Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland (Author: Jonathan Binns)
chapter 6
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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buildings — among the rest, Ardtole Church, supposed to have been founded by St. Patrick. Of this edifice the east gable and part of the side wall remain. They are situated on a green knoll about a mile to the north of Ardglass. Jordan's Castle, opposite the inn, is memorable for the valiant defence made by its owner, Simon Jordan, during a three year's siege, till Lord Mountjoy came to his relief in 1601.
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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is common to see the drivers of carts eating it as they go along the road. Nearly the whole district is covered with grain. Large fields of wheat, oats, barley, and potatoes, are passed in succession, without any intermission of pasture, meadow, or fallow. There are scarcely any hedgerow trees; they are only seen occasionally. The pier of Ardglass has lately been extended at the cost of £26,000; it is an excellent piece of workmanship. The harbour is 22 feet deep at low water. The lighthouse, which is now at some distance from the entrance to the harbour, ought to be removed nearer to it, being likely, in its present situation, to mislead mariners. Captain Saunders stated that the harbour-dues were given up to Government on their advancing money on a loan at 4 1/2 per cent, and that the trade of the port had so diminished that not one vessel in twenty came in compared with those of former days. There once were twelve vessels from Belfast, but now only one; the steamers have in part caused this decrease. He spoke of the extravagance of building the Jail and four Hospitals at Downpatrick.
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The Jail and Infirmary cost £120,000, which the farmers, who are fast "going down," are ill able to pay. Captain Saunders thought that the four Hospitals ought to have been in different parts of the country, as Downpatrick contains only four or five thousand inhabitants. The bounty on the fishing used to be £3 per ton, but it was misapplied, and was therefore discontinued. The fishery has since fallen off.
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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for grain, being conveniently situated for the shipping of it. The land adjoining is very fertile, and capable of bearing many crops in succession. Our route lay along the side of the Lough, which, when the tide is out, appears a muddy stream. Strangford is beautifully situated on the Lough; the shore is rocky, and commands a fine view of Portaferry opposite, at which place the Lough widens into an extensive sheet of water, formerly called Lough Cane, or Cuan. It is seventeen miles long, and five broad in its widest part; is well supplied with fish, and is said by the inhabitants to contain as many islands as there are days in the year; this number, however, may be reduced to about seventy. The ruins of Walsh's, Audley's, Portaferry, Killyleagh, Comber, and other ancient castles, are all within view of each other near the Lough, and signals might and doubtless have been given from one to another. Here, then, is a feast for those who delight to contemplate the relics of days when men buried themselves within dark walls nine feet thick, and found it necessary to be constantly on the lookout for enemies.
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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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were embracing and kissing each other — there, they were fighting; but I am bound to add, that there was not nearly so much of either fighting or drunkenness as I have repeatedly observed on similar occasions in England. Good humour and extreme hilarity seemed to prevail.
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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on discovering that I was in beautiful grounds and shady groves, ornamented with rockwork and alcoves, and containing well-selected stations which commanded the most picturesque views of the castles, the Lough, and its numerous islands. The remains of an old church called Temple Cranic, surrounded by tombs of very ancient date, supplied a subject of peculiar interest.
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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employed. The women, he added, had taken up the embroidery trade, by which some of them could earn 1s. a day; but, from information derived from Lady Bangor, I have reason to fear that this rate of wages is confined to very few instances.
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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of a better quality, for 3d. The auctioneer dwelt a long time upon the sale of a tetotum, which sold for 2d. Inglis complains of a scarcity of shops where bacon and bread may be purchased, but I did not observe this deficiency. In the towns which I have visited, the shops appeared to me to comprise nearly an equal proportion of bread or bacon, groceries, spirits, and clothing. Booksellers' and stationers' shops are the least frequently met with: in Downpatrick there are no libraries, or indeed any places where food for the mind may be dispensed — the main regard seeming to refer to the sustenance of the body.
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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reigns here struck me forcibly. The brute, as well as man, has the unrestrained enjoyment of the grounds; and though there are no gates in any part of them (even the lawn and flower-garden lying open as the fields), the most perfect order is maintained. Occasionally I passed a goat or two, browsing on the side of the road. These beautiful and picturesque animals are very tractable, and afford milk to many a poor family, with which they moisten their mess of otherwise dry potatoes. They feed on rocky barren places, and greatly relieve the aspect of these desert spots.
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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gave it to the monks of the Cistercian order, and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary in 1180. From Inch I walked on to the ruins of Saul Church, passing the Quoile Bridge and Clough Doors. It is said that this was the church where St. Patrick first preached Christianity in Ireland. The remains bespeak great antiquity, and many of the grave-stones that crowd the yard are of singular and curious character. Alone and unobserved, I took a seat in this place of tombs, full of serious thoughts of the past and the future.
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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same copious spring. They lie in a triangular field, having a road on two sides of it, and a few mean looking houses by the side of the road. At these houses the visitors procure lodging and refreshment, and tents are erected for their accommodation. Each well is said to possess its peculiar virtues; one for the eyes, the others for the various limbs, and for drinking. The buildings are of stone, and have vaulted roofs. The largest, in which the invalids bathe, is 16 feet by 11. Near the wells are the ruins of an ancient chapel. My companion informed me that at twelve o'clock on Midsummer Eve the water in these wells always overflows the structures which surmount them; and that their virtues are such, that he knew a man last year unable to walk, who, on being carried and put into the well, walked home quite recovered. For a fortnight after Midsummer, he added, the wells are crowded with the blind and the lame, and all sorts of diseased people, on which occasions the covered water-course is obliged to be opened, to make room for them to wash. These wells are also much frequented for
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penitential purposes; and are visited by people not only from all parts of Ireland, but from England and Scotland. It is considered requisite to the success of the mission, that each person should previously visit the burial-place of Saint Patrick at Downpatrick, and be provided with a portion of the soil from his grave.
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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as one cannot but feel the wanton destruction of such venerable antiquities to be, it is consistent enough with what might be expected from a town which does not contain either a library or a bookseller's shop.
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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miles from Downpatrick, I observed in a field adjoining the road a Druidical ring, from which a few stones had been removed, for the purpose, probably, of ploughing the ground. Some of those which remained were 4 feet high, and the diameter of the ring was about 30 feet. Slieve-na-Griddle is only 414 feet above the level of the sea, but in Ireland an elevation of half this height claims the dignified title of mountain. Amidst wild flowers and heath I ascended this hill, at the summit of which is a stone altar or cromlech (crumlech or cromleagh), eleven or twelve feet in length, eight feet broad, and fourteen or fifteen inches thick: it rests upon two supporters which have almost entirely sunk below the surface of the ground. Cromlechs are of Pagan origin, and derive their name from crom, god, and leac, a flat or crooked stone. They are invariably in an inclined posture, so that the blood of the victims sacrificed upon them (men and women accused of crime) might more easily run off. The Israelites were commanded not to build their altars either of hewn stones, or stones on which a tool had been used; and the Irish
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cromlechs may be presumed to be similar to those originally raised by the Jewish people. About some of the most venerable antiquities of Ireland, however, considerable mystery inevitably hangs; for the Druidical priests, who buried themselves in dark and gloomy caverns, locked up their religion and peculiar mode of worship in the completest mystery, being forbidden to divulge anything to the laity, or to commit to writing any of their precious secrets.
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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court. I left the place with an impression that such an appearance of smuggling justice was little calculated to give general satisfaction. To an Englishman, accustomed to see and hear with the most perfect liberty — it was anything but agreeable.
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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of alarm. Those more elevated and conical, without much rampart, have been ascertained to be places of burial, urns and human bones having been discovered in the recesses within them. In the rath at Downpatrick, and others which I have seen in that part of Ireland, I did not observe any appearance of a passage to the interior; but in Kerry and elsewhere they have an entrance or opening like a small arch. A gentleman from the county of Cork, whom I had the pleasure to meet at Cashel, informed me, that in making arrangements for building his house, he found it necessary to remove one of these raths, and discovered within it seventeen stone coffins, which, however, did not contain any remains of human bodies. Moore tells us that the raths or hill fortresses were the dwellings of old Irish chiefs.
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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how much can be effected by planting in a mountainous and barren country, particularly if well supplied with water. In this district the traveller is charged 8d. per Irish mile for a car with one horse; when the luggage is heavy, the charge is 10d., and the driver expects 2d. or 2 1/2d. per mile, if he drive more than one person.
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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of considerable note. The roads are so thickly scattered with loose stones, as to make it a matter of astonishment that the horses do not fall. Picking off these stones would give some profitable employment to poor boys and girls, who in general have nothing to do. The road sides also are for the most part encumbered with heaps of stones, which render it dangerous for carriages to meet or pass each other. The scarcity of streams of water in this district is unfavourable to manufactories.
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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The canal is navigable for small craft from Carlingford Bay, by Newry, to Lough Neagh. Newry is celebrated for its butter and whiskey: its trade and manufactures are in a thriving state.
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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that adopted at York, which place he visited, in order to qualify himself the better for the discharge of his important duties. The patients are scarcely sensible of restraint; they enjoy the liberty of rambling through the grounds and gardens, and are allowed every variety of amusement consistent with their lamentable condition. By these judicious means, many have been restored to health, and to the society of their friends. His terms vary, according to the state of the patient, from thirty to £60 per annum, for board, washing, and lodging. I found John Allen an enthusiast in gardening and agriculture, both of which he practices on a small scale. In his farm he cultivates all kinds of green food in drills, but his method is laborious and expensive, for want of suitable implements. It is his opinion that the land in Ireland produces three times as much as it did several years ago, and that with a moderate degree of skill the present produce might be greatly increased. My Co-commissioner indeed had often told me that the Irish would swamp the English farmer by growing as much as would
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serve both countries. Certainly the soil of such parts of Ireland as I have seen is of excellent quality, fertilized with frequent genial showers. Labour is cheap, and the Irish farmer is content to obtain merely a bare subsistence — not only without luxuries, but without what the English farmer would call indispensable necessaries. When the projected railway shall be made across the island from Dublin to Valentia, or to Westport or Galway, with its various branches, the Irish will have a greater facility of sending their produce to the English market, which cannot fail to be advantageous to them. To what extent it may be injurious to the English farmer remains to be proved; but we ought to consider it on a broad and real basis, regarding Ireland, not as a distinct country, but as an integral portion of the British empire. It will probably be compatible with the welfare of both; and the natural result will be, the establishment of manufactories, and the increased prosperity of Ireland. The Irish will then consume a larger quantity of what their country produces.
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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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introduced from Scotland through Mr. Blacker's means, and been distributed amongst gentlemen who have applied to him in various parts of Ireland. Their wages are from thirty-five to £40 per annum, including all allowances.
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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and Bruce said he was saving money, but he was not an out-and-out green-crop farmer. The next tenant we called upon was an old woman who was attempting the turnip husbandry; she had, however, neglected thinning her few perches of turnips until they had mastered and discouraged her; she burst into tears, and said she had done her best. The poor creature had been carefully picking out a plant or two when she ought to have hoed them down by scores; and like all novices in turnip growing, she thought it a pity to throw the turnips away, and was anxious to let them grow till the thinnings were food for her cow — just as many planters destroy their plantations by allowing trees to crowd and kill each other, in order that the thinnings may be of some value.
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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people successful agriculturists. This poor man farmed seven acres; he had been induced to sow a few turnips (I think fourteen perches); he also had neglected them till they were injured, and the labour of thinning had become increased tenfold. His wife and daughter, the latter a young woman of eighteen, were digging very hard with long spades between the rows, and using their bare feet in forcing down the spade into the clay. They appeared, however, quite cheerful and happy under their fatiguing labour, complaining only of the quantity of manure the turnips had taken, and the fine crop of potatoes they might have had with it. Very many instances of the good nature and perseverance of these half-naked and half-starved people constantly occurred — instances tending to establish the conviction I had previously formed, that when they can place implicit dependence upon their landlord, they are ready and most willing to adopt any system that may be proposed for their advantage.
Another small tenant had obtained from the landlord some wood for a pig-sty, and the agriculturist
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having accused him of burning it, the tenant, with the greatest good humour, laughed assent. These tenants build their own houses of clay and straw, or rushes. They make the walls solid, and raise them two feet high at a time with mud and rushes, allowing them ten days to dry between the several layers. The doors and windows are cut out with a spade, and the sides made straight and smooth. These dwellings, including windows, cost the tenant 50s. The landlord frequently finds, in addition, some fir, or poles of other sort of wood, for the roof. They contain two bays or rooms, each 14 feet square. Most of the poor people prefer these thatched mud cabins to a house of stone and slate. A man of the name of Cormack said to us, "I would rather live amongst smoke — it keeps me warm and comfortable." We called on an old man who was having a stone cottage built for him at Lord Gosford's expense; he said, "I would rather live and die in my old cabin; the mud walls are warm; it is the warmest hut in all Ireland. I like the smoke to come round me and warm me in my
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cabin. I would rather live comfortably amongst smoke." The agriculturist was evidently mortified at his apparent want of success in teaching these poor creatures his improved husbandry, but their humorous expressions disarmed him of any angry feeling. And these are the men whom the great Earl of Gosford is endeavouring to induce, by better habits and improved agriculture, to raise themselves to a situation of comparative comfort. So far my hopes had been somewhat disappointed; but on further examination, I was fully convinced that the perseverance and skilful exertion of his lordship and Mr. Blacker had overcome obstacles with which common men would not have dared even to contend. Upon hundreds of such men as Lennon, and even worse, did Mr. Blacker commence his benevolent operations. Some of the small farmers who had followed his instructions, told us they were "clearing off their debts and becoming independent;" that previously to his assistance they could not have a cow, but that now they had a cow or two, and supplied themselves with butter and milk, and cured half a side
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of bacon. They could make their rent from their butter, and have the rest of the produce for themselves and families.
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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by the 1st of April. A week in August is worth the whole month of October for obtaining an early crop. Clover and tares supply food after rape, from the middle of May to the middle of October. Turnips, or potatoes, and cabbages, with a little hay or straw, constitute the winter food from October till April. By this excellent system the cows are bountifully supplied with a variety of wholesome and succulent food during the whole year. The mildness of the winters in Ireland is favourable to the growth of these plants, and enables the farmers to cut them early. Flax is an excellent nurse for clover, when sown amongst it; one stone of clover seed is sown per acre; the clover frequently produces three good crops during the season, in consequence of the care taken by the farmer or his family to supply a small quantity of ashes or light manure after cutting. Their little stock of hay is made by the shading process, putting it in lap-cock, (that is, wrapping or curling an armful up to resist the wet and admit the air, and resting it on the smallest base possible) as soon as they can, and
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not letting it be much exposed, which is far preferable to allowing its juices to be exhausted by the heat of the sun. Mr. Bruce informed us, that some of the farmers opened the furrows for potatoes and turnips, and deposited the manure in them during the winter; thus allowing the seeds of weeds contained in the manure to vegetate, and be destroyed by harrowing, previously to the potatoes or turnips being sown in the spring following. By this practice the manure was also more decomposed, and mixed with the soil, and the labour performed at a leisure time.
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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Gosford's tenant four years ago, he owed £15, and had sold every thing he had, except his cat and dog. Lord Gosford having purchased the estate on which Lennon was previously farmer, Lennon gave a note to Mr. Blacker for the arrears, and told him he should be able to pay the debt by means of honest industry. Mr. Bruce, the agriculturist, encouraged him to hope for a loan of money from Mr. Blacker for the purchase of a cow. Mr. Blacker lent him £2; he found the rest himself, and bought a cow for £3. 10s. He lived on potatoes, and was glad to have them; he had one loom left, and hired another, and his two sons weaved and worked hard. Mr. Blacker lent him also 35s. worth of lime, without interest. Three years since he got a loan of £1 to buy a pig with, after having repaid the £2 for the cow; he had likewise paid £10 towards the arrears. He made £5 from the butter of one cow in 1834; she was fed on turnips, clover, and rape, in the house. He still owed £5 of the arrears, and one year's rent; had two good pigs and some flax, and thought he could clear off all his debt in November. He
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had six acres of land at a rent of 22s. per acre. Mr. Blacker provides rape and turnip seed gratis; his farm, he said, was in a much better condition than formerly, and he had twice as much manure as he used to have.
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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was light, and he found no crop more profitable than clover, and could keep his ground in much better condition by the use of it.
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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formerly. Many pursue the new system; to follow it properly, requires a capital equal to £4 per acre.
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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