Wages and Rents — The Kingston caves — The Knockmeledown Mountains — Cave of Oonakareaglisha — Lord Glengall's estates — Ride from Rathcormack.

From Killarney to Millstreet, in the county of Cork, I travelled in an open car with the elderly gentleman before mentioned, whom I discovered to be, not a clergyman, but a landowner going to receive the rents of his estates in the county of Tipperary. I found him, notwithstanding the infirmity of deafness with which he was afflicted, an agreeable, communicative companion, and well acquainted with the country through which we passed.

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After leaving Killarney, the character of the country for a few miles is very fruitful and pleasing. To the south of the road, the river Flesk passes through a valley of good land, and, receiving the mountain waters for about ten miles east of Killarney, flows into the lower lake near Ross Island. Several old churches and castles adorn and diversify the scenery. The Cloghreen Mountain is an interesting object. It seemed to be a series of immense steps or right angled indentures, ascending as far as the mist, which enveloped the upper part of this and the Killarney range of hills, allowed us to see. The Paps, also, two finely rounded hills meeting at the bases, are seen to the right, having each a cairn at the summit.

Before reaching Millstreet I met a regular Irish funeral procession, the first I had seen. The horse which drew the car containing the coffin, was led by a man. The vehicle had the appearance of a triumphal car. The canopy was painted in gaudy colours, and decorated with curtains; one female mourner sat at the head, and another at the foot of the coffin, venting their real

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1. The pious maids their mingled sorrows shed,
   And mourn the living Hector as the dead.

1. Alternately they sing, alternate flow
   The obedient tears, melodious in their woe.

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My companion and I parted at Millstreet, where I learned that his name was Hodgson, that he lived at Bantry, and had estates there as well as in Limerick. One advantage attributed by him to absenteeism, struck me as somewhat ingenious: he said that proprietors, by living away from their estates, see the improvements of other countries, and import them to their own districts. This would be a valid defence of absenteeism, provided absenteeism were merely temporary, or that the majority of the absentees, which is certainly not the case, feel the interest ascribed to them by Mr. Hodgson, and exert themselves, as he implied,

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The Kerry sheep are curious-looking animals; many of them having been very lately shorn (though late in December), had no wool except a large tuft on each cheek. I observed sheep in a similar condition on the mountains of Lough Conn, and learnt that it was a common practice in those parts of the country to shear them twice a year. They

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The country around Millstreet is romantic and

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The rent of land in the vicinity of Macroom, is from 15s. to 20s. per acre; the cess 3s.; lime, which is of excellent quality, is from 1s. 2d. to 1s. 8d. per barrel, of rather more than 2 bushels.

About four miles from Macroom we crossed the river Lee which runs through Cork, and is indebted for its waters to the mountains of Muskerry and the lake of Inchegelagh. We afterwards had it

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The country between Macroom and Cork is uneven and rocky, and bog prevails in the valleys. Lime is much used; and by the road-side I observed large depots of finely-veined limestone, a

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I arrived at Lloyd's Hotel in Cork too late to see anything of the city that evening; in the morning, however, I rose early, perambulated the streets in several directions, and walked to the Barracks, situated on an eminence from which an extensive view of the city is commanded. After paying a visit to the marble quarries, I proceeded along the Mardike, a celebrated promenade, a mile in length, lined on both sides with elms, and crossed the river by a ferry to the north-west part of the town. In the street opposite the ferry is an ancient stone well called Sunday's Well. From hence I mounted the hill to Blair's Castle, from the top of which I had an extensive view of the city, the river, and the adjacent scenery. Cork is admirably situated, and is a picturesque city. The banks of the river are formed into gently swelling hills, well wooded, and interspersed with buildings, gardens, lawns, and pleasure grounds. The old part of the city

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This splendid city is not without that which every Irish town possesses — its numerous company of wretched cabins; but, unlike the rest of Irish towns, which generally have these miserable dwellings in the suburbs, Cork has collected them in the very centre of her populous community, but in a part through which there is no very public thoroughfare; and it is quite possible that a stranger, unless in search of the abodes of the poor, might miss them altogether, and leave Cork with an impression that it contained proportionably a smaller share of misery than other places. Nay, indeed, a person might reside here for months, and even years, without suspecting that Cork was not, in every part, a peculiarly neat, comfortable, and prosperous city. I, however, forced myself among these narrow filthy streets, and equally filthy habitations, the broken windows and doors of which, together with a variety of other infallible evidences of wretchedness and destitution, too plainly informed me that Cork, though she made

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In one of the cars, here, appropriately enough, called "jingles," I visited Black Rock Castle, from whose battlements I had a fine view of the broad river, upon which vessels of various sizes moved to and fro, giving the interest of life and activity to a scene that could not fail to be charming under any circumstances. As far as the eye can reach, the banks of the Lee preserve their picturesqueness, and are studded with mansions of different degrees of pretension and beauty, surrounded with richly wooded parks, or smaller, but scarcely less attractive pleasure-grounds. I counted no fewer than thirty of these mansions. It was indeed a rich and gratifying prospect. On

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The Quay, which can be reached by vessels of 150 tons burthen, presented a busy and animated scene. Several vessels lay near it, and, in the adjacent warehouses, great activity prevailed. The exports of Cork are, linens, butter, pork, beef, flour, cattle, and eggs — 50 tons of the latter being frequently put on board one steamer at a time, and from 1000 to 1200 pigs exported in one

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At Ringabella, near the harbour's mouth, lead mines are worked; and within a quarter of a mile from Cloghnakilty, 24 miles to the south-west of

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Cork is certainly a splendid city. Its situation, the general picturesqueness of its appearance from a distance, its streets, shops, inhabitants, and trade, surpassed, in my estimation, any other city or town in Ireland, not excepting Dublin. Delighted as I was with what I saw, much yet remained for me to see. Among other things of interest, Cork contains a Royal Literary Institution, with Library, Museum of Minerals, and Agricultural Implements; a Society of Arts, and a well-conducted county Jail. On leaving Lloyd's Hotel, I found at the bottom of my bill an invitation in these words, "Please come again." I have not an opportunity of giving an opinion of the inns in Cork generally; but if Lloyd's may be taken as a favourable specimen of the rest, I should have no hesitation whatever in recommending

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At a short distance from Fermoy, on the right of the road to Cahir, are the ruins of the Carrickabrick Castle, and Cloughleagh Castle in Moor Park estate; the latter of these belongs to Lord Mountcashell.

Between Kilworth and Mitchellstown the land is exceedingly poor, and as badly managed as it is poor. A few miles from the former place, on the left of the road, are the ruins of Kilcolman Castle, celebrated as the residence of Edmund Edmund Spenser. This great poet first visited Ireland in the summer of 1580, as Secretary to Lord Grey, on his being appointed Lord Lieutenant; but two years afterwards, Lord Grey being recalled, Spenser returned with him to England. In the year 1586, the poet received from Queen Elizabeth a grant of 3028 acres of the forfeited lands of the Earl of Desmond, and returned to Ireland to cultivate them — this being one of the conditions of the grant. He took up his residence at Kilcolman Castle, where he composed several of his poems; among others,

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At Kilcolman Castle, this illustrious man was visited by one of the most distinguished of his contemporaries, Sir Walter Raleigh

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It was the fair-day at Mitchellstown when we passed through it, and we had an opportunity accordingly of seeing great numbers of the country

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The labourers here, when employed, have sixpence per day and diet. The single men go to Mitchellstown on a Sunday to hire for the week, and get 1s. 6d. or 2s. and diet, per week. For a house and garden they pay from thirty to five-and-thirty shillings; for conacre-ground, £5 per acre. The ready-money price of potatoes is 3d., the credit price 5d. per stone; the price of pork is 2 3/4d. per lb.

Nearly opposite Clogheen are the remarkable Kingston Caves, which were discovered five or six years ago by a labourer who was getting stone on the surface. These caverns are extremely curious; the principal one is reached by a descent

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This part of the country, though barren and wild, is rendered interesting by the Knockmeledown Mountains, on the border of the county of Waterford on the right, and the magnificent Galtee Mountains on the left. Shanbally Castle (the property of Lord Lismore), surrounded by noble hills, their slopes ornamented with wood, is seen on a beautiful bank on the right: and near this delightful spot, and not more than

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The land adjoining the left of the road is moory and badly cultivated; no little green patches of turnips, rape, or clover, greet the eye; no small allotments of land, as in Armagh and Tyrone. The want of these blessings is evident; for although Lord Glengall, who is the owner, and a resident, has built respectable cottages for labourers, they have every appearance of misery; and hoards of ragged children turned out as we passed, and followed our car for a long way, in hopes of obtaining a few half-pence. Under its present culture, the ground barely returns the seed potatoes; if managed according

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The whole of the ride from Rathcormack affords great variety and interest; abounding in gloomy ruins of ancient castles, and in mountains of curious and picturesque appearance.

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Approach to Cahir — The Castle — Lord Glengall's cottage at Kilcommon — Cahir — Tipperary — Mr. Bolton, Lord Stanley's agent — Description of his lordship's estates — Peaceable disposition of the people — Lord Stanley's character as a landlord — Produce and prices — Burial of the dead — Outrages — Unwholesome potatoes — "Driving" — Conacre — Withdrawal of capital — Dairy farms — Agriculture of the district — Golden Bridge — Thomastown — Lady Malpeson — Ancient Castles — Arrival at Cashel — Land-agent of Sir John Fitzgerald — Obsequious manners of the tenants — Visit to the ruins.

The immediate approach to Cahir is distinguished by immense barracks, so large, indeed, that I mistook them for the town itself. The most remarkable object on entering the town, is Cahir Castle, the property of Lord Glengall. This ruin is exceedingly interesting, and of great antiquity, having been originally built, I believe, in the year 600, by Conan, king of Thomond, and monarch of Ireland. It rises from the rocky bed

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At Kilcommon, about two miles down the river, Lord Glengall has an ornamental cottage, situated on a knoll covered with arbutus, laurels, and a variety of choice shrubs and plants, interspersed with lawns and bowers. This enchanting spot is close to the river, across which I was ferried by an ancient dame. The cottage is very tastefully decorated with ivy, woodbine, and roses, the roof being of the neatest thatch, and the floors inlaid with walnut, intermixed with other woods of various colours. As a display of ingenuity and skilful workmanship,this cottage merits the highest encomiums; but its chief interest is attributable to the extreme beauty of the surrounding country — being planted in an ever verdant valley, watered

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Cahir is a prettily situated town. Some extensive flour mills upon the river are conspicuous objects, and give an air of importance to the place. The people, however, are poor, and the labourers not fully employed. Wages, in harvest and potato time, for about a fortnight, amount to 10d. or 1s. per day, at other times employment is not easily obtained. The best white wheat was selling at 1s. per stone, and oats at 7 3/4d. The produce of an acre of wheat was stated to be 5 1/2 barrels of 20 stones, and of oats 7 barrels.

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At Tipperary, the population of which is from seven to eight thousand, I took up my abode at Barry's Hotel, and the next morning proceeded in an old gig, driven by a man with little more than half a coat, to the residence of Mr. Bolton, Lord Stanley's agent at Ballykisteen or Goaterstown, three or four miles from the county town. Mr. Bolton, whom I was fortunate in finding at home, supplied me with a horse, and accompanied me round the estates. The land is of excellent quality, being part of the golden vein of Ireland — a district reaching from Tipperary towards Limerick. The extent of the golden vein is about fourteen miles long, by six or seven wide, and the soil varies in depth. In the particular spot which I examined, and which was stated by Mr. Bolton to be equal to any in fertility, it was fourteen inches deep, and of fine free garden mould, of a dark brown colour, upon a subsoil of lighter coloured loam, mixed with fragments of limestone. In many parts, the same

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Lord Stanley has the character of a good and kind landlord; some years ago he remitted the rent of several of his tenants, and gave them money to enable them to go to America. He also endeavours to compensate for his unavoidable

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It is not many years, Mr. Bolton informed me, since some of the farmers considered manure in the light of a nuisance; all, however, have now discovered their mistake, and admit its utility. The produce of grain in this district is equal to that of any land in Ireland; of wheat, it is eight barrels per acre; oats, from ten to twelve. Garden ground near Tipperary lets for eight guineas per acre. Farms of fifty or a hundred acres, six miles from the town, are worth 40s. per acre: arable land, beyond that distance, lets for from 25s. to 30s. per acre. For a plot of bog,

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Many instances of great destitution and misery were related to me. Mr. Bolton mentioned a

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Only two outrages, I learnt, had been committed for a considerable time: one was upon Mr. Banner, of Banshaw, a Protestant Rector, whose servant was suspected of assaulting him; the other, upon the person of Mr. White of Goulden, near Cashel, because he had pressed for tithes; several shots were fired in at the window, and he had a narrow escape.

In the examination of the barony of Middlethird, which lies nearly equi-distant from Cahir, Cashel, and Tipperary, it was given in evidence,

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In the month of July it is customary for the "driver" to go round, and take a list of pigs and stock of the tenant. The tenant must account to the landlord for the sale of the pigs, and further give up to the driver the ticket of his corn. It is

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Many of the farmers are in the habit of paying their servants by letting them conacre. The average produce of an acre of potatoes is 60 barrels of 21 stones (14 lbs. to the stone), and the greatest usual crop is 80 barrels, without calculating the small potatoes reserved for seed and pigs. When the produce of the conacre is not worth the rent, starvation or begging is the necessary consequence. The labourer is not allowed to surrender his crop in lieu of rent, though he should thereby forfeit seed and labour.

It did not appear that any instances of the withdrawal of capital had occurred in consequence of the dreadful outrages which were detailed; though, according to the testimony of Mr. Clarke, a magistrate, there were several who would be glad to do so, provided they could get what they had expended on their lands. The same gentleman declared, that if he could sell his own property for the capital which he had invested

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In confirmation of the opinion that many of the outrages committed are attributable to want of employment, one of the witnesses stated, that some years ago the parish of Dullymaine Fethard was very much disturbed, but that since a gentleman, who employs from forty to fifty labourers daily, has settled there, it has become one of the most peaceable places in the county.

But few labourers are employed by the dairy farmers. They employ a woman to every ten cows. The quality of the butter is good; it is always packed up after each churning, and is sold at Clonmell. The common Irish cow being considered the most hardy, is the favourite. Stall-feeding is not practiced in the district. Rent has been reduced of late years, to the amount of 20 or 30 per cent; many landlords have made reductions, and those who have not, dare not receive the whole stipulated rent.

A large part of the barony of Middlethird is a

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The course of cropping is uniformly severe. Potatoes, wheat, and oats, form the series, and it is repeated, if the land will bear it. Potatoes are manured, and perhaps limed; want of manure forms the great deficiency of all farmers, and this chiefly arises from the quantity of ground annually set with potatoes. The farmers state that they employ a man to every eight or ten statute acres ploughed. The warm and moist climate of Tipperary is favourable to the production of a superabundance of luxuriant grass, and causes the meadows and pastures to appear superior in quality to what they probably

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Being desirous of reaching Cashel during daylight, I was obliged to leave Mr. Bolton's much sooner than either his hospitality or my own inclination would have suggested. I returned in the same old, rattling, dirty gig in which I went; it was tied together with cords, and conducted by the tattered driver; but the horse now presented the rare disposition of cheerfulness; and the grotesque

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Near to Golden Bridge, over which we crossed the Suire, is Athassel Abbey. Thomastown, a small village composed of many neat cottages, and gardens, with climbing shrubs in front, pleased me greatly. This village owes most of its advantages to the benevolence of Lady Elizabeth Malpeson (sister to the Earl of Llandaff), whose unceasing attention to the wants and comforts of the poor, entitles her to be ranked among the

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Close to the road are the ruins of two ancient castles. Ireland is indeed the land of castles, whose ruined walls but too well correspond with the devastation that man has caused his brother man in this most interesting but harrassed country.

It was night before I arrived at Cashel, but the moon, mingling with a sweet twilight, showed to great advantage the magnificent ruins of the Abbey, the Cathedral, the Pillar Tower, and Chapel, that are piled upon its celebrated rock.

On reaching the inn, I was conducted to an apartment where a gentleman, a land-agent, was receiving rents for Sir John Fitzgerald. He

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The business of the agent being concluded, we became better acquainted, and I found him to be an agreeable and affable gentleman. We dined and spent the evening together, and as I had not visited the ruins on the hill, and, having to leave Cashel at two o'clock in the morning, we engaged guides with lights for the purpose of inspecting the interior.

Our way lay through dark passages and cloistered aisles — among Saxon and Norman arches, perfect and ruined, and of every variety of size — and over fragments of sacred architecture, now prostrate on the ground. Cormac's Chapel, so called from the founder, Cormac-Mac-Culinan, King of Munster, and Archbishop of Cashel in the tenth century, is the most ancient of this venerable group of ruins, and is an exceedingly interesting place. Some of the stone-work is elaborately and very beautifully executed, and

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Donald O'Brien, brother of Morough O'Moore, King of Munster, was the founder of the present Cathedral, A.D. 1169. St. Patrick is said to have founded the first church: it is also said

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The Episcopal Palace is said to contain the celebrated Psalter of Cashel, in the Irish tongue, compiled about the year 900, by the previously-mentioned Corinac-Mac-Culinan, King and Archbishop of Cashel.

A short distance from the rock, are the remarkably fine ruins of Hore Abbey. The town (formerly the city) of Cashel lies round one side of this remarkable rock. In 1320 it was inclosed by a wall, and was an important and populous place. The town now contains only 7000 inhabitants, and retains but little of its former importance.

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Departure from Cashel — The Garden of Ireland — Urlingford and Johnstown — Round Tower of Fertagh — Castle Durrow — Brockley Park — Athy — Kildare — St. Bridget's perpetual fire — Round Tower of Kildare — Old Kilcullen — Quaker Settlement — Naas — Palmerstown — Bishop's Court — Oughterard Round Tower — Rathcoole — Account of Irish Castles — Return to Dublin — Mr. Petrie's museum of Irish antiquities — Round Towers — Vaults of St. Michan's church — Bodies preserved — Departure from Dublin — Military Road — Lough Bray — Arrival at Roundwood — Anecdote of Sterne — Glendalough and the Seven Churches — Kathleen and St. Kevin — The Conaderry Mountain — The Seven Churches — Singular tradition — St. Kevin's Kitchen — Glenmalure — Lead mines — Vale of Ovoca.

After visiting these interesting ruins I left Cashel by mail, being obliged to meet the Board in Dublin on a stated day. The moonlight afforded me a partial view of the country — just sufficient, and only just sufficient, to make me wish that I could have seen more of it. Killough Hill and its Castle, the property of Lord Plunkett, were occasionally discernible on the left, rising out of the vast bog that surrounds them. The extraordinary

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For a considerable distance the road lies over a dreary bog — part of the extensive Bog of Allen. After entering the county of Kilkenny, we passed through Urlingford, a small village containing the ruins of an Augustine convent founded in 1306; and thence through Johnstown, a small post-town of Kilkenny, of about 900 inhabitants. The Round Tower of Fertagh, to the left, appears to be cylindrical, and does not taper upwards, like most of these structures. The height, according to Ledwich, is 112 feet; the width 48 feet; and the thickness of the walls, 3 feet 8 inches. The door is ten feet from the ground. From the road, the tower appears to be situated on a plain of some miles of dreary moor.

We passed the domain and fine woods of Lord Ashbrook, of Castle Durrow — the wood extending for three miles — and breakfasted at Stradbally, the country about which place is beautiful, fertile,

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The town of Athy (in the county of Kildare) stands on the river Barrow, which takes its rise about the bogs of Philipstown, flows through Carlow and Ross, and joins the Suire below Waterford. Athy has the advantage also of the Grand Canal, and passage-boats to Dublin and Waterford. The town, on the left of which stand the

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Passing through Old Kilcullen, an ancient place, once fortified with a wall and seven gates, one only of which remains, an old grave-yard and one of the round towers attract attention. The tower is only about half its original height.

Three miles north of Old Kilcullen, is the market town of Kilcullen, on the river Liffey. A lease of the abbey and lands was granted to Spenser in 1582. On the hills, north of the town, General Dundas defeated the insurgents in 1798, and a green mound on the road side was pointed out to me as the place where the slain were buried. Castle Martin, and several other seats are seen in the neighbourhood.

We passed within a short distance of Ballytore, of which Leigh remarks, "Quakers settled this rural site on the banks of the river Gris; and, as in other Quaker and Moravian settlements in this kingdom, they studied the neat improvement of hedge-row avenues, rising out of well trimmed

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The town of Naas lay in our way; it is on elevated ground, was once fortified with strong castles, and was the residence of the kings of Leinster. Its name implies, "the place of the Elders." In the vicinity of the town is a ruined castle, belonging to the Duke of Leinster. Jigginstown House is also a short distance from Naas; it was built by the Earl of Strafford. This mansion, I have been informed, was upon a splendid scale; the extravagance imputed to the Earl in erecting it, formed one of the charges against him.

Near Johnstown, about sixteen miles from Dublin, is Palmerstown, the ancient family seat of the Earl of Mayo; to the left, and about a mile further, Bishop's Court, a splendid place belonging to Lord Ponsonby. Oughterard Round Tower, which has only 25 feet in height now remaining, is also seen to the left: and a little nearer Dublin is the Hill of Lyons, rising out of a comparatively flat country,

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At Rathcoole, in the county of Dublin, a poor town, I observed, as well as in many of the Irish towns, at almost every door a board inscribed with the word "BEDS," in large and distinct characters. The appearance of the houses to which this notification was affixed, was generally such as to justify a doubt whether they could supply even the fraction of a bed to the regular inmates — to say nothing of strangers.

About six miles from Dublin the Tower of Clondalkin rises picturesquely from amidst trees. The height of this tower, which appears to curve inward from the base, is said to be 84 feet. Newlands, Lord Kilwarden's, and the ruins of an old castle, we passed on the right, and reached the Dublin Post-office at two o'clock on the 4th of November.

Ledwich thus accounts for the abundance of castles in Ireland — "The colonization of this Isle by English settlers was a scheme steadily pursued for many centuries, and particularly by

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At Dublin I obtained my release from the Board, and had an opportunity of making myself more particularly acquainted with some of the details of that interesting city. I was fortunate also in being introduced to several scientific and well-informed persons of different professions, one of

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According to Ledwich, Ireland contains sixty-five of these remarkable structures; but several others, which he has not particularized, might be added to the number. They are from 70 to 130 feet in height, and from 41 to 55 feet in circumference, outside; the thickness of the walls varying from 3 to nearly 5 feet. The doors are generally from 10 to 20 feet from the ground, and cannot be entered without stooping. Volumes have been written upon the subject of these extraordinary enigmas; each writer starting his own favourite conjecture, pursuing it with zealous enthusiasm, and surrounding it with as much learning and ingenuity

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I was desirous, before leaving Dublin, to visit the vaults under St. Michan's Church, situated in Church-street; and, being politely furnished by the Rev. T. R. Shore with a note to the sexton, who has the custody of the keys, I proceeded, in the company of that dignified official, who provided lights, to survey one of the most extraordinary exhibitions that can be presented to the curiosity of a stranger. On each side of the cold and dreary passage along which we walked, vaults are ranged; some of these are securely locked by the owners; of others my companion possessed the keys, and into several we entered. The sight was an astonishing

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On the 21st of November, 1836, I again left Dublin, and took a car to Roundwood, a distance of about twenty-six miles, the charge for which was 20s. — the driver's fee being usually from a penny to three halfpence an English mile. We took the military road through the centre of the county of Wicklow, over a most dreary district of

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The Rev. Mr. Wright informs us, that the rebellion of 1798 disturbed the industrious habits of the country so materially, that government thought it expedient to erect barracks, and place garrisons in the very centre of the fastnesses of Wicklow, in order to prevent the outlaws from keeping possession, and to hold the mountaineers in awe. The sites chosen were Glencree, Laragh, Glenmalure, and Aughavanagh. The buildings once raised, it became necessary to form modes of approaching, of a more practicable nature than the mountain pathways; to effect this, a regiment of Highland fencibles was directed in 1799 to encamp

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Passing the little cottage or lodge, and a road that leads to Lough Bray, fifteen miles from Dublin, we ascended the military road for a mile; when, on turning round to halt — no uncommon practice in walking up long and laborious hills — we unexpectedly discerned the Lough, and had to retrace our steps down the hill. We entered the grounds of Mr. Latouche, close by the small neat

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On approaching the borders of Wicklow, the soil becomes moory, and, proceeding southward, there is scarcely a vestige of cultivation. The subsoil is principally a sandstone gravel and clayey sand, mixed with pieces of quartz of the purest white. At the meeting of four roads beyond Lough Bray, we left this smooth military road, to encounter unexpected difficulties; we took a south-easterly direction, by a road that in many places was merely the bare bog, into which the horse and car sunk, and there

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In the morning, we took advantage of the car on which our companions at Roundwood came the preceding day, and at their recommendation retraced their route. Passing through the hamlet of Anamoe, we crossed the river which flows from Lough Dan. It is related of Lawrence Sterne, that when a boy, he fell through the mill here, when the wheel was going, and was taken out unhurt. We next passed the barrack of Laragh, to the vale of Glendalough and the Seven Churches. At a small inn, close to the Seven Churches, we put up our car, and took a guide, who hurried us along the north side of the lake, pointing out St. Kevin's bed, in the opposite rocks of the lake, in the Lugduff Mountain.

With the saint's bed an affecting story is connected. Kathleen, a lady of noble birth, had formed a tender attachment to St. Kevin, who withdrew from Luggelaw to avoid her visits. Rambling one day on the mountains in the neighbourhood

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The Comaderry Mountain, 1500 feet above the lake, and 2268 above the level of the sea, is seen from the valley on the north side of the lake: the mica was so abundant in the rocks of clay slate, as to give to them the appearance of silver.

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1. By that lake whose gloomy shore
   Skylark never warbles o'er.

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The valley in which this dark lake is embosomed, is between two and three miles long, being a deep ravine surrounded by impending and gloomy rocks, and heath-covered mountains, except at the eastern end, where the river flows from the lake, and by which access is gained to the romantic valley.

Of the ancient buildings in the vale of Glendalough, St. Kevin's kitchen is the most entire. The roof is of stone, the under part is arched, and a space is left between it and the outer steep and pointed roof, which is lighted by a narrow aperture. Upon the western gable rises a tower, fifty feet high, measured from the ground, having a conical roof of stone. The tall Round Tower of Glendalough stands alone, conspicuous above the rest of the buildings, and, according to Mr. Wright, is 110 feet high. Time, it is presumed, has divested it of its conical summit. The four windows at the top correspond with the cardinal points of the compass.

From Glendalough we proceeded to Glenmalure, "The Glen of much Ore," a few miles

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The Avonbeg, a limpid stream, runs through the centre of the valley, and a waterfall of considerable magnitude flows down the mountain, near the head.

Previous to the rebellion in 1798, Glenmalure was one of the passes by which the favourite haunts of the rebels in Wicklow could be approached, and was a scene of disturbance and bloodshed. The military road terminates near Glenmalure; four large barracks, unsightly enough as buildings, but rendered absolutely hideous by association, are placed near the road, at Glencree, Laragh, Drumgoff, and Aughavanagh. The tranquillity of the country, under a system of conciliatory government, renders them useless, as regards the

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Extensive lead mines, of which an English gentleman of the name of Hodgson is the proprietor, are situated at the north-east of the glen: the Earl of Essex has the royalty. The level extends to 250 fathoms, the shaft being 90 feet below the audit level. Upwards of 140 hands are frequently employed in the mines, the ore from which is sent to Swansea, to be there smelted. In its raw state it is sold for from £12 to £15 per ton. Coal is obtained from Whitehaven, at a cost of from 18s. to 20s. per ton. Turf is sometimes used for smelting. There are two lead mines in the county of Wicklow; one at Glenmalure, the other at the Seven Churches, before mentioned.

From Glenmalure we soon entered the celebrated vale of Ovoca. The moon had risen before we passed the Meeting of the Waters, to which the beauty of the night invited us to

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The Meeting of the Waters — Castle Howard — The Paradise of Wicklow — The Avondale school — Copper district — The Cronehane Mines — Wages of miners — Diseases to which they are liable — Ballyarthur — Skelton Abbey — Arklow harbour — The Castle — Wooden Bridge Inn — Rustic bower — Croghan Kinshela Mountain, and the Gold Mine — Mocha pebbles — Bones of the Elk — The agriculture of the mining district — Mode of digging potatoes — Malton, Earl Fitzwilliam's seat — Astonishing fountain — Earl Fitzwilliam's attention to agriculture — Barony of Shilelagh, why so called — Tullow — Market-people — Prices of provisions — "Dry Lodgings" — Road from Tullow to Carlow — Lunatic Asylum at Carlow — Roman Catholic Cathedral and College — Withholding the Bible from the people.

In the morning we revisited the Meeting of the Waters, rendered familiar to everybody by Moore's Melody, beginning,

1. There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet
   As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet;

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We visited the Avondale School, instituted by the Rev. Mr. Webber. In winter, sixty scholars attend: in summer, one hundred. Of these, sixteen are Catholics. Scripture lessons are taught from the Protestant bible for one hour in the day, and the children are examined on them. The payment is from 1s. to 4s. per quarter, according to proficiency. The generality of the Catholics, the master informed us, scruple to send their children.

On the high ground above the Cronebane Mines and Castle Howard, is a large square block of granite; its size and prominent form on the summit of the hill, and its bleached sides, render it a conspicuous object for many miles. This high ground has the most barren surface imaginable, but is rich in mineral productions. The district on both sides the Ovoca abounds in copper; four mines were in course of active working when I visited the country — viz., at Ballygahan, Connery, Cronebane and Ballymurtagh. From Castle M'Adam parish, in

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Near the Ovoca I observed several cisterns, where the water from the mines, which is impregnated with sulphate of copper, is retained, and the copper is precipitated by the mixture of scrap iron. By this discovery, the water, which formerly was of no value, is a source of considerable profit.

Mr. Nicholson, an intelligent surgeon who attends the mines, informed us that the workmen

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In our way to Arklow we passed Ballyarthur, the seat of the Rev. H. Bayley, a truly lovely spot, and alighted at Skelton Abbey, the residence of the Earl of Wicklow, which is seated in the beautiful vale of Ovoca. We walked round the gardens and pleasure-grounds, which abound in arbutus, bay, holly, and other luxuriant trees and shrubs. The Abbey is a square building, richly pinnacled, designed by W. R. Morrison. Skelton has long been the residence of the Howards, who were originally of English extraction. King James, after the battle of the Boyne, rested here, in his flight to Waterford. We passed through the domain, having the mausoleum of the Howard family on a hill to our left, along a flat

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The harbour of Arklow appears extensive, but is reported to be unsafe, in consequence of the number of sand-banks. Upwards of one hundred boats are here engaged in the herring and oyster fishery. We ascended the partially ruined tower o f the Castle, which affords a good view of the town and harbour. The castle anciently belonged to the Earls of Ormond, and was the scene of frequent contests and bloodshed. In 1798, the rebel army, consisting of 20,000 men, were defeated here with great loss, by General Needham, whose force did not exceed 2000.

From Arklow we returned up the west side of the beautiful Ovoca, having Skelton on the right, and the picturesque grounds of Glenart, belonging to the Earl of Carysfort, on our left. This ride, which possesses great beauty, brought us to the Wooden Bridge Inn (so called from a wooden bridge which formerly crossed the river), at the foot of Knock-na-Moel. The

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After a night's rest at this comfortable inn, we set off to explore the Gold Mine, situated under Croghan Kinshela Mountain, about three miles distant. The road lay through a winding valley amongst the hills, the sides of which were almost entirely barren of trees. If planted, this would be a beautiful walk. We continued to ascend the banks of the Gold Mine River, a stream of remarkable clearness, till we reached the workings, which had taken place at the side of the stream. We saw, also, the excavation made by Government in the mountain side, in their search for the precious metal, which is supposed to have

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On the strand at Wicklow are found very beautiful Mocha pebbles, fit for jewellery; the finest are but little inferior to those brought from the East Indies. In several parts of the county of Wicklow, the bones of the elk have been discovered, but the skeletons were much less complete than that in the collection of the Dublin Society, which was obtained in the county of Limerick. The agriculture in this mining district we found, as it is found in other mining districts, in a backward state. At the same time, the county may be considered in a thriving condition, and, in consequence of the labour required for the several mines, the people are in general well employed, though an agricultural labourer receives only sixpence per day, with diet, and tenpence without.

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On leaving the Wooden Bridge Inn for Carlow, the road lay along the north side of Aughrim River for about four miles. After crossing the river near Aughrim, the country became exceedingly uninteresting. We left Kilpipe and Tinehely on our right, and had the Croghan Mountain on our left. The land in this district is indifferently cultivated. There are no green crops of any kind except potatoes; much of the land is in want of draining; and the hedges consist, invariably, of whin or furze. The people were digging potatoes with their long spades. Whilst working, they are nearly in a perpendicular posture; and such is their spirit of curiosity on the appearance of a car or carriage, that labour is instantly suspended, and no more work is done as long as the vehicle remains in view. Clay slate with mica prevails for a great part of the way from the Wooden Bridge Inn.

The estates of Earl Fitzwilliam extend through most part of the barony of Shilelagh; Malton, the noble earl's seat, being occupied by his brother-in-law, Mr. Chaloner. We called here, but

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The barony of Shilelagh derives its name from the celebrated oak forests which formerly occupied so much of the district. Great quantities of the timber were exported to foreign countries, for roofing public buildings; part of Westminster Hall is said to be formed of it. At the village of Shilelagh a church has lately been erected on a green hill. The building possesses considerable

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Having passed over a disgracefully bad and dangerous road, occupied by large heaps of stones, we reached Tullow, twenty-six miles from the Wooden Bridge Inn.

Tullow, a market town of Carlow, contains 2000 inhabitants, and is seated on the river Slaney, which flows by Wexford into St. George's Channel. Near the bridge that crosses the Slaney are the ruins of an Augustine Abbey, the east end of which, though in a tottering condition, still stands. Close to it, within an ancient building, is a well of beautifully clear water, which has doubtless been the holy well. A burial-ground, still used as a place of interment, stretches around the abbey. These ruins with the adjoining grounds, and a considerable part of the town, belong to Robert Doyne, Esq., who for the most part resides in England. Tullow was once a walled town; an old castle, captured by Cromwell, has been pulled down, the materials being

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We walked through the market, and were soon surrounded by about forty labourers, thin, wan, half-starved creatures, anxious for employment, but unable to obtain it. They stated that they were only employed during a part of their time, and that their wages were tenpence a day, without diet. The average of their earnings throughout the year, did not, however, exceed threepence a day; and on my doubting the possibility of their families being supported on that sum, they informed me that occasionally others of the family earned a trifle, but that very frequently they could not get salt to their potatoes, and sometimes were even short of potatoes.

The price of oats was from 13s. 6d. to 14s. per barrel of 14 stones. This grain was very late, and not properly ripened. The crop, moreover, was so deficient, that although the price was nearly

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The signs displayed by numbers of low, miserable hovels, are ludicrous enough. "Entertainment," "Good Beds," and "Dry Lodgings," are offered to the traveller by cabins which cannot certainly supply any one of the desiderata they profess to abound in. If, however, damp green walls, roofs of thatch, full of holes, wet clay floors, and abundant dirt, may be considered as sources of entertainment, these houses do no less than

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From Tullow to Carlow better cultivation prevails. Respectable farm-houses are distributed over the face of the country, and the farms are more extensive, containing as much as from 150 to 200 acres, and upwards, each. We passed through about three miles of the estate of the Earl of Besborough, the father of Lord Duncannon. A mile and a half east of Carlow is the extensive domain of Browne Hill, belonging to Mr. Browne, walled round and well wooded. We passed also two important Raths on our left, one of them about two miles from Tullow, the other opposite Browne Hill. The land near Carlow is excellent, and the country is ornamented by gentlemen's seats, rivers, and wood.

To Thomas Haughton, the first Dissenter appointed to the magistracy since the days of Charles the First, I was indebted, on my arrival at Carlow, for much polite and friendly attention. He obligingly accompanied us through the Lunatic

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The County Jail, also lately erected, is a neat structure, with a large portico of two rows of Ionic columns, each row consisting of eight. The effect of the building disappointed me. The Courts of Justice appeared to me to be small and inconvenient, though I understood that in the neighbourhood they were considered to be of a superior description.

In the morning we visited the Roman Catholic Cathedral, a handsome and spacious Gothic building, after a design by Cobden. This splendid temple contains the tomb of the late learned and pious Dr. Doyle, who spent on the Cathedral the sum of £12,000, the result of voluntary contributions. Dr. Fitzgerald, the superintendant of the adjoining Roman Catholic College, who had also spent a similar sum, similarly obtained, in its improvement, accompanied us through the various parts of that establishment, and was particularly polite and communicative. The library is extensive, and consists of works of History, Theology, Natural Philosophy, the Classics, Church History, the Canon Law, and the Fathers.

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In reply to a question of mine, Dr. Fitzgerald declared that it was a mistake to imagine that the Roman Catholic Priests oppose the diffusion of the Holy Scriptures; the fact was, the people were too poor to pay for them; but if the societies, he added, through whose instrumentality bibles are distributed gratuitously in foreign countries, would bestow part of their funds upon their Roman Catholic brethren, they (the priests) would be thankful to have an opportunity of extending the knowledge of the Word of God among the poor. Considering the ignorance of the people, Dr. Fitzgerald concurred with the majority of the clergy of the church of Rome, in thinking that the scriptures should be expounded by the priesthood; "for instance," said he, "it would be difficult for

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In the course of our conversation I took the liberty of observing, that if the Roman Catholics were so poor as to be unable to purchase bibles, it seemed a little extraordinary that they could erect such splendid cathedrals and colleges as are to be met with up and down the country. The Doctor answered my objection by remarking that a considerable part of the funds arise from money left by the priests; that according to the Canon Law they cannot apply their property to any private purposes, or will it to their relatives, but are obliged to leave it to charitable objects. In some instances they act in direct contravention of the

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Notwithstanding Dr. Fitzgerald's information, it is notorious that the blessings that are ever found to result from a free and unmolested perusal of the bible, are often denied to the poor and unlearned members of the Roman Catholic communion. Except in the company of their priests, or when attending divine worship in their chapels, they are forbidden to consult the written oracles of God; thus being excluded from one of the richest sources of instruction and comfort. Besides, apart from the evil of interdicting the popular use of the scriptures, in a spiritual point of view, the prohibition seems to be objectionable on another ground. It imposes upon those who submit to it, a yoke of mental slavery. As long as a people submit to a dictation of this sort, they are unfit for the successful execution of

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Cloghrennan Abbey — Druidical Cromlech — Agriculture in Carlow — Corn-mills at Milford — Improvements at Carlow — Carlow Castle — "Stone Coal" — Old Leighlin — Religious and Political tolerance a — Kilkenny — Round Tower and Cathedral — The Chair of St. Kieran — Remains of Monasteries — Presentation Nunnery — Kilkenny Castle — Marble quarries and works — Gaiety of Kilkenny in the Hunting season — Thomastown — The Giant's Tomb — Woodstock — New Ross — Dangerous darkness of the town — Dunbrody Abbey — Enniscorthy and Vinegar Hill — Employment, wages, and prices — Education — Ferry Carrig — Wexford — Johnstown — Model School — Grogan Morgan, Esq. — Inhabitants of the barony of Forth — Martin Doyle.

Along the banks of the canal and river Barrow we walked to Cloghrennan Abbey, the property of Colonel Rochford. This venerable edifice, which was built in the reign of King John, is now used as a lodge and gateway to the more modern mansion; the road to which lies through a park of rich ground, interspersed with fine timber. The grounds and gardens attached to Colonel Rochford's seat are of considerable beauty.

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Nature has done much for them, and art has wrought in the very spirit of nature. Retired and shady walks — rivulets, rocks, and verdant banks, clothed with myrtle, bay, and the luxuriant arbutus — combine or contrast their respective charms, to form a spot of enchanting beauty.

Near Browne Hill are the remains of a Druidical Cromlech, which we visited. The stones of which it consists are of granite: the supporters in front, four in number, being from six to seven feet above the ground. One has given way, and the cover accordingly rests on three. The stone which rests upon these supporters, and upon some others behind, is probably the largest known to have formed the flat stone of a Cromlech. The dimensions, as well as I could ascertain them, appeared to be as follows: — the diameter each way twenty feet, and the thickness six; from which it is calculated to weigh one hundred and eighty tons.

There are some spirited and skilful agriculturists in the county of Carlow, amongst whom Robert Leckey, the Secretary to the Carlow Agricultural

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At Milford, near Carlow, the Messrs. Alexander have made extraordinary improvements in planting, in the construction of new roads, and in the erection of corn-mills, farm houses, and cottages. At the mills, from 40 to 50,000 barrels of wheat, and 40,000 barrels of oats are ground, and 30,000 barrels of malt made yearly: and here, and at the marble quarries of the same proprietors, upwards of 150 labourers, to whom they pay from tenpence to sixteen-pence a day each, are employed. They have also extensive mills at Belfast, at which 75,000 barrels of wheat, principally

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At Carlow considerable improvements were in progress, and additional ones in contemplation. An extensive and increasing trade is carried on in timber, grain, butter, woollens, coal, and culm. The Barrow rises in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, and is here a fine broad river, affording safe navigation by the sea to Waterford, and northwards, by inland navigation, as far as Athy in Queen's county, from which there is a communication with Dublin by the Grand Canal.

On the banks of the Barrow stand the remains of Carlow Castle — two round towers connected by one side of a quadrangle. Dr. Myddleton, an English physician, obtained a lease of this ancient strong-hold, with a view of converting it into a Lunatic Asylum. In the course, however, of making the necessary alterations, two of the towers and the walls which connected them fell in with a dreadful crash, and put an end to the undertaking.

Carlow has a population of about 10,000, and was anciently inclosed within walls. The limestone

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Carlow is well supplied with what is commonly called "stone-coal," obtained from the extensive mines in the vicinity of Castle Comer, in the county of Kilkenny. It emits neither flame nor smoke, and the fires which were composed of it, appeared to me lifeless and dull, though hot; the price varies from 10d. to 1s. 4d. per cwt., when delivered. These mines supply a great part of the counties of Kilkenny, Carlow, and Queen's county, and occasionally more distant parts; but, in the towns which border on the canals, the parlours of the gentry are generally supplied with English coal, designated "sea-coal." In consequence of the quantity of deleterious gas which it emits, the stone-coal is apt to affect those who are unaccustomed to it, with head-ache; nor is this the only injury it produces. Several instances of suffocation have occurred, in consequence of fires, made

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At a ford in the river Barrow, a short distance from Carlow, there were found, a few years since, a great number of pieces of swords and various weapons, composed of the same mixed metal as the ancient arms usually dug up in Ireland; they are supposed to have been thrown away by a defeated Irish army in its flight, but no notice of such an event occurs in history.

From Carlow we proceeded to Kilkenny, having for some distance the placid Barrow on our right. In our way we visited the ancient and melancholy ruins of Old Leighlin, once a city, but now an inconsiderable village, pleasantly situated on green knolls by the side of a small river. The Abbey here was founded in the year 632 by St. Gobhan. Divine service is performed in a part of the old church, which is kept in repair for that purpose.

About four miles from Leighlin Bridge, which crosses the Barrow, and consists of nine arches, we entered the county of Kilkenny, and passed

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Kilkenny (which signifies the Church of Kenny) is said to be the largest inland town in Ireland, and the pleasantest, whether inland or sea-port. It was formerly a place of great strength. The day we spent there was, however, unfavourable — a dense mist overshadowed both town and country, obscuring near, as well as distant objects. So dense indeed was the fog, that the summit of the Round Tower which stands within a few

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Grose, in his Antiquities, speaking of Kilkenny, says, "This is a plentiful country, so populous as to be adorned with more towns and castles than any in the kingdom; and though it is mountainous in the south part, is said to have

1. Fire without smoke, earth without bog,
   Water without mud, and air without fog,

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The cathedral is an interesting edifice, and was built in the year 1180. It is cruciform, and extends 226 feet from east to west — the length of the transepts being 123. The pillars, which some barbarian has whitewashed, are of black marble. Many monuments, chiefly in honour of the Butlers and the Ormonds, attract the attention of the visitor, but the most famous of all the contents of the place is the Chair of St. Kieran, said to be the first preacher of Christianity in Ireland — St. Patrick having followed him by thirty years. This chair is fixed in the wall — consists of black marble — and wears an excellent polish, for which it is indebted to the curious or the superstitious, who make a point of occupying it.

Kilkenny possesses the remains of three monasteries, all said to have been built by the Earls of Pembroke, and all interesting as relics of ancient power.

We took an opportunity of visiting the Presentation

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Kilkenny Castle, built upon the banks of the river Nore by the Earl of Pembroke, in the twelfth century, on the site of one built by Strongbow, which was destroyed by the Irish twenty-two years before, commands a fine view of the town and neighbouring valley. In the fourteenth century it came into the possession of the Ormond family, who still retain it. The present Marquis is laying out annually large sums of money in rebuilding it. It is flanked by large round towers, one of which, to the right of the entrance, is of considerable antiquity. Seen from

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The English town of Kilkenny is situated on the west side of the river Nore, — the Irish town on the east. The former is larger, and much better built. The population of both is about 24,000.

Blankets and frieze are manufactured at Kilkenny. There are also several flour-mills on the Nore. A pleasant walk along the river's bank, shaded by trees, leads to the marble quarry, about a mile from the town. Here we collected some specimens of marble, madrepore, and fluor spar. The marble, the demand for which has been considerable, is easily quarried, and is very beautiful — some of it resembling the Italian, veined. A few miles down the river, extensive marble works are carried on by Mr. Collis, who, we were informed, had twenty-four saws in active work. Kilkenny is also famous for its coal, similar to that whose qualities have been previously

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Labour here is one shilling a day, without diet, but the labourers are employed only half their time.

A celebrated hunt, with fancy-balls and other amusements, takes place at Kilkenny twice a year, for about a week each time. This period is signalized, as our landlord remarked, by hard eating and drinking. The effect of the passion for hunting was observable in the superiority of the horses of the district.

From Kilkenny we had an interesting ride through Thomastown and the village of Innistiogue, to New Ross, passing several ruins and seats in our way — among others, Mount Juliet, the splendid mansion of the Earl of Carrick.

Thomastown stands on the Nore, and abounds in interesting ruins. One of these, a castle, belonged to Thomas Fitz-Anthony, a baron of the time of Henry the Second, and is said to

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At Innistiogue we recrossed the Nore by a bridge of ten arches, near which is a salmon fishery. A short distance below the village, on the southern bank of the river, stands Woodstock, the seat of Mr. and Lady Louisa Tighe. Here the sensitive and fine-souled author of Psyche died. Woodstock is one of the most lovely places in Ireland, abounding in fine timber. On the western bank of the river is a wood, which covers no less than five hundred acres of ground.

New Ross, in the county of Wexford, about six miles from Old Ross, stands on the east bank of the Barrow, which is here a fine wide river,

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After daylight, the town is in perfect darkness; and as the quay lies open to the river, people are occasionally drowned. I had myself the misfortune to experience some of the ill effects of the obscurity that prevails; for in going to dine with a gentleman at the further end of the quay, I came in contact with the shaft of a large hand-barrow, and was so much injured as to be nearly incapable of walking for several days. The streets are also in exceedingly bad repair, and consequently very dirty in wet weather.

It was here, in 1798, when the insurgents attacked the place, that Lord Mountjoy met his death.

From New Ross we drove down to the ruins of

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From New Ross to Enniscorthy, a distance of twenty miles, we travelled by coach, through an uninteresting country that would have been entirely bare, had it not been for the gorse or whin hedges of dark green. These hedges, rising one above another in a continuous mass on the gentle slopes, had a velvety appearance, and in some degree compensated for the absence of trees.

Enniscorthy, close to which is Vinegar Hill, the scene of dreadful slaughter in the year 1798, retains marks of the injury it sustained when the insurgents had their camp adjoining it. The river Slaney, flowing smoothly through flat green meadows,

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Enniscorthy has improved greatly during the last few years. A considerable trade in grain is carried on by means of the Slaney, which is navigable as far as Wexford; and about seven miles from the town a small manufactory of cotton is established. Besides its Saving Bank, Enniscorthy has a bank that accommodates the farmers by discounting bills so small as £3, with two or three names attached to them — in consequence of which arrangement they are enabled to purchase their

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To the west of the town, half way between it and Mount Leinster, lead and silver mines were formerly worked; but the quantity of water that prevailed, caused them to be abandoned. A company was about to be formed for the purpose of recommencing operations.

Neither Lord Portsmouth nor his agent, I understand, are in the habit of giving encouragement to agricultural improvements. On Earl Mountnorris's estate, however, an Agricultural Society has been established, and there is another at Wexford.

In this neighbourhood, as in other parts of Ireland, the agricultural labourers are employed only about four days a week — their wages being tenpence a day during one-half of the year, and a shilling the other half, without diet. In harvest,

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The Roman Catholics here are in the proportion, as respects the Protestants, of about seven to one. Many more children are educated now than formerly, but those of opposite religions do not mix in the schools; which here, as well as in many other places, are altogether abandoned by the Protestant clergy. It is greatly to be regretted, that gentlemen, whose superior education peculiarly qualifies them for cultivating the minds of the more ignorant of their fellow-creatures, should consider it their duty to decline participating in so noble and praiseworthy an object.

From Enniscorthy to Wexford, the ride for

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On entering Wexford, a stranger cannot fail to be much struck with the singularity of the appearance of the town. The main street is exceedingly long and narrow; so narrow, indeed, as to suggest the idea, when seen from some

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Wexford was one of the earliest English colonies. Its castle was built by Fitz-Stephens in the reign of Henry the Second, who, after receiving homage from most of the princes of Ireland, embarked from this place. Near the main street are the ruins of a church destroyed by Cromwell in 1649. Wexford, though an ancient town, contains but little of interest to the antiquarian.

From the Rev. Mr. Armstrong, whose acquaintance I was fortunate in making at White's Hotel, I obtained a note of introduction to Mr. Shelley,

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Besides the estates in the neighbourhood of Wexford, Mr. Morgan possesses extensive property in the counties of Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, and Cork. His estates in Wexford contain 36,000 acres, whilst those in the other counties amount to not less than 24,000: the annual income of the whole is about £15,000; much of it being in lease — some at a rent of 3s. 6d. per acre. If the estate were out of lease, it would amount to £40,000 per annum. He is also said to have a considerable property in the funds. Mr. Morgan is a young man; hunting is his favourite amusement, and I believe his chief employment in the season. He had been improving and enlarging Johnstown Castle, the interior of which was furnished in splendid style. Though attached, however, to the sports of the field, this wealthy proprietor is far from being unmindful of the responsibilities which devolve

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The inhabitants of the barony of Forth, in which Johnstown Castle is situated, being of Welsh extraction, the Welsh language has generally been spoken, and indeed continues to be so amongst the older people. The people of this barony are considered to be more industrious and provident, and to enjoy a greater degree of general comfort, than those of any other part of Ireland; and I could not help contrasting their fresh, rosy, honest faces, and fine athletic forms, as I met them going to Wexford market, with the sallow, thin faces, and attenuated frames, of the inhabitants of more distressed districts. The Rev. Mr. Hickey, who has done so much for his poor countrymen, under the assumed title of Martin Doyle, resides in this barony. The improved cleanliness, industry, and provident habits in his neighbourhood, are mainly attributable to his excellent advice and persuasion.

In the vicinity of Johnstown Castle, there is scarcely a grain field to be seen; with the exception of the small plots already mentioned, all is

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The greater part of the road from Wexford to Waterford is uninteresting; in the earlier part, however, we had a fine view of the valley and the river Slaney, and afterwards of Saunder's Court, Carrickburn Mountain, and Vinegar Hill. To the right was Scullabogue, where above two hundred Protestants of both sexes were shut up in a barn by the insurgents, in 1/98, and all consumed by fire. Part of the walls of the building are still standing.

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Arrival at Waterford — The quay — Banks of the Suire — The Munster School — The House of Industry — The Mendicity Society — Remarks on the evils of party-spirit — Waterford harbour — Reginald's Tower — Trade of Waterford — Public Buildings — Agricultural Society — Wages and Prices — Geology of the neighbourhood — Pilltown — Mr. Anthony's Museum — Loan Society — The Hon. Miss Ponsonby's Infant School — School on the Besborough estate — Hedge-school — Profits derived from pigs — Poor Laws — Lord Besborough's agricultural improvements — The valley of the Suire — Curraghmore, the Marquis of Waterford's — Unaccommodating exclusiveness of his lordship — The cotton factory at Mayfield — Return to Carrick — Improvement of the place.

After some narrow escapes from random driving and the falling of horses, we were at last set down in the evening at Cummins' Hotel, on the celebrated Quay of Waterford. This quay is a mile in length, and, being well lighted with two rows of lamps, had a brilliant effect as we approached it. The opposite banks of the Suire, which is here not less than a quarter of a mile wide, are very lovely, consisting of gently swelling hills,

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The first public object of interest visited by us was the school for the province of Munster, belonging to the Society of Friends. It is supported by subscription amongst the members of the Society, and contains thirty-six boys and thirteen girls; the tickets for admission being only twelve guineas per annum. The cost of each child to the institution, amounts to £25, but the classes are charged extra. William Allen, a minister in the Society, is the superintendant, at a salary of £120 per annum, and his wife takes charge of the female department. The situation of the school is airy and commodious, and the children appeared remarkably cheerful and healthy; but as it was not a school-day when I visited the institution, I had no means of judging of the plan of education.

The House of Industry, supported by assessment, is a well managed institution. It was

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The Mendicity Society, similar in principle to that in Dublin, is, or ought to be, supported by private subscription; the institution is miserably neglected. It contained, when we visited it, 65 women and two men; 45 boys and 23 girls. Thirty-three of the boys were in the school, in

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Here, then, is one, amongst the numerous instances in which the spirit of party, arising from political and religious feeling, blasts the work of charity and benevolence; the sufferers belonging to that class of society, which, though it possesses, in the adjustment of abstract questions, an interest at least equal to that possessed by the more favoured ranks, most assuredly takes a far less prominent and officious part in effecting the desired arrangement. The poor, in fact, suffer for the violent animosities of the rich. Why cannot the gentlemen of Ireland, instead of contending so obstinately for the supremacy of a sect or party, apply themselves, without regard to either, to the attainment of those great ends which concern the advantage of all? Sinking the petty distinctions of religion and politics, how much more exalted an object of ambition would it be, to seek for the People of Ireland the laws and institutions which the people of England enjoy; to cease to regard

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The harbour of Waterford is very commodious; in some places the river is seventy-two feet deep at low water; opposite the city, it varies from twenty to sixty-five feet; and on the bar, at low water, there are twelve feet of water. Vessels of 800 tons burden may come up to the quay; and cattle are conveniently shipped, by means of a large frame of wood, supported by a barge between the vessel and the shore. Reginald's Tower, supposed to have been erected by a Danish Prince in 1003, stands on the quay. We observed a cannon-ball, said to be one of Cromwell's, half buried in the front wall of this tower. On the old walls of the town several of the ancient towers still remain. My accidental discovery of them afforded me a pleasure unknown to those who feel indifferent to the motives and actions of former ages.

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The trade of Waterford consists of grain, pork, and butter; and it is celebrated for its glass works. The river Suire is a considerable width, its north bank, opposite the quay, being abrupt, rocky, and picturesque. Waterford has a population of about 30,000.

The public buildings of this important city are scarcely worthy of remark, and the streets are generally narrow, and by no means clean. The river, its banks, and the quay, certainly constitute the principal attractions of Waterford, and are most deservedly admired. The bridge, designed and built by Mr. Samuel Cox of America, consists of American oak, is 832 feet in length, and 40 in breadth, and is supported by stone abutments, and forty sets of oaken piers. The architect recommended the shareholders to case one pier with stone every year, which might easily have been effected, but it was neglected. The building of this structure, including remuneration for the previous ferry, cost £28,000, the money being raised by a Company in 1793, incorporated by Act of Parliament. It has been a good speculation,

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An Agricultural Society formerly existed here, but, in consequence of the violent state of party feeling, it has been suspended. Within a mile of the city, the rent of land is £5 per acre; within two miles, 50s.: within six, from twenty to 30s. The rent of conacre for old grass land, is £8 per acre; for old ploughed land manured, £6. 10s. The crop, when good, is worth £13. The assessment amounts to 1s. 6d. in the pound, at the rack rent. The wages of labourers are in the town 1s. per day, without diet; masons get 3s. 6d. per day. The prices of meat are as follows: — beef, for prime pieces, 6d. per lb., and from 3d. to 4d. per lb., by the quarter. Mutton 6 1/2 d.; veal from 4d. to 6d.; Staggering Bob 1s. 3d. per quarter. A goose, weighing 2 1/2 lb., 1s. 4d.; turkeys 4s. 6d.

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The climate in the neighbourhood of Waterford is remarkably mild; in the garden of one of my friends I observed myrtles twelve feet high, fresh and vigorous — also the salvia fulgens, a great height, and full of fine scarlet blossoms.

The prevailing rock in the vicinity of Waterford, and indeed throughout the entire county, except where limestone is found, is argillaceous shistus. The summits of the hills are composed of silicious breccia, over which red sandstone occurs. On the sea coast near the harbour of Waterford, the silicious conglomerate, and sandstone, are found interstratifying each other. In the neighbourhood of Waterford the following rocks occur: sienite and hornblende, talkose slate, lydian stone, hornstone and jasper; these are found alternating with flinty slate on the road to

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The author from whom the matter of the preceding paragraph is taken, states that the condition of the inhabitants of the county of Waterford, at the close of Elizabeth's reign, is represented in the most dismal language. Those whom the sword had spared, were reduced to the extreme of misery and famine; they were seen creeping from the woods, in search of the vilest food, and endeavouring to prolong a miserable existence by eating carrion, and, in some instances, human flesh. The land itself was become unfruitful; deprived of its cultivators, it resembled a frightful wilderness, and from one extremity of the county to the other, except in towns and cities, scarcely any living creature was to he seen, save wolves and beasts of prey.

By one of Bianconi's cars we travelled to Pilltown to breakfast, having the Suire close to the road-side on our left, and passing the ruins of

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Mr. Anthony, the landlord of the inn where we stopped, is an antiquarian, and possesses a Museum, which he established in the summer of 1834, and which proves a source of considerable amusement to travellers. It consists of ancient Irish gold, silver, and bronze ornaments, and implements of war. A cabinet of ancient coins, medals, statuary, and gems; and contains the Turkish pistols and cimetar, taken by Lord Byron in the Greek war. These interesting curiosities are of massive silver, gilt, and beautifully chased. Amongst the gold coins is an exceedingly beautiful one of the time of Alexander the Great; and some silver tortoises, struck off in the reign of Phidon, King of Argos, 820 years before the Christian sera: many also of the time of Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander,

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Pilltown also contains a charitable Loan Society. Those who avail themselves of its conveniences are required to bring two securities, and the largest sum lent is £3. Generally, however, £2 is the sum obtained, and this is repaid in forty-two weekly instalments of one shilling — leaving two shillings for interest. The clerk is paid sixpence in the pound on the money taken out.

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Mr. Anthonys Museum, and the Loan Society, are not, however, the only public establishments which Pilltown, though but a small village, possesses. The Hon. Miss Ponsonby, Lord Duncannon's eldest daughter, supports here an Infant School, in which sixty children, Protestant and Catholic, receive their education. On the Besborough estate also there is a school for boys, the number being generally 105, and more than half of them Roman Catholics. The master belongs to the Church of Rome — the mistress is a Protestant; and, on days devoted exclusively to religious instruction, the children are under the tuition respectively of the teacher to whose religious communion they belong. Major Curry, Lord Besborough's agent, pointed out to me a spot where his attention, some time before, had been arrested by a humming noise, which he soon found to proceed from about a hundred children, collected together in a small spot where they had scarcely room to stand, and assembled for the purpose of obtaining instruction from a master who attended them. They were learning to write, on

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The land in this district is good, and the rent of farms of from twenty to five-and-twenty acres, within six or seven miles from Waterford, ranges from thirty to forty shillings per acre, which is well paid. The produce will average eight barrels of wheat.

Pigs constitute an important part of a farmer's stock; one tenant, for instance, on the Earl of Besborough's estate, a short time ago, sold eleven for £78,and one of Lord Donoughmore's tenants, a widow, sold thirty-five for £350. At one establishment in Carrick, between the 1st of November and the 1st of April, no fewer than 150 were daily killed, for six days in the week.

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The agriculture of the county is considerably improved. Ten years ago the farmers were accustomed to plough with four people and two horses, but now they generally use the iron swing plough, with a pair of horses and only one man.

Major Curry admitted that Poor Laws are inevitable; at the same time he was of opinion that the administration of them, and the discrimination of proper objects, would be attended with great difficulty. The money, he added, now so liberally bestowed upon mendicants, does not appear to be so much the consequence of real charity, as of a superstitious dread of beggars' curses.

The mansion of Besborough contains some good paintings, and in other respects is said to be well worth visiting. We had, however, no time for inspecting it; besides I thought it more important to examine the agricultural state of the country, and to investigate the physical and moral condition of its people, than to wander through the stately interiors of the seats of noblemen. Lord Besborough had been making extensive improvements in more completely draining a tract of

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From Pilltown to Carrick-on-Suire, in the county of Tipperary, the picturesque and rich valley of the Suire is seen to great advantage. After crossing the bridge, into the county of Waterford, and going leisurely up the long hill on the road towards Portlaw and Mayfield, the scenery was indeed truly beautiful; I think I never saw more verdant fields, or a richer prospect. The town of Carrick — with its fine old castle, its ancient bridge, and the curious square tower of the monastery in Carrick Beg — lay below. In the distance were the mountains of Kilkenny; and in the valleys at their feet, lay the mansions and spreading woods of Castletown and Besborough.

The country afterwards possesses but little interest

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Although I possessed a letter of introduction to a gentleman at Portlaw, for the purpose of obtaining permission to view these celebrated grounds, it was of no avail. The Marquis, he informed me, previously to leaving the country, had given the strictest orders that no person should be allowed to see his grounds. The character of the Marquis of Waterford has been too frequently before the public to require any comments from me; but I may, perhaps, be permitted to express my regret, that the rashness and fearlessness of personal danger, for which this young nobleman is so extensively distinguished, should be unaccompanied, in his case, by the liberal and generous feelings which usually attend those dangerous qualities. To be a practical illustration of the fable of the dog in the manger, ought to be beneath the ambition, one would suppose, of even the Marquis of Waterford.

Before reaching Curraghmore, we passed a tall stone of granite, standing erect on the right of the road. It was about eight feet high, and

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In the neighbourhood of the Marquis of Waterford's wide-extending and exclusive domain, a manufacturing establishment, which gives employment, and dispenses happiness, amongst the once destitute population of the district, prefers a strong claim to the attention of the traveller. I allude to the cotton factory established at Mayfield, by David Malcolmson, a member of the Society of Friends, and a man well known and much respected in Ireland. The cotton here goes

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No attempt, I was glad to find, had ever been made to injure the mills or machinery, nor had any regular turn-outs, so frequent in England, taken place. The work-people receive wages from the

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My visit to the cotton factory at Mayfield yielded me much gratification. It is the only establishment of the kind in the south of Ireland; but from what I saw in it I am confirmed in the opinion which I had previously formed, that manufactures, if commenced and conducted on a proper principle, may safely be established in any

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We returned to Carrick by a more level road, nearer the Suire, which affords a view lower down the river. Having two or three hours here before the coach came up, I visited the old castle, which formerly belonged to the Duke of Ormond. Part of the old tower walls remain. At Carrickbeg, on the south side of the Suire, in the county of Waterford, is seen the narrow and very singular tall tower of the Franciscan chapel or monastery founded by the Duke of Ormond in 1336. The foundation of the steeple, says Ryland, consists of a single stone, on which the lower part rests, and supports the entire weight of the superstructure.

Inglis, and other travellers, speak disparagingly of Carrick, but, in the short time I had an opportunity of seeing the place, I was disposed to think considerable improvement was going on. Fortunately it was the market day, and I had a better chance of forming a correct opinion of the countrypeople, as well as of the town. I saw very few of

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Ride from Carrick to Clonmel — Whiskey-drinking in Clonmel — Public buildings — Roads — Corruption in the revenue department — Scarcity of birds in Ireland — Introduction to Mr. Bianconi — Account of that gentleman — His opinion of tithes — Birth-place of Sterne — Ride to Clogheen — From thence to Lismore — Pass in the Knockmeledown Mountains — General Blakeney and Mr. Eeles — Civility of the car-drivers — Approach to Lismore — Woody and picturesque dell — Lismore Castle — Anecdote of James II — Ancient Lismore — The Duke of Devonshire — Visit to an experimental farm belonging to the Duke — Want of employment about Lismore — Geology of the district — Visit to Mount Melleray.

The ride from Carrick to Clonmel is full of beauty; and that I might the more freely enjoy it, I took my place on the outside of a caravan, resembling an omnibus, which carried twelve inside. My fare was 1s. 6d. for fifteen miles.

The land between Carrick and Clonmel is of excellent quality, and produces from eight to twelve barrels of wheat per acre; the rent being 30s. The labourers are employed only half their

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Whiskey drinking prevails to a great extent in Clonmel, and in the opinion of some judicious persons with whom I conversed, had increased in consequence of the reduction of the duty. The inhabitants of the towns drink much more than those of the country; and, accordingly, a labourer earning six or seven shillings a week, may be considered better off than a mechanic who gets twenty. It was the opinion of the same gentlemen, that the police, if properly conducted, might effectually check illicit distillation in every part of Ireland. With the laudable view of abating the nuisance of dram-drinking, a Temperance Society was established in Clonmel, but the violence of political partisanship caused it to be speedily abandoned. Clonmel contains neither a public school nor a public library; indeed, the nobility and gentry seem to care but little for the prosperity of the place, and party-feeling runs so high as to oppose serious obstacles to its improvement.

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A considerable portion of the old wall and towers of Clonmel still remain, adjoining the church in Mary-street. The appearance of the church, a fine Gothic building, has been very materially injured by the insertion of ugly modern sash windows. These alterations, by some considered improvements, are, in my opinion, conceived in exceedingly bad taste.

The Jail is a splendid building, and contained, when I visited Clonmel, upwards of four hundred prisoners — charged, for the most part, with minor offences.

According to the opinion of an intelligent gentleman of Clonmel, with whom I had an opportunity of conversing, the grand jury of Wexford are an example to the county as regards their management of the roads, whilst in the county of Tipperary the very reverse is the case. A road, by the way, from Clonmel, through Cashel and Thurles, would be a great convenience. The same gentleman, in allusion to the subject of poor laws, thought that the general opinion was against the administration of them by the grand-jury:

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In consequence of the scarcity of wood, Ireland does not possess one half the number of birds that are to be met with in England; — among others, the nightingale and the woodpecker are never found, except in the vicinity of Cork, where the latter is occasionally seen; indeed, I saw one there. The golden eagle and the penguin falcon frequent the cliffs on the lakes, five or six miles to the south of Clonmel; and the cinerious shearwater may be occasionally met with on the coast. Some beautiful wavellite, found near Clonmel, was shewn to me. A few years since, some

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At Clonmel I had the pleasure of being introduced to Mr. Bianconi, to whom Ireland is greatly indebted for his spirited and extensive improvements in the mode of communication by travelling. Mr. Bianconi is an Italian, and was respectably connected. Many reasons have been assigned for his departure from his native country, but the true one, probably, is that given by Inglis, who says that he was intrusted by his parents to the care of an individual who was then setting out on a commercial journey to Britain, and was employed by him to carry small

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Clonmel possesses manufactures both in cotton and woollen; and the trade upon the Suire, which is navigable no higher than Clonmel, is principally in corn and flour. Clonmel, I must not omit to mention, is famous as being the birth-place of

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The ride from Clonmel to Clogheen lies, first along the rich valley on the east side of the river Suire, and afterwards on more elevated ground, interspersed with the ruins of ancient castles and churches. About six miles from the former place, after crossing a bridge of fourteen arches over the Suire, we passed through the village of Ardfinane, in the county of Tipperary. Here are the ruins of two castles, one of them in a picturesque situation on a prominent grey limestone rock near the river, commanding the town, the river, and the bridge. This castle was built by King John in 1184, and has both a round and a square tower; it did not escape the battery of Cromwell. After passing the bridge, and winding up the opposite bank, a fine view is to be had of this wide and majestic river, with its verdant valley inclosed within romantic rocks. The land, too, of this district is excellent, and very suitable for green crops; few, however, are to be seen. The fences are merely

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From this neat village, seated on the banks of a stream which joins the river Suire, I travelled in the mail-car to Lismore, and was the only passenger. After leaving the town, we ascended for several miles, by a pass through the Knockmeledown Mountains, having Clogheen and the valley of the Suire below, and the rock of Cashel, boldly displayed in the distance. As we advanced up this pass, new beauties opened upon us, not the least of which was Shanbally Castle, with the richly wooded domain of Lord Lismore. From Clogheen, the mountain ground is extremely barren, and continues so till within two or three miles of Lismore. The present improved road is of comparatively easy ascent, and the horse broke trot for only a short distance. On reaching the summit, a splendid view was presented of the Galtee and other mountains, the

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The mountains above alluded to are thus described by the Rev. R. H. Ryland; "Those wild and lonely mountains, enveloped during a great portion of the year in mist and fog, and seldom visited except by the sportsman and summer tourist, were for a long period the retreat of General Blakeney, an eccentric being who 'loved not man, nor woman either.' After a continuance of some years in the gaieties of the world, and while still in the prime of life, this gentleman constructed a dwelling on one of the hills which

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The Irish car-drivers are so civil, that if a leading question be asked them, and they believe you wish it to be answered in the affirmative, they are certain to agree with you. A snow storm having assailed us in going over these dreary mountains, I inquired of the driver, "if the snow had not come earlier in the season than usual?"

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As we descended the moor, the dreary monotony became a little relieved by two or three miserable, half-starved sheep, which were endeavouring to pick a scanty morsel of vegetable food, not worth the name of grass, and were far too hungry and too poor to notice the car as it passed close to them. The next evidences of civilization appeared as we approached Lismore, in the shape of several neat cottages, built at intervals at a short distance from the road, and surrounded by small patches of cultivated ground, part of the moory black soil of the mountain. These little

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We at length dropt suddenly into a woody dell, by the side of a rapid and noisy stream, which rushed through the wood. Our course now lay through woody and rocky scenery of great beauty — the road winding along a narrow and romantic vale, which continued till we reached Lismore, and here and there approaching the brooks that fell in picturesque and pleasant cascades.

I lost no time in visiting the castle. In the first gateway, on entering the purlieus, are two spaces beneath the archway, formerly occupied, as at the Horse Guards in London, by two horsemen. This passed, an avenue of fine trees,

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The views from the various windows of the castle, which are raised an extraordinary height above the Blackwater, are surpassingly beautiful. It is told of James II., says Ryland, that when he dined at the castle, "the agitated monarch, on

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Lismore was once a celebrated city, and ranked amongst the most nourishing places in Ireland. It is celebrated as having been the birth-place of the dramatist Congreve; the ingenious and eccentric Henry Eeles (of whom mention is made in a previous page); and of Robert Boyle, one of the most distinguished of philosophers. Here, also, Alfred is supposed to have derived much of the knowledge which has since immortalized his name. In the year 636, Lismore was a Bishop's see,and is said to have consisted chiefly of the habitations of the most learned monks, of royal abbots, and of saints and hermits. "Lessmor," says an old writer, "is a famous and Holy City, half of which is an asylum into which no woman dares enter; but it is full of cells and holy monasteries: and religious

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The population is now only about 3,000, and there is only one church. The castle was built by King John in the year 1185, on the site of an ancient abbey; it was afterwards taken by the Irish, and was for many years the episcopal residence, until Miler Magrath, Archbishop of Cashel, and Bishop of this see, granted it, together with the manor of Lismore, to Sir Walter Raleigh, from whom this and other property was purchased by the celebrated Sir Richard Boyle, afterwards Earl of Cork. From Youghal, Tallow, Dungarvon, and Lismore, the present Duke of Devonshire derives an income of nearly £40,000

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An experimental farm of 360 acres is kept by the Duke's agent, who has a clever agriculturist in Mr. Ferguson, a Scotchman. The farm buildings are excellent, and the implements and horses well adapted to successful husbandry. I saw 25 acres of very good turnips, well managed, and free from weeds; some of them were manured with bones — but the peculiarity of the season prevented the comparison of bones with other manures, from

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The labourers in the neighbourhood, except those employed by Colonel Curry, are engaged only about one-fourth of their time. "Men come two, three, and even five miles," said Mr. Bible, the innkeeper at Lismore, "and wait about my steps, slapping their feet to keep some warmth

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Opposite the castle is an excellent salmon fishery, at which as many as eight hundred fish are sometimes taken at one time, and sent to England. In the neighbourhood of Lismore, slate quarries have been successfully worked. The bed of roof slate, which is not of any great thickness, (Ryland informs us) rests upon a coarse grey slate; above the roof slate is a rock of a silicious nature; higher up is a bed of conglomerate; and above these is sandstone, varying from a fine building material, resembling Portland stone, to a coarse soft rock having the appearance of indurated sand. The river may be considered the boundary of these formations; and the component parts of the hills, in this portion of the county of

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Being provided, by the kindness of Colonel Curry, not only with a note of introduction to the Rev. Mr. Ryan, the superintendant of the Trappist Settlement at Mount Melleray, but with a horse and servant to convey and accompany me thither, I set off to inspect that interesting and singular establishment. Mount Melleray (a name given by the monks themselves) is situated near Cappoquin, in the midst of a vast tract of barren heath, on the side of the Knockmeledown Mountains, which were covered with snow. The buildings are of immense magnitude, and though certainly striking from the loneliness of their position, and interesting from the associations connected with the history of their inhabitants,

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The Trappists are of the Cistercian order, and their object is to educate the poor, to promote agriculture, and to improve the general condition of the people. They observe the strictest silence — no one being allowed to speak, except to his superior; and live in the most exact conformity to rigid rules. All rise at two o'clock in the morning, both summer and winter, and engage in the exercise of devotion from that hour till six. Seven in the evening is their time for retiring to

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Journey from Lismore to Tallow — Youghal — Myrtle Grove, Sir Walter Raleigh's — Spot where potatoes were first grown in Ireland — Tobacco — Churchyard of Youghal — Extract from Dr. Smith — The quay — Dispute between the Duke of Devonshire and the Corporation of Youghal — Trade of the town — Schools — Party-spirit — Minerals — Wages and rents — Ardmore Round Tower — Curran — Besborough — The Groves of Blarney — Blarney Castle, and its magic stone — Amethysts near Cork — Bandon — Extraordinary pits near Ross-Carberry — Bantry Bay — The town of Bantry — Coral-sand — Mines — Agriculture of the neighbourhood — Further account of Bantry — Departure for Glengariff.

The road from Lismore towards Tallow has a beech hedge on each side, and is superior to most I had met with. The land looked well, and was laid out in square fields; and the farm houses are respectable. This district, it is scarcely necessary to say, belongs to the Duke of Devonshire. The country is his, I believe, as far as the town of Tallow, whose Schools, and Alms-houses, and respectable Inn, all lately erected (the inn being rent

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The land became more sterile as we proceeded; and instead of the furze hedges, met with elsewhere, we had now mere barren banks of earth. This district belongs, I think, to Mr. Smith, who allows the poor to have turf at 11d. per load, they being at the labour of digging and drying it. The cabins here are miserable things. The people of this part of the country speak Irish — many of them not knowing a word of English. They have an unpleasant and uncivilized appearance — many of them at least — arising from the projection of the upper gums. I here saw several instances of the old-fashioned and sociable mode of travelling on pillion; the couples jogged along very comfortably.

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A hilly, tedious road, and a jaded horse, rendered the view of Youghal very agreeable; but independently of this, the view of the mouth of the Blackwater, which forms the bay of Youghal, in conjunction with the old Castle and town, and a distant glimpse of the Atlantic, and the Round Tower of Ardmore, had a fine effect, on descending the hill. My introduction here was to a highly respectable member of the Society of Friends, whom I had the pleasure of finding liberal and charitable in his opinions, political and religious. Youghal contains about sixty members of this society, who have a small and neat, though unostentatious Meeting-house.

Not by any means the least interesting object in Youghal is Myrtle Grove, formerly the residence of Sir Walter Raleigh, and now occupied by Colonel Fount, who seems to have a pleasure in keeping up the antique appearance of the abode. With the exception of the windows, which have been modernized, this venerable mansion remains pretty nearly as it was in the days of its great but unfortunate possessor: the roof consists of small

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Another object of considerable interest is the churchyard at Youghal — a steep, undulating bank of considerable elevation, ornamented with trees, and walks tastefully laid out. This picturesque grave-yard, which contains several ancient tombstones, commands extensive views of the surrounding country. The church, a large and massive structure, has been spoilt by the wretched taste displayed in the modern additions. The ancient part, however, in some degree compensates — particularly a large window, which is indeed beautiful. Youghal abounds in ruins — relics of time and turbidence. It suffered severely, we are told, from the wars of the Desmonds in 1579, and was left quite desolate, not a man staying in it, except one poor friar. The Earl of Cork shut himself up in it in the rebellion of

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The large expanded strand of Youghal, says Dr. Smith, in his History of Cork, as far as the lowest ebbs uncover it, and probably much further, is no other than a common turf bog covered over with sand and pebbles, from whence not only good turf is dug every season, but also great trees, as fir, hazel, &c, are found. Some years ago, the sand and pebbles were washed away, and discovered great quantities of roots of various trees.²³ The same author also mentions, that at Clay Castle, about a mile south-west of the town

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The quay of Youghal, at present in very bad order, might, at a moderate expense, be greatly improved; and a comparatively small outlay of capital, in building houses of accommodation for strangers, might be the source of great advantage to the town, by converting it into a sea-bathing place. The beach is a beautiful one; and, in the immediate neighbourhood, are many eligible sites for building upon. A lighthouse also is much wanted near the entrance to the harbours — not only for vessels coming into it, but for those bound westward.

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The town belongs to the Duke of Devonshire, and I was informed that its improvement had been considerably retarded by an unfortunate dispute and law-suit between the Duke and the Corporation — arising out of some question of a political nature. The renewal of leases was refused; and many of the houses, of which the leases had expired, presented a ruinous appearance. After the expenditure of much money, the Corporation gave way. But little, if any, good, however, has attended these unhappy disagreements — both parties having lost much of their former influence, and the borough being now represented independently of either. It does not appear that the Duke is partial to Youghal; for, notwithstanding the adjustment of the differences alluded to, he has done but little, nor does he show a disposition to do much more, for the benefit of the place. In many respects, money might be laid out in profitable speculations; but the occasions are either unnoticed or disregarded. Yet, under all these disadvantages, Youghal is decidedly an improving town. The flour trade

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So lamentable has been the effect of party spirit in Youghal, that a benevolent institution, supported by all parties, which supplied coal and meal to the poor, without distinction of sect, was obliged to be abandoned, one of the parties, the Roman Catholics, after a contested election, having withdrawn their accustomed subscriptions. The principal subscribers were Protestants, and the greater part of the relief had been applied to the Roman Catholics. The Protestants, accordingly, established a similar benevolent society, called "The Protestant Relief Society," and restricted its application to the assistance of the

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In the minerals of the district there appears to be a vast source of profitable employment for capital and labour; and an arrangement, I understood, had just been completed with an English Company for beginning to work a rich vein of lead, discovered near the bank of the Blackwater,

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The labourers in the town get from tenpence to a shilling per day, and, in the country, eightpence, without diet. The rent of land within a mile of the town is from £3. to £3. 10s. per acre, and ranges down from that to 30s., further in the country. Land still nearer the mountains lets at from twenty to ten shillings. Potatoes produce about 60 barrels, and wheat, five barrels of twenty stones per acre; barley, eight barrels of sixteen stones; and oats, ten barrels of fourteen stones. In and near the town are the brown-ware potteries.

About five miles from Youghal, stands the Round Tower of Ardmore (which may be seen from elevated parts close to Youghal), composed, according to the statements of some historians, of "cut stones" accurately fitted and cemented together. The height is ninety feet, the diameter, at the base, fifteen. It is divided into four stories, having bands on the outside. Each story contains a

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My journey from Youghal to Cork, a distance of twenty-eight miles, lay through Castle Martyr, the property of the Earl of Shannon, and the beautiful and well-wooded domain of that nobleman. We passed also through Middleton, where Curran is said to have received the rudiments of learning. The immediate approach to Cork lies along the shores of the fantastically branching inlets of the sea or harbour, and is exceedingly beautiful. The evening, however, was too far advanced to permit of my seeing its beauties in perfection; besides, I was travelling by a heavy jolting coach, and over bad roads.

I took up my abode for two or three days at Besborough, with a friend who resides in a delightful spot on the side of one of the numerous bays; luxuriant cypresses and evergreens enriching the grounds. My friend kindly accompanied me to the far-famed Blarney, five or six miles from Cork. We took the Mallow road, approaching

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Beautiful as is the scenery that embosoms this ancient ruin, and numerous as are the historical associations connected with it, the distinction it has obtained may be attributed to the prevalence of a strange and ridiculous superstition. "In the highest part of the castle wall," says one who is learned in the fabulous records of Ireland, "a stone is pointed out to visitors, which is supposed to give to whoever kisses it the peculiar privilege of deviating from veracity, with unblushing countenance, whenever it may be convenient. Hence the well-known phrase of "BLARNEY." I indulged my curiosity by ascending the tower to see the magic stone, as well as the surrounding country.

Very fine amethysts, richly coloured, have been found in considerable abundance in a limestone quarry on the Black Rock road, about two miles from Cork; some sufficiently fine to become articles of jewellery. But as the ground on which the quarry is situated, had been for many years the subject of a law-suit, there has not been an opportunity of ascertaining how far the amethyst

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From Cork to Bandon, the country is somewhat mountainous for several miles. The Duke of Devonshire has considerable property about the latter place, and nearly the whole of the town belongs to him. The farm houses in the neighbourhood are respectable in appearance, and two, at least, of the resident gentry, Mr. Swanston and Mr. Connor, have contributed not only to the improvement of agriculture, but to the amelioration of the condition of those engaged in it. From Bandon we passed through Clonakilty and Ross-Carberry, formerly called Ross-Alithri (that is, the Field of Pilgrimage.) Ancient writers state that this was once a walled town and a bishop's see, and that the cathedral was founded in the sixth century. There was here, too, a famous university, much resorted to by the inhabitants of the south-west of Ireland. A mile

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Skibbereen, a manufacturing town of nearly 5000 inhabitants, is at the head of Baltimore Harbour. From hence we took a direction almost northerly, and, at a right angle to our road from Cork, across a barren, rocky country, to Bantry, formerly called Ballygobbin, which stands at the head of Bantry Bay, nearly twenty miles in length, and considered to be one of the noblest in the world, and said to be capable of containing all the shipping of Europe. The hills that encircle it are partially wooded, and, in many parts, cultivated to a considerable extent. Parallel with Bantry Bay runs another, Dunmanus Bay, thirteen miles long, and separated from it by a pointed and narrow cape; numerous islands cluster in the distance. Cape Clear, seen from near Bantry, is the most southerly part of Ireland.

At Bantry I found a comfortable inn — an excellent room, well carpeted — and newspapers and books; though, according to general custom, the

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Bantry is celebrated for its coral-sand, of which I collected a quantity. It is a species of small coral, in branched clusters of from one to two inches in diameter, and of various colours — the small particles being apparently sand — but, when magnified, innumerable minute shells are discovered. This coral-sand is carried as far as twenty miles into the country, and used as manure for heavy land — a purpose which it is said to answer better than any other sort of manure: it is particularly valuable in reclaiming bog-lands. Mr. O'Sullivan, a nephew of Mr. O'Connell, whom I met at the hotel, informed me that it contained from 80 to 85 per cent of lime; from its branched texture I apprehend that it acts also mechanically, and lightens the soil. Fourteen car-loads are used to the acre. Black limestone occurs on the strand, and on the road to Glengariff, but is not much used; lime being obtained from Muskerry, or Macroom, and costing, with the carriage,

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On Mr. Hutchinson's property, a mile and a quarter from Bantry, lead ore has been found, but is not worked. The mountains, indeed, are admitted to abound in minerals, and, at the time of my visit, Mr. Bakewell and Captain Powell from Cornwall were engaged in surveying them; with what success I know not, but the most favourable report might reasonably be anticipated. At Beerhaven, on the north side of the bay — one of the points aimed at in the projected railway across the island from Dublin — copper mines are spiritedly worked by Mr. Puxley; and on Lord Audley's property near Ballydehob, thirty miles south of Glengariff, the West Cork Mining Company are engaged in the same interesting process. What an almost boundless source of profitable employment may not the mines alone of Ireland afford to her starving population!

The cattle kept in this mountainous district are

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Bantry, considering the decay of its fishery, has improved astonishingly, I was told, within the last ten years. Lord Bantry, the principal proprietor, whose rental is about £12,000 a year, has done, and is still doing, much for the place: yet the population are in a miserable condition, and beggars actually swarm. Men, women, and children, being almost entirely dependent upon fishing for a subsistence, are necessarily reduced to great straits when their precarious source of sustenance, which is often the case, fails. The pilchard fishery was once carried on very profitably at Bantry. These fish were sent to Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Now, I believe, they are rarely caught. Wages are eightpence a day without diet, but the people cannot obtain employment more than half their time. The town possesses a National School, but, as usual, the Protestants withhold their children, and leave the entire management and control of the establishment in the hands of the Catholics; this is the

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I left Bantry on a fine calm morning, when the bay lay like a mirror, reflecting the hills and the sky within its still and bright waters. I had intended taking a boat to Glengariff, a short distance, and should certainly have done so, had not the landlord dissuaded me, advising me to travel by the road. I had no reason to repent having complied with his suggestions; for before I had proceeded very far, a sudden wind sprang up and blew furiously, and, in passing over the mountains, I could see the water, so lately an unruffled plain, torn up and violently agitated by the storm, and covered with wild waves crested with foam. Bantry Bay is a dangerous place: in 1796, a French fleet of twenty-four ships of war was wrecked in or near it. Its rocky and rugged

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About a mile and a half on the road to Glengariff, the traveller cannot fail to be struck with a mill and some picturesque waterfalls that dash over rude rocks, and, after forming a copious torrent, fall into a deep and dark channel, inclosed by rocks that open at some distance into Bantry Bay. This rocky chasm is green with holly, and ivy, and other plants, growing luxuriantly out of the several fissures. Further on, on the side of an arm of the bay which wears the appearance of a lake, stands the residence of the Mr. O'Sullivan, whom I met at the inn at Bantry. The road to Glengariff is wild and mountainous, winding alternately among rocks and woods, and over bogs and barren places, and presenting at intervals some very beautiful scenery. On Hungry Hill, for instance, is a celebrated waterfall, said to be one of the largest and highest in Ireland; it may be seen from the road to the left, at a distance of several miles, and is well worth a nearer approach. The mountains here consist

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Glengariff — Captain White's domain — Agricultural hints — Steep and rugged road to Kenmare — The Marquis of Lansdowne's estates — Eagles — Kenmare — Public buildings — Liberality of the Marquis of Lansdowne — Export and trade of Kenmare — Distressed condition of the cottagers — Advantage of poor-laws to farmers as well as labourers — The "waking" of Michael Sullivan — Road from Kenmare to Darrynane — Dromore Castle — Crookhaven — Raking sea-weed — Extensive and noble prospect — Arrival at Darrynane House — Hospitality of the family — Fast-day — Description of the mansion and grounds — Mr. O'Connell's love of field sports — The Abbey — Sermon in Irish — Devotion of the congregation — Unostentatious character of the priest — Pride of descent — Agriculture and wages — Mines — Mr. O'Connell's estates.

It was my lot to see Glengariff — one of the most picturesque spots in Ireland — at an unfavourable time. In the first place it was winter, and, in the next place, the weather had become uncommonly stormy; so that when I approached the little inn, situated near the top of a narrow creek of the bay, there was but little which seemed to justify the high reputation enjoyed by this sequestred

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When I retired to my room, I found the window broken, and was obliged to stuff it, according to the fashion of the country, with some of my clothes. The house contained neither bellows nor warming-pan, and was devoid of some of the very cheapest and most ordinary of luxuries. Such in winter is the hotel of the romantic and delightful Glengariff. I can well fancy that in summer it must be a charming spot, comprehending as it does almost every variety of scenery except the positively sublime; indeed, that it is one of the most attractive of places, we have the concurrent testimony of all who have visited it. The bay abounds in fish, of which we had a supply both to dinner and breakfast.

Close to the inn is the domain of Captain White, Lord Bantry's brother. It is exceedingly beautiful, and says much for the judicious forbearance of

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The scenery from the grounds is of a very superior character, uniting beauty with grandeur. The outlines of the various ranges of mountains were clearly defined; and the bay, with its numerous islands, and great variety of creeks, inlets, and promontories, was displayed in singular loveliness. Hungry Hill, with its abrupt acclivities and towering heights, forms an interesting object in the distance.

The principal proprietors about Glengariff are Lords Bantry, Lansdowne, and Kenmare, and

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About a mile of the road from Glengariff to Kenmare is steeper and more rugged than can well be imagined, and, as a new one was in progress, it had been much neglected. The torrents having washed much of the ground away, had left it in the condition of a series of huge rugged steps. Several persons accompanied us to assist the horse in the arduous ascent, and, in descending on the other side, a rope was fastened to the

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For several miles from Glengariff, the country we passed through was very mountainous, abounding with lakes; and, to the westward, there are said to be upwards of 300 in one short range. Proceeding further, I recognised the bold Mangerton Mountains, and the curiously indented Mac-Gillicuddy's Reeks, above the beautiful lakes of Killarney, which, on my previous journey, I approached from the road on the opposite side. At the summit of the steep and difficult ascent before mentioned, we entered the Marquis of Lansdowne's estates, about five miles from Glengariff, and I was delighted to witness the attempts made on this property, not only to encourage a better system of agriculture and husbandry, but to augment the comforts of the population by the improvement of their dwellings. Neat stone houses, built at the expense of the Marquis, were taking the place of clusters of mean hovels, rudely constructed of mud and thatch; and the tenants are paid for making the fences. The Marquis has also built a school-house in the neighbourhood, and has recently begun to encourage planting.

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Kenmare is situated at the head of an estuary which runs with a narrow point up to the town, and is about six miles in width at the entrance, and nearly twenty-five miles in length. Vessels of 120 tons burden come close up to the pier, and ships of 500 anchor within a quarter of a mile of it. The pier was lately built, I was told, and cost £1500, half of the expense being paid by the Marquis of Lansdowne, who also promised, with his wonted liberality, to contribute one half of the sum necessary to build a bridge in the neighbourhood, the cost of which was estimated at £6000. A Catholic chapel, and other public buildings, have been likewise

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The principal export of Kenmare is grain; the import, iron, coal, and timber. The trade of the town is rapidly increasing. Coals cost from 16s. to 22s. per ton; lime 1s. 2d. per barrel. The wheat crop of the previous year had been deficient, so had potatoes; oats, however, were an average crop. Wheat was selling at from 27s. to 31s. per barrel; oats at 9d., and potatoes at 2 1/2d. per stone.

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Notwithstanding the acknowledged improvement of trade and of the country generally, the poor cottagers are in a very distressed condition. The land allotted to them is wet, and, till drained, unsuitable for the cultivation of potatoes; the labourer earns 6d. and sometimes 8d. per day, but is employed scarcely half his time; and many of the small holders, if they had the land for nothing, could not support themselves and families. They are nearly half naked, and are but half fed. This is indeed a wretched state of things — enough to convince the most sceptical of the absolute necessity that exists for the speedy establishment of some system of poor-laws. Nor would the institution of such means be the discharge of a debt of justice to the poor alone; the farmers and the tradesmen would feel it as an important boon, for as many of the large proprietors contribute scarcely anything to the relief of the suffering part of the population, the burden principally falls upon them. It did not appear that any attempt had been made to teach the cottagers a better system of agriculture, or to stimulate

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On my way to inspect some of the comfortable looking white-washed cottages on the opposite side of the river, I perceived, from the interest excited among a crowd of people, standing near the water, that some serious accident had happened;

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Darrynane, the residence of Mr. O'Connell, is distant from Kenmare thirty-one miles, and I was informed by the landlord of the inn at the latter place, and indeed by all that spoke to me on the subject, that I should share, at the residence of the celebrated "Liberator," the hearty welcome which is invariably offered to all who travel the wilds surrounding it. The road from Kenmare to Darrynane is mountainous, — parts of the country being very thinly inhabited, —

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At Crookhaven, the next village we came to, are some interesting waterfalls, close adjoining the road. The country for several miles is one almost continuous mass of rock, interspersed with cabins, to which cabbage-gardens are attached. About the doors of these rude habitations may be seen a sheep or two, cattle, and pigs, waiting for a morsel of food — the latter impatiently screaming

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At a place called White Strand, the road leads into the bay; and the tide being up at the time we passed along it, the driver seemed to be going out to sea. After passing through the water a short distance, however, he suddenly made a double round the end of the rocks, and regained the road. The people in this district were actively employed in collecting the sea-weed, for the purpose of manure; numbers of men standing up to the middle in the sea, catching the weed with long-toothed and long-shafted rakes, and hauling it ashore, whence it was conveyed in baskets by boys, who carried it on their backs to the land, for their next crop of potatoes. A trifling manufactory of frieze is carried on here, but, generally speaking, work is scarce. Some poor fellows whom I met, said that they could only get two or three weeks'

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Old castles abound in the course of the drive from Kenmare; and, from the high moors about two miles before we arrive at the descent to Darrynane, an extensive and noble prospect is commanded. The mighty Atlantic bounds this magnificent view, which includes, among other things worthy of notice, the mouth of the Kenmare river — the islands of Scarriff and Dinish, rising abruptly out of the ocean — the rocks called the Bull, Cow, and Calf, at the extremity of the peninsula which divides Bantry Bay from Kenmare river — and lastly, Darrynane House, and the ruins of Darrynane Abbey, reposing at the foot of the mountains, on the borders of Kenmare River, near the open sea. Having descended the hill, we overtook a company of men, boys, and girls, driving about thirty small horses and mules, laden with panniers of turf; they occupied

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It was Saturday evening, the 17th of December, when I arrived at Darrynane, and having left my letter of introduction to the proprietor, along with some other papers, in Dublin, I had an opportunity of proving the correctness of the statements which had been made to me at Kenmare respecting the hospitality of the abode. I had, in fact, no other introduction to Darrynane than that I was a stranger and an Englishman, but these were amply sufficient. I was received and treated with the kindest attention, and soon felt myself at home in the house of Mr. O'Connell. At Darrynane I spent the whole of Sunday, and remained there during the night of that day. The family, during my visit, consisted of Maurice O'Connell, John, and Daniel the younger (the Daniel was in Dublin) — two nieces of Mr. O'Connell, who were staying there on a visit, Dr. O'Connell, and Dr. O'Sullivan, the chaplain; Mr. Primrose, the land agent of the estate, and a

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The day on which I arrived was a fast-day; the table, notwithstanding, was admirably supplied with a variety of fish — and some excellent Kerry mutton, for the use of Protestant strangers. Fourteen different kinds of fish, caught close to the place, are frequently on the table at the same time. The coast abounds with fish; as many as thirty turbot have been caught at one draught..

Darrynane House is an extensive pile of buildings, erected at different periods, and without regard to any particular order of architecture, or any prevailing uniformity of plan. Convenience, and the comfort of his guests, seem to have guided Mr. O'Connell in the enlargement of his mansion. In front of the house, stretches an extensive garden, at the end of which is a fine natural lawn of soft short grass — in spring and summer, the scene of various sports and pleasant recreative

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Darrynane was a small abbey of Canons Regular of St. Austin, founded in the seventh century. Nothing now remains of it but the bare walls, the interior space being occupied by gravestones and skulls, of which immense numbers are piled together, bleached by the atmosphere. Within these bare and shattered walls lay the body of Mrs. O'Connell, but it was about to be removed to Dublin.

Learning that I had a wish to hear a sermon in Irish, the priest of the parish invited me to go with him to his chapel, a mile from Darrynane. About two hundred of his congregation attended, and though I did not understand the subject of the discourse, I was much impressed with the devoted manner of the worshippers, not only in this lonely chapel among the wilds of Darrynane, but in every part of Ireland with which I am acquainted. They who sneer at the religion of Roman Catholics, might

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The minister of this congregation was a man of humble pretensions, but industrious and zealous in his calling. In the morning he rose before it was light, having to attend a chapel over the mountains, and, on his return, officiated at that near Darrynane. I accepted his invitation to join him at breakfast. This was a late meal for him; but the priests make it a rule, from which they seldom

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The country about Darrynane would be greatly benefitted by the introduction and application of an improved system of agriculture. The farmers seem ignorant of the advantages of cultivating rape, turnips, and mangel wurzel — of mowing

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The mountains in the neighbourhood contain both lead and copper, but no mines are yet worked. Mr. Hartop, an English gentleman, has a royalty in the neighbourhood, and arrangements, I was informed, have been made with him by three Companies, viz., the Irish Mining Company, and two English companies, to open some mines in that part of the country. Kenmare Bay is accounted a safe harbour, and finely sheltered by ridges of mountains; there ought here to be a considerable trade in the export of minerals and agricultural produce.

Mr. O'Connell's ancestors originally had a lease of this district, from the Earl of Cork, and it still continues to be held under lease. The extent of the estate along the coast is about ten miles, the

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Departure from Darrynane — Ride to Cahirciveen — Kerry pony — Wild Irishman — The Skellig Rocks — Monkish cells — Sea-birds — Magnificent sea-views — Arrival at Cahirciveen — Buildings and trade of the place — Valencia — Inattention of Irish landlords in the winter season — Employment — Birth-place of Mr. O'Connell — Character of Mr. O'Connell's father — Journey to Tralee — The Dingle Bay — Singular appearance of the sea — The Blasques — Lord Headley's estates — Bianconi's cars — Gorgeous sunset — The Bridge of Castlemain — Arrival at Tralee — The Hotel — Principal proprietors — Price of provisions — Education at Tralee — Dr. M'Henry — Improving state of the town — The export trade — Bead manufacturers — Sir Edward Denny's residence — Old castles — Rocky coast — Barnacles — Wretched instances of destitution — Tarbert — Sail down the Shannon — Innis Scattery — Kilrush — Improvement of the town — The Steam Company — Remarks on the advantages of public spirit and energy.

On the Monday morning I left Darrynane, mounted on one of the celebrated Kerry ponies, a sluggish stupid animal, with a shaggy coat resembling that of a bear. I had to pay four shillings (the regular price) for my ride to Cahirciveen, a distance of nineteen miles, the road lying all the way over wild and rugged mountains. The owner of the pony set off early in the morning, for the

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After the heavy driving rains of the morning, the atmosphere fortunately became remarkably clear, and I had an extensive view from the mountainous road I was traversing. The most interesting objects were the Skellig Rocks. The Great Skellig rises in a very extraordinary and abrupt manner out of the Atlantic, at a distance of about twelve miles from the shore. It resembles an irregular and sharply-pointed cone. A little plain of verdant land, elevated about two hundred feet above the level of the sea, was anciently chosen as the site of buildings devoted to religious solitude and devotion; and the time-worn fragments, and the ruins of many monkish cells, still remain to attest the piety and enthusiasm of by-gone days. Two holy wells, several stone crosses, and the ruins of

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I had a splendid view of Ballynaskellig's Bay,

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At the end of five hours I alighted, extremely fatigued, at Cahirciveen, with more real pleasure than I ever before dismounted from any beast, and delivered him to his master, with a determination never, if possible, to ride another rough Kerry pony. The poor creature who had accompanied me as my running footman, though uncivilized

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Valencia, which owes its name to the Spanish, has obtained some celebrity on account of being one of the places proposed by Captain Evans, Mr. Vignoles, and other engineers, as the terminus of a railway across the island from Dublin. Most of the island, which is about five miles long, by one wide, belongs to the Knight of Kerry (joint tenant with Mr. O'Connell in the College property). The island is said to be about five miles long; the sea, which runs between it and the main land, being half a mile broad, and sufficiently deep for vessels to sail through at any time of the tide. Cromwell, as stated by Smith, had forts

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The labourers here are employed, on an average, three days in the week throughout the year, and receive, as wages, from 6d. to 8d. per day, without diet. The rent of an acre of land, with a cabin, is £3, and of one rood of land with a house, £2: the labourer builds the cabin, and keeps it in repair. A few of the gentlemen in the neighbourhood have made trifling attempts at green crops, but the system is not much practised. I took a walk to Carhan, about a mile from Cahirciveen, the birth-place of Mr. O'Connell, which curiosity prompted me to visit. Nothing remains of this residence but the walls, from which it would seem

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Thankful to travel once more over roads on which a wheel-carriage could move, I took my place by the mail-car to Tralee, passing through the estates of the Marquis of Lansdowne and Lord Headley, and Killorglan and Castlemain. Mr.

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From this road the Dingle Bay is seen to great advantage, its peculiarly fine green waters contrasting beautifully with the brown and sombre hue of the surrounding mountains. The scene is one of more than ordinary interest; beneath the high cliffs over whose edge the way lies — and at a depth of from three to four hundred feet — the waves, rendered diminutive by the distance, fret and break against the feet of the unmoving rocks; and the white sea-fowl, floating through the intermediate abyss, have the singular effect of pearls set in emerald. This may sound somewhat fantastic, but it could scarcely fail to strike

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In this part of the country Lord Headley has large possessions. He has planted extensively, and has greatly contributed to give an aspect of civilization and beauty to a district previously barren and unattractive. Lord Headley is an excellent landlord, and a good man. He is in the habit of giving leases, and of assisting his tenants in making improvements.

I travelled by one of Bianconi's cars, and was delighted with the conveyance; something similar —

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I think I never witnessed so gorgeous a sunset as I did this day. Upon the top of the sombre Broghall ridge of mountains, a long bank of perfectly grey clouds rested; above these, and extending almost to the zenith, was a suffusion of the deepest crimson: to these rich and delicate colours, the brown hue which prevailed in the foreground and the distance, formed an imposing contrast. The picturesque ravines, with their rivulets and waterfalls, all partook of the glory of this grave and gorgeous radiance.

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At Killorglan we crossed the river Laune, the limpid water of the queen of lakes flowing through Castlemain harbour and Dingle Bay into the sea. The bridge here has ten arches. The town is on a steep hill, and has an appearance of antiquity. The bridge of Castlemain, over the river Main, is the most ancient in the country. It formerly had a castle upon it, and divided the property of the chieftains of two districts, the Mores and Desmonds, and each had guards residing upon it alternately. Its present appearance denotes that buildings have been formerly erected upon it..

From Cahirciveen to Killorglan, the face of the country is bog and mountain; near the latter place the land improves. The rocks are generally slate, but near Killorglan the limestone appears, and is seen again at Milltown, where the land is good; but between Milltown and Tralee, it is wet and boggy, and the people are poor. Limestone appears again as we approach Tralee. The inhabitants of this wild district are exceedingly peaceable and orderly, with the exception of occasional cases of sheep-stealing. Some degree of this

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At Tralee I took up my quarters at the Hotel, accounted a good inn. The landlord was gentlemanly, both in appearance and manners, but I found here the same negligence which had disgusted me in other places..

The club-houses were said by a gentleman to whom I had a letter of introduction, to have knocked up the inns, but their lamentable and most disreputable condition may be more properly attributed, I suspect, to the inattention of the innkeepers, who are much fonder of hunting and shooting than of looking after the duties of their calling. If my accounts of some of the Irish inns be found to differ materially from those of writers who have preceded me, the disparity may be accounted for on this ground; most tourists visit Ireland in the summer portions of the year, and find the houses of public accommodation in some measure prepared for their reception; whereas it

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The principal proprietors are absentees. Lord Fitzwilliam's income is understood to be £80,000 a year, of which, I was informed, he takes only £34,000 out of the country. Lord Headley resides: Lord Kenmare, a Roman Catholic, has the largest property in Kerry; at present his rental is only £36,000 per annum, but when the leases expire it will amount probably to £100,000. Lord Listowel has an income of £20,000; Lord Ventry,an equal amount: Lord Lansdowne £8000; Mr. Locke £7,000; and Lord Cork £6,000. Kerry (formerly the Kingdom of Kerry) is said to be the greatest absentee county in Ireland, which may in some degree account for there being no Agricultural Society in it. Many of the labourers were in a state of great destitution; being employed about two-thirds of their time, at wages averaging eightpence a day, without diet. Provisions here were, however, cheap. Potatoes, which

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About 2,000 children are educated by the Roman Catholics at Tralee, and they and the Protestant children go to school together — a fact that indicates a friendly and charitable understanding to prevail between the members of the different

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The principal export trade of Tralee is in grain, cattle, and pork; they are sent to Cork by land. The harbour is exceedingly bad and dangerous,

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There are two bead-manufacturers here: one of them, James Boan, I visited. This man, some of whose goods I purchased, expressed great desire to know the destination of his articles, and was anxious that I should recommend him when I had an opportunity, so that he might be enabled to realize his hope of changing his present dirty little cabin for a more respectable and a larger shop.

Sir Edward Denny, to whom Tralee mainly belongs, has a residence near the town, and through the domain which environs it he has recently formed a beautiful walk, to which the appropriate name of the Castle Walk (an old castle having stood here) has been assigned. This walk is open, I presume, to the public. At any rate, the gate being open, I took the liberty of walking in and inspecting the place. The day (the 21st of December) was warm and genial —

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The castle alluded to in the foregoing paragraph was taken down a short time ago, and out of its materials Denny-street was built. The street certainly does credit to those who projected and designed it; and, considered with a view solely to utility, is infinitely to be preferred to the ancient ruin it has supplanted. At the same time I cannot contemplate, without regret, the destruction of those venerable and generally picturesque structures. The times which rendered them necessary, are doubtless gone for ever; and surely they might be permitted to remain, not merely to delight us by their beauty, but to instruct us, by teaching a lesson of gratitude for the security and peace we possess, and of admiration of those great principles by whose agency alone peace and security have been obtained, or can be secured.

This coast up to Kerry Head, and the Shannon mouth, is rocky, and full of indentures and

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Whilst the car (a miserable concern) by which I was to travel to Tarbert, was waiting at the door of the hotel, some of the most wretched objects imaginable surrounded us. One poor creature in particular attracted and merited attention. With scarcely the aspect of a human being, this wretched man was mounted on the shoulders of another; — his body was nearly quite naked, his limbs were shockingly distorted, and he continued to utter the most unhuman sounds. I shudder, even yet, when I remember this deplorable sight. About a dozen others, exhibiting

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During this journey (a distance of only thirty miles, which we were no less than seven hours in performing), the horses must have stopped, resolutely refusing to draw, at least twenty times. At Listowel, where a fair had been held, we were accompanied out of the town by fifty or sixty men and boys, who succeeded, by shouting and flogging, in stimulating the pace of our sluggish and miserable horses. A more uncomfortable ride I never had, and would willingly have stayed at Listowel, had there been accommodation. In the absence of this, I was obliged, though far from well, to proceed to Tarbert, where I arrived at ten o'clock that night. Tarbert, as I have stated before, lies on the south bank of the Shannon, and on the borders of the counties of Limerick and Kerry. Another and more respectable car, I ought to add, travelled the same road; but by some mistake I was directed to the one I went by.

On a former occasion I had sailed down the

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Kilrush belongs to Crofton Moore Vandeleur, Esq., of Kilrush House, who is lord of the manor. His property extends about twelve miles along the Shannon side, east of Kilrush, and, westward on the road to Kilkee, about five miles; and his income is said to be about £15,500 per annum. He is a young man, and is an excellent landlord, giving encouragement by granting longer leases, and ground for building on, and is ready to join any Company that may be established for the benefit of the country. Within the last five years, the town and neighbourhood have undergone an

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It was highly gratifying to witness the animation that prevailed in Kilrush, — the neatness of the little shops, the flagged pathway, and the absence of accumulated dirt, so prominent and offensive a peculiarity of most small towns in Ireland. The people about Kilrush (whose population is 5000) are handsome, and appear considerably more intelligent than in many other places. The whole town, indeed, presented abundant proofs of the advantages that result from a spirited and enlightened policy, which, whilst it largely benefits the community, extending its influence wider and wider, like the increasing circles of agitated water, is the occasion of corresponding profit to the enterprising individuals who may have advocated its adoption. Truly despicable, on the other hand, is the low and narrow policy, entertained too often both by individuals and companies, which would postpone

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Kilkee — Bog wood — Used instead of candles — Geology of the neighbourhood — Loss of "The Intrinsic" — Account of the shipwreck — Mr. Deane, the inventor of the new diving apparatus — Description of it — The Carrigheen moss — Clearness and beauty of the sea — Attractions of Kilkee and the neighbourhood — Ancient Rath — Belief in Fairies — Education thirty years since — Curraghs, or canoes — Farms and rents — Prices of produce — Wages of labourers — Early marriages — Advice to travellers — Miltown Malbay — The Hotel — The Spanish Armada — Principal proprietors in the neighbourhood of Miltown Malbay — Population and rents — Bright and beautiful morning — Birchfield, Mr. O'Brien's — The Cliffs of Moher — Extensive view — Inn at Lahinch — Interview with Thomas Steele at Ennis — The Jail — The Abbey — Return to Dublin — Sir William Betham — His researches on the subject of the ancient ring-money — Body of a man found in a bog — Conclusion.

Kilkee, a well-frequented bathing-place, is nine miles distant from Kilrush; the charge made by the Public Company for going there is only 1s.; whilst those having private cars charge five. The Company, besides what it has done in the direct sphere of its operations, has also assisted in making and improving the roads in the neighbourhood.

In going to Kilkee, some bogs are crossed,

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Immediately on my arrival at Kilkee, I commenced a ramble along the shore, and amongst the cliffs of this romantic spot. The village lies round a little bay of the sea, inclosed by high and rugged rocks, which form a grand amphitheatre. In a storm, the sea exerts such extraordinary power on this coast, that immense pieces of rock, of many tons weight, that lie fifty or sixty feet above the usual tides, are forced from their beds by the action of the waters, and cast violently into the bay. On the south side of the bay, the rock is in regular layers, with a slight inclination. "The strata," says Mr. Ainsworth, "consists of alternating beds of clay slate and ampelite, and of extremely compact quartzose rock, without cement, and scarcely any fissures of stratification." Crystals of quartz are found among the interstices of the rocks, called the Diamond Rocks; similar formations are produced along the coast of Kerry, and in the limestone of Carlow, as before stated.

Between Bishop's Island, a short distance from the shore, and the Diamond Rock, — in a very

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Mr. Deane, the inventor of the new diving apparatus, was engaged by the Underwriters to recover part of the cargo, and had succeeded as well as the stormy weather would permit. His task was a difficult one, and if he received only

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A great variety of curious sea-weed, and other marine plants, are found about the rocks of Kilkee; the most important of these is the Carrigheen moss, which grows in great abundance, and is collected by the natives and bleached on the coast. It is used as an article of diet for invalids, both in Ireland and England, and is said

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A party of friends might pass a few of the summer months very delightfully at Kilkee. It is an interesting place, and is surrounded by as interesting a neighbourhood. The coast of Clare, on each side of it, from Cape Lean as far as Galway Bay, abounds with curious caverns, stupendous

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Nor is the interest with which Kilkee and the vicinity abound, of such a character as to afford delight to the lovers of the picturesque and curious exclusively. The antiquary will find numerous objects worthy of his notice. On each side of the village is an ancient Rath; that on the east, which indicates great antiquity, will best repay attention. The circumference, outside the rampart,

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Kilkee is the property of Lord Cunningham, an absentee: his income in Clare is said to be about £7000 a year; the property is still in lease for lives. Very many of the people here live to the age of eighty and ninety.

The curraghs, or canoes, of the fishermen on this coast, are of the same description as those used by the ancient Britons and Irish, except that they are covered (probably for the sake of economy) with tarred canvass instead of hides;

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The people of Kilkee and the neighbourhood are peaceable and well conducted. "A man would not kill another," said an old inhabitant of the place, "for a million of money;"nor does it appear that any destruction of life arises out of the taking of land. The establishment of manufactories

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The average prices of produce and living were as follows: — oats 9d. per stone; wheat 1s. 4d.; barley 9d.; potatoes, 2 1/2d.; butter 10d. for 18 oz.; beef, 4d. for the best; mutton and pork the same; a goose, weighing five or six pounds, from 1s. 6d.

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During the time of potato digging, the labourers receive 6d. per day and diet, after which there is very little to be done till spring, when they may be employed till July. Early in spring they get 6d.; about May, 8d.; and then 6d. per day again. On an average, they are employed about two-thirds of their time. Some of their wives and children go to beg where they are not known, but generally the people are so industriously disposed, and pay such attention to their little potato-gardens, that not many resort to this degrading practice. In the western part of the county of Clare, I observed that many of the potatoes were in the ground on the 23d of December; and, if dug at all, would have to be got up in the present year. Some of the oats and barley had been returned from

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Kilkee presents no variation from the rest of places, in respect of early marriages. Girls marry at sixteen, boys from seventeen to twenty. The poorer classes marry under a conviction that their condition cannot be worse, and may possibly be more comfortable. The farmers' daughters necessarily associate with the servants; and the father, afraid of their marrying below their class, is more easily induced than he might be under other circumstances, to allow them to marry, when a tolerable offer is made, although very young.

I would advise all who intend travelling in this part of Ireland in the winter, to go well provided with tea, coffee, and any liquor they may consider necessary. The eggs obtained here are not always the best; tea and coffee are both very poor; good

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From Kilkee to Miltown Malbay, a distance of only sixteen miles, I travelled in a very jolting car (for which I paid 8s.) drawn by a horse which was either unable or unwilling to travel at an ordinary rate. Three men in succession undertook to drive him, and so far succeeded as to make him perform the journey in five hours — being at the astonishing rate of three miles an hour. At length we reached the immense inn at Miltown Malbay, which did not contain a traveller besides myself. It presented a comfortless appearance, and in many respects resembled the generality of Irish inns in the winter season: it

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Miltown has received the additional name of Malbay, by way of distinction, from the badness

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The principal proprietors in the neighbourhood, are Mr. Marawley, before mentioned, whose income was stated to be about £2,000 per annum, Mr. O'Brien, £1,000 per annum, and Sir William

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The population of Miltown is rapidly increasing. The wages of the labourers are generally 6d., and sometimes 8d. and 10d. per day, with diet. They are occasionally much distressed, being employed only half of their time; their wives are accordingly compelled to turn out and beg, but notwithstanding this, the most complete tranquillity prevails. Land near Miltown lets at from £2 to £3. 10s. per acre; bog land, from £2. to £2. 10s. Sea-weed and sea-sand are much used for manure, and the latter is held in such high estimation as to be carted from the shore at Miltown to near Ennis, a distance of eighteen miles. But little encouragement, I am sorry to say, appears to be given to agricultural improvements.

The morning after my arrival here was exceedingly brilliant, and I anticipated with pleasure a visit to the cliffs of Moher, allowed to be the most

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The low land lets for from thirty to forty shillings; the mountainous part, from thirteen to twenty. The cess is 1s. 5d. per acre. In this barony (Corcomroe) the proportion of Catholics to Protestants is said to be one hundred to one.

From Liscanor the road winds up the hill to the Hag's Head, a rock, so called from the striking resemblance of a part of it to the head of an old woman. Here stands an old tower, formerly used as a Telegraph, and afterwards as a Coastguard station. This cliff was stated by the late Alexander Nimmo, in his report to Government, to be more than 600 feet above the ocean. The celebrated cliffs of Moher extend for three miles to the northward of the Hag's Head — the most

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Fortunately, my visit to these extraordinary cliffs was attended with a transparent atmosphere, and a great extent of rocky coast was visible — its bold headlands jutting into the sea as far as the

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Leaving with reluctance the stupendous heights of Moher, which I had been most anxious to see, I returned to Lahinch. The inn is situated at the head of Ballyela Bay, and is much frequented in the summer months by bathers, the sands being remarkably fine. The majority of the company, I was informed, consists of Catholic priests. I was shewn into an immense room, a fire of wet turf being carried along with me; and the keen frosty air having produced as keen an appetite, I called for dinner, and was told that a fowl would presently be served up. The promise was literally fulfilled most certainly, for, by and by, a goose,

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Leaving Lahinch by the mail-car at seven in the morning, we passed for many miles through a poor, cold, and barren country, destitute of all objects of interest, except now and then the ruins of an ancient castle. Limestone, composed of masses of oyster shells, prevails, as Ennis, the county town of Clare, is approached; and in the immediate neighbourhood of that town the soil improves considerably. At the inn here I happened to breakfast at the same table with Thomas Steele, one of Mr. O'Connell's friends, and an able writer on the liberal side. "Nothing," said he, in reference to tithe, "nothing will now satisfy the Irish people but its total extinction, stem, root, and branch." Poor-Laws he considered indispensable.

Mr. Steele introduced me to the News-room, where I became acquainted with a gentleman, a magistrate, who, in the true spirit of Irish civility, kindly accompanied me to inspect the Jail, the Mendicity Institution, the Old Abbey, and some

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The abbey was founded by O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, in 1250, and was considered the most elegant Gothic monastery in Ireland. The masonry of the east window remains; and it is rather extraordinary, considering the great beauty of the ruin, and the inconvenient smallness of the church at present used for Protestant worship, that the ancient edifice is not restored.

Ennis is a much cleaner and neater town than I held lately been accustomed to see, and has a

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To Limerick, twenty-two miles, I travelled by the coach, and thence to Dublin, 125 miles, by the mail. This route lay through Nenagh, Roscrea, (whose abbey and round-tower I saw by moonlight) Montrath, Maryborough, Naas, and the Curragh of Kildare. In 1798, Naas was defended against the rebels by the Armagh Militia, under the command of Lord Gosford, and a number of troops called the Ancient Britons..

When at Dublin, I was introduced to Sir William Betham, Ulster King-at-Arms, &c, who has for several years devoted much attention to antiquarian researches, respecting the affinity of the Phoenician and Celtic languages, ancient ornaments, and the ring-money. Sir William had, some time before I saw him, astonished the members of the Royal Academy by declaring his conviction that the ancient gold and brass articles which are frequently discovered in most parts of Ireland, in the form of opened rings, with the ends considerably flattened, were formerly used as current money.

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In consequence of information received from Mr. Petrie respecting the body of a man found in a bog in Donegal, which is in the possession of the Royal Dublin Society, I was gratified on my second visit to the Society with a sight of this antiquated gentleman. In a paper communicated to the Dublin Philosophical Journal, Mr. Petrie

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I left Dublin at five in the afternoon of the 28th of December — reached Liverpool at half-past eight the following morning — and was comfortably seated by my own fireside in Lancaster that evening.

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GENERAL REMARKS

Within the limits of a concluding chapter but little can be said respecting the causes which have conduced to the remarkable disparity that exists between the state of this country and that of the land of which I have attempted to give some account in the preceding pages. To detail (as would be necessary, in order to exhibit these causes) the history of Ireland from the period of its connexion with Great Britain as a conquered country, to the present moment, at which, nominally at least, it bears the character of an integral portion of the empire, would be to enter upon a subject of mighty difficulty and of unmanageable extent. A few observations, however, may be offered, even within the contracted space which

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Ireland presents to those who contemplate her peculiar condition, a striking and fearfully disgraceful anomaly. Possessing a singularly fertile soil, capable of abundantly repaying the labour bestowed upon it, she also possesses a population depressed by more than ordinary destitution, and dishonoured by a long catalogue of more than ordinary crimes. This state of things, so truly deplorable, whether regarded in a moral or a physical point of view, is exclusively referrible to the systematic course of partiality, oppression, and cruelty, with which her people have been treated through successive centuries; and if it were my object to represent the injuries that have been done, rather than to dwell upon the prospect of good things to come, I might, by referring to authentic sources of information, draw a series of terrific pictures of persecution, intolerance, and desolation, to which it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to find parallels in the history of any

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As it is not unusual to hear the Irish charged with the several vices of idleness, cruelty, and recklessness, it may be well perhaps to keep these allegations in view, in the course of the following observations.

As to the charge of idleness. When it is considered that they receive comparatively no reward for their labour; that the market is constantly overstocked; that the more they exert themselves, the more they increase the surplus labour, already too great; and that the disappointments they so

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If the outrages committed by the Irish people are incapable of vindication, facts and circumstances may at least be produced in extenuation of the excesses into which they are hurried. On an impartial consideration of some of these particulars, it will, I think, be apparent, that the very worst of our fellow-subjects in "the sister isle" are certainly not more cruel and vindictive than any other people would be under similar treatment; and that the outrages of which they are guilty, are, in fact, for the most part, the natural growth of the policy adopted towards them. We often, for instance, hear of murders being perpetrated upon such as have taken land from which

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In this manner have great numbers been turned adrift — not because they were in arrear of rent — not because they had transgressed the rules of their lease — but simply because they happened to profess a religious or political creed at variance with that of a capricious landlord. It cannot surely be denied, that, systematically and wickedly oppressed as the Irish labourers are, to rise in self-defence, however frightful may be the results of such resistance, is at least a natural mode of procedure.

But other powerful causes operate to increase the hardships which the poor tenants have to endure. In many cases, having purchased a right of possession from the previous occupiers, they consider themselves to have a permanent interest in the farms for which they have paid; accordingly, ejectments are resented by strenuous combinations. Outrages, thus occasioned, are frequently misrepresented, for the very worst of purposes, as arising out of political or religious animosities; and hence it is that in the minds of those unacquainted with the peculiar condition and circumstances

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"During the week in which I received your first letter, there was a reward of fifty pounds offered by the Irish Government for the apprehension of some persons who dug up a grass field in the county of Limerick. This, to persons not knowing the real state of the country, would appear to be a most wanton and malicious destruction of their neighbour's property; you will be astonished when I tell you that dire necessity, not wantonness, led to the act, and that it is most probable that not the slightest degree of malice was entertained by the perpetrators towards the owner of the field.

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During the war, when beef and pork sold high, the farmers found it more profitable to feed calves and pigs with their milk and buttermilk, than to sell it to their poor neighbours. The consequence was, that these wretched creatures would band together in a district, go to the farmers at night, and swear them not to rear more than a certain

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From these topics, painful at the best, let us turn to a consideration of some of the means by whose agency Ireland may be lifted from the degraded condition in which the nations of the earth behold her.

To me it appears that (legislative measures of an exclusively political nature out of the question) Ireland must owe her social regeneration to a successful attention to Agriculture, and that it accordingly behoves all her lovers and well-wishers to bestow upon this great science, with an especial view to her advantage, at least some of the time and some of the interest which have hitherto been engrossed by topics of a more exciting, but not more important character. Whilst, to certain persons, the minute subdivision of land appears pregnant with evils and fraught with danger, by others it is regarded as one of the most feasible projects for the amelioration of the state of the labouring population of Ireland, and consequently

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For the sake of precluding misunderstanding, I would here observe, that I am no advocate for small farms, except when the circumstances of the country require them, which I conceive to be the case in Ireland at present. I would not, for instance, recommend that the 300-acre farms of England and Scotland should be divided, although I am persuaded there would be a very signal advantage in dividing those above that size. It is much more profitable, even for the farmer himself, to produce a good crop on a small quantity of land, than a middling crop on a large extent.

On commencing the above system, some pecuniary assistance, but to no great amount, is requisite. According to Mr. Blacker's plan, a loan of

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In hazarding this assertion, startling as it may appear to some, I am perfectly convinced that I speak within compass: and having bestowed much of my time upon agricultural pursuits, for the last thirty years, I may perhaps, without incurring a charge of undue presumption, be allowed to feel confidence on subjects to which so much of my attention has been necessarily devoted. Let any one who may be inclined to question the accuracy of my suggestion as to the probability of the produce of Ireland being at least quadrupled, look at the miserable state of the land at present under cultivation (if, indeed, it deserve the name of cultivation) —the ground covered with weeds — in

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The remedy above suggested, is something more than a vague and impracticable theory; it has the merit, if I mistake not, of being perfectly feasible. Let landlords do as Lord Gosford has done, and it is accomplished.³³ Should Government think it expedient to second the endeavours of individuals, by extending protection to the farmers in respect of the several articles before mentioned, and to promote the diffusion of agricultural knowledge, but particularly of the allotment system, the remedy will be secured, not perhaps more surely, but with greater expedition. If this were once adopted, the workhouse-system

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I am confident, as I have said before, that the land now in cultivation, would, if properly occupied and conducted, supply plenty of work, not only for all the present population of Ireland, but for a very considerable increase.³⁴ The cultivated lands alone allow ten and a half acres for each

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I am far from being prepared to recommend the expenditure of much capital in extensive drainages in the cultivation of the bogs, until all the other land which can be brought into cultivation without extraordinary outlay, should be improved; because the returns would be quicker and more certain from the land at present under cultivation, and from the wastes which are not bog. The deep and wet bogs may be reserved to the last; although I know perfectly well that bog-land, when drained, is admirably adapted for growing luxuriant crops, with less labour and manure than almost any other description of land. Besides (and this is an important consideration), the wear and tear of the necessary implements of agriculture, is very light upon a bog-farm. In Lancashire, where some extensive mosses (in Irish phraseology, bogs) are

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The cultivation of bogs has been injudiciously decried, and unfairly represented. We perpetually hear of the expenses of cultivation, and the losses that attend it; but these, it is important to remember, are the cases of Gentlemen Agriculturists; and when or where did gentlemen not lose by cultivating and occupying land, whether good or bad? Nothing, or but little, is said of the many small patches of verdant bog, won by the quiet industry and perseverance of the poor labourer, and rendered fertile by his labour alone. The

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The only rational objection that has been, or, in my opinion, can be urged against this system, refers to the increased labour which it obliges: but, where labour is even of the highest value, the disadvantages bear no comparison to the positive benefits that accrue. One of these benefits, and not perhaps the least of them, is, that under the system I have been recommending, there would

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My opinion, it has been seen, is in favour, strongly in favour, of the possibility of Government and Companies (without the loss of a farthing) profitably employing all the unemployed labourers upon small farms or the waste lands, at piece-work, in draining, gravelling, claying, and bringing them into a state of cultivation sufficiently excellent to attract the attention of purchasers or takers. To provide the people with work by the piece, and to let every man receive a reward proportioned to his industry, is, I am convinced, the only way of creating a proper energy and independence among the people.³⁷ Every other plan with which I am

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On the subject of Poor-Laws, at the present moment so peculiarly important and interesting, it may be expected that I should speak in decided terms; and having expressed myself somewhat strongly against the contemplated workhousesystem, I may be understood to be equally opposed

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In reference to a subject treated of in a previous page, respecting the employment of professed agriculturists to superintend the early management of small farms, and to impart instruction to the ignorant farmers on the principles of agriculture (which might be done at a trifling cost, the salaries of many of such agriculturists being under

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To the above, another project may be added. Government might take lands on long leases, and let them to occupiers in small portions for shorter terms; or might at once purchase, in large portions, the waste lands or estates of such as do not feel disposed, or are not able to reclaim or improve them, and sell them out, in smaller allotments, or let them on 21 years' leases, to those who might be disposed to cultivate them. These measures, although I am convinced that they would be important and beneficial in their results, do not perhaps properly fall among the direct duties of Government, whose legitimate and most effectual method of ultimately securing the desired advantages of national comfort and prosperity, is to establish, without reference to sect or party, equal laws to all classes of the community.

One of the most inane of fallacies is that of asserting that Ireland contains a redundant population; and one of the most inane of remedies is that of emigration. If what a distinguished

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In conclusion, I would briefly remind the reader of this very important particular: — that so far from the supposition that Ireland contains a surplus population being correct, the truth is, that her labour is perfectly inadequate to the development of her various and almost unbounded resources. No course of policy, founded upon so grand a mistake as is implied in the conclusion that extreme poverty is a necessary sign of a superabundance of labour, can ever lead to permanently judicious and salutary results.